Dear Friends,

We met Autumn at the San Pedro Sula airport yesterday about noon. We three took the bus back to El Pino, in time for a dinner at Doña Ada's little restaurant and the evening program at the church. She had traveled all night and had slept hardly at all, but when called on to participate in the class, she was able to do it with grace.

Today, we are running errands in the city. Whenever we go to the city, we need to take money out of the bank. We are being more careful not to have more than a month's worth of expenses at home. Being robbed does change some habits, I guess.

It has been a very cool rainy season. Just beginning to warm up. This makes it very strange for garden work. Some days, cool and comfortable, some days, we swelter. We have to re-adjust to the hot days again.

The plan on Monday was to see patients, order medicines, hop the 11 a.m. bus and arrive in El Pino about 4:30 p.m.

Well, we started out fine. Up slightly earlier than usual, walked to the highway, chatted with our friend Doña Eva and her daughter-in-law, Ana. Ana is concerned about her 6 year old. They live two miles from the kindergarten and she doesn't see how she can send her. Things are more complicated by the fact that Ana is illiterate, so she can't teach her at home. But, Doña Eva can read, as can her son, the father of this child. So, we will give them one of our alphabet books to get the mother and child started. I think I'd better pick up some reading glasses for Doña Eva, too, when I'm in the states. She is in her mid 60s.

Caught a ride the rest of the way to work with our friend Justo Paz. (I love it--his name means "just peace.") He raises rice and gave me some more information about that. The rice is almost ready to be combined. He rents a combine. 

Saw patients. The medicine order didn't go so well. Warnita and I had made a list of about a dozen medicines that we needed. The pharmaceutical company only had three of them. Sigh. Maybe next week. Next week I will bring the telephone numbers of two other companies, too. Meanwhile my kids have no cough syrup and no anti-allergy medicines. The adults have a small amount.

We left Centro de Salud about 11. Picked up our mail (always a treat, because there is almost always something). There was a light rain falling; we waited a bit for the bus and realized that the 11 a.m. bus just wasn't coming. We each ate one of our home made baleadas and started walking--by then the rain had stopped and it was just overcast. Soon along came a truck with folks in back. We hopped in and were dropped off just over an hour later in Corocito--more than half way to Tocoa. Overcast the whole way. We were very grateful. Caught another bus to Tocoa, then another to LaCeiba. At LaCeiba bus station, we quickly bought provisions for a picnic dinner and breakfast and caught the bus to El Pino. Arrived there just before 5 p.m.

It is always such a treat to be at El Pino. We really feel like part of that congregation. Arnulfo, who is in charge of the buildings, is on vacation. So Reina and the supervisor of construction helped us find the folding cots, the necessary keys and got us situated in the "guesthouse." We put up three cots, all ready for Autumn's arrival.

Last month, I told you about the congregation and the new pastor all reeling in pain over the cultural differences. Well, many still are. But the supervisor of the new pastor had called a few meetings with a few key people and the healing has begun. When cultural differences are so huge that it seems like you have just been assigned a heretic to be your pastor, there is a lot of concern.

We were privileged again to hear about the personal work that one of the congregational leaders is doing to help in her own healing and in the healing of the congregation. The Spirit is at work again in that church. It looked pretty grim there for a while.

This is my last day of email contact before I leave for the states. I will arrive in Wisconsin on Feb. 6 and will have email contact again from there. Autumn and Prairie will carry on here. 

I am looking forward to seeing loved ones that I haven't seen for two years. 

be well,
beth