Sunday, July 15, 2012

Nostalgia - San Pedro Sula, Honduras


Prior to actually coming to Honduras, the only facts I knew about Honduras came from high school Spanish class - that it was in Central America and that it had a long and funny-sounding capital, Tegucigalpa. Who would have thought that a country I would have never imagined myself coming to now evokes nostalgic memories?

Of course, this picture isn't representative of the chaotic streets of the 2nd largest city in Honduras, but the green in Honduras is one thing that always makes me feel at home. It has something to do with how urban concrete hasn't trumped nature, yet.

Anyway, this is my third time in Honduras. Our team is here on a mission to serve at the local public hospital as well as build a house for a local pastor in one of the neighboring villages. Our first two days in San Pedro Sula were spent mostly getting reacquainted with the city and old friends, going to church, and prepping for the week ahead. Updates on the upcoming week to follow.

It was a difficult few weeks leading up to the trip. The team was only halfway fundraised just a couple weeks before the trip and ongoing news reports about the safety situation in Honduras and the poor conditions in the hospital were discouraging. Because of a recent spike in drug-trafficking, Honduras now has the highest murder rate per capita in the world. Our first year down, a mother and baby were murdered in front of our hostel due to drug violence. Furthermore, nurses in the public hospital were on strike because they hadn't been paid in months.

Nonetheless, we are here.

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