America, Honduras

Our friends invited us to go with them to a Christian fellowship gathering, called Crossroads, at the military base on Friday night. So after a productive morning of running errands and eating lunch at our favorite restaurant, we accepted the invitation. About 3 miles outside of Comayagua there is a ½ American ½ Honduras military base. Approximately 500 American soldiers are stationed here along with another 500 civilian contractors (American and Honduran). Our friend, Kyle, is one of the civilian contractors and his wife is a teacher at bilingual school in Comayagua. We met them several weeks ago, and they kindly helped us secure passes to get on the base to attend church there (since it is in English!) Our passes were just cleared for use, so we went with them last night to attend Crossroads. We took a cab out to the base (went through several cabs trying to agree on a reasonable price…like we said before, they always try to rip off Americans)! Anyway, once we arrived the cabby dropped us off at the front gave and sped off. We were greeted by Honduran military personnel to check out identification. Kyle and Crystal got through the gate immediately simply by flashing their base ID cards. We had to show our passports, then the guard looked through the binder of issued passes to find our names and clearance level. He found our names alright, however, we only had permission to be on base on Sundays from 9am to 5pm. It was Friday; therefore the Honduran soldier would not allow us to enter. We tried to plead with him, explaining that the Chaplain must have made an error, that we should be able come to the church functions on Friday nights also. We even had a US soldier helping us, trying to convince the Honduran to let us pass. However, he wouldn’t budge. Although Americans and Hondurans share the base, ultimately, the Honduran military has the upper hand (since we are in their country and all). Greg and I were prepared to turn back and hale another cab home, when we remembered….the husband of our landlord works security for the Honduran military! His wife told us earlier in the week that Jony would be residing on the base all weekend as part of his supervisory duties. Greg whipped out his cell and gave Jony a call. Fortunately he answered and within minutes, he met us at the front gate. Using his Capitan status, he walked up to the gate and told the other Honduran soldiers (that wouldn’t let us in) that we were with him. The soldier gave a salute to Jony, and we were in. In disbelief, the four of us followed him in, hopped in Jony’s car and headed to the chapel. Again, God has connected us with some truly amazing people here! J

It was so amazing to be on base! We actually felt very safe and stared out the window in amazement as we drove through streets. There were all kinds of American luxuries! Restaurants, coffee shops, laundry mats, restrooms with toilet paper (at school you have to bring your own), a gym, swimming pool, tennis courts, etc. all with signs written in English! Once we arrived, Crystal asked me to walk to the PX with her. It was awesome! Nearly all the products (food, clothing, appliances, electronics) were American name brands! They had a multitude of things impossible to find anywhere else in Honduras! I didn’t buy anything (I only had 30 Lempira – about $1.50), however, window shopping was still quite fulfilling. We plan to stop there and pick up a few things after church on Sunday.

Crossroads was great! There were about 12 people that attended (8 American soldiers and then the 4 of us). They cooked a great dinner (sloppy jo’s, potatoes, and corn) and for dessert we had root beer floats! I don’t remember the last time I had one of those!? It definitely hit the spot though! The Crossroads building was filled with activities. At one end of the room was the kitchen and pantry, then tables and cabinets filled with board games. The other side of the room had several couches, a HUGE TV (with American Cable) and a Christian Library. There were also a ping pong and foosball tables. After we enjoyed the scrumptious meal and thought that there was no possible way this night could get any better, they unveiled they Nintendo Wii. We all put on our game faces and boxed, bowed, and played tennis for hours. How fabulous!

I really felt like I was back in the US when I was actually able to flush toilet paper down the toilet! You see, everywhere else you go in Honduras, you have to throw your used toilet paper in the trashcan next to the toilet. (Trashcan to the left in the photo.) I guess you get used to it after a while, but it is still sorta gross. Anyway, it felt so good to be on base. For a little while, we actually felt like we were in the United States. It was such a comforting feeling! We are definitely grateful and proud to be American citizens!


Greg and I both agreed that last night was truly a gift from God. He fills everyday with blessings small and large, and it is up to us to recognize each gift and give thanks. “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6
May God bless you richly today!