I changed my clothes for the day, not bothering to take a shower knowing that I would just need another one after six cramped hours in the vans, and finished packing all of my stuff. About five 'til six, I woke all of the kids up so they could put their bags on the porch to be loaded into the back of the Land Cruiser.
To my surprise, everyone woke up immediately and carried their own bag outside. I woke up Emily to see how she was doing and to give her another antibiotic. She took the pill with a few swigs of water from the bottle that sat next to her bed and immediately put her head back on her pillow.
We had 30 minutes before breakfast and an hour before we had to be in front of the other dorms for the ranch's Friday morning devotional before we left. Not knowing how long or how rough the ride would be, and knowing that one of our group felt terrible and another four or five were battling stomach issues, I was extremely nervous this morning. I felt like there was no way of avoiding me getting sick since other people had started feeling ill one by one.
Thankfully, my nerves were the only thing making me feel sick this morning. I forced myself to eat one of my last granola bars while the rest of the group walked over to the dining hall for a big breakfast of pancakes, fresh fruit, and ham. The group looked tired this morning, mostly because of the long week of work we had just finished and partly because we were all dreading the ride to Tegucigalpa.
Once breakfast was finished, we grabbed the last of our bags and left our dorms for the last time. I did not say goodbye to the frogs in the bathroom.
Our group, the group from Georgia, the group of vets, and most of the ranch staff all gathered around the large cross on the ranch. We all stood in a large circle and the ranch chaplain led us in singing two songs. They had passed out song sheets, but the words were all in Spanish so they weren't much help for most of us. I knew the second song we sang, so I was able to hum along with the music.
After we sang, the ranch director thanked us all for coming and passed out missionary certificates to each of our groups. The chaplain then thanked us and apologized for not being able to pay us for our work. I appreciated the sentiment, but I felt bad that he thought he needed to say that.
After we all prayed together, the director and chaplain did their best to shake every one's hand who would be leaving the ranch this morning. The group of vets was staying for a second week, so it was our group and the group from Georgia that would be going to Tegucigalpa together.
After we all used the bathroom one last time, our group gathered around the cross with Ali for a group picture. We started to hand different people all of our cameras, but finally decided we could use one person's camera and share the picture. Once the photo had been snapped, we started to head to the vans.
Our van held me, eleven of our youth, Ali, our security guard, and Ubaldo behind the wheel. We were slightly cramped, but it wasn't too bad. As we drove on the dirt roads of Olancho, we had the windows up and the weak air conditioning from the van did its best to keep us cool. If we tried to open our windows, Ubaldo would give us one of his stern looks and the window would quickly close.
After about 45 minutes driving slowly through the small villages near the ranch, we started to get into the mountains and the roads, thankfully, turned from dirt to pavement. We were able to roll our windows down and the cool air felt amazing.
On our drive six days before, I didn't remember more than a mile of paved roads, but not having to drive through Juticalpa we were on paved roads for 80% of today's trip. After about an hour and a half of driving, we stopped at a nice gas station in a larger town. We all went to the restroom and sat down in a corner of the gas station that had several leather chairs and a television. An armed guard with a revolver in his holster walked past our group several times as we sat in the chairs. I didn't feel like we were in any danger, but the man with the gun still made me nervous.
After our 20 minute break, the vans were refueled and we were back on the road. Thankfully, everyone who had felt sick earlier in the morning or the night before was feeling fine. Emily still felt tired and weak after not having eaten much for the previous day, but she was okay in the front seat of the van.
We piled back into the vans knowing that lunch was coming at our next stop from the Mennonite bakery we had stopped at on our way to Juticalpa earlier in the week. I was seated on a fold-down metal seat on the right side of the van directly behind the security guard. As the ride continued, he slouched down further in his chair and his belt began to twist around slightly, bringing the butt of his gun between my legs. I knew the gun was secure in his holster, but this still made me nervous, especially when I would make a movement and accidentally bumped the weapon, which happened nine or ten times in our short trip.
As we drove, the youth had put on another Harry Potter book and played it loudly on their iPod dock. Having enjoyed the calming voice the day before, I didn't mind and tried to listen to the words as we drove on the winding roads, but with the windows down it was impossible to hear anything he was saying.
The person who was enthralled with the book on tape was our security guard. He would stare at the iPod dock, looking like he was in amazement at the sounds coming from it and also wondering what the words were saying. Anytime Carolyn or Jesse would turn the volume up or down or shift the position of where the sound dock was placed, the security guard would stare at it like a child.
The second portion of our journey seemed to go quicker than the first and we were soon at the bakery for lunch. We had the option of fried chicken, fried tilapia, and tamales wrapped in banana leaves, along with several side dishes. Keeping with the theme of the week, I had chicken, rice, and a Coke.
After we ate, we all sat outside around picnic tables talking about how the trip was going and discussing what trinkets looked appealing from the many vendors selling things outside the bakery. Most of the guys wanted to buy machetes, but thankfully thought better, and all of us eyed the hammocks that filled the back of one man's truck. If I hadn't already been carrying a guitar with me, I probably would have bought one.
We got back in the vans, anxious for the last 90 minutes of our trip be over so we could relax at our hotel in the city. One of the girls switched seats with me for the last leg of our trip so I could have some relief from the small, uncomfortable seat I had been sitting in for the last four hours. I was gracious that Anna was willing to do this for me.
As we drove, I talked with our three seniors who would be leading the devotion that night. It was great to hear how excited they were to lead their group for one last time before they went off to college.
After about 75 minutes of driving, we started to see familiar sights from the week before. Certain restaurants and homes along the side of the road that stood out among the others helped us know we were getting close to the city.
We pulled off the main road we had been on and were greeted with a majestic view of the city. We were high atop a mountain and were literally looking down on the city. Small buildings covered most of our view with a few large churches and high buildings scattered across the city.
As we got into the city, the roads became very narrow and cramped. Cars were parked on either side of the road, people filled the sidewalks, and our van passed by them all with just inches on either side to spare. Driving in the country had made me nervous enough, but this was chaos.
We passed several used clothing stores that had huge signs in English in their front windows. We passed bakery's that smelled amazing. We passed through several intersections that seemed to have no rhyme or reason to who had the right of way. Ali pointed out the capital building, which was beautiful.
After we made several turns down smaller and smaller streets, the road finally widen and we pulled up to our hotel for the night. It was a huge building that looked like any American hotel. Bell hops were waiting on us and immediately had all of our luggage unloaded and stacked on carts. Ali checked us all in and within minutes we were ready to head to our rooms.
Once we got inside, we noticed that most of our faces were dirty from the dust and exhaust that had come in the windows of the van as we drove. This was funny at first, watching people take off their sunglasses and look like raccoons, but shocking when we realized how dirty the air we had been breathing was.
Our rooms were spread out across the 7th and 8th floors of the hotel. David and I were rooming together again. We got to our room and immediately were back in American mode: the television was on, we were checking our email and Facebook, and the air conditioning was on high to cool off our room.
We relaxed for about 45 minutes and unpacked the few items we would need for the night and gave everyone else time to do the same. I went and found most of the kids and we decided to explore a little of Tegucigalpa. We knew there was a shop across the street that HOI missionaries received a discount at, so we headed there.
The shop was full of souvenirs. There were tshirts, machetes, toys, artwork, jewelry, and all kinds of random Honduran goodies. I bought a keychain for Jeff and I to add to our ever-growing keychain collection we keep with the key to our mailbox. The rest of the group bought some gifts and mementos from our trip.
Next door to the gift shop was a very small store that sold snacks and drinks. Since we were still not able to use to the water at the hotel to brush our teeth, most of us bought bottles of water. Other than the cake on Thursday, this was my first opportunity to eat anything sweet during the week. The kitchen at the ranch sold ice cream bars, but always having been full right after our meals, I never bought any.
I got some Skittles and a chocolate bar and we all headed back to the hotel. We could have explored the city more, but in the 75 feet walk from our hotel to the two shops we had already been asked for money and offered goods for sale enough times for one day. We decided it was safest if the whole group stayed at the hotel for the remainder of our stay.
We had about an hour an a half until dinner, so we all headed back to our rooms. David and I watched a cooking show where a lady was making huge hamburgers. I think both of us were drooling as we watched. Dinner couldn't come soon enough.
After we had both showered and ironed our polo shirts for our nice dinner, we made sure all the kids were dressed and ready for dinner. We headed downstairs to meet Ali in the lobby and head to the restaurant in the hotel.
After a week with everyone dressed in either work clothes or shorts and tshirts to relax in in the evenings, it was kind of odd to see the guys in khakis and polo shirts and the girls in dresses. Once we were all there, Ali led us downstairs where dinner was waiting for us.
We were seated at a long table outside, with the group from Georgia at a slightly smaller table inside. A woman came around with a cart and served us Cokes or whatever drink everyone wanted. The dinner buffet had chicken, fish, rice, roasted vegetables, cold cuts, cheese, salad, soup, and dessert spread across two long tables.
We all filled our plates and then filled our bellies. As we ate, the youth were all seated towards one end of the table with me, David, and Tara between them and the ranch staff that had made the trip with us. I was seated across from Ali and next to our security guard, with our two drivers next to him.
We talked about the week that had been during dinner. Ali emphasized, for the second of third time, how great our group had been and how much work we had done. She even went as far as to say that we were the best youth group she had worked with in her four years at the ranch. Hearing her say this made me, once again, extremely proud of my 12 youth.
Once we had finished our meals, we moved on to our seemingly simple dessert of strawberries covered in whipped cream. This was so delicious that David interrupted our conversation as he took his first bite. Strawberries and vanilla whipped cream have never been so good.
With dinner finished, the youth were anxious to enjoy their free evenings playing games, exploring the hotel, and taking advantage of the hotel's two swimming pools and hot tub. I went up to our room to get the last group of letters for the kids and our devotion would start as soon as I got back.
When I got to the pool area, the youth had gathered in a large circle to start our devotion. I sat down and our three seniors, Anna, Carolyn, and Bryan, began leading the group. Instead of giving our highs and lows for the day, they asked us to share only our favorite moment from the trip.
These next ten minutes were perfect. We went around the group and one by one shared our favorite moment from the past six days. Everyone was quiet while anyone else was talking and we smiled and laughed with one another as we shared. During my time to share, I spoke about how much I had enjoyed working with Carlos and Alex and the bond that we had formed. As I spoke, every person in our circle had a smile on their face. To see them find joy in my joy felt amazing. This moment now rivals my work with Carlos and Alex as my favorite moment from the trip.
After our time of sharing was over, the seniors began to speak to the youth about the impact youth group had on them in their time at Second. They spoke of the importance of supporting one another and striving to do more. They thanked David, Tara, and me for chaperoning the trip and for being their friends. They spoke from their hearts.
The group then discussed what youth group meant to them and how they could continue to serve one another as the new school year started. The talked about their favorite events and which events needed more support. They showed that they care about youth group.
We finished the evening by holding hands and praying together. After the prayer, the youth scattered quickly and left me and my two friends sitting by ourselves. Other than our time in our room at the ranch, these were the first minutes we had shared without the youth there for the six days of our trip.
We talked for awhile and watched as the youth went to and from their rooms and the pool area, all of them in pairs as we had asked them to stay for safety. A few of the youth came over and sat with us and we talked for awhile before going to explore the hotel ourselves. We all went up the ninth floor of the hotel to the concierge lounge that overlooked the city.
The view from the lounge was amazing. The lights from the houses in the city seemed to go on forever across the mountains that the city sits upon. On the mountain to our right stood a large statue of Jesus, which was a one-quarter scale replica of the huge statue in Rio de Janerio. After several minutes of looking out the window, Tara and I returned to the poolside to enjoy the cool evening weather.
After our long week of work, it felt odd to have nothing to do, but it was great. We sat by the pool for awhile, with our youth coming and going from our table, making sure to take a drink from our water bottles or steal some of our snacks as they walked by. After awhile, the girls retired to their rooms for the night and most of the guys stayed by the pool to play cards.
We played hearts for about an hour before we all went to bed ourselves. David and I headed back up to our room and laid in our beds for awhile. Our project for the evening was to write thank you letters to Ali for all of the work she had done for us that week. The television was on and turned to whatever movie we could in English, but there were no other sounds in the room. We both wrote for several minutes before bed.
Knowing the next day would be long and tedious, as would once again be confined to airports with our twelve youth, we settled in to bed hoping the next morning would take oh too long to arrive so our trip wouldn't end. We had fallen in love with Honduras.
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