Following our strenuous 1.5 hour workday yesterday, "El Master" Pastor Juan Hage decided it was time for a little R&R. So after another wonderful breakfast with Marcos and our devotion we set out on our day of much needed fun. Our destination was Cayos Cochinos, a group of small islands off the coast of Honduras. From the beach of the Sambo Creek community the 12 of us (11 missioners & Suzie from Habitat Honduras) departed in an 18' boat powered by a 75 h.p. Yamaha tiller steer from circa 1985. No worries, we were all wearing our standard orange life jackets. There was a sense of uneasiness and hesitation as we left the front beach and began the 45 minute trek across the big water to the islands. Did the 12 of us trust the captain of the boat to take us on the journey? (no symbolism here right?) Well, to be honest we had no other choice but to trust him, so we did. Our boat ride to the islands was a little rough and wet to say the least. For the 3 of us in the front of the boat it was a rather nice and enjoyable ride, for the other 9 behind us....lets just say they got a little damp. The main thing is that we arrived to the islands safely. It may not have been the smooth journey that we wanted, it never is, but it was a journey that got us where we wanted to be.
Once at the islands Aldo took us on a little nature walk to find some rare pink boa constrictors. Again we are hesitant but follow him on a trail through the woods in search of serpents. Interesting enough we find a few pinkish boas hanging along some tree branches. They are tempting but oddly enough the trail that lead to them was a dead end trail to no where.
So back to the boat we went. Our next island was a paradise island where we could enjoy the beach and do a little snorkeling. We spent a few hours here, most of us snorkeling around the colorful coral reefs that appeared to be very full of life. At first the snorkeling really didn't appear to be that great to me. Not many fish, not a lot of color, etc. What I realized is that I was swimming over the reefs like we tend to go through our daily lives, going too fast and moving too quickly from one thing to the next. So I slowed down and as soon as I did, I began to see more detail, more of the things that I was looking for in the beginning. They were always right there in front of me, but I wasn't allowing my self to see them. I think we all kind of took this approach today.
After the snorkeling we headed to another island that was maybe 2 acres in size and was home to approx. 35 families. There we had a great lunch of fried whole fish, rice and beans, plantain chips and coke in a glass bottle. We were able to walk around the beaches of the island where we saw hand carved wooden boats and other items and small treasures that the islanders and sold. It was a very interesting place.
It felt as if as soon as we had arrived it was time for us to head back to the main land. By this time the wind had picked up and there were white caps everywhere. The 12 of us got back in the boat for the dreaded journey back. Even though we had safely made the trip across earlier, we boarded the boat this time with more uneasiness and hesitation then before. We still didn't trust our captain. But this time he had on a life jacket! Again our journey was rough. Again our journey was wet (except for the two of us that traded places with Pastor Juan...not smart Pastor Juan). But the captain again got us to our final destination. It wasn't the smoothest ride nor the straightest, but we ended up where we wanted to be. More importantly, this group of 12 learned to trust the Captain.
Adios from Honduras! Time to drop the nets and become fishers of men!
"El Macizo" Roman
A.K.A. Rusty
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