Hey, This Monkey Barrier Is New!

Hey, this Monkey barrier is new!!!

Well, we made the journey to the mission house outside Choluteca,  Honduras safely.  The layover in Atlanta, though brief, went smoothly and the notorious landing into Tegucigalpa earned applause from the passengers.  The 4-hour typically harrowing drive through the mountains and its potholes and crazy traffic did not disappoint. 

5 out of 7 of us have been on this mission at least once before, and on this journey to the mission house conversation often flowed towards remembering past events and people, both locals and missionaries, on past mission trips.  We started asking about specific locals who have helped or worked with past missions, and found out that we won't be working closely with some that we had in the past and not at all with some others.  Even in the ride to the mission house, many things have changed. The bus driver, one of the interpreters, and the person in charge is different. 

About halfway there, we stopped at a small zoo in the mountains.  We do this most years. There were some changes there too!  Most notably, there was a barrier now around the monkey cage.  We laughed at this and called it the Cindy Williams Barrier, because on two prior mission trips she got a little too close to the monkey, and it was quite fond of her blonde hair. So fond that it, in a ninja or rabid monkey type manner, grabbed her hair and made her scream out. Not once, but again on a subsequent mission.  

This barrier wasn't really all that much. I'm sure that when Cindy makes it back here, there may be supervision required, because I could still see her finding a way to get too close to the cute monkey.   As for the other changes that have happened or will happen this week, I think it's a good thing for the mission team. While we are fond of the people we've met in the past, we need to stay diligent in focusing on the mission at hand and not fall prey to making it more of a reunion. 

I pray that we stay focused towards God's will for this mission and that we recognize what glorifies him.  I pray that we make new fresh memories that will help connect people to God in new ways when we share our stories. In this reflection and prayer, I go to a Psalm, "God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life."‭‭ Psalm‬ ‭51:10-12 ‭MSG‬‬

Thank you everyone that is following us on the blog, Facebook and elsewhere, and thanks for all your prayers and well wishes.

Aaron Mason