Joys amid car problems

Car troubles and some commitments with Caritas have kept me from getting out to the countryside until this past Saturday.

The car was finally fixed and so I got out to a meeting of one of the sectors of the parish. I arrived late for a number of reasons. As I tried to enter quietly I listened as a kid of about 12 was reading the minutes from the church council of his village. I was impressed. It was also good to see other young people there involved in leadership positions in their villages.

Lunch at Grandadillal

I got back to Santa Rosa and stopped to get money out of the bank to pay rent. The car wouldn’t start but made a grinding noise. I called my mechanic who came out and got it started, but he told me to get the car to the shop. They fixed it, something about something loose in the starter. No charge! But I stood around and talked with the young guys who work there for about half an hour. They entertained me, including sharing a few things from a list of Honduran expressions, some of which are a little risqué. One of the least risqué was “Los catrachos no comen, se hartan.”

The car being fixed, I went home.

The next morning I set out to Dulce Nombre to go with Padre German to tow villages for Mass.

In Quebraditas there were two baptisms. There are more scheduled for the end of the month but this was an exception since the godparents were back visiting from Long Island where they live and work.

Baptism in Quebraditas

After this we went to Plan Grande, one of my favorite villages.

As we went toward the church, we passed by a gathering in a house, the house of the current mayor of Concepción. It was a political meeting related to the upcoming elections. (The current mayor is not running for re-election, but his brother is a candidate.)

Despite this, there was a good crowd at Mass.

In Quebraditas Padre German had asked me to do the reflection after the Gospel at Plan Grande. As I reflected on the readings, I realized that the music group in Plan Grande, “La Gran Familia,” had written a song which was appropriate – “El Apego al Dinero” – “Attachment to Money.” I asked them to sing it during the reflection as a way to connect the readings with a song the people already knew. As I listened and watched from the side, I saw some people in the congregation singing along with the group.

It was delightful was to see the involvement of young people in the readings as well as the leadership of Gloria, the village’s communion minister and a member of the parish council.

Gloria, her youngest son Eliú, and another girl from Plan Grande

I left and got home before a strong wind and rain storm struck. After it calmed down I went out to Weekend’s (the best pizza in Central America, I claim).

Today I took the car back to the shop because the brakes felt funny. I’m headed off to Tegucigalpa tomorrow – a six to eight hour trip – and want to make sure the brakes are good.

And so life continues on – with little joys, car troubles, and opportunities to see the hand of God in the lives of the people in the countryside.

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There are more photos at the Dulce Nombre parish set on Flickr here.