Day 1 - Travel and Texas

We are here, all safe and sound, well fed, and in a surprisingly comfortable hotel!

We took off from Heathrow at 11.46 (that's right! A massive 6 minutes late thanks to business class not having the correct TV headsets) and embarked on a tedious 10 hour journey to Houston. Lucky for us, we were able to watch a selection of films and TV that repeated themselves every couple of hours, including a documentary about ancient  Polynesians and Rise of the Guardians. After a very smooth flight we hit a pocket of heavy turbulence as we came to land and my picturesque vision of sun, cowboy hats and tumbleweed was shattered as we were met by rain. Lots and lots of rain.

We arrived at the hotel as the sun decided to pop out again with only one thing on our mind. FOOD! We booked in and were immediately told that our options were limited as due to it being easter Sunday, everywhere was closed. Having said this the receptionist handed us some takeaway menus which we piled into. Half an hour later, thanks to some excellent order taking by Lois we were ready! Unfortunately the takeaway place wasn't and upon calling them we discovered that they were closed.
Take two, we opt for pizza. Another half hour of deliberating and we pick up the phone...closed!

Hungry, and on the verge of giving up, Charlotte discovered that just across the road was a 24 hour diner! We scuttled across the road (at the designated crossing to avoid Jaywalking) and into the neon glow of Hot Biscuit: 24 hour Restaurant.

I'm now writing this blog post with a full belly of deep fried fish, deep fried crab, deep fried shrimp, deep fried corn stuff (hushpuppies) and of course, deep fried French fries.

We are up early tomorrow morning and will post the next blog from Honduras. The Twitter page is also much more regularly updated (and you don't need an account yourself to view it).

Please pray for our travel tomorrow, as well as for energy for all of us and thank God for how good this hotel is and how safe he has been keeping us!

The Trip - Off we go!

Assuming all is going as planned (which it will be), the team is now meeting (probably a bit tired from early morning and losing an hour as clocks go forward), and setting off on our trip to Honduras to visit The Manuelito Home.

More news when we can get to a computer or get a mobile signal, and can give you an update!

Over to you - Any Questions about Honduras?

Ok, so we have been asking you a few questions to see what you might already know about Honduras, and we think you have been doing quite well.

So why don't we turn the tables, and let you ask the questions about Honduras and those who live there, and we will ask them on your behalf to those who we meet there.

If you have a question that you want to ask one of the team or someone who lives in Honduras, then add it as a blog comment or as a tweet on twitter with #2013honduras, and we will see if you we can get an answer for you, and add it as a tweet and as part of a post.

Mind you, we will filter the questions for appropriateness, but we are sure you quite sensible anyway!

Honduras Quiz part 6 -the answers!

Well done for keeping on coming back, and here are the answers you have been waiting for:

1. Belize
2. Bottle nose dolphins
3. depths
4. silver
5. 80%
6. Maya
7. 1821
8. 8,000,000
9. Orchid
10. 11

So how did you do?

When the team going to Honduras did it, some of us only got 2 and a few got up to 7, so we reckon it's quite difficult!

Honduras Trip - How can I pray?

Please start by...
Thanking God for his provision of money and team members, and for the way in which he has been working on the planning of this trip.

Pray for the team:
Lorna, Lois, Pippa, Ruth, Sarah, Ben and Beth, Duncan, Ellie, Charlotte, Carol, Alejandra, Rosalie, Sam, Dylan.

Please also pray for:

• Flights on 31st March/1st April and 11/12th April.
• For health and safety for all.
• For the events planned - children’s holiday club and women’s event especially.
• For energy for the whole trip.
• For our communication in Spanish.
• For family and friends in the UK.
• That we know God's love for ourselves as we seek to share it.

Thnak you for your prayers

Honduras Quiz part 5 - last questions

Last two questions, and the answers tomorrow

10. What is the national flower of Honduras?

• Peace Lily
• Orchid
• Amaryllis
• Bird of Paradise

9. In Britain we have 426 motor vehicles per 1000 people. How many are there per 1000 people in Honduras?

• 11
• 28
• 42
• 73

Hope you have been enjoying guessing or finding out the right answers (which you can still add as a tweet on twitter with #2013honduras), and we will reveal the answers tomorrow.

Honduras Quiz part 4 - How are you doing?

just a couple more! Last ones tomorrow

7. Once part of the Spanish Empire, when did Honduras become an independent nation?

• 1795
• 1821
• 1850
• 1878

8. What is the approximate population of Honduras?

• 5,000,000
• 8,000,000
• 11,500,000
• 19,000,000

Have fun guessing or finding out the right answers (which you can add as a tweet on twitter with #2013honduras, ), and we will reveal the answers (and last few quiz questions) by the end of this week.

Honduras Quiz part 3 - Can you tell what it is yet?

Ok, you might have noticed a pattern! Here are another two to tax your knowledge

5. Honduras has three distinct topological regions – two narrow coastal strips and an interior mountainous region. Approximately what percentage of the country's area is in the central mountains?

• 20%
• 40%
• 60%
• 80%

6. In Western Honduras, there is the archaeological site of Copan. Which pre-Spanish civilisation had its' capital city there between 500 and 900 AD?

• Maya
• Olmec
• Aztec
• Teotihuacan

Have fun guessing or finding out the right answers (which you can add as a comment or as a tweet on twitter with #2013honduras), and we will reveal the answers (and a few more quiz questions) later in the week.

Gift from St Peter's 9.30am service - A Thank you

Thank you to the members of the 9.30am morning service, which meets on the 1st sunday of each month at St Peter's church.

They have given at total of £126.26 before gift-aid, which will be given to The Manuelito Children's home when we go out to Honduras in a few days time.

Honduras Quiz part 2 - what do you think?

Here are some more questions, can you guess these?

3. On his 4^th voyage to the New World in 1502, Christopher Columbus reached the Bay Islands and landed on the cost of Honduras near the modern town of Trujillo. Honduras is supposedly named by him – what does it mean?

• Depths
• High mountains
• Green land
• Thanks to God

4. What valuable resource was a major factor in inducing the Spanish to form settlements in Honduras, where they subsequently ruled for around three centuries?

• Bananas
• Uranium
• Silver
• Lead

Have fun guessing or finding out the right answers (which you can add as a comment or as a tweet on twitter with #2013honduras), and we will reveal the answers (and some more quiz questions) later in the week.

Honduras Quiz part 1 - Do you know these?

Here are some quiz questions about Honduras, can you guess which is the right answer?

1. Which of these central American countries does not share a border with Honduras?

• Nicaragua
• Guatamala
• Belize
• El Salvador

2. The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef is the second largest barrier reef in the world and has its southern end off the coast of Honduras (the Bay Islands) Divers there can see many interesting animals, including which of the following?

• Blue Whales
• Bottle nose dolphins
• Electric eels
• Piranhas

Have fun guessing or finding out the right answers (which you can add as a comment or as a tweet on twitter with #2013honduras), and we will reveal the answers (and some more quiz questions) later in the week.

Honduras team - Prayed for

During an exciting morning service (started by the members of Xplode and ID doing a prayer slm dunk), most of the team going to Honduras were able to come along and be prayed together by everyone present at the service, and then sent off (commissioned) to visit our friends at the manuelito Home in Honduras on behalf of the church.

You can see us in our T-shirts in the photo below

Honduras Trip - requests

The team leave for The Manuelito Children's Home in Honduras on Easter Sunday (one week's time!).

There are several things you may be able to help with:-

1. Are you able to give anyone a lift to the airport for 9.15am on Easter Day (31st March) - there are just a few of us who need transport.
2. Donate items of clothing in good condition for children from age 6 up to 18 year olds (including underwear)
3. Have any pretty silky scarves that you don't wear? We'd love to give them to the women who work at Manuelito - also small gift sized toiletries and jewellery you may have in your drawers that you never use.
4. Pray - definitely essential! A prayer card is available with things which would be particularly helpful for you to pray for

If you want any more information, please speak to Rosalie or another team member

A-Team Abseil - postponed

The Abseil has been postponed from saturday (23rd March) due to weather conditions, and will be rescheduled for later on to after Easter.

A-Team Abseil - coming up

Alex, Lesley and Mark our vicar will be doing their re-arranged abseil next Saturday (23rd March) as they abseil 418 feet down the tallest permanent abseil tower in the world. (The fourth member of the team, Simon, is doing his on 25th May)

All money raised will be split 50/50 between the OCP and the Manuelito Children's Home in Honduras, and you can still sponsor them at www.justgiving.com/A-Team-Abseil

At last count the sponsorship stands at £1,380 plus gift aid - they'd love to get to £2,000

Bunco Evening - Thank you

A Very Big Thank You to everyone who supported the Honduras Team's Bunco evening. We raised around £1600, all of which will go directly to the Manuelito children's home in Honduras.

Bunco Evening - We've done it

Still recovering from the Bunco evening we held on Saturday night in aid of Manuelito Proyectomanuelito!. It was a great evening though - so thanks to everyone who came and helped and supported us.