June 25, 2012
A bit of “fleshing out” of our entry about Copan:
Abe: There was a game that they [the ancient Mayans] played, and whoever got the most points had to die. There were rock heads, one in the middle, and one on the side, and one on the other side. They had a ball made out of milk and rubber. They either had to bonk it with their shoulder, hip, or head. If they hit one of the rock heads with the ball, they would get a point.

Jack: The Mayans were short. The average was about as tall as me. They had a god called Chak, but it sounds like “Jack.” He was the god of rain. He rained out his nose. There was a king called 18 Rabbit. There was a pyramid that, if you yelled off the top, your voice could be heard all around the plaza. [The Mayans were skilled engineers.]

Henry: The Mayan city, Copan, was awesome. We saw ancient temples, altars, a game court, and old rock carvings. We went in a tunnel underneath a big temple. Some friends and I went on a zipline over the forest. It was fast, fun, and awesome. I got stuck 2 or 3 times.
There was an ancient king whose name was 18 Bunny. [In Mayan writing,] each line represents the number 5, and each dot represents 1. So to write his name, you make a stack of 3 lines [for 5—10—15] and then 3 dots on top of the stack of lines [for 16—17—18]. Then, next to the number, the Mayans carved a little picture of a rabbit.
My birthday was fun. We went to some friends who live in the mountains. Me, Jack, and my dad and Hermano all cut wood with machetes.

Aspen: We went to Copan, and what I thought was interesting was that the biggest Mayans were no bigger than 5 feet tall.

Ranae: For me, our day in Copan was satisfying and intriguing. I very much enjoyed walking amongst and on and through the ruins, seeing those great stone structures rising formidably from the jungle floor. All was quiet and amazingly serene. Once, this was a bustling city with cheering crowds, grotesque religious rites, artistry, slavery, and science. Today, it was quiet, the sounds of scarlet macaws and the wind muffled by the silent green grass carpeting the empty plaza. Great trees stretched toward heaven, anchored by gnarly roots to the ancient stone walls and steps. Certainly there is a feeling that even the greatest of human creation will someday by overgrown and slowly worn away by the unforgiving and innocent encroachment of nature. The trees don’t care which great kings carved their histories here; they simply grow silently and strong, slowly crumbling the carefully constructed stones, slowly crumbling the walls made with slaves’ life effort. I add Copan to my list of enriching experiences—my “wonders of the world” that have delighted my heart and filled my mind with awe.

We loved hosting our friends Hannah and Edwin for a week (and we are serious about letting them return the favor some day!). Their visit was full of energy and gave us the opportunity to share our Honduras. We walked through campus, swam, had coconut water, bought fruit at the fruit stands and water at the mercadito, played soccer, ate lots of beans, cleaned our little chapel, traveled to Copan, visited the Terceros, bought souvenirs at Valle de Angeles, got stuck in Tegucigalpa traffic, went to church, celebrated Henry's birthday, and watched a few movies.

Edwin was a roommate of Stuart's from BYU. They share the same birth date and several (astrologically influenced?) intriguing similarities. Their conversation never seemed to stop. It was nice to talk shop, American style--politics, mission memories, book reviews, current events. Edwin brings a breadth of experience from the "other side" of life--as in, non-academia. Through our conversations, Stuart and I got a crash course in economics, business, and real estate. He is good at recognizing the good in others and pointing it out to his daughter. He is good at time management, delegating, and gobbling up opportunities. He gave us new things to think about, which is something to be grateful for. And Hannah certainly wins a gold star for being a good sport--not only did she make a long road trip in an overstuffed car, she did it with a family of strangers! She weathered the experience well, cheerfully encouraging the others and venturing into our car games. Our children were happy for her fresh and pleasant company. I was happy for her offer to help in the kitchen. Maybe her experience here will convince her that some bananas are worth eating!

Henry’s was the fourth and final birthday we will celebrate here in Honduras. How do you turn 11 in Honduras? Spend the day with your family and friends at a rustic adobe-house farm, then come home for ham and cheese sandwiches and Grandma Waisath’s Chocolate Cookies. We played “Pin the Guy on the Zipline,” “Murder in the Dark,” and “List As Many Things As You Can Think of to Do with a Package of Ramen.” A great time was had by all. I love it when all the family is gathered in laughter and joy.

Summer vacation has started in earnest, and we have been busy with the openness of no schedule. The children and I go every morning to the pool for “family swim team.” Even Calla jumps in and swims laps back and forth across the pool. (I hold on to her, but she is a little powerhouse of a swimmer.) She swims and smiles and laughs all the while. Today she said, as she left off from the kickboard and started using her arms, “I’m like a mom!” After swim team, and with the exception of the soccer and horse riding lessons that happen on Mondays and Tuesdays, we spend the day mostly at home with ourselves. We don’t really have a car that we (I, myself) can drive around, and we don’t have many places that we can go. The children were impressively industrious and creative last week, making birthday gifts for a friend, playing soccer, playing Frisbee, swimming, drawing on paper and computer, talking with Miriam, and helping to make cookies. Last week was the kind of week you long for when you are caught in the hustle of life during May. However, I expect the slow schedule will become burdensome soon. We will have to find other things to do, places to go, people to see in the remaining weeks of vacation we have here.

Today Miriam finished the dress she was sewing for Calla. When we were in Kansas, I told some women at church about Miriam learning to sew and trying to start a little sewing business. A handful of women generously donated some fabric they didn’t need any more. Using one of the pretty sheets I (an American) brought back from a German ice skater living in Kansas, here in Honduras Miriam has learned to sew a dress—how to use a pattern, cut out the pieces, put them together, and follow the instructions from the pattern. What an amazing mix of resources from around the world! What a cool accomplishment for Miriam! What a cute dress for Calla, who had outgrown the two dresses we brought for her from California! How fantastic is that?

For all interested blog readers, thank-you for keeping up with us. We are so thankful for this opportunity to be here. We feel the closeness of the end of this experience, which makes us both anxious to return home and determined to finish up the goals we have made for ourselves here. I know the next six weeks will go quickly. I pray they will bring continued safety and health and learning.