Evelyn And Jose's Excellent Adventure...The Pres. Palace In Honduras

A Great Read!
From my Federal Way, WA friends Jose and Evelyn Castellar who are now in Honduras. One of our optometrist sites was at their farm in Belaire.

Dated: Friday, July 24th from Tegucigalpa, Honduras

This trip continues to surprise. On Tuesday Jose received a call from a good friend of ours to inform us that he had arranged for us to meet with the new First Lady of Honduras today, Friday the 24th. She is the one who can give us an allowance to bring a container filled with goods for the very needy.

We left on Thursday after clinic to take the ten-hour trip. As luck would have it the schoolteachers had taken over the bridge on the only road out of La Ceiba. (This does little for their popularity here.) Jose and I had a very important reason to get across the bridge so we followed a police car as far as we could and we did get close to the action. I got out of the car to beg a policeman to allow us through if we promised not to run over any schoolteachers. With the absolute “NO” I received, I headed back to the car when a man who looked like Billy Goat Gruff told me he could help. As Billy G. G. got into the car Jose was visibly alarmed but we drove as he directed down a rickety road and to the bank of the river. We were relieved when there were other cars trying to cross the river too. We made it across the river but only after Billy Goat Gruff and I jumped out to help direct the crossings.

On Friday morning we were to meet with the First Lady. As luck would have it Mel Zelaya chose that morning to attempt to cross into Honduras again. What a show! The new President and First Lady had to be taken to a safe non-disclosed place, as there had been bomb threats on their life and on the Casa Presidential. Our well-connected friend said he could still get us in to see the First Lady’s assistant. The roads were closed to the Casa Presidential, but he got us through the police blockades and into the Casa Presidential. We were warmly greeted and almost immediately had the opportunity to make our plea. I showed our PowerPoint presentation to the First Lady’s first lady and she brought the President’s first assistant and Attorney to meet us and view the slide show. They were both very impressed and promised that we would get the allowance to bring in two containers to Honduras. This promise comes from the two assistants, of the unrecognized by the world, Honduran interim First Lady and President. What are the chances? I for one am going forward with plans to send two containers.

We are still in Tegucigalpa as the roads to leave town are blocked by the teachers and syndicates (unions, ed). We should be able to leave tomorrow very early in the morning.

From Tegucigalpa, the heart of freedom,
Evelyn and Jose