Inside Honduras

By Jerry Tate

It is my goal to use the proceeds from the sale of this book to help the children of Honduras, not only financially but emotionally and physically as well.
Love, attention, and private schools are the answers. But the main thing is showing love, as Jesus Christ did when He came into the hearts of millions of us. There is so little of it there. Love is the greatest gift of all-it never fails.
~ Jerry

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 28, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491803653

Jerry Tate

I was raised by Grandparents in the country on a small farm in Texas and spent some time with my Dad working on ranches and going to rodeos. My Dad and I always wanted a ranch of our own, but at age thirteen my Grandfather died, my Dad got another family of his own and by fifteen I was on my own. Through my life struggles, I always kept the ranch as my goal in life. But in Texas, I eventually figured out, that wasn’t going to happen. I could never “get up” and if it looked like I was going to, I was kicked back down. I finally moved to Florida and worked for a trucking transport company seven years, driving a truck and saving my money. I managed to save enough money to buy my own truck. In the space of five years, I had built a small company. Eventually, business started going downhill and I sold out and started looking for a place to retire, that was affordable, to build a small cattle ranch. I had married years ago and divorced. I saw my children going through the same life of hopelessness and dead ends that I had and knew that another country was their only hope. So, I read a book entitled, “How to Disappear and Hide Your Assets”. That book told about different countries you could live in. I set out for Honduras! This book tells what I found. So Come On; ENJOY THE RIDE!

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© 2013 by Jerry Tate. All rights reserved.

Edited By: Linda Blair Olson

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/24/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0366-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0364-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-0365-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013913763

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

From The Author

About The Author

Acknowledgements

1 The Beginning

2 Grey Shadows

3 My First Friend

4 Going To The Mountains

5 Starting Cattle Ranch

6 Returning Home

7 Trying To Get Citizenship

8 The Great Depression

9 The Honduras Federal Investigation

10 Mauricio’s Mother Returns

11 A Real Christmas

12 Time For A New Translator

13 Going To The Embassy

14 Another Attorney

15 Popi Takes Mauricio

16 Return To Help Mauricio

17 Getting Mauricio To A Better Life

18 Staying A Little Longer

FROM THE AUTHOR

If you are a person that believes in freedom and independence, wants to be in control of your own life, to get up every morning and make your own decisions, to drive to the store without getting a fine or traffic ticket that may destroy your life and the life of your family. THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

If you are a person that feels like you have gotten the shaft your whole life or that every time you start to get it together, something happens and you’re tired of it, you want out or just need a break. THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

If you are a person that feels like your children aren’t safe at school and are being taught about sex, drugs and anti-God rhetoric that you don’t believe they should be learning. THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

Or, if you just want a place to retire that is beautiful, has good weather and is much less expensive than the United States, but have no idea where to start or what to expect in another country. THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

Maybe you feel that the United States could have another terrorist attack or a financial collapse and you want to live where you can grow food all year round and be self-sufficient. THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU.

Whatever your reasons, there are a lot of things you need to know, even if you live in Honduras now, as I do. This true story doesn’t have everything, only what I have seen and heard along with the stories and thoughts of a few other people who live in Honduras.

I looked for the information contained in this book before I left the US, but couldn’t find it. So, I’ve written this book for the many others looking for freedom and independence in their lives.

THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I was raised by Grandparents in the country on a small farm in Texas and spent some time with my Dad working on ranches and going to rodeos.

My Dad and I always wanted a ranch of our own, but at age thirteen my Grandfather died, my Dad got another family of his own and by fifteen I was on my own.

Through my life struggles, I always kept the ranch as my goal in life. But in Texas, I eventually figured out, that wasn’t going to happen. I could never get up and if it looked like I was going to, I was kicked back down. I finally moved to Florida and worked for a trucking transport company seven years, driving a truck and saving my money. I managed to save enough money to buy my own truck. In the space of five years, I had built a small company. Eventually, business started going downhill and I sold out and started looking for a place to retire, that was affordable, to build a small cattle ranch.

I had married years ago and divorced. I saw my children going through the same life of hopelessness and dead ends that I had and knew that another country was their only hope. So, I read a book entitled, How to Disappear and Hide Your Assets. That book told about different countries you could live in.

I set out for Honduras! This book tells what I found. So Come On; ENJOY THE RIDE!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I must say this book and story may have never gone as far as it has without the help of:

Angel Mauricio, the little three year old boy that I fell in love with and even if I gave up on myself, my heart wouldn’t let me give up on him.

Guillermo, my interpreter who stayed by my side to finish the task, no matter how many threats we got or how dangerous it became, he is a brave man and a good friend.

I can’t leave out Hosea Reynaldo Cruz that was sent back to Honduras from a US prison. He is sworn to take all he can from Americans and is still supported by the Honduras government and now works for the city of Las Vegas.

Let’s not forget Marciela, the Santa Barbara police investigator that helped and protected the notorious bandit Reynaldo and is feared by the Fiscal (Federal Investigators). If the Fiscal get involved, she or the Santa Barbara police may kill them.

Last, but not least, Senor Don Chillo. The most honest, God fearing man I’ve ever known and a good, trusted friend.

1 THE BEGINNING

In the year 2005 I was living in Dalton, Georgia. I had a small trucking company that I had built up over the last five years. But, like almost any other business in the US, there were always problems and a lot of expense. The trucking company was the second business I had owned. The first one was in Texas many years before. One thing I learned about life in Texas was THESE are going to have THIS and THOSE are going to have THAT, if you know what I mean. I finally figured out it wasn’t just Texas, it’s like that in the whole United States and maybe the whole world or will be soon.

I’ll give you an example. I was driving down the highway about thirty years ago and I got to talking to this fella on my CB radio. We were talking about jobs, pay, different trucking companies and just chit chattin. I could tell that he was a hard working fella, like I was; working eighteen to twenty hours a day trying to build a business and a life for ourselves. He told me he was from Arkansas and his wife was from Texas.

I asked why they lived in Arkansas and he said, Well, my wife and I tried living in Texas for a couple of years, to be around her family. One thing I learned about driving a truck in Texas is that if you don’t belong to the teamsters union, you will never make any money in Texas. I didn’t have an answer to his statement, but I sure remembered what he said. I was just a young man at the time, but my stepfather was a teamster and he made a lot of money.

Through the years I’ve heard a lot of things, seen a lot of things and tried a lot of things and found; if you’re trying hard, living right and doing the best you can and it still doesn’t work for you, then maybe it’s time to start a new America somewhere else or find one. So, I made up my mind to start looking for a new Montana. I said A New Montana, because I had been to the old one and all the local people there seemed mad because people from California, Oregon, New York and Chicago were all moving in there, changing the laws, putting women in government offices and talking about fencing off the rivers where you couldn’t even go fishing. When I heard all that, I started looking south for a New Montana

Late one night I was driving my truck, taking a load of produce from Arizona to Philadelphia when I ran into this other fella driving and taking a load the same direction I was going. We got to talking on our CB radios about the economy and I told him I was thinking about selling my trucks and moving to another country; maybe build me a cattle ranch. He told me he had a relative living in Belize, south of Mexico. I asked him how it was there and he said he hadn’t really talked to his relatives in a while. Then he told me that I should buy a book named, How to Disapear and Hide Your Assets. I said, Well, I don’t need to disappear or hide anything.

Yeah, but that book tells you about a lot of the different countries and what’s going on there.

I must have checked fifty different book stores before I finally found the book in a Barnes & Noble book store in El Paso, TX. It gave information on several Central and South American countries. Information such as the road conditions, economy, banking systems, relations with the US, different foods, animals, cost of living, major industries and other things. Costa Rica already has a lot of Americans there. The cost of living and buying there has already started getting expensive and the price of everything has gone up dramatically. Investors and retirees will soon be looking at Belize, Honduras and Rotan (an island off the coast of Honduras). It also talked about the friendliness of the Honduran people and how two IRS agents made friends with people working in the banks in Honduras to get information from them and were put into jail there. I was pretty impressed with the information and the book. I had already been to Colombia, South America and one thing I can tell you about Colombia; they have good doctors, beautiful ladies, great weather and just a very beautiful country, but if you have a problem with someone and they say I’m going to kill you, make arrangements.

In this book, I hope by telling my story, you will get the whole picture. If you really want to move to one of those countries, you need to know what to expect, what to look out for and I hope, understand the people, their life and their attitudes toward you.

Personally, I feel that we need another America. This one is gone and we can’t get it back, no matter what we do, because too much water has run under the bridge and when God is through dealing with that, there won’t be much left. Not to mention, that I believe there are plans by people, within our nation, to dump it in the trash and build another one somewhere else. Whatever your reason for moving to another country, I hope this book will help to give you a little heads up.

In 2005 I had gotten rid of all my over the road trucks accept two with trailers. I moved my company back to Texas and set up an office. I had two good drivers and put my daughter in the office, hoping to continue making a little money and get her started in a business of her own while I looked for a country in which I could afford to retire.

After getting set up and my daughter managing the office, I made arrangements to catch a flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, C.A. My plan was to drive to Houston to a motel there on I-10 that I knew would put my pickup in a fenced area behind the motel where it would be safe, take a taxi to the airport the next morning and land in Honduras that evening.

The night before I left my daughter said, Daddy, we need to have a talk.

OK, let’s talk.

I know how you feel about things, but I’s dangerous down in those countries and you don’t know anyone, you don’t have any family there and you speak very little Spanish. You could get killed there and no one would ever know.

Honey, I’ve worked all my life. I worked for seventeen years driving trucks, working eighteen to twenty hours a day for other companies, not buying or renting a home or buying a car, just living in that truck trying to help you and your brother and saving every penny I could to buy one truck. Now I have two old trucks and two decent trailers paid for. I have $50,000 less the $25,000 that it cost me to get the business set-up here for you. I’m fifty-five years old now and I can see that I’ll never have enough money to retire here in the US So, I have to find a place somewhere I can afford to retire on seven or eight hundred dollars a month social security. Maybe these two trucks will make a little money so I can start a little business there and live fairly decent. But, who knows, things may turn around here and in ten years you’ll have twenty trucks, making a lot of money.

Maybe I will, but I want you to be careful.

If I get killed down there, I know without any doubt, I’m going to heaven. I’ll call you every few days to let you know that I’m OK, if I can find a way to call.

OK, Dad.

The next morning I was up, feeling good and on my way to Houston. The closer I got to Houston the better I felt. Even though I didn’t know anyone there or what to expect, I knew that I had to search for a better life, not just for me but for my children and grandchildren. My children were already going down the road to a lifetime of hard work and very little, if anything, to show for it. I had to try.

Finally, I reached Houston, found the motel, and put my pickup in storage at the motel. I called a cab company to pick me up the next morning.

2 GREY SHADOWS

Early the next day I rose, showered and eagerly waited for the cab. It showed up right on time and took me to the airport. I found the place to catch my plane. As I sat there, I reviewed my Spanish words and phrases. I nervously wondered what it would be like when I stepped out at the airport in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. What would I do! Would there be towns there! How far from town was it? Also I thought about never seeing my children, grandchildren or my adopted daughter (the mother of my grandchildren) again. What were the last words I needed to say to them! Immediately, I phoned them and passionately spoke to them all.

Finally, it was boarding time. As the plane began to move out onto the runway, I said a short prayer and asked for God’s blessing. Suddenly, the motors revved up and we were off. As the pressure pushed me against the seat and the plane began to lift off the ground, I looked down at the airport and the city below and felt a feeling of freedom come over me that I hadn’t felt for many, many years. I couldn’t believe this feeling I had. It was as though I had been held captive by a spiritual net and as the plane rose higher, I broke free from it. I studied on this feeling most of the trip. I couldn’t seem to shake the surprise and confusion about the feeling I had.

After about two hours and forty minutes, I felt the plane begin to slow and descend. I looked down at rivers running through hundreds of acres of rows of different trees and crops, green and beautiful. The plane descended and landed so smooth, I could hardly tell it.

As I stepped off the plane, went through the check point, showing my passport, and stepped into the lobby of the airport, I continued to feel free and full of life and joy. I felt this freedom and joy in a strange country, where I had never been, didn’t know anyone and wasn’t sure what my next move was. I felt so free, I didn’t really care.

When I stepped outside, I breathed in a fresh new air that seemed to go into my lungs easier and more freely.

I noticed a few taxis, but I thought to myself, I think I’ll have a smoke and just look around and try to figure my next move and take it easy.

Finally, a man walked up to me and said, Nesicito taxi?

Si. He didn’t speak any English, but I got across to him I needed a motel. He drove me to a Holiday Inn. I asked him to wait. I checked the prices and they were about $70 per night. I went back to the cab and told the man I needed a motel cheaper. He drove me to the edge of downtown to a nice motel called San Pedro Sula Motel. I told him to wait, as I went in to check the prices. It was about $24 a night. I felt that was still a little expensive, but it would do. I returned to the taxi, paid the man and went back inside the motel. As I was trying to pay the man for the room, we had a little problem with the language. I felt a little uncomfortable for the first time, for a moment. A stocky man, about forty-five or fifty, walked up and said, Need a little help?

I suppose so, because these people don’t understand Spanish. He kind of grinned and got me the room and explained where it was, then turned and walked away. So, I just toted my luggage up to the room.

The room was about twelve feet by twelve feet, wasn’t anything fancy, but would do for now. I had a TV, with cable, almost all Spanish and a balcony outside overlooking what seemed to be a main street to downtown, even though it was a narrow, one lane street. I could hear music playing everywhere and there were a few people coming and going.

The next morning I woke up, looked around for about ten seconds and leaped out of my bed. For the first time, in a long time, I felt vibrant, young and excited about waking up. I felt as though I had received a million dollars the day before and today was the first day of a new life, with no worries or cares. There is no place I haft to be and no things I haft to get done today or my life will fall apart. No bill that I haft to get paid today or I’ll lose my car, my house or be charged a lot of extra money or lose my credit and my life will be destroyed. At this very moment, I realized what my life really was in the US and remembered the feeling I had as the airplane lifted off the ground at the airport. My spirit understood the feeling, but my mind didn’t.

I dressed and walked down the beautiful tiled stairway to the lobby and asked if they had coffee. He pointed to a small room and I walked over. As I got my coffee, I noticed that there wasn’t anyone else there. So, I walked outside and stood on the sidewalk looking around. The temperature was around sixty-eight degrees and it was very still, very quiet and hardly any people. Then, I realized it was only about 6:30 in the morning.

I breathed in the fresh new morning air as I drank my coffee and noticed I didn’t even want a cigarette. I felt so content and relaxed, like I had been sleeping for two days, very rested. I knew I couldn’t sleep anymore so, I decided to walk around a little and find something to eat. I walked about one block and crossed a railroad track and continued on a few more blocks. I didn’t know it, because very few people were out and about yet, but I was entering into a more impoverished part of town. Finally, I saw a sign that said Restaurante, so I walked to the entrance, down some steps to the floor of the building. There were some tables there made of wood with plastic chairs, like outside furniture. I looked around, but no one was there so, I started to leave.

A lady hollered Ola.

I turned and said good morning in Spanish and asked if they had food. It wasn’t Denny’s Restaurant, by far, but eggs, pork, coffee, toast and cheese cost me about $1.50. Not bad. I noticed them talking and looking my way, but I just acted like I belonged there.

I returned to the motel and stood outside looking around as people began to walk up and down the street more. Then, I heard a voice beside me say, How are you doing this morning? I looked, with surprise, it was the fella that helped me get into the motel the day before, and so I replied, Fine, what brings you down here?

He said he lives in Houston and has a mechanic business, but he was here building a house for