Tragedy and Amazing Love in Yuscarán

Later that evening, while our team was enjoying some games with local children, I found my wife, Pastor Lisa Hazelwood, comforting Maria, Dagoberto’s wife. Maria had learned that Pamela’s body had been found. She had been killed.

By Jim Hazelwood
On the closing day of our week in Yuscarán and Los Tablones, Reverend Dagoberto and I led an intimate worship service with his family, close friends and our group of eighteen North Americans. “This has been a very difficult week, but your presence has also made us feel united with God and one another,” said Father Chacon. Together with lay pastor Santos, the two of them sang “Unidos,” a Honduran hymn that reflects on the unity of the Body of Christ. Our group of eighteen Lutherans from the New England Synod had been in Honduras during the week of February 15-22. What follows is my personal account of the events of that week.

We arrived at the cabins in Los Tablones on Monday in the late afternoon, after getting settled and having dinner, Dagoberto arrived and greeted us. He spent the night with his wife Maria at Los Tablones with us. This was probably just after sunset around 6:30 in the evening.

The following day, I met Bruce Ergood in Yuscarán, where our group was helping with the construction of the church building. He had indicated to me that people in the congregation were anxious because Pamela was missing. I had met Pamela briefly on previous mission trips. Later that evening, while our team was enjoying some games with local children, I found my wife, Pastor Lisa Hazelwood, comforting Maria, Dagoberto’s wife. Maria had learned that Pamela’s body had been found. She had been killed. Even through our language barrier Lisa sat with her and prayed silently as the shock and disbelief came in waves, until Dago returned that evening. Apparently, Pamela’s body had been discovered in a container off the road from Yuscarán to Tegucigalpa near Corral Quemado.

On Wednesday, our team went to Yuscarán in the morning. When we arrived, Lisa and I decided to seek out Dago in the house where the church in being constructed. We saw about four or five police officers, and figured that this was just part of the normal police investigation process. So we left. Later in the day I learned from Bruce Ergood who was on his way back from picking up Dagoberto’s older brother, that Dago had been brought to jail. I had many questions with no one able to provide answers. Why? Was this simply a part of the investigation? Was he being arrested? Detained? I was confused. Later I was told he was going to be released at 5 pm. If this had been an investigation in the US, surely the police would have sought all of us out to verify that Dagoberto was with us in Los Tablones.

That evening our team held Ash Wednesday worship services, where we prayed for everyone involved. Dagoberto arrived shortly thereafter and explained to the group what had happened to him that day. It was at this time that we learned that the funeral for Pamela would be the next day.

The funeral was held on Thursday in the Roman Catholic church in Yuscarán, followed by a procession to the cemetery, with a service conducted at the cemetery by the Episcopal priest Maria Consuela. During the internment, I watched from a distance as a large tree hanging over the burial area began shedding leaves, as if God’s creation was shedding tears for Pamela. In the quiet, I could faintly hear Bruce Ergood’s clarinet playing “Oh God Our Help In Ages Past.” It was and is unclear to me why Dagoberto was not permitted by the police to participate or attend the funeral. My heart broke for him as insult was added to injury. Many in our group, even those who did not know Pamela, shed tears. We walked back up the hill into town. Yuscarán was relatively quiet for the rest of the day.

On Friday and Saturday, our team continued to work on the construction, as well as providing a sewing clinic for women in the town. Some of us attended a training session in Sarsal for a group of health guardians. On Saturday, worship services were conducted in Yuscarán, where Father Chacón preached and presided at communion. Afterward, most of the congregation gathered with members of our team in the area between the house and the church construction to witness the completion of the day-long pouring of cement on what will be the floor of the sanctuary of the church building. It was a moment of joy and celebration with many, many smiles. Dagoberto looked at me across the large cement slab smiled and gave me a big thumbs up.

Our mission team gathered early in the morning on Sunday for a private worship service at Los Tablones. Our team of eighteen along with Bruce and Jane Ergood, Rev. Dagoberto, his wife Maria, son Dago, lay pastor Hector, lay pastor Santos and his family. The worship was simple: prayers, songs, reflections, tears as well as laughter. Dago expressed his deep pain. I had never seen him so vulnerable. He was concerned about Pamela’s family, as well as the church. It was evident that he was also concerned about the damage to his and the church’s reputation because of the way the week’s events were being reported in the newspapers. I assured him that we who had been in Yuscarán during this week, would do our best to set the record straight, which is part of why I am writing this account.

Several members of our group expressed a profound sense of connection with Dagoberto and the members of La Presentación in the midst of sharing this pain. The church of Christ was experienced that day not as individual enclaves, but rather as the interconnected Body that we are. Following hugs that seemed to last longer than in past farewells, we boarded the bus for Hector to drive us to Tegucigalpa for our transition back to the States. That evening as our team gathered on the hotel rooftop in Tegu, we reflected on the amazing way in which both pain and joy, good and evil, loss and hope had been a part of our week in Honduras. We concluded by singing the song “Amazing Love”. (2/24/10) (photo of Yuscarán courtesy Internet)