We've just spent a fab 2 weeks with my Mum and Lewis - Dad unfortunately didn't come but his presence was felt through skype! Brett and I went up to Playa to meet them which was so much fun - we love Playa, and so did Mum and Lewis! We had a yummy steak dinner which Brett sorely misses here in Belize as the red meat isn't much to speak of and we barely eat meat here!
So the first big event was the memorial - Brett was in charge of arranging the tent which was to be erected outside of the Kingdom Hall to accommodate the extra people that were due to attend. Last years attendance for San Pedro English was 152 - this year we had 186 - and thats in a congregation of 35 publishers! So the potential for increase here on the island became very obvious to us, and thats just in the English, there is a Spanish congregation here too. Brett and I had 4 studies between us attend which was a real blessing. I was slightly anxious as one of our studies bought her son, who is sweet but because of serious drug abuse can be slightly off the wall at times - so although he is 35 his mental age is alot younger! So I was praying like mad that he would be having a 'good' day, and that he would follow everyone else and just pass the bread and wine! But it all went fine, and it was great that he came. Brett is helping him with his reading and writing as the drugs have affected him a lot, especially his speech, its really sad. The hall was buzzing though as I'm sure yours all were too, its such a special occasion, and you really feel everyone is so happy to be there.
It was great taking Mum on my Bible studies too, she's such a good teacher so and all my studies really warmed to her.
one of the girls I study with in an old boat on the beach!
We had a congregation outing on the Friday of the bank hol. Not just your normal walk in the woods! One of the couples in our cong own a boat and they chartered to other of the island boats (basically speed boats) and we all went up to the North part of the island and spent the day on a deserted beach and had a bbq! I didn't see Brett for most of the day as he headed straight for the bbq - and when he had finished there he headed straight to the reef for snorkelling. As you all know Brett is a masterchef when it comes to the bbq and always does chicken to a perfection (2nd only to my Dad!) but it was quite hilarious when he was about to take the perfect chicken off the bbq to serve, the Belizean brothers all wanted it left on for at least another half an hour until it was blackened and nice and dry! This went against all of Brett's bbq principles, and they laughed calling his chicken 'english chicken' - even the kids were saying it was raw! It was a great day out, so relaxing, and much coconut was consumed as the boys shimmied up palms to collect coconuts and broken them open and handed bits out - yes it was like being in a bounty advert but with your whole congregation there too! As we boarded the boats to come home, the fun was trying to get back to town navigating through the reef in the shallow water - all 3 boats ran aground a few times, but finally we made it home!
For a few days we went up north to a lovely resort called sueno del mar, its so peaceful and quiet, and a brother and sister own an apartment there for a couple of months of the year and said we could go up there with mum and Lewis. So, we caught the private boat up there and were met with cocktails on the dock which was rather nice, and we settled into sunbathing, swimming, and kayaking very nicely.
The boys did some fishing and we snorkelled, it was great fun. The main point of excitement was when laying on the dock one balmy afternoon, some American kids had caught an eel at the end of the dock, a really pretty spotted moray eel. So Brett goes over and these boys clearly have no idea what they're doing so Brett helped them very gently get the hook out of its mouth. As Brett turned away to catch a plastic bag that was about to fly into the water, Lewis went to help the eel back into the water... as he did so, the eel, clearly in a bit of a panic bit him on the finger! Its all a bit blurry to be honest as it all happened so fast but all I remember was grabbing Lewis and immediately rushing him back down the dock to the reception/restaurant area where about 30 people are enjoying their 'easter buffet' - we were both laughing and joking with each other as blood was squirting everywhere and I was holding his hand as far above his head as I could! So with a blood trail following us and Brett and Mum having grabbed our stuff and running behind us, I call for help to the staff and rush him in the gents toilets. The staff appear with a first aid kit, and some salt ???! (did they think we were pickling his finger for cerviche?) and are desperately reading the instructions as to what to do! Anyway, blood is everywhere and Lewis is going very white, and then he fainted on me! It was all a bit scary to be honest but I tried to remain as calm as I could - even Brett felt a bit sick and had to leave the room! So I was shouting at the staff for a chair like a crazy lady and then finally someone came with a chair and put a bandage round his finger! So we went back to our apartment and showered Lewis down and my feet of blood, and then a member of staff on a quad bike came and picked us up to take us through the resort to the dock which was quite cool! So we arrived at the boat in style which took us to town to get him seen to at the doctors. We ended up going to the doctors opposite where we live, so we'd done a full circle in a day! Fortunately he didn't have to have stitches, and was laughing away by the time we were on the boat back to Sueno. It was a great boat ride back as the stars were out and skies were totally clear so we saw some shooting stars and we were back having dinner by 9pm! So Lewis had lots of firsts in this holiday - first time snorkelling, first time he had fainted, first time he spear fished and hopefully the last time he'll be bitten by an eel! Never a dull moment!
We all went snorkelling a few days ago which was amazing, we went to a few sites- the second is an area of shallowish water where fisherman normally go to clean their fish and conch and so it attracts a lot of sea life under the boat. I have never seen so many big things under the water in such a small area - 10s of the largest sting rays I have ever seen, 2 turtles playing together and approaching people in the water, one of the turtles had this long fish which had welded itself to the turtles underbelly, maybe trying to steal pieces of food that the turtle dropped, it was so funny! We saw loads of giant eagle rays, so fantastic - wish we'd had an underwater camera - they were all so close together and darting for the food being dropped by the fisherman. We couldn't stop talking about it all day!
We had such a great couple of weeks, it just few by! But not long til we come home so we'll see them and all of you very soon - just a month to go....
Here are some pics of our last couple of weeks!
one of the crocs in the lagoon where Lewis and Brett went fishing
