Hellloooooo
SO we arrived in San Pedro on Monday, you may remember its where we went snorkelling in the previous entry. We flew here after the District Convention on the mainland which was half of the Belize English congs, attended by between 1000 - 1300, apparently only 800 brothers attended... so the rest were all interested ones. The second half is this weekend which takes in some of the Mexican English congs and the other half of Belize. It was incredible to meet everyone and to hear their experiences, their sacrifices to have come here to serve in the most simple villages, leaving behind homes and families and jobs elsewhere... it was a great encouragement to everyone and just made us so happy to be there.
On the Monday we boarded a very tiny 12 seater plane which was 15 minutes flight to San Pedro, it was great and the views were amazing!! Mallika held my hand, or should I say crushed it the whole way, but even she was impressed by the experience after her not so nice experience in Equador on a tiny plane!
laminated boarding passes
View from the plane of the sea and reef (second largest in the world)
We absolutley love it, its a beautiful little island with a really laid back yet buzzy feel. Lots of tourists but lots of locals and heaps that speak Spanish. The congregation are great, a real buzz with the ministry, and we get about on golf carts which is so much fun, especially with the speed bumps!! We're staying with a a couple on SP congregation, in their lovely place on the beach. We're hoping to move into one of the same this weekend in the same complex.
View from the apartment
Pool
The ministry is brilliant, everyone wants a Bible Study and they love the magazines, so just walking up the beach back home we just have the most random chats and conversations with all sorts of people, its such fun!
Beach Witnessing
Yesterday we went to San Mateo which is basically a small area of houses on stilts connected by bridges (planks of wood) which you have to balance on as beneath these planks is rubbish and mud which consists of raw sewage and all sorts of other fungus inducing things... everyone just kept saying, do not fall off the planks! When it rains it all just floods and all the sewage is is just slopping around under your feet - its definitely a time to be wearing closed toe shoes... which I have none of! Its the one time I felt jealous of Brett being totally covered up! To be honest its quite nauseating, not just the thought and the smell, but the fact that people have to live like this... one person that Mallika met had a little boy who had open sores from the water, and one little girl had a cut fell in the water and later died from the infection. So conditions are not nice at all, but the people... are poor, but content and very happy to receive a call from us. They lap up the magazines and again are accepting bible studies left right and centre. I started a study with a lady who I am going back to next Tuesday.
San Mateo
On our first day here it was hilarious because it had been raining and the roads so the pot holes are hidden and its not uncommon to see a taxi wchich has fallen into a hole and has its back wheels in the air! Not the thing you want to happen when your travelling in a golf cart! So we went down one road, 5 of us in the cart and we made a quick decision that we would just try putting our foot down... not a good idea as we get stuck half way down the road and the wheels were submerged in water! It was so funny as the guys grabbed a plank of wood to make a makeshift bridge over the water as we all made our way to the side where we stood on a pile of mud and rubbish until it dried out.
We were desperate not to get any muddy water on our feet, but then as we were waiting these 2 Belizean guys come out bare foot and waded in and pushed the cart out. They got copies of the magazines of course and went on their way!
SO after this traumatic experience, which was very funny we went for coffees and bagels on the beach. I left magazines with the lady at the shop, and explained we were here til May, and she said oh to do Bible Studies... so I said yeah, and if you'd like one I'd be happy to study with you - so she said yes. I didn't even have to bring it up! We go there so much we're great customers, and she's so sweet. She has just moved to San Pedro from the mainland because she needed work, and she's left her family including her 18month old daughter behind. I feel so sad for her, but she's so strong, she misses them terribly but she's just doing what she says she has to do.
After this we were sat drinking our coffee, and Mallika and I thought we would go onto the pier which is where the water taxi is and give some of the people just stood giving some magazines, and we had a great chat with a young guy who also accepted a study.
That afternoon we decided to walk home via the beach and just speak to people passing by.. we came to a jewellery stall, two of them, Mallika took one and I took the next.. as she was speaking to a man and lady (the lady accepted a study later) another man came up from the stall I later spoke to, and she thought that he may have wanted to speak to the guy she was, but he said he just wanted to listen to what she was talking about, knowing that she was talking about the Bible.
He wanted to know where the Kingdom Hall is and when the meetings are. Meanwhile I started
speaking to that mans daughters and his wife sat at the next stall who were making jewellery. The mum was Guatemalan and didn't really speak English, but the older 16 year old daughter spoke fine. She was telling me how they read the Bible at school, she was shocked that reading the Bible isn't a part of school life in England, generally speaking! I went back to them today and left a Bible Story Book, learn from the Great Teacher, and YPA book, and the mum said she'd be happy for me to go back on Saturday and help her daughter to understand the Bible better. So I'm going to sit with them on the stall and just go through some of the Bible Story Book with her unless she has any specific questions about anything.
Honestly we feel like we're in a year book, we can speak to everyone, and everyday is packed full of little gems that we experience... I would be writing forever if I wrote down everything which has even happened in the last 2 days! But basically at this rate its starting at least a Bible study a day on average, its truly an amazing experience :)
Every morning we leave the house, and see the sea and I have to pinch myself that I'm really living on the beach in the Caribbean, not just the location but everything about this place is great... especially the dairy milk! ;)
We've even been having fresh fish every night as Brett has befriended a brother who has a boat and a love for spear fishing, so he's been out hunting and gathering!
Brett and the spade fish
Lots of love and 'fruit n nut' kisses
x
