why i need to learn spanish

i didn't know any spanish before coming to roatan except hola (for your non spanish speakers that is hello and is pronounced ola)

but over the past couple years i have learned a great deal of words. i am proud to say that my comprehension of the language has greatly improved and i am able to carry on simple conversations.  mind you, i speak like jane from tarzan.   'me go store, you come too?'

the other day, carlos, our gardener had a severe migraine with aura (flashes of light in his eyes) and vomiting. everytime he bent over i could see he was in a lot of pain.  he didn't want to miss work but bob felt he should see a doctor so i took him to clinic esparanza to see if they could give him some migraine medication.

carlos works so hard and seldom takes time off work

  he was seen by a young med student from the states  named abe who spoke fluent spanish and was even kind enough to get him a baseball cap.   we were sitting outside waiting for the nurse to bring his meds when dr. raymond came outside.  he is the local doctor and a wonderful man who serves here so faithfully and tirelessly.

i told him that carlos has had headaches since he was 8 years old (for 9 years now) and i was wondering if there was anything more we could do for him.   he decided to run a full cbc (bloodwork) and also check for anemia.  they were chatting away.   i was listening because that is how i learn spanish.  i heard dr. raymond ask if he had a lot of pain and carlos hesitated and then said no mucho dolor (which means not alot of pain)  i jumped in and said.. carlos.. si usted tenge que mucho dolor!!  (carlos, yes you have a lot of pain!)

suddenly both dr. raymond and carlos both stared at me in disbelief and shock.  then dr. raymond said,

'um, debi i asked him if he had pain while urinating!' 

and he looked at me as if to say:  how would YOU know!!

i almost died on the spot.  i said, oh my, i thought you were referring to his headaches.  how embarrassing.  they both found it quite funny which now in hindsight it is rather humorous.

see.. just goes to show i need to learn more words.. like urinating!!

OR i need to stay out of other people's business.


poor carlos  has been suffering for the past couple of days and even with the medication still has headaches and nausea.  it could be sinus infection or  perhaps it is a flu.

either way, i would really appreciate if you would pray for carlos.  thanks so much!
and pray for me that i will learn more spanish.. and quick!!  :-)

Happy Independence Day Honduras!

sept 15 is independence day in honduras.  it is a big holiday:  no school, alot of the stores are closed and of course:  a big parade.

i have been waiting for this parade for quite awhile.  we have a school on the beach behind us and i have heard them practicing their drums for weeks and weeks now.   and they have practiced marching up and down the beach.

it is a big deal here.   the amazing thing about this parade is the elaborate dresses that the girls wear!  wow.. they are like grad dressses!  these dresses aren't cheap either.  all of them are hand made and range from 35.00 to 70.00 or even more.   at first i thought why would they spend some much money on a dress to wear it one day. it seemed like a waste when so many can bearly find enough money for food and to pay their bills. 

and then this thought occurred to me this morning:   they need this!   they need to feel beautiful.  they need to dress up!  they need to spurge a little bit.

when a person is faced daily with poverty they need to be able to do more then 'survive'

so my hats goes off to everyone who helped to organize the parade, for those who taught the drills and the drumming, for all the parents who sacrificed and skimped and saved, and mostly for the students who marched in the hot sun, sweating, dehydrated and yet they gave it their ALL!

so proud of them

here are a view pictures for you to enjoy:

this band was spectacular!   amazing energy and talent!  they did a tribute to michael jackson
i am sorry that it isn't a good photo but there was a group gathering around them and that was as close
as i could get.   one thing i loved about this parade is that we were standing at the place where the bands
actually performed (sometimes for as long as 15 -20 min) so it was like a show/parade!

look at those costumes!  so adorable!!

beautiful in their white gowns and parasols

this is the oldest teacher still living in roatan. he is 91 years old

these are the youngest drummers! look at all that attitude

this was taken from the top of the carrion store...

look at those gowns!!  wow!

bob watching the parade

 

 

wandering around coxen hole

these photos were taken on monday, Sept. 13

the girl was in the kinder parade. cute huh?

a typical scene.. 'plaintains for sale'  .

rain oh glorious rain.. how we love you!

i still marvel how islanders can wear jeans in this heat!!

i love how these two girls were happily playing under the shade of the tree

garage day! see those guys sitting on top.. i always hope they don't fall off

many don't have cars so bikes are so invaluable for getting around the island

here comes bob, those two men hung around talking for a good while

bike, bananas and pepsi.. ahhh a good day!

coxen hole is one of our main towns on the island.  it is where alot of the local people shop.  they have many small pulperia (shops like corner stores back home), hardware stores, banks, clothing stores, the market, the post office, administrative buildings, fish markets.

it is a hub of activity.  i love going into coxen hole.  the traffic is always busy and chaotic.  horns are beeping.  dogs are lazily sleeping in the middle of the sidewalk, kids are either coming or going to school all dressed up in uniform.  ladies carry umbrellas.. either for the rain or for the sun.   people hang around outside of buildings talking together.  local ladies make food and sell it:  BBQ chicken, potato salad, cole slaw, refried beans and tortillas for 100 Limpera (which is 5 dollars)   oh and taxis are everywhere!!

we know alot of people on the island now so coxen hole is a time to visit with people.  no matter where you are you stop and talk for a bit, or even for a long time if need be.  we are blessed to have 'time' here.. time to visit, time to listen, time to pray, time to care.. time to be.

the view from sea dancer dock

garifuna festival

right after church today we drove to punta gorda to see the garifuna festival.  what a great day!  i loved every minute of it.  we have gone to two previous festivals, and i also take people out there for visits. so i enjoyed many wonderful greetings, and hugs from the people who live there.. so friendly!

i love the garifuna!   i often feel when i am at their shores that i am in what i call 'the real roatan'.   the beaches are long, sweeping with natural white sand (not brought in like some.. ahem.. resorts!)   you can see people fishing in their wooden boats, walking arm and arm down the road, hanging out laundry, braiding each other's hair.  it is a slow pace full of natural connections and an ease that i believe as north americans we have begun to have only vague memories of the 'good ol' days'

the festival was the largest and the best attended yet!  usually we meet in a small bandstand where you have drummers, dancers and food vendors all squished in.  but this time they had many tents/palapas set up for food and people selling their 'wares'.  the main stage was out on the beach. i felt bad for the dancers who were dancing in that hot sun but they didn't seem to mind.

once again i was swept away by the beauty of their colorful costumes, the artful way they did their hair and an authentic joy to see them singing their garifuna songs and enjoying a large bowl of machuca (fish soup)

i was blessed just being there with them.
here are some photos for you to enjoy:

first thing on the agenda: EAT! so delicious!

bob with some of the young dancers!

a good turnout

some dance, some fish.. these boys FISH with a bow and arrow!

the best young drummer of them all .. i think!

a guest appearance from shamu!!  the kids had a blast

how to you spell COOL dude?!!

the guys did some dancing too.. in bare feet on sand with rocks and shells. ouch!

the older ladies still able to get down.. literally!!!

meet wilma .. the wife of pedro who recently passed away

a sweet siesta

so colorful.. so beautiful!

the young, the old... all had a good time!

i am not sure what this is...  but alot of people ate it

it was a HOT day.. anything was used to shade the sun!

thanks for coming with me to the 'east side' once again.   they live in a remote part of the island with less amenities, access to doctors etc.   their life is simple but it is also full of sacrifice and hard work just to be able 'to make it'

my hats goes off to them today.  i can still hear the drumming in my head, i can still see their feet swiftly dancing on the hot sand, i can feel the warmth of their kisses on my cheek and tonight i will thank God for them and ask Him to bless them in special ways. 

will you join me in praying for them?  i hope so...

a day at made in roatan

we spent the day at the shop when we heard the epic was in port

people set up their 'wares' and hope to make some money

see those little purses.. i bought one and use it everyday

a local lady dressed up and ready to go to town ~~ snazzy!

how precious is this? a little sweet something in a box!

remember pedro, the man who recently passed away? this is his jewelry... so beautiful

traffic: pedestrians, buses, taxi, people riding double:  craziness!!

we stopped at pizza inn on the way home.  yummy!

a couple of highlights today:

a lady came in from the washington post and she did a story about our shop

how cool is that?

it will be running two sundays from now.

having this type of 'business' is rare.

who does non profit these days?

only those called to serve by the Living One

because even though we aren't making tons of money here

our reward is great in heaven.

also met a lady who wants to contribute to 

clinic esperanza

she works in a dentist office and wants to ship down supplies

i am encouraged that people see the value of giving

and want to help

it is wonderful.

thanks to all of you who continually pray for us 

we appreciate your support as we continue to serve and love the people here

today i read

'do not grow weary in doing good because in due time you will 

reap a harvest if you do not give up'

i know it is your prayers that help to give us the passion and the energy

to continue to serve here.

thanks so much.

xo

a saturday afternoon walk

i remember when i first walked into this house i fell in love with all the windows that face the sea.  i thought how perfect!  but what i didn't realize is that those are west facing windows and what they really means is HOT AFTERNOON sun!   yup it gets hot in our place.   sept is our hottest month here in roatan.   we have air conditioning in the bedroom but truthfully we rarely put it on.

we just sweat like the rest of the island folks.  we just go find a cool breeze like the rest of the island folk.  we just dip into the sea like the rest of the island folk.  or we go to the ocean side and walk amongst the shade of afternoon trees.

that is what i did on saturday.
i made a video that i want to share with you. by mistake i posted it on my pictoral blog (that is what i get for getting up at 5:00 am!)  anyways here it is

slideshow

it takes awhile for it to load up so be patient.
i hope you enjoy my little walk.  i was able to visit with some of our neighbors, watch a family fly a kite, visit with a friend and get some cool ice tea and watch the setting sun slowly sink into the horizon.

i daily thank God for the opportunity to live here and be amongst a people who still value time spent together under the  shade of a tree. 

i am blessed.

dare to be remarkable --- a story from llewellyn

 

yesterday the epic norwegian cruise ship came unexpectedly

into the coxen hole port

they had to re-route due to hurricane earl.

so bob and i headed down to the 'made in roatan' shop

to try to sell things for our island friends.

it was a great day all around.

not only did alot of people come in but they were

also interested in what we were doing,

many were touched by how the Lord could change our hearts,

draw us from our own culture to come help the people here

and change our focus from ourselves to helping others

and on top of that: fortunately many bought too!!

i want to tell you about one young man that came in late in the afternoon

his name is llewellyn

he worked on the cruise ship and was from st. vincent

as soon as i heard that i began to talk to him about the garifuna 

since that is where the garifuna that live in punta gorda originated from.

he was happy to talk with someone who knew about the history and cared about the people

we talked for quite some time

then he said 

'i think i was meant to come in here'

i can see you have a giving heart and you love God

he asked if he could tell me a story and

i love a good story so i happily said yes.

here is his story

"a few years the ship docked in belize on christmas day. i didn't want to get off the ship and had slept in late.

there is no reason to go into port on christmas day because there wasn't anything open but i was really prompted over and over again to 'go ashore' so reluctantly i did. when i got off the cruise ship it was as i expected: empty streets and nothing much going on! 

i almost turned around and went back on until i noticed a lady with her daughter sitting nearby and when i smiled they asked me for some change to help them since the mother explained that her daughter was expecting and had lost already 2 children and they needed money for food to eat.  the father had abandoned them and they were desperate!  i gave them a few small bills and set off on my way.

   i walked for awhile and then headed back to the ship.   as i was heading back, the mother i saw earlier  had prepared some simple food and invited me to come and eat with them. i didn't have anything else to do and since it was christmas day i decided to be with them for awhile.  we had a good time talking and getting to know one another.  as it was time to leave i felt prompted to give them some money but the problem was that i only had large bills and i didn't want to give them that.  but the prompting continued so i  reached into my wallet and took out the money, smiled and said, "merry christmas!  for you and your unborn baby. don't worry everything will be fine."  believe me it was the first time i ever gave a total stranger 100.00!!!

i left belize feeling happy in my heart knowing i had done the right thing.  the next week the ship once again docked in belize so i went ashore to see how the girl was doing. we talked further about the baby and she shared her fears about losing her child .  i laughed and said, "you aren't going to lose that baby.  let's go into town and buy it some clothes, and blankets."  so began a weekly visit with this family where i continued to support the girl and the baby.   many people thought i was the father but i wasn't.  i just felt i was supposed to continue to encourage and support the girl.  

 one time when the ship docked in florida i decided to go ashore and go to walmart where i bought all sorts of clothes, toys .. everything you'd need for the baby!!  it was very crazy but i felt so good!  i knew in my heart that this was what i was called to do. 

i enjoyed my visits with the family where i would bless them, talk to the unborn baby, hug the mom  and i grew to love the family very much.  many people thought i was crazy for getting so involved but i knew that i was supposed to continue to do all i could to prepare for it's birth.  each visit gave the mother hope that indeed she would be able to carry the child full term.

in february i once again landed in belize and was surprised to not see the girl anywhere around.  i was worried that she had perhaps lost her baby but the family assured me that the baby was born prematurely and both of them were doing fine!  i was happy to be able to see the little girl and even had the privilege of naming her.  (he told me the name but i can't recall what it was.  it sounded like a female version of his name.)

the baby grew and was healthy.  i continued to provide for the family each time i came to port. one day the young girl told me that the father of the child had come back and wanted to be back in their life. she wanted him back too.  i didn't feel any resentment  but was just happy that the father had finally came to his senses.  i knew my job was done.  i had done what i could."

you might think this story is 'too out there' 

'too bizaree' 

' too risky'

but i believe it is 'SO LIKE GOD!

he told me that he  looks back over that experience and says it has changed him forever. 

  he knows that the most important thing we can do is to think of others.  

that is why he was so thrilled to come in our store and meet kindred spirits. 

i admit i cried several times during his story 

because i could see what a beautiful generous heart he had.

further evidence of his good heart is this:   

before he told me his story

i told him about pedro

  pedro is from punta gorda. 

he is garifuna.

i had just found out that day that pedro had died 

2 weeks ago 

due to diabetes that he had been battling for some time. 

i told llewellyn that i had gone to the market to pay him and saw a young boy sitting there. 

i asked, "donde su papa?"   (which means where is your dad?)  

when he told me in spanish that his dad had died.  

i couldn't believe it! 

i was sooo shocked

it is so sad because his wife now needs to take care of 5 children

and this young boy, maybe 10 at the most, was at the market trying to provide 

for the family.

i was overcome with sorrow and it brought tears to my eyes immediately.  

when i told this story to llewellyn he immediately said, 

"i need to buy something to support this family."

immediately he took action

he didn't think about it 

he just said,

i am going to buy one of his necklaces to help support that family!

he did.

dare to be different

dare to care

dare to give

dare to go the extra mile or two or three

dare to consider the poor where ever you are

dare to open your wallet

dare to love as Jesus loved

giving time, energy, food .. 

dare to be... different.

blessings

xo

this is the epic cruise ship where he works.

   it is a huge ship but isn't it encouraging

that there are people there who not only work but those who serve as well.