Monday, May 11, 2009

In Case You Haven't Already Heard...

Hey guys,

I'm sorry it has been so long since my last post.  I have been over in Belize City, at the hospital with the Houghton's since last Wednesday.  Dan is doing better every day.  He is one of the strongest willed people I have ever seen. I wanted to personally thank you and the Houghton's send their love and thanks to all of you.  It is untelling how many prayers were said for Dan and his family.

Anyways, I have made one of the hardest decisions of my life...I am coming home this week. I hope that doesn't disappoint any of you. I have prayed about it all week and I talked to the body of elders in San Pedro and made the decision to come on home. I will explain the full scope of my reasons when I get back, so feel free to ask me why I decided to come back a month early.

I hope that my coming back early doesn't discourage others from serving where the need is greater. This has been the best experience of my entire life. I have grown so much spiritually and have been able to experience things that I will never forget. This is definitely not the end of my serving where the need is greater. I want to do it again in the future. I want to take just a second to thank each and everyone of you who helped and supported my being able to come down here for these 2 months. It would have never been possible without your help and support. So, I have to go right now, but I will seemost of you this weekend if everything goes as planned.

I love you all,
Josh

Friday, May 1, 2009

The Last Few Days...

Hey guys,

Well, we have been in service everyday this week.  We are still going early, because it gets so hot here.  I went back to the guy at the hardware store, but he ended up having to work later than he realized and was leaving work to go to Belize City...so I will get to talk to him this week.  

Just so you know, there are no cases of "swine flu" in Belize at this point.  One of the doctors had a little seminar about the "swine flu" and things to do to protect yourself.  From what I understand, it was basically reminders about hygiene...like, making it a habit to wash your hands frequently and covering your mouth if you cough or sneeze, in order to avoid spreading it to others.
So, don't worry about me...everything here is fine right now.

We have been getting ready for the visit of the Circuit Overseer, Ozzie Oxley and his wife.  They will be here on Tuesday night...so we will have 2 meetings during the week... Tuesday and Thursday instead of Wednesday.  I have heard that he is a trooper in field service, so he will motivate us to put in some longer days...which will be nice...and tiresome. :) 

This coming week, Buddy Magania Sr., does his VERY FIRST Bible reading.  He has really practiced hard for it, even coming down to the Kingdom Hall to practice...and you can tell!
He is definitely ready to give it...and everyone here is so excited to see their family making good progress!

Now, here are some pics for you...I hope you like them...








1st pic:  This was William Magania after the meeting on Wednesday night. That is his "throne" in front of the Kingdom Hall!  The hand coming in behind him is his brother, Buddy Jr., sneaking in the picture...haha.

2nd pic: We were in service on Wednesday morning (I think), and this eagle sat there for about a half hour while we talked to someone on the street.  Once we finished talking, I was able to get this pic.  These eagles are building this new nest at the opposite end of the island from where the last eagle pics were taken.

3rd pic:  On Thursday afternoon, Jeremy and I went kayaking again and I, being the genuis that I am, didn't think I needed sunscreen...Haha...BAD IDEA!!!  I thought I would take a picture of the results of that decision.  It's not that bad of a burn, especially since we were out there for about 4 hours.  However, I didn't have ANY sunscreen on, so it obviously doesn't feel good.  Kayaking is always fun though...and good exercise. :)

4th pic:  This sign is at the part of the island famously known as, "The Split".  One of the past hurricanes here actually ripped through that part of the island and caused the island to "split"... thus the name.  There is a bar and restaurant there where a lot of tourists go.  The bar is not a good place to hang out, but that is one of the best swimming areas on the island.  However, you can go swimming the avoid the bar scene, which is good.  Anyways, this morning in service, we were down that way, and I noticed this sign for the first time... I thought it was funny because of the bar's slogan: "A sunny place for shady people".  I couldn't help but laugh.

5th pic:  I took this pic earlier in the week while I was out on the pier where I go sometimes in the evening.  This house is directly behind the pier.  It is a really nice place.  I think the guy who owns it is a nuclear physicist.  He docks his boat at this particular pier.  The law here says that you can go out on any pier during daytime hours, but you can't get on anyone else's boat.

I hope you like the pics...
Thanks again for checking out the blog...
By the way, you should look at Jeremy and Karen Scriver's blog.  They are originally from Canada.  They just started their blog, so check it out:

Love ya'all,
Josh