Memorial Pics!!!

Hey guys,

Here are some pics I took at the Memorial last night...

1st pic - That is Keano Morgan and his little sister Kimorra.

2nd pic - That is Dan and Dolly Houghton.

3rd pic - That is Jeremy and Karen Scriver.

4th pic - This goofy looking guy is yours truly...I did get a haircut yesterday before the Memorial though.

5th pic - This was a group of 3 couples visiting the island from San Diego.  They found the Kingdom Hall on Tuesday and we actually met them while we were in service that morning.

The guy in the white shirt, Aaron, actually spent a year in Ecuador a few years back.

We went and ate after the meeting and Carol Pugh, a sister who is here for another month and who lived here for 2 1/2 years until her husband passed away last year, discovered that Joe, the bother in the orange shirt actually grew up in her congregation in Montrosse, Colorado.

It was really neat.  She had been good friends with his parents when he was a kid.

He remembered her husband, Jim, from that congregation.  What a small world!

Anyways, I'm gonna post another blog right after this on and give you all the details of the Memorial here, along with a couple more pics.

Love ya'all,

Josh

Tuesday In and Before Service...

1st pic - We went past the Fire Station in service.  I didn't even know the island had a fire truck... but there it is.

2nd and 3rd pic - This gecko was on the wall in the Kingdom Hall...then Jeremy caught the gecko.  That is a scary pic, huh?

4th pic - Jeremy was helping Willie "fly".  Willie said he was "Superman"!

5th pic - Brendan (to the left) had a new hat that he wore all morning.

Willie (to the right) is so proud of his new sunglasses, that he's worn them for the last 3 days.

I just wanted to let all of you see these.  I'll put a longer blog on in a day or two and let you know how the Memorial went here.  I hope it goes well back home tonight...

Love ya'all,

Josh

More Pics from the Island

1st and 2nd pics - I finally got a good sunset Sunday evening.  I didn't get a pic of this, but just after the sun disappeared, about a 4-foot sting ray swam right out from under the pier where I was standing. That was cool!

3rd pic - An eagle's nest, in a telephone pole down by the airport.  Icould not believe this shot...they stuck their heads out at just the right moment for me to take the picture.

4th pic - I don't know what kind of spider this is, but it looks really neat.

5th pic - If you look really close, you can see a lizard on this branch.  It's a gecko.

This one camo'd himself so quickly, that I could barely find him to get the pic.  I was trying to zoom in and not scare him off, but it turned out pretty good.

I hope you like these pics, too.  I've posted 3 new blogs tonight (total), so make sure you don't miss one.

Love ya'all,

Josh

Pictures of the Friends and in Service

1st pic - The couple to the far left in the pic is Jeremy and Karen Scriver (originally of Canada, now of Caye Caulker).  The couple in the back of the pic is Ronnie and Maria Brown (College Park, Maryland). They were here all of last week visiting.  We had a lot of fun.  The young brother to the far right of the pic is Jeremiah Lund (Idaho / Portland, Oregon).  He actually stayed with me for a few days to avoid paying for a room.  That dear sister in the front is Carol Pugh (Montrosse, Colorado).  She is here until mid - May.

2nd pic - This was taken Sunday night when a group of us were playing a new dice game , which the kids here just love.  I think the name is BRUNKO, or something like that.

3rd pic - That is myself, Karen Scriver, and Willie Magania out in service on Monday morning.

We worked the end of the island called "new side" and as you can see, it's an area that is not as well developed as most parts of this island.  It's really cool back there...actually it's hot and has a lot of mosquitoes, but I liked it.

4th pic - This is an awesome bridge we got to cross while working that territory in "new side" on Monday.

5th pic - Jeremy found a rib to something big...not sure what exactly.  Kinda cool.

I'm gonna post one more group of pics now...I hope you like all of these.

Love ya'all,

Josh

The Watchtower...

Hey guys,

You might have heard that I was sick for a couple of days this weekend.  It was evidently a combination of dehydration and just too much heat.  The sun is so intense down here, and I'm just not really used to it.  Now I know to drink, drink, drink.

Anyways, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to do that Watchtower on Sunday, so I went to the coordinator of the Spanish congregation here in Caye Caulker (he speaks pretty good English), to see if he could conduct the Watchtower if I was unable.  He was willing to help so that eased my mind. However, when I woke up on Sunday morning, I felt like a new man!!

So I ended up being able to conduct the Watchtower study!!  It was very difficult too.

I think it's a toss up between overseeing the School and conducting the Watchtower, as to which one is more difficult.  So, please, thank your school overseer and your Watchtower study conductor for the hard work they put into their responsibilities every week.

We have almost completed the territory in the tract campaign.  We are expecting a good group for the Memorial on Thursday!  It's unbelievable how quickly upcoming events get spread around the island here, because it is such a compact area.

Then, after the meeting on Sunday, I had my first study with a man here on the island who has known the truth his whole life and has now really started to take it seriously.  He and his family are at ALL the meetings and he has his VERY FIRST Bible reading coming up in the first week of May.  He knows he will be nervous, but has a great attitude and said he is determined to do it.

He was so excited to get his talk slip at the meeting on Wednesday.

Oh, I almost forgot...this Sunday, I give the public talk here in Caye Caulker at 10am, then I'll eat lunch, get on a boat headed to San Pedro (a neighboring island), and give that same public talk at their 6pm meeting!!  I'm excited.  Most of you know that I've had some difficulty with homesickness and now physical sickness, but it's these priveleges and new experiences that I thank Jehovah for everyday. Being able to keep busy with spiritual pursuits is one of the things that helps in those moments when I get homesick.  Thank you all so much for your support.

You friends have made all this possible for me and I will never forget that.

I've heard the weather back home has been cold and even snowing the last couple of days.

I wish that I could send some of this sunshine back to you. The best I can do is to send you some pics.  So, I will probably post 2 more blogs with pics after this one.

Love ya'all and keep in touch,

Josh

That Was Not Easy!

Hey guys,

Well, the friends here said that I did a nice job on the Theocratic Ministry School last night.

I'm not so sure, but I don't think they would lie to me.

Anyways, I didn't post this blog to talk about myself.

I just wanted all of you to know what a taxing responsibility our School Overseers have.

Overseeing the School last night was the hardest thing I've done up to this point.

It's really difficult to think about how the student did on their counsel point, look for the good things about the part, and try to think about something for them to work on next time. 

Anyways, to all you School Overseers, I have a whole new appreciation for your responsibility in the congregation.

Love ya'all,

Josh

A Week of Firsts

Hey everybody,

This is going to be an exciting week!

Tonight, at the meeting, I will be overseeing the Theocratic Ministry School for the very first time! Many of you know how nervous I can get about my parts on the meeting. I thought I would be ready to have a stroke, and I am nervous, but not as bad as I thought...not yet anyways. However, it is still early in the day.

Then on Sunday, I will be conducting the Watchtower study or the very first time! I think I will be sweating bulletts for that!!

I hope that these kinds of experiences will help me when I get home to be able to do more in the congregation in Corbin.

The last 3 mornings, we have gone out from around 6:30 am till around 8:30 am, in an effort to beat the heat. It gets hot here fairly early in the morning. We do "approach" work on the street. Its basically a combination of door-to-door and street witnessing. We walk around the island in groups of 2 or 3 and if we see someone that is in a position to talk or who looks any bit interested in what we are doing, then we go talk to them. It's kinda cool. Early morning witnesseing is going to be a regular thing for me while I'm here.

I didn't have any new pics to put on today, but wanted to let all of you know what the spiritual routine here is like.

I truly appreciate all of your loving support from the time I first started making arrangements to come here! The friends here do too. There is such a big need for brothers here in Caye Caulker. The friends are grateful for any help others can provide.
I'm excited about the Memorial. We're expecting a big crowd. There were 70 here last year!
There were 42 at the meeting Sunday, which is a lot, in a congregation of only 12 publishers.
We have had about 10 brothers and sister here on vacation, just in the 2 weeks since I've been here. Thats really neat. It gives you a chance to meets friends from around the world. In fact, a young brother from Idaho showed up yesterday and needed a place to stay, so he stayed here in "the treehouse". Only Jehovah's organization has that kind of unity! If I don't learn another thing from this trip, I have definitely found out that we are truly part of a WORLDWIDE BROTHERHOOD!

Please keep in touch and let me know how things are going with the congregation and the Memorial campaign at home. I love to hear from you.

Love ya'all,
Josh