Tomorrow we will have been back in Belize for three weeks. The time flies by so fast! Many exciting things happening in Independence!
First up, was a special week of activity leading up to our very first ASL (American Sign Language) public talk on July 12th. We had newlyweds, Mike and Jesi Carter, stay with us for the week. They worked hard along side many others to invite all the deaf in our territory. At the meeting we had a total of 33 in attendance, with 8 deaf!! It was exciting to see the potential here and Jehovah is blessing the efforts by sending another ASL couple (maybe two) to help.
In the meantime, Dana's niece, Amie Morgan, was visiting the Cayo area. During her stay she found a cute little place of her own to rent. Today we bid her goodbye and we know Jehovah will bless her efforts in Cayo, just as He did here in Independence.
Another exciting challenge has been trying to actively use Belize Kriol at the meetings and preaching. The branch has requested that our congregation give Kriol a trial run for several weeks. It has been truly amazing to see the impact this has had on our brothers and sisters. Jehovah knows what touches the heart, and it is someone's 'heart language' - the language they grew up speaking. For some, this has been a difficult mental shift to make because they have been taught in school that Kriol is not 'proper' English and not appropriate for worship. But we can see our brothers and sisters more engaged at the meetings, making more 'from the heart' comments and the laughter (especially at our attempts!). A lot of the meetings still contain English, because there isn't much literature in Belize Kriol (yet!). (Check out jw.org for the new videos in Belize Kriol)
We've also been busy getting settled back into a regular routine with our old bible students and even starting some new studies. Today, Dana and I visited a woman he had met last week. She told him she wanted a study like her sister in a neighbouring village. Even though she can't read very well, she said " I really love the things my sister has been telling me and I want to learn too"!! She really pulled at my heart strings! Can't wait to go back!
I'll have to get Dana to tell you about his new study. The man tracked down Dana's phone number through one of the Spanish brothers, to ask him to come visit and study with him!
The fields are white for the harvest! The October Awake has an article on Belize. It said that for the 2013 Memorial 1 in 40 Belizeans attended!!
We will try to keep you all posted regularly! Please also follow us on Instagram for more pictures - dana_carlee_brydon76
Love to all,
Carlee
Tuesday, 29 July 2014
Monday, 7 April 2014
A Special Meeting...
We had the awesome privilege of hearing Governing Body member, Gerrit Lösch, on Sunday. He was visiting the Central American Branch (Mexico) and a special meeting was organized. It was held all in Spanish (yes he speaks Spanish too!) so we were able to arrange for a brother to translate into English for us. A wonderful spiritual meal. His theme was 'Keep Growing in Love' and covered a wide variety of topics - dangers of higher education, pornography, association, and how all avenues of our service should be motivated primarily by our love for Jehovah. The number one way to grow in love for Jehovah is to read our Bibles EVERY DAY! Brother Lösch said if we love Jehovah we will read the Bible daily because we will make time for what we love.
He told about a man that suffered from a form of OCD, washing his hands 100s times each day, he became very depressed. So he bought a gun, put it in his mouth and fired! Unbelievably, he survived and the bullet lodged in the part of his brain responsible for the OCD - curing him and he went on to live a normal life! Now - would you recommend this as a course of treatment for anyone? Of course not! But many people will use the example a few brothers and sisters that 'survived' higher education as an excuse to go themselves, but the risk isn't worth it and it isn't enough for us just to 'survive' with some spirituality intact. The investment in higher education isn't worth the risk in these last days! Powerful illustration!
Today (Monday) we took Liam to the airport to go home. We had a great visit with him! To get to the airport, we took the bus - a first for us! For a few extra dollars we took the express bus which has fewer stops so is much faster. On the bus we met six other witnesses from various parts of the country. One that stood out is a sister from Virginia that's been here for 2 years by herself with no plans to go back....she is 81 years old!! She said "I'm a young person stuck in a old body!" Just goes to show, we are never to old to extend ourselves and give our best to Jehovah!
The next few weeks will be very exciting and busy. We are really excited to see how many will attend the Memorial this year, then Dana gives our special talk. After that we may be going on a bush service trip to visit remote areas near the Guatemala border for 3-4 days - camping Belize style! Then we will be assisting our Maya Mopan group for several weeks as their only elder goes to the States for some annual work.
I'll keep you posted. I better sign off here, we are currently on the bus home and are driving through my favorite part of the trip - mountains, jungle and oranges!
Love to you all,
Carlee
He told about a man that suffered from a form of OCD, washing his hands 100s times each day, he became very depressed. So he bought a gun, put it in his mouth and fired! Unbelievably, he survived and the bullet lodged in the part of his brain responsible for the OCD - curing him and he went on to live a normal life! Now - would you recommend this as a course of treatment for anyone? Of course not! But many people will use the example a few brothers and sisters that 'survived' higher education as an excuse to go themselves, but the risk isn't worth it and it isn't enough for us just to 'survive' with some spirituality intact. The investment in higher education isn't worth the risk in these last days! Powerful illustration!
Today (Monday) we took Liam to the airport to go home. We had a great visit with him! To get to the airport, we took the bus - a first for us! For a few extra dollars we took the express bus which has fewer stops so is much faster. On the bus we met six other witnesses from various parts of the country. One that stood out is a sister from Virginia that's been here for 2 years by herself with no plans to go back....she is 81 years old!! She said "I'm a young person stuck in a old body!" Just goes to show, we are never to old to extend ourselves and give our best to Jehovah!
The next few weeks will be very exciting and busy. We are really excited to see how many will attend the Memorial this year, then Dana gives our special talk. After that we may be going on a bush service trip to visit remote areas near the Guatemala border for 3-4 days - camping Belize style! Then we will be assisting our Maya Mopan group for several weeks as their only elder goes to the States for some annual work.
I'll keep you posted. I better sign off here, we are currently on the bus home and are driving through my favorite part of the trip - mountains, jungle and oranges!
Love to you all,
Carlee
Thursday, 27 March 2014
The boy is back!
The boy is back! I know many of you enjoyed spending some time with MacKay while he was in Nova Scotia, but I'm so happy to have him back here with us! We also have Liam Oakes (MacKay's cousin) with us for a couple of weeks.
We took the boys snorkelling their first day here, and it was awesome! We saw dolphins, tons of fish and corals, and visited a little tropical island for lunch. It was so beautiful to see Jehovah's creation up close. Our guide caught our lunch and cooked it for us in a large charcoal oven. We had barracuda steaks, conch, rice and beans, and some fresh pineapple.
But swimming all day long will tire a person OUT! :) So on Wednesday we took it easy. But Thursday morning we all went preaching in Georgetown, distributing the Memorial invitations and conducting some studies. It was HOT! MacKay and Liam are trying to acclimate. Liam also filled in for the Bible reading at the meeting, he did an awesome job!
Time for bed! Love to you all!
Carlee
We took the boys snorkelling their first day here, and it was awesome! We saw dolphins, tons of fish and corals, and visited a little tropical island for lunch. It was so beautiful to see Jehovah's creation up close. Our guide caught our lunch and cooked it for us in a large charcoal oven. We had barracuda steaks, conch, rice and beans, and some fresh pineapple.
But swimming all day long will tire a person OUT! :) So on Wednesday we took it easy. But Thursday morning we all went preaching in Georgetown, distributing the Memorial invitations and conducting some studies. It was HOT! MacKay and Liam are trying to acclimate. Liam also filled in for the Bible reading at the meeting, he did an awesome job!
Time for bed! Love to you all!
Carlee
Monday, 17 March 2014
I Apologize...
I apologize to all our readers, we have been severely lacking in the writing department! We have been really busy in the ministry lately - out every day but Monday. I guess we've been suffering from some writer's block because even though we've been doing some amazing things I can't seem to make myself sit down to write about it. BUT I promise to do better, ok?
A few weeks ago a brother from Placencia Congregation come over with his big 4x4 truck, a bunch of us piled in and we headed to a remote village, San Pablo. We drove for almost an hour on rough dirt roads through a banana plantation to get to this village that nobody has been to in a couple of years. However, the moment we pull into the village, park, and start to get out a couple of little girls run up asking if we have any My Book of Bible Stories books! They know exactly who we are and want their books! Another man that Dana met had a Greatest Man book, underlined and had questions. Dana asked where he got the book - he had picked it up the week before at our public witnessing table at the bus terminal in Independence. It was really encouraging to see evidence that the public witnessing table is bearing fruit! It was a very successful trip, we placed all our literature and hope to get back again soon. At lunch time we went down to the river to cool our feet and there were these little minnow fish that like to nibble on your toes! It was the weirdest sensation EVER!
The success in the ministry is unreal! I have about 10 bible studies and Dana has almost that many, it's almost a struggle to find the time to do door-to-door preaching. People here are so receptive, have a respect for the Bible, and want answers to their questions! Soon we will be ramping up for the Memorial campaign - we are expecting a full Hall with overflow seating filling our entire parking area. Can't wait!
Ok, so I promise to write more often. For those of you with a smart phone or tablet, we keep in touch and share a lot of pictures on Instagram (a free app - just ask a teenager). Our Instagram name is: dana_carlee_brydon76 Please follow us there for pictures! Thanks so much for all your support and love!
- Carlee
A few weeks ago a brother from Placencia Congregation come over with his big 4x4 truck, a bunch of us piled in and we headed to a remote village, San Pablo. We drove for almost an hour on rough dirt roads through a banana plantation to get to this village that nobody has been to in a couple of years. However, the moment we pull into the village, park, and start to get out a couple of little girls run up asking if we have any My Book of Bible Stories books! They know exactly who we are and want their books! Another man that Dana met had a Greatest Man book, underlined and had questions. Dana asked where he got the book - he had picked it up the week before at our public witnessing table at the bus terminal in Independence. It was really encouraging to see evidence that the public witnessing table is bearing fruit! It was a very successful trip, we placed all our literature and hope to get back again soon. At lunch time we went down to the river to cool our feet and there were these little minnow fish that like to nibble on your toes! It was the weirdest sensation EVER!
The success in the ministry is unreal! I have about 10 bible studies and Dana has almost that many, it's almost a struggle to find the time to do door-to-door preaching. People here are so receptive, have a respect for the Bible, and want answers to their questions! Soon we will be ramping up for the Memorial campaign - we are expecting a full Hall with overflow seating filling our entire parking area. Can't wait!
Ok, so I promise to write more often. For those of you with a smart phone or tablet, we keep in touch and share a lot of pictures on Instagram (a free app - just ask a teenager). Our Instagram name is: dana_carlee_brydon76 Please follow us there for pictures! Thanks so much for all your support and love!
- Carlee
Friday, 31 January 2014
To Mom...
Ok this post is dedicated to my mother because she said I haven't been writing enough for the blog...so here it goes!
This has been a busy week. We are the host congregation for the Circuit Assembly this weekend. It is being held right here in Independence at the open sided high school auditorium. So we get to bike to the assembly! It's even been advertised on the local TV station!
The DO and his wife are originally from Vancouver, BC but have served in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala amount other places - Todd and Laurie Schleper. The sub-CO and wife are of Mexican descent but from the States and are now serving in Belize in a Low German group that witnesses to the large Mennonite community - Abel and Belinda Narro(?). They are all awesome!
We were able to attend the Pioneer Circuit Meeting today. It's amazing how we all get the same spiritual food! The same talks and demos we had in November in NS. In this circuit there are 695 publishers with 145 regular or special pioneers, that's 21% are pioneers - not counting those who auxiliary pioneer! There are 1159 bible studies in the circuit and the average meeting attendance is 945 (remember only 695 publishers) so lots of studies are attending meetings.
Earlier this week I finally took my first bus. I didn't have a ride out to Bella Vista, a town about 15 minutes away, but I had a study who had texted me the night before hoping I would come out to study with her. I couldn't let her down, so I hopped on the bus and had a great study. She is only 21 years old, but has two little girls and has lost a little baby boy in death. She wants to understand why that happened and what hope there is for him! I'm hoping she might come for part of the assembly too.
So in short, we are keeping busy, adjusting to the heat, and having fun! But we still have our moments (or longer) of homesickness and missing all our friends and family. TTFN!!
This has been a busy week. We are the host congregation for the Circuit Assembly this weekend. It is being held right here in Independence at the open sided high school auditorium. So we get to bike to the assembly! It's even been advertised on the local TV station!
The DO and his wife are originally from Vancouver, BC but have served in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala amount other places - Todd and Laurie Schleper. The sub-CO and wife are of Mexican descent but from the States and are now serving in Belize in a Low German group that witnesses to the large Mennonite community - Abel and Belinda Narro(?). They are all awesome!
We were able to attend the Pioneer Circuit Meeting today. It's amazing how we all get the same spiritual food! The same talks and demos we had in November in NS. In this circuit there are 695 publishers with 145 regular or special pioneers, that's 21% are pioneers - not counting those who auxiliary pioneer! There are 1159 bible studies in the circuit and the average meeting attendance is 945 (remember only 695 publishers) so lots of studies are attending meetings.
Earlier this week I finally took my first bus. I didn't have a ride out to Bella Vista, a town about 15 minutes away, but I had a study who had texted me the night before hoping I would come out to study with her. I couldn't let her down, so I hopped on the bus and had a great study. She is only 21 years old, but has two little girls and has lost a little baby boy in death. She wants to understand why that happened and what hope there is for him! I'm hoping she might come for part of the assembly too.
So in short, we are keeping busy, adjusting to the heat, and having fun! But we still have our moments (or longer) of homesickness and missing all our friends and family. TTFN!!
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Second Impressions...
We've been here about a week and a half now, this time around has been much easier than we when we first came in October. We haven't seen any tarantulas or snakes (thank goodness!) and we have a few more comforts of home - like hot water! It's definitely cooler this time of year, still quite warm through the day but we had some chilly nights - had to break out a sweater and a blanket or two for the bed!! I know, I know! NOTHING like your weather right now, but still! :)
There a lots of other need-greeters here right now - ranging in age from 20 to 50+, married and single, brothers and sisters, long-term and short-term. It's so encouraging to see ones from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances serving Jehovah in this way and helping the local congregation! Last week at the meeting the appointment of one elder (not Dana-yet) and two ministerial servants was announced - the first local brother to be appointed as a MS in this hall! So exciting!
Service has been really good too! I've been given a couple of studies from a sister that's moving and have found a couple more in the territory who used to study and want to resume. The only down side is that most of them are in the outlying villages, so I have to rely on brothers with vehicles to get to them. Cars and gas is really expensive here, but we are considering buying a moped. It's cheaper than a car, easier on gas, and could transport two people. We are making it a matter of prayer and still crunching the numbers! BUT we do have wheels - just of the pedal variety! We bought two used bikes from a sister that is moving back to the States and I got a pretty new purple bike with a basket! So cute! Except my butt is still getting used to the bike - pretty sore! Lol!
So all in all, Belize is treating us pretty good. We miss everyone back home, but we enjoy your comments on the blog, following friends on Instagram, and emails - it helps us feel connected to you all back home!
Love,
Carlee
There a lots of other need-greeters here right now - ranging in age from 20 to 50+, married and single, brothers and sisters, long-term and short-term. It's so encouraging to see ones from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances serving Jehovah in this way and helping the local congregation! Last week at the meeting the appointment of one elder (not Dana-yet) and two ministerial servants was announced - the first local brother to be appointed as a MS in this hall! So exciting!
Service has been really good too! I've been given a couple of studies from a sister that's moving and have found a couple more in the territory who used to study and want to resume. The only down side is that most of them are in the outlying villages, so I have to rely on brothers with vehicles to get to them. Cars and gas is really expensive here, but we are considering buying a moped. It's cheaper than a car, easier on gas, and could transport two people. We are making it a matter of prayer and still crunching the numbers! BUT we do have wheels - just of the pedal variety! We bought two used bikes from a sister that is moving back to the States and I got a pretty new purple bike with a basket! So cute! Except my butt is still getting used to the bike - pretty sore! Lol!
So all in all, Belize is treating us pretty good. We miss everyone back home, but we enjoy your comments on the blog, following friends on Instagram, and emails - it helps us feel connected to you all back home!
Love,
Carlee
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Thursday, 16 January 2014
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