Our weekend...

How was your weekend? Ours was pretty eventful. Saturday morning we went in service out to the little village of Bladden. Dana was excited to return on the study he started last week, unfortunately most of the family had gone to Belmopan the night before. We'll try again next week. We worked in a different area of the village this time and I had to keep pinching myself because it felt like I was preaching in the yearbook! Picture a winding dirt path, palm trees, beautiful tropical flowers, crossing a rickety wooden bridge over a stream and rustic wooden houses with palm-frond roofs - very beautiful! The only drawbacks was the heat (again!) and the little bugs that loved chewing on my legs. But we had a really nice conversation with a young woman. She invited us in, we sat in hammocks (getting in and out of one was an adventure in itself) and talked about how the Bible can help us today. She was very quiet and humble, but when we mentioned how the Bible can help us to be happy she really perked up! We will be going back next week - can't wait! By the time we got home, MacKay had been waiting for us for about an hour. He had gone to a different village with another group. But a loving sister gave him a plate of lunch, a curried shrimp and rice with salad, to take home.

In the afternoon, the sister we are renting from asked if Dana and MacKay had any chicken coop building experience - do they? Ha, of course! So they started on a chicken coop. It was quite the redneck affair, using odd bits and scraps of wood, and old table and chicken wire. By Sunday afternoon they had it done. When they went to get the sheets of zinc roofing from a pile in the side yard they discovered a HUGE tarantula underneath - it was at least twice as big as the one we found under the sink. MacKay got a video of it, I didn't want to go near it.

Now that we have bicycles, getting around is much easier and faster. However, my butt is still sore! Also my first day on the bike, I very very narrowly missed some poor kid standing on the side of the road! Not a good start, but I am getting better. I still need to work on my dismount while wearing a skirt - not very graceful.

Sunday, sister Marillo had us over for lunch - a traditional Belizean meal. Rice and beans, chicken, potato salad and fried plantains with fresh squeezed orange and lime juice to drink and homemade coconut pie for dessert - soooooo good! We visited for awhile then went home to rest before the meeting a 3pm.

The public talk was given by a brother visiting Placencia from Northern California. Dana was chairman and watchtower reader.

Today is Monday and we were planning on taking the Hokey Pokey water taxi over to Placencia at 12:00 but around 11 am a man we met in the village of Bladden on Saturday stopped by the house for a study! Can you believe it, a study knocking on YOUR door! He stayed about two hours and says he will stop by again next Sunday or Monday. So we headed out to the beach late, around 2:30pm, had lunch at the barefoot bar right on the beach and used their free wifi.

We are at the halfway mark now and will se you all soon. Your comments and emails have been very encouraging - love you all, see you soon!