We did not have any plans today, so we worked on the blog. After lunch Carlos knocked at our door and said someone was here to see us. When we got out on the porch Pastor Leslie was there with 3 members of her congregation. We met Pastor Leslie 2 years ago when we came to Roatan and felt like God wanted us to renew our relationship with her. Pastor Leslie only speaks Spanish, so Carlos was our interpreter. We learned that Pastor Leslie had lost her brother, brother in law, and father in the last month. On top of that she had some benign cysts removed from her vocal chords. Through it all she says she can see God working and taking care of her. After we talked for a while we told her how God kept putting her on our hearts. So Bev boldly asked her if she had been praying for a revival here on Roatan. She said yes and how a lot of the Pastors on Roatan are meeting together and praying. She told us that on Monday’s the women Pastors on the island get together and pray. Bev once again boldly asked her if she could come to Monday’s meeting and share what God had put on her heart for Roatan. Pastor Leslie gladly said yes and then she asked John if he would be willing to preach next Sunday at her church. She told us that the doctor told her she cannot preach yet because of her throat. We again are very excited and humbled at the opportunity to share God’s love with His people. After they left Bev took our laundry to Ed’s Laundry and as she was coming back picked up a girl that was hitch hiking to West Bay. She was from Argentina and was headed down there to sale her jewelry. She was a traveler and will be heading to Nicaragua next. Bev asked her if she knew Jesus and she said no that mother earth was her god, but that she respected Bev and her Jesus. Bev shared that she really needed to get to know Him. Bev is hoping a seed was planted. We were not expecting what took place today. We appreciate everyone’s prayers and the privilege to serve (even if it is for a little while) the people of Roatan.
Got up this morning, we both popped a couple of Dramamine and headed off to Pandy Town. Made it there a little after 9 am. Pastor Jennie was already down at the dock waiting for the boat to arrive. There was a total of 6 of us going plus the boat driver. Our boat got there about 9:45 am and we set out to Saint Helene which is on the far East end of Roatan. Pastor Jennie had been telling us that it was a 25 minute boat ride. It turned out to be about a 45 minute boat ride, but hey it is only the Americans that noticed. The ocean was not to rough, but we did get splashed on occasionally. On our way we passed a boat headed the other way that was about 15 feet by 4 feet and had at least 20 people in it. We were told that there is only one boat a day that takes people back and forth, so if they cannot get aboard they have to wait until the next day. Saint Helene is only accessible by boat and this area has no electricity or water. When we got there we entered a house where several of the ladies that live there were cooking the food that had been sent there a few days previously. On this trip we were only going to feed those who had an addiction to drugs and alcohol. So tickets were given out to those who were invited to the free lunch. We were introduced to all of the ladies that were cooking and then we took a walk with Pastor Jennie down the dirt road. We went past a clinic where the doctor is only there on Friday’s. We then walked past a school that was only open Monday through Thursday and it only went to 9th grade. If you wanted to go beyond 9th you had to get on Roatan to finish through 12th grade. The teacher lives somewhere else so she leaves on Friday. We walked a little farther and there was what appeared to be a small restaurant. As we began our walk back, Bev stopped and talked to 4 young people. Two had finished 9th grade and not gone on. One had gone to Coxen Hole on Roatan to finish 12th grade. And one never finished 9th grade. Once they finish school there is nothing else for them to do. There are no jobs in this area, so the only way to survive and try to make a living is by fishing. There is a soccer field the youth can use to play soccer, but it is on the other side of the island. Bev said it was a very enlightening conversation. When we got back to where the ladies were preparing the meal, there were a number of men that were gathered. John and two of the ladies that came with us got to speak to a group of men about God’s word and just tried to encourage them. Pastor Jennie led Bev under the house (remember a lot of the houses are on stilts) to talk with a couple of the men. As Bev started talking about Jesus, one of the men left, but she had a great talk with the one guy that stayed. We prayed for these men and their addictions then we served them lunch under some trees. After all the men had eaten then the workers got to eat. We had spaghetti, rice and chicken (with bones) and potato salad. It was a carb overload. We had a great time talking and praying then around 2 pm we got back in our boat for our 45 minute ride back to Pandy Town. Then we jumped in the car for our one hour car ride through winding roads with pot holes to dodge. We are not complaining, it was an awesome day, we are just telling it like it is. When we finally reached Casa Isabella, we were worn out from the boat ride, car ride, and the intense sun but it was a great experience for both of us.
We didn’t have anything planned today except to update our blog. Bev finished writing then John took over and did his magic. We were four days behind, so with the internet going up and down it took him all day. Bev took time to do a little swimming and snorkeling. After John finished, we went down to West End to eat at Foster’s. There was a live band playing tonight. It’s funny to eat in an open air restaurant where cats roam around and there is the occasional crab. Something really cool happened while we were there. First, the Sunday school teacher from First Baptist West End recognized us and came up and talked to us. It was a conversation of substance. Then later a young man named Geron from Pandy Town saw us and came over and talked to us. He was on standby if they needed him to work tonight at Foster’s. He had been out with his Dad to take people snorkeling. It was great to visit with these two and that they remembered us. We had a great time; it really made us feel welcomed. We are really looking forward to tomorrow. We are meeting Pastor Jennie in Pandy Town at 9:00 am and then getting on a boat to go to St. Helene to minister to the people in that area.
*** NEWS FLASH ***
Videos are too large to upload from here, so we mailed a flash drive with videos from our first 3 weeks to our daughter Amy who has uploaded them to YouTube for us. Hope you enjoy them. Just click the following link.
We were able to visit for a little while this morning with the radio guys before they headed to the airport to return home. We were scheduled to meet Chris this morning at the gas station at 10:00 am. He was going to introduce us to a pastor in West End and be our interpreter, but he did not show up. So, we went looking for the Pastor and his church on our own. We did find the church and the Pastor and Chris was right, he could not speak any English. They took us to a very nice older couple down the street where the wife could speak English. Each day she makes banana donuts and her husband sells them on the beach. He is called the “Banana Donut Guy”. After a great visit with Pastor Josue Madrid, we prayed with him and then we gave the Banana Donut Guy (Milton) a ride to West Bay to sale his donuts. John prayed for him when he got out of the car. He gave us a donut to try and it tasted like banana bread. We stopped in again at the Arboretum to buy cashews, but once again they were closed. We were scheduled to meet Clinton between noon and 2:00 pm, so we headed to Anthony’s Key Resort. We ate lunch there and then gave Clinton a ride to his home in Flower’s Bay. We got to meet his family: Diane – his wife, daughter Brittany – 13, and daughter Sherina – 14. Sherina wants to go to the University and become a dentist so that she could come back to Roatan and serve the people. We prayed for Clinton and his family. We prayed for Clinton to become a Pastor and for their marriage. On our way back we drove pass the First Baptist Church of Flower’s Bay where they attend. (We are thinking about attending there one Sunday.) We got a picture of where the kids in Flower’s Bay play basketball and caged soccer. We also found the road that took us to the oldest Methodist Church on the island where Pastor Joe had been the leader. When we got back, Carlos came out and told us that first thing this morning his sugar level was 114. He did not take his medicine and after he ate breakfast and lunch he took it again. He said it usually goes up to around 165 after lunch, but this time it was 89. He was so excited to tell us about it which of course made us really excited also. Thank you, Jesus!!
We said our goodbyes to our Canadian friends and then left to go run some errands. We drove back to the Blue Harbor Arboretum to buy more cashews, but it was closed. Then we stopped in at a place called Made in Roatan. Everything in the store is made from recycled garbage that they find at the dump. We met the owner who originally came from England. He lives here now and is married to a Honduran lady. He is an artist and started this business about 8 years ago and employs 17 people from the island. We walked next door to a little bakery that was owned by a girl from Northern California. It has all kinds of organic food, sandwiches, etc. We then headed back to French Harbour to see if we could get our internet working properly. After so problems and trips there we were ready to scream, but John finally talked to someone that knew what they were doing. So, I think our internet is set up correctly now (we try to stay optimistic). We had also bought a phone from the kid next door, so they set us up to use that. The brakes on the rental car were starting to grind when we tried to stop, so we went back to where we rented the car from and they put new brake pads on. When we got back to the house, we ate some lunch and then went down on the pier to fish a while. Carlos came out on the pier to visit with us. He has been struggling with diabetes, so we asked if we could pray for him. It was a really awesome prayer time and I know he appreciated it. While we were fishing, Bev called her dad and sisters with our new cell phone. It was great to hear the voices of family.
