A Recurring Thought

At my place of work, there is a walkway connecting the two sides of the second floor. At one end stands an ultra high security door (you just need the right I-Disk to get in, so...that was sarcasm) guarding the entrance into the Donation Services section. I use this door multiple times in the day, seeing as it is one of the three pathways to the restrooms, to which I make frequent trips, not because of bladder problems, but because you don't have to do as much work when you go to the restroom eight times in the day. Okay, slight exaggeration, but not by much. Anyway, back to the door. Every time I walk through it and step onto the short bridge, I think for some reason that there will some time cease to be a bridge there, and instead of resting my foot on solid ground, I fall through the space in a Harry Potter, Hogwarts Castle kind of moment and find myself crashing to a stop on the first floor, undoubtedly breaking bones and probably spraining my ankle again. By the time I'm done contemplating this imagined disaster, I've already crossed the bridge and have started down the long wall adorned with award winning Worldwide Challenge pictures from decades past (my favorites being the one of the Filipino kid watching Jesus film, the little girl in the Church in some eastern European country, or the one of the guy and his grandson hanging out the window in some eastern European country).

Speaking of Harry Potter and Hogwarts Castle, anyone finished the 6th book yet? I finished last night, and I have to say, it was really really good. That is as far as I will go, so as not to spoil it for people (not that anyone actually reads this thing). I have only one question: when is the next one coming out?

Oh, for anyone who cares, I got an e-mail from the guy keeping the body count from summer project. More than 30 people total came to know Christ. Pretty cool, eh? I really should get on writing a newsletter for that. Hmmm...maybe later.

Differences

The last two days in Barbados were spent discussing things that will be different when we get home, how we would notice things about our own culture that we didn't notice before visiting a foreign country. For me, the biggest thing is how informed we are as Americans. This sounds like a good thing, right? Well, having been in a "no stress, no pressure" bubble for five weeks, I can say with great conviction that I would rather not know. Ignorance is bliss, as they say. Here are a few examples.

In the seven days that I have been home I have heard, seen...been absorbed by national and world events of all sorts. I have heard about a girl, kidnapped and found alive-her brother was not so lucky. I have heard about terrible explosions in the London mass transit system. I have heard about an Egyptian ambassador murdered by terrorists. I have heard about a hurricane bearing down on my state. I have heard about a girl missing in Aruba, her parents desperate to find her. Every day when I turn on my radio, TV or computer I see everything that is wrong in this world; a coup here, a kidnapping there. It is at moments like those that I think come soon, Jesus, come soon. Even good news, the wedding of a good friend, is overshadowed by the weather and storm clouds looming on the horizon.

I just returned from spending five weeks removed almost exclusively from television, radio and internet. I heard about the girl in Aruba, but briefly, and only because we were on a Caribbean island as well, and were instructed to be extra cautious. As I sat in the Miami Airport waiting for my connecting flight, I heard the voice of our president wafting across the busy waiting area on ever present CNN, and I thought I'm home. I'm home to a place where I will instantly hear of all of the bad things happening in the world, and none of the good.

My Chicken is Starting to Taste Nasty

You know when you reheat food, and it's just not as good as when it was hot of the grill/out of the oven? This is especially true of chicken. Whilst sitting at my desk for lunch (I know, I'm a loser) and reading e-mails from various persons, I munched on my chicken salad with Caesar dressing, that is until the gag reflex started kicking in and I started getting really grossed out. I'll give it a little time and try again later. There is absolutely no way that I would be able to sit through my already painfully boring job on an empty stomach...ok, half empty stomach.

If you couldn't already tell, I am no longer in Barbados, but home once again in Orlando working at my 8-5 desk job processing checks. Exciting sounding isn't it?

It's weird not having practically every moment of my time on demand, I guess I kind of miss it...although it was kind of nice sleeping in 'til noon and a half or so. It was weird waking up on Saturday morning and not being in Barbados. I kept half waking up and expecting to see the ocean out the window and my roommate across the gap between beds. I think I kept going back to sleep cause I thought it was a bad dream or something. It kind of sucks being back where all my hometown friends are either: 1) still on project; 2) still in some foreign country serving Jesus with some other missionary organization; 3) spending all summer with crazy kids in Colorado (at CSU and otherwise).

Well, I think I'm going to try and brave the chicken again. Wish me luck.

Four Weeks Down, One Week To Go...

...not that that's a good thing.

Sorry I don't have any cool pictures for this week. We've been really busy this week, and I'm stressing out about talking at the weekly meeting on Tuesday. Pray for me will you? I'm a little nervous, but I know I can get through it with the power of the Holy Spirit. Anyway, yeah, not much to say. Our outreach went pretty well, a whole lot of people showed up, and we definitely got to talk to people, so yeah, that was cool. And the boys got to wear hair nets, and yes, I got pictures. Anyway, I'm actually supposed to be at game night liming with the Bajan students, so yeah, not much time, gots to go now.

















Here's a lizard that was outside our apartments, it was crazy huge.

As the Sun Set Over the Bay

You’re probably beginning to wonder just from reading my blog whether or not we’re actually on campus doing ministry. I assure you we are, it’s just that what we do on free days is generally about 10 times more exciting than campus times. This weekend’s excursion was no exception.

We took a boat ride on a catamaran out to swim with sea turtles and snorkel on a reef. The boat left Bridgetown harbor around 3:30 Saturday afternoon. Everyone sat on the net at the front of the boat for the sail out to the turtles. It took us a while to get there, but the time was well spent sipping pineapple juice laughing and doing fun things with digital cameras.

Fun with Cameras. That's Kelly acting like a seal.

When we made our first stop, everyone knew immediately which stop it was. There, off the front of the boat were two turtles in the blue waters. We were excited of course as we grabbed snorkels and masks and jumped in the water.

Dude Crush.

I got to pet one, but after a while my ears started hurting so I got out of the water, at which point I was asked to hold a rather cute baby, so I did while his parents swam with the other two kids. After a lengthy swim, we left for the reef. I wish I had pictures of that, but digital cameras and water don’t really mix well. There’s a sunken barge out there that was pretty cool to see, but by the time I spotted it the sun was beginning to go down, and we were ready to leave. We bounced along the surface of the water, the waves getting larger as the sun sank lower. Despite the roughening seas, it was very peaceful. The catamaran was driven by wind power, so there was no motor drowning out our thoughts, only the splash of the evening sea against the hull of the boat, and the wind in the sails.

Everyone. Taken from the mast of the ship by the captain.

All the students went to Oistins for dinner, and the staff had “Date Night”. Even though everyone was fairly wiped out, we still had a good time. I had the marlin and chips.

Mmmm...Marlin.

So yeah, that was all good. But more fun than Oistins was the ZR (pronounced Zed-R) ride there and back. There are two modes of public transportation in Barbados, government owned bus, and ZR, privately owned vans licensed by the government. The thing about ZRs is that there is no limit as to how many people you can pack into one. Hence, if you spend more than a day in Barbados, you will inevitably see a van with a wacky horn and a dreadlocked driver fly by you packed full of uncomfortable people. It’s only $1.50 Bajan to drive anywhere along the route between Silver Sands and Bridgetown, but there is also no guarantee that you will get your own seat. When traveling with a large group, you will likely end up in separate ZRs. It is almost guaranteed, however, that the driver will try to get all of you in one. On this particular night, we went in separate ZRs, but they were both very full even before we started loading people into them, there were already 12 or 13 people in the one I got on. There were four people packed into the back row, another four in front of them, and another four in front of them, and three in the front seat (including the driver). The door guy/money collector stood hunched over, holding on for dear life. You might think this is impossible. But no, I disagree, I personally have been in a ZR with almost 30 people. On that occasion, I had someone on my lap (thank goodness it was someone in our group), and Kelly was on the lap of a little Bajan man singing along with the reggae pumping through the speakers at the top of his lungs.

When we first got to Barbados, we called them G-Buses, a nickname they’d earned from the Spring Break group. What does the G stand for you ask? Ganja. Yeah. Apparently someone saw one of the drivers smoking a joint while driving over spring break. And with the way they drive, they’re either high or insane, we of course chose high.

A ZR in Bridgetown. Empty, as I'm sure you can tell.

Anyway, we really have been having a good time on campus. We’ve seen 22 people come to Christ so far. The students are really open to talking to us about spiritual stuff and just talking in general. Once you get past the initial who are you and why are you talking to me? it’s smooth sailing. I’ve found that a lot of people are already Christians, but they’ve never heard that it’s just Christ that gets you into heaven, not getting baptized or going to church. I think half of the people I’ve talked to are in that boat.

Here’s a couple of pictures I took on campus.

This is the view from the back side of campus, amazing, isn't it.


Here's Dan talking to some guy.


This is us praying at the end of the day. Clockwise from me: Me, Clarissa, Erica and Dan.

We had a toga/costume party on Wednesday night. Fairly uneventful, but fun nonetheless. It was great trying to come up with costumes without taking our bed sheets. My roommates and I went as M&Ms. I was the brown one.

Yummy. L to R: Leah, Clarissa, Katie, Me, and Dana.


Here's everybody. The guy in the red board shorts is Jimmy, trying to act like David Hasselhoff.

And now, for some random pictures…


A sticker I saw on a locker at UWI. I happen to agree.


Totally unplanned that everyone wore pastels that day, no lie.


No, they're not gay, just caught up in the moment, I mean, you've got to hug someone when the Righteous Brothers are playing.


Put those boys on the back of a magazine or something!


Older picture. Me on the jumping cliff at Crane Beach.

Anyway, more stuff has happened, but I'm kind of running out of time, and well, I haven't put the pictures on my computer yet, so yeah, you'll hear about that when I get to it.

So Here's What's Been Happening

Lots of stuff has been happening in the last week. Saturday was a free day, cause it was kind of rainy and we were supposed to go on an island tour, but since it was rainy we didn't. Imagine that. The boys made breakfast for the girls: french toast [freedom toast???], eggs, and fruit from a can. They were very proud of themselves.


Breakfast with the Boys

Most people spent the day doing laundry and grocery shopping. Me, in my wisdom and stubborn nature, did not want to pay $7 US for a load of laundry, so I decided to do it myself in the bathtub.


Laundry Day

After spending all of Saturday up to my knees in clothes (literally), I hung them to dry on the porch. Little did I realize that the rain that kept us from going on the island tour would keep my clothes from drying...for 4 days. I think a pair jeans are still a little damp, not to mention smelling like mildew. After a couple of days of frustration, I decided to let it slide, so now it's more of a joke than anything. Needless to say, I will have my clothes laundered by someone else, preferably someone with a washer and dryer.

Sunday we went to an Anglican church, which was frankly really different for me. There were these two birds fighting on the pulpit for must of the service, which distracted me from the really nasty wine taste that was left in my mouth from communion. There was a baby that got baptized, and the father looked like P Diddy or something. We had more sessions Sunday afternoon, and a lot of hanging out.

Monday we went on our island tour, even though it was still kind of gloomy. We drove past a bunch of rich peoples homes on the west coast.


Barbara Streisand's yacht club on the west coast.

Here's some more pictures, I'm about to run out of batteries or I would tell you what they're off. I'll try to do that some other time.


The girls at north point. Front Row (L-R):Tara, Clarissa, Erica, Leah. Back Row (L-R): Me, Kim, Dana, Katie.


Bathsheba.


Rocks in Bathsheba.


St. John's Parish Church.


Someone taking some Biblical advice.

I'll post more later.

News from the Front Lines

“There’s toenail clippings on the ground.”
“Ooohh, snacks!”
Hilarity ensues.

“Barbados, that’s kind of tropical isn’t it?”

Ah yes, the joy of roommates!!!

Crane Beach. Rated 5th Most Beautiful Beach in the World!

Every time you hear about a place, it sounds like paradise. If you’re talking about Barbados this is mostly true. And then of course there’s the matter of the heat and humidity, oops, I mean, everything here is wonderful, and no, I don’t feel like I need a shower all the time. But seriously, it is very beautiful. My apartment complex, Magic Isle, is on the ocean, and I can see the waves from my window. Nightly I am lulled to sleep by waves crashing on the sand and the crickets singing to one another. It really is beautiful.

Friday night we went to this place called Oistins. The fishermen go there to sell their catches and nightly they grill up some fish. A DJ plays the Barbadian National Anthem, followed by bad dance and reggae mixes of 80s songs. The fish was great, caught fresh that day, and cooked to perfection. The restaurant, if it could truly be called that, consists of picnic tables surrounding on three sides a tarp tent and a stage for the DJ. The cooks fry and grill fish under a colorful fish made of Christmas lights strung across the street. Around the outside of the picnic tables are simple stalls selling Banks beer (Brewed in Barbados), various imported beers, and sodas. The mood is festive as people wait for their fish and chips and dance to the reggae music. Guys from our group received impromptu dance lessons from the Bajan waiters as they strode by with other peoples orders. I got the flying fish, a local specialty, grilled, not fried. It quite tasty, and I was glad to get a flavor of something truly Bajan. A group of people went down to the shoreline and looked at the fishing boats; small and unassuming alone, but in large quantities rather impressive. The darkness cloaked them, making it difficult to see much detail in the boats further from the shore except for the white stripe above the waterline.

The fish in lights at Oistins

Saturday was spent mostly in meetings, although we had some free time in the afternoon. I spent most of it doing Four Laws practice, and checking e-mail at the internet café across the street. I did make it out to the ocean, but only for a short time before having to go back in to eat dinner and prepare for the evening session. That night, the students went out to some coconut trees near the beach (since it was after 10pm and we were not allowed off the Magic Isle property) and just hung out. We’ve done this for a few nights now, and the act has been dubbed “Liming at the Palms.”

First night of liming. (L to R) Big Phil, Scott, Philipe, Katie, Dana, Me, Dan

Sunday after church we went to Crane Beach, rated the 5th most beautiful beach in the world (see above). It was great. There was a cliff to jump off of. I don't think most people would think I would be the type to jump off a cliff, but well, I did, and it was fun, monster wedgie and huge waves aside.

Here's Scott jumping

Here's me jumping

After a long day at the beach, we went to Bubba's for dinner. In Barbados they have this drink called a Shandy Twist. Technically, it's alcoholic, but it only has 0.9% alcohol in it. Even the very legalistic Bajan students don't consider it so, hence, neither do the staff. So we all got Shandy Twists at Bubba's.

My first drink (all 0.9% alcohol content of it)

So anyway, that's that. I'll post some more words and pictures at a later date. Maybe some of the University of the West Indies (UWI) where we're spending much of our time. Oh, and if you were wondering, we've seen more than ten students pray to receive Christ in the last five days on campus! It's amazing, I know.