The States

OK...So I've really been wanting to get this blog back up to date....but once you get behind it sure is hard to catch up...so here goes...

I was in the States for six weeks and got back on November 30. Again there wasn't too much time for play. I was really sick for the first week and a half, stuck in bed, freezing cold but sweating, and shivering with the chills. Not too much fun. After that I started my job I came for and demolished and remodeled a bathroom...Out with the tub, toilet, floors, walls, lighting, etc... A week and a half later and all done. It came out really nice and once again I had some really high end materials to work with which always makes it a good thing.

As you can see this is a pretty small bathroom. It had some old tile in it with these huge grout lines. The shower door was pretty much uncleanable and the lighting wasn't that great. It also had one of those vent fans that sounds like a small jet when you try to get some of that "Number 2" smell out of the bath or steam from a hot shower. So we decided to fix all these problems. Out with the old and in with the new. I didn't get any demo pics just this one before and the following afters.


As you can see we put in a nice marble floor. I laid them on an angle centered up with the toilet. We finished it all with a nice relaxing paint job. You can also see a new GFCI outlet we had put in so that we could mount the poopy fan switch near the toilet. :)


Here you can see the new can lights we threw in and that nice shiny vent fan above the toilet. It's a light/night light/vent combo. It'll suck anything out of this room. I had to run a new vent house in the attic for it from the vent out to the eaves to get the moisture out of the shower. The can lights were the only nice ones we could find with PAR lamps for the shower but they were non-ic so I framed out some boxes around the cans in the attic to keep them up to code. You also get a preview of the shower tile. Marble 4"x12" with a beveled edge. I loved this stuff. And what about those ceiling patches...what, what patches, I don't see any patches/repairs...exactly what I'm going for. :)


You can see the shiny new tub we threw in. Now here we have the crown jewel of the shower...That beautiful tile. These homeowners can really pick out some pretty materials. On one wall we have the really nice plumbing fixtures and on the back wall we have the "Glass Waterfall". 1"x1" glass tiles from the tub lip up the wall into the niche up the back of the niche around the top of the niche and then back up the wall to the ceiling. This was the time eater of the job. The design, layout, and the details of the work took sometime. Sometimes I wish I didn't pay so much attention to detail because I spend a lot of time making sure things are just right. But in the end it makes me happy as well as the homeowner.


Here is another shot of the "Glass Waterfall". I wish I could say I was really good but it's not me. When you are working with beautiful materials it's hard for the complete job to not look good. I must say though I really loved these marble tiles, they cut like butter. They did have more natural fracture lines and were prone to crack a bit on small cuts but they came out beautiful. There is nothing like natural materials and that natural color they contain. A lot of these pieces had color lines that matched up across pieces, greens, browns, greys, and blacks. Beautiful beautiful material.



From North Carolina I was able to shoot down to New Orleans for a week. We rented a car, A SEBRING (Michael Scotting it up). We drove down to New Orleans and spent the week with my family there. What a great week, nothing to do and all week to do it. Now this is how vacation is suppose to feel right? I got to meet my new nephew too... how cute is he?!?!

And here are they boys!!!

It was great to see the family and actually have a week out of my six week stay in the States that wasn't consumed by work. After New Orleans we headed back to North Carolina with only a little less than two weeks left. I spent a couple of days up at Dani's moms to visit with them. Definitely not enough time for fun but just enough time to work. She wanted me to build a pergola, so as quick as I could I took my measurements, drew something up, and we got it constructed in one day. I couldn't believe I actually got it finished that quick. Big big thanks go out to CJ (Dani's brother), Riley (CJ's boy, for his sanding help), Nicky and Erv for their help, and of course Bird for the hot chocolate. Thanks guys!!!

So here's a good before...

And then the after...

Here's a shot from the door...not bad for a days work.

Another month gone by...

Well I guess I'm really neglecting this blog...from what should be daily or weekly posts has become what seems to be monthly updates. Here we are already near the end of August...I can't believe it. The sad part about a month going by is that I can't remember what's happened a month ago...I better catch myself up and read the last post...brb

Ok, I'm back. So let's see...I finished those tile floors. Here's a before of what they looked like...they weren't in the greatest shape..

And here is an after...much better. They actually look wet now. They were really happy with them so that was a good thing. It was a lot of work but well worth the final product.

As for other work, things are picking up a bit. I might actually make enough this month to cover rent or at least get close to it. I guess we'll see. I've had small computer jobs here there. I did spend some time updating the website, www.BelizeComputerGuy.com so you can now find a few graphic jobs that have been done, (many thanks to Bobby J for his work). As for fishing...not much there either. I haven't been since the last blog so no big updates there...and I'm pretty sure there won't be any fishing pics until December. I'll be busy for the next couple of months and won't have any time for fishing.

So let's see, what has been going on around here?? I spent a few days on the mainland of Belize this month doing some remodel work at the missionary home in Ladyville. There was a fire there some weeks back. A faulty A/C unit caught fire and caused a lot of damage. The spot I had to repair was were the A/C unit had fallen to the floor and the heat from the melting plastic actually cracked the tile floor. So I had to chip out about 25sq/ft of tile with a demolotion hammer and re-tile it. We couldn't find an exact match for the pre-existing tile so we decided to put a border down to make it look like it suppose to be that way. Here's the damage.

And here is the final product...

So I finished the job at the missionary home and then had to get to the boat to get back to the island. They offered me a ride into town but I didn't want to take them away from the work they were doing so I figured I would just catch the bus as I normally do. So I walk out to the main highway and normally would catch a bus since they run by every 30 minutes or so. But for some reason this day, the buses didn't run by for about an hour and a half. So end up walking from the missionary home a good ways down the main highway. A taxi stopped to pick me up and I wasn't going to jump in being that a taxi is 50 bucks and the bus is $1.50...so the taxi guy told me $5 to town...can't beat that. It wasn't a complete waste of walking though because I found a mango tree growing on the side of the road. So dug it up since it was just a small tree and brought it home. So I'm currently trying to get this thing growing. We'll see what happens.

I'm trying to think of any good experience's lately. Dani still has a handful of studies regularly attending meetings each week. One walks about a mile and half to the meeting with her 3 year old and 6 month old. She's commenting at the meetings and everything. She has another study that she actually went out in service with the other day. Her study is now an unbaptized publisher so that's encouraging. I had a study of mine at meeting the other Sunday also. I had the public talk in Caye Caulker Sunday morning and then at our hall Sunday evening. He was at our meeting and stayed for the WT also. It's so nice to see the results in the ministry. There's nothing more encouraging than seeing people make progress. Here's a quick pic I snapped of our service group the other day heading to the territory. There's a few sisters on the right walking, Dani in the red shirt, and our new sister on the three wheel bike. The new sister is from a small village from the mainland called Sartaneja (Sar-tah-nay-hah). She's an American who has been in Belize for years. She's in her 80's, I want to say 87 if I remember correctly. She peddles that bike all morning on these bad roads. She's so sweet and encouraging and just a book of wisdom. She's been here for about a month and we really love her.

I think that's it for now...I'll be in the States in October so I'll get to see some of you. Oh yeah, one other thing...I got a company in the States to donate an amp for our sound system at the Kingdom Hall. A friend of ours, Rob, happened to be visiting the States so he was able to pick it up and bring it back with him. This thing is killer heavy, like 35 pounds which is a lot for an amp. Although being donated, it cost $180U.S. between the heavy baggage and the import duties paid on it. Not a bad deal considering the cost of a new one. So I spend a few hours at the hall wiring it up and it doesn't work...only one microphone input works...Talk aobut make me mad...Now after being $180 bucks in the hole and having Rob lug this thing here from the States and the hours wasted on hooking it up and even worst having to re-hook up our old amp after realizing this one wasn't going to work you can imagine I was pretty heated up. So I guess I'll be lugging it back to the States later this year to see if the manufacture can fix it. Oh well, no good deed goes unpunished right????!!!!

Well that's it for now...it's midnight here and I only got a few hours of sleep last night so I'm pretty tired. I hope all is well with ya'll.

And this posts random pic is from about three years ago when my brother came down for a visit...here's me, Romeo, a few tuna and his nice mahi mahi...and with all the pics, click on them to enlarge them...Take care...

Exactly one month since...

Wow...it's been one month since my last post on here...What a slacker!!! Actually I've been super busy with service, not feeling good a few days, and actually a bit of work. So where do I begin? It's been a little over a month since I got my work permit and I'm actually getting a little bit of work. Not enough to pay rent or groceries yet but it's work. I'm still doing a little bit of work via the Internet for a company in the States so that's still helping us out. And most recently I'm doing some floors for a friend of mine. Mexican terracotta tile floors that need some refinishing. That's where the not feeling so good comes in. I was spraying some sealer on these floors and the chemical got to me for a few days. I felt like I was going to die...man, this stuff had me hurting so bad and feeling so sick. I'm so glad that it's finally done...well almost complete. I actually will be there tomorrow for a few hours moving the furniture back in place. I'll take some pictures so you can see the finished product. It looks really really good. I've also spent some time working on a website for my computer work here in Belize. Check it out and tell me what you think...www.BelizeComputerGuy.com Any constructive criticism would be great so let me know what you think. I've also had to the privilege to go over to Caye Caulker to help out with the meetings there. Conduct book study, Watchtower, and two service meeting parts really forces you to be on your toes. The good news is from what I hear there is suppose to be an elder and MS moving there later this year... and the best part is they are suppose to be there long term I think. Again these are just plans and as we know these things can change. Two permanent brothers there will help the congregation tremendously. There is still room for more help so feel free to come on down. I mean if you're going to struggle in the States you mind as well struggle here on an island and be happy. Dani has 15+ studies, two of which have been consistently attending the Sunday meeting, she had six bible students at the meeting the other night. The only thing that makes the ministry better is seeing results. I've actually had a few voicemails on my phone of people calling me to come call on them. How sweet is that!! The congregation here in San Pedro is doing really good too.

As for fishing, I haven't been spearfishing or lobstering since opening day in June so it's been over a month. So I've been itching to get out there. So I had to jump on the opportunity yesterday afternoon to go deep sea fishing. It was a good day...we caught three spanish mackerel, a mahi mahi, and about seven tuna...one of which was about 25-30 pounds. You gotta love tuna. We got four huge fillets out of that one tuna and a nice plate full of sashimi...after filleting it I cut what I could off of the carcass and we had some tasty sushi. It was so good. So here are some recent pics of things from the past month.

Here we go....

Here's a pic out of the window of the place I've refinishing the floors. I've been working like a dog for two weeks but the view does make it a little easier.

Here's a pic of the actual house.

I felt like taking a break and was super thirsty. What better way to quench your thirst and get a snack.


Here's a pic from yesterday's fishing trip. This would have been my prize fish but on the way pulling this one in it went from prize fish to bait. On the way to boat something came up and hit it... If you click on the pic you'll see what I'm talking about. Something big bit off more than half...


Here's the catch of the day. This tuna was huge. It looks like a torpedo. When you look at it you can tell that these tuna are built for one thing and one thing only...SPEED!


And here's a few more. We hit a big school of tuna and they started striking. You gotta love a good day on the water.


And for this post's random pic...here's one from my favorite thing to do back home in NC. Too bad we don't have any twisty roads on this island...or roads in general I guess.

A Good Day...

Well where do I begin; It's been 9 days and my last post wasn't much of a post at all, just that video. For the past couple weeks we've had a house guest, Suzanne. So we've been having a lot of fun while she's been here. Since she's here that means that Dani has a pioneer partner who is in for the long haul day to day. Dani has been doing great with her time for this month. She's a machine and is determined to get her time this year so it was only the 10th and she had 60 hours...whew...She's awesome.

So let's see what else has happened recently. Rob and Beth had some family in town. So I went out with them one day while they were here. I went out spearfishing and we shot some stuff...good lunch. We caught a shark and got it on the boat for a picture...and then we quickly got him back in the water so he could relax...here are a few pics from that day... Gabe is ready to go spearing!!!



















Another big event was the fact that Dani's dad got married last weekend. It was moved up to Sunday and there was no way we could have afforded to go....being that we're broke and all!!! But we found out the wedding was moved up on Monday. Wednesday we get a call from some of our good friends back in NC and they want us to be there for wedding. So what do they do, they email a confirmation number for a flight home!!!! We couldn't believe it, well, they are amazingly generous so let me rephrase, we could believe it but we were so excited to be able to make it home, especially for the wedding. So we received the confirmation number Wednesday afternoon and flew out Thursday morning. We could only be gone from Belize for five days so it was a quick trip, but a great one. I crammed in as much as I could and only got a few hours of sleep over the five days. The wedding was amazing!!! It turned out so nice...PERFECT! We were also able to see friends and some family while we were there. We got to see Dani's mom and her brother and nephews. I was able to shoot pool at Bobby J's house til 4am....I had Popeye's Chicken at the airport in ATL and Brixx Pasta in Charlotte...a tuna melt at Earthfare...it was the perfect quick trip.


And finally that brings us to today...which was a good fishing day. Rob and I went out and shot some lobster and crabs. We got a few monsters...like this one. This guy took up the entire kitchen sink.















And then tonight Suzanne took us out for dinner since it's her last night. We went up north to a restuarant. They have a boat that picks you up and the boat ride was beautiful, at least on the way back home in the dark. The starry sky here is so pretty. It makes you feel so small. So here are a few pics...The first one is of us leaving the house for dinner. If you look down to the left, you'll see an old bottle I found today on the reef while we were spearfishing. The wood to the right is for some picture frames that I made for Dani.






And here we are on the boat to dinner.


This is the place we ate at. If you look in the background you can see the ocean. How nice!!!



Here's Dani and I relaxing for a few minutes while we wait for our table.








Here is Suzanne just lounging around.

Now if you look closely in the picture above of the resturant, you'll see in the back left corner a pool table. I couldn't pass this up...This is actually my first time shooting pool on the island. A pool table, a hot tub, the ocean, the breeze...this table definitely pulls a close second to Bobby J's man cave back home. So it was a nice night. We took the boat back home and watched the glowing night sky. What a great night with great food and great company. Going out was a nice treat since we don't do it often, only for special occasions and since Suzanne leaves tomorrow then there you go, special occasion.

Here's a new feature to the blog...I'm going to start doing a random pic...The picture below is of Dani and I at the top of a volcano in Guatemala. It was so cold and windy up on the mountain...but only a few feet from this the temperature sored...so much so that if you stood in one spot too long my boots would melt. Yikes!!!! Don't forget, clicking on the pics makes them larger. Until next time....

Interesting Video

Saw this on the web today....thought it was interesting...

It's official...

Well Ladies and Gents...

It's official. I received my work permit!!! I can officially work in Belize and try to make a living now. I can now do my computer work and start bringing in some money...well at least I hope so. Now I just have to get some customers. So besides service and stuff that's been the activity for the past few days...working on advertisements, passing out business cards, spreading the word that I can now work. So we'll see how that works.

Besides that not a whole lot has been going on. I haven't been fishing lately so no good stories there. Lobster season opens on the 15th so I better have some nice pics of lobster when that roles around.

I did get to work on my bike today...I had a broken spoke and needed to replace a brake cable so that's fixed. We're suppose to be back in the states for a few days later on this year but we'll see how that works out. We're trying to get residency here so we have to be in Belize for 50 of 52 consecutive weeks...so we can't really leave until after October if we want to meet the requirements for residency.

I think that's it for now. Hopefully something exciting happens around here...

I'm going to try to get Dani to post something on here one of these days...she has some great experiences in the ministry. So I'll see if I can get her to take a break and post something.

Good night...

Long Week

I can't believe it's almost been a week. Time flies when you're busy. This past weekend I was over in Caye Caulker. Since the Houghton's are back in the States they have no elders there now so our body handle's that congregation also. So two brother's from our hall go over there on the weekends. One brother in our hall goes every Sunday to do the WT and TMS. The second brother is rotated among the brother's in our hall. This past weekend it was my turn to head over there. So I had to conduct the CBS and had two parts on the Service Meeting for that Saturday night. Then Sunday morning I had the privilege to conduct the WT since we had no speaker so the other brother gave the public talk instead of the WT. Then it was back to our island on the afternoon boat and then our meeting Sunday night. It was a long weekend and tiring but it's so nice to be able to have the privilege to help out in Caye Caulker. It's a small island with a small congregation but they are doing good and it's always nice to be there.

As for field service, we've both been very busy. It's so nice to have people that actually listen and appreciate things. I mean Dani has 13+ studies right now. I accompanied her on a study yesterday where she studies with these five little girls. They are so cute and they take turns reading paragraphs in the bible story book. There are two that can't read yet so the older ones that can read will read a word and the younger girls repeat it all the way through the paragraph. It is so cute. Dani's a great teacher. I went on another one with her yesterday too where she is teaching a lady the bible and at the same time teaching her to write and read. It's so nice to see people appreciate what they are learning. I had a study the other day also with these four little boys. One studies from the "Learn to Read and Write" brochure while the others go over the bible story book. It's a job trying to keep them focused but they do well.

Besides meetings and service not a whole lot has been going on... Dani's bike broke the chain yesterday so I had to repair that. I oiled up the bikes today and cleaned them a bit. I need a few parts for mine but it's holding together pretty well. Just need a gear cable and a few spokes but it gets me around. We have a new friend at our hall too... Someone crashed a golf cart into the fence so now this dog climbs in through this hole in the fence. He's found a new shade tree as you can see here...

Oh yeah....there is a big sink hole north of us from the earthquake. Dani and I jogged up there yesterday. It's about a 15 minute run from our house up to where it's at. It is so cool. It's about 30 feet in diameter and we're not sure how deep yet. People have said it's at least 30 feet but I think they are going to cave dive it with SCUBA to see where it goes. There are cave syst

ems all under this island. We actually spear fish a few caves openings around here...they are more like cracks in the earth but they lead to caves. This picture doesn't really do it justice but it's about 6 or 7 feet from the grass down to the surface of the water. It's pretty cool to see.

I think that's about it for now though. Nothing too crazy going on. The weather has been windy so no great fishing days. My fishing buddy has some family coming for a visit in a week or two so I'll have a few good fishing days while they are here. I should have some pics of nice fish soon. Lobster season opens on the 15th so I'll have pics of lobster at least...well I hope so.

Weird Dream or Not

You ever have a night where you're dreaming and then something that is actually happening in the real world gets homogenized into your dream...you know, like you're dreaming and then a phone rings in the real world but you don't wake up and in your dream a phone rings too. Something like that.

Well last night I'm sleeping and in my dream my bed is shaking...so it wakes me up...but then the bed is still shaking...but I'm out of a dead sleep...maybe I'm just loosing it...so I get up to go to the bathroom and the wall seems to be vibrating, the towels are moving around on the hooks like there is a breeze coming through the bath room. I put my hand up against the window, nope no breeze. I look outside, nope no trees blowing around. I walk back in my bedroom and the wall seems to not be moving...WEIRD...getting a little nervous now. I jump back in bed and say a quick prayer while I think if I've bought anything second hand lately. All of a sudden the bedroom door pops open, Dani's exercise ball falls onto the floor, and then there is a loud pounding knock on the front door. It wakes Dani up, I'm already up and I go to the front door with my beating stick. No one there. Now I'm really nervous. Then my phone rings. Turns out I wasn't imagine or dreaming things...the landlord upstairs calls and tells me I have 3 minutes to get upstairs that there is a tsunami watch in effect. We had an earthquake last night that shook well over a minute, possibly two. The house was shaking!! So we run upstairs for about 15 minutes until they lift the tsunami watch. Thank goodness we didn't have one. The quake woke me up but no damage...just some things shaken and moving. All is well here in San Pedro. I hear that southern Belize has slight damage and power outages.  If you look at the image below we live on Ambergris Caye. As usual you can click on it to make it bigger.

There was an earthquake of 4.9 in the evening but the 7.1 at 2:30am really shook things up.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2009heak.html#details

Earthquake Details
Magnitude 7.1
Date-Time Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 08:24:45 UTC
Thursday, May 28, 2009 at 03:24:45 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones

Location 16.783°N, 86.166°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region OFFSHORE HONDURAS
Distances 130 km (80 miles) NNE of La Ceiba, Honduras
225 km (140 miles) N of Juticalpa, Honduras
320 km (200 miles) NNE of TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras
1170 km (730 miles) SSW of Miami, Florida

Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 6.3 km (3.9 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST=119, Nph=119, Dmin=323.9 km, Rmss=0.88 sec, Gp=104°,
M-type=(unknown type), Version=6
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)


Event ID us2009heak

This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.

Anyone Know Anyone?

Just a quick post...but does anyone know anyone coming down to Belize or Mexico's Yucatan (Cozumel, Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, etc...) anytime soon?

The reason I ask is that a company donated an amplifier and some microphones for our Kingdom Hall here but I'm trying to see if someone has room to bring it down. So if you know anyone, plane or cruise ship, let me know.

Service Days

Most days lately are filled with service. Dani and I have been trying to wake up early to do streetwork in the mornings. I guess it's actually beach work. We ride our bikes to the hall and then hit the beach for 8. I got a study started this week and made a return visit on a guy I met on the beach. There are people who work for the town here that rake the beaches in the mornings so these are our main listeners besides locals who walk the beach to work. The only problem with working the beach is seeing the pretty water... there's only one thing I'd rather do more than ... just kidding, fisher's of men first, fisher's of fish is after 12PM. Today while Dani studied with the daughter and then the mom at this one house, I studied with the two young boys. One is studying in the "Learn from the Great Teacher Book" and the other doesn't read too good yet so we're doing the "Learn to Read and Write" booklet. He's a little more all over the place but he's learning to sound out words and making good progress despite this being only our second study. I actually had the study with these two kids and then 3 of there young friends from across the street came over to sit in. So everyone was able to answer and now the other three kids want there own "Learn from the Great Teacher" books. I finished with the boys and Dani was still studying so I took a friend of ours who's visiting right now to a study I have a few house's down the block. I just met her 3 weeks ago...since my initial visit, I've called back three times and we are half way through chapter 1 in the Bible Teach book. She really appreciates the study and gets excited to see all these new points as she looks them up in her own bible. I'm going to try to get a study started with her husband too but he works 7 days a week from 7AM til 6PM so I'll have to come at night to study with him. Maybe I'll go tomorrow. After these studies Dani and I made a call on a girl whom I've called back on twice since the initial visit with the C.O. I tried her a few times but she wasn't home. Well I caught her today and sh said she was waiting for me to come back. She tells me she's almost done with Chapter 2 of the Bible Teach book. She had some great questions on the initial visit so I'm really looking forward to studying the bible with her since she is wanting answers. After this it was on our way home. I happened to see an old call passing near the house. He talked to one of the Spanish brothers and he said this guy came to him and gave him his number so that I can call him to study with him because he wants to study. So next Sunday I'll be there. Well, not next Sunday but the one after. Since Caye Caulker lost there only elder, our brothers are supporting the hall there now. So we had to move their meetings to Saturday PM and Sunday AM, Sundays time didn't change. This allows us to have two brothers go over, do their CBS/TMS/SM on Saturday night, spend the night and then do their WT study on Sunday morning. So this Saturday is my day. I have to conduct book study, have two parts on the SM, and read the WT Sunday morning. Looks like I'll be sleeping on some chairs in the hall. They have fans so it won't be bad. So for those of you reading this wondering how life is here or if you can help or how you can help a congregation, Caye Caulker definitely could use an elder or two. Our brother's will do what we can, but a steady stable body there would benefit them so much. So come on down...!!!

I went kayaking/spearfishing today...Didn't put any kill shots on anything but got some nice shots in. I don't shoot anything small, first, it's just too much work for too little meat, second, I like to let them get nice and plump. I shot what must have been a 15-20 lbs. horse eye jack but he took off and jumped out the water. When he jumped the spear came out and he was gone. The tip I use will come out if it doesn't kill the fish. This is good since it doesn't kill any fish.

I guess that's it for now...

So May Isn't The Hottest Month

Well, it turns out that May isn't the hottest month in Belize. Someone told me that and I figured it was true since it was getting so hot around here lately. But come to find out August is the hottest month...Crap! Just when I thought it was hot enough. I will say this though, it's rained a few times in the past couple days so that has been nice. And the ocean...WOW...can you say flat!!! You can't even see the reef from the beach. You see, normally, if you look out into the water you see waves breaking about 1000 feet out so from the shore you see white waves cresting over. But this week, when you look out, you barely see any waves...even the dive boats offshore you can see them sitting there in flat water. So what does this mean for me??? Perfecto spear fishing conditions, sunny sky, flat water, even spear fishing outside the reef. This means that even in water that is 100+ feet you can see the bottom. Granted...I can only go down maybe 50-60 max right now but probably even closer to 40' in reality...but still it's so beautiful. So Rob and I have been out fishing a few times...we did pretty good the other day. We went outside the reef and got some rock crabs. Those were really tasty. We might be going out today so if we do I'll try to get some pics and show you our catch.

Adios

Long Week

It's been a long week. The temperature here is getting really hot so by the time you get in from service you're pretty much soaked and ready for either shower number two of the day or a jump in the ocean. I'm taking like 4 or 5 showers a day right now if that helps you see how hot it is getting. May is suppose to be the hottest month with June, July, and August closely behind. Hopefully by September we'll start the rainy season and things will begin to cool. Belize gets most of it's power from Mexico but there was a blackout that damaged some power equipment in Mexico so Mexico cut us off for the next four months. So right now the island is running on power from Belize and then big generators here on the island. I think there are 3 big semi trailer size generators here on the island. So the power goes out twice a day or more for at least 15 minutes while they swap power sources.

So this week was service in the mornings and then other things in the afternoon. I had to go over to Caye Caulker this morning to conduct the WT study. Now that Dan is gone we don't have any brothers there so our servant body is their's. So two weeks ago I went over to give the public talk there, last week I had it here, and today I went for the WT. It's always nice to go over and help out so it's always enjoyable. I'd do it more if I could. I have the time and energy to donate, it's the cash that isn't there so I do what I can. It's $30 round trip on the boat, $15US. It adds up quick, especially when you're living off of savings, savings that are low. I'm still waiting to hear about my work permit. If it doesn't come through then I'll be back state side pretty soon. I don't want to leave but when savings run out, you gotta do what ya gotta do.

I hope all is well back home with everyone. I guess that's it for now.

Dan Houghton is back state side. He's recovering slowly but surely. I was on the computer the other day and guess who chat's me...Dan "The Man" Houghton. So he is feeling better each day. The docs in the States said that the docs here in Belize did a great job with the surgery, so that's good to know.

I'm going to bed. If any of you know anyone coming down to Belize or Mexico Yucatan, maybe on a cruise or something, let me know. I have a amp sitting in the States that has been donated for our Hall here so I'm trying to find a way to get it down here.

Til Next Time

Letter From Embassy

I am posting this post for one reason only. A lot of tourist visit Ambergriscaye.com's forum to gather information for their trips to San Pedro. I attempted to post warnings to tourist by means of using the forum there only to have my post's removed by the moderators for the following reason: "Scaring the hell out of tourists resulting in reduced business" here on the island. I personally, would rather warn/scare tourists so they know that it's not safe to roam the island at night or trust people they don't here. Many people are told how "safe" it is here and how there isn't any crime. Well that isn't the case. Since this blog gets submitted to search engines I'm hoping that if people google or perform internet searches on terms like "Ambergris Caye crime" or the like then this blog might pop up in the search results. So those of you who are friends of mine that follow my blog then you can disregard this post. On the other hand, those of you traveling to San Pedro or Ambergris Caye or Caye Caulker then be careful. It's not that this place is more dangerous than anywhere else in the world but at the same time it's not a crime free paradise that some people claim it is. So as with anywhere else, traveler's beware and heed the warning in the following email that I received from the U.S. Embassy this evening:

There was a rape on Ambergris Caye this past Friday night, and one on Caye Caulker the weekend before. The one on Ambergris sadly could have been avoided with some common sense and less alcohol. Foolish actions in no way release the perpetrator from guilt, but people need to avoid putting themselves at greater risk. Please pass on the advice below.
Tom


Information for Travelers

Warden Message
U.S. Embassy Belmopan, Belize
May 12, 2009

Recent violent crimes involving visitors to the islands of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker serve as a reminder that everyone should take an active role in their own personal security. U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Belize should exercise caution when in unfamiliar areas and be aware of their surroundings at all times.

Many parts of the country, including both urban and rural areas, have seen an increase in violent crime. In some instances, criminals have used physical force and intimidation or utilized weapons in the commission of crimes, especially in Belize City and Cayo District. While other areas of the country have lower levels of overall crime, the potential employment of violence is still a concern.

There is no evidence that U.S. citizens are specifically targeted because of their citizenship. The United States Government does not have any information about specific threats to American citizens but would like to share a self-assessment guideline used by government employees to help you increase your own personal security.

Daily Security Habits and Practices

If you are driving, in a restaurant, or other public places and notice suspicious individuals, armed personnel or protective security details, immediately depart the area.

Vary your times and routes to and from work.

Keep your doors locked and windows closed (residence and vehicle).

Check the interior and exterior of your vehicle prior to getting into your vehicle.

Look for things that are irregular or abnormal.

Maintain a low personal profile by not doing anything that draws attention to yourself.

Report to the police any vehicles or persons possibly involved, i.e., following or watching you or asking detailed questions that seem inappropriate or make you feel uncomfortable in surveillance of your activities.

Be alert to what is going on around you.

Inform your colleagues and family of your daily plans and how they can reach you.

Be unpredictable when possible in both your work and social schedules. Schedules that are the most predictable leave you the most vulnerable.

Always be aware of your surroundings. Report all suspicious activity to local police officials.

In traffic, always attempt to leave space in which to maneuver. Always leave yourself an exit (escape route). Be prepared to take evasive action at any time.

If you are being followed or harassed by another driver, try to find the nearest police station, hotel, or other public facility to call the police. Never lead the person back to your home or stop and get out.

Whenever possible, do not have a set day for personal errands (e.g., shopping). Be unpredictable.

Never give out your personal information such as family member and household staff names, addresses and telephone numbers, in an open setting.

Don’t travel alone if it can be avoided.

Travel during the day may be safer.

Consider carefully whether you really want to hike or pick up hitch hikers.

Carry a copy of your passport with you while in country.

Carry money in multiple places (on your person and in bags) not all in one place

Make sure friends, colleagues and/or travel companions (as well as the U.S. Embassy) have an emergency contact to call on your behalf, if needed.

Brief all of your family members on security measures.

Inform your family, supervisor or colleagues of your whereabouts if you are traveling overnight.

Stay in Touch

U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Americans without Internet access may register in person with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency.

U.S. citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to "A Safe Trip Abroad" found at http://travel.state.gov.

Americans are urged to monitor the local news and maintain contact with the U.S. Embassy in Belmopan.

As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats to U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its Consular Information Program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or, outside the U.S. and Canada on a regular toll line at 1- 202-501-4444.

For any emergencies involving American citizens in Belize, please contact the U.S. Embassy Belmopan. The U.S. Embassy is located in Belmopan City on Floral Park Road, telephone from the United States: 011-501-822-4011; telephone within Belize: 822-4011 or after working hours at 610-5030. You may also contact the Embassy by e-mail at consulbelize@state.gov. The Embassy's Internet address is http://www.belize.usembassy.gov/.

Slowly but surely

I want to apologize for not posting an update yesterday. I've been talking to the family this morning and this are progressing slowly but progressing. First off, Dan is making amazing progress from where he was two days ago. I was there for what seemed to be the worst of days since this happened. But from what they told me this morning things are continuing to get better and better.

This morning Dan was sitting up in bed. He could respond to questions. He memory is still affected but he is recognizing the family. He hated the fact that he couldn't have his own under garments so that he has those on now. They unrestrained him and he was able to get into a chair. The doctor said no he's too weak to walk so just let him relax in the chair. But if you know Dan, he's by no means weak, he's strong as an ox, even with all that is going on. So what happens, well when the doctor leaves the room, Dan stands up and takes a few steps, chair in tow... So they get him back into bed and he's resting peacefully as of now. So things are looking better. It's going to be a long road ahead but I can assure you that if anyone will progress it's Dan...I guess hard headedness and stubbornness are good qualities when it comes to recovery. Love you Dan!!!

As far as the plans to get Dan back Stateside, the Medivac is ready to roll. Two things need to be done before Medivacs will fly:

One: A doctor has to accept him as a patient.
Two: A hospital has to be able to admit him as a patient.

So for now, number one is complete. They are currently trying to find a V.A. hospital that has room. They are trying a few in different states but none are available. So if any of you know about a V.A. hospital with a good neurology unit or trauma care unit, and they have room, let us know. As you know these things are not instantaneous so we'll see how things go from here.

We still have brothers at the hospital with Dan so the family is able to rest and take care of all these arrangements. I'll let you know if anything changes.

Keep Dan, Dolly, Jay, and McKenzie in your prayers.

Barry

Expect an update at 6PM EST

I am heading to Caye Caulker to get Dan and Dolly's things packed up. My wife and I will be there along with Dolly to help as well as other brothers on the island. Last night Dan slept for 6 hours. He seems to be doing a little better. I will update all of you later on today. I should be home by 4PM my time which is 6PM Eastern Standard Time in the States. Thanks so much for all of the help you have all given so far. Don't forget that the address posted in the post below is still good for sending any type of donation you can to help out the family.

We still need help

As you know my wife has been with the family since the surgery on Sunday. I spent today with Dan and Dolly and the family. All I can really say is that Dan responds to certain peoples voices. He is constantly in and out of it. 10 seconds he's somewhat sleeping, 10 seconds later he's trying to roll out of bed, 10 seconds later he's back somewhat sleeping. If you would like to call Dolly at the hospital please email me at bjvista@gmail.com. I can give you the cell phone they are using. I just don't want to post it here so that just anyone is calling since they have so much going on. You should all know that at any one time during the day there are at least 10 people with Dolly, Jay, and Kenzie at the hospital. The local brothers here are really supporting the family. The HLC has a brother there also. We are arranging 24 hour shifts of at least three brothers to make sure we have people there constantly at the bedside as this is needed. Talks are going on now as for airlifting Dan back Stateside. As you know this requires special personnel, aircraft and pilots. Prices range anywhere from $20,000US to who know's how much...so anything you can do to help the family is really appreciated. Jehovah's organization is so amazing though. From meals to support to sisters just sitting at the hospital to just be a face in the room...all the brother's and sister's here are a huge help. Please keep them in your prayers. I wish I could say more but I'll let those who need to know to hear specific details from the family. That's it for now.

Donation Information For Dan Houghton's Medical Expenses

***Address updated*** Please any donations to the address posted below. Any donations already sent will reach them but the address posted below is better for them. Thanks

After sending the email at the bottom of this post (see email below), so many of you have been quick to respond with the following questions:

1. What happened?
2. Is he ok?
3. How do we get money to them?

So I'm putting this here so you all can access it.

1. & 2. What happened? Is he ok?
Dan was on his way to send an email at his normal wifi spot last night. On his way out near him and Dolly's place, one or more individuals attacked Dan. We are not sure of the exact details as he suffered memory loss from a concussion he received in the assault. Besides a black eye and some bruising and scratches I was told he appeared to be visually not too bad. The more noticeable symptoms was him being delirious and the memory loss. He made it back home where a doctor checked him out. He was kept awake during the night due to the concussion and vomiting. MRI results prompted the doctors to say surgery was needed ASAP. Around 10:30AM they performed brain surgery to stop the bleeding and relieve the pressure. I am glad to say that at 5:50PM I received a phone call and the surgery was a success. They were able to stop the major bleeding and relieve the pressure that was building. There is still some bleeding so a 2nd MRI tomorrow will tell us more. They are going to put Dan into a medically induced coma for 2 days until the swelling goes down. The doctors are expecting a full recovery but we will know more in the days to come.

3. How do we get money to them?
This is probably the most repetitive emailed question I'm receiving from everyone. I must say, Jehovah's organization is amazing. So many of you are wanting to help. It really does show the love amongst the brothers.

As you know, the surgery is complete, but the cost, although being cheaper than brain surgery in the States, is still very expensive. I know we won't cover the complete cost but anything you've already sent and others will send will help. The best way to get money to the Houghton's is going to be by sending a check to their residence in the States. They will be home soon and someone there is already checking their mail so it's safe to send checks. As always, it is never recommended to send cash in the mail. So for all of you that want to help, please send a check to:

Dan and Dolly Houghton

155 Griffin Springs Rd.

Campbellsville, KY 42718

I'm sure they will know it's for Dan's medical expenses but a small note or card wouldn't hurt.

If you have any other questions you can either comment them to me here via the blog, or email me at bjvista@gmail.com, or call me at 011-501-626-6362...that's my cell here and I am available 24/7.

I will update this blog as I hear more news tomorrow from the city. Danielle is staying there in the city tonight with Dolly. They are staying in the circuit overseer's apartment and have the brother's there also.

Again, please keep our brother in your prayers and pass this on to any you think may be able to help. Thank you so so so much for the response that you've already given.

Thanks

Barry

---------------------------------
Here's the original a lot of you received this afternoon:

Hey Everyone,

I just picked all the witnesses out of my address book that I knew of. This is Barry "BJ" Vista. I'll keep this short and sweet. A good friend of me and Dani, a brother on the island next to us in Caye Caulker was robbed and beaten shortly after 10pm last night. Danielle and some friends from our hall and the HLC is there as well as some other local brothers and sisters. He and his wife are need greaters from the States and have played a huge part in the progress and spiritual growth of the Caye Caulker English Congregation. This was going to be their last week here in Belize before they headed back to the States for 6 months and some quickbuilds. He is having brain surgery as I write this. I am asking three things, One, that you keep this brother and his wife in your prayers. Two, that you keep the Caye Caulker congregation in your prayers as these 13 publishers can definitely use the prayers. Three, The surgery is very expensive. If you would like to help the family out with a donation please contact me at bjvista@gmail.com or call me at 011-501-626-6362 and we will make arrangements for any donations to reach the family to help cover cost. Any amount will help and I know they will appreciate it. Send this to anyone you think may be able to help.

Thanks

B

A thought for your prayers...

Just a short post but a brother from Caye Caulker, our sister island, was robbed and beaten last night. He is undergoing brain surgery right now. Dani is there for his wife, along with HLC and other brother's and sister's for support. Please keep him and his wife in your prayers. The surgery is expensive but had to be done. We'll find out shortly how it went. Please contact me if you'd like to donate to him and his wife to help cover surgery costs. If you email me we can make sure funds reach the family here. bjvista@gmail.com

Before I Forget

A few other things. This week we have Ozzie and his wife (the circuit overseer) visiting our congregation. We had them over for lunch yesterday and he was telling us about swine flu and Mexico. He says that in Mexico City, in Puebla, and also the State of Mexico, and one other place that they are not allowed to have meetings or preach publicly (door to door) due to the flu going around. So the friends there have to do telephone witnessing, letter writing, or informal witnessing. In addition to family study they have been instructed to still have their weekly meetings but as a family. I guess this swine flu is getting pretty serious. Someone just messaged me and said we have it hear on the island too, but I haven't confirmed that. Mexico is nearby so it wouldn't surprise me. So keep our brothers and sisters in Mexico in your prayers. Today we had the pioneer meeting so that was nice and encouraging. Dani and I were there with Ozzie and his wife since Rob couldn't make it due to Beth's surgery.

Off to bed...

3 Days and 2 Nights

Wow...man I am one tired guy. Here's the scoop. Rob and Beth the parents of Gabe (the cute little guy that is in our pics) where in the city for the last three days. Beth had to rush over to Belize City to have surgery. She's back now and all is well. So while they were in the City, Dani and I had the lil Gaber's with us. Talk about the best form of birth control.... Don't get me wrong. I love this kid. If I had one I would want one like him. But man, this little guy is like a wiggle worm in bed. Dani and I put him in the middle because we'd hate to have him roll out of the bed and hit the floor in the middle of the night. But man this guy does not stop...and he's sleeping the whole time. He kicks you, he pulls your hair, pinches you, laughs, complains, talks to you, says your name...ALL NIGHT LONG...IN SPANISH AND ENGLISH...need less to say I am sleepy tonight. But I must say I love em too much. He's the best. It's nice to have him and get to enjoy him like this. But it does take it out of you.

And then last night he wasn't feeling good so he was even more active. So tonight I'm going to sleep like a baby...well...maybe not a baby...(Where in the halibut did that saying come from)...Can't you tell we watched Shark Tales 30 times...hahaha.

So that's pretty much what todays blog is about. Some pics from the past two days with the Gabers.

Here we are off to school. This is the two seater bike. Rob had a seat and some pegs welded to the frame so Gabe can see where he's going. Off we go.

Here we are after school on our way to the beach, actually the dock to go jump off and swim. Nice bright green floatation suit. Manly Man.

Now if you were a coconut on the beach and Gabe is coming your way, you better get ready to swim. He loves to pick up the coconuts and toss them into the water. Here is his next victim...

Adios coconut...At least that's what he says as he throws it in the water.

He was determined to push me in the water.

We were finally able to get him to build enough courage to jump in off the dock. First I had to hold him...then he was ok with just holding my hand and jumping...and then finally he jumped in on his own...After that he was hooked!!!

Here's Dani coming to get him.

On our way home now. With the breeze it gets quite chilly. All bundled up and ready to go.

Here's one of Carley and I jumping into the water. If you click on this picture to enlarge it you'll see waves breaking in the background in the distance. That would be the second largest reef in the world. All in our backyard. I guess that's one of the perks of living here. Well, it's getting late and I am beat. Time to catch up from the last two nights. Don't forget to leave your comment. If you want to see some other pics from me and Dani's travels in the past, check out BjVista.com. I haven't updated it in a while so the blog is more up to date than the website.

Adios

Another Day In The Ministry

Ok...So since Carley has been in town we actually have a few photo ops that we normally wouldn't worry about taking.  But since she's here and we're taking some pics I figured why not give you a view of our life.  Right now things are hot...and we're still not in May, the hottest month here.  Actually, the temperature isn't too hot...but the sun is scorching...in the shade you're good...but once you're in the sun you'll burn quick.  I can't wait until after May but then it'll be rainy season and I'm sure I'll have some complaints about days of non-stop rain, at least as far as service goes.  Speaking of service, here are a few pics from the past couple days.  This first one has Dani driving in service.  We have the Circuit Overseer this week so most of the group went to the North end of the island by boat, so today it was Dani, me, Carley, and another sister in the hall.  Dani had someone's cart so we didn't have to bike today, which was nice.  So here's a shot of Dani in the cart heading to the territory.

Here is a not so good area of the island.  I'm sure most of you think, "hey, they live on an island...it must be beautiful!!!"  Well, here is the reality of life for a lot of the locals.  People here aren't rolling in the cash, but that's no excuse since it doesn't cost anything to be clean.  But for some reason it's in a lot of people's minds that you can fill land with garbage and then just cover it with sand.  Hmmm....not a good idea people...have you ever heard about pollution....Sheesh.  So here you see one of the areas just north of the bridge called San Mateo.  The land is low here so it's flooded most of the time.  So the garbage just floats around.  Some people call the area London Bridges for the planks that have been put in place so you can walk around with out getting in the water.  If you look in the top left corner of this pic you'll see one of the planks I'm talking about.  These aren't the sturdiest of walkways so you have to be on your toes.  The last thing you want to do is fall in the water.  A girl a few years ago fell in and cut her foot...soon after that she ended up dying.  There is no telling what is in the water back here.  I will say that the territory is very nice to be in though.  The people may not have much but they will listen and appreciate the bible.  I guess when you don't have much you appreciate good news about the future.  I'd rather be walking these planks than knocking on some doors in the good old U.S. of A. where they call the police on you and yell at you to leave from behind their solid wood doors.  

On a better note, here's a picture Carley snuck of Dani while she was talking to a call. Isn't she cute on her bike... :)  After a long day of pedaling you do get worn out.  But it is definetly a good tired.  The ministry here is great.
 

Here's a pic of standing in front of our house looking left down the street.  












And here is the view if you make a right out of our yard. That is actually our fence you see to the right. If you click on the picture you can probably see the ocean through the palapa at the end of the street.














And finally for today, here's the beach by our house. Man I gotta get out there and shoot some fish. Well that's it for now. Hope you enjoy...and leave a comment by clicking comment below.

Adios