Fort Lauderdale Baptist Church

It was good to get some needed sleep from yesterday’s trip.  Today, Mr. B was desperate to buy chicken.  He’s getting tired of eating beef.  Fortunately, he wasn’t desperate enough to buy it since the chicken that a store sold was expensive.  We tried to contact other people about chicken but no success. I don’t mind eating beef at all.  I’m enjoying the beef since I rarely get to eat this stuff in the states since I can’t afford it.

We got back to our painting project again. I got to do it today since there’s only one ladder.  I didn’t mind at all since I enjoyed it.  Mr. B got to do the pest control thing on the house. 

The phone people came today and fixed our phone situation.  We had been out of a landline for at least a month. I didn’t mind the situation at all.  It was peaceful. No wrong numbers, prank calls, etc.

The yard got cut today.  The grass hasn’t grown much due to the lack of rain.

I also got to play the part of the arson and fireman.  We burned some trash in the backyard.

Mr. B hasn’t gotten the result of the appeal yet.  There was a power outage in the capital and the lawyer wasn’t able to print the documents. 

Mr. B and I left for the capital city early in the AM.  The boat ride took less than 25 minutes. It was a smooth ride until we got close to the pier.

We went to Pastor’s house and typed a letter for Mr. B.  I got to watch sportscenter on tv which was cool.  I hadn’t seen one in months. It felt cool to watch highlights again.

Mr. B got to ride shotgun in Pastor’s 4×4 truck with the a/c in the city. I got to ride on the back of the truck standing up.  That was cool.  I’m sure it’s not allowed in the US. Nothing like standing on a truck going fast.

We went to the lawyer for help with Mr. B and his family’s request to stay longer.  We may find out the result by tomorrow. 

We ate burgers for lunch at a local joint.  I thought we were going to have a conversation with the Mormons that came to the place also.  At first 2 “elders” came and ordered food. Later on 2 more “elders” came.  These “elders” had to be at the most 25 years old.

The boat ride home was even faster than the morning ride.  The ride was 2 minutes faster.  It could have been faster had the captain went full throttle.  Mr. B sat on the 2^nd row while I sat on the last row.  It’s no fun bouncing up and down on the boat.  I’d rather get wet than get bounced for at least 20 minutes.  I found out that the boats cost about $ 2,500 US to make including a used engine.  It burns 6 gallons of fuel one way so they need at least 6 people to cover the fuel cost for the trip.  They only do about 2 round trips a day as they wait their turn with the other boats

Please for Pastor and his wife’s 10 month old baby.  She had another status epilepticus (seizures) on Saturday.  She’s starting to walk now too. 

Proverbs 20:6 Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?

It was hot in church today.  But I think over 30 people showed up.  More kids showed up for the Sunday school. Kids from the bush came out to church.

Mr. B let me lead songs today.

Our next door neighbor had a birthday party/worship today.  They’d preparing for this since at least yesterday. Their music was loud. They also prayed too. Last night I heard some drums and some cows mooing.

The PM service started late.  We almost didn’t have it as the people came late.  We had a total of 20 people.  Mr. B let me lead songs too.

Mr. B is asking me to stay longer here for various reasons. I’ll mention a few here.  He needs more time to practice driving before taking the test. He doesn’t feel confident passing the driving exam. 

Basically, he needs help. A person he was counting on to help fill the void is going to a different part of the country to get some classes. Another person who could have helped is nowhere to be found.

We visited some folks in the morning.

In the afternoon we threw our garbage near the jungle.  But we didn’t burn it. After that was driving school for Mr. B.  It was his first lesson on parallel parking.  I think it’s basically the driving test they have here.  We have some work to do on this one.

Bad news came today.  Mr. B got the letter stating that their request to stay longer was denied.  It’s time now to appeal and to use the services of an attorney.

We shall go again to the capital on Monday. 

We went to the butcher shop this morning.  There wasn’t much meat today since yesterday was a big day for them. The fasting holiday season ended yesterday. We still were able to get our beef.

We started our painting project today on the garage.  We’ll have to pick it up again tomorrow. It may take a few more hours as there is only one ladder.

We had about 9 people for church today.

I went to the capital for the 1^st time on my own today to renew my driving permit one more time.  The boat ride there was bumpy even though we left early in the morning.  I got to sit on the front of the boat which is the bumpiest but also the driest. About half of the boat ride felt like someone kept punching my stomach as the ride was so bumpy.

Upon my arrival at the dock an acquaintance met me and we took a van taxi to the pastor’s house.  From there we picked up the pastor and his pick up truck. We went straight to the driver license office to take care of the permit. We stopped by a couple of other places afterwards. I was going to buy some snake skin today but the vendor said that the skin was at home. He sells them by the foot.  The alligator skin bags were also expensive (almost $100 USD).

I was really hoping not to make a particular stop today since I was the only one who was from across the river. But Mr. B asked me to stop by and get some food at Church’s chicken. I have nothing against it.  It’s just that every time I go to the capital, I have to stop by the chicken place. It turned out well as we ate the chicken for dinner.

It was so cool riding through the city with the a/c blowing in Pastor’s truck.  That’s the only vehicle that I’ve been in that has a/c with the exception of our neighbor’s car. Pastor dropped me off at the taxi waiting area.  

The boat ride back was rough. But this time I finally got to ride on the back of the boat on the same row as the captain.  That was sweet. It didn’t matter how choppy the water was.  It’s only the people on the front rows of the boat that feel the bumps.  The only thing with the back row is that it’s the row that gets the most water.

I found out that the taxi ride from the dock/pier to the airport would cost $50 USD.  The situation is this for the Monday morning that I leave:

1. The earliest boats leave for the capital around 0500-0600 – the waiting time varies

2. The ride takes 20-40 minutes depending on the engine power and the waves

3. The ride from the other pier to the airport takes 1 ½ -2 ½ hours depending on traffic, or when the taxi fills

4. I am not sure about the busyness of the airport on Mondays

5. The flight leaves at 1000

With all that in mind, I am tempted to stay at Pastor’s house Sunday night. He offered me the lodging and the ride. 

Mrs. B went batting today in church and she hit a home run.  She struck a bat down with the stick broom.  We had about 15 people. 

Possibly the best reason for the few ladies showing up to the ladies’ meeting is this: it was lost in translation.  In Mr. B’s native language, the term for “this Friday the 3^rd” would be “next Friday the 3^rd.” As one lady mentioned today, she thought the meeting was next week instead of yesterday.  So next time this type of confusion should not occur.  

I got to try out the local noni juice today.  It didn’t taste good at all.  Maybe I’ll try one in the US and hope that the ones grocery stores sell taste better.

We went to the local hardware store to buy supplies for our painting project.

We had our ladies meeting again today but only a few showed up. I will explain why on tomorrow’s blog.

Today may have been the last time I drove in this country.  I have designated myself as a navigator/driving instructor for Mr. B.

Later in the afternoon, we made a homemade concoction of bug spray. We sprayed the house downstairs and the wooden fence.  It brought back memories of the pest control man in FL.

I was hoping not to go to the capital city until the day I leave. But Mr. B will not drive/is not allowed to drive without a licensed passenger.  I just don’t like the idea of going into that city and paying $45 US for the taxi just to renew the permit. 

Mr. B called the pastor for some assistance on the ride situation.  He gladly obliged.

09/29 Mon

Not much today.  It was hot inside the house just a tad over 90 degrees.

We ran out of just about everything.

So we went to another town to buy groceries and such.  We also somehow managed to find the house of another missionary whose wife had given birth a month ago.

Mr. B drove.  And he’s getting better.  I’ve been having him reverse the car from the outside fence, through the narrow “alley” and back into the car garage.  I also try to not open the front gate as much as a test for him to get to know the car measurements better. I’ve been making it narrower and narrower each time. 

Today also proved that he knows just how wide the car is and how much space he has on the passenger side of the car.  With all the crazy drivers here on the road, he managed to avoid hitting obstacles on the passenger side within inches on our way to the town.   

I was disappointed to find out that I am required to go to the capital city to renew my driving permit.  The local police department will not issue the permit, only in the capital.  It’s the same dept. Oh well.

09/26 Fri

We skipped the market today. 

Mr. B and I went near the jungles.  There is an open space there where it was suitable for driving practice.  I prepared a mini obstacle course for him fitted with a serpentine style driving and an alley for him to practice parking.  He did ok esp considering the side mirror is once again loose. 

09/27 Sat

It was good to eat again.  It was strange that I was thinking of Chinese food and Mr. B wanted Chinese food for lunch.  Ah, great minds think alike. 

We visited a few folks today. 

09/28 Sun – 3 more Sundays after today

Sunday AM service had about 33 people. 

Sunday Pm service had about 18 people. 

Mr. B led songs for both services.  Perhaps he’s getting ready for my departure.

We made it through Numbers 14 for the Sunday School lesson.  There goes my original plan of OT/NT survey in 6 Sundays.

The girl didn’t show up today.  Whew.

After church we grabbed a soursop (guanabana is the equivalent for Spanish I think, they call it soursop in the Bahamas). We put it in the blender and we drank it.