Off The Charts

We really don’t have seasons per se in the tropics, and though this time of year is called “spring” around here the temperatures have been in the upper 90s to up over 100. Anyone who thinks tropical nights are romantic hasn’t really experienced them, it’s more like, “It’s so hot, don’t even touch me!” Everyone we talk with agrees that it is kind of “off the charts” weather-wise and are concerned about what summer will be like. Though there aren’t seasonal changes with spring flowers or fall colors, at least we enjoy flowering trees all year long and great tropical fruits!

Speaking of tropical fruit, the pineapple that was served for our church Friends Day this past Sunday was sooo sweet! That kind of sums up the whole day! Everyone we talked with commented that the fellowship was sweet, the worship service challenging (not in a bad sense I assume), and the food abundant and delicious. There were over eighty folks that came out to a house in the country for the day, with almost half being friends and family who had been invited by church members – with lots of young people in the mix. The day started with a worship service which was presented in different way since everyone had to divide up into groups according to shoe size, month of birth and liking Coke or Pepsi.

Praise team

Bill speaking

Each group had to do activities centered around friendship, from sidewalk chalk drawings to tossing a ball of string to design a web of friendship to creating a poem. After each group explained their activity or read their poem, we segwayed into true friendship and how a true friend will bring others to meet their best friend Jesus.

Chalk drawing

String toss web of friendship

After lunch, some played soccer (but that didn’t last long under the hot sun) while others used the pool, but most just found shady spots, relaxed and visited with friends. The day started at ten in the morning and the last folks headed home around six that evening.

The document has finally been signed by the owner of the building church rents, allowing us to take out two walls in the building. We were to the point of moving because of the space issue, which is keeping us from growing. We’ve already met with an engineer and a contractor; have started purchasing supplies and moving things around since work is to begin this coming Tuesday. I am so thankful for one of my deacons, Reginaldo, who is helping with these meetings and decisions in this remodeling.
Everything is so dry here that this past Monday night we had a dust storm with sixty mile per hour winds that almost ripped the sign from the front of the church. It was held on by only three clasps or we would have lost it completely. So Tuesday, while I waited for the engineer and Sue had her ESL classes, I rehung the sign with forty new clasps. After the meeting I changed some light switches which had broken in church, and when Sue’s classes ended, we made a visit
We have been, these past two days, without internet service or having it just sporadically. Today it seems back to normal. Amazing how dependent we have become on the internet!
Tomorrow is a holiday here - Day of the Dead. Though there’s much more to it, it might be compared to Memorial Day in the states where people go to lay flowers on the graves of loved ones.
Hey, today is our daughter’s birthday today. Happy Birthday, Natali!