Bandwidth issues

Sorry to disappoint everyone, but we couldn't post the video - it timed out before it loaded. We'll be sure to do it when we get home!

About today --

This morning, I had my first experience of actually driving in a foreign country. I also picked up two sets of hitchhikers -- the first set was two young boys. Their father is a household caretaker in a village called Gale's Point, their mother lives in Hummingbird Village. Their mother is ill, and the boys were going to visit. They were YOUNG, maybe 15 and 12. And the one-way trip for them was about 30 miles. They hopped a ride on a tractor for part of the way, and I picked them up near the camp, and took them to the junction, where they planned to get a bus north. So, I took them about 7 miles down the "coastal highway". That's the name of it, but it resembles a US highway NOT in the least. Imagine a farm, where the owner has driven a tractor on it a few times -- that is BETTER than the HIGHWAY!

Remember a couple of weeks ago, a tropical storm blew through, and then last Friday, the entire village flooded. Well, when that happens, the Coastal Highway becomes its own raging river, collecting water and funneling it toward the Mullins River. When that happens, the loose dirt is washed away, leaving open pits, huge rocks, and a 'washboard' effect on the road. You can make fun noises as you bump your way to the paved road 7 miles away. It takes about 20 minutes to make that trek.

Today, I drove to the village of Silk Grass - with just Tabor - and picked up some ladies from the village that we learned with yesterday. They were so excited to go and meet with the ladies from Pomona. It was difficult to get them to start talking yesterday, but today, I asked 'who would like to tell the story today' and one of the ladies quickly volunteered. They truly want to learn how to tell stories, and make the gospel alive to those around them. I don't know how many times I heard today, "I want to learn!" It was very, very cool.

We drove to Pomona, and met with four people there. We planned to tell new stories, but the ladies from yesterday wanted to tell the same stories so that they could learn them even better! Again, very, very cool. It was a great experience for all of us. Then, they started speaking in Mayan, which is easier for them. I'm hoping it wasn't because they wanted to leave me out. But I found myself just listening intently, hoping to catch a few words. If they don't have a mayan word for something, they often use English or perhaps a Spanish word, and I guess I somehow feel satisfied when I hear one of them say something I actually know. I know about 7 mayan words now, including a couple of fruits, how are you, I am fine, and I'm hungry. Just the niceties and the important things - feed me!

Not so cool - trying to fit 13 people in a car made for 7!! We like to live by the philosophy, there's always room for one more. However, in this case, one more would have had to have been very small, or have to ride on the roof!! We were nearing that point!

Okay, before everyone starts to go into shock that we were driving 13 people around in a car, we did drop off three of them before we got back on the highway. This is the Hummingbird Highway, however, which is actually paved. We tried to make it as smooth as possible for the girls in the back, but I couldn't guarantee it when we hit the sleeping policemen a little faster than we should have. Thank goodness the car is a rental - and Ray already cut the tires on the rocks on the Coastal Highway.

On the way home, Tabor and I stopped at the local Shell station. We picked up some Coke Lights and a package of homemade cookies. We stopped and picked up a woman and her daughter, who were coming back from Belize City. They took part of the trip on the bus, and were hoping for a ride to where she had parked her bicycle. I told her I could take her as far as the bridge, and she said her bike was at the "spanish-people's house". Ironically, I KNEW exactly who the Spanish people were! They live right across from the camp where we are staying, so I took Phyllis and her daughter Elizabeth to the bike, and they rode the bike the rest of the way to Mullins River Village - maybe another 2 miles or so.

Once we got back to camp, we made quesadillas with the tortillas left over from breakfast, and tried to post the video of tabor with his plant demo. It didn't work, as you know!

Tabor helped Remigia in the kitchen, making mashed potatoes and cutting up a whole chicken. Yes, the kind with bones and all the parts attached! The potatoes were incredible. He also single-handedly made oatmeal cookies, AND lit the gas stove himself with the lighter. He's more confident already!

Hmmmm...it just started pouring rain, and I am 40 feet from my room. Last night Tabor and I walked back without a flashlight. It is so incredibly dark here, that we LITERALLY could not see the house until we were 5 feet from it. I was absolutely amazed. I'm glad there was nothing lurking in the grass! Tonight, I remembered the flashlight, and Tabor has already gone back to get a shower for church tomorrow, so the lights are on. I think he likes not having to take a bath every day. No point here, really.

Tabor played on the computer, and Ray and I played a word game, trying to see how many words we could make from the sign on the refridge. Try your hand at this yourself:

Soda
Large Water
Small Water
No change please, only bills.
Thank you.

Yes, you can only use the letters that are actually there - one i, no f's. I found out that Ray is a big fan of boggle, and 'slightly' competitive, so the two of us made this game last a lot longer than either of us thought.

Did you find "egregious?" Yep, that's fun in the jungle!!

Leah and Tabor