Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending...

I was sitting at Marta's house this morning sipping my first cup of coffee and enjoying the myriad conversations going on around me when Elvin, that's the boy above and Marta's 3rd youngest, came up next to me and told me that earlier that morning he had prayed with Jesus. I thought he meant, he woke up and said some morning prayers but was neverthless proud of him so I complimented him and went on chatting with Carlos. He persisted though, he said

"No, listen! I was walking with a group of boys this morning to look for fruit I when I looked up in the clouds and saw Jesus praying. I asked the other kids with me if they saw anything but no one did but that didn't matter, I did so I made everyone kneel down and we asked for forgiveness for the things we did wrong and then we prayed for my brother" (that's the Carlos I had been chatting with who had been sick for a while).

I was stunned, joyful, proud and speechless all at once. Elvin isn't a story teller or a liar in any way, he's simply truthful and straightforward in all that he does (at the age of 6) so everyone he told from his Grandmother to his Mother to his Brothers believed him...as do I.

Insanity

he started up here...

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...and the water's down here

Things Found In Los Laureles

I know I was supposed to write a bit more about my Quaker friend and his 10-day visit but I stumbled across this today and wanted to post them while they were fresh...hahaha, get it, fresh crabs...ok anyway, there are many things that have surprised me in my time here but a scuttle of Blue Crabs hanging out on our steps has to be up there. No one's really sure how they got there but they were quickly scooped up and turned into lunch.

getting all tangled up

nango thinking about lunch

an escapee

quickly caught

raul's not sure how feels about the whole affair

The Hog Islands

These past 10 days I've been accompanied by a quirky little Quaker boy from Pennsylvania who sometimes meets with the Mennonites. I probably shouldn't say little, he towers over me and is a Black Belt in Karate...I know a Quaker/Sometimes Mennonite with a Black Belt in Karate. I said he was quirky. Anyway, enough about him, there will be more about his exploits tomorrow. For now I wanted to show you some photos of the Hog Islands, though they don't do the place justice. My dear Karate Quaker friend wanted to see some islands in his time here but in that traveling to any one of the 3 main Bay Islands is at least a 2 day, $100 dollar affair I axed, no, I karate chopped the idea. As he was sobbing and begging me to reconsider, something hit me, an idea...they seem so few and far between these days. Turns out that there are these little cays about 2o kilometers of the coast that are absolutely stunning (or so the they tell me, I had as of yet to see them) and the round trip tour can be done in 8 hours and for about $35; I had always wanted to visit them but had just never had the time or reason to do so. Upon hearing this option my blubbering companion perked right up and then laid right down for a nap. We invited 2 of the kids from Laureles to come with us and the next day, bright and early, we found ourselves in a 15 foot long motor boat headed out to sea. An hour or so later we arrived on the main island, signed in with the park authorities and then spent the rest of the day snorkeling and eating fish on one of the inhabited islands. It was an absolutely perfect day, the best snorkeling I've ever done and for the price it couldn't be beat. We got back around 4pm and took a nap...who knew paddling around in Paradise could be so exhausting.

one of the tiny little cays on the outskirts of the collection with the mainland in the background

another of the tinier cays, probably about the size of a high school gymnasium

the mountains of the mainland

one of the 2 main islands

we brought carlos and oder with us for the day...don't worry they didn't have school, turns out the public school teachers here prefer to strike over the right to be compensated while on strike than to actually go to work. that's a topic for another day. yay quakers! yeah, so like i said, the photos really don't do this place justice, it really is absolutely perfect and pristine. i'd love to go back so if you're a quaker or a mennonite or a karate expert or a combination of the 3 and want to come visit me i'll be more than happy to accommodate you, so long as you pay my way to the islands. yay frugality!

peace.

Tati's 13

Tati is an interesting character and in a lot of ways I see myself in him. He's shy in new situations but as soon as he knows someone or feels comfortable he'll make a spectacle of himself and try to be the center of attention. He's quiet and submissive at home, especially when his father's there but out and about by himself he's always causing mischief. He's not terribly athletic, though he does try, he lacks that very essence that I too lacked at his age, aggressivness. And he loathes school, refuses to study but does like socializing there...also me. So it turns out that little Matthew Levi turned 13 the other day and in true Matthew fashion chose the richest chocolate cake that La Ceiba had to offer for his birthday.

matthew, i mean tati

sisters and cousins

carmen his mother

Scenes From A Birthday in Los Laureles

guiselle the birthday girl taking the first whack

uncles carlos, edwin, samir and elvin stand on

not the most endearing pose

some neighbor kids observing from the dirt wall

quite the happy little girl

other kids taking their turn

father, grandmother, great aunt

uncle darwin

he's 2 years younger than guiselle

grandmother marta

guiselle's father

almost ready...

go for it

wishing he could be there

Pepe's Birthday

Josepe can be a headache sometimes but he's also warm and quick to forgive, 2 traits that can be hard to come by here in Los Laureles. He also has a voice like a mature Sicilian, something that just endears him to me; we call him the Godfather but he never understands and just gives us strange looks. Anyway, we celebrated as we always do with the cake and the singing and the prayer and his cousin Neto wrapped up our time by showing off his dance stylings.

el mero mero

boon with his piece

pimpona thoroughly enjoying his cake

and posing for the camera

neto showing off his moves

(he absolutely loved my father by the by, he kept burying himself into his body and wrapping my dad's arms around him)

calm yourself

h.b.