an EPIC day!

our canadian friends came here Tuesday, November 18th

on board the Epic

we recommended a tour with our local island friend

marco

and they had a wonderful time seeing the View, the iguana farm, and

a visit to our house

they enjoyed fresh picked apple bananas,

our glorious view, and enjoyed the friendly banter of our budgie named buddy

apple bananas are smaller then the regular ones, and yes they taste like apples!

 

we took a short, tree lined drive to West End to the Cannibel Cafe where we met bob for lunch

(he had been at the made in roatan shop all morning)

the food was good but some of the dishes were very s.p.i.c.y

(which isn't typical of that restaurant.. maybe a new cook)

i was thrilled with kevin noticed a mama hummingbird sitting on a nest 

that she made on a line of christmas lights!

how sweet is that??

it was a glorious day for seeing the island!

the blues of the sky were clear, the sea a host of turquoise,

and the jungle greens and tropical flowers graced the road.

west end beach

beautiful!

the epic, straight on!

flower's bay, a beautiful quiet area of the island

the whole gang 

Something New!

lately we have had alot of requests for christmas ornaments

'made in roatan'

so i asked a young girl who lives up in the colonia if she 

would like to come over to the house and make some ornaments

this frame will be perfect for hanging on your tree with your favorite roatan photo!

i would like you meet kendy

here is kendy surrounded by craft supplies.. having a wonderful time

she is the one who made the ornament above

she lives up in the colonia with her parents

and two brothers

if you were to go to their home you could possibly drive

on a dirt road to the 'uva' (bus stop)

and then if you wanted to go to her house

you would need a 4 x 4 or you'd need to walk

because the "road" is impassable otherwise!

the time i went to their home

it started to rain

causing the red road to turn into a soupy pudding like mess!

as i weaved my way up, up, up  i couldn't help thinking that this is a normal experience for 

these people everyday!

they have to navigate these awful conditions and guess what... you see them walking along

singing and talking to their neighbors as if it is the most natural thing!!

it was so slippery that i almost fell several times

as i approached her house i heard the sound of someone 

calling me

i saw her standing up, way up waving happily

imagine walking almost straight up, along a narrow path and

then gingerly making your way higher still carefully 

and slowly stepping into the rubber tires along the hill 

to keep you from falling

and also to keep the hillside from being washed away

their home is probably about 10 x 15

a small kitchen

with plastic chairs

no fridge, no cupboards, just make shift boards holding

the essentials like rice, beans, pots, pans and a few dishes

the windows and doors were open with no screens 

to keep mosquitoes and rats outside.

such is kendy's life

but inspite of everything she is happy and willing to help me in any way she can!

she isn't looking for handouts

plus she is very creative

so when i asked if she wanted to make something for the store

she was so happy!

i hope you will come by the store to see her christmas ornaments

and help support her and her family.

i know it will bless them immensely!

i decorated some seashells and made them into ornaments!

here is one of the christmas photo frames that kendy made

i thought it would be great to put on the tree

with one of their favorite roatan photos in it!

hope to see you soon!

by the way..

this was the weather today!

beautiful sunny day!!!

cruise ship day - november 2, 2010

on tuesday the epic landed on our shores bringing with her

scads and scads of tourists.

bob went to the 'made in roatan' shop

and at around 2:30 i decided to go to the shop as i really miss

meeting with people and helping to sell stuff for the islanders

i know i am supposed to stay off my feet

but i figured that the short walk to the road wouldn't hurt

i took a  taxi since i am not allowed to drive

until my heel heals.

i love taxi rides because i get to practice my spanish!

(a captive audience!)

i was warmly greeted and hugged by many of the vendors nearby the 

'made in roatan' shop

 i hadn't seen them

for a  couple of weeks and it did my soul good to listen

to their stories and see their happy faces again!

i was very grateful to robin when he came out and handed me

a pair of brand new white anklets to wear with my shoes

robin,  he may be handicapped, but he still knows what it 

means to love and think of others

what a blessing that was!

a taxi to town cost about 1.75.. not bad for a 15 min. drive

new to the shop! marble hill jams!! super delicious!!!

a little street action:  a minor accident!

this is the cigar man, don't you love his hat?!!

this is the shrimp lady.. can you imagine carrying that on your head?

a truck means a free ride and this guy took it!!

the most casual vendor ever! so you wanna buy some plantains?

we have many many 2nd hand shops on the island

 there is a certain kind of energy when the cruise ship is in.  everyone is excited and hopeful about making some sales, getting some money to help with groceries and bills.  the people here are simple.  they live from day to day.   i love to be a part of all of that.   i am grateful that the locals have opened their hearts to us and welcomed us into their world.  we are the only 'gringos' with a shop outside of the cruise ship port and we fit right in.

don't worry i was a good girl and stayed sitting while chatting and selling. there is another ship on saturday and i think i may go down for a few hours again!

here are a few things we have in right now...

a beautiful necklace made by pedro the man who passed away

yourgin has some beautiful pieces in right now! all hand carved and polished!

luma's paintings are a big hit because the price is so right!

javier is now in university in Tegucigalpa but we are still selling his things and sending him the money

some of my photographs

That is just a smattering of some of the things in the shop.  All hand made, all made in roatan, all to help the islanders live a better life.

Birthday Fun!!!

today i went to the 'made in roatan' shop 

for a few hours

what a wonderful time

i decided that since it was yourgin's birthday 

that anyone who bought any of his handcarved jade jewelry

i would take their photo and mention them in my blog

well let me introduce you to lorraine and lois

this is lorraine.  you can't really see it in the photo but she is wearing a red 'canada' hat!  i noticed CANADA  as soon as she walked in the shop and i was thrilled to learn that she is from thunder bay which is about 120 miles from my hometown of atikokan!   we are from the same 'stomping grounds' and who would have thought we'd meet in roatan!!  small world isn't it??  such a wonderful sweet lady.  she bought one of yourgin's handcarved sea horses!

this isn't the one she bought but one like it!

this is lois, she is from the vancouver area.   she was so happy to buy a pair of yourgin's earrings.  i told her now she can be reminded of the beautiful turquoise color of the sea here!  she said they had a wonderful day snorkeling at tabayana beach which truly is the best place to snorkel.  lorraine's husband even saw a turtle which is always a real treat!

yourgin with brandi and 3 adorable boys!

we left the shop early in order to go to rita and arlo's place in sandy bay and surprise yourgin with a birthday party!   unfortunately i am a little slow moving these days (dang tendon!) and he saw me hobbling up the stairs as they were walking down the driveway.   but i think he was still surprised with the party, the food, cake and presents!!  it was truly a wonderful time!!

you can read what i wrote on my other blog so i don't have to repeat myself!  :-)

the most amazing sunset ever! i think it was His gift to Yourgin!

 

we thank God for Yourgin

not only is he one of our most dedicated artists at the shop

but he is becoming a dear friend to us

happy birthday Yourgin!

thanks for letting us share in YOUR day!  :-

Tuesday, September 7, 2010 ~~a day at made in roatan

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

a day at made in roatan

we spent the day at the shop when we heard the epic was in port

people set up their 'wares' and hope to make some money

see those little purses.. i bought one and use it everyday

a local lady dressed up and ready to go to town ~~ snazzy!

how precious is this? a little sweet something in a box!

remember pedro, the man who recently passed away? this is his jewelry... so beautiful

traffic: pedestrians, buses, taxi, people riding double:  craziness!!

we stopped at pizza inn on the way home.  yummy!

a couple of highlights today:

a lady came in from the washington post and she did a story about our shop

how cool is that?

it will be running two sundays from now.

having this type of 'business' is rare.

who does non profit these days?

only those called to serve by the Living One

because even though we aren't making tons of money here

our reward is great in heaven.

also met a lady who wants to contribute to 

clinic esperanza

she works in a dentist office and wants to ship down supplies

i am encouraged that people see the value of giving

and want to help

it is wonderful.

thanks to all of you who continually pray for us 

we appreciate your support as we continue to serve and love the people here

today i read

'do not grow weary in doing good because in due time you will 

reap a harvest if you do not give up'

i know it is your prayers that help to give us the passion and the energy

to continue to serve here.

thanks so much.

xo

October 5, 2010

sold!!

we spent the day at the shop today

and it was slow due to all the rain

yes it poured almost all day!!!

if you were here on a cruise ship on that day

then i apologize for all the rain!

we had decided to close up shop

when a couple came in from australia

i showed her around the shop.

i showed her this piece.

it wasn't cheap

cost 35.00

i told her the artist, yourgin, had said that it was really a show piece

and he couldn't budge on the price 

just wanted people to see how beautiful it was.

she said,

it is lovely 

so lovely

in fact 

i want it!

sold!!!

the proud new owner!

it is lovely isn't it?

to be honest i am sad to see it leave the shop as i would often

walk to the window, hold it up to the light

and admire the colors of the blue and the streaks of iron pyrite

weaving its way through the stone

this was handcarved and polished by yourgin..

one of the many beautiful pieces of work 

in the made in roatan shop.

Saturday, October 2, 2010 ~My birthday Roatan style

marco and i in front of the shop.  spent the day there.  a very slow day but it was still fun

the man of my dreams

a couple of ladies from holland came into the shop

when they found out it was my birthday they gave me this flower

and proceeded to sing happy birthday VERY LOUD

what a hoot!

let it rain! and it did. 

not good for the tourists but it was cool and we all loved it

it's raining, it's pouring the old man is snoring!!

 

saw this little boy wandering the streets with this white rat on his shoulder

i called him over because i used to have a white rat as a pet when

i was his age.

his rat is called stuart

mine was called rascal

they actually make great pets

and are surprisingly clean

(contrary to popular belief)

and i used to walk around with rascal on my shoulder too

brandi gave me these flowers picked from her yard

after a day at the shop we took some of our island friends to bojangles for chicken dinner!  what a treat for them!  and fun for us!! there was zenola and her family, brandi and her family, samuel, koki and carlos was supposed to come but he thought it was at 6:00 instead of 4:00.  oh well we brought him some chicken back home.  i wish i would have got a nice group photo but i was stuck in the middle of the table and it was hard to get out.  and for some reason my canon rebel is hard for the average person to figure out how to use so i didn't want to subject a stranger to that frustration.

the boys had fun!

this is samuel, he is now 79 years old, a sweet man.  he sells stuff next to our shop.  he told me the last time he was at bojangles was 5 years ago with his daughter and now he was able to come again with me for my birthday.  he said it will be such a good memory for him.

koki, the artist, pouring iced tea

yourgin in the background

after he ate he said he was so full he could barely walk

it is good for them

i wonder when the last time was that he ate til he was full??!

chicken, fries, coleslaw and rice and beans!

a classic island treat!

 

this looks like a small little piece of cake but i confess

it was my THIRD piece!!   

for the photo op of course!

later at home we had our first small group gathering

good worship,

fellowship 

praying

laughter 

and 

yes

CAKE!

a lovely day.

i am blessed!