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PEP Archives
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Sallie went along with me on this trip, her first since last September. This trip involved us with two missionary families,
so Sallie's presence was especially valuable. Our hosts were BMM missionaries Steve and Beth Gault and their colleagues Dan and Karis Seely,
based in Yaounde, CAMEROON. Sallie spent most of her time with Beth Gault helping in a variety of ways:
cleaning in the rental house where they were to move right after we left, sewing curtains and throw cushions to make that rental house feel like home,
typing into the computer some lessons that had been translated into French, and helping in the kitchen. And she spent some time with Karis Seely and her children.
As usual, Sallie's practical help, easygoing spirit and listening ear were a real encouragement to the ladies.
To share the teaching load in CAMEROON, Pastor Mark Cizauskas accompanied us.
Mark is an associate pastor at our former home church, West Cannon Baptist Church of Belmont MI, where he is responsible for worship and administration.
Let us summarize our primary teaching responsibilities:
An evening conference in the mission church. 2 hours each evening Mon - Fri. At Odza Baptist Church in Yaounde,
a young church being planted by the missionaries. Attendance grew through the week, starting at about 25 and ending at about 50.
Pastor Mark taught a thorough seminar on "Worship," mixing Biblical instruction and passionate preaching.
A module course in the local seminary. 4 hours each morning Mon - Fri. At Cameroon Biblical Seminary in Yaounde,
a French-speaking seminary offering advanced training to mature men, most of them already in ministry. There were 24 students,
coming from at least 4 countries. Larry taught a module course about "Effective Christian Leadership,"
intended to challenge these Christian leaders to integrity, humility, relationship and effectiveness in their service.
In addition, Pastor Mark spoke in chapel every day that week at the seminary, focusing again on the subject of worship. And we shared the six hours of speaking time in seminars each Saturday, and in Sunday services each Sunday. All in all, he spoke a total of 25 times (or teaching hours) in a period of nine ministry days!
Every time we take a pastor or missionary team-teacher with us, God uses him in special ways. Pastor Mark was no exception.
He was a real blessing to everybody who met him on this trip. We really believe that church leaders and potential church leaders alike
who heard his teaching on worship will never approach worship in the same way again - their understanding of worship will forever be different!
This will help set the course for this young mission church, and will likewise touch the numerous churches (in at least four countries)
that are represented by the twenty-four men in the seminary across town.
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My team-teacher on this trip was Pastor Steve Harduk, senior pastor at Falls Road Baptist Church, Rocky Mount NC.
He was with me for the first week, and I stayed one week longer.
I was originally expecting to speak at a series of conferences, with Pastor Harduk's help during the first week.
We would speak on the same seminar topics in each conference. Well, God had other plans for us . .
Our host church was First Baptist Church of Manila, Quezon City (Metro-Manila).
My first contacts with this church took place in the 1990's, when Bibles International was working on the New Testament translation project in Tagalog.
It was this Filipino church which assisted us in the final stages of the project to bring it to a successful completion.
The Church Leadership Conference at which we spoke ran from Monday - Wednesday of the first week. About 85 people attended.
Pastor Harduk's topic was "A Survey of Matthew," and mine was "Striking the Balance" -
balancing our family and ministry responsibilities, and balancing our understanding of success and failure.
In the background, some long-term tensions in the host church were building to a crisis point.
In His sovereign plan, God chose to bring some of those tensions to a head during that first conference.
God was at work, and the church leadership began to ask for our help.
There was a universal feeling that our being there at this time was providential, that God had brought us there "for such a time as this."
By the end of the conference it was decided that, except for Sundays, Pastor Harduk and I would remain at the church and be available for counseling.
Now we began to understand why God had not allowed us to develop any other firm plans for our time in the PHILIPPINES!
We had not anticipated the counseling ministry that was now expected of us, nor did we feel capable for it.
We had an extraordinary sense of our need for God's wisdom.
Pastor Harduk took the lead on counseling the pastoral staff regarding some organizational issues:
structure, priorities, and accountability issues which had led to some unnecessary confusion and a certain amount of tension.
On the other hand, I took the lead on the personal counseling which needed to be done. One issue was especially sensitive, but by God's grace we saw some real victories.
After Pastor Harduk's departure I followed up both with individuals and with the pastoral staff. Praise the Lord with us for a fresh spirit of harmony and joyfulness among them,
and a relief from the growing tension.
Of course, Pastor Harduk and I each had other opportunities to speak beyond that one three-day conference - in churches on the weekends,
in the Bible Institute for three days of teaching, and in the every-Tuesday Continuing Education classes for area pastors and other church leaders.
In the end, it was a pretty heavy load of teaching and counseling that we shared. But we come away with the satisfaction of knowing that God used us!
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Held meetings 31 Sundays during the year (including US and overseas)
Traveled about 12,000 miles in the US for meetings and other ministry obligations
Held meetings at 17 US churches (9 supporting churches and 8 potential supporting churches)
Spoke 35 times in US churches (including 1 conference) and had lunch meetings 4 times with pastors
Attended 3 conferences to develop contacts for church meetings and overseas ministry trips
Met about 15 times with mission officials, key field missionaries, potential seminar speakers, individual donors, etc., re PEP ministry
Experienced God's provision for about $20,000 in PEP ministry expenses (above our living expenses)
Made numerous contacts by phone and letter to schedule future US meetings
Updated PEP website on a regular basis.
Completed 6 overseas PEP trips, for ministry in 5 countries: JAMAICA, PERU, JAMAICA (again), INDIA, SAIPAN, and LIBERIA
Spoke at 6 conferences, 6 seminars, and 5 module courses on these PEP trips
Spoke overseas 305 times (including 80 hrs of help from 2 team-teachers from the US and 2 others on site)
Experienced God's blessing as we saw about 365 specific decisions in PEP ministries overseas
Spent 107 days overseas (including 24 days travel)
Received repeat invitations or signs of interest about repeat trips from each of the countries where we ministered in 2009
Negotiated a short-term mission trip for 14 skilled people to do construction work at a Bible college in JAMAICA
Experienced God's blessing in providing 2 interested BMM missionaries who can make up to 3 trips total for PEP per year
PEP GOALS FOR 2010 – please pray with us about each of the following goals:
Continue scheduling for more US meetings and for future overseas trips.
Continue planning for the future of the PEP ministry, including the right missionaries to join the PEP team full-time.
Identify additional speakers to team-teach on specific future trips.
Prepare teaching materials needed for each trip, and get certain course materials translated into French and Spanish for future use.
Seek God's provision of additional monthly support (and special gifts in the meantime) to help cover the expenses of these ministry trips.
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BMM veteran Roger McNamara accompanied me on this trip. In earlier years he and his wife worked in Venezuela and St. Vincent, but since then they have worked in the US – first in church planting,
then in training others for church planting. Roger is a writer, a teacher and a counselor, and fits very well in his present assignment as Church Planting Training Specialist for BMM.
I didn't know Roger personally before this trip, but gained a great respect for him as I heard him teach and watched him interact with the Africans.
For the first two weeks of this trip, Roger and I shared the teaching hours at Jake Memorial Baptist Bible College in Monrovia.
I taught a 24-class-hour module course on the book of "Acts," and Roger taught a 16-class-hour module on "Christology" (the life and ministry of Christ).
Then Roger and I were to split for our third week: I was to go interior to speak in the annual FIBA church association conference,
while Roger was to stay in Monrovia to do a church planting conference for the Baptist churches in and near the capital.
When we arrived in LIBERIA, however, I was informed that the conference at which I was to speak had been cancelled through some unusual circumstances.
Since I now had no scheduled ministry for that third week, and was available, I was plugged into the same Monrovia conference in which Roger was speaking.
He was the main speaker, as was originally planned; I taught just one hour per day on "Effective Christian Leadership" in what was now promoted as a Church Planting and Leadership Conference.
Teaching only one hour per day would not fully occupy me during this third week. To use my extra time as productively as possible,
I dedicated myself to a writing project on which I have been working for the past year – and got quite a bit done.
I also did two detailed edits of a book that Nancy Sheppard has written (Roger had also done one edit previously).
Nancy knew that her book would benefit from a careful editing before publishing, and was delighted with God's timing and our willingness to help.
While this was a demanding trip for Roger and me (76 hours of speaking between us during our 24 days in-country),
it was undoubtedly more demanding for the Sheppard family as they tried to facilitate all the activity of these two guests. Thank you, Mark and Nancy!
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For the last few years, through class modules taught by one of our missionaries in Asia, Baptist Mid-Missions has contributed to a training program for Chinese house pastors.
Because of the security issues related to such a program, we must not name the training location publicly or electronically. So we just refer to the location as "the island."
Since we are available to do short-term teaching ministries such as this, I was delighted to have my first opportunity to teach in this program.
My responsibility was to speak several times in the local church, and to teach a full week (six hours a day for five days) on the subject of "Discipleship" – a course focused on the essentials of the Christian life.
How humbling it was to teach such a subject to a group of God's servants who have demonstrated a commitment to God and His work far beyond my own.
My students included twenty-seven Chinese men, from 21-42 years of age.
Besides teaching them, I had the privilege of hosting the students in my rooms each evening in order to get to know them better.
Some of these men are pastors, while some are what we would call assistant pastors. Their house churches usually number less than 100 in attendance;
others number more than 500. However, the larger ones will probably never have the opportunity to meet together as church congregations.
For security reasons, they must meet in small groups in the homes of various believers. So the pastor rotates between the small groups in his congregation,
to preach, teach, disciple, exhort, and encourage. In the larger churches, some of these pastors must rotate among more than 15 small groups.
In order to give more attention to each of their small groups, these pastors enlist the most faithful of the young men in the church as "teachers" (like assistant pastors).
Their churches are not officially "organized," and often the leader is called simply the preacher or teacher rather than the "pastor."
There is little formal training of any kind. What training they receive is straightforward Bible teaching, without other textbooks or notes of any kind,
and focuses on holy living. These men are humble and godly. They are passionate about God's work. They read through their Bibles multiple times every year.
They appreciate deeply the opportunity God has given them to receive some training with solid content, and are hungry to learn all they can while they can.
I ate most of my meals with the Chinese students during the week, becoming somewhat "proficient" with chopsticks over time.
I enjoyed all the Chinese food – except for the meat served with my meal the last evening I was there.
I wondered what this meat was . . . thin strips of what looked like cartilage covered with nothing but skin. When I asked, I found out what we were eating was pig's ear!
All the teaching was done in English through a Chinese translator. Quizzes had to be written and translated from day to day and, because of the language barrier,
the only way for me to grade the quizzes was to give the answers through my translator and have the students grade each other's papers!
At the end of the week, I had to calculate final grades and leave copies of everything for the school office.
The Chinese men were so appreciative of the teaching they received. Most indicated that they had made specific decisions during the week in regard to the issues discussed in class.
One man said to me (through a translated note) that he was an orphan, that I had taught him this week as a "loving father," and concluded by writing that he loves me.
In fact, the week was a week of bonding with all these dedicated servants of God. I trust I was as much an encouragement to them spiritually as they were to me.
Please pray with us about the potential for our being involved annually in this strategic ministry.
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Purpose. While Sallie remained in Michigan to get ready for our November move, I traveled to INDIA to speak in three four-day church association conferences in the northeast, one right after the other. These are the same three conferences at which I spoke in 2007 and 2008. This was the third year in a row, and I am scheduled to go back again in 2010. They will get tired of me sooner or later!
Subject. My conference hosts had agreed last year on the topic I would teach this year and next (in two parts): "Biblical Stewardship." I am so thankful they allow me to repeat the same topic for each of the three conferences!
Team-teachers. Because of the grueling speaking schedule, I arranged with several of God's servants to help me by sharing the teaching load.
Pastor Ryan Brown, from Calvary Baptist Church in Portsmouth OH (one of our supporting churches), accompanied me to team-teach with me for the first two conferences.
But he could only be away from his church for two Sundays and the full week in between. To take advantage of Pastor's presence, we had to find a way to fit two four-day conferences into one seven-day week!
The two conferences were arranged to overlap by one day, so we could teach together except for the one day when Pastor was hustled off to begin the second conference while I finished the first one.
I know I speak for everyone at those conferences when I say, "Thank you, Pastor Brown, for your teaching." Including some teaching on the subject of the local church that he wanted to offer, he spoke 30 hours during those eight days!
My first team-teacher now returned to the US, while I moved on to the third conference in a neighboring state.
Our missionary co-workers, Dr. and Mrs. Sana Singh, live at the site of this third conference, and Dr. Singh had agreed to team-teach with me on this occasion. He taught eight hours to help me but,
as it turned out, an ongoing Bible translation consultation made him unavailable for most of the afternoon each day. Mr. Robert Kerr, a respected teacher of Bible and theology from the area,
graciously agreed to step in and teach a couple of hours for us. Thank you, men, for your willing and capable teaching that week!
Decisions. Praise the Lord, this INDIA trip was especially productive for we witnessed about 165 decisions of various kinds. A number of these decisions were made in church services in which we preached. At least two of them were professions of faith in Christ. And in the three conferences there were numerous specific decisions made by church leaders and faithful Christians, in regard to specific issues discussed in the teaching. We know that numbers do not tell the whole story, but they do tell you something of the way God is blessing this ministry. Praise the Lord with us!
ONE STORY FROM INDIA FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO READ IT
"Cancelled!" Our first two 2009 conferences in INDIA were held in the state of Manipur, then I was to fly to the state of Assam, where the third conference was to be held. I was originally scheduled to leave Manipur on Monday, but Indian airlines cancelled that direct Monday flight and automatically booked me for the same flight on the next day.
Well, my special permit for Manipur wouldn't allow me to wait until Tuesday to fly out – I HAD to leave Monday! Besides, the third conference would begin in Assam Tuesday afternoon. In the end, I had to buy another ticket which would get me out of Manipur on Monday, taking me first to another city then on to my destination.
Well, that's not the end of the story. I arrived at the first stop and went to check in for the next flight, only to be told that THIS flight to my destination had been cancelled, due to mechanical problems this time. No, there was no substitute airplane available. No, there was no alternative airline or routing.
"We can put you on the same flight tomorrow, Tuesday, if you want."
"Well, I guess I don't have a choice. Put me on that flight."
"We really can't make any promises to you. That flight is already overbooked."
"Then what do you suggest I do? They will be waiting for me at the conference, because I am the speaker!"
"Well, come very early for that flight tomorrow, and just stay close. We will try to 'do the needful.' "
To me, "doing the needful" didn't sound like a guarantee that I would get a seat on that flight. I tried to figure out the Indian phone system and called my conference hosts in Assam to ask what I should do.
We concluded that, unfortunately, there was only one sure way to get me to my destination in time for the conference . . . I was going to take a twelve-hour ride on the overnight bus.
Friends of my conference hosts came to pick me up from the airport, provided lunch for me, and delivered me to the bus station. With the help of my new friends, I bought a ticket, checked my stock of food and water, stowed my big suitcase safely underneath the bus, and took my seat in the bus to await our departure.
It did not take long to discover that this "luxury bus" was a little short on luxury. Imagine an American highway bus like a Greyhound, but one that has outlived its usefulness and is soon to be discarded. The interior was shabby, with duct tape holding some things in place.
Air conditioning was . . . well, friend, push the window open. The individual seats were all right, although some (including mine) didn't recline.
Before we even left the bus terminal, I brushed against someone's bag in the overhead bin while getting into my seat, and was showered with what I later learned were "bedbugs" – tiny insects that bite and cause an itching skin irritation. I would live with that all night long, making it all the harder to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time.
My bus took off promptly at 5:45 pm, and we took our place in a steady stream of trucks and buses that would travel through the night to our destination. It was hot in the bus, and my handkerchief was soon soaked with the perspiration mopped from my face. The dust and diesel fumes that poured in through the open windows made me feel filthy, and turned my handkerchief black as I wiped my face.
There were occasional "blockages" as a string of vehicles would try to pass the slower trucks and buses on this two-lane road, hoping to slip back into our lane further on when it became necessary – only to find themselves blocking a string of oncoming traffic who should be entitled to their own lane. Sometimes we were stalled for minutes, sometimes for a half hour. With constant honking and occasional shouting everybody jockeyed for position, until finally the offending cars were able to inch back into their own lane and the bottleneck was resolved.
The bus stopped several times in towns along the road, so people could use the bathrooms and get something to eat. I was afraid to get off because I didn't want to leave my carry-on bags on the bus, and I couldn't easily carry it all off with me! So I only let myself get off once during the long trip.
A puncture an hour from our destination further delayed our arrival in the morning. The anticipated twelve hours for this bus ride became sixteen. The guest speaker for the conference had still not arrived!
Twenty minutes from the bus station, two young men waved the bus down and climbed on board. Coming down the aisle, they spotted me and asked, "Are you Dr. Fogle?" They were Bible college students from Silchar, sent to try to find me! Believe me, I was as happy to see them as they were to see me!
By the time I was finally delivered by taxi to my hosts' home in the little town of Pailapool, it was Tuesday noon. It had been exactly nineteen hours since I entered the bus station to start this wonderful trip. Now I had two hours to move into my room, shower, dress, eat a quick lunch, and get over to the church to begin my teaching.
The local people . . . their anticipation . . . their fellowship . . . their eagerness to learn . . . the privilege of teaching them and touching their lives with the Word of God.
THAT'S WHY I CAME TO INDIA. That long miserable bus ride was not enough to discourage me. I will confess that I wouldn't really want to do it again, but I would if I had to. The ministry for which I came to INDIA is more important than that little bit of suffering I had to endure.
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The purpose for this trip to JAMAICA was to teach a two-week class module on the book of "Acts" at Fairview Baptist Bible College, and to speak in all the chapel hours during those two weeks (eight sessions). In addition, Larry spoke at five churches and a regional deacons' seminar.
Let us tell you about the trip by sharing a couple of personal emails sent out by Sallie while we were in JAMAICA...
Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 8:21 PM
Subject: Jamaica News 1
We arrived here in Jamaica Saturday without any luggage problems to report and a special blessing along the way. From Memphis, because of a full flight, we were bumped up to first class for that three and a half hour flight.
I had checked on the internet and knew that it was to be hot and humid but I had not expected it to feel like Chad, Africa! A Jamaican pastor met us at the airport and took us to the home of a doctor for our first several days. There are times when you really thank the Lord for electricity and fans and Saturday and Sunday were two of those days.
Sunday we were privileged to be in Black River Baptist Church with Pastor Audley Black and his wife and dear people. Larry preached for the morning service, we celebrated the Lord's Supper with them and in the afternoon Larry spoke in a seminar for deacons from area churches. Pastor Black was thrilled to have about 30 men from nine different churches at that seminar.
Monday was a day of preparation for this week. Classes at Fairview Baptist Bible College run Tuesday through Friday and Larry is teaching a two-week class on the book of "Acts" as well as speaking in chapel each day. For convenience and for better interaction with the students, we have transferred to the campus, up in the mountainous interior of the island. We are staying in the home of BMM missionaries Cletis and Tammy Titus, and will take our noon meal with the students each day. Thursday evening is a fellowship time with the students and we are looking forward to that also.
Praise the Lord for rain yesterday which cooled things down and made for good sleeping last night. Pray that the students will absorb the material that is being presented to them in such a short amount of time.
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 4:20 PM
Subject: Jamaica News 2
Our second week in Jamaica is coming to a close already. We leave here Monday the 21st to return to Grand Rapids to get Larry ready for the next trip.
Classes at the Bible College have gone well and we have enjoyed getting to know the students. The student body is small this year but the Lord has brought quality students to be trained for the ministry. We have appreciated being a part of that process. We have also been able to minister to several churches on Sundays and Wednesdays.
Wednesday the 16th brought us a new experience as we attempted to make our way back to campus, after speaking at a large church in Montego Bay. Tammy Titus, sitting in the back of the vehicle, noticed a problem with the feel of one of the tires. So, after dark, several miles out of Montego Bay, we stopped to check it out. We happened to pull off beside a small, closed post office. Sure enough, a tire was flat. We were so thankful to have Shelden with us. Shelden Black is a freshman student, a trained auto mechanic and especially familiar with this vehicle as it is the same model his father owns.
As Shelden pulled out the spare tire, a double-cab pickup screeched to a halt beside our car, and a couple of husky men dressed in black leaped out waving machine guns at us! Almost immediately we realized that they were police, who probably thought this cluster of people gathered around the car were engaged in a robbery. Our hands came up as Cletis Titus shouted, "We're fixing a flat tire!" After making sure that we were okay, they jumped back in their truck and rushed off to another crisis ahead. The whole incident probably didn't take more than fifteen seconds, but it was enough to leave a strong impression!
Unfortunately the spare was also flat. Fortunately, Shelden knew where to go for air for the tires, so we limped back to the edge of town to that gas station. However, the air pump was minus its nozzle and totally useless, and we could not safely go any further on our flat tire. God provided help through a member of the church we had been in that evening. Dr. Brown responded to our phone call, collected our two tires and about 9:30 pm he and Shelden took off to a roadside repair stand. In the hour and a half that they were gone, at least thirty other vehicles stopped by the air pump hoping to find it working.
One man asked about our situation. When we explained that a couple of men had taken our two tires to get them fixed, he asked, "Do you know these men who took your tires?" "Oh, yes," we answered, "they are friends." We had to chuckle when they insisted, "Are you sure they are friends?" About 11 pm the two men were back, mission accomplished, and we were soon on our way. We were so thankful that the problem was discovered close to town and not further along the dark, twisting, mountain road back to Fairview.
Thursday evening on campus is President's evening with the students, usually involving games or a video and always snacks. Last night we all helped celebrate Cletis Titus' 50th birthday. Crazy Uno, stories from Africa and, of course, birthday cake made for a fun evening. So, you see, it is not all just classes, conferences and ministry. There is also some fun along the way.
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The primary purpose of our trip was to teach "Hebrews" as a module course in the local Bible school. Most of the students for this class were seniors, but there were also four graduates taking the course for master's level credit. It was a real privilege to contribute to the training of future church leaders for PERU. During the two weeks of class I was pleased to help by speaking each day in chapel.
Along with Sunday and mid-week services, opportunities to speak in area churches included a weekend conference and an anniversary service. It is clear that God is at work in Peru, raising up faithful servants and thriving churches. It was exciting to be a small part of that.
Even though missionaries had to translate for me for all my speaking (our Spanish is very minimal), I was able to save them a LOT of preparation time. This is one of the ways we can encourage the missionaries through the PEP ministry: carrying temporarily some of the burden they would otherwise have to carry.
On this trip, Sallie helped by being "mom" to two short-term girls, shopping in the open market, cooking for the meals we had to provide for ourselves, typing into the computer all the quizzes for the Hebrews course, sewing curtains for all the windows in the guest apartment, and keeping up with our email.
Two college-age young ladies accompanied us – Denise and Carolyn Kraker from L'Anse MI. Their parents had talked to us in 2007 about the possibility of taking the two with us sometime on one of our overseas trips. This PERU trip seemed to be a good fit, so we began to negotiate trip details with all involved. The short-term missions trip turned out to be a positive experience for everyone, as the girls were used by God to serve the local BMM missionaries in a variety of ways.
Before leaving PERU, we took a couple days of vacation to visit the ancient Inca ruins on top of the mountain at Machu Picchu. One of the seven wonders of the world, this tourist highlight combines beautiful scenery and fascinating history.
Overall, we found PERU to be a beautiful country and its people to be a beautiful people – we would be delighted to have the opportunity to serve there again!
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My primary reason for going to JAMAICA was to speak at the annual "Pastors' & Wives' Retreat" for the Association of Independent Baptist Churches (AIBC). The pastors and wives make this a special occasion every year – to get away to a real nice place, to enjoy a couple of days of vacation, and to be spiritually refreshed.
There were 40 people at the retreat (20 couples). Some were older, some younger. Most were Jamaican, with one retired American missionary couple present as well.
In the absence of communication about a theme for the retreat, I thought I was on my own to decide, so I had begun to prepare my messages. 13 days before the retreat, I received an email in which the association leaders informed me of the selected theme and individual topics for each session! Of course, they were apologetic about informing me so late. Six days later, after some negotiations, we agreed on the program and I scrambled to be ready for my sessions.
The selected theme for the retreat was "Striking the Balance." I had five sessions on that theme:
– Marriage & Ministry: When We Struggle with Balance
– The Cradle & the Pulpit: When the Quiver Begins to Fill
– Marriage & Ministry: When We Want to Go the Distance
– Success & Failure: When We Struggle with Discouragement
– Success & Failure: When God Seeks to Encourage Us
I was also supposed to participate in another split session. Two other guests were to join me in a panel discussion for the men, on the subject of "Avoiding the Pitfalls of the Ministry," while another guest addressed a different subject with the ladies. Unfortunately, not one of the other three guests showed up! Fortunately, I had prepared for my subject so that I would be able to contribute to the panel discussion. Well, I "contributed" all right – by myself, to the entire group!
Feedback from the retreat's attendees demonstrated to me that God had truly blessed. It was especially satisfying to hear from them how practical and challenging the teaching had been. Please pray for long-term results from this retreat, benefiting both their families and their ministries.
I enjoyed the warm fellowship of these dear brothers and sisters in Christ, who took me into the "family" and made me feel so welcome among them.
Saturday night a room was provided for me in an historic and respectable guest house in Black River. This was the first house in Jamaica to receive electricity.
I was to speak at a small area church, Spice Grove Baptist Church, on Sunday morning. But I had an unusual experience before church. Under some special circumstances, the pastor had agreed to perform a home wedding that morning during the church's Sunday School hour. A Canadian couple had lived together for years; after having five children together, they finally decided to get married. With friends in Jamaica, they decided to be married on the beach behind their friends' home. The necessary permits were acquired, and this nearby Jamaican pastor was approached about performing the ceremony to make their wedding legal. The pastor's contact with the couple gave him the opportunity to give a Gospel witness, and he certainly wanted to encourage the couple's wish to legalize their marriage! Anyway, since we would have to go directly from the wedding to the morning service at the church, the pastor arranged for me to accompany him to this Jamaican beach wedding. The wedding was unusual in more than one way. It was very impromptu and unorganized. It was very casual,
except for the very formal out-of-a-book ceremony. And it attracted an unexpected collection of foreigners and local Jamaicans.
The church's morning service finally started at about 11:45 am, and continued until 2:00 pm – including communion. Of course, we might have been finished earlier if the guest preacher hadn't preached for nearly an hour!
After church, my hosts drove me across the island to Kingston, for I was to fly out of Kingston the next morning. We arrived at the large Havenhill Baptist Church after their evening service had begun, and I slipped quietly inside (I wasn't to preach that evening). Guess what?...a second communion service in one day!
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Held meetings 33 Sundays during the year (including US and overseas)
Traveled almost 12,000 miles in the US for meetings and other ministry obligations
Held meetings at 16 US churches (9 supporting churches and 7 potential supporting churches)
Spoke 47 times in US churches (including 3 conferences) and met 3 times with missions committees
Attended 5 conferences to develop contacts for church meetings and overseas ministry trips
Met about 20 times with mission officials, key field missionaries, potential seminar speakers, individual donors, etc., regarding PEP ministry
Raised $200/month more of $2,800 support needed to cover anticipated PEP expenses (now at $1,100/month, about 40%)
Experienced God's provision for about $30,000 in PEP ministry expenses
Made numerous contacts by phone and letter to schedule future US meetings
Developed additional pages for the PEP website
Completed 5 overseas PEP trips, for ministry in 8 countries: PERU, JAMAICA, CHAD, JAMAICA (again), LIBERIA, IVORY COAST, INDIA, and CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
Spoke at 15 conferences, 6 seminars, and 1 module course on these PEP trips
Spoke overseas 400 times (including help 73 hrs from 2 team-teachers and several others on site)
Experienced God's blessing as we saw about 460 specific decisions in PEP ministries overseas
Spent 148 days overseas (including 17 days travel)
Received repeat invitations from each of the countries where we have ministered so far
GOALS FOR 2009
Continue scheduling for more US meetings and for future overseas trips.
Continue planning for the future of the PEP ministry, including the right missionaries to join the PEP team full-time.
Identify additional speakers to team-teach on specific future trips.
Prepare teaching materials needed for each trip, and get certain course materials translated into French and Spanish for future use.
Seek God's provision of additional monthly support (and special gifts in the meantime) to help cover the expenses of these ministry trips.
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This trip took us back to where we served as resident missionaries for fifteen years, but it had been eighteen years since we were there.
In our eighteen years away from CAR, much has changed. The country has been devastated by unceasing civil war, uncontrolled cruelty of rival military factions, and the constant threat of roadside attacks by bandits. After a series of evacuations, God led most of our missionary families to ministries elsewhere. Except in the capital, all mission stations formerly occupied by missionaries have been turned over to regional Bible schools and other locally-run ministries. Many of today's pastors are people we don't even recognize from the past.
A skeleton crew of BMM missionaries continues to encourage a network of hundreds of churches and church-plants, and facilitate essential field ministries. Charlie and Gai Jewell have hung in there despite great difficulties, and are widely-respected for their itinerant work across the country. Polly Strong is most noted for her literature and teaching ministries in the capital city, ministries that have been continued in recent years through short-term trips. Thankfully, two other couples are planning to join them within the next few years.
The CAR trip was built around three major commitments:
Oct 27 – 31 Pastors' Conference, Community of Independent Baptist Churches (CEBI) – Bambari
Nov 3 – 7 Pastors' Conference, Community of Independent Baptist Churches (CEBI) – Kaga Bandoro
Nov 10 – 13 Advanced study course (FTD) – Bangui
Sallie remained in Bangui for the entire three weeks, in order to help Gai Jewell (and others) with various projects. Sallie's main project was typing translated children's Bible lessons into the computer, to help prepare them for eventual printing. She also helped the missionaries with sewing projects and certain household chores which demand so much time overseas.
Charlie Jewell accompanied me into the interior for the two conferences at Bambari and Kaga Bandoro. While I taught the pastors in each location, Charlie taught deacons and other church leaders. It was obvious from the beginning that his straightforward teaching was effective and greatly appreciated.
Our travel into the interior took us over some paved road, some recently-graded dirt road, and some rough dirt road not yet touched by the road-graders. There were two places along the road that were a bit traumatic for Charlie. A few years back, his truck was forced to a stop by armed bandits, and he and his passengers were beaten. When we arrived at that point along the rough dirt road, Charlie gripped the steering wheel more tightly and murmured, "My heart still beats hard every time I pass this spot." At another point, along the paved road, we rounded a curve to find a herd of cattle crossing the road. Charlie tensed as he slowed down: "The bandits like to attack at this cattle crossing; the vehicles are easy targets when they stop to allow the cattle to cross."
During each of the two conferences interior, we stayed in houses formerly occupied by missionaries – but now with no electricity, no running water, and very little furniture. For the entire two weeks, our light at night was provided by a kerosene lantern and flashlights. (There was no city electricity in either place – even in Bambari, the second largest city in the country!) We used outdoor pit latrines, and took bucket baths with water heated over an open fire and carried to the bath area.
And the beds. . . In Bambari, each of our single beds had a metal frame, a metal chain-link support without side rails, and a foam mattress – the mattresses were adequate, but the chain-link supports sagged quite badly. In Kaga Bandoro, our beds featured two-inch mattresses supported by wood slats that were fitted lengthwise into the frame. The problem was not the thin mattress but the unevenness of the wood slats underneath – for some reason, the slat down the middle of my single bed was significantly thicker than the other slats, forcing me to try to find a comfortable position on one edge or another.
I am not complaining. The reason for my trip was far more important than my accommodations. We just want you to know the kinds of circumstances we sometimes face as we travel overseas.
By the way, the rebel faction in CAR controls the northern portion of the country just north of Kaga Bandoro. The first rebel barrier is located only three miles from where we were staying and holding our conference, and along a different road toward the CHAD border their first barrier is about five miles out. The rebels have a tenuous understanding with the local authorities. However, leaving Kaga Bondoro after the conference to head back to Bangui, we passed a military truck full of soldiers; we later heard these soldiers were attacked and killed that same day by the rebels north of Kaga Bandoro.
Charlie and I spent the two weeks interior with the church association leaders. We slept in the same house, and ate all our meals together. I came to greatly appreciate these African brothers – their spiritual maturity, their strong stand, their sense of responsibility, and their vision for the future. The fellowship we enjoyed was genuine and warm.
During these two weeks, we ate typical African meals: manioc mush, white corn mush, rice; several kinds of leaf greens; beef, pork, goat, chicken, guinea fowl, fresh fish, dried fish, a couple kinds of small antelope, field rat (a large kind, about two feet long, resembling a muskrat), or monkey (in case you want proof, I have pictures of its head sitting upright on the tin plate of the pastor seated next to me). We sometimes had a banana or orange for dessert. Dinner, anyone?
Back in the capital city, Bangui, for the last week, the accommodations were much more comfortable. However, the city electricity was on and off – the cutoffs were always at unexpected times and sometimes lasting as long as ten hours. Because of the heat it was always disappointing to lose the fan! A small portable generator was run during the longer cutoffs in order to run the refrigerator in the Jewells' house.
In all three locations, I taught my "Discipleship" course – a foundational course that addresses a number of Christian life issues, allowing me to challenge Christian leaders regarding their relationship to Christ and their motivation for ministry.
In the two conferences held in the interior, we ended up with a total of about 250 African pastors in my sessions, and about the same number of deacons and other church leaders in Charlie's sessions. Everybody was brought together for the closing hours of each conference, for a time of application, decision-making, and testimony about God's working in their hearts.
In these two conferences, about 250 people indicated that they made decisions of one kind or another. A deacon and a choir director trusted Christ as their Savior, recognizing that they were not truly saved before. A number of people testified that they had become discouraged and so stopped fulfilling their ministry commitments; they were now motivated to start over again. Several deacons and other church leaders in Charlie's classes confessed that they had been serving without really understanding what they were supposed to do – bluffing their way through their duties would now give way to doing what was right. Two pastors forgave each other and restored their relationship. Numerous pastors made decisions about daily devotions, about giving to God through tithe and offerings, about leadership style, about relationships with people in their churches, about bringing Christ back to the center of their lives and ministries, etc. Praise the Lord!
During our last four days in CAR, I taught the same course (in fewer teaching hours) to a group of fourteen pastors and other church leaders who are among the most advanced academically. Because six of these fourteen had been in one of my pastors' conferences in the interior, I felt the need to engage them with the material at another level. So I assigned each of them several (5-15 minute) segments of the material to teach to their classmates, while I supervised their teaching.
Including preaching in churches and at a Bible school graduation, I had the opportunity to teach/preach a total of 78 hours during the 22 days we spent in CAR. (The total number of speaking hours, therefore, given us during the six-week trip to INDIA and CAR together was 160! The team-teaching done by Dr. Ken Rathbun in INDIA helped me conserve some of my energy for CAR.)
I have been tentatively invited to return to speak at the 2010 pastors' conference in CAR. (I'm already scheduled for another country at the time of their 2009 conference.)
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This year':s trip mirrored last year's, involving me in three annual church association conferences:
Oct 6 – 9 Fellowship of Baptist Churches (Assam)
Oct 11 – 15 New Testament Baptist Church Association (Manipur)
Oct 16 – 19 Fellowship of Baptist Churches (Manipur)
After my heavy speaking schedule in INDIA last year, I arranged that this year I would bring someone along with me to share the teaching load. Dr. Ken Rathbun, BMM missionary assigned to Jamaica, joined me. I appreciated his companionship, his cooperative spirit, and his genuine love for the local people. Ken took responsibility for almost half of our speaking hours. But that wasn':t enough for him – because of his own contacts in other parts of INDIA, he arranged to speak some more before and after our PEP obligations!
Including preaching six times in churches and one time in a Bible college chapel, we had the opportunity to teach/preach a total of 82 hours during the 21-day PEP trip. (In fact, the 82 hours of speaking all took place within a time period of 15 days!)
In the first conference, our notes and our teaching were translated into the Bengali language; in the second we were translated into Simte, and in the third into Manipuri.
In last year's conferences, I completed only part one of a course on "Discipleship." This year's conferences allowed us to complete part two.
I have been invited to return again for their next two annual conferences (in Oct 2009 and Oct 2010), in order to teach "Biblical Stewardship" in two parts.
During our conferences, we often allow opportunity for questions; in response we try to state our understanding or our counsel regarding the subject. The questions/problems presented during our INDIA trip included the following:
– Mass prayer (everybody praying out loud at same time) in some churches
– "Sign gifts" as practiced by certain churches today, even in INDIA
– How a pastor should react to inadequate support from his church
– What a church should do about a pastor in whom they have lost all confidence
– The expectations for church membership when a member's new spouse comes from a very different church
– Whether to accept flowers or money left on church "altar" during week (following local Hindu practice at shrines)
– How young Christian man sensing God's leading to ministry should deal with opposition from Muslim family
– Garden produce is accepted by church as "firstfruits" offering to God – how about first puppy from dog's litter?
It was an untaught pastor who, outside of conference sessions, asked me in front of others, "Would you please interpret for me a dream I had a few nights ago – what was God trying to tell me?" Tell me, do I look like Daniel? Well, his dream involved a jungle encounter with two Indian bandits, whom he boldly disarmed "in the name of Jesus," then a switch of scene to an Indian woman who respectfully offered him an oversized squash. My first tongue-in-cheek comment about the meaning of his dream was that he must have eaten some bad food the day before which resulted in the nightmare, and by this time hungered for a good squash. But, seriously, I now had the opportunity to teach those listening to this conversation about the finality of God's authoritative revelation in the Bible – therefore, we do not look for further revelation from God in dreams and visions.
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Let me quote from an email I sent home shortly after arriving in IVORY COAST: "Last night, for the first time in a week, I had electricity and could plug my computer in and recharge the battery. Likewise, for the first time in a week, I could read at night with the help of electric lights instead of by candlelight or even by flashlight. And for the first time in a week, I could look in a mirror and see how poorly I had managed to trim my beard with my hand razor. In the missionaries' home last night, I enjoyed a glass of water with ICE in it. And today, with the help of the missionaries' washing machine and dryer, I'm getting my laundry done – what a pleasure not to have to wash out my clothes day by day in a bucket by hand. Oh, how I am reminded to appreciate the simple luxuries of life!"
My hosts in IVORY COAST were veteran BMM missionaries Steve and Gayle King. In addition to preaching five times on Sundays, the primary ministries they scheduled for me were two five-day conferences for pastors and church leaders. The pastors, deacons, leaders of church plants, and Bible Institute students were joined by wives and some children, so each of these conferences ended up like a family camp.
For our first conference, Steve King drove me five hours into the interior to the BMM mission property at Blolequin. The Bible Institute that now occupies that property hosted the conference. Steve and I, along with several others, camped out in the old mission house and ate all our meals with our Ivorian brothers. For the second conference we were back in San Pedro on the coast. I stayed with the Kings in their home, and the Bible Institute in San Pedro hosted the conference activities.
I gained a deep respect for the Kings during my two weeks with them. Steve and Gayle genuinely love the Ivorian people among whom they work. That love is demonstrated in the way they tirelessly give of themselves. They have a wonderful relationship with the Ivorians, and a solid ministry of leadership training that bodes well for the future.
I was entrusted with 28 hours in each of the two conferences, to teach a "Discipleship" course designed for mature believers and church leaders – challenging them to examine their relationship with Christ and their motivation and priorities for ministry.
Early Wednesday morning of that last week, I woke up with pain in my right side – an atrocious pain that continued three hours but stopped before the Kings got me to a local Lebanese clinic. The conclusion is that the pain came from a gall bladder attack, possibly in reaction to too much food cooked with cholesterol-laden palm oil. (For the previous two weeks I had eaten all my meals with Africans in two countries where palm oil is the cooking oil of choice.) Using my notes, a missionary friend taught my first two hours of class that morning. The Kings suggested that I rest for the rest of the day, but since I was now feeling fine I was able to teach the rest of my hours that day. (Since returning to the US, I have had a complete physical and passed with flying colors. The doctor agrees that I experienced a gall bladder attack. There has been no recurrence of the pain.)
During that last conference in San Pedro, I chose to accept one hour of teaching help each day (in addition to the two hours of unexpected help after my gall bladder attack). It was a privilege to have an Ivorian man share the teaching with me! Pastor Emmanuel is an assistant pastor in one of our BMM-affiliated churches in San Pedro. Recognizing his giftedness and commitment to teaching, Steve King has chosen to make Pastor Emmanuel an integral part of the Bible Institute ministry. Steve has mentored this godly man to maximize his abilities in teaching and administration. I was delighted to cooperate with Steve by putting this man in front of other Ivorian church leaders in this conference, demonstrating our respect for him as a colleague and our confidence in him as a teacher. In spite of lacking his normal strength (he was just recovering from malaria), Pastor Emmanuel accepted the challenge to teach one hour a day to relieve me. I could not have been more pleased with his commitment, his comprehension of the material, and the power of his teaching!
My last Sunday in IVORY COAST, on my way back to Abidjan for my flight back to the US, I had the privilege of preaching at a small church plant in the town of Divo. This mission church is being planted by a BMM-affiliated Ivorian pastor and his family, and Steve and Gayle King visit them every six weeks or so to encourage them. They average about 25 people in their Sunday morning services – but there were about 40 there that Sunday, in spite of having to meet early so we could get to the airport in time that afternoon!
Not counting the seven hours that others taught for me during that last week, I spoke a total of 54 hours during my 16 days in IVORY COAST – all in French! That was a real challenge for me, as French is my third language. I'm fluent enough to communicate, I guess, but my French doesn't flow real well. People were patient and gracious, and God helped me. Of course, this was good practice for me, as I may have to use French for more teaching in the future. I'm certainly more confident in French now than I was before this IVORY COAST trip!
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Another baggage story... I arrived in LIBERIA on Friday, August 8, without either of my pieces of luggage – one with all my clothes and personal stuff, and the other with all the printed notes for distribution in the conference at which I was to speak. In my carry-on, I had my computer, my own teaching notes, and one set of spare clothes which weren't appropriate for preaching on Sunday. Along with a few other necessities, I bought one complete set of used clothes in an open market (about $8 total for the outfit). I could alternate that outfit with what I had worn on the plane – as long as I hand-washed some clothes each morning in a bucket and we had enough sun to dry them that day. By the time my luggage arrived on the next flight, I had moved on, travelling interior to begin my teaching at the scheduled five-day conference. My luggage finally caught up with me four days after I arrived in the country.
Our BMM missionaries to LIBERIA are presently on furlough, so I was in the care of our African brothers the entire time. I stayed two days with a pastor in Monrovia, using a guest room in his house, on the property of the church where I spoke twice that first Sunday. After dinner on Sunday, I squeezed into a taxi with the pastor and four of his church members, with all our luggage, to travel three and a half hours across country for the annual Training Conference of their church association. Here the accommodations were simpler, but more than adequate, as I shared an old apartment with few amenities with seven African pastors and church leaders. (This was the same apartment provided for me when I was with them in December 2007, but this time they had fixed up one room special for me.) Of course, I ate with the pastors, eating what they ate – rice and dried fish for many of our meals. They did all they could to make me comfortable and treat me special as the visiting speaker. The warmth of our fellowship was remarkable, and once again, I was impressed with the hunger of these dear African brothers to learn more and improve the effectiveness of their leadership in the churches.* Regional seminar (for churches in Zone 1), Friday evening and Saturday (8 hours). Held at Havenhill Bapt Ch, Kingston. About 45 people. Subject: “Biblical Stewardship,” Part 2.
In that Training Conference, I spoke 20 hours (five hours daily from Monday – Thursday). Last December, I taught part one of a course on effective leadership. At that time we focused on the leader himself – especially his character, relationships, and leadership style. This time I taught part two of that leadership course, focusing this time on what a person does to be an effective leader.
On Friday of that week, I was to leave LIBERIA via an African airline. On Thursday I double-checked the printed itinerary sent us by our travel agent. Based on my scheduled flight time, the pastors asked me to preach in the first service on Friday before leaving for the airport. But when I woke early on Friday morning to begin packing, a nagging concern made me check my ticket itself to verify my flight time. Panic!!! I had forgotten that, by the time my ticket was purchased, the airline had changed their schedule – my flight would leave five hours earlier in the day! If we leave RIGHT NOW, we might get to the airport as the plane is leaving! Throw things in the suitcase...send someone out to the road to find an available taxi...apologize to the pastors for my sudden departure...hasty goodbyes. By now we had only one and a half hours left to make the two and a half hour drive to the airport! The offer of a hefty bonus for the taxi driver had him highly motivated – and we might have made it in time except for a tire blowout (and the driver's failure to repair his spare since the last tire problem!)
By the time we arrived at the airport 30 minutes after flight time, I had resigned myself to the inevitable. But...WHAT'S THIS?...the plane is late? I moved through check-in and security, and waited with the other passengers for the call to board. I was never so happy to find that one of my flights was delayed!
Some find it interesting to know how many hours I end up speaking on each trip: a total of 22 hours during my 7 days in LIBERIA.
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Sallie accompanied me to JAMAICA. From the beginning, it has been planned that Sallie would travel with me at least half the time for these PEP ministry trips (funding permitting), so we won't have to be separated five months of each year. Since trips to the islands are much less costly than any of our other trips, it seems wise to take advantage of trips like this which allow us to be together while saving money.
We were only home nine days after our CHAD trip, before we left for FL and JAMAICA.
We drove from MI to FL, then flew Tampa – Miami – Kingston. Our reason for driving to FL this time was because of plans in FL upon our return from JAMAICA. We will speak in three churches, and take a few days of vacation.
I spoke 33 hours during our nineteen days in JAMAICA, including all teaching hours and preaching opportunities. In addition to speaking a number of times in four churches, here are the primary commitments that took us to JAMAICA:
* Regional seminar (for churches in Zone 1), Friday evening and Saturday (8 hours). Held at Havenhill Bapt Ch, Kingston. About 45 people. Subject: “Biblical Stewardship,” Part 2.
* Bible Conference, Tuesday – Friday (8 hours). Held at Fairview Bapt Bible College, Westmoreland. About 35 people. Subject: “Dealing with Doubtful Disputations.”
* Regional seminar (for churches in Zone 3), Friday evening and Saturday (8 hours). Held at Fairview Bapt Bible College, Westmoreland. About 35 people. Subject: “Biblical Stewardship,” Part 2.
* Regional seminar (for churches in Zone 2), Saturday (6 hours). Held at Calvary Bapt Ch, Mandeville. Subject: “Biblical Stewardship,” Part 2. Cancelled due to schedule conflicts.
At the Bible Conference at Fairview Bapt Bible College, I shared the speaking with another experienced missionary. Each of us was assigned a series of sensitive topics to present to the students and guests from area churches. I was to prepare a one-hour presentation (with hand-out) for each of the following eight topics:
1. “Same Sex Relationships: What if I am comfortable with it?”
2. “Saturday vs. Sunday: Which is the right day to worship?”
3. “Abortion: Is it ever right?”
4. “Unequally Yoked: What if there is a shortage of Christian mates?”
5. “Male Leadership in the Church: Is it gender discrimination or God-ordained?”
6. “The Act of Submission: Is submission relevant for today’s wives?”
7. “The Feminist Movement: What if there aren’t enough men to lead in the church?”
8. “The Art of Love: Displaying affections – Does it make the husband a man or a mouse?”
Whew! The week of Bible Conference was extremely taxing for us, for the following reasons: (1) These were subjects which I had never been forced to deal with directly before. Now I had to lay out the arguments, with Scripture, that lead to our Christian convictions. (2) These are “hot topics” in JAMAICA now, and highly debated, so Christians are trying to arrive at solid convictions about what they believe and why. (3) I wasn't fully prepared for these topics when we arrived in JAMAICA, so every spare minute was spent in research and preparation (until 15 minutes before my last session!)
Our base for one and a half weeks in JAMAICA was a comfortable Christian guest house in Montego Bay. In addition, we stayed with 3 different families in their homes at various times. 12 different drivers moved us around the island for our various speaking engagements.
We had a few days to ourselves during our last week on the island – days in which we caught up on email, walked the “Hip Strip” along with other tourists, cruised several gift shops, read, took naps when we wanted, and visited the beach. Not quite what you might imagine – instead of miles of private beach dotted with palm trees, think of exiting the gate of our guest house, crossing the narrow street lined on both sides with parked cars, stepping onto the limited sandy beach in full sight of the patrons of the restaurant across the street, and swimming to the beat of the bar music coming from the restaurant. Oh well, that didn't keep us from enjoying the warm, clear waters of the Caribbean Sea several times! |
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