Our last time as a Diamond Zone

Here is the group we occasionally hang out with. Great group of guys and sisters. Imagine serving this crew breakfast every 6 weeks. We tried something new this time. The night before, we made a breakfast casserole with cut up pieces of bread, cheese, eggs, milk, vanilla and added cooked sausage and beacon on top, and let it sit overnight. In the morning you top it with diced tomatoes and green onions and bake. Was pretty easy and made the for a smooth dish. Sister Handly brought tons of fresh pineapple, watermelons and bananas. I think we might just have to do that again. Don't these elders look well fed and content?

Testing out the ping pong table

These fine elders of the Diamond zone love not only to get together every six weeks for an hour or so, they just love each other. Did you know they end all their phone calls with "I love ya" which was sort of weird when the first one said it to me. I don't really hear it often, but they sure say it to each other. They are really known as a band of brothers.

Pre transfer missionary breakfast

Look at these goofball elders. At this point our lovely breakfast is over and they are waiting turns for pingpong on our dining room table. Most of them get to stay, and oh, how we will miss the others as they transfer to a new area. Good luck gentlemen!

Manatee's at the Park

Today, we were suppose to drive to Canje for an interview after church, but it was postponed. So on the way home from church, we stopped at the Botanical gardens (not what you are imagining) for a little picnic and to see the manatees. We spotted about four of them. They posed for us as long as we fed them a little grass. They are about 8 feet long and live in this large pond. We were a little suprised that they let us pet them. A face only a mother could love.

A green parrot day

One day this week, I was on my way to pick Scot up from the church after an afternoon with the sisters and I heard this loud cawing sound. I pulled over the car to catch these green parrots up in a tree. There were about 15 in all. How often do you get to see a bunch of parrots in the wild, or shall I say in the neighborhood. It was pretty neat. Glad I had my camera. For a really good glimpse of these parrots, just click on the picture and you can see their beauty up close and personal.

Sister Juman and the Prime Minister at the Celebration

Sister Juman and I happened to be walking toward the enterence of the National Indian Arrival Day Celebration just as the prime minister was entering the grounds. He was surrounded by body guards, but she wanted to shake his hand, so she did and there I was with my camera. It was sort of a thrill. He even shook my hand. Probably because I was the only white person on the entire celebration grounds. He didn't stop for anyone else. I just drove by his house yesterday in downtown Georgetown. Perhaps I should pop in for a visit sometime and bring him rice krispie squares or brownines or something. You never know when it might help to know people in high places. Then again, maybe he wants to learn about the church. You never know.

Indian arrival Day Celebration

May 5 was East Indian Arrival Day. I went with sister Juman and she explained the festivities. Here we were on a ferris wheel. It was her first time on one and she kept her eyes closed the whole time. There was traditional dancing, floats depicting the history of the people, music, dancing, traditional costume, food and all sorts of cultural mixes. It was fun and there is so much to learn about these people. And this is just the East Indians.

The East Indians comprise of the Hindus, the Muslums and the Christians. Each with their own traditions. But they all get along because they all came as endured servants 171 years ago. They share that important part of history.

These children represent the early school children. They don't dress like this now, but all the students here from kindergarden up through high school do wear uniforms.

Apparently, these children on this float represent the way the early hindu people were married. They had arranged marriages of children and later, when they were older, lived together. The boy here wasn't too happy about the whole thing, but the girl seemed pretty happy.

This was just one of the performing groups. It is all drums. And frankly...... I don't get it. It sounds to me like 10 minutes of the same beat. So I must be missing something. But they seemed to know what they were doing. We also watched the Haricrishna groups play and dance. They might be hindus that believe in Christ. I'll have to look into that more.