Best Thing Ever

(Written by Ellie)

Wow. Just WOW. 

This was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. Ever. 

So we moved from our beach house temporarily for two weeks, and the house "came" with a cat, and we soon figured out that she was pregnant!!! We kept hoping and praying that she would have kittens before we leave, and sure enough, it happened. 

It was Monday morning and we watched the whole thing.  Mom said, "Schools out today."

She had four little black kitties. Two calico ones, one black and white one, and one all black one. I named two and Ethan named two. My Kittens were: Simba, a cute calico with a splotch on his eye, and Midnight, a black cat. Ethan's were Chatter-box, a calico with a light brown little stripe on his head, and Duke, a black and white tuxedo kitten with mittens.

 I later wrote in my journal....

 "Watching the miracle of life was just spiritual. I can honestly not put words to it. I was just touched and moved watching this little cat give birth. I will most likely never ever forget that day and how I felt."

We miss all of you and if my EMS buddies are reading this, hello! 

Do Hard Things...

(Written by Dustin)

A few years ago a good friend of ours (Kevan Kjar) came up with a philosophy; a little slogan from which he made a bumper sticker to remind people to “Do Hard Things”.  It is a simple phrase, and a catchy one, but living this philosophy is not always easy or convenient.  The idea behind it is; if you learn to do hard things and push through them, not only do they become easier, but you also avoid harder things that come as a result of procrastinating the small ones. 

For example:  It is hard to study and prepare for a test in school, but it is harder to cram for it the night before and expect to do well.  It is hard to exercise, but it is harder to deal with health issues later caused by neglect.  It is hard to resist temptation, but it is harder to repent, or to overcome an addiction. 

We have very much enjoyed his wisdom in this idea, and one of the main reasons why we chose to do this trip is so that we could teach our kids to “Do Hard Things”.  There have been several times however, that Stephanie and I have realized we’re still learning this lesson ourselves. 

One of the hard things we've done as a family so far is deciding and accepting that we walk most places.  It is about 2.5 miles to town and to church.  Most days of the week we walk one way, and we’ll take a taxi back.

(Nice selfie, Steph)

Or, we walk the mile and a half each way to and from our service project each day. 


Yesterday we walked about 3.5 miles to a friend’s house so that we could use their washing machine to do our laundry.  We were going that way anyway, and it seemed easier than washing it all by hand, which Stephanie had done the week before.  That in itself was a hard thing and not pleasant…but it definitely made us grateful for the ability to just throw clothes in a washer and dryer every day at home.

While it may be hard to walk, especially on hot days, we’ve had some great discussions during those walks, made up stories, practiced Spanish, and gotten some great exercise.  And what we first dreaded we’ve actually come to quite enjoy.  Sometimes we’re offered rides, but we graciously decline and just say “we’re walking”.  (Except the one time we jumped in the back of a flatbed truck with a bunch of security guards who were just getting off work.  That was a fun adventure!)

This was a particularly hard day for Ellie walking home.  We had to capture the face and slouch.....

Another hard thing we’ve experienced was moving out of our beach house for 2 ½ weeks while the landlord

had someone else renting it.  We knew about this before we came down…
they had already prepaid for the rental 6 months ago.  When we looked for another place, we decided to rent an “island home”, owned by one of the locals.  It is a small two bedroom home right on a highway, so the traffic noise is loud.  And as much as they tried to “fix it up” before we moved in, it is still rather humble circumstances.  We were saving over a thousand dollars by taking this place instead of another more comfortable place…and we also thought it would be a good learning experience for the kids.

 A few days after moving in…Stephanie and I were lying in bed one night asking each other, “What were we thinking?” as the trucks roared by outside.  I had just taken a cold shower (there is no hot water), killed two cockroaches under the bed, and brushed my feet off before getting in bed, because no matter how many times you sweep, there always seems to be more dirt on the floor.

Had to get a picture of the clothesline under the house....

Anyway, after admitting that this was going to require a major adjustment (I’m reminded each day that it’s exactly like being back on my mission in Central America), we realized that while it was going to be hard, it was one of the main reasons we came here.  And I smiled as we realized that our kids had not complained one bit about our new accommodations. In fact, they really liked them (The pregnant cat that came with the house was a huge perk for them).  We concluded that she & I needed to toughen up, get our heads back in the game and carry on.  

We’re now half way through our stay at this humble house, and while there are still days we can’t wait to get back to our “beach” house, we’re recognizing the blessings that have come with this place; two bedrooms means a shared room for the twins, which means more conversation/laughing between them.  A smaller house means more togetherness.  No internet means more family game time.  Island neighbors means friends for our kids to play with everyday.  And the opportunity for them to be fully immersed in another culture was exactly what we wanted in this adventure.

And so, each day we realize…that it is through Doing Hard Things that we learn, we stretch, we grow, we sacrifice, and we are strengthened.   

Just another day in Paradise...

We wanted to post some pictures of some of our adventures with our friends Rick and Mark.  Mark is the owner of the house where we're staying, and one of the nicest, most resourceful guys I've ever met.  He was down visiting for a couple of weeks and was able to borrow an "island truck" for about a week, and so we all took advantage of that and went on some great adventures.  We cruised "island style" in the back of the truck...the kids were loving every minute of it.

Why did the cow cross the road?  

To go to see the Monkey Ranch of course!!  (More on that in an upcoming blog)

Ellie walking West End with our crew...

Here is our faithful leader Mark, with his safari hat (and me in my Indiana Jones hat).  We've referred to him as Curious George's master...he's just lacking the yellow safari outfit.

Sunsets here are a miracle to behold...it is a daily social event on docks, restaurants, beaches etc. to gather and watch the sunset together.   Simply spectacular.

All packed in and ready for the ride home...  

Here is our good bye dinner with our house guests Rick and Mark at our new favorite restaurant.  It was such a treat having them stay with us.  Both are such upstanding chaps...we thoroughly enjoyed their company.  Thanks for the adventures guys!!

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?

(Written by Ethan)

Think of Julie Andrews in the background.....

When the dog bites,

When the fleas sting,

When I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my Idaho friends,

and then I don't feel...so bad!

When you find yourself singing this song, you know that you are in Roatan.....

No, really, I love living here, but staying in paradise isn't free. :-)

I, Ethan Simpson, am a dog lover at heart. But, a few days ago my faith in this wonderful race was shaken. As we were walking along the beach to our service project (see earlier blog entry) we met Tiffany and her wonderful pups, Lucky and Jo-Jo. Tiffany is a Gringo (a white American) who has been living on the island for 13 years with her family. Her house is in a perfect location, right on the beach with amazing dock over the water. We said hello to her and the dogs and continued on. But the drama happened the next day. We were again walking to the Sand Castle Library that rueful morning when Tiffany said hello and told us kids to go ahead and pet the dogs. I shouldn't have listened. My adoration of canines took over my body as step after painful step I walked up to the house. As I turned away, Jo-Jo leaped up 10 feet (huge exaggeration) and sent me somersaulting down the beach (again, exaggeration). Tiffany was practically yelling, asking "Did he break skin?!? Are you hurt?" I ended up being fine after she brought me in to her beach house and cleaning me up. What I learned from this horrific disaster of a morning stroll is 1, never turn your back on a dog, and 2, always bring pepper spray on walks. Hopefully my broken heart will be mended so I can love this species again. 

The Parable of the Mosquito Bite

"Happiness is having a scratch for every itch."

-Ogden Nash

Probably the hardest thing we've had to deal with here on Roatan is the plethora of Mosquitoes and "Sand Fleas".  Because this is a tropical island and lush with green jungle, when it is the wet season the bugs are a plenty.   We've learned a lot about them in the 3 weeks we've been here, and it has caused me to reflect on life and the parallels between these pesky little critters and something a little more serious...addiction.

Now before I share this parable, may I say that this is not a confession or a bearing of my soul regarding any personal struggles.  It is simply one of those "A-ha" moments that one has while contemplating things of the spirit.

As I said, the hardest thing we've encountered during our time here is not so much the Mosquitoes or Sand Fleas themselves, but the bites and the itch that they leave behind.  I had read about them before coming down, knew they existed, but probably like most people, I didn't pay enough attention or properly prepare myself until it was too late.

These almost invisible critters hang around near the sand and near the floor at your feet at dawn, dusk and before and after a rain.  You hardly notice them, and don't even feel the bite.  And then, the next morning, you wake up and look like this:

And that my friends, is when the fun begins...because for most people (Stephanie & Ethan don't seem to get "the itch"), what starts out as a simple touch to the afflicted area and an "Oh I have a bite" realization...then becomes a simple itch.  Nothing big, just a small itch.  So you do what comes naturally to your body's nerve sensors communicating the itch to you....you scratch it.  No big deal.  But now you are being drawn in because as soon as you do that, you realize it just wan't enough, and so you sign up for a full, hard, complete scratching of the whole area.  As soon as you stop, the affected area screams out for more relief and so you start scratching again...and harder this time, convinced that this time will make it go away.  If you are not careful, you begin to open the areas of the bites, thus causing bleeding, and then scabbing, and possible scarring.  You would think that once you get to the point where you're bleeding with open wounds on your legs that surely the itching would stop...but it doesn't.

The best way to get it to stop itching is to...simply...stop...scratching.  There are topical ointments you can use to alleviate it somewhat, and that helps, but ultimately you must come to the conclusion that you must leave it alone, pay no attention to it, and occupy yourself with something else in order to forget about it.

So here comes the parallel.  How often do we go about our lives, knowing there are things hovering around us daily that may become harmful to us or potentially addictive?  Food, Facebook, video games, pornography, alcohol, drugs...name your personal poison.

There are many things we can do to protect ourselves everyday from the potential "Bugbites" that then cause the incessant itching, such as surrounding yourself with positive habits, prayer, scripture study, service, church attendance, exercise and good friends.  The scriptures refer to it as "Putting on the Whole Armor of God" in order to protect ourselves from the fiery darts of the adversary.  (Ephesians 6:11-18)

In the case of the mosquitoes, it is a regimented habit of applying insect repellent morning, day, and night...every day.  You must be consistent.   In the case of addiction, it is all the things mentioned above.  Consistency is also the key to life.

But once bitten, which we all are at some point or another, the "sting" of the sin persists.  We can immediately apply ointment to it to relieve that sting; we can "repent" of our wrongdoing or neglect and apply the healing ointment of the Atonement of the Savior Jesus Christ.  But if we don't, and we let the sting fester, it becomes an itch.  We may try to alleviate that on our own by scratching it, knowing that it...feels...so...good to scratch, and it does bring momentary and even pleasurable relief. But as soon as you stop scratching, it returns, only more amplified and more intense in it's desire for relief.  The more we scratch, the more it itches, until we're left clawing at our own flesh in desperate search of relief.  Only the healing balm of the Savior will bring true relief, and then a practiced discipline of resisting the urge to scratch it.  Sure, once bitten, we may recognize that the bite exists and have the occasional desire to scratch it, but the more we resist that temptation and instead find other things to occupy our lives, the more we forget about it, and the eventual healing occurs.

Service with a Smile...

So yesterday we kicked off our official "Service Project" at the Sandcastle Library and Education Center.  It is located about a mile and a half down the beach from us, so we walked along the beautiful shoreline and were there in no time.  We are finding a lot of joy in walking pretty much everywhere we go.  There are so many great things to see along the way, and it is a great way to get our exercise in. 

Ellie continues to befriend every single dog on the island that she comes in contact with...which are quite a few.  Last week we had one follow us for about 2 miles before we had to shoo him on so he wouldn't follow us to the house.  Drives.me.nuts.  But I default to my standard response when asked, "Dad, do you love dogs?"  To which I reply:  "Ellie, I LOVE that you love dogs".  :-)

Here's the old dive shop that we will help turn into a library.....

Here is a picture of my project.  It is an old dive shop that is right on the beach.  Ms. Cam wants to take all the books, tables and desks from the other buildings and make this the main library.  It needs to first be completely cleaned out, then we will install windows in it, then build learning centers.  I'm excited to tackle this, but I just wish I had all my tools to make the job easier.  Right now my tool arsenal here consists of a small hammer, a tape measure, a screw driver, and I'm told that someone has a skill-saw somewhere, but I haven't seen it yet.  I have a hard time focusing on the project, because I'm so enchanted by this octagonal shaped building on the water...dreaming about what a perfect house this would make, and envisioning myself living in it.  And then someone asks me a question and snaps me back into reality.  

When we first spoke with Ms. Cam, she said she had over 20,000 books...and now we know where she's kept them.  All of them need to be moved, sorted, then stored, and then relocated back into here and stacked on shelves.  

Working on this project is a whole new experience, because even demolition work becomes a challenge in finesse.  You don't know what materials you'll need later...so even nails are pulled out with the best of care to try to preserve them for re-use.

Yesterday, Ethan & Ellie jumped right in with teaching the kids and playing learning games with them.  I thought this would be awkward for them, but they were fully immersed  within minutes.  I think this will be the perfect place for them to serve.  Here they are playing a game of dealing out cards with single digit numbers on them, and the kids have to place their 3 cards in the proper order to make the biggest number or the smallest number.  The person with the biggest or smallest number wins that hand.  They then recite their number in English to help them learn the numbering system in English.

And here are the teachers getting taught by the student.  David is teaching them Spanish.  They loved sitting with him learning as he would write words in Spanish and then tell them what they were in English.  

After about 4 hours, we were pooped...and seeing as how the key to open the lock on the "Bodega" (storage shed) with all the lumber and windows was hanging on the caretaker's other pants back at his house (welcome to island life), the project would have to wait until tomorrow.  We said our goodbyes and headed home.  What a fun first day!

A Day of Fun in the Sun...

Today was a really fun day spent with the missionaries from our church that are serving on Roatan.  We learned today that they work hard, but they LOVE to play hard as well!  They get one day a week to play and relax from their labors.  A few days ago we invited them for lunch and then watched their eyes get wide when we said three words...beach...sand...& volleyball. We had a great lunch with them and then immediately found our way down to the sand.  It was so fun to see these Elders so animated and laughing and ribbing each other as points were scored on both sides. 

How many Elders does it take to get a volleyball out of a coconut tree?  

The motley crew...all worn out after 7 or 8 games of volleyball and a beach game of soccer!  

Just as we were wrapping up, the sun was starting to go down, so we invited them to stay for the sunset out on the dock...a spectacular event to behold each night.  They had a great time.

We were going for the perfect "Heart in the Sunset" photo...when along came....

THE PHOTOBOMB!  

A great day had by all.  We were all pretty worn out tonight though.  

Can't keep up with these teenagers anymore!  Yaaaawwn.  Hasta Manana!

Pirates and Snapper and Slaves...Oh My!

We are learning there are many different people on the Island of Roatan who speak English....and not just the Expats and Retirees.  Both British and Spanish Empires fought for and controlled Roatan since the 1700's.  It was in British control until 1982 when it became part of Honduras.  

Most people who were born here that are over 30 years old speak English and are bi-lingual.   A woman (my age) at church today helped me translate a few words that I didn't know and I complimented her on her English.  She said, "Oh, I was born here so I speak English."   This makes sense now that I know the history. The Hondurans who come over from the mainland don't speak English but many try to learn in order to work in the tourist industry.  

Just some more fun history facts - You could say that Roatan has quite an "Infamous" history.  After Christopher Columbus discovered Roatan on his fourth voyage, it is estimated by the mid 17^th century there were approximately 5,000 pirates living on Roatan and the Bay Islands.  Henry Morgan, Blackbeard, John Coxen, and Van Horn once ruled these shores and waters. It was the perfect hiding place for them to hijack Spanish cargo vessels en route to Europe that were loaded with loot.  Some nights I swear I've seen the ghost of the pirate ship The Black Pearl out beyond the reef.  ;-)  Also, many "rebellious" slaves were left here by the British when they proved to be too much to handle. 

Anyway, enough of the history lesson, we met some new friends!  Sonja and her kids have come over a couple of times and even brought over dinner too.   They speak English very well but it's with a heavy island accent......think "Jamaica mon".   This game of volleyball was so fun, as two of her boys on Dustin's team were SO excited and animated.  They were laughing and diving all over the place.

Ellie made fast friends with Mary who is 12 years old also!

Their beautiful crustacean creation in the sand.....

Sonja was born on the Island and has only gone to the mainland a few times, so she pretty much only knows the Island of Roatan.  She said she would LOVE the opportunity to go to the U.S. someday.

So, here's how the islanders pick and open a coconut....

This is the typical face of an islander...always smiling!

Thanks Sonja for the authentic Island dinner - Red beans, rice, and a Red Snapper soup.  Delicious!