This morning I was able to sit down with the staff and establish the goals for my time here on Bonaire. Without getting into details, my first priority is to launch the twrbonaire.com website. I will also be doing some marketing and communications projects, but more about that later.
In the afternoon, I was able to finally launch a temporary website, and start to play with the settings. I’ll be sharing the URL once we’ve done a bit more work on it. After planning this for months, It was very exciting to be able to edit the actual website.
The template is a proprietary platform built and hosted by The A Group. Strictly speaking, we don’t have full control of the hosting package or much of the back end, so it can easily be maintained by the staff on the ground here. Although there is no email account associated with our website, people can still contact us by filling out an online form. All tech support goes through the TWR Cary office. The best thing is that it is browser based, so it does not require any software to update. Plus, it is a fairly robust package that seems capable of handling all of our needs at present. So we have a GO!
I spent Friday afternoon reading the manual for the website, and playing with each item. One page was for listing our ministry partners. The problem was that they were from Venezuela, and their website was in Spanish. So I copied their info into translate.google.com and got the translation for our website. First time I’ve done that.
While I was sitting downstairs in the lobby reading the manual on my iPad, a lady walked in and asked if there was a package for her. It turned out that this was the lady I was waiting for! Chris Dicks had given me a package of dress material that I carried down in my suitcase. So that connection worked out well.
When I got home, I decided to take some photos of my guest house, as people have been asking. This is just another example of how much the Lord has blessed me down here. The guest house is very well maintained, and has A/C for the bedroom, which has been a life saver. There are even four dogs that I am babysitting for the director, Joe Barker. All I have to do is feed them twice a day. But since I am an animal lover, it is nice to receive the tail-wagging welcome when I get home.
The best part about my accommodations is the location. It is directly across the road from the Dive Flamingo Resort where they have an excellent dive shop. There is a secondary tank pickup locker that is three hundred yards from my door. It is accessible with a door code 24/7. How perfect is that?
Now a couple of comments about how this tropical environment has affected my health. When I first arrived, my body had to adjust to the heat. It is about 85 degrees Fahrenheit all the time, and humid. Normally the trade winds compensate, but they have not been consistent. But, within two days, I had adjusted. I just drink lots of water.
Back in Canada, I had been having trouble with a constant cough. I just seemed to always be coughing to clear my throat. I now think it may be the smog or an allergy in Canada (Kitchener, Ontario). I haven’t had to cough since I arrived here! Even my eyes that used to water all the time (allergies?) are fine down here. So just one more blessing.
Friday night I was invited over to the Pedersens’ place for pizza and a movie. They live in the former Roswells’ house in the Belnam area near the transmitter site. Dave and I have been connecting about my iPad issues all week, so we’ve gotten to know each other fairly well. They have been on Bonaire for about nine months. They have three children, two dogs and two cats. Interestingly, Dave is a ham radio enthusiast, just like Chuck Roswell used to be.
I must say, their kids are adorable. It was really great getting to interact with each of them and see all the distict personalities.
The kids are all home schooled, and you can tell by their positive attitudes. Unlike so many North American children, they are not jaded and withdrawn into their own little world of cell phones and earbuds. Their youngest daughter runs around giving everyone hugs without any fear. It was very refreshing to be in such a loving atmosphere.
The evening proceeded with a movie from Netflix, and, of course, home-made pizza. Dave also showed me his “man cave” where his ham radio is set up. I must say, I have never met a gadget man quite as skillful as Dave. He even installed AirDisplay for my iPad, which allowed me to display my diving photos on the big-screen TV directly from my iPad without any wires attached. Cool!
As I drove home, I reflected on how wonderful the universal welcome is that the body of Christ affords.