Happy Easter

We find ourselves enjoying Easter with a leisurely afternoon at home. We've had another fun and full week with guests. We got to spend time with family this week for the first time since last summer. My niece Rhonda and her son Robbie joined us a week ago today and were here until yesterday. Fortunately their spring break corresponded with our Easter break from school (both the girls' school and our teaching). That meant we could enjoy a little vacation time together. It seems the beach is always a good way to spend vacation. So we went to two different beaches on two different days. After over six months with only a few visits, this month our family has been to the beach nearly once a week. I suspect as our visitors diminish and we return to life and work as usual, it will be a while before we make it back again. But it has been a fun month in the sun.
Another fun thing we did was to participate in a cricket game this week. When I say we, I mean that Robbie, Richard, Roxy and Olivia got to play while Rhonda and I participated by cheering them on. The Carlson Field community was going to get a team together and play the Mennonite church there. However, after standing around for a while it became evident that the community team was not going to materialize. So, we all got to divide up into two teams and play a game. It was nice for our group because otherwise we Americans might not have had the opportunity. We had a good time even if they still are laughing about how we dropped the bat before running. What, did we think we were playing baseball or something?
~Barb

One of my favorite things we did while they were here was going to see the turtles. You see, around this time of year, these huge turtles come and lay their eggs on certain beaches. We know someone who goes out there a lot, so he took us one of the nights Rhonda and Robbie were here. We got there probably around 8:00 p.m. We didn't have to wait too long for the turtle to come out. These turtles are one of the oldest creatures still alive, and they've been doing this for thousands of years. They'll come out of the water and then dig a hole in the sand. They'll go into a sort of trance and then start laying eggs. While they're in this trance, they don't notice you, so our guide went and held up its flippers so we could see the eggs drop out and into the hole in the sand. There was a pretty big pile of eggs before the turtle covered the hole and went back into the ocean. It was pretty amazing! The turtles look kind of prehistoric, so it's really cool to watch!
~Olivia

Another highlight for all of us this week was going to Asa Wright. Asa Wright is a good place to see a lot of neat birds. We took a tour there, which was a nice little walk through the trees. On that little walk, I didn't see as many of the birds that the guide pointed out as I would have liked to, but I still enjoyed the walk and the birds that I did see. Also, I learned about these type of ants there. It's kind of weird, but that was one of the best parts of the walk, because it was just different, and the things I learned about the ants were things that I didn't know. But my favourite part of Asa Wright was when we were just on the veranda. The veranda was basically a huge porch where you could see lots of birds. They put out food for the birds and there were bird feeders for the hummingbirds. The hummingbirds were the best part! They would fly up right near the veranda and just hang in mid-air without moving at all! It was amazing, especially having them so close! We saw about 8 types of birds by the food right near the veranda, a few more on the hike, and I also saw some toucans flying when we were on the veranda. It was really neat there, and we stayed sitting on the veranda for a few hours after our tour was over; until Asa Wright closed! That was one of the best 'tourist' things we've done here, and if we have more guests we just might have to go back!
~Roxy

In the midst of all the fun tourist activities of the past week, we did also have some work to do. Diego Martin Mennonite Church has a tradition of a Holy Thursday service and an Easter sunrise service. We had the major responsibility for planning and leading each of these. On Thursday evening, we gathered at the Diego Martin church building for a light fellowship meal, communion service and footwashing. These activities have all been part of the church tradition for some time. We introduced something new this year, however, as we incorporated a Tenebrae service, or Service of Shadows. This tradition of reading through the entire passion narrative in sections and extinguishing candles after each reading has been a tradition we have often followed on Good Friday at home. But it was a new experience for our our Trinidadian friends. We received a number of very positive and appreciative comments from them after the service.
This morning, we gathered with church members at 6:00 am at Fort George on a mountainside overlooking Port of Spain and Diego Martin. The church has been gathering there for Easter for a number of years. This year, we were joined by members of the Mennonite churches in Charlieville, Chaguanas and Carlsen Field as well. Barb wrote an Easter drama that opened with the women heading to the tomb on Easter morning and ended with a group of modern day youth discussing their own experience of resurrection. The Diego Martin worship team performed the drama, interspersed with quite a bit of singing. In the midst of the service, Pastor Ramesh Jaimani from Carlsen Field Mennonite Church also brought an Easter devotion. Afterward, we all shared breakfast items that we'd brought. We were back home by shortly after 9:00, with the rest of the day to ourselves. Compared to our customary schedule for Holy Week (Thursday & Friday evening services, sometimes a Saturday evening or Sunday sunrise service and a regular service on Sunday morning that includes communion and often baptism), we found this year's schedule more relaxing.
~Richard