Beach Living...It Ain't What You Think!

Welcome To My World

This is my first post for my new blog spot. As most of you know we now live on the Pacific coast in a little town called Playa Azul. It is located just north of Lázaro Cárdenas. We made the final move here in May. It has been a dream of Billy's for a long time to live on the coast. I must say at this point in the move that I am finding it a bit difficult to adjust to the changes. In Lubbock you have to learn to battle the dust...Mexico City the smog... and here it is the constant ocean breeze and bugs. The breeze is filled with salt; therefore, everything that is metal rusts and anything that is glass is constantly covered with the salt. The bugs, ants, and, mosquitoes are a world unto themselves. I left the windows down on the car to air it out and forgot to close them later. Hundreds of mosquitoes filled the floorboard. The companies that sell bug repellent are making a killing.... that must be an oxymoron. Oh, and the geckos or kissing lizards, as they are called because of the noise they make, are a real nuisance. Most folks count them as a blessing due to the fact that they eat insects. Not me... I hate them! They leave their poop everywhere. It reminds me of mice droppings, and I have not noticed that they make any difference in the amount of insects that are in the house.

Geckos are small to average sized lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae which are found in warm climates throughout the world. Geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. The name stems from the Malay word gekoq, imitiative of its cry. Geckos are unusual in other respects as well. Most geckos have no eyelids and instead have a transparent membrane which they lick to clean. (Yuck!) (Online Winnipeg Dictionary, geckos.)

Besides all of that it has been raining for days, and the house we have rented is like a sieve upstairs. I have buckets trying to catch all of the water. At least the tile and cement floors are not affected by the water, except they become very, very slick. Adah fell several times when she was here.

We have coconut trees in the yard. Did you know that more people are killed by falling coconuts than by shark attacks? It is true. So I had someone come to cut the ripe coconuts before Adah and Noah came to visit. This guy, no bigger than a gecko (hahaha), shimmied up the tree with only a rope and a machete. In no time at all he had eliminated the possibility of a sudden death from falling coconuts.

Culture Shock

If any of you are wondering why Belinda is so funny (hahaha) negative, it is because I am in the middle of full-blown culture shock. I came to realize this while writing this blog. So bear with me while I work my way through this not so new phenomena. This shouldn't be happening to me. I have lived in this country 20 years, but never before at the edge of the ocean.

There are great things about living here, the people for one. It reminds me a lot of where I grew up, a small community where everyone knows one another and people are eager to help you out in a tight spot, and I have had a few. There is no traffic, no smog, chickens cackling in the mornings, cows crossing the road; and small talk of the banana, coconut and mango orchards, what veterinarian to call, and just everyday life stuff. The best part will be when the time comes to share Jesus with these people. We are praying for the right opportunity to start a small group in our home in Playa Azul. Next Sunday we are planning a cookout to invite friends for fun and fish. What else do you cook when you live at the edge of the ocean?

Church Stuff

God has blessed the church in Lázaro Cárdenas with four new souls recently. Rigo and Jessica were the first ones. They are married with a little girl and are both architects who started their own firm several years ago. Recently an ex-business partner (a lawyer) stole all of their capital and made them out to be the hired help in the court of law, so to speak. They have suffered great financial duress, but God has used this to bring them into the kingdom. They are blessed and moving on. Today during worship they were asking for prayers to be a good influence on their construction workers. God is good.

Alejandra and Valeria were baptised two weeks ago. They are members of Pedro Marin's family. Valeria is his niece and the first one in her immediate family to give her life to Jesus. Alejandra is a part of the family but not blood related. She has two daughters of her own. Her life is hard as she is a single mom. She has been a great friend to me and an inspiration due to her strong faith.

Thanks you for your prayers and love. God is good and faithful to those who give their hearts completely to him. Blessings to all. Belinda