Partner's Conference II

Its been a week since the leaders of all our regional TWR partner organizations were here on Bonaire.  It was a great week.  I've just finished sorting through all my pictures.
Here are a couple shots of the whole group.

Big TWR Conference on Bonaire

TWR has Spanish and Portuguese speaking partner offices in most every country in South America, as well as a few in Central America, the Caribbean and even, gasp, North America.

There are 36 people visiting us
here on Bonaire this week for the Radio Trans Mundial annual meetings.  Here is a shot of the whole group.  They are staying and meeting at the Habitat.








In the "blast from the past" department, Gabriel Fernandez is back on Bonaire this week.  He is the third from the right in this shot.  Widely known as the host of Despertar RTM, Gabriel is also the director of RTM Venezuela.










Also returning to Bonaire after many years is Dairo Rubio.  Dairo, pictured third from the left in this shot, represents TWR in Ecuador.

Windmill Wanderings

Saturday is my long bike ride day.  Today, I was testing out my new rear tire and didn't want to get in the middle of the park and find out there was a problem.  So, when I got to the park gate area, I turned east and rode along Playa Grandi/Morotin and the windmills.

I climbed a nearby ridge and snapped a few pictures of the scene.  What is really cool in the early morning, and what I didn't take any pictures of today, is that the shadows of the windmills go right across the road.  It is amazing to see the shadows of those giant blades revolving on the ground right in front of one's nose, so to speak.

Another Shameless Plug

I seem to be on an Amazon roll here.  (see yesterday's post)  If you read my blog every day, you are in luck.  Former TWR missionary kid, Megan Hustad's, book, How to Be Useful is one of Tuesday's Kindle Daily Deals.  You can pick it up today for $1.99 whoo whoo

It may not be a coincidence that Megan's second book, More Than Conquerors: A Memoir of Lost Arguments, was just released last month.  It sounds well worth reading.
  Hmmm... decisions decisions, buy it now or wait for a sale?

I watch the daily deals pretty carefully, 'cause great buys come along if you are patient.  I was able to finally get Eric Metaxas' biography of Wilberforce at a great price a couple months ago.  I'd been watching for it ever since Sandra's cousin, Bud Gillan, gave us Metaxas' biography of Bonhoeffer.

Shameless Amazon Smile Promotion

I buy tons of stuff from Amazon, both personally and for work.  I usually check Amazon first, because they make it very easy to ship stuff to wherever and whomever I need it to go to.  I think my Amazon shipping address book has three pages.

I just learned about the AmazonSmile Foundation.  If you go to www.smile.amazon.com instead of the usual Amazon site, you can select your favorite charity, including Trans World Radio.  After you select TWR, hint hint, then .5% of your purchase price for eligible items will be donated to TWR.

The big news is that right now, until March 31, Amazon Smile will donate an extra $5 each time you shop and make an eligible purchase, in addition to the usual .5%.

You can use your usual Amazon user name and password, and the prices seem to be the same on the smile.amazon.com site.  I feel a buying frenzy coming on!  :)

I just bought a compressed air line dryer for our antenna painting rig and, shazaam, $5 plus .5% went to TWR.  Pretty cool.

NRB Recognizes Project Hannah for Partnerships

TWR's Project Hannah women's ministry was recognized at the National Religious Broadcaster convention in the USA recently.   In response, founder, Marli Spieker said, "the honor represented by the award belongs first to God and second to the local women who make this outreach possible."

Bonaire has its own Project Hannah affiliate, which meets regularly in prayer for women's needs, and produces the radio program, Muhé di Speranza.



You can listen to Muhé di Speranza on the Project Hannah Web site.



Read the TWR news release by following this link.



TWR News – NRB Recognizes Project Hannah for Partnerships

Bye Bye Buggy

We're planning to sell the buggy soon.  I decided that the new exhaust system I was storing in my office would add more value if it was on the car, rather than sitting in a box.  So instead of waiting (even longer) for the stock exhaust system to rust out, I went ahead and installed the new system.

When I cut off the old system, which was the same as what was supplied on a 1970's "VW Thing", I  couldn't believe how thick the tubing was.  I think it would have lasted for years.
The car is noticeably quicker with the new system.  This exhaust really lets the dual carbs breath, and it sounds cool too, even with the quiet muffler.  If I had known the extent of the performance boost, I would have put the new exhaust on a long time ago.  :)

Traffic Circles near and far

There are still no traffic lights here on Bonaire, and only a few stop signs.  But we do have traffic jams downtown around noon and 5pm.
Bonaire now has four traffic circles, with more in the planning stages.  They do seem to help smooth out the traffic flow at busy intersections, and my admittedly un-expert perception is that they seem to cut down on accidents too.
For something completely different, check out this amazing suspended traffic circle, just for bicycles and scooters, in the Netherlands.

TWR 60th Anniversary Web Special

TWR international is celebrating its 60th birthday this year.  There is a special anniversary Webinar this coming Thursday, Feb. 20.  This live 30 minute long event will begin at 12 - noon Eastern Time.  (UTC -5)

Register online now to hear TWR president, Lauren Libby and other ministry leaders (like Sandra's dad) review God's faithfulness over the past 60 years.

You can also connect by phone.  If you want details about that, shoot me an email.
I think my Hotmail address is somewhere on this blog.  :)

New TX Site Picture

I was just out at the TWR transmitter site, clearing away a few bushes by our new photo op spot.

Here is the view of the sign, antennas and tx hall.

Cars Part 2

I recently wrote about car hunting with a friend.  We weren't successful in our quest, but it was fun.  In addition to the cars mentioned last time, you can get a new Honda Civic, starting at $26,900 or so.

But now for something completely different.  I've seen some really cute small cars zooming around Bonaire for a month or two now.  They seem to run in packs.  I caught up with them up on top of Seru Largu not too long ago.


Road Runner Bonaire is using the Renault Twizzy for guided tours of the island.  So that is why I only saw the cars operating as a herd, so to speak.

The Twizzy is a plug in electric vehicle, has a range of 60 miles, and can go up to 50 miles an hour.  They also apparently can get up the hill to Seru Largu ok, which is no mean feat.




As you can see, the Twizzy can accommodate two people in a fore and aft arrangement.  I think the Twizzy would make a great second vehicle, instead of a scooter, or motorcycle.

Seems like a perfect fit for sunny, dry, Bonaire, as opposed to London, for example, see this video. (Twizzy video follows the ad)

The Great Bonaire Car Hunt

A friend of mine is looking to get his mother a small used car with an automatic transmission.  They are very difficult to find here on Bonaire.  Even harder to find are small second hand SUV/Crossover vehicles with an automatic transmission.

At one dealer, probably the largest on the island, we learned that about 85% of the vehicles they sell are 4 door pickups and SUVs.  A few years ago, over 85% of these had manual transmissions.  Today, over 85% of them have automatic transmissions.  One only has to "drive" through the gridlock downtown whenever cruise ships are in town to get a handle on what caused this big reversal.

So most second hand vehicles these days have manual transmissions, but that will change in a few years, I think.  My friend needs a vehicle now, so he's begun looking at (gasp) new cars and mini SUVs.

Here is what we found:

A Chevy Spark (also known as a Daewoo Matiz) was the least expensive new car we saw, coming in at $14,700 with an automatic transmission.

A Hyundai Accent came in about $16K+ for the base model, ranging up to $20K+ for fancier versions.  The Elantra might have been in the $24K range.

The least expensive SUV was the (3rd generation) Suzuki Jimny for $22,000 with auto transmission.  That is about twice what we paid for our 1991 Suzuki Samurai, which is still our daily driver, 'tho it is getting kind of ragged.

A Daihatsu Terios, with automatic trans, was in the $24K range and a Hyundai Tucson was in the $29Ks.  The Toyota Rav4 might have been in the $34Ks, but we didn't look too closely at anything over $30K.

We saw two Toyota Prius models, a normal one and the sort of station wagon-y one.  They were both in the $31Ks.  I'm not sure what the trim level is on these cars compared to the USA models: 2,3,4,and 5.
Wikipedia says that the plural of Prius is Prii.  I had been wondering about that.  Really.
By the way, in the States, this car is know as a Pree-us.  On the Top Gear TV show from the UK, they call it a Pry-us.  I didn't think to ask the salesman what they call it here on Bonaire.  He and my friend had switched from Papiamentu to Dutch by that point in the conversation, leaving me in the proverbial dust.

So what did my friend buy?  Nothing yet.  As I left him, he was mumbling something about looking for small second hand SUVs with automatic transmissions, in Curacao!

Long Lived Birds

Here is an interesting story about the world's oldest Flamingo.

Speaking of birds with long lives, this past Saturday was the annual Lora (parrot) count here on Bonaire. The Boanire Insider reports they saw about the same number of birds as last year.

I saw some parrot counting teams coming back to the Washington Park entrance as I was riding in at the start of my weekly bike ride.  I was envious of them being in the park before dawn 'cause last Saturday had super clear skies.  I was outside around 05:45 and saw Vega in the north, brillilant Venus in the East, the whole of Scorpius in the SE, and Alpha and Beta Centaurus blazing the path to the Southern Cross in the South.  The view was truly awesome and memorable.  (by the way, you can pretty easily spot Mercury in the West a little after sunset these days)

I took loads of pictures in the park during my morning bike ride, and then drove out to Washikimba in the late afternoon to take some more.  They might make it to the blog some day....  the afternoon shots aren't even off of my camera memory cards yet.  Maybe we need some more rainy weather to keep me indoors working on photos.  What happens all to often, is that after sitting in front of a computer all day at work, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a monitor at home.  Been reading the "new" Nero Wolfe books by Robert Goldsborough, this week.

I know...  I should be able to process a bunch of photos during the Super Bowl this Sunday, in between watching the new commercials.  heh-heh  I already saw a really cute new Puppy/Clydesdale one online.

TWR MKs Visit Bonaire

Some former TWR Bonaire Missionary Kids stopped by the office the other week, and got a chance to meet Lauren Libby, the President of TWR.

From left to right, we see Lauren Libby, Pam (Hogan) Daniels, John McDonald, and Doug Daniels.  Pam and Doug were here on a cruise ship, while John is here on an extended scuba diving vacation.

TWR VIPs Visit Bonaire

We recently had some distinguished visitors here at TWR Bonaire.  The president of TWR International, Lauren Libby, and the TWR director for the Americas region, Tim Klingbeil, were here from the North American office.  They were joined by the Eps and the Rempels, from our TWR partner organization in Brazil.  Klaus Rempel also serves on the TWR international board of directors.
Here we see Bonaire station director, Joe Barker, explaining the automation room to the Eps (foreground) and the Rempels (background.)


In this shot, Bonaire missionary, Dave Pedersen (on the left) talks with the Rempels, while in the background, Sandra Swanson and Laura Neal share a light moment with Tim Klingbeil.










I've made a zillion versions of this picture, trying to balance the sun and the people.  But different monitors will probably display it differently anyway.  This sunset was pretty dramatic and there was almost a green flash.  heh-heh

New TWR Sign at TX Site

One of the things the student group from Waynesburg did the week they were here was to paint the new TWR logo on the entrance to the transmitter site.  I like it a lot, and I think it will be a popular photo-op spot for visitors to TWR.

More cruise ships

There were two ships in port at least three days last week.  Here is a shot on Friday from Te Amo beach.

My latest thing is looking for images that can survive being printed big.  I think this one has potential.

Cruise Ship Season

There were two cruise ships in port yesterday, and two more today.  Here is the view today, from near the end of the airport runway (south end of donkey beach.)

Waynesburg University Returns

A group of student volunteers from the communications department at Waynesburg University were just here on Bonaire for a week, for the second year in a row.  They enthusiastically assisted us with a whole bunch of projects in and around TWR.  Some activities were related to their studies, while others, like cleaning and painting, just provided help where we needed it most.


They took a bunch of creative group photos at picturesque sites all around the island.  Here is a shot of
 the group at the TWR offices.

They also shot a nice group portrait of our TWR staff.

Family Fun

Our son, Richard, and our daughter in law, Nancy, visited us a week ago.  We had a great time hanging out with them, as well as touring the island.

While at Sorobon, we saw an octopus in shallow water by the fishing boat dock.
















We also did some astronomy, snorkeling, "saté ku batata" eating, and took the surprisingly bumpy road out to Cai.  It was really pleasant out at Cai, compared to the summertime, when the heat can be oppressive.

 

Video Visit

Tyler Gates was here on Bonaire last week for a week of filming.  Although based at the TWR office in Cary, NC, Tyler is shooting video footage for TWR all over the world.  More importantly, he brought us two boxes of Candy Cane Joe Joes.  :)

Here we see Tyler in action, interviewing TWR Bonaire Director, Joe Barker.

Wild Weather

The weather here on Bonaire was pretty crazy last week.  Not cold and crazy, like N. America, but wet and crazy.  Our friend, Donna, measured three inches of rain last Thursday.  The rain wasn't steady but came in cloud bursts as various fronts came through.

The winds gusted very strongly during the rain squalls, even for Bonaire.  Donna's Flamingo sculpture blew over, and this giant sign, which has been there for ever at Den Laman, blew over too.

Christmas Eve - Eve Breakfast

We, at TWR, had a Christmas time breakfast at Eddy's Restaurant, just down the road from the office.  I had a nice early morning bike ride to work up an appetite.  (it is dark at 6am these days.  I could see Jupiter and Sirius all the way to Karpata)  Eddy and Sonia used to have a catering service back in the day, but have been operating this restaurant at Sand Dollar for a number of years now.  Their food is a yummy as ever.










I've noticed quite a few big holiday events taking place at Eddy's this year.  It is a great place for a party. 
Check out the real live Poinsettias! 












Brandon did the master of ceremonies thing and thanked us all for our hard work this year, and said that we'd have to work even harder in 2014 because of the 50th anniversary, TWR Partners conference and other events and projects.  But we didn't mind 'cause he was feeding us!










Besides all the usual breakfast buffet items like Sonia's made to order omelets, we were treated to some European and Latin American Christmas specialties.  They were VERY tasty indeed.

On the other hand, while we were all standing in line to get a custom crafted omelet, Brandon made a beeline for the APPLE JACKS!!

New Bonaire Bird Book

A little over a week ago, a new bird guide book was released by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance and STINAPA Bonaire.  Besides telling about the birds of Bonaire, it provides some information on the best places to observe them.  Sounds good to me.
The introduction was held at Addo's Books downtown.  By the way, there is now an Addo's Toys just around the corner from the book store.





The book was introduced by Elsmarie Beukenboom, who later graciously signed copies for us.  Hmm, I wonder what a first edition, autographed at the introduction event, will be worth on eBay...  Oops, it's not "mint" any more, I was looking at the birds.












But wait, there's more!  Jerry Ligon gave an illustrated talk about Bonaire Birds, and signed books too.  Congratulations and a hearty thank you to everyone who made this event and this book possible.

Christmas Greeting from Radio Trans Mundial

Has the Christmas rush got you in a tizzy.  Wait until you see our TWR - USA Hispanic ministries department in action in this cute Christmas Greeting and video clip.

TWR Africa Salutes Nelson Mandela

You can read what TWR's International Director for Africa, Dr. Emmanuel Mbennah, had to say from our Africa Regional Office, located outside Johannesburg.

Ministry Report from the Field

I write from time to time about the enthusiastic listeners to TWR Bonaire that live on a certain large island to the north of us.  Our TWR representative there recently made a trip to some remote areas on the eastern edge of the country.  Here are some excerpts from his report.

"Just last week, we travelled to meet listeners and have a preaching workshop at xxxxxx, the eastern municipality of our country.  People live across the mountains in humble and very small wooden houses. It is a very isolated and deserted area, almost entirely without running water. Houses do not have bathrooms or anything like that. Roads don’t exist in some areas.  But thousands of people live there!  The good news is there are churches everywhere and almost every person has been a TWR listener for many years. Many of them became Christians just by listening to radio programs. They also have electricity service and have radios (TV and DVD players, as well. How it is possible?).

In some places there are modest but good church buildings, but the majority of churches meet in homes, led by new pastors, many of them without seminary training. You can see a church or a home isolated on the mountain, but at night, it is exciting to see how the people get down from their places with flashlights and you can see a crowded temple or home church every night everywhere. It is really marvelous!!

Thinking about the way that people live, it is exciting to know that even though they have almost nothing, the Gospel has reached them giving salvation and hope. They were very excited because of our visit. “Nobody visits us ever”, they said constantly. “It is unbelievable to have people from TWR visiting us!” They came to see me and touch me. They were proud telling me: “I am a TWR listener, do you imagine what it means to listen the word of God every night in that mountains?” Although they have radios, TVs and DVDs players, they are really forgotten and abandoned people with a lot of need.

How many people live on the mountains?  It is impossible for me to say. But I thank God for being a part of a ministry which is touching and reaching people for Christ everywhere."

United Airlines Update

Susan, at the Bonaire Insider, has dug up some information on the upcoming United Airlines schedule changes for their flights to Bonaire from Houston and Newark.
On one hand, these last minute changes have wreaked havoc with some of my friends travel plans.  On the other hand, United has added some more flights during the peak season, which can only be a good thing for those of us here on Bonaire, and those of you who want to be here on Bonaire.

Here is a link to the Bonaire Insider article.  It includes a handy dandy PDF chart showing what flights are flying on what dates.

For example:  from Newark, it looks like there are both Saturday and Sunday flights (at the new daytime time slot) every week from January through March.   It looks like there is also a Monday flight on Jan. 6.  And there are also Friday flights during the whole month of March.

USA Sunday Mail Deliveries are BACK!

Whoo whoo, our son, Richard, just mentioned that he received some stuff from Amazon from the USPS on Sunday this past weekend.
Here is an article telling about Amazon's deal with the US Postal Service.  Ordering Kindle books provided instant gratification.  Now the pesky weekends no longer get in the way of almost instant gratification for other stuff too.  At least if you live near New York City.

New United Airlines Flight Schedule to Bonaire

My brother just got tickets to visit us in March.  I was amazed when I saw that his flight from Newark, left at like 9am, and not 11:55pm.  I went online and found out that the March flights from Houston are daytime flights too.  Looks like the redeye specials are a thing of the past.

Our son, who is coming here in January, just got an email from United saying his flights have just been changed to the new schedule too.  So my guess is that the new United changes are happening pretty much at the start of the new year.

So if you are heading here or planning to head here, be sure to keep the new schedule in mind when looking for connecting flights to Newark or Houston.

International Bible Church happenings

We had a clean up day at the church recently.  Lots of people turned up, had a great time, and got a lot of sprucing up accomplished.












The IBCB added three new Elders to go with the two who were already serving.  Here is a view of their installation, thanks to Rick Veldman, who remembered to bring a camera that week.  Pastor Doug is on the left.









We recently had a service of appreciation for Pastor Baran and Felicia, recognizing and thanking them for their years of service with the IBCB.  I don't have any pictures at the moment, but the audio from the service is available on the church Web site.  The audio clip begins with the installation of the elders and then continues with the tribute to the Barans.
Pastor Baran and Felecia continue to have an active counseling ministry at their home in Nikiboko, and Pastor Toto is still the voice of the church radio program, heard on BON FM (102.7) on Sunday afternoons at 4:30.  Some of the radio programs can be heard on the church Web site as well.

We had a men's breakfast this morning.  Dave Pedersen cooked up a hearty breakfast, and Pastor Doug shared a tongue in cheek lesson on the Top 10 Ways Fathers can Exasperate their Kids.

When is a Dog Not a Dog?

When he's a chew-toy Hog.

Another Bonaire Sailing Prodigy

I recently wrote about Bonaire's world class windsurfers.  They started young and have been at the top of their sport for some time now.  They recently started a "Children of the Wind" foundation to help facilitate the development of the next generation of young windsurfers.  Way to go guys!

I didn't get out to take pictures of the 46th annual Bonaire International Sailing Regatta back in October.  It was a smaller event overall, than it has been in previous years, but the Sunfish and Optimist fleets, in particular, had a great turnout from both Bonaire and the region.

There was close racing too.  The battle for the overall win in Optimist-A came down to the last race on the last day of competition.  It doesn't get much better than that!
And the Optimist-A fleet forms the setting for today's story.  In 2011, Yorick van Blerk won the Optimist C-class.  Last year, Yorick graduated to Optimist-B... and he won again.  This year found Yorick sailing against the big boys in Optimist-A.  And guess what?  That's Yorick in the middle with the first place award.

The Optimist-A races followed one of the yacht racing courses; starting by Klein Bonaire, coming in to the Regatta house in Playa Pabou, and then heading way out to the Southwest Corner of Klein Bonaire, before beating back upwind to the Plaza Resort.  This ambitious race course was made all the more challenging because we actually had WIND for the regatta this year.  They were recording solid 20 knot winds out by the SW corner of Klein.  And the seas in this region are not sheltered by Bonaire.   If you've ever been out there in a boat, you will probably remember just how huge those swells can get.  It was truly extreme sailing for kids in teeny tiny boats...  tiller in one hand, bailing bucket in the other, and the main sheet gripped with one's teeth.

So congratulations to Yorick van Blerk, for bravely battling the heavy conditions, and for making it three straight wins in the Optimist class.

Here is a shot of Yorick in action at an earlier race, under calmer conditions.  I don't have any sailing shots from this year, because Yorick's dad, Johan, was kept busy helping repair the broken rudders and other carnage in the Optimist fleet caused by the high winds and heavy seas.

Anniversaries

TWR Bonaire will be celebrating 50 years of broadcasting from Bonaire in 2014.  I think the official anniversary events will be in August.

The Bonaire water and electricity company, WEB, is also celebrating its 50th anniversary, as evidenced by this giant logo that recently appeared on one of the water tanks in Hato.







WEB will be doing some community projects as part of the anniversary celebrations.  Their first effort was to renovate the well at Dos Pos. 

They repaired the windmill and spruced up the whole area.  It looks great!

Fixing up this well, which supplies water to many in the Ricon area ties in really well with WEB's mission.

Brandaris (again)

I took a camera along on my bike ride yesterday am.  The sky was clear, the winds were low and the scenery was beautiful.  Here is a shot of Brandaris.  If you search my blog on "Brandaris" you'll find that this has been a recurring theme.  Kind of like that Devils Peak in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

Dec 1 Sky Show

The Moon was stationed between Saturn and Mercury this morning.  Here are a couple pictures, as seen from the TWR offices.
The object to the upper left of the Moon is Saturn.
The star almost straight up from the Moon is Alpha Libra - Zubenelgenubi.  Alpha and Beta Libra were once considered to be the claws of Scorpius, the scorpion.  Now they are part of Libra, the scales.
Mercury is below the moon, about two thirds of the way to the horizon.
I can spot Mercury in these small images, but it is easier if you click on them to see larger versions.

Venus Setting

I was out to see if I could get a picture of the Small Magellanic Cloud.  I did, but you really have to know where it is to be able to spot it.  It is really really near the horizon as viewed from Bonaire.  So I'll not post it for now.

I snapped a few shots of Venus setting in the West too.
Directly to the left of Venus, about half way between Venus and the edge of the frame, you can (barely)see the globular cluster M55.  You'll need to look at the full size image to spot M55.
The lights on the horizon are two tankers waiting to dock at Bopec.

Bonaire Sky Park

I saw comet Lovejoy this morning at about 5:30am.  A big cloud bank swarmed up from the horizon while I was grabbing my camera to try to get a picture, so no photos.  Comet Lovejoy is easy to spot with binoculars.  Just follow the arc of the Big Dipper's handle for a short distance.  I'm wondering if I can get M51 and the comet in the same shot.  That would be cool.

Over to the South-East, the clouds were much thicker and I was not able to see Saturn and Mercury's very close pairing.  Comet Ison is even lower in the sky than the planets, so I'll have to wait until early next week when it comes back from its trip around the Sun. (assuming it survives)  I did see Comet Ison last week though.

It has been pretty rainy and cloudy here, but sometimes in between the clouds, the sky has been gloriously clear.

Rainy Season

October has been breezier than usual, so we haven't done quite as much sweating and sweltering as is sometimes the case.  It hasn't been too rainy either.  Lots of sunrise showers, but pretty dry most of the time.
According to our friend, Donna, our Republic /  Hato area had about 1.8 inches of rain during the day yesterday, and 2.7 more inches overnight.

 

 

But we've had loads of rain the last couple days.  I've got some plastic pans in the attic under a few leaks we've discovered in our new roof.  :)

Here is a shot from right in front of our house this morning.

And the view on the way to the office.

Full Moon Walk in Washington Park

If you are on Bonaire, don't miss the Full Moon walk in Washington Park on Friday, October 18.  Be at the park entrance, ready to go at 6pm.  Admission is free.
They suggest bringing a flashlight, sturdy shoes, and any snacks or drink that you might need.
Sandra and I went on a full moon walk in the Park back in 2009 and enjoyed it immensely.  Here are a few pictures from that event.

World Champion Windsurfer

Last week, in Germany, Bonaire's Kiri Thode was crowned Windsurfing World Champion in the Freestyle discipline.  Bonaire's Tonky Frans finished third and Taty Frans was sixth.
The guys returned to Bonaire last night to a hero's welcome.  There were so many people at the airport that the whole road from Bel Nem, past the airport to the Stadium, was packed bumper to bumper with cars.
Here is a link, I hope, to a facebook video documenting some of the excitement at the airport last night.
An award winning video documentary titled "Children of the Wind" chronicles the story of these guys.  Sandra has it on BluRay and she's bringing back home with her in a week or two.  My parents watched it already and really liked it, so I think I can heartily recommend it here.
Pa Bien guys!

3 Planets

Saturn and Venus were pretty close together in the evening sky earlier this week.  And Mercury got close to the star Spica.  I went out shortly after sunset on Tuesday and was able to spot the three planets, but not Spica.  By the time is was dark enough, Spica and Mercury had descended into a haze layer.  Binoculars would have made it easier, and they showed up in the photos I took.

This first shot is a wide angle view.  Saturn and Venus are pretty easy to spot.  Especially since I've labeled them, ha ha.  If you look at the full size version, you can also see Mercury if you know exactly where to look.  To help you know where to look, I've included a second cropped photo which zooms in on Spica and Mercury.  Once you figure out exactly where they are, then maybe you can go back to the first shot and find Mercury, and maybe Spica.


Here is the zoomed in crop of the above picture.  Spica and Mercury are to the left of the palm tree, about half way up from the bottom of the frame.  Mercury is brighter than Spica.  I actually enhanced Spica a little to make it easier to spot.  It was dimmer than this actually.

Update from Our Listeners

The work involved in operating and maintaining the station here on Bonaire is never ending.  For a glimpse into why we persevere, check out the following paragraphs from a report we received this summer from Alberto Gonzales, our TWR partner in Cuba. 

"I went to preach at an event for Christian disabled workers in the city of C******.  There were pastors, missionaries or home church leaders, some of them blind and with other physical problems, but anyway serving the Lord with joy. When I was presented to the people, quickly many identified themselves as listeners of TWR.  There was Luis R., a blind man with his wife.  (pictured left and center, with Alberto-right)   I hugged this blind brother and his wife who was crying besides him. It was a very touching moment and all the people were excited and clapping.  He knew complete passages of my books that his wife had read to him and the topics of the programs of TWR.

But the biggest surprise was still ahead…  I****, a Roman Catholic catechist, whom I had seen the previous day imparting a biblical study in another room of the building, got up and said:  "Pastor, when I saw you yesterday night while you passed by and I was teaching, I hadn’t any idea who you were.  If so, I would have invited you to enter to my class because yesterday I was teaching to my Bible Study group your book "Living the Gospel".  Since we have been studying your book we have become your listeners and TWR programs every night..!  Our knowledge of the Christian faith has improved and changed completely from then on. Can you send us more material to use in our class?" 

I was not prepared to hear something like that..!  The impact of TWR in Cuba is a lot more than we imagine.  So, I gave to the group the audio CDs of the four books of the serial "Living..." and a DVD with more than 600 programs of “Messages of Faith and Hope.”   Without a doubt, the Holy Spirit is moving in a very special way in Cuba and He is using TWR Bonaire to reach all the corners of the Island, winning people for Christ and encouraging the believers to a better knowledge of the Word of God.  In our office, we continue receiving an average of 200 letters each month from listeners and people requesting biblical materials.  Many of them are new believers.”

 

It is great to hear from our listening audience.  People usually correspond with our regional offices, rather than directly to us on Bonaire.  But I’ll take second-hand reports, like the one above, any day!  And now you are hearing it third hand.  J   I hope you are encouraged by what the Lord is doing through the broadcasts as well.

 

 

Moon and Venus

The Moon and Venus made a beautiful pair in the evening sky tonight.  The star Spica was to their lower right and the planet Saturn to their upper left.

The Moon actually appeared to go in front of Venus as seen from locations South of us.

This picture shows the Moon, Venus and Spica.  Saturn is out of the shot to the upper left.

More Bonaire Panoramas

I've mentioned the Bonaire panoramas Web site before.  Bill Heatley just sent me a link to a brand new one they shot at the top of Brandaris, the highest point on Bonaire.  We've had some really clear days (and nights) lately, in between the thunder storms.  I had been wishing I could get to the park to climb Brandaris, but now I don't have to!
Check it out.

New Swanson page on TWR.ORG

We now have our own page on the TWR Web site.  There is not much there except our quarterly news letters from 2012 and 2013, in PDF form.
Over the years, stuff generally shows up on this blog before it appears in the newsletter.  But during the last year or so, since I haven't been blogging that much, you'll probably find TWR ministry related stuff in the newsletters that never appeared here.
So check it out if you get a chance.