Protected: Are you married? June 13, 2009
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STF VBS 2009 June 13, 2009
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It is that time of year again for Vacation Bible School at South Tampa Fellowship Church. It is also the time of year I remember all the dear people who have moved away far from this church family and me in particular. VBS makes me miss them. Check back for updates on the happenings!
wp-dc70 April 15, 2006
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This is the case I purchased to protect the little camera I take fishing and to the beach. It works like a charm. You can access every function of the camera without exposing it to the water.
When taking images above water you must make sure that after it has been submerged that the drops of water that condence on the lens of the case are not in the middle where they will blur the image.
Here is an example of how it works. The face has been intentionally pixilate and the original is very clear.
Christmas Messege From Scott. December 24, 2005
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Let me tell you a Christmas story.
A man sits alone on a long wooden canoe, staring out into the ocean. He is about to begin his daily fishing trip, which will begin in the late afternoon and end at dawn the next morning. He waits for his father to arrive, and like most days, the two of them will spend the next 16 hours together in silence, fishing a dark sea. On a good evening, they will catch five or six fish they might sell for about $6 – if it is a bad one they will return with nothing.
The man has terrible posture. He’s weighed down by a huge tumor on the side of his face. It’s just smaller than a basketball, and has been growing for 13 of his 34 years. A pink and red mass, it spills out of his mouth. A dirty brown towel is draped around his neck. It is a part of him, constantly in motion, constantly catching the murky pus that drips from his face. When the man speaks, it is in deeply muffled English or Bassa, the native dialect for his region of Eastern Liberia.
It is a only few days before Christmas – a holiday that has brought him little joy for more than a decade.
It was more than 13 years ago that this benign growth started with a toothache. It grew slowly over the years into a ten-pound monster and forced him into isolation. He is an elephant man, shocking to behold as he slinks from his canoe to his home – a crude structure made of twisted scrap metal a few hundred yards from the shore.
The man’s name is Harris. And a ship is about to change his life.
* * *
Tuesday, I left the Mercy Ship in Monrovia, Liberia with Todd, a friend and cameraman. We were off to reunite a patient and friend named Joseph Jones with his village deep in the jungle. The journey would take about six hours, and after his life-changing surgery (see story), we were anxious to see the celebration firsthand.
About four hours into the journey, in a sleepy town by the sea called Buchanan, we stopped in a small market to buy two bags of rice for Joseph’s family.
And then this thing happened.
As I was waiting to pay, I looked to my right and saw a man making a familiar gesture. He moved his hand to and from the right side of his face, describing something. The man spoke quickly and shook his head. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, yet I felt compelled to walk over and ask him what he was doing.
It turned out he was talking about a man with a large tumor. He was talking about Harris.
Of all the rice stores in all the towns in all the world… A boy in the store no older than six said he knew where I could find the man, and off we went. Harris wasn’t at home. Or at his father’s home. But as I drove towards the ocean, there he was, walking towards me.
I had a magical Christmas story to tell him.
Grabbing his hand, I told him that I lived on a giant hospital ship in Monrovia. A place where surgeons from the west performed thousands of free surgeries. I told him that we specialized in the removal of large benign tumors, tumors even larger than his. And I thought we could help him. Would he come with me in the morning?
He had been waiting 13 years for this moment. He had been praying for 13 years. His father stood next to him, incredulous. Of course he would come. At what time??
We agreed on 9 and Harris threw his hands over his head. His lips tried to form a beautiful smile and he waved as we walked away. It was exactly what hope looked like and it made me cry.
* * *
The reunion later that evening in Joseph’s village was glorious. Our friend was literally ambushed – attacked by jubilant family and villagers, not expecting his return. They knew Joseph as a man with deformity for more than 20 years and embraced him, incredulous and joyful. It was a six-hour celebration with singing, shouting, dancing and palm wine. I accepted a rooster, plantains and two eggs from villagers on behalf of the ship. The people of Korkordavidtown made speeches and thanked God for answering their prayers.
Todd and I spent the evening in Joseph’s hut with a crowing rooster and friendly spiders, and left before the break of dawn. We reached Harris in good spirits, and he took us to his canoe – to meet his brother by the sea. We promised to carry him safely to the ship, and moments later, Harris and his father were in the Land Rover towards Monrovia..
Todd and I got to know Harris during the long drive back to the ship. Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder blasted on the Ipod and I almost drove the Rover into a ditch when I heard Harris chime in on “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” He made fun of my driving as we bounced noisily over potholes and lamented the state of Liberian roads.
I asked what he hoped for, if we were able to operate. He said he would be filled with joy. He would be a new person. He would be free.
I also asked Harris what he wanted for Christmas and he said he had no expectations. People had never given him gifts. I pressed him and he told me he hoped for a meal. Or maybe small money to buy food supplies at the store.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary Parker examined Harris on the ship late yesterday afternoon, and admitted him immediately to the ship’s ward. He will spend Christmas with us and enjoy three meals and troupes of carolers.
His surgery is scheduled for January 5th, a surgery Dr. Parker thinks will take about four hours. He has been given several blood tranfusion after his hemoglobin count was found to be 4 – a quarter that of a healthy person’s. And he told Dr. Parker of recent bouts of bleeding that caused him to lose up to a liter of blood. Dr. Parker thinks Harris had only a month or two to live without surgical intervention.
* * *
I was interrupted writing this letter by a nurse who brought Harris by my photo office, just down a long corridor from the ward. I showed him pictures of people we’d helped on the ship – people with tumors like his. He stared wide-eyed at my Powerbook screen. Alfred. Beatrice. Patrick. Deborah. Hawa. Friday. Marthaline.
Harris.
I think I know how his story ends.
click here for video of joseph’s homecoming
click here for video of harris
harris photos
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more patient stories
Diamond Ring December 24, 2005
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Cubby Numa Numa December 23, 2005
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For this day forth Gary shall be recorded in history as the Numa Numa Boy.
Click here to see his artistry!
McCamping 5 Has Been Scheduled! November 3, 2005
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Hello to everyone – Hey folks, it’s that time of year again. I know, I know, it
seems I was just announcing the last camping trip. But………the sights are
filling up. In fact, many have already filled up. But……….no worries, there
are 69 sites left for everyone. So that should be enough for everyone, if I’m
counting right.
We will be going Jan. 13th-14th, checking out the 15th.
So if you book, only book for those two nights, 13th and 14th. Most of the
schools are closed on Monday, MLK day. We are at site 72, the L’s are at site
70. So if you can get anywhere in that vicinity, that would be great. Even sites
11, 14, are fine, because they are just “across the way”.
If you have any questions, or want to invite anyone else, please feel free to do so.I only have certain e-mail addresses.Looking forward to a fun time,
Deborah
Fort Desoto Park St. Pete, Florida. Camping reservations
Has Photobucket Kicked The Bucket? October 6, 2005
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Photobucket.com is/was a free image host I use/used for many of my images on Billy’s Captures. When you rely on a free service you know that all could be lost in mere seconds leaving gaping holes all over your blog. I took this risk and it would seem that the worst has come true.
I will be very interested to see what has happened and as nothing in the blogosphere remains in the dark for very long I am sure we will all know the details soon!
Photobucket offline, photobucket dead, photobucket not working, photobucket gone
Update:
According to this site there has been a bit of a fued and Photobucket was caught in the cross fire.
Has Photobucket Kicked The Bucket? October 6, 2005
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Photobucket.com is/was a free image host I use/used for many of my images on Billy’s Captures. When you rely on a free service you know that all could be lost in mere seconds leaving gaping holes all over your blog. I took this risk and it would seem that the worst has come true.
I will be very interested to see what has happened and as nothing in the blogosphere remains in the dark for very long I am sure we will all know the details soon!
Photobucket offline, photobucket dead, photobucket not working, photobucket gone
Update:
According to this site there has been a bit of a fued and Photobucket was caught in the cross fire.
Send Me Your Face September 16, 2005
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Send me your face. Small no larger than 500pixels (I’m still dial-up after all these years) and I will mess it up good and post it for the world tobehold with wonder and confusion.
E-mail faces to
barefeetbilly
Turfing, Trufing, USA September 15, 2005
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History repeats itself. I remember when me and the fellas used to do the very same thing these delinquents were doing only an hour ago, and on the very same field.
Word To Your Blogger! August 18, 2005
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Once again the geniuses at Blogger have made my experience easier while helping me conceal the fact that I am functionally illiterate. Not sure about the image insert but still, thank yall so very much!
Flit August 16, 2005
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The sun is high in the sky. It is hot and bright. The light from the sun is illuminating all the colors in the plants and insects around me. The bees and the butterflies are in a feeding frenzy!
Sweet Pepper Sandwiches August 11, 2005
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My Mama say lets make the sandwiches in this recipe magazine I have. I, not being one to be disagreeable when it comes to food, say I am in!
Chop, chop, I really like chopping vegetable especially with a sharp knife. I use a great knife I found at the hospice thrift store. It cost less than $2.00 and is very high quality!
Three different colors. Bell peppers are great!
Ahh the final product. It was delicious! Molto Bene!
Warning these Terra brand chips are addicting and they ain’t cheap.
Fishing Weedon Island August 10, 2005
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My brother and I set out this morning in the trusty ole Hullabaloo Canoe! We went to a great place for canoeing and Kayaking called Weedon Island.
Five dozen shrimp for Five dollars.
Brother Joe caught three small Red fish but I never did hook one of the coveted game fish.
We caught plenty of mangrove snappers approx. ten.
Joe hook this sting ray and we were able to get some good images.
They have very ineresting eyes.
This one had two slim covered spines. I have never seen more than one before and I do not know wif this is just a genetic mistake .
It was a great time!
Chinese Buffet August 9, 2005
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I went to Hao Wah not 45 minutes ago and gorged! It has been about a year since I made a stop at a Chinese Buffet. They are magical places filled with one delight after another all for the taking and all for one low price (in this case $7.80). As I sat and ate I found myself making some observations about buffets of the oriental variety. Below are a few of my thoughts.
Chinese buffets are staffed with Chinese folks and sometimes communicating can make you feel as though you are actually in china! (Adds to the authenticity)
After having chosen a seat and stepped up to the trough it can be down right challenging to decide what exactly to pile on your plate given the infinite variety.
As you choose the amount of food the temptation is to get far more than you know it would take to satisfy. After all you have got to get more than your monies worth.
The folks who are moving between their table and the buffet are single minded in their pursuit and you should never cross paths.
A goodly number of the people dining at a Chinese buffet at any given time are large individuals. It gives me a happy kinda feeling to see the joy on their faces!
For the first time in my life I realized the logic behind the design of the soft serve ice cream dispenser. I was always aware that the ice cream was pressed through a nozzle that gave it a ridged appearance and as I stood at the machine dispensing myself a bowl of chocolate Ice cream it suddenly came to me. What if this stuff came out with smooth sides? Ahhh that would not be very appetizing now would it.
The all American Chinese buffet is an institution and I dearly enjoy them even though I have never exited one without feeling as though I have done irreparable damage to my digestive tract!
Enchanting Flash Games August 8, 2005
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These little flash games are fascinating and imaginative! There are quite a few and they a very well done!
Billy’s Bare Feet! August 5, 2005
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I had a request from someone who went barefoot in Cali. These are my feet which spend more time bare than shoed. I have been booted from libraries, home inprovement centers, & grocery stores. It is descrimination I tell you. My motto is “bare feet are neat”
The World’s Ugliest Dog July 15, 2005
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Found this on another bloggers blog and thought is was revolting enought to pass along.
The owners of the other contestants in this year’s World’s Ugliest Dog Contest may have thought their pooches had a chance � until they saw Sam. The 14-year-old pedigreed Chinese crested recently won the Sonoma-Marin Fair contest for the third consecutive time, and it’s no surprise. The tiny dog has no hair, if you don’t count the yellowish-white tuft erupting from his head. His wrinkled brown skin is covered with splotches, a line of warts marches down his snout, his blind eyes are an alien, milky white and a fleshy flap of skin hangs from his withered neck. And then there’s the Austin Powers teeth that jut at odd angles from his mouth.He’s so ugly even the judges recoiled when he was placed on the judging table, said his proud owner, Susie Lockheed, of Santa Barbara.
