FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Details About My Going
The
Churches on Utila
Island
Life
Volunteering
Keeping in Touch
This Web
Site
Q: What route did you take to get to Utila?
A: I started from Detroit, Michigan (following a vacation with family in
Ohio) and went to Miami. I needed to meet with my District President
(like a United Methodist District Superintendent) so I went to Belize City
from there. Typically one flies from Miami direct to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
From there it's a small plane to La Ceiba and another to Utila. (By
small I mean 15 passenger.) You can't arrive too late in the day; the Utila
airport has no lights. Sunset is at about 6:15p.m. (We're on Central Standard
Time, year round.)
You can also fly direct from Houston to San Pedro Sula.
Q: Are you going to come back at all during your two years on
Utila?
A: We certainly do plan to, at least twice a year.
Q: How many churches will you serve?
A: Two, Mizpah Methodist on the main island and a smaller chapel on Jewel
Key which lies off the western end of Utila.
Q: How many members do the churches have?
A: At Mizpah 18 to 25 worship in the morning and 20 to 40 in the evening.
On the first, third and fifth Sundays I travel to the chapel on the key to
lead morning worship among the 6 to 12 people (and one or two dogs!) who
gather.
Q: How will you get from Utila to Jewel Cay?
A: A small boat (a "dory") transports me the five miles to Jewel Cay. It
takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the weather.
Q: What do pastors wear on Sundays?
A: A lot of folks on Utila like their Methodist pastor to wear a robe, no
doubt a reflection of their British heritage. And if not a robe, then a suit
coat. I'll wear a robe if I'm doing a wedding, baptism or celebrating Holy
Communion, otherwise a suit coat. (Both are pretty hot.) Out on
the keys they're happy if I just wear a short sleeve shirt with cleric collar.
Q: How else do you participate in the life of the church?
A: Sunday School meets at 2:30p.m. on the key and here on Utila. I'm back
on Utila by Sunday School time. I'm teaching a group (usually 10 present)
of 9, 10, and 11 year-olds. Monday night is Christian Endeavour
for children and youth ages 5 - 14. I sometimes give a brief Bible lesson
at that. Wednesday night I lead an adult Bible study. Thursday night is Men's
Fellowship; I just attend usually but sometimes bring "the topic." Friday
night is Prayer Meeting but that goes on just fine without me; I attend on
occasion. All these evening functions begin at 7:00p.m.
Q: There's a church related school on the island. Are you involved
there?
A: Yes, I serve as the chaplain to the school and also teach a religion class.
During the '99-'00 school year I'm teaching a course I call The
Journeys of Paul.
Q: How about the clinic?
A: Well, my doctorin' skills are a little weak but the pastor (me) is a member
of the board of the Utila Community Clinic (and a member of the school's
board as well).
Q: Are there other churches on Utila?
A: Yes. Presently there are Church of God, Baptist and Seventh Day
Adventist congregations meeting. Also a small Roman Catholic congregation.
Q: What do the people on Utila eat?
A: Fish, chicken, pork, beef, pasta, potatoes, plantain, banana, breadfruit,
rice & beans.
Q: Where do you buy your groceries?
A: The island's biggest grocery store is Henderson's, right next door.
It's just a bit bigger than a typical convenience store in the U.S.
The boat from the mainland comes every Tuesday. The stores are
out of many things (especially perishables) by that day. We really
have to plan ahead or do without until the stores are restocked. There
are a number of street vendors who sell produce, snacks (hot and cold) and
cold drinks.
Q: Are there restaurants?
A: Yes. The ones we've eaten at are pretty good.
Q: Don't all the people there speak Spanish?
A: No. People of European and African heritage speak English as their
first language. (Utila was formerly a British possession.) English
speakers comprise over half the island's population.
Q: Do youhave electricity on the island?
A: Yes, 18 hours a day. State run generators operate from 6:00a.m.
to midnight. The electricity is 110V, 60Hz, the same as in the U.S.
Q: How do people dress?
A: Most common are shirts and slacks for men, dresses for women, shorts for
kids. I started out wearing slacks and a shirt every day, wearing shorts
only when going out to bicycle. Though it makes me look like a tourist,
unless I'm visiting or attending a church function I often wear shorts now.
Much more comfortable.
Q: Where do you live?
A: Wehave a room at the Methodist Mission House, a good, solid cement block
building. The Mission House houses volunteer work teams when they are on
the island. It now boasts a new gas stove, a microwave, and a
refrigerator.
Q: What if you get sick?
A: The Utila Community Clinic is here. We've purchased insurance that
allows usto return to the U.S. in the event of a medical crisis.
Q: Was there much damage to the island from Hurricane Mitch?
A: Utila had the least damage of all Honduras. Several trees were downed
in the unpopulated center of the island; few came down in the populated area
along the bay which was spared the heaviest winds. A few homes and
resorts along the sea had damage from waves. Volunteers have rebuilt
a couple of homes. The church, clinic, school and Mission House
suffered no appreciable damage.
Q: How is it that people come and volunteer as a team?
A: Individual churches send teams and UMVIM (United Methodist Volunteers
in Mission
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/volunteers/)
teams have come.
Q: I might like to go someplace in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world
on a team. Any suggestions?
A: Sure. The Tallahassee District of The United Methodist Church has a very
active UMVIM group that is constantly planning projects locally, beyond Florida
and beyond the U.S. They meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm.
Leroy Irwin (Irwinler@aol.com) will
be happy to give you details. Live outside the Tallahassee region? Check
with United Methodist Volunteers in Mission
(http://www.gbgm-umc.org/volunteers/).
Q: You're going as an individual volunteer. Might I be able to do something
similar?
A: Yes. The SEJ UMVIM office (Southeast Jurisdiction United Methodist
Volunteers in Mission) coordinates the placing of individual volunteers.
Contact
sejumvim@compuserve.com or the
UMVIM web site
http://www.gbgm-umc.org/volunteers/
for further information about opportunities in the U.S. and around the
world.
Q: How can we keep in touch with you?
A: I still use my e-mail account
jeff@bennett.org if you'd like to send
me e-mail. I will continue to keep this web site up to date.
My mailing address is:
Rev. Jeff Bennett
Methodist Mission House
Utila Bay Island
Republic of Honduras, C. A.
Letters have been arriving in ten days to two weeks although one arrived
months after it was sent. Packages take much longer, depending on size.
(And anything that can melt, will melt.)
Q: Cool web site, Jeff. What tools are you using to set it
up?
A: Thank you! I used AOL Press (free, but no longer available) to build and
maintain it. I scanned the photos taken before I came using a UMAX Astra
1220P. I purchased an Agfa ePhoto 780 digital camera with which I am
well pleased; web site photos taken since I've arrived have been snapped
with this low end digital camera. I use Ulead's SmartSaver Pro to compress
the images for faster loading by your browser. I've purchased through Net
Identity http://www.netidentity.com
my e-mail address jeff@bennett.org
and the URL http://jeff.bennett.org
which hosts my web site.