July 21,2009

Our time in Belize is winding down, and there seems to be so much to accomplish - well, not accomplish exactly, but it seems as though everyone waits until we only have a few days left and then they are wanting our time. Tomorrow Dale will be spending another day doing interviews for Cornerstone teachers, and also the Education Commission of the Presbytery wants to meet with him regarding the one school board idea. Romalda has asked us to come to dinner tonight for Chirmole and again on Thursday for breakfast. We'll be having dinner with Chayo and Amy on Frinday night. This afternoon we plan to make the rounds to San Narciso (to deliver a sewing machine) and to Cristo Rey and then to Patchakan to stop by and see some friends we haven't been able to see yet.
This picture was from Sunday evening when we met up with Chayo and Amy after church. Also in the photo are Amy's parents Gary and Anita.
It was so good to see Amy and Chayo again. They have just relocated here from Jackson, Mississippi and plan to work at Cornerstone. They will be moving into our casa on Monday when we leave to go back to the states. Please pray for their re-adaptation to Belize, the climate, the lifestyle, and all the changes that have occured here since they left 3 years ago.

On our last day here (Sunday) our church family in San Narciso is going on an all-day outing to a Mayan ruin towards Belize City called Altun Ha. They will leave at 7:30 am, get to the ruins about 9:00, have a worship service, play some games, tour the ruins, have lunch, then leave for a swimming place to spend the afternoon. Alvaro announced to the congregation that each family should bring extra food for the lunch so that Dale and I can eat a little from each family's meal. A young lady came up to me after the service and suggested we stop eating after Monday so that we will have room for all the food. Dale will be giving a devotional at the end of the afternoon before they all head back to San Narciso. We plan to just leave from there and go on to Belize City (since we will be pretty close) to spend the night before we leave Belize on Monday morning. It will save us making the 90 minute trip back to Corozal (probably not getting home until around 10:00), then having to get up to leave at 7 am and driving the 2 hour trip back to Belize City. Just seems a wiser use of time and gas.

July 19, 2009

I haven't had a chance to blog since Friday morning!
Well, we never did lose power. They say that we could be losing power for a while at any time, but they can't say when - that was two days ago. Go figure.
We have been very buzy - let's see....Friday morning, after I wrote the last post, Romalda called me and asked me to go walk to town with her so she could price some shoes for her son Jeremy. So, since Dale was at the school doing teacher interviews, I accepted the invitation. It was quite fun walking from store to store with Romalda - she knows where things are and what to ask. Then I spent the rest of the day editing Carla's teaching modules.

Dale didn't get back from the interviews until after 3:30. And right about then Carla got a call from a potential buyer about Jean's car. So they went over to meet the lady, and SOLD THE CAR! They came back an hour later with $12,000 Belize dollars in CASH! We had a late supper and after dinner, Sandra, a lady who Carla gives food to, came by with her two little girls. Both were wearing sweatshirts (in 85 degree weather) and the little one in the ski hat has a "cold" so her mother had dressed her in warm clothes. They are very, very cute kids. Just wanted to hug us over and over.



Saturday morning we left Corozal Town at 7:00 am for the 2 hour drive to Belize City for the
stated Presbytery meeting at the Unity Church. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 9:00 am, but the men were still waiting for the church to be opened at 9:40 am. This church is in the "burial grounds" part of the city (I think I mentioned it last week). It is built in the middle of the very poor people who live in the swamplands around the cemetary. This church has helped the community get "cleaned up" a bit. It also has started a school. Here are some pictures of the classrooms. LOTS of stuff on the walls - very colorful. The pastor of this church was the first man to ever graduate from the Presbyterian Seminary (just a couple months ago) and is waiting to be examined by Presbytery

for Ordination. His name is Ernest (shown here with Albert) and he is one of the friendliest men I've met in Belize. He was a perfect host. The other picture is one of the 3 ordained pastors in Belize, Arturo Mendez. Cydney lived with he and his wife 9 years ago when she was in Belize.

During the morning session, Romalda and I and Ismael & Alvaro's sister Lydia went downtown Belize city - still looking for shoes. We came back while the men were still eating lunch, and Mrs. Lacey said she wish she could have gone with us because she hadn't been downtown Belize for over 5 years. So after she finished eating, I took her on a ride through the city. She was so pleased! Here she is standing by the Bay next to some grafitti bearing her name written on the sea wall. When we returned to the church we
sat another 5 hours, until after 6:00pm, while the Presbytery finished their agenda. Carla was translating the whole day for Dale because it was all in Spanish, and like a true presbytor, he wanted to join the discussion. Of course he couldn't because he was just a visitor. I should mention, it was VERY HOT! And the pews are VERY HARD (mahogany). On the way home we stopped in Orange Walk for dinner at a lovely restaurant and didn't make it home until almost 10:00 pm. Needless to say, we were exhausted!
This morning, after Sunday School in San Narciso, we came home and had a spaghetti lunch. Here we are sitting around the table in our casa, once again eating! - from the Right: Mrs. Lacey, Karen (a nurse at the clinic), Dale, Carla and I. After an afternoon of rest we will return to San Narciso for the evening service and afterwards we are meeting Chayo and Amy for a bite to eat. We haven't seen them since the got into the country on Thursday.
Tempterature right now is 91, with the Accuweather feel-like temperature of 110.

July 17, 2009

It's Friday morning - another warm one in Belize.

They say the power is going to be turned off for the day So
I'm hoping I can get this posted before it goes away. Dale is on his way to the school where he will be helping with interview for new teachers. I think they have six interview scheduled for today.

Dale has been keeping busy with all sorts of things, editing Bible curriculum for the teaching modules, meeting with Isael Vallejos, counseling several men for different reasons, and preparing for a short sermon the last Sunday we are here.

Our schedule has been so different from years past, but, I have to say, it is not so exhausting.

The first picture is of Carla and Dale coming back from dropping Jean's car off at a man's house who is going to clean it up and try to help her sell it.
The next picture is me on the back steps of our "casa". I had never even wandered back there. We have a nice large back yard. Wish I had a BBQ.

Wednesday evening Alvaro and Elsa and their family came over so that Alvaro could finalize the order of his project and get it ready for binding. The boys watched a movie and enjoyed popcorn while Dale, Alvaro, Elsa and I spent about 3 hours just talking. We so much love spending time with them!

Yesterday morning was Library Day and we spent the morning at the school. It was a busy library day, and we had the extra joy of seeing two students who we taught when we lived here four years ago. It is so fun to see how mature they have become. One girl actually is being interviewed today to be a teacher at Cornerstone!

Last night we took Elsa and Tito and Kristine out to Cactus Plaza. Our first panuchos, salbutes, and tortas of this trip! Of course we enjoyed every bite, but more so, we enjoyed spending an evening with this delightful couple and their daughter. Elsa is pregnant with her second - due in November - another girl!

Well, I need to post before power is gone..... that will again change my plans for the day. I had a full day of scanning and editing for Carla.

July 15, 2009

Good Morning from Belize! It is another warm, or I could say HOT day in Belize. We did have a short cooling rain about 6:30 this morning.
It is now half-time of our trip here. We have had an interesting time so far - we have been able to do some of the things that were in the plan and we have had many interruptions to our plan. But we know it is all in God's plan and we can see that. We are grateful to know that many are praying for our time here - we feel it.





Yesterday, Tuesday, was an example of our plans being interrupted. We had made arrangements last week for a meeting between Ismael and Dale to talk about school board for 9:00 Tuesday. At 8:30 Ismael calls to say there is another meeting he had to go to in Orange Walk, so they made new arrangments for a 1:00 meeting. That meant we needed to reorganize our day. That's how it has been going.





Pictures: Carla has been left with Jean Giles car to sell. Every morning Dale drives it down by Hotel Maya so people can see it is for sale. Every evening we go back to pick it up. So far no bites.





Raymond is a young man who lives nearby and often comes and asks Carla for a job. Instead of just asking for food, as most of them do, he asks for a job. So yesterday we hired him to pull the weeds out of our walkway. We were so impressed with young Raymond.



He stuck to the task for about 4 hours in the hot sun and not only did he pull the weeds, he got everyone of them, picked up what he had pulled and put it in the trash can. He told me he is 13 and goes to St. Paul's by the Sea (a Catholic school) He also told me, "This is an excellent job for me because I love to chop (mow the lawn with the machete) and I love working with the plants." We gave him drinks of water often and a sandwich for lunch, and paid him $7.00 BZ. I also gave him a granola bar for a snack and he said he'd never had such a snack and asked where in the world did I get it.

We had dinner at Albert and Romalda's last night. Romalda made us tostadas and, of course, they were delicious! Well, I better get to work - lots of scanning I need to do today. Dale has a meeting with a man later this afternoon, so we will be out and about Corozal.

July 13, 2009

Yesterday (Sunday) we went to San Narciso for Sunday School in the morning. Alvaro is doing a series on family and communication - kind of similar to the Peacemaker materials, but in Spanish. I am so thankful that Carla translates for me. Dale likes to sit and listen to the Spanish and try to get the gyst of what is being taught on his own.
After Sunday School, we came home and made lunch (taco salad) for us three and Karen from the Clinic. We usually spend our Sunday noon meal at Dorothy's in Cristo Rey, but she is in the States for the next three weeks - so we are on our own for Sunday lunch.

Here is a picture of Dale and his faithful friend, Samson (Carla's dog). He likes to sid on Dale's lap and play catch with his tennis ball.

We went to San Narciso for the Sunday worship service at 6:30. Her is Alvaro's son, Aldair warming up his guitar for when the youth led a couple choruses. It was really neat to see him playing the guitar while the congregation sung. Usually there is not any accompanyment at San Narciso. The gentlman in the back center of the picture is Don Aldo and his wife. Don Aldo led worship
last night and Alvaro preached.
So, here is a picture of what I did all day today.
Sat at the computer doing a couple projects - not related to the modules. I was asked by Alvaro to print out his "project" for his final presentation at Covenant Seminary. I spent the morning trying to get the printer to work - was getting very frustrated - but finally I got the project printed out. about 300 pages front & back. (Carla isn't really bigger than me, I'm sitting in a lower chair)
The lower picutre is the CD label I designed for Alvaro's materials. It was kind of fun to do. I hope Alvaro likes it. Carla said I needed to blog about it because she thinks it's so cool.

Dale spent time today running errands with keys and also spent time with Albert.
Dale will be meeting with Ismael tomorrow morning to give Ismael direction regarding creating just one school board to govern all the schools.
Pray that that meeting will go well, that the preparation that Dale has done will be well received.

July 11, 2009

Yesterday we were invited to Veronica's 43rd birthday party. Veronica, shown here with her mom, was the woman who's husband died two years ago while we were here. She is the sweetest Christian woman and very active in the church. We were told the party was at noon, so we arrived about 12:10. Most of the rest of the people started arriving about 1:00. First they served us a piece of cake, then a plate of chips with cheese dip & a glass of Cola, and then we had the choice of escabeche (onion soup) or BBQ chicken with rice and beans. Of course Dale had to have both! He also was pretty much the only man at the party. Most of the invitees were her "Feminil" group from church and their children.

Tables had been set up under a tin shelter, which is actually Veronica's kitchen. The food was delicious! The flies plentiful. Baby chickens under our feet. It rained off and on. Interesting party, but always a great time of fellowship with our Belizean friends.

Last evening we were invited out to Patchakan to Gary and Anita's house for a scrumptions dinner of porkchops, potato salad, avacado salad and fresh brownies. Gary is now the acting director of the mission team in Belize. His wife is a nurse at the clinic. They now live in a house in Patchakan which belongs to Alvaro & Elsa. We have been in the same house several times when Alvaro and Elsa lived in Patchakan - back then the house that had no running water and no bathroom. Gary and Anita have modernized it and it's really a cozy little place!

Just so you all know, eating and partying is not all we have been doing. It is hard to describe what all goes on between these times of fellowship. I still have been sitting at the computer quite a bit helping Carla with her teaching modules and Alvaro with his "project." Dale had been so busy just spending time with different men, counseling them, advising them, encouraging them. Pray that God would give him wisdom as he is helping these men work through several situations that are serious and will have long-term consequences.

July 10, 2009

Last evening we took Alvaro & Elsa and their three boys out for dinner. We had a great time of fellowship and Dale was able to spend a couple hours talking with Alvaro. Alvaro brought me his "project" to format and get ready for his final presentation at Covenant Seminary in August.








This morning we went on a day trip with Albert & Romalda to Old Belize. It was a three-fold excursion. We needed to go to Belize City to the airport to pick up three packages of textbooks and a sewing machine that I had sent back in June through Harvest Aviation (a missionary support which flies out of Florida to missionaries serving in the Carribean and Latin America. )
Another purpose of our trip was to get Albert and Romalda away for the day for a much needed R&R. Also it was a perfect opportunity for Dale to spend time encouraging Albert .


Old Belize is a tourist sight on the other side of Belize City. It has a museum which takes you through the history of Belize and reminded us (just a little) of the Creation Museum in Kentucky.











These two shots are depictions of how the Mayan families lived - and not that long ago. Romalda told us that this is what her home looked like when she was growing up in Patchakan in the 1960's & 70's. She said these stick beds were just like the one she slept in and the kitchen shot very similar to her mother's kitchen.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch in the restaurant there (Rice & Beans!) and then spent about 4 hours at the man-made "beach" area that is also a part of Old Belize. Two hour drive there, two hour drive back - we are exhausted! But it was a perfect day!

Also, while we were passing by, we stopped to see the Unity Presbyterian Church in Belize city. This church is located next to the city cemetary in what they call the "burial grounds" area of town. Many very poor people living in really sad conditions, but a church that is growing and changing the looks of the area in which it was planted 4 years ago. They started a school which currently offers pre school through 2nd grade.
A team (from a PCUSA church in N. Carolina) was there working on the new school building.