July 9, 2013

It's an exciting day in Belize - tonight the Belize football (soccer) team is playing the US soccer team and it has been all the talk.   The game is just starting as I type, but we are not watching live- no cable here!  But the radio is on.

After breakfast this morning, Dale and I went out to Cornerstone where I spent a few hours helping Elsa with some mail merge techniques and some bookkeeping/invoicing set-up.  She taught me a few new things I did not know, and I taught here a few things she did not know - it was a mutually edifying morning!

This afternoon Romalda and I went into town so she could pay her monthly bills - water bill at the water department, phone bill at the BTL office,  electric bill at Courts - so we walked from each place to each place - and it was a VERY warm walk around town!   I explained to Romalda how paying my bills gives me no exercise other than for my fingers - I just log on to my bank account and pay all those bills on-line.

Tonight Dale did the Bible Study at the prayer meeting in San Narciso.   They have 'prayer meeting' every Tuesday - the service started with 45 min of Scripture reading, singing, interspersed with prayers of thanksgiving and intercession.   Then Dale had 30 min of teaching on the topic of forgiveness.   There was a pretty large crowd, which included a team from Atlanta, who today knocked out a window in the sanctuary to create a new door, and on Thursday will be pouring a cement staircase from the back of the church up to the door into the front of the sanctuary.  (see pictures)

We followed this truck most the way from Corozal to San Narciso tonight.

The new door (top right hand)

Dale & Elsa standing in front of scaffolding.

The new seating arrangement at San Narciso church.

The new door - inside view.

Dale up front at prayer meeting.

Concepcion Village soccer game (for my oldest grandson)

Fruita Bomba (papaya company) workers coming back from the fields (for my younger grandsons).

July 7, 2013

For some reason my post that I did on Sunday is missing -so I have inserted the pictures I had posted.

Arriving at San Narciso for Sunday School

Visiting the Santa Rita ruins

The Santa Rita Ruins - recently excavated and located less than 1/2 mile from where we are staying

My favorite Flamboyant Tree

Leydi, the San Narciso Pre School teacher in the new pre school room.

For my Grandboys!

July 8, 2013

Another hot day in Belize!  Probably the hottest yet.

We went to the school this morning and helped get the office furniture moved around.   Kristine was there and, her mom told us, getting impatient for us to get there.     We arrived just in time with Elsa and Karon trying to lift the heaviest long table  as it was wedged out the office door.    I spent the rest of the morning taking books off a tall bookshelf to move it, and then putting the books back on the shelves in better order.  Dale was preparing for his Bible Study tomorrow night.

We left the school around noon and went by the clinic in Patchekan to drop off all the medicine containers we had brought down with us.   The clinic pharmacist, Amber,  was so happy to see the large bag filled with the containers.   She was down to her last 5 or so.

Got back to the Zantingh's for a late lunch - a yummy lunch I might add.   Romalda had made flour tortillas and filled them taco style with chicken, her homemade refried beans, cheese, avacados, salad, tomatoes.   Better by far than Chipotle!  

Tonight we had dinner out with Alvaro & Elsa and boys.    We had a wonderful time of fellowship.

moving furniture

Putting the desk back together.

Kristine

Kristine wanted me to play Polly Pockets with her.

For the Grandsons.   :)

Dinner with the Potts.

July 6, 2013

It was a beautiful sunny day in Belize!   It also was quite warm.  

We left the house at 8 am headed for Cornerstone and Dale's 'Peacemaker -Resolving Conflict' seminar.
The meeting got started on time (9 am) but only a handful of people had arrived - however, by 9:15 there were around 18 people that had come.   Everything went very well - there were good questions, good discussion, and an appreciated and needed topic.    We would have been headed back home by noon, but the youth commission of the Presbytery needed to have a short meeting to plan a retreat for the youth, so we didn't leave until after 12:30 - headed back home for lunch.

Dale was pretty tired after back-to-back seminars, so we relaxed for the afternoon - trying to find a cool spot in the house to chill.   The mosquitos are still being vicious, so outside under a tree is not a good option for getting a good breeze.    I think I have more bites than I have had in several years - itch itch!

For dinner we went into town to RD's for some fried chicken.   There was a "Lobster Fest" going on in town last night, but it looked more like a beer party and we chose not to "fest" there.    After dinner we took in a championship match of volleyball - San Pedro vs. San Narciso.    The volleyball competitions have been going on for about 6 months and this was the final game.   San Pedro lost the first two games, but won the last three and the match.   It was a fun and interesting way to spend the evening!

Dale in a discussion with Ditmar (a former student) & Alfonso.

9 am start of seminar

Dale and Albert being silly at RD's

San Pedro (white) vs. San Narciso (yellow)

Some more tractors for my grandsons.

 

July 5, 2013

A traffic tie-up in Belize?   

It has been a busy day!    We went to Cornerstone this morning and got right to work helping Elsa and Karon to re-arrange the school office.   They are turning one of the rooms which had become a storage area into a conference/lounge area.   So I helped them clean that room out while Dale was setting up for this evening's seminar.   We stayed at the school until early afternoon, went to San Narciso to pick up the other Elsa who needed a ride to her Bible study in Patchekan and to drop Elsa and Karon off at their home in Patchekan.  (I got  to ride between my two favorite Elsa's! ) We then we headed into town to pick up the copies at INK that Dale needed for tonight's seminar and got home in time to take a short rest, eat a supper of Romalda's delicious homemade pizza, and head back to the school for the seminar.

Many, many mosquitos, along with 15 church leaders (3 teaching elders,  and the rest ruling elders, & deacons), were in attendance at tonight's seminar entitled "The Shepherd and Conflict."    The seminar went very well - good questions, good feedback.     We are looking forward to tomorrow morning's seminar where Dale will be teaching about  "Peacemaking, Resolving Conflict God's Way."   Everyone in the churches have been invited.   Mosquitos shouldn't be as bad in the morning as they were tonight.

Karon & Elsa deciding what to keep and what to toss.

This picture is for my grandsons.

Alvaro introducing Dale at the seminar.

July 4, 2013

It was raining when we woke up this morning - started sometime in the early hours- and just stopped raining in the past half-hour.  It's almost 4 pm.

We have spent the day resting up from our long day of travel, and, after all, it IS a holiday.   I have enjoyed spending the day with Romalda catching up on our lives, and Dale has been working on his first seminar which is tomorrow evening.  Albert had a board meeting and has been gone most of the day.

Romalda and I went in to town to get some vegetables.  Had a nice chat with the couple I always bought my vegetables from in the past.  They commented that they haven't seen me around for a long time - and I had to tell them that we are only hear for a couple weeks each year.  But they did seem happy to see me.  What a surprise to see PAVED roads by the market, with curbs and a sidewalk - really nice, especially since there is MUD everywhere.

We are looking forward to our 4th of July desert that we just took out of the oven.   Romalda had a can of blueberry filling and cobbler sounded perfect!

A couple pictures of our trip on the Northern Highway, the paved roads by the market, and a before and after picture of our desert for tonight.

The tractor picture is for my grandsons.

Happy Fourth!

Corozal Bay as we came into town.

Stopped to get some copies made for Dale's seminar tomorrow.

Our rental car, parked on the new paved street by the market.

The fancy sidewalk by the market.

Before

Baked and ready to eat!

July 3, 2013

We arrived in Belize a few minutes later than planned due to bad weather in Atlanta and the Gulf, but arrived safely.    We've had a long day of travel - seems like ages ago we woke up in Pittsburgh (2 am) - however, we are very thankful for a safe trip & sailing through immigration and customs, appreciating the AC in our rental, and the chirmole  and good fellowship we're having with Albert and Romalda and family.   Always feels like we never left.   Thank you all for your prayers.  It's 7 pm here, but dark and we are ready for  a good night's sleep.