Friday

Today was our last day with the kids from the center  
We got to spend the day with them at "Sports Day" which is a big event that includes all Children's Homes from the whole country of Belize. They all get together in a large field and have misc. sporting events - kind of like a big field day. There were also a couple bounce houses, a trampoline, face painting, snow cones (which last a whole 2 seconds in the Belize heat) for the kids to enjoy and they were all served lunch there as well. Some of the children in our center have close friends and even siblings in other centers and this is possibly the only opportunity they will have to see each other all year. It was absolutely sweet to see the reunion between siblings but also heartbreaking as well. 
It's so hard because on one hand I think - is it really good that we come in and allow children to get attached to us and then leave again? But on the other hand I think - would it really be better if we didn't come at all? My hope is that in the week that we've spent with them, I hope I have said enough how special they are, how special God has created them and believes them to be and how much they are loved by their creator....people's love will come and go....God's love is eternal!

Our Math Camp team finished up yesterday so they could join us at field day, which was really nice to have us all together with the kids.  The hard working construction team stayed back at DMCCC to finish up their projects, and everything looks fantastic!  The boys all have new lockers, complete with combination locks, in which to store their personal belongings.  The girls had some lockers, but locks were added.  Jodie and Bev spent countless hours teaching each child individually how to work a combination lock.....such patience they had!  The team also created a locked storage area for building materials and supplies that are left at the center as projects are finished and extra supplies are saved for the next project.  It will be a much safer place now.  Such a great job by this team!!!
Tomorrow we head to Caye Caulker, one of Belize's beautiful islands, for a much needed day of R&R.  We are physically and emotionally drained after this week, and looking forward to a day of bonding with the team, where we share our experiences and prepare for the hardest part of the trip...."re-entry" into our lives in the US.  
We are so grateful to each of you for your prayers, your love and support while we've been here.  Together we have shown God's love to these precious children, and shown them that with God, there is always HOPE.

Thursday

Today's VBS topic was "forgiveness" - something that can be very helpful to all of us but I feel especially to these little ones that have experienced so much - way more than they ever should have to. The lesson was simple - God has forgiven us and He asks that we forgive others. Simple idea...*very* difficult to comprehend for children that are in survival mode every moment of their day! We did several activities to act out what forgiveness can look like and had some great discussion with them about what's happening in their lives that they need help to forgive.
We brought the 8-11 year olds bowling and to the park this afternoon - great to see them having so much fun, encouraging each other and getting along. When we returned to the center the kids put on a pageant called
"Hope at the Cross" that tied in all the VBS topics from the week - honesty, truth, bodies/self-image, and forgiveness. We ended the night with a pizza and ice cream party, which was a special treat for the kids.

It doesn't seem fair that some kids have been dealt a *great* hand in life and some kids seem like they've been handed nothing at all. One of the boys asked me for some socks today...he has a single pair of his own and they are completely tattered and ripped.  We'll be giving him every pair of socks of our own that we brought tomorrow.
The kids at the center are realizing that our time together is coming to an end - they were all extra clingy and affectionate tonight as we left - running to the fence and pressing their faces against it, "Bye miss!!!! You come back tomorrow miss!!! Don't forget!" I am positive I won't be able to hold it together tomorrow when we leave them for the final time. I was a mess tonight and I know that we'll see them tomorrow!

Tues & Wed

On Monday, we took the littlest kids (age 6 and under) to the local library.  Even though it is so close to DMCCC, they almost never get to go.  The head librarian was a local Belizean man and he was *so* great with the children. He gave us a tour of the different areas of the library and we ended with a story time and a "play" about a Belizean fable. While all this was happening I kept thinking about how wonderful it was to have a man in this role - reading out loud when literacy is seriously lacking in this country, showing love and care for these little children when positive male role models are few and far between, clearly educated when education is not a top priority. What a fantastic example for the littlest center kiddos to see!
Tuesday's VBS theme was "choices" - we talked about what types of choices we have to make and ended our session with hanging sand and a chain link on the cross to represent our the burdens of any bad choices we've made being taken on by Jesus - lifting the weight from our own heart.

Our craft on Monday was bleach pen t-shirts.  The kids loved making their own designs with a bleach pen, and we were very impressed with their results!

Laura and Natalie & Kris rented a house for the summer here, so we invited the teenagers to the house 

yesterday afternoon.  They helped make Rice Krispy treats and lasagna for dinner, both were a first time experience for most of the kids. They played futball, laughed, seemed so relaxed and carefree - they were getting along and enjoying each other's company without dealing with any of the stress that comes from the center.

Wed. afternoon was with the pre-teens at the house - 22 of them. They helped us make tacos for dinner and, for the most part, enjoyed their time here. This age group is tough - a lot of fighting, a lot of yelling, a lot of not getting a long very well so this afternoon was much different than our relaxed afternoon with the teenagers.

Our Math Camp team has been hard at work teaching a group of local teachers, within three live classrooms filled with kids.  What a great learning opportunity for the local teachers to hear about it, then observe, then do it themselves!  And Bev and Jodie finished up their two-day teacher training program today.  While yesterday was a bit rough, they said today it all came together and the teachers were extremely grateful, and had learned a lot! 

Praise God for this opportunity to share His love with all of these precious children and adults here in Belize, and thanks to all of you for your prayers.

Monday morning - before it all started

What a beautiful morning here in Belize. As we embark on our first day of math camp, VBS and construction at DMCCC this morning, I am excited and fearful of the unknown all at the same time. I know that we are here for a greater cause and that we will make impact on those teachers, students, adults and children we come in contact with. Everyone have a blessed morning!
Romans 8:28 - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.

Day 3 Monday

We apologize for the delay in these posts.....there were major country-wide internet outages for a couple of days, and then issues with the blog posts.  Thanks to Tausha Honey for faithfully posting on Facebook so we could copy them here for you to read!

Today was the first day of VBS, Music/Dance, and Math Camp for our team. These are the main activities and "plans" that the team has spent months preparing for...the plan was to have a group of older students from 9-10am and younger students from 10-11am doing music while the opposite group was in VBS. As we expected, the first day was pretty crazy and unorganized - even with all of our advanced preparation. Things sort of run on their own (non-American) schedule around here  It's called "Belize time" and can refer to anything related to time, organization, advanced preparation, etc. lol So...we are all easing into a more relaxed, go-with-the-flow mind set! I did drumming with both groups yesterday using lummi sticks and picnic tables and they l-o-v-e-d it! These little ones have *way* more rhythm and beat sense than my littles at home...thank you Belizean culture  The construction crew was busy working on building doors for individual lockers that will go into all the boys rooms in the center - these lockers will be very helpful for the kids to be able to keep their belongings secure from the others that are constantly being stolen. Hopes are that this will help them feel a little bit of security for the few things they have that are actually theirs and theirs alone. We invited the officers from the center to come to the house for dinner tonight and had a nice time visiting with them and learning more about their positions at the center and their own families and culture.
On to Day 4...

Day 2 - Church and Horseback riding

Wow, what a great day!  Although we were disappointed to arrive at church and find that Pastor Betson was in Corozal, we pulled together an impromptu worship service right there at Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center with the kids.  Laura led an opening prayer, several children chose and led a set of praise & worship music, and Bev and Natalie read scripture and did a short message.  It was the perfect way to begin our day, and prepare us for our field trip.  

After lunch we took the age 11 & older kids on a 2+ hour bus ride to Cayo district, near the Guatemala border, for an afternoon of horseback riding.  Santiago Juan, owner of Hanna Stables near San Ignacio, was wonderful with the kids.  All of the kids except two were brave enough to ride, along with several of our team members. Since we can't take photos of the kids, here are a few of us as well as the grounds!  

Many of the kids had never been up close to farm animals before.  The smiles on their faces were priceless! Two girls had us laughing on our nature hike when we encountered a bull, and since they were wearing red, they were too afraid to walk past him.  Thank you Beth for seeing them back to the farmhouse safely. There were games of futbol and football in the large open fields (a luxury for these kids) while they patiently waited their turn to ride. We were treated to fresh watermelon, mangos and freshly squeezed lime juice on a beautiful veranda lined with plush flowers and greens, as well as a cat who was somewhat patient as he was showered with a lot of love.  

On our way home we stopped at Cheers Restaurant near Belmopan, where we enjoyed fabulous burritos and home made cookies.  The kids got a chance to play in their beautiful grounds before climbing back on the bus for the rest of the ride home.  The last hour of the bus ride was filled with joyful Christian singing, with a lot of animation, led by two of the older girls.  What fun! 

Day 1

The team is all back together!!!! Half of the mission team arrived in Belize yesterday; the rest arrived today.  Laura greeted them all at the airport, and we shared a lunch together, then off to Dorothy Menzies!  All were welcomed with hugs and smiling faces from all the little people.  Old friends and new friends got to hang out and get to know each other.  All agreed the children displayed better manners.  Most of the credit is due to the onsite counselor, Pat Brown; some to our behavior modification program we supported this past year; and of course God's presence with us all.

Then we were given an amazing welcome party at Pat and Dave Brown's house, where we ate and shared a wonderful devotion.  Our newbies had some emotional moments.  It can be very overwhelming to meet the kids and put faces, hugs, laughs and identities to these precious children.  Many of these kids have endured more pain than some of us will in a lifetime.  

Tomorrow we have church and then horseback riding with the older kids.  Please keep us all in your prayers.