The Porch, Toucans and Hummingbirds

We have a dream home here in Belize.  It is the perfect bungalow for two.  Recently our back porch was added and now we have a front screen door.  Things just get better and better.

 Randy is in the blue shirt, Roger is the guy in suspenders, and that is John in the shorts.

 A few hours later there was a really nice wood deck in place.

This picture was a few days later because everytime
we talk about working on the back porch, it rains.

Randy putting up the frame work for the metal roof.

So, as the days pass, Dennis and I are becoming accostomed to enjoying our morning coffee while sitting on the back porch.  It is always peaceful except for an occasional visitor down on the road.  Sometimes when people stay here at Bridge the Gap they like to go for walks down the road.  There is also an old red pickup that comes by just about every morning.  There are two guys inside who go down to the quarry and fill up with gravel and then slowly come back out.  It looks like the wheels are about to pop on the pickup but the guys just keep at it, one load at a time.  They always wave.

We are amazed at what we have seen from our porch already!  The other morning we counted seven toucans heading out for the day.  They are very quiet, unlike the "Squakers".  We don't know their real names but they are louder that any rooster and they always call out in pairs.  They will fly around in little flocks squaking back and forth to each other.  It is the most unpleasant sound from a bird I have ever heard.  We have also seen the most irridescent green humming birds and the bluest little blue bird.  Dennis has started to just take his camera out with us every morning.  

We don't know the official names of these toucans, but they are the largest ones we have seen.

We just wanted to share some nice pictures with you.  I am sure there will be more to come.

Dennis and I are very excited about going home to visit in May.  We are looking forward to being with our church family and especially seeing the kids and grandchildren!  We have had a good time on Wednesday nights being with everyone and listening to Pastor Jamie.  Modern technology can be a real blessing!  If we had time and lots more money we would try to make it to the West Coast to visit our other family, but that won't be possible this time.  We cannot leave Belize for more than 14 consecutive days if we are going to try to get our residency.

We love all of you in the South and the West Coast!!

This One is Sad...

I know that some of you share this blog with children.  I just wanted you to read through it first before you read it to them.  They might have questions.

I really admire writers.  I am always amazed at how they can take all those thoughts out of their head and put it on paper (computer).  I have been having a hard time figuring out how to get these thoughts of mine written down properly.  I want to tell you what I have learned about this culture, people, God and myself but I really need help.  So, I am asking the Holy Spirit to guide my words in order to convey what God wants revealed not what Vicki wants revealed.

I am amazed at the abundance of love I have found here.  I have met people who have almost no material possessions yet they give of what they have.  Dora is a mother of many children, she is the wife of a very hard working man and an exceptional cook.  Every time we come into contact with her she gives us good food, bread, tomales, donuts and even a head of lettuce.  Her smile seems to reveal the condition of her heart.  I have no idea if she is a "Born Again Christian", but I know that God loves her dearly and gave up his son for her.  She is easy to love, just like the children in the village.

Although I am blessed to be in Buena Vista during the day, I have seen it at night also.  It feels different at night.  The darkness seems heavy.  Yet every time I'm there at night I see people every where.  There are young men and old men, young women and old women.  There are many children who are out and about in the dark.  They seem to look after themselves.  I can't tell if they are afraid to be out alone.  I know that I would not be there alone.  The things that happen in Buena Vista at night are the same everywhere in the world where poverty has become generational.  I cannot go into detail because I have only heard stories.  They are stories that I will not write about because that is not why I'm here.  God does not want me to tell the world about the darkness that is present, he wants me to tell the world about the Light that dispels the darkness.

 This village is an example of how the absence of the Holy Spirit allows darkness to remain and grow.  I wondered about that for a while because there are at least seven churches in the village.  I can only conclude that the Holy Spirit is not present in those churches.  The bible has been used to manipulate and control people.  Man has made it a tool to keep the light from chasing away the dark.  Actually, if I am going to be real here I will have to say that it's Satan who has used men to maintain his hold in places of poverty.  Satan finds poverty to be a comfortable place where he can go about his business with little or no resistance.

 My heart broke the other day while watching a soccer tournament in a neighboring village.  I was standing next to one of my friends who is about twelve.  She is a beautiful young lady and has a kind and gentle spirit.  One of the other girls walked by and said "Mr.----- is over there and just called you."  My friend glanced at me in a odd sort of way, clearly showing that something was wrong.  She leaned in real close and said, "He molested me when I was in second grade."  This man was leaning against the building about fifteen feet away from us and I just turned and looked at him.  He is a teacher at this village who had worked in Buena Vista previously.  He was surrounded by many of the other students from the school and it made my skin crawl.  I wanted to go right over to him and scream in his face.  I wanted to call the police.  I wanted to tell all the kids to get away from him.  I told my friend to come around to the other side of me so that I would be between them.  A few minutes later she ran off with friends and I told Dennis what she had said.  We watched the guy like a hawk, making sure that he was never near my friend.  There was nothing to be done here, no repercussion, no justice and no consequence for this man.  I had a little taste of the helplessness that poverty feeds it's vicitms.

Now here is one of the biggest revelations that God has given me.  Dora is not the only one that Jesus died for.  Jesus died for every negelected child, every abusive parent, every alcoholic and drug addict.  Jesus even died for the ones we lable as lazy, scary and dangerous. The big revelation is the fact that my Jesus, who died for me, my husband, Dora, my children, my grandchildren, my whole family, my church family and all those awesome kids in the village also died for that man who hurt my friend.  So, don't you see?  If I believe John 3:16 then all those people in the village at least deserve to hear about how much Jesus loves them.  I came to this realization when I was teaching the kids at our first bible study.  I told them that John 3:16 is for every human being alive now, in the future and in the past.  This love that God has for them also is for everyone else, even people who you hate, even people who have hurt you.  God loves every person whom he created.  It is the Holy Spirit in us that enables us to love our enemies and forgive those who have hurt us.

Dear Lord, please help me to love those whom you have put before me.  There are some here who would take advantage of Dennis and I just because we are from America.  There are some here who hate us and would rather we weren't here.  Lord, help me love them also.  Holy Spirit in me give me wisdom, clarity, and peace about all that is going on around me. It is by your presence alone that we can be an example of your divine love here on earth.

We love you guys!

Painted Rocks

A few weekends ago we had some visitors from the village come over to our house to paint rocks.  We had been visiting their house to get some tamales from Dora their mother.  It's so funny how children are children everywhere.  I remember when the boys were very small and whenever we had company they always wanted to share things with our visitors.  They would bring out all kinds of toys and books and school work for people to oooh and ahhhh over.  In Buena Vista it is no different.   As we were standing in the drive way the kids started bringing out things for us to look at.  There was a plastic car with no wheels, a sea shell, I think an item that was a dog toy and then we had rocks!  My family knows that I am always picking up rocks, pinecones and sticks.   Diego is a fellow rock hound.  He brought out a huge bag of rocks and we sat down in the dark driveway and he started sharing.  I was ooohing and ahhhing all over the place.  Dora smiled and brought out a chair for Dennis to sit in.  By the time we left they had given me a bunch of cool rocks and a plastic toy harmonica.  In return I promised that they could come over and paint rocks  the next weekend.

We set up a table right out front in the shade and
got started before it got too hot.

This is a special rock for Dennis because it was his birthday!

The girl in pink is Lucia, behind her is sister, Thalia, and Diego
is standing next to me.

Our Favorites

After eating hot dogs for lunch, watching part of Lilo and Stitch and Skyping with Ben, Memory and Benaiah in Tennessee, we took the kids back home.

Diego and Thalia lined up the rocks on their porch.

We are laughing because Thalia is taking the picture!

Thalia is one of these full-on huggers.  She almost knocked Dennis
down the other day.  Note the rock in the window.

Because it was Dennis' birthday he got to pick a dessert.  He saw this cake on Facebook and wanted me to make it for him.  It has whipped cream for frosting and toasted nuts sprinkled on top.  But the big surprise is that the cake is actually watermelon!  Of course the Facebook one was all pretty with berries but ours was very yummy.  We shared some with John and Beate the next day and it was still good.

I will have another blog tomorrow showing the porch going up!

Love you guys!