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| Alberto |
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| Michael |
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| Alberto, Pricila, Michael, and Briselda |
These kids are all cousins. Their houses are on a hill on the edge of Buena Vista. They would come running when they heard the Bronco coming. Very good students!
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| Joseline is the oldest sister in the gray shirt. She is very intelligent and in full control of her brothers. Revecca , in the red, is sweet and quiet. Patricia, next to Dennis, is our helper of the utmost importance. She is our interpreter for the whole group. Memo and Dani are at the bottom. Sometimes they were not in class because they were getting paid to chop. We would see them walking home with their machetes. (Can you imagine the American child labor laws that are broken here on a daily basis?) |
We would go visit this house, which is right in the middle of Buena Vista. We started out with about five students but then some days there was up to eleven. We would never know who would show up.
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| Daisy made a batter out of corn mushy stuff, then she would oil a banana leaf and place a layer of batter on it. She would fold the leaf over the top and place the whole thing on the big chunk of iron over the fire. It took me a minute to realize that she was making a form of pancake using corn. |
On our last day the family made us a special meal. Everything we had was made from corn. Daisy is the mother of most of these kids. She is always smiling and making sure that the kids are paying attention during class. Sometimes she would sit across the room and read her bible during class. That really blessed Dennis and I.
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| They set up a little table in the house and served us. We were very honored. |
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| These are the end result of Daisy cooking out in the hot sun. They were very close to a regular flour based pancake but with a whole lot more flavor. We put margarine on them. The kids tried to tell us the names of all the food but I couldn't ever figure it out. It was all delicious. I think Dennys should add these to their menu! |
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| This was a sweet hot drink, alot like hot chocolate. It was very thick and yummy. We both burned our mouths with the first sip. Again, they did something with corn to make it. Very good! I would like to have it again in the middle of a snow day back in Tennessee. |
We had a great meal to celebrate the work accomplished over the summer. Dennis and I ate alot this day. We are given fruits and treats often by the mothers and grandmothers of our students. We never knew that you can do so much with corn.
We celebrated with another family by visiting their ranch/milpa. It is a farm that they cut out of the bush located off the road way out in the middle of nowhere.
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| This is Wendy and Noel's mother. She came with us and we had a little cookout in the cornfield. She is showing us a sweet potato that they had planted. |
The kids started a little campfire and picked some corn. Mom and Dennis and Nataly stayed by the fire to cook and the other kids took me further into the bush to a lime tree. We walked and chatted and laughed. They climbed the tree and dropped down a whole bunch of limes.
We put the limes in Justin's shirt and carried them back to the cookout.
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| Dennis enjoyed his corn. The kids were quite gracious and took good care of us. They enjoyed talking about their family and the farm. Wendy, Dennis, Nataly, Noel and Justin. Nataly has a water balloon. They brought them out to play with and to cool off with. |
They would just throw the corn that is still on the stalk into the fire and roast it. We picked up the stalk and waved it back and forth until it cooled enough to take the corn out of the husk. Then we put salt and lime juice on them. It is the best way to prepare corn on the cob!
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| On the way back to the Bronco Nataly made sure I saw this wasp next built under a banana leaf. |
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| I wish you could see how this road really was. We had a great time driving in and out. The people have to make their own roads to the farms. This was an alternate route because the original handmade bridge was broken. |
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| This is the road between Buena Vista and La Gracia. |
We had a very memorable day. After we got back to Buena Vista we sat in the shade and drank Orange Fanta and ate a pastery thing. We had a great time visiting with Pastor Juan Baptista. He is the grandfather to these, and many other kids. He was one of the first people in Buena Vista over twenty years ago. Dennis had helped Pastor Juan with a spider bite a few months ago and he seemed to be just about done with it. He took us on a little walk to show us a plant called Scorpian's Tail. It has some strong medicinal abilities. They told us that is cures the flesh eating bacteria that some people get here. Thank you Lord that you provide a cure that is so readily available!
We have been so blessed to be able to share in the lives of so many great people here in Belize. We are constantly amazed at how God works. God is always moving forward in all he is doing. We are observing and learning so much and it hasn't slowed down a bit. I think through our obedience to God that we are on the adventure of a life time and he is allowing us to get glimpses of His work in the world. We pray daily that we are doing all that He wants us to do. We pray that we are His reflection in the world. We know that God will give us all we need to get His work accomplished.
I John 4:13-16
We know that we live in him and he in us,
because he has given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son
to be the Savior of the world.
If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God lives in him and he in God.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
Love you guys!
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