Easter Vacation Part 1

In Belize the public school system gets two weeks of vacation during the Easter Holiday!  It has become a favorite time for me because I get to be with the kids outside of the school setting.  Dennis says that we are busier during vacation then we are when we are working in the school!

Dennis and Maybelline just before vacation.

Although you can't tell it, this is Enil.  We always enjoy our time with him.  He  will be graduating from Standard Six in June and going on to Eden High School.  We are at the Blue Hole, which has become one of our favorite places to bring kids because most of them have never been here.  It is also easy to get to and doesn't cost very much.  And of course, it is quite beautiful!  On this day it was quite cold for us.  Enil said that he was allergic to the cold and he was shivering most of the time.

Diana and Wendy eating lunch on the back veranda.

I had planned to have two girls bible studies over the two weeks but things went a little differently than I had anticipated.  I showed up at at the school to pick up girls and there was no one there.  I drove to Wendy's house and she said she was ready.  Then we proceeded to drive around Buena Vista for at least 45 minutes collecting girls along the way.  Thanks to Wendy we ended up with 11 girls from Standard 4 and 5.  They had all been invited but they never know what their families are doing so they have a hard time committing to a date.

Karla, Kayla and Herlin.

We all fit in our little home and had a great time.  We studied the bible, sang songs, ate lunch and colored an art page.  Looking from the back to the front is, Wendy, myself, Diana, Marci, Jocelyn is right in front of me, Patricia in the yellow shirt, Herlin, Jenny, Shevaugn, Kayla on the floor in the white dress, Carla, and Carol with her eyes closed!  I love these girls and feel blessed for the time we have had together.

The art work says, "I am a Daughter of the King".  It is a message that I feel God wants me to emphasize with the young ladies here.  Like girls everywhere they live in a culture that says their value is based on what they look like.  This view comes from the guys and the girls.  One of the hardest things we have to do as Christians is to learn that our value lies in what God says about us and not what the world says.  When we know how God sees us then it brings out our true beauty that lies inside us.   We are then free to be the kind, loving, trustworthy, honest, respectful, modest and pure women that God desires each of us to be.  This is not as hard as it sounds when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit and feels how much God loves them.

Love you guys!

Look for Part 2 coming soon!