Field Trip!!

What a day we had!  Got on the bus with over 50 students at 6:30 in the morning for a three hour drive to the top of Belize.  We were nine miles from the Mexico border.  We went to Orange Walk and Corozal way up north of here.

I gotta tell ya that the bus ride was, shall we say, exhilerating.  Buses rank number two on the Belize Road Food Chain, only after semi trucks and oil trucks.  Buses out rank taxi cabs, farm equipment, and any other vehicle on the road.  I would say that our average speed was at least 50mph.  This doesn't seem very high until you see Belize roads.  When we would come up on a slower vehicle our driver stayed about ten feet behind him in anticipation of passing when the slightest chance occured.  After a while I decided to not look at how close we were as we passed the trucks.  Some of them were loaded down with sugar cane which seemed like they could hit the sides of our bus as we passed.  After the first two hours on the road I stopped praying so much and just said, "OK Lord" everytime we passed someone.  Oh, and I can tell you it is very un-nerving to hear your bus driver yell, "Sorry, Sorry!"  Then we feel a bone-jarring jolt as we hit the Belizean Speed Bump.  There was a quick moment of weightlessness and then the final jolt as we landed on the other side laughing.  Now our field trip included a theme park ride.

Every field trip has to have a "bus" picture.  This was early in the day, they
are all happy and dry and clean still.

Mr. Mefi wearing Delmi's hat.
Every school has one of these "funny" teachers.

We stopped at two different museums.
Delmi is waving and the other one is Norma.

 There is an entire building in Corozal that just houses this mural.  It is very famous in Belize, showing
the history of the country with very few words.

My personal favorite place was the Bay of Corozal.  It was a beautiful green color and very warm.  We all got off the bus and enjoyed lunch by the Bay.  

Some of the kids enjoying the ocean.  This doesn't happen very often.

Jamila

Jaison

Playing in the warm Carribean water.

These guys had a great time!

In one of the back alleys of Corozal is a beautiful Mayan ruin called Santa Rita, and we got to climb all over it.  There used to be a few more of these that were even bigger but they got bulldozed down.  Hard to believe that people would do that.

Santa Rita in Corozal, Belize

Ms. Jizelle's class, roughly third graders.

Mr. Jimmy's class, grade 4

Mrs. Betty and a few of her students that will be graduating.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Belize.  This is Mr. Jimmy's class.

We had a great time!

The real Dennis and Vicki!

Eguille on the way home.  He will be graduating from sixth grade in June.
Not sure of his plans but he is very smart.

Diana in third/fourth grade.

Jaquelyn, grade 4

Look at these guys.  Slides are for older kids too!  And nobody
cared about the water at the bottom.

Yulmar, a very kind young man, in grade 4.

Mrs. Betty and I heading for the bus.

This is what you get when you hand a kid your camera.

It was a long day and we enjoyed almost every minute.  I could have lived without those minutes on the bus.  Oh, I forgot to mention, Dennis found out that the bus driver used to be a drag race car driver....that explained a lot.

Love you guys!!

Thank Yous (yes, yous is a word according to Vicki)

We left Tennessee on Monday morning where the temperature all week had been between the upper 50's and mid 70's.  It was glorious and chilly and I loved it.  We stepped off the plan Monday afternoon in Belize City and it felt like walking into a sauna. The wet season had begun while we were away and the humidity was thick.  It has rained every day since we've been home and so far, it has been wonderful.  I may rethink this a month from now but it is great right now.

The eight days of being back home felt like two.  My little grandbabies were awesome and beautiful and lively and wonderful and did I say awesome already?  Keira turned two in February and we were there for Benaiah's first birthday party!  I was so happy to be able to be with everyone for his birthday celebration.  It was a Star Wars party, which I loved.  And all my boys were there, which I loved even more.

Jedi Cake

Watching Star Wars!

Dark Side Cake

Ben, Memory and Benaiah on his first birthday.

He loved the cake, which was sugar free.

Our friend Marvin made this out of slate.  I put Benaiah's
bible scripture on the back,  I Chronicles 11:22-24

I would like to start thanking people for all they did and are doing for Dennis and I.  This is always a tricky thing to do because I might miss someone.  So, if I missed mentioning you please forgive me and know that I am grateful for all my friends and family.

Thank you to my children and all you did for us while we were at home.  It was a little different not having the resources to pay for our own meals and such.  It seems the tables have turned and now you have more than your parents do...kind of odd.  Amy thank you for all the cooking you did, we especially loved the Butterfinger Cake. Thanks Sam for letting us use your car.  Memory and Ben and Benaiah, thank you for making your way over the to house and visiting with us.  We remember how it was to take the babies to other places to visit, and our little guy wasn't feeling very well part of the time.  Mom/GG (Dennis' mom) thank you for giving up your bedroom for the week, it really helped us out.

Pastor Jamie, Amy, Katie, and Cody thank you for sharing your time with us.  I enjoyed your company Katie and Cody.  Jamie, Amy, Carol and Dean, thank you for staying up so late to come get us at the airport.  It was way past our bedtime and we still stopped at Denney's for some yummy desserts and great fellowship.  I believe Dennis and I got to bed around 2am.

Thank you to West Carroll Elementary staff.  I had a wonderful visit.  I enjoyed seeing all the staff and all my favorite students!  Thanks for letting me roam the halls and disrupt your classrooms.  By the way, the cafeteria staff at WCES is the absolute best ever.  Your food is always awesome and your smiles are sincere and appreciated by all.  And congratulations Mr. Carter and Mrs. Jean on your retirement.

Thank you YoungMe Mccormick at Innovations Salon!  You are my favoritest hair person ever and your generosity helps me remember that there are still many kind people in the world.  (By the way, my hair is awesome right now.)

Thank you Tony for coming over to have our coffee time together like we used to.  It meant a lot to spend that time with you. Tell that Dustin Davis that we hope to see him again on his next visit to Belize.

Thank you to Jake and Danielle Warren for our first steak dinner in eight months.  Jake you grilled them perfectly.  Danielle you didn't have to invite my entire crew over with us, but you did because you know how important time with family is.  You and Harper and Jake were wonderful hosts and you have touched our hearts greatly.

Thanks to all the guys who went shooting with Dennis.  He really wanted to shoot something.

Thank you Pastor Jamie for getting up in the middle of the night to take us back to the air port.  You were a real trooper!

Thank you to Amy Sprayberry for taking me to get my first pedicure!!  It was amazing!  And Carol, Kelly, Danielle, Harper and Allison you guys made it a very pleasant evening.  I have the cutest pink toe nails ever!

Allison took this photo, that's Kelly, Carol, Amy, Danielle and Harper and then me.
We are in Jackson next door to Starbucks.

A special Thanks to Greater Life Church who sat for an hour and listened to our stories about Belize. (Pastor Jamie tried to get us off the platform but I didn't listen).  I went way over time and we had way too many slides to share.  I would love to sit in every one of your living rooms and share with you what God has done and is doing in our lives.  But I guess this blog is the closest I can get to that.  We really thank you for the prayers and monetary gifts that you give, and the clothes, and the Oil of Olay!   These are a true blessing to Dennis and I.  We cannot do what God has called us to do without you!

Your relationships with us provide us with the emotional and spiritual support that raise us up when we feel overwhelmed with what we are doing.  Your hugs and smiles touch our hearts in ways that we cannot express.  Knowing that we are all in this together makes it "doable".  God arranges these things so that we can be the reflection of Jesus in this broken world.  When God sees that happening here on Earth, he just doesn't see Dennis and I, he sees your beautiful faces as well.  God is so good.

Wanted to share some at home pictures.  My family on the West Coast doesn't see much of us.  I wish I could come see all of you!  Thank you to you guys to for the support and your comments on the blog.  I am glad that you are sharing this with us as well.  Love you guys.

Playing in the water just like their parents did.
Benaiah is Ben's and Keira is Sam's...just in case
you didn't already know that.

Keira helping Grandma make Pumpkin Pie      

We went to play with Benaiah at his house.  We didn't know until the next day that he had an ear infection.

This is a typical Lucas photo.

Lucas Family May 2014

Getting ready for a big field trip tomorrow.  Dennis and I are going to ride the bus with 50 students for three hours up to Orange Walk.  There will be lots of photos to follow.  Riding the bus with the kids was Dennis' idea.  That tells you how much God is in this.  Just ask the boys, Dennis would never have done this in the past.  God is changing us greatly.

One more time...THANK YOU to everybody!

We love you all!

Heat, Rocks, Lizards, Chocolate Trees, and Shots

It has been one month since I've posted anything.  Sorry, I feel like I'm slacking off.  I will put random photos through out for you to enjoy.

It is Sunday afternoon and about 100 degrees here in Belize.  We are however, very blessed to have a cool breeze that comes through in the afternoons and today it is blowing quite well.  Dennis is under the house right now filling in gaps in the floors.  When it heats up here the wood in the floors start to shrink and often leaves gaps that you can see through.  So, in our never ending struggle to keep as much separation between us and things that bite, Dennis is filling in the gaps.  We laugh at all we have done with the house.  There are some who believe it could float if needed.  What I believe is that I have a great husband who loves me enough to crawl under this house to make his wife a happier and more relaxed person.

The little bungalow.

Perfect spot to watch the sun go down.

We put up some Christmas lights!

Easter just came and went last weekend.  There is not much "Christian" celebration here.  There seems to be a big focus on Good Friday and repentance of sin.  Some Belizeans built small shrines along the road sides.  I'm not sure of the purpose of these shrines, they are very Catholic-like.  I just felt that it was sad to focus on the death so much and not the resurection of Jesus.  Many of the families in the area take the two weeks off to travel and visit relatives.  You can see large groups sitting on their suitcases at the bus stops.  They will sit for hours sometimes on overcrowded, hot, speeding buses because most do not have their own transportation.

Screened in porch makes the house look much bigger.

Dennis and I were invited to the Tucker's house again for Easter dinner.  They are the couple who had us over for Christmas and Thanksgiving as well.  John and Beate and Tim and Carol were there also.  We had an especially nice time down at the creek.  We had to take this back road behind the hill they live on and go into the bush to get to a small stream tucked down into the hills.  It was very "jungly".  The water was clear and cool.  We spent a couple hours there chatting, swimming and looking for rocks!  If I can't be around my children for Easter then looking for rocks in a jungle creek would have been a good second choice.  I brought home a "few".  I will bring a couple home for those who appreciate a good                                                                                rock.  The rest of you who are laughing at me won't get one.

Us at a football (soccer) marathon.
This was taken a couple of months ago.

Three kinds of bananas here.  The little ones on top are my favorite
Applebananas.  The fat ones are Blugars and the rest are what you
find in the states.  I have gotten very good at making banana bread
and smoothies.

A few weeks ago Dennis and I went into Belmopan to get a Hepatitis B shot at the government hospital.  We had checked all around here and we were told that only the hospitals will have it.  We arrived at the hospital with no expectations at all.  We figured that we would be hanging around for a long time.  Belize is the land of "No Signs".  So, we have three choices whenever we embark on a new adventure here.  We can stand still for a very long time and observe what is going on around us.  This doesn't work because we are observing many others who are doing the same thing we are, just standing around staring at each other.  We can go get in a line.  Just pick a line and see what happens.  This is usually what we do.  The third option would be to ask someone for advice but it's hard to find someone else who speaks English.  And it's hard for most of the Belizeans standing around because most don't read English and everything that is posted on the walls is in English.  Most of the time that doesn't help anyways because they are useless bits of information like, "We will be closed Monday", or "Lunch is from 12 to 1 and the office will be closed at that time."  Absolutely nothing is labeled to tell you where you should go.

I said all that to lead up to where we ended up.  A very professional looking woman walked by and I asked her where we might get the shots.  She told us to wait one minute and she disappeared behind an unmarked door.  We stood around staring at each other and about 12 other Belizean people for about five minutes and the woman reappeared and told us to follow her.  She promptly lead us through a maze of hallways until we turned a corner and there in front of us were about twenty-five ladies, each holding a baby.  It was odd because the hallway was so quiet.  I guess it was a "Well-baby" day at the Belmopan hospital.

As we walked forward I almost laughed out loud.  Poor Dennis, poor, poor Dennis.  Every since arriving here in Belize he has had to figure out what to do with nursing mothers.  Out at the village it is usually a "nurse-on-demand" kind of situation.  So, if baby wants to be fed, baby gets fed.  A few times we will be in mid-conversation and the mom just lifts her blouse and starts to nurse.  Dennis has learned how to make really good eye contact with the mom when this happens.  I thought I was going to have to take him by the hand and guide him through the small hallway because at least half the moms were nursing. Later, when we were heading home I asked him if he saw the cute babies.  He said "no"...

Any way, we were lead through three unmarked doors and into a room that was divided up into about seven small cubicles and left there to wait for the nurse.  (I couldn't believe she left us there.  It could take days to find our way back out.)  We were quite amazed when a very smart looking nurse showed up and asked us a few questions, sat down at a computer and made an immunization card for each of us.  She turned around and grabbed a needle and asked which arm?  I pulled up my sleave and was extremely pleased when I didn't feel anything.  It was the best shot I think I've ever had.  And Dennis, who hates needles  was just as happy as I was.  Before we left I asked her what her name was and told her that she was very good at being a nurse.  She smiled and finally made eye contact.  Since Dennis was with me it only took us a few minutes to find our way out.  I am quite dysfunctional with directions.  

Our rock wall that lines the driveway is actually
a hotel for lizards.  Can you see the little man
in the foreground?

This guy comes around on occasion.  I don't think it's just to be friendly, he wants
us to know that we are the visitors at his house.

 I am tickled that I get to grow "chocolate trees"!
They are actually called cacao trees but it's where we get chocolate nibs.

It is now Tuesday and I'm sitting in the bungalow with front and back doors wide open.  I see jungle out back and Dennis out front working on  the Bronco.  God has blessed him with a very productive few hours and all seems to be going well.  Although it is very warm, 112 degrees, the wind is blasting through here at times and it feels wonderful.  I can hear thunder way off in the distance.  Dennis just asked Randy if it will rain and Randy thinks it might later tonight.

We are getting excited about going home to visit on May 9th.  It will be so nice to hug my children and squeeze those grandbabies.  We have much to share.  God didn't bring us here just to enjoy life.  We are here to be his representatives.  Thoughts and plans have started and we have so much to talk about with our church family.

Love you guys!!

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!!