Friday, February 15, 2013
Friday, April 6, 2012
Final Moments From Misty
So, being that we are going to pack up in a few hours, this is my last blog from Belize! I will try to keep this one brief...did I hear a sigh of relief?! :)
Wednesday was a busy day around the compound! We got the dining area prepared and ready for our Ladies Event. The ladies of the village were so excited that they came an hour before it was to start! We went ahead and got started early with washing feet and hands and painted nails. The ladies came and came and came and we pampered these wonderful women for three hours! Each lady I washed and painted had their own story of life and I could truly write an entire blog just on them. It was a treat for me to pamper these ladies because they were so appreciative of what we were doing for them. I actually learned how to put those decal things on, too! Funny enough, though, I saw some of them "fixing" their nails after the event! :) Two of the girls I pampered came back later that night for our VBS and church service, and their nails were still like I did them! Yay!! :)
After the ladies event, we ate lunch and prepared for the VBS here on the compound. We ate an early lunch and the kids started coming! We gave them ice cream and let them do all the fun crafts we've been doing this week. I worked the bead table again and my favorite person was this little girl who was no more than 2 years old. She amazed me with how well she was threading those beads!:) After VBS, we went into the church for a puppet show service. I got to sit with one of the gals I met earlier, which was fun. I'm hooping she comes back tonigh for the teen event! After church, it was showers and bedtime.
Thursday was our free day and we went snorkeling around Caulker's Cay. I was so glad that Hailey did so well on the boat ride! Thanks so much for my friends who were praying specifically for that! She also did great while we snorkeled! I loved the time we spent together holding hands and swimming by the reefs. I did learn the hard way that the reefs are not made for us to touch them...something about poisonous darts or something on the coral?! All I know is that one of those reefs jumped up and touched my knee and they weren't joking about it hurting! No worries, though, I'm good! Several of our team members got little (some big) cuts on their feet and legs from swimming yesterday, but it was worth it! Nice, relaxing day for us all! To top off the day, we stopped at the Art Box and SHOPPED!! Oh, yes, what a way to end my day! :)
And finally, for today, we were busy again. We went to a squatter village to give out the rest of our supplies and do VBS. I believe this had to be the hottest day yet. If anyone wants to look up the temperature and heat index for today in Belize, please let me know! We came back and ate lunch and prepared for the teen night. We are about to eat dinner and have fun with the teens!
For final thoughts, I am pleasantly surprised by how well our team works together, even in this heat and hard work. I can hardly believe how differently the people here live than we do at home. I take so much for granted at home, like warm water, air conditioning, and my Select Comfort bed. I would gladly come back here to serve again, if God calls me to do it again. And my shock at how well Hailey has handled the heat and hard work here. When I say she hasn't complained once about doing the work down here, I mean not once. In fact, she has had such a wonderful and happy spirit here, and it's been such a pleasure to serve beside her this week. I can't even describe in words the feeling I have about being here with her this week, (sob, sniff, sniff). I'm so completely proud of her work this week. Especially yesterday when she faced her boat fears. On our way back to the mainland on the boat, I told her how proud I was of her for snorkeling and all. She said, "well, I figure we are on a mission trip and God will keep me safe." My prayer for her is to hold on to her boldness she found here and let God continue to lead her at home. As for me, I am still processing all that I've encountered here and may be able to share more of what I learned later. It has been such a blessing to serve and share God's love with the people here. It's been an "unbeliezable" week! Thank you God for allowing Hailey and me to be your hands and feet this week!
Miss everyone and we come home tomorrow! :)
Misty
Wednesday was a busy day around the compound! We got the dining area prepared and ready for our Ladies Event. The ladies of the village were so excited that they came an hour before it was to start! We went ahead and got started early with washing feet and hands and painted nails. The ladies came and came and came and we pampered these wonderful women for three hours! Each lady I washed and painted had their own story of life and I could truly write an entire blog just on them. It was a treat for me to pamper these ladies because they were so appreciative of what we were doing for them. I actually learned how to put those decal things on, too! Funny enough, though, I saw some of them "fixing" their nails after the event! :) Two of the girls I pampered came back later that night for our VBS and church service, and their nails were still like I did them! Yay!! :)
After the ladies event, we ate lunch and prepared for the VBS here on the compound. We ate an early lunch and the kids started coming! We gave them ice cream and let them do all the fun crafts we've been doing this week. I worked the bead table again and my favorite person was this little girl who was no more than 2 years old. She amazed me with how well she was threading those beads!:) After VBS, we went into the church for a puppet show service. I got to sit with one of the gals I met earlier, which was fun. I'm hooping she comes back tonigh for the teen event! After church, it was showers and bedtime.
Thursday was our free day and we went snorkeling around Caulker's Cay. I was so glad that Hailey did so well on the boat ride! Thanks so much for my friends who were praying specifically for that! She also did great while we snorkeled! I loved the time we spent together holding hands and swimming by the reefs. I did learn the hard way that the reefs are not made for us to touch them...something about poisonous darts or something on the coral?! All I know is that one of those reefs jumped up and touched my knee and they weren't joking about it hurting! No worries, though, I'm good! Several of our team members got little (some big) cuts on their feet and legs from swimming yesterday, but it was worth it! Nice, relaxing day for us all! To top off the day, we stopped at the Art Box and SHOPPED!! Oh, yes, what a way to end my day! :)
And finally, for today, we were busy again. We went to a squatter village to give out the rest of our supplies and do VBS. I believe this had to be the hottest day yet. If anyone wants to look up the temperature and heat index for today in Belize, please let me know! We came back and ate lunch and prepared for the teen night. We are about to eat dinner and have fun with the teens!
For final thoughts, I am pleasantly surprised by how well our team works together, even in this heat and hard work. I can hardly believe how differently the people here live than we do at home. I take so much for granted at home, like warm water, air conditioning, and my Select Comfort bed. I would gladly come back here to serve again, if God calls me to do it again. And my shock at how well Hailey has handled the heat and hard work here. When I say she hasn't complained once about doing the work down here, I mean not once. In fact, she has had such a wonderful and happy spirit here, and it's been such a pleasure to serve beside her this week. I can't even describe in words the feeling I have about being here with her this week, (sob, sniff, sniff). I'm so completely proud of her work this week. Especially yesterday when she faced her boat fears. On our way back to the mainland on the boat, I told her how proud I was of her for snorkeling and all. She said, "well, I figure we are on a mission trip and God will keep me safe." My prayer for her is to hold on to her boldness she found here and let God continue to lead her at home. As for me, I am still processing all that I've encountered here and may be able to share more of what I learned later. It has been such a blessing to serve and share God's love with the people here. It's been an "unbeliezable" week! Thank you God for allowing Hailey and me to be your hands and feet this week!
Miss everyone and we come home tomorrow! :)
Misty
Thursday, April 5, 2012
SUNBURNT!!!
The title says it all. Today was our free day here in the wonderful country of Belize.
We had an early morning, as we had to drive two hours to catch a boat by 9:00 a.m. The island we went to was named Caye Caulker Island. The first thing we did was snorkel around the coral reef area. We saw many types of fish and coral. (The best part was watching everyone learn how to swim with flippers). The water was crystal clear so we could see everything very well. The coral came all the way up to the surface so a few of us scraped our arms and legs on it.
After that, we had an interesting (and nerve-wracking) experience when we got to swim with sting rays and nurse sharks. At first, many of us were a little freaked out and nervous, but all went well. It was so much fun getting to swim with them, but the sting rays had a habit of swimming through our legs while we were not paying attention. Many of us even had the opportunity to touch them. The best part of the whole snorkel experience occurred when Mrs. Rhonda (the woman who is terrified of everything) got in the water with the sharks and sting rays. When we left there, we went back to the Island.
On the Island, our team split into a few groups to explore the many shops that were there. One group went swimming in the ocean (all of them were wounded by the end) and the rest went to shop. After we regrouped, we got ICE CREAM!!!!!!! Then we started to make our way back to the boat. It was then that we started to realize how sunburnt everyone was. The boat ride back was less noisy than the first one, as we were all exhausted. Then we got on the bus and headed to the Art Box (a Christian owned souvenir/ art store). Then we headed to the compound for dinner.
Everyone has now showered, and everyone is in the process of putting aloe and coco butter all over themselves. To say that tomorrow is going to be a painful day is an understatement, but we will persevere. Much love to all of you back home and we will see you soon!
~Rebecca and Amy~
We had an early morning, as we had to drive two hours to catch a boat by 9:00 a.m. The island we went to was named Caye Caulker Island. The first thing we did was snorkel around the coral reef area. We saw many types of fish and coral. (The best part was watching everyone learn how to swim with flippers). The water was crystal clear so we could see everything very well. The coral came all the way up to the surface so a few of us scraped our arms and legs on it.
After that, we had an interesting (and nerve-wracking) experience when we got to swim with sting rays and nurse sharks. At first, many of us were a little freaked out and nervous, but all went well. It was so much fun getting to swim with them, but the sting rays had a habit of swimming through our legs while we were not paying attention. Many of us even had the opportunity to touch them. The best part of the whole snorkel experience occurred when Mrs. Rhonda (the woman who is terrified of everything) got in the water with the sharks and sting rays. When we left there, we went back to the Island.
On the Island, our team split into a few groups to explore the many shops that were there. One group went swimming in the ocean (all of them were wounded by the end) and the rest went to shop. After we regrouped, we got ICE CREAM!!!!!!! Then we started to make our way back to the boat. It was then that we started to realize how sunburnt everyone was. The boat ride back was less noisy than the first one, as we were all exhausted. Then we got on the bus and headed to the Art Box (a Christian owned souvenir/ art store). Then we headed to the compound for dinner.
Everyone has now showered, and everyone is in the process of putting aloe and coco butter all over themselves. To say that tomorrow is going to be a painful day is an understatement, but we will persevere. Much love to all of you back home and we will see you soon!
~Rebecca and Amy~
Thursday
Today is team rest day. We are up early to see the "tourist" part of Belize. We will take a boat to a small island for snorkeling. It has been an emotional couple of days so we are ready for some fun and relaxation
The ladies event was busy. We were supposed to start at 10 am but we had a line already at 9am so we started early. I met many wonderful ladies and I fell blessed to have been able to wash their feet. I am sure they were grateful that I wasn't the one painting their nails. Our young girls did an awesome job. VBS was a huge success. We has a lot of kids from the community of Roaring Creek come. They had ice cream, plenty of crafts and then the most awesome puppet show ever.
I am so proud of the team. They have been so amazing - loving on these kids and sharing God's word. Clay said he had one child who knew what all the colors of salvation beads meant....from last year when we were here. One of the ladies thanked us yesterday and said "we were their Easter blessing every year".
Sheila
The ladies event was busy. We were supposed to start at 10 am but we had a line already at 9am so we started early. I met many wonderful ladies and I fell blessed to have been able to wash their feet. I am sure they were grateful that I wasn't the one painting their nails. Our young girls did an awesome job. VBS was a huge success. We has a lot of kids from the community of Roaring Creek come. They had ice cream, plenty of crafts and then the most awesome puppet show ever.
I am so proud of the team. They have been so amazing - loving on these kids and sharing God's word. Clay said he had one child who knew what all the colors of salvation beads meant....from last year when we were here. One of the ladies thanked us yesterday and said "we were their Easter blessing every year".
Sheila
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
More Misty Moments
So it's been a couple of more days of busy fun around here! Yesterday was a roller coaster ride of events with nonstop action from breakfast to bedtime. Let me just say that the food Yvette fixes us is amazing! Breakfast was some yummy pancakes that tasted like French toast! That started the day off on a swell note for me! We loaded the bus early and headed for a squatter village to hand out rice, beans, and toys. What a difference in how these folks live. How I take my shelter at home for granted. The lives of the villagers are so simplistic and rustic compared to my busy life at home. They were appreciative of the goodies we gave them and the prayers we prayed for them. Amazing how many things they have on the land that they don't own (and very well may be told to leave the land when the owner decides to take it back!). We walked and prayed in the village for about an hour and boarded the bus again. We scarfed down our lunch in less than an hour so we could go back to the church of the village for VBS.
Good times at VBS! I worked the bracelet table and watched Hailey doing some more face painting. Warm weather (actually hot, but not complaining) makes us think of swimming! Which is just what we did! As soon as we got back to the compound from VBS, we changed into bathing suits in less than 10 minutes! We headed to the Banana Bank Lodge for swimming and it was beautiful! The highlight of the trip was definitely the monkey! Yes, real, live, monkey. Kathy S. and I went in search of the monkey and found it in the woods on a chain. A man came to feed the monkey and let me try to feed it. The monkey refused to take the banana from me, but decided it wanted to climb up my back and sit on my head. Yes, I'll have pictures when we get back! :) Poor monkey just wanted some attention. We laughed and laughed about how disgusted Rhonda was with those of us who "held" the monkey. I did wash my hair with some lice repellant last night!! Just in case...
We made it a little late to dinner, but it was yummy anyhow! A group of us headed to the small village church from the morning for a real Spanish church service. They were hospitable and so thankful that we accepted their invitation to come to their service! They even had "Pastor Clay" to preach! :) Nothing like spur of the moment teaching! He did an outstanding job with his sermon. Let me paint the picture of this church before I describe the music. Picture a small park pavillion with a roof, no air or ceiling fans, five light bulbs on the ceiling (with a few lizards) and plastic chairs. It was hot, but it was such a blessing to worship with these folks. It dawned on me that no matter what the culture, we all worship and pray to the same God. The girl who translated the service for us prayed in Spanish with such passion that I wish I knew what she was saying. We shook hands with the people after the service and got backtothe compound in time for the nightly devotion. After the devotion, a few kids (Hailey being one of them) got in front of the group and sang and performed the song "I Will Follow You". What a way to end the day! I finally got to get in the shower around 10:00 and wash the monkey dirt off my neck! Needless to say, I slept well last night.
I continue to be so proud of Hailey and how well she is hanging in there. It is HOT everyday and we are WORKING hard in rooms with no air and walking villages in the heat of the day. She hasn't complained ONCE about any of that. The only two complaints have been about her pinching her tongue on her water bottle and a tooth hurting. The other team members have commented on how well she is doing down here. In fact, all of the kids down here are the same...God's Little Troopers! They help and pitch in whenever and wherever they are needed. What an awesome time we are having down here!
Thanks for your continued prayers! Love to everyone! Miss you all! :) Mom, don't have time to proofread this because I have to go eat dinner...wonder if it's iguana again... :)
Misty
Good times at VBS! I worked the bracelet table and watched Hailey doing some more face painting. Warm weather (actually hot, but not complaining) makes us think of swimming! Which is just what we did! As soon as we got back to the compound from VBS, we changed into bathing suits in less than 10 minutes! We headed to the Banana Bank Lodge for swimming and it was beautiful! The highlight of the trip was definitely the monkey! Yes, real, live, monkey. Kathy S. and I went in search of the monkey and found it in the woods on a chain. A man came to feed the monkey and let me try to feed it. The monkey refused to take the banana from me, but decided it wanted to climb up my back and sit on my head. Yes, I'll have pictures when we get back! :) Poor monkey just wanted some attention. We laughed and laughed about how disgusted Rhonda was with those of us who "held" the monkey. I did wash my hair with some lice repellant last night!! Just in case...
We made it a little late to dinner, but it was yummy anyhow! A group of us headed to the small village church from the morning for a real Spanish church service. They were hospitable and so thankful that we accepted their invitation to come to their service! They even had "Pastor Clay" to preach! :) Nothing like spur of the moment teaching! He did an outstanding job with his sermon. Let me paint the picture of this church before I describe the music. Picture a small park pavillion with a roof, no air or ceiling fans, five light bulbs on the ceiling (with a few lizards) and plastic chairs. It was hot, but it was such a blessing to worship with these folks. It dawned on me that no matter what the culture, we all worship and pray to the same God. The girl who translated the service for us prayed in Spanish with such passion that I wish I knew what she was saying. We shook hands with the people after the service and got backtothe compound in time for the nightly devotion. After the devotion, a few kids (Hailey being one of them) got in front of the group and sang and performed the song "I Will Follow You". What a way to end the day! I finally got to get in the shower around 10:00 and wash the monkey dirt off my neck! Needless to say, I slept well last night.
I continue to be so proud of Hailey and how well she is hanging in there. It is HOT everyday and we are WORKING hard in rooms with no air and walking villages in the heat of the day. She hasn't complained ONCE about any of that. The only two complaints have been about her pinching her tongue on her water bottle and a tooth hurting. The other team members have commented on how well she is doing down here. In fact, all of the kids down here are the same...God's Little Troopers! They help and pitch in whenever and wherever they are needed. What an awesome time we are having down here!
Thanks for your continued prayers! Love to everyone! Miss you all! :) Mom, don't have time to proofread this because I have to go eat dinner...wonder if it's iguana again... :)
Misty
One emotional day (:
Yesterday we went to a squatter village and gave out rice and beans. It was really something! For me, it was very touching to see that those people only have a few items and they tried to give them to us. They are very welcoming and that just touched my heart. We had vbs also yesterday and we had fun. We did face paint, tattoos, bracelets, salvation necklaces, sports, and coloring. Then after that we went to Banana Bank for a quick swim break. We saw a monkey, and some birds (: it was soooo funny because Aaron went up to the monkey and let it climb on his back lol. Then after we got back from the Banana Bank we ate supper and they guys went to the bible study and the rest of us just hung out and chilled. Today we are doing the ladie's event (doing their nails) I'm so excited because I love doing nails (: also I cant wait to see their smiles again. It just touches me to see them smile :D well im gonna go help set up. See ya :P
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Another Happy Day
Tuesday was our "quick turn around/roller coaster of emotions" day. Our schedule was packed. The puppet team performed at the open market for about two hours, returned for ten minutes to fill water bottles at the camp, and jumped back on the bus to visit a nearby "squatter village" to pass out beans, rice and powdered milk.
The beautiful little village was named Camalote. Nothing could have prepared my heart for what I would experience here. I had viewed the photos from the visit last year. I knew what to "expect" but I was still overcome with emotion at meeting these beautiful, smiling, grateful people.
We each loaded our shoulders with food, toys and school packs and began our walk. We were told to watch our feet as we walked for slithering visitors and to be aware of dogs. Our team divided into groups and began to walk the dirt paths (not even streets because these people have stopped here in an effort to provide a better life for their families...they don't own the land).
We were blessed to have a young girl named Heidi (pronounced 'Hay-dee') to guide us to the homes. Another little boy ran alongside us and wanted to help. He seemed to stay beside me so I asked his name. His name was Denison. It made me smile as I explained that my name (Denise) is so close to his.
When we approached the second house I learned that this was the home of Becky's sponsored boys. Their mother was grateful and asked that we "pray for help to build a new house because soon this one will fall down and we will not have a place to live." We gathered around her, held hands as a group, and prayed together. She smiled in gracefulness.
The next house was much more "broken". You must know that these homes are simple materials combined to provide shelter. The home consisted of two sections with open doorways covered by fabric. The floors were dirt. She invited us into her kitchen area where we prayed. Her prayer request was: "Ask God for another happy day."
I was overwhelmed. How many times do I forsake joy? How often do I choose to worry and fear when happiness is a better choice.
As we walked away, Denison by my side, I leaned down to him and asked, "Denison, how do you say 'happy' in Spanish?" He quickly replied with his beautiful accent and bright smile, "content".
Now the prayer had new meaning...
"God give us another CONTENT day."
The beautiful little village was named Camalote. Nothing could have prepared my heart for what I would experience here. I had viewed the photos from the visit last year. I knew what to "expect" but I was still overcome with emotion at meeting these beautiful, smiling, grateful people.
We each loaded our shoulders with food, toys and school packs and began our walk. We were told to watch our feet as we walked for slithering visitors and to be aware of dogs. Our team divided into groups and began to walk the dirt paths (not even streets because these people have stopped here in an effort to provide a better life for their families...they don't own the land).
We were blessed to have a young girl named Heidi (pronounced 'Hay-dee') to guide us to the homes. Another little boy ran alongside us and wanted to help. He seemed to stay beside me so I asked his name. His name was Denison. It made me smile as I explained that my name (Denise) is so close to his.
When we approached the second house I learned that this was the home of Becky's sponsored boys. Their mother was grateful and asked that we "pray for help to build a new house because soon this one will fall down and we will not have a place to live." We gathered around her, held hands as a group, and prayed together. She smiled in gracefulness.
The next house was much more "broken". You must know that these homes are simple materials combined to provide shelter. The home consisted of two sections with open doorways covered by fabric. The floors were dirt. She invited us into her kitchen area where we prayed. Her prayer request was: "Ask God for another happy day."
I was overwhelmed. How many times do I forsake joy? How often do I choose to worry and fear when happiness is a better choice.
As we walked away, Denison by my side, I leaned down to him and asked, "Denison, how do you say 'happy' in Spanish?" He quickly replied with his beautiful accent and bright smile, "content".
Now the prayer had new meaning...
"God give us another CONTENT day."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)