Update from the Belize Airport

Our plane from Atlanta to Belize is on the way, so that is good news! It will arrive at approximately 5:18.  They plan on turning it around in about 45 minutes, and then we should be on our way to Atlanta.  The last flight from ATL to CMH is currently scheduled for 9:54.  If they'll hold the flight another 30 minutes, we might make it.

We have full internet access and Delta is being helpful.  They just fed us all a large sandwich and a drink.  The adventure is not over.  We've already been through all phases of Phase 10 and now we're pulling together a euchre game.

We're doing fine, but we're ready to be home.

Flying Through Atlanta

Friends,

We are flying back to Ohio today! We are a little concerned since we have a layover in Atlanta. However, we are monitoring Delta's website and, so far, there is no indication that our times/flights havev changed, other than leaving BZE 30 minutes later.

Please feel free to monitor our progress on the Delta website or on any flight tracking website.  Our flights for today are:

BZE - ATL: DL0664

ATL - CMH: DL2460

If you would like email updates, please email sabina.thalheim@mvnu.edu and she can put you on her email list for flight updates. 

Thank you.  Say a prayer for us today :-)

Dr. Brad

Celebration in Caye Caulker!

No words can describe the beauty that we saw on the island and in the water today! 

Because she also celebrated her 21st birthday today, Morgan is going to tell us about her day:

There are a variety of ways one could celebrate his/her 21st birthday, but I think today trumps them all. First off, I was able to wake up this morning to a BEAUTIFUL sunrise on the dock in front of our hotel. It was gorgeous, but the beautiful faces surrounding me made it so much better. Most of our group came out to watch and sit in awe of the pinks, oranges, and yellows that shone across the sky. God had his paintbrush out, and we were all blown away by His creation! I was also treated to some delicious donuts and an iced chai tea from a local coffee shop where my friends sang happy birthday to me for the 5th time. 

While that alone could make for an awesome birthday, the day was just beginning. At 9:15, we all gathered around a tiny building and anxiously awaited to get fitted for the snorkeling gear we would be   using later in the afternoon. After everyone had their gear, we made it to the boats, got our group picture and headed out across the Mediterranean Sea. Our first stop: the manatee reserve! 

This part of excursion consisted of an hour long boat ride. Needless to say, it was the perfect time to relax and soak up the vitamin D our bodies have been craving! Next thing we know, the boat engines shut off and big poles were being used to push the boats around the reserve. The manatees must have known we were coming, because they tried to hide from us. We had to stop at three different spots before we finally spotted gray noses coming up for air. We couldn't ever fully see the manatees, but we could tell by the shadows they were huge! The captain of our boat even thought two of them were a mother and baby! And anyone who knows me knows how much I love babies!! We made the hour-long boat ride back while eating fresh pineapple and enjoying the breeze! 

After the manatees, we made a quick lunch break at a different island and set out to go snorkeling! Most of us have never snorkeled before, so we all figured we would start out easy... Nope. We were thrown right into shark and stingray alley!! We literally swam with a dozen stingrays varying in sizes and a couple nurse sharks! There were a variety of fish that showed up, including a huge barracuda. I don't think I have ever been so amazed, yet nervous in my life. I would just like to say that on this trip I've experienced a lot of things including holding a snake, feeding a bird with a fish right out of my hand and petting both a shark and stingray! 

Our last stop came too quickly, but it was one we were all looking forward to. It was time to snorkel for real, with our flippers and all, and explore a huge coral reef! My boat's captain, Joe, gave all of us a quick tour of the reef explaining the different types of coral, fish and all of the safety measures. After the tour, we were set free! An ongoing joke for the girls on this trip has been mermaids. Jackie brought "mermaid spray" for our hair that many of us desperately needed throughout this trip. While I was snorkeling and soaking up this beautiful creation, I truly felt like Ariel, the Little Mermaid, and I doubt I was the only one! 

Our night ended with a delicious dinner from Habeneros. Mine included dessert and happy birthday sang for the 8th time! It was a WONDERFUL birthday and being surrounded by 19 new friends has made it that much more enjoyable. Plus many of us are sporting that red-as-a-lobster look from the day in the sun, but you won't hear us complaining! 

I am truly blessed! 

Love, 

Morgan 

PS Caleb, just two more sleeps and I get to see you! Oh and hey mom! Tell dad I love you and miss you all!  

Well, Aria is already asleep, so tonight's devotions can't be written. However, they were amazing. She talked about making time for God. We were all encouraged by the devotion. 

Make sure to check the "In Preparation" post for return flight information - especially flight numbers. Please be praying for good weather so we make it home on time. I don't think some of us would mind getting stuck in Belize, but we don't want to be stuck in Atlanta!

Adventures in Caye Caulker

Today was a fun-filled day of adventure!

Here's what Felicia has to say about the day:

A few others and I began our day by waking up at 5:00am to see the sunrise, but -to our dismay - it was too cloudy and we were a tad too early. However, it was still worth it because we saw a huge stingray from the dock and we were able to sit and take in the beauty God created. 

The whole group met up and we attended a Catholic Church together. After church we all went our different ways to explore the island. My group decided to change clothes and find a place to eat lunch. We ended up finding a little restaurant and ate lunch on the beach. The view was breathtaking. After lunch, we roamed the island and visited a few different shops. Then we decided to head back to the hotel to get our swimsuits on and go swimming. To our surprise we discovered that our hotel lets us rent kayaks for free. So we decided to go kayaking. I was very scared because I have never kayaked before but Misty was a good kayaking partner :)  After having some great conversation on the sea (Caye Caulker is surrounded by the Meditterain Sea) we changed, again, and then relaxed and played some cards (euchre specifically). Then we explored a little more till dinner. We all met up at the Rainbow Grill and enjoyed a delicious meal, which for some included lobster, fish, bacon cheeseburger, and even fettuchini alfredo. Then again we all went our separate ways. I concluded my night with a very scrumptious scoop of caramel ice cream. Overall, it was amazing day on the little island of Caye Caulker.

With Love,

Felicia

P.S. Thanks for all the love and prayers especially from my family. I love you! <3

Here are devotions from Brody:

Over the past few days I have been reflecting on my experience in Succotz and I wanted to share this as my devotion. I chose the verse Ephesians 5:16-17, "making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is." During my experience in Succotz, I saw many students and children that have abilities and potential, but no opportunity. I have realized that we are blessed with many wonderful opportunities that we might not recognize. I struggle with the way I approach these opportunities because many times I am satisfied with being mediocre, instead of striving for greatness. There are many times that I am just "going through the motions," when I should be giving my maximum effort. The Lord wants us to strive for that greatness and we owe it to Him to give our best effort in every opportunity He gives us.

-Brody

It's incredible to see the way The Lord is still working in our lives - even after leaving Succotz. I think we're all sad we won't be returning to the classroom tomorrow, but we are excited to go to the manatee reserve and go snorkeling. 

Arriving in Caye Caulker!

We have officially arrived in Caye Caulker! We were definitely excited to step foot on the white sand beaches here - especially knowing that there's a blizzard back home!

Here's what Elizabeth has to say about the day:

My day began this morning at 5:30 when I woke up to get the cooks with Christy and Mrs. Taylor. I'm not a morning person, but there's something so beautiful about this land here. It's sometimes foggy at that time of morning, but you can still see the beautiful mountains in the distance when you get to the top of the hill.

We had a brunch since we were leaving today around 1. We had chicken, rice and beans, egg salad and doughnuts. Oh my goodness the doughnuts were delicious!!! I had four doughnuts, but I don't feel bad about that because my good friend Felicia had five doughnuts and one doughnut hole!

After brunch, we packed up and waited for about an hour and a half until we departed for Belize City, Belize. I don't remember much of that bus ride. All I can say is I got in a good nap! We soon arrived to Global Village where we dropped off some of our luggage and then continued on to the water taxi which would be taking us to Caye Caulker. The boat ride was not bad. I fell asleep for part of it and then watched the sunset - which was gorgeous. When we arrived in Caye Caulker, we walked to our hotel then went to dinner.

We are now in our rooms and getting ready for bed and a great day tomorrow here in Caye Caulker. Goodnight!

Love,

Elizabeth

While our days of all living in one dorm room are over, our adventure is continuing. It's so weird only going to sleep with three of my peers (shout-out to my awesome roommates - Erin, Felicia, and Elizabeth!) in the same room as me, but we are all excited to adventure here on the island. This is definitely the most breath-taking view I have ever seen in my entire life. 

Well, it's off to bed for us! Getting up at 5:00 AM to watch the sunrise will come early, but it will be so worth it! Although I'm feeling a little sentimental as this will be my first ocean sunrise without my mom beside me. I love you, Mom! 

Leaving Our Hearts in Succotz

Today was our last full day in Succotz. Although the rain changed our plans, we still had a great day. 

While we had plans to go to Xunantunich (the Mayan ruins in Succotz) this morning, the rain kept us from going. Therefore, we enjoyed a relaxing morning playing cards, games, and starting our packing for Caye Caulker. Then, we headed to Benny's Kitchen for lunch. When we finished, we walked down to the markets for some last minute souvenir shopping when we received a great surprise: Xunantunich was open!! We hurried back to camp, changed into tennis shoes, grabbed our cameras and headed out for the adventure!

We took the ferry over to the ruins and then were able to hike to the very top. I even got to reel us back across the river when we came back; it was awesome! Seeing this incredible holy ground where the Mayans sacrificed so many people was so overwhelming. Although it was foggy and rainy, we were able to see a breathtaking view from the top. To see such a big world, standing from the top of the ruins, knowing we are so small compared to God's world is an indescribable feeling. We all left soaking wet and incredibly blessed by the afternoon we were able to experience. 

When we returned, we had our final dinner at the campground. We were blessed by the presence of Aby and Amalia (our cooks) at the dinner table as we enjoyed chicken, watermelon and delicious rolls covered in jelly. 

We then moved onto seminar and devotions.

Here are devotions from Christy:

When I heard we had to lead a devotion during our time here in Belize I was very excited to hear what everyone had to say and the growth that would occur. It then hit me that I too was one of the people that had to create and lead a devotion. For those of you who don't know me, I am an early childhood education major (along with intervention specialist), but as my majors imply I enjoy teaching young children... Not my peers. So this soon became a stress for me. As I talked with leaders from the school professors on the trip, double digit hours of praying, and reading three different Bible translations of the scripture, God laid my devotion on my heart that was pretty obvious; however, I was still super nervous. 

For my devotion I was led to the verse Mark 5:16 which encourages us to let our light shine before others so that they may see God through us. After reading this verse and explaining how it applied to us and our time over he past 17 days I asked that everyone would get out of their seats and "mingle." Each student was asked to find at least six people and tell them how they saw Christ in them throughout the time we have spent here. This was in the schools, around the campground, and anytime you saw them showing the love of Christ through their actions. I asked that they would just take a moment to not only pour out their "cups" onto each other but also to allow theirs to be filled by each other. It was so encouraging to see everyone pulling each other aside and laughing, crying, and hugging out things that just made our last night wonderful. After about 2 hours the last few people filed out, and I could feel a peace of God's work in our group over the past 17 days and tonight in the love we all shared with each other. God is good, all the time. 

Love,

Christy

Overall, today has been an incredible blessing. Knowing that our journey here in Succotz is coming to an end is a sad realization, but knowing that God placed each of us here for a specific purpose is an amazing realization. Although we head out tomorrow for Caye Caulker, I know part of each of our hearts will always remain in Succotz. I for one will always be incredibly thankful for my time here. 

Last Day of School!

Emotions were high as we set out for our last day of school this morning. 

Here's what Aria has to say about her day:

Today was everyone's last day in the schools. At Victorious, we had our final devotional with our cooperating teachers and principal Miss Ingrid - it was really special and encouraging. We all got a chance to pray and thank God for His goodness and blessings in our life. It was a perfect start to the day. Saying goodbye to the students was hard, but I know that I will never forget them or this experience. This experience has caused me to grow as a teacher, person and Christian. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of Belizean culture and get to know its people. They are some of the most wonderful, kind and loving people I have ever met. I hope I blessed them as much as they have blessed me. Belize will forever be in my heart! 

We ended the night with a delicious meal of rice and beans (although we may be tired of it, I know we will miss it). Sitting family style is always a beautiful thing. And lastly we shared devotions together before getting ready for bed. 

Love, 

Aria

Here are devotions from Julia:

Tonight I handed everyone on the trip one index card with a taped piece of sponge to it (shout out to Cass, Tiffany, and Jackie for helping out). On every card I wrote the words "Be His sponge..." This may seem silly, but I'll get to that later. 

The scripture that I read tonight was first from Colossians 3:10-11 "Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn't matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us." Christ has made us new and every day we encounter things that continually renew us (or that's the just of it anyway). My second scripture reading came from Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." I broke this down to say the witnesses are the people we are surrounded by - the Belizeans, the members of the group, all you beautiful people reading this blog; there are a ton of things that can weigh us down - whether it be from the past, present, or future - but we shouldn't focus on these when we are in this fantastic country; and that we are all running a different race, but a race that God has put us on. 

Then I finally gave a purpose to the index card: explaining what we have soaked up on this trip and refuse to squeeze out. My list included His beautiful creation in my students, the challenge and the sweet taste of victory, friendships, lack of importance of time, laughter...all the time, and most importantly trust in the One who created it all. As the group shared there was one thing that was evident: Belize will forever be in our hearts. To end the devotion, we listened to a spoken word (one which I don't know the name of because Andrew gave it to me, but I was super good). It talked about not wasting the time you are given and to be totally present in every moment. My prayer was to enjoy every moment in Belize before we have to go back to all the snow and coldness. We are His sponges, filling everyday until we are dripping wet. 

Love, 

Julia 

It has definitely been a beautiful, tear-filled day. We are thankful for the opportunities God has given us to be sponges on this trip, simultaneously squeezing ourselves out as we are being poured into each day. 

Two Down; One To Go!

Today marks two weeks since we began our journey. As we begin wrapping up the educational part of the trip, our lives and minds are filled with so much emotion. Although it's difficult to out into words, we'll do our best. 

Here's what Erin has to say about her day:

I taught my final lesson today. It definitely wasn't the greatest lesson I've ever taught. In fact, it may have been the worst yet. Some of it was my own fault in planning and preparation, but most of it was just plain misfortune. I've gained a lot about teaching diversely just from this one lesson, and although I won't go into the details of all my mess ups, I would like to share one funny, embarrassing story. 

Let me start off by saying that I've never been a fan of skirts. I'm definitely a dress pants girl. Unfortunately for me, in Belize the women have to wear skirts in school. Skirts, alas, were my downfall. I was teaching on facts and opinions. I started running out of room on the board so I had to crouch down to write an example of an opinion at the bottom. During the process, I had stepped on my skirt and when I went to stand up, I fell backwards. Even worse than falling in the middle of a lesson was having my skirt's buttons pop open as I was getting up. Luckily, I was wearing shorts underneath. I quickly turned away and buttoned it back up while the students continued writing notes. The best part, of course, was that today's lesson was supervised. Did I let humiliation keep me down? Nope. I didn't even cry. I just turned around and kept on teaching. 

All things considered, I've had a great day. It's always good to know that even the worst days can have a speck of laughter - in more ways than one. For example, most of the morning for those at Victorious was taken up by an amazing magic show done by an evangelist from Florida. Scott Humston did a great job incorporating humor and magic into the teachings of Jesus. He even made a different set so that the kids could enjoy watching another one of his shows with their families during Family Night at the local Nazarene church. I decided to go so that I could meet my students' parents. It was a win-win situation. I got to know my students more all the while getting to enjoy another great magic show. I even had the joy to see some of them lead to Christ. I'm glad that instead of dwelling on my day's misfortunes, I was able to end it rejoicing in what the Lord can do. 

Love, 
Erin 

I had the opportunity to share devotions this evening. While I strategically planned to do devotions the night before our last day in the classroom, I hadn't really come across anything that seemed significant - until I heard the following from our morning devotions with the teachers at Victorious:

If I could explain everything perfectly to my students, but did not love each one of them, I might as well be talking to an empty room. If I could find all the answers to educational problems and did not love, my efforts would be futile. If I could buy every kind of educational aid and sacrificed to do so, but did not have love for my students, it would be a complete waste.

Love is patient when it is necessary to repeat a concept over and over to a student who is having difficulty. Love is kind when an irate parent accuses and berates other teachers or me. Love is not jealous when the other teacher has an entire class of well-behaved and extremely intelligent children while mine are not so great.

Love is not proud or boastful when my students improve greatly and really want to come to my class. Love is willing to yield my schedule and plans to fit in with the needs of others. Love does not scream at my class when they misbehave, but seeks to help them understand the importance of self-discipline.

Love does not broadcast all of my students' problems and misdeeds to those in the lounge. Love keeps trying even when it seems a student will never understand long division or the difference between an adverb and an adjective.

Teaching methods, bulletin boards, textbooks, yes, even computers, will eventually be discarded, but love is everlasting. These three things I have learned through teaching: endurance, patience and love. And the greatest of these is love.

As teachers, this is our biggest goal. While there have been many barriers in the classroom, love is definitely not one of them. I encouraged each person in our group to find a way to share love with the kids in the classroom tomorrow despite the emotions. We are here in response to the calling of Christ, and Christ calls us to love. I know it is my hope that, above all else, my students remember the love I have for each and every one of them. 

I hope this brings some encouragement to you, too, as you journey through your daily life. Blessings!

On another note, we are excited to announce that we have reached over 3,000 views on our blog! We feel like our blog has been a way for us to collectively share our stories. We feel blessed that you can join in on a small part of our journey, and we want you to know that we appreciate YOU! Thanks for journeying alongside us, and thanks for praying for us! 

Tomorrow is going to be an emotional day as we say goodbye to the children who have stolen a smallpiece  if each of our hearts from day one. While we all are much richer from this experience, it feels like we are losing a significant part of ourselves. We thought God would use this opportunity in the classroom to bring about change, but I know I didn't think the change would be internal. 

Please, join in prayer with us tomorrow as we say goodbye. I've always been told, "Moving in is simple; it's what you leave behind that's hard." This experience is just one of those times. 

Hide-And-Seek

Today's blog post most closely resembles a game of hide-and-seek. Where do we see God? And how are we showing God to others? 

Here's what Andrew has to say:

Words are a hard thing to use to paint the picture I want to paint in your mind as you read this, but I will do the best I can at throwing words like paint on this blank canvas of a blog tonight. 

Yesterday was an eye opener as my cooperating teacher was almost in tears telling me her personal side of the story of these children's education - a perspective of a loving teacher who feels like a failure, when in all reality she is giving it her best Monday through Saturday. I wrote a spoken word using her words and story right after our conversation. I read those tough words to the group last night and one of my sisters here will be recording me recite it; it won't be until we are back that it will surface the internet, but I encourage you to watch it if you get the chance.

Now today... I guess the question is what was significant enough to put down the paint bucket and pick up a paintbrush to paint something that really stands out. From roughly 4:30 to 7:00 in the afternoon, only a minute down the street, some of us found ourselves covered in mud as we answered a call to love our neighbors and treat them as we would want to be treated. Simply put, a bus was stuck in the mud. Here is where I am able to put down the paintbrush and paint; the final piece of this picture is the light that it takes to see the beauty of the painting. God revealed Himself once again and here is how: my devotion here (on our second day) was about obedience and ended with a poem called I Will Move the Rock by Cindy Lu, which explained how we are called to obey and not necessarily expected to achieve a specific goal. Today, as we crawled under that bus, pushed wood into areas we couldn't see, piled rocks under tires and pushed against that bus, we never gave up as we continued to show love - such actions reflect our Creator's constant pursuit for a relationship with us.

Reflecting on a call that I had for our group for this trip and then seeing our group answering it was a blessing. The best part is that this is only one of the MANY times that my brothers and sisters here have done just that.

All glory to God.

Wishing that this wasn't the last week, and with lots of love,

- Andrew Richardson

Here are the devotions from Jenny:  

Tonight I had the opportunity to lead devotions in camp. While in Belize God has really struck me through the beauty of his creation. I have seen some of the most incredible mountain top views and even some shooting stars here. I asked the group to look for God this week in different ways. Some shared they saw God through CT's, students, and different people in the community. One thing is for sure...God is showing up in some sweet ways here in Belize!!! 

The Bible verses we read were Psalm 57 and Psalm 66. God Bless!

I think it's evident that, despite the fact that we are far away from our lived ones at home, the One who loves us is close by!

Almost A "Real" Teacher

We are hard at work planning lessons and strressing out (just a little bit) about observations from our supervisors, we all are still enjoyiing the experience and the time in the classroom.  

Here`s what Emily has to say about her day: 

Waking to the sound of pouring rain, couldn't damper my excitement for today....because it was LESSON DAY! We started the morning with one of our favorite Belizean foods - flat jacks; these delicious fluffy-doughy biscuits are always the perfect wat to start any morning. Heading to the schools was as normal as it could be with the bumpy roads as we weaved in-and-out of traffic. But on arrival into my classroom, I came to the realization there was something different.....VERY different. Well let me start with what my normal day in the classroom looks like first.  I'm in standard 4, which is like 6th grade in the States. After my first day, my feet ached. I stood in the back of they room as my CT lectured for the rest of the school day, which was only a half-day due to parent conferences in the afternoon. My second day was much better...I got my a very own chair!!! I was still in the back of the room in my "little corner" with little interaction with my students except for occasional mingling during breaks. After my first two days. I can least say I was a little discouraged. My CT didn't seem to want to engage with me and because the students switched classes, my time with them was very limited with little interaction.  My heart ached. I knew I had a class to be here and I wanted God to use me, but with my human perspective, I was at a lost for how He was going to do that.

As time passed, I was able to connect more and more with my CT and I was starting to learn my students' names by the time I gave my first lesson, after that, little by little I was gaining more and more responsibilities within the classroom. My CT would hand me the lesson plan for the period and day and say, "go for it"  with little to no prep time. He was gaining in confidence with my teaching skills and my confidence in myself was being reassured. By my second lesson, I had my own "teacher" pen for checking and grading homework, supervising the computer lab, and tutoring students who needed extra help. And about my second lesson....Guess what I had to teach on, and I don't use the words "had to" lightly.....I got to share with my students all about AIDS/HIV. Well...at least I officially get to say that I had the chance to embarrass half a dozen 8-14 year old boys by some white girl talkng about sex. :) 

Well....getting back to today. I walked into the classoom to my students too eagerly informing me both of the standard 4 teachers were sick and there was only one sub coming. I would be on my own for the day. My emotions were running crazy as excitement, fear, nervosness, and confidence ran through my head. The students aren't the most behaved for my CT. The room is always filled with chatter and noises - even during lectures. Individual work never gets done. Most of the students simply refuse to do it but rather spend the time talking to one another. This was going to be a challege for me. During my lessons, I could bribe/threaten losing break as incentives to complete work, but this only worked for a small amount of time. The morning was spent with a game of heads-up seven-up, spelling hangman (girls vs boys of course), writing the week's memory verse, and I handed their Language Arts homework back from the previous week......to say at least I was thinking off the top of my head with no classroom resources. The extra time spent on the homework seemed very valuable. The students hadn't  done well and with the extra practice they seemed to better understand the concept. By the time we were leaving for lunch, the principal brought me the lesson plans for the day....FINALLY some form of organization for the afternoon. After lunch (Brad and Jean took us out for lunch and a quaint little home restaurant....which was DELICIOUUS!!!) I headed back into the classroom with more nerves than ever. At the end of the day Jean would be coming in to observe my lesson and my students weren`t on their best behavior for the morning, and the afternoon was only going to be worse. The students were beyond hyper throughout the whole afternoon and were hard to manage. I was expecting more from them than they had ever been expected to give before. By the end of the day I was exhausted and ready for bed by 5pm. BUT overall, I gained some great experience from today. I know the importantance of eastablishing proper classroom management (thanks Mrs.Shiverdecker :)) and the fact that I can survive a full day of teaching on my own.....and so did the students :) 

Night!!!!!

Here are devotionals from Elizabeth: 

With people having to work on lesson plans, devotions were short tonight. I didn't know what I wanted to talk about for devotions. I had taught my last lesson today, and during it I had begun to think about Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." If you think about it, this verse plays a huge part for this trip. God has been with us through this whole time and with God, we can get through anything. We ended devotions with a stellar prayer from Jackie.

Goodnight everyone!!!

There you have it. A wonderful Monday of being almost a "real" teacher. 

Cuán Grande Es Él

As we wind down the weekend and gear up for another week of school, we have been able to find blessings even in the midst of a changing schedule. 

Here's what Christy has to say about the day:

The morning started off as usual with the not so faint sound of roosters crowing, dogs barking and an incredibly delicious breakfast made by our wonderful cooks Abby and Amallya. Then came the bumpy ride to church. Paster Reyes was back this week and blessed us with an amazing sermon on Faith from the book of Romans. He gave examples of how our life cannot be complete and there are things that we will not be able to fully understand until we give everything we have to God. We also got to sing the song that Erin taught us in her devotion earlier this week. It was great to be shown fearless love with the open arms and hearts of the church congregation. After church we came back to a warm lunch of spaghetti and chips with homemade queso dip. Not only was this a wonderful reminder of home but the homemade dip is a huge fan favorite. 

After checking the website and clarifying that it was open we finished lunch and then were given the choice of going to the Xunantunich Mayan ruins or staying to work on homework for school tomorrow. As you can probably guess the majority of us practiced our fully developed skill of procrastinating and made the walk down to the ferry. When we got there we were sadly disappointed to find the only way to the ruins (the ferry) closed. Because of all the rain that Guatemala had gotten in the past 24 hours it was all running full speed down into the river. Practicing the one skill that we were told not to come without, flexibility, we quickly made new plans and were given a few options on what we could do until dinner. Part of the group when to Benny's to get some refreshing fruit drinks and relax in the beautiful Belizean air, others started the long trek back to camp, other went to the near by market to do some shopping and then a small group of us went to explore the town that we have been living in. 

My group went to look around the town. We wandered around the town seeing parts of Belize that we had never seen before. Then we came to a hill that we had all wondered what was on the other side so... Of course we climbed it. After huffing and puffing to the top of Mt. Everest we saw one of the most breath taking views we have encountered on the entire trip. It was amazing just to see God's creation all laid out before me and knowing the pictures that I took could never do it justice. From there we followed the road around passing some of our students from school and meeting a woman named Lilly who had met groups of education students from Mount Vernon in the past. She showed us around the village that she lived in as well as where she lived with her family.  She too had an incredible view reaching all the way to Guatemala inviting us to come back again during an evening so we could watch the "wishing stars" as she called them. 

Later in the evening as people started to wind down and work on lesson plans or begin to journal, McKenzie, Jenny, Brody, and I went to watch the stars. To our disappointment, however, it began to rain so not only were we wet but the clouds covered all the stars. As a plan B we began walking only to find ourselves avoiding a puddle every two feet. Needless to say we spent the next hour jumping in mud puddles and playing in the rain. This was just the perfect end to a fabulous day and was a great reminder of God's beautiful creation, that I as a person although I am small am incredibly blessed not only in my life but through this trip, as well as how important it is to enjoy the little things in life. 

Mommy I love you and cannot wait to see you! I hope to bring back some sunshine for you. 

Love,

Christy

Here are devotions from Cassidy:

When planning the devotional, I tried to find a verse that would speak to everyone. Little did I know, from hearing others share, the devotional spoke to me more than I thought. I read Psalm 139:23-24, "Search me, God, and know my heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting." I asked the group what this verse means to them and what may hinder them from allowing God to search their hearts. 

For me, I explained that this verse means that I'm open and vulnerable to God and I allow Him to work through my life. I told the group that what may hinder me to allow God to search my heart is trust. I explained scenarios in my life, such as my senior missions trip where 3 students passed away and a motorcycle accident my parents went through this past May, that have caused me to question my faith and made it difficult to put my trust in Christ. Others shared that this verse means being vulnerable and walking with Christ through situations together. Dr. Brad used the illustration of our heart as a mansion. He said that the mansion is full of different rooms and each room represents a different area of our life. He assured me that walking through those rooms and searching your heart is a lifetime process. I never expected that I would learn so much and be spoken to from a devotional I planned, but I know I have received a new perspective from my peers insight.

Love,

Cassidy

Despite the fact that we haven't been able to see much of the "tourist-y" scenery of Belize, I know in my heart that even if I don't see another piece of Belize, I've already seen the most beautiful part of the country in the Belizean people. I think my peers would say the same. 

Cuán Grande Es Él; How Great He Is!

God's Plan

While the flooded roads changed our plans, the rain didn't stop our fun! Today we enjoyed the beautiful views of the Spanish lookout, ventured through San Ignacio, shopped in the markets and enjoyed some time at the campsite. 

First, I'd like to share an experience that melted my heart today. Let me give you some background information. I am placed in a standard six classroom, the equivalent of 8th grade in the US. While this is a new experience for me as I've always been placed in the high school since my certification is 7-12th grade, I've thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere of a primary school. Now, standard six is a little different as all students are preparing for the Belize National Test, a test they have to pass to continue into high school. Therefore, my cooperating teacher stays after school every day with the students working on material for an hour in addition to coming to school on Saturday from 9-12 to help the students prepare. Her passion for education is clearly evident, but that's not the part of the story I want to share.

So, on Thursday, one of my students, Victor, missed school. On Friday he brought me this a piece of notebook paper with something tucked inside. Wrapped inside was a beautiful slate with a turtle (a good luck turtle) carved into it. He carved it himself.

Today as we walked toward the market in Succotz, I heard a precious voice scream, "Miss Mit-zy!!" (Native Spanish-speakers really struggle with the way we pronounce things) I looked up to find the smiling face of Victor running toward me. He proceeded to show me his family's booth and introduce me to his uncle and cousins at the market. Then his face lit up, and his inquisitive eyes looked up at me when he asked, "Did you like the turtle?" I exclaimed, "I love the turtle! I showed all of my friends, and I am so excited to show my family at home! It's the most beautiful gift I've ever received." This was the honest truth. His smile extended from ear to ear, and his response brought tears to my eyes. He said, "I made this for you on Thursday; that's why I missed school."

While I know the teacher in me should have been disappointed in the fact that Victor missed class, my knowledge of the people here helped me understand a very important lesson. You see, Belize is a very relational country. The people here care more about others than they do about themselves. While Victor is responsible for learning a full year's worth of academics by March in order to pass the national test, Victor found it more important to make me - somebody he has known for just one week - a good luck charm for me to take back home with me. 

Victor may be a struggling student in the classroom, but Victor has skills far beyond his years. His love for others far exceeds his need for personal success. Victor understands far, far more than I - as a teacher - will ever be able to teach him. Victor embodies the selflessness of Christ in all of his actions. While Victor has many other responsibilities on his plate, he went out of his way for me. Victor thought he was giving me a turtle for good luck, but what Victor doesn't know is that I already consider myself lucky because God blessed me with the opportunity to see Him through Victor. 

While I was disappointed that our plans changed, and we didn't have the opportunity to go to the pools and see the waterfalls, I know I would not have received this blessing had our plans not changed. The warmth I felt it my heart far exceeded any warmth the sun could have provided, and the little slate turtle that I will be taking home is a gift I cherish for the rest of my life. 

Here's what Tiffany has to say about the day:

As Miss Mit-zy said above, today started of with a bit of disappointment when the group found out the roads to the excursion we had planned were not passable. It is amazing how God spoke to me throughout the day about the frustrated attitude I had in the morning purely due to the fact that I wasn't able to go see the waterfalls here. God began reminding me that my troubles are so little compared to what some people face here. Belize has been hit hard with rain this year, causing many tourist spots to be closed. The waterfalls are one of any spots affected by the rain. In an area that relies on tourism to make a living, the rain has made times really hard for many families. There have been many small markets selling their items at a low price to our group because they are so desperate to make some money. It breaks my heart to think that I was complaining because I couldn't see the waterfalls when there are families struggling to feed their families. This day has reminded me that it's okay to get to do fun things, but when plans change, I still need to remember that I'm blessed to be in Belize in the first place. With all that being said, please keep the families relying on tourism in your prayers. 

With the change of plans, we decided to drive into San Ignacio to eat lunch and see the town. We were able to walk to the markets to shop for some souvenirs, and for the ice cream lovers like me, we treated ourselves to some deicious gelato! Belize is AWESOME when it comes to ice cream :) It was so cool to see all the people roaming the town and crowding the stands to watch the local fútbol game. I wish I could put in words how amazing it is here,  but you all will just have to visit Belize to understand - lol. 

To end the day, the whole group walked down to the local Nazarene church for their youth group they put on every Saturday night. It was here that I truly felt blessed to be in Belize. The moment we walked in the church, a young girl ran into the arms of one of the girls in our group. She wore a huge smiling while saying, "hello, Miss Jenny." In these moments, I see the loving relationships being formed between us and our students here. I know that it will be just as hard for them to say bye to us as it will be for us to say bye to them. On our way back, I got to talk to one of my high school students. She is sixteen years old and lives very close to where we are staying. The walk was pretty long so I had a great time getting to know her more. She melted my heart when we got to where we parted ways and she turned to me and said, "I would love to introduce you to my familly tomorrow Miss Wright. Would you be willing to meet them?" I said, "I would love nothing more than to meet your brothers and parents. I can't wait!" Her face lit up. I only wish she realized how much it meant to me that she trusts me enough to introduce me to her whole family. I'm going to be working with her at lunch and after school on her math homework, so I look forward to continuing to get to know her even more. It's been a great day, but I must go now so I can do some grading - lol.

I just want to say I love you mom, dad, and Nick. I'm so thankful for you, Mom and Dad, for making this experience possible. Nick, I miss you very much and look forward to seeing you shortly after I get back to the states. Bye everyone!

Here are the devotions from Erin:

1 Peter 1:22 says, "Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from the heart." 

One of the things that really caught me off guard about being in Belize is the love that has been shown to me. I had expected a lot of love and acceptance from the children just from the stories I've heard about past J-term trips, but I never thought that many of the adults would be the same way. I shared with the group the story of my first day of field at Victorious Nazarene Primary School. My group showed up early, and we were immediately welcomed to join the teachers in a special time of devotion. At the end of the devotion, the teachers sang a song for us and greeted each us with smiles. Just seeing how easily we, as strangers, were accepted and welcomed to come again really made an impact on me. In the following days, I began to notice some signs around the school that said, "Belize in you; Belize in me." Those words have really stuck with me. Even though I have only been here for ten days, the love and kindness that the people here have shown me will alway stay with me. Belize and this experience is now part of me. 

After my story, a few memebers of the group decided to share their stories about love. Some stories were similar to mine. Many of us have witnessed some kind of love either from our students, cooperating teachers, or perhaps from the stranger who helped us exchange our money. Others have had a harder time seeing this love, but realized that even if it's not reciprocated, we need to be loving and accepting. I ended the devotional by teaching the group the song that the teachers at Victorious sang to us. We stood up and we each greeted each other in Jesus' name. 

Love,

Erin 

Today has definitely been one of those days that God was able to direct our steps. Our plans may have fallen through, but God knew exactly what we needed today. 

Spontaneity

It's Friday! While we've all enjoy our first week in the schools, we are excited to venture through Belize this weekend!

Brody is going to talk about the unique chapel experience six of us experienced at Victorious today:

The six of us that are teaching at Victorious Nazarene always start our day with a short devotion with all of the teachers at Victorious. Yesterday morning during devotion the teachers decided to have a whole school chapel because they wanted us to be a part of it. It is amazing how flexible these teacher and their willingness to change their plans 15 minutes before chapel started just so we could experience this with them. 

All of the students and teachers filled the chapel class by class. Everyone in the chapel got on thier feet, and we started to worship through singing. It was very neat to see that they like to worship the same way we do back home. Half of the songs we sang were in English and half were in Spanish. It was awesome to see my students help translate the meaning of the songs in Spanish to me to help me understand the meaning of the song. I do not think I ever stopped smiling during this chapel because of the joy and happiness I could see in all of the students. 

During chapel at Victorious, different classes will prepare to present either a Bible verse or a song they have learned during the week. I have to give a big shoutout to Miss Christy and Miss Erin for getting on stage with standard 2 to sing and dance with them. The students really enjoyed to see us get involved with thier chapel and I know we enjoyed it even more. Overall,  the word that comes to my mind to describe this experience was FLAWLESS.

Cassidy is going to tell us about her day:

Today was an eventful, tiring day to say the least. The day began by starting another day in the schools. I had the opportunity to observe Julia teach in her class which was an awesome experience. According to the principal at Faith Nazarene, Julia has a class with the most misbehaved children. She has had a lot of frustrations this week, but today she managed her class tremendously throughout her lesson. It was a great experience seeing one of my best friends accomplish a task when she was discouraged several times this week. 

The students have stolen my heart. The more I get to know them, I am reminded of how hard it is going to be to leave. Earlier this week, I found out one of my students has special needs. My cooperating teacher said she doesn't know what's wrong, and she doesn't know what to do to better his education. I worked with him and found out he doesn't know the alphabet. My heart broke when I realized he sits in class all day and does nothing because he doesn't understand any of the activities. The worst thing is that he is supposed to graduate from primary school (which ends at 8th grade) next year. I have been eager to work with him, but since that day, he hasn't returned to school. Since next week is the last week in the school, I feel a little discouraged because I want to give him the one-on-one attention that is normally not available to him, and I'm running out of time. Yesterday for math, I taught on currency and foreign exchange. I had the chance to review with them today, and it was great to see how many students really learned and to whom I can give indivialized instruction. My school was released early, so five of the MVNU students were able to explore the town of San Ignacio. We found an awesome ice cream place that we later took the whole group to after seeing the Mayan ruins. There were so many beautiful sights and lots of steps to climb. It was interesting to physically see and learn about Belizean history.  I know that during this trip I'm being stretched and learning to trust God more everyday. Shout out to my family and friends! I miss and love you all!

Love ,

Cassidy Wilson 

Here are the devotions from Morgan:

Devotions tonight began with an excerpt from the book Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy. The story was called "An Unforgettable Wedding Night." This story was long, so I'll give you a summary. It started how everyone would imagine it would with a new husband and wife leaving their wedding ceremony to go back home and spend a very loving and intimate night together. However, when they made it home, there was unexpected twist waiting for them - a house full of trash bags and garbage thrown everywhere and all of the new wife's ex-boyfriends standing around. 

While this story is extremely unlikely to happen, this happens quite often in our relationships with Jesus. Many Christians often pray for a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus, but we often fail to recognize the amount of trash we bring into our relationship. There is so much garbage in our hearts that Jesus can't walk through the door. 

We focused on Galations 5:24 which talks about those who belong to Christ defeating flesh and all the passion and desires that come with it. We are able to become less while He becomes more. The majority of this garbage has been in our lives for so long, we are unable to recognize it without it the help of Jesus. I challenged our group to begin the process of taking out the garbage in our lives and moving to a more intimate relationship with Jesus. And while this will be a very painful and discouraging practice, we can have hope because Jesus already knows the trash we come with and is waiting for us to ask for His help to empty it. He has already died for the sin in our lives because living without us for eternity would hurt more than dying for us. He wants a deep relationship with us and it is only possible when we begin throwing out the other loves in our lives and our past mistakes. So, let's move towards the one man who is willing to die for our mistakes and join in a truly intimate relationship with Him. 

Love, 

Morgan

As you can tell, we are all enjoying our experience - spontaneity and all!

Onion Soup for the Soul

Since when did 75 degrees feel colder than the -40 degree temperatures we experienced just days before setting out for Belize? The answer: Today. Although it has been quite a chilly day, God has still been moving and using our experiences to shape our lives, minds, and hearts. 

Here's what Tori has to say about the day:

Today I was reminded of how I can be a vessel of God's love to these beatiful children. I am in an Infant II classroom (comparable to 2nd grade in the States), so my day is filled with hugging children, sticky hands, and MANY games of tag. Each day I come back to camp sweaty and exhausted, but my heart could not be fuller. One boy in my class, Henry, is eight years old. I noticed he was far behind his classmates, and my teacher explained to me that he was labeled as a slow learner. The Intervention side of my major kicked in to full gear, and I told her that my degree also qualifies me to work with students that have special needs. I volunteered to pull him out of the classroom to give him one-on-one attention.

Henry can only recognize the numbers one, two, and three. He knows two out of twenty-six letters of the alphabet. He cannot read. He stayed in Infant I for two years, and his teachers just shipped him over to the next grade because maybe being in a different grade willl help him retain knowledge. Henry has short-term memory loss. Whatever he masters one day will probaby be forgotten in the next. There is no special education pograms at the Belizean schools, so Henry rarely gets one-on-one attention. 

What Henry lacks cognitively, he makes up for it with his attitude. We did number flashcards for thirty minutes straight (imagine that with the attention span of an eight-year-old!) and a smile never left his face. The same boy that everyone labels as a failure bought me a choco-bananna with his own money because I said it was my favorite Belizean snack. Henry has an outlook to serve others, and he always cares for his friends. Christ could not be more evident in this little boy's heart.

Henry learned the numbers four, five, and seven today. Even though he probably won't remember what  I taught him tomorrow, Henry has taught me far more than I could ever teach him. Henry exemplifies how Christ erases our sins each day. No matter what we do, if we are sincerely sorry, Jesus will wipe our slate clean. He never keeps a record of wrongs. This concept will be in my heart forever.

I love this country, and I can't wait to see where these next two weeks take me and my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Love,

Tori

P.S. Shout out to my mom and my soul sisters! You guys are awesome!

Here are the devotions from Felicia:

God laid this devotion on my heart right before I left for this trip. Since that time I have been eagerly awaiting my turn for devotion.

The theme for my devotion was time. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 was the scripture I opened with. These verses address how we go through different seasons in our lives and during these seasons there are different times to do certain things. For example, a time weep and a time to laugh, or a time to gain and a time to lose. I feel we have all been called here for a certain reason and this is our time. 

I passed around pieces of paper and challenged the group to write on their piece of paper what they feel their time is here. Some people shared their thoughts which ranged from #mvnulifechanging to a time to trust. It was interesting to see what some people feel their time is and why they feel that way. After sharing I told the group to keep their piece of paper in their journal or somewhere safe and at the end of the trip when we are on the plane to take the piece of paper out and see if what they wrote was true or if God had changed their hearts and this trip was a time for something different. 

This trip is life changing and it is all our time for one thing or another. We just need to dive in full heartily to discover what time it is for us.

With Love,

Felicia 

In addition to working on lesson plans, sitting through an hour of seminar, and processing our experiences with each other, learning that we are all learning to be teachers, teaching to be learners, and continuing to learn about ourselves, others, and the culture here, it's evident that God is teaching us far, far more than we ever anticipated. For that, we are all very, very blessed. Our dinner of onion soup wasn't the only thing that was good for the soul today. 

One down! Two to go!

Can you believe we've been on this journey for a full week? We've learned so much about flexibility, the necessity to let your expectations go, the necessity to allow others to help you get through the struggles and the joy of living in community. Who knew one could learn so much in just one short week?

Felicia is going to tell us about her day:

This morning was just like any other morning except I had the pre-teaching jitters. This was going to be my first time ever teaching in a different country to students who speak both English and Spanish. However, I knew that confidence is key so I walked to school and into the classroom with confidence. When I saw all 21 of my students' smiling faces my jitters went away. I successfully taught a lesson about irregular verbs. I left the classroom today feeling great and more confident about my teaching than ever before and that is all thanks to these amazing kids. The students in my class have impacted my life more than I ever thought they would. I am now realizing how hard it will be to tell my class goodbye next Friday. I am sure there will be many tears. But on a more positive note, I have successfully learned all 21 of my students' names. SUCCESS!!!!!!!!!! I know that I will never forget them either, especially because I wrote them all down in my journal :) Overall, this day and experience has been amazing and life changing. I can't believe my life has been impacted so much in just one week in this amazingly different culture. I cannot wait to see what the next two weeks have in store for me and the rest of the group.

With Love,

Felicia

P.S. I love you mom! Enjoy your coffee this morning :)

Here are the devotions from Jackie:

There have been highs and lows so far on this trip. Sometimes your hands are in the air, waving like you just don't care, and other times you have a death grip on the bar. Regardless, this community of teachers that we are currently living in will be there to catch one another and raise them up - In the tradition of the master teacher himself.

Stellarly,

Jackie

In one week, our lives have been molded, shaped and transformed in a very tangible way. One week down, two weeks to go! 

And, to answer the question you are all dying to know, we all are freezing as the temperature dropped to a frigid 70 degrees this evening. Life is hard. (;

Terrific Tuesday!

Today has been a beautiful, hot day in the classrooms. Many of us enjoyed being in front of our classes for the first time actually getting an opportunity to teach our students. Of course, we also enjoyed playing games after school; Tiffany, Brody, and I played an intense game of "fútbol" with the students while others played on the basketball court and others on the swing. However, despite the differences each of our days brought, we were all able to bring conversation to the dinner table, work tables while doing homework and lesson planning, and devotional time.

Here's what Taylor had to say about his day:

What a day it has been! After getting over the awkward first day on Friday and a very successful name game yesterday, today was just the beginning of the journey I am embarking on. I personally think it's so cool when the class addresses us as a solo "mister" or "miss" (meaning nothing after mister or miss). So, needless to say, I am all smiles when they say mister to me. Anyway, that was far from the highlight of the day. Today, three of us had a possible life-changing experience with students today. Cassidy and I both got to work with students that have severe disabilities. Side note: they don't have Intervention Specialists (IS) here in Belize, so what we did with them today has been the extent of attention and help they have received in a long time. Both of us worked with students that are 11 or 12 years of age and can't spell - not even sight words like of, the, was, or it. We would ask them a letter like t and they would say w or ask them to spell 'it' and they would just stare at their paper. Since both of us are studying to be an IS someday, it broke our hearts. Cass left crying and my heart just sank to my stomach. We are doing exactly what God has called us to do, and we are both going to be working one-on-one with these students the rest of our time here. In addition, Elizabeth was able to help a girl that speaks almost no English with a story book. The girl knows her sight words and was sounding them out, but couldn't read the whole story. She sat down with her, helped in the process, and the girl finished the story and was able to read a whole book. It's times like these with these three students that we realize why we are here. God calls us to help the least of these. I mean yes we are in a third-world country, but I take that as helping those that can't help themselves. We are going to have a lasting impact on these three individuals, as well as the whole classroom in this process. I really want to say so much more, but words in a blog can't fully describe what we have felt since we have entered this beautiful country of Belize. God's grace, love, provision, and mercy are keeping us going, and we are beyond thankful for that. Well, I need to get back to lesson planning! I teach my first actual lesson tomorrow, so say a prayer for my colleagues and me as we start teaching this week. To God be the Glory, forever and ever. Amen! God Bless!!

Here's what Emily had for devotions this evening:

Every time we sit around our family table (2 large tables we've mushed together to form a huge table with 2 long benches down the side - our very own education meeting spot), my heart is overwhelmed by how blessed I am to be able to sit with true friends - sharing our thoughts, concerns, stories, fears and prayers. Tonight we talked about how God embraces our weaknesses to heighten our strengths. After sharing my classes' scripture lesson from the day (Jesus healing the man with leprosy), I read 2 Corrinthians 12. Paul describes one of the most difficult things for us to grasp and believe about the life of faith: God purposefully blesses us with weaknesses for the sake of our joy and uses our weakness to highlight our strengths. Through sharing my own struggles in my placement over the past 3 days, I proposed the question....Are you content with the weakness you live with? Your limitations, illnesses, disabilities, circumstances, and insecurities.......Most times we seek affirmation from others, but yet we forget it's not our human achievements that show Christ - but rather out human helplessness. Paul was ashamed of his weakness but he let God embrace his weaknesses in order to let God use him. Our father used his "weakness" in tremendous strength and will use weakness in maximum extent. Our family ended the night with sharing our classroom highlights from the day and embracing in fellowship.

Love,

Emily

I think it's more than evident that we have started to leave part of our hearts within different aspects of the culture, people, and experience in Belize. I'm confident that not a single one of us will leave unchanged. 

 

The Long-Awaited Monday Post!

All of us were very anxious to get back into the schools to see the students and work with our cooperating teachers today. 

Jackie is going to tell us about her day at the high school:

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of my day is that Belizean high school students aren't that different from state side kids. Too cool for school, and all that jazz. Not that it stopped me from imparting giant parts of wisdom upon them my second day in. Eye of the tiger, ladies and gentlemen. Eye of the tiger. I taught two lessons to what would equate to a 11th grade class. There are 3 different languages represented in the class, which has given me what I can only describe as the most in depth and rich teaching experience that I have had yet in the field. For that I am extremely thankful, just as I know all of my counterparts feel the same way. On a personal note, I miss you Joe, Jeffery, and Madsion. Stay out of trouble ;) 

All my love,

Jackie

This evening's devotions were done by Tori and McKenzie. Here's what they had to say:

Since being in Belize, we have learned a lot about people. Not only are we learning about the Belizeans  and the similarities and differences that exist between us, but we are also learning about each other. We recongnized that when we came here we had expectations of what it would be like to be in a foreign country and live with 19 other people. These expectations often projected themselves as preconceived stereotypes.

Tori and I both shared our personal expectations of being "gringos" in a culture that we knew little about. We then opened it up for everyone else to share the expectations we each had in coming here and see if they had been proven true. 

The answers blew me away. In the six days we have been here, our expectations and stereotypes had been challenged and ultimately changed. Some of us expected primitive conditions of chalkboards and limited materials in our classroom, but we have been pleasantly surprised by the whiteboards and resources available. Some of us expected the students to speak more English in the classrooms, but we have valued the opportunity to review our multiple years of high school language education...as well as the giggles when we try to speak Spanish with an obvious accent. Some of us expected to be treated as superior or inferior educators, but have been welcomed into the classroom as equals. 

Some of us expected the showers to be colder...actually, no...those are living up to expectations. As well as the bug population. We recently vacated our second turanchula from the girls dorm. Living the life.

We then shared Romans 12:2: "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may know God's will, His pleasing and perfect will."

This verse took on a new meaning as we had experienced a "renewal" of our perspective. It was a great reminder that we should not project our stereotypes on others, but rather, we should see others as God intended.

We then posed the question: what stereotypes have you lived under and what is something that we may not know about you? I know that I have personally been blessed by the vulnerability, encouragement, and love that our little family has developed in such a short time. We laughed and cried and spent time in prayer. 

Much love,

McKenzie and Tori

We are gearing up for a big day tomorrow as many of us will be teaching our first lessons in our perspective classrooms. Definitely say an extra prayer for us as we begin adapting and teaching in a culture so very different and so very similar to our own. 

Oops!

So, here's the deal: apparently we lose internet when they shut it off at the school here on the campground. Therefore, we were unable to post last night. Being so proud of our blog (which we really are), and knowing that there are lots of moms out there keeping tabs on their children through the blog (we all love our moms!), we did write a post so that I could post it once I got to school this morning, but I deleted it accidentally. I'll take the blame!

Therefore, this post is just to say: we're still here! Hopefully the school keeps the internet on this evening for us! The next postings will be for yesterday and today!

We hope you check back with us to see how our days have gone. We have all been so excited to see the number of views on our posts increase daily. As of yesterday at 3:00 PM, we were at almost 1,300! We feel as if we've gone viral - and that's only half kidding!

What can we say, we like to keep the anticipation high! Stay tuned!

Sunday in Succotz

Today we had our first taste of what it means to worship in Belize. I think we all agree that it was an experience we will treasure in our hearts long after we leave Belize. 

Jenny is going to debrief about the day:

Today we experienced our first church service here in Succotz, and it has by far been the highlight of the trip for me. In the midst of worshipping among other Christians I found myself overcome with emotion. It literally brought me to tears. There's something so sweet about worshipping God beside people who aren't even speaking the same language. It is one of those indescribable moments that I will remember long after our trip is through. My words will never adaquetly describe the awesome feeling when the crowd joined voices to sing a chorus of How Great Is Our God. As the words of the chorus ran through my head it struck me that the words are OUR God, not MY God, YOUR God, but OUR God. The God we serve is not simply the God of the States, but He is the God of the universe. It's those moments of quiet revelation spent with the creator that I treasure. God loves all people, and this means I am called to this also. Our God is so big. He is not stopped by borders or language barriers, and I am thankful for this. 

Here in Belize we are learning that we are more alike than different. The people of Belize have been so warm and welcoming. We had the opportunity to go back to the village market today to interact with the natives and pick up some cool souvenirs to take back home. You should totally be excited...I mean it, they're awesome! :) 

After the ridiculously bumpy trek back up the hill we had dinner... Belizean style!! We feasted on traditional beans and rice with chicken today. We definitely aren't going hungry here! To make the day even sweeter the group surprised me with a belated birthday cake!! They'll never understand how much that touched me and how truly thankful I am for this community. I cannot end this blog without thanking each and every one of you for your prayers and support. We are having a blast here, and we look forward to seeing all of you back in the states. :) 

Peace,

      Jenny

P.S. I have to give a quick shout out to my incredible family. I love you all!!! :)

Here are the devotions from Tiffany:

This evening we all got together for devotions. It's always a favorite time of mine because I feel so blessed to hear the love each and every one of us has for Christ. I used this opportunity to talk about AUTHENTIC worship. In the book, Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, it talks about this very thing. The book says, "The best style of worship is the one that most authentically represents your love for God." I opened up with the question, "what does worship mean to you?" Many people offered up their opinions of what worship meant to them. Some people said they felt they worshipped God through music, while others said they worshipped God by watching the sunset. It was great to hear a variety of answers because authentically worshipping God is going to be different for everyone. I made the connection that we are all here to teach and, because of that, we ALL have the opportunity to authentically worship God through teaching. I challenged each person to think of multiple ways to genuinely and personally worship God authentically. To close things off, I switched gears a bit. I wanted everyone to get a chance to hear the growth our group has had already. We were all sitting in a circle, so I told everyone that they were supposed to say something they have learned about or from the person to their right. It was a truly humbling experience to hear the love and care these amazing people have shown each other. There were tears of joy and lots of laughter as people shared their thoughts about one another. To end this off, I just want to say it's been such a blessing to be a part of a group that is trusting, supportive, and vulnerable during devotional time. It truly strengthens us so much and makes for a great time together. 

As you can probably tell today was a pretty relaxing day. I do think, however, that we will treasure the quiet moments we had together with the group just spending time with each other and enjoying the company. We are all growing to become a family - an awkwardly close, ridiculously conversationed (if that's a word; if not, I'm coining it!), hilariously funny family. 

A Walk in Succotz

Today was our first "adventure" in Belize, as 18 of us ventured through Succotz exploring and learning!

Elizabeth is going to debrief about the day:

Our day started off being woken up by the roosters! We are used to hearing them but there was something about this morning that was so different about the roosters. Maybe it was because they sounded like they were right inside our dorm (the girls dorm that is). Breakfast was toast, beans, pineapple and papaya. After breakfast, we didn't have much to do so some of us sat around and talked outside, napped, or went on a walk. We couldn't wait for after lunch because we were walking down to the village. When it came time for lunch, we scarfed everything down because we were so excited - not only because we were walking to the village but because lunch was macaroni and cheese, chicken and mashed potatoes.

Then it was time for what we had all been waiting for. We got the final okay and began our journey to the village. We walked to Benny's which took about 20 minutes so we took a little breather then made our way to the market by the river. We walked around and looked at all the people had. They were so kind and many of the items which they make are interesting and cool.

After the market, we walked up the road to the Chinese Supermarket. Some of us bought food and cold drinks for the walk back. We made our way back to Benny's where we sat down to relax and have ice cream. We then started walking back to camp and got to the point we were all dreading - the big hill. It was mostly uphill on the way back but the last hill before camp is the worst. I know I had to take a breather at the top before moving on, but we all made it back.

It was fun when we got back. We sat on the steps and talked as well as watched two of the boys make a swing for the little kids. It is great playing with the kids because they are so interested in meeting us and playing games.

Dinner time came pretty fast. We had chicken, coleslaw and rice. I thought it was very delicious, and it was even better with it all mixed together! Tonight was church night for the youth so after dinner we got ready for that and were going to be dropped off around 7 but no one was in the church so Mrs. Taylor treated us to a fruit drink (don't worry, non-alcoholic) at Benny's. When we finished the drinks, we walked down to the church and joined the youth. This was a great experience because the songs were sung in Spanish and also English. The prayer was in Spanish and, although I couldn't understand, I could definitely feel the presence of the Lord. Ecclesiastes 12:1 and 13 were the verses which were read and it was read in Spanish first and then shout out to Julia who got up in front and read it in English. I had such a great time today and look forward to tomorrow as well as the many other days we are here.

We are back in the dorms and winding down for the night to enjoy yet another great day in Belize! Good night everyone.

Love,

Elizabeth

So, I'm sure you can tell, we all have been quite busy today. As I was journaling about the adventure, I couldn't help but it see how much God is placing on our hearts and lives. For instance, Andrew bought some rope to make the swing Elizabeth was talking about. The kids absolutely loved it, but the selflessness that went into the thought and making of the swing absolutely blew my mind. It really is interesting to sit back and watch 18 education majors do what they love to so the very most: love on kids.

The First Day of School!

Today we stepped foot into the classrooms for the first time, meeting the students that we will be working with for the next two weeks.  I don't think any of us can fully put into words the incredible blessing today has been, but here are the insights from a few students.

Experiences from day one:

McKenzie:

Amazing. That is the only word that comes to mind when I think about my first day. 

As I walked into the school for the first day, my heart was beating this crazy nervous pattern, but I could not wipe the smile from my face. I looked at Jenny next to me and we both had the same thought: "Is this really happening? Are we seriously doing this?!" 

Being introduced to our class for the first time meant 31 beautiful faces shamelessly staring with open curiosity and shy smiles...my heart could not have been happier. I have a classroom of Standard 5 students...which is a bunch of students ranging from 10-14...being an Early Childhood major means I am a little out of my element.

My cooperating teacher greeted me with a hug when I extended my hand...and that's when I realized that this was not an American classroom. It was small and an assortment of vintage wooden desks were crammed in there. I introduced myself, where I was from, etc. then the students went around and shared their names. Mezekiel. Sendy. Brian. Carlos. Arlett. Even a Jennifer Lopez. I don't know how I'm going to remember them all...and when they switched classrooms, there were even more. 59 total in Standard 5.

My favorite part had to be lunch. We had no idea how it worked, what we were getting (Belize food has been kind of hit or miss). Thank goodness for a couple little boys who helped us order and explain what a shilling was. They, and their little sisters became our buds. One of them, was a native Spanish speaker and the other was Creol. The things we learned from them! 

I asked them if the way we spoke sounded funny to them. I'll never forget how he responded: "No...because that is just how you speak...it's who you are." I think that is kind of the point of all of this. I literally reared up. And for the rest of the day he asked me if I was going to cry again.  

He also told me that my lips moved faster than my words, whatever that means...

I'm totally blown away by today. God is so good.

Love, McKenzie

 

Julia:

Today was absolutely amazing! I went into the school, Faith Nazarene, full of emotion. I was anxious mostly, but after 20 minutes in the classroom, all of my anxiety melted away. I was greeted with so much love and acceptance. As I walked around the room asking students what their name was and if they would teach me how to say it, I was humbled. I am in a completely new  environment, but yet I still am confident once put in front of a class. I surprised myself even!

Although I pride myself because I learned almost all 26 names in the first day, there were a few students who have already captured my heart. The first is Karen. Karen is a soon-to-be 12 year old (she won't let me forget that it is January 16th haha). She is spunky and so full of love. She shared with me that her dad had passed away, and that she only lived with her mom and her brother, Elvis (how cute is that name??!). But the highlight of our relationship is that before lunch we made a deal, a deal that I will always remember. "If you teach me math, I will teach you Spanish." It is like a dream come true, a student to ask me to teach them math....so nerdy, and I don't even care :) 

I feel blessed and so humbled for this experience, and how awesome is it that we have 10 more days in the classroom!! Our God is great...all the time!

Love, Julia. 

P.S. I love you, Mom! Shout out to Elmwood 216 baby :)

Devotions for today by Andrew:

Devtional time began with the reading of Psalm 19. Personally, Psalms as the worship/songbook for the Jewish people means so much to me; the writings within are so rich in what an alive realtionship with God will experience. After reading Psalm 19, we read verses 7-11 again to focus on a  word that will follow us throughout not only this trip but forever. The topic forr the night was obeidence in God is success itself. 

Psalm 19:7-11 explains seven aspects to the obiedence of God:

1. It is powerfull.

2. It is plain.

3. It is pleasing.

4. It is pure.

5. It is permanent.

6. It is precious.

7. It is preventive.

Once these were listed the beautiful writing by Cindy Lu was read and lead into a great group discussion about how it feels to have goals and expectations for something we have been called to, but then not reaching those goals and expectations. During this trip we are called and commanded to love everybody as well as give it our best. The poem explains how giving it your best will not only result in pleasing God but also benefit in ways we may never know.

I hope you will enjoy this peice as much as the group did.

Poem used in devotion:

By Cindy Lu
A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Savior appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might.

This the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sun up to sun down, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain.

Seeing that the man was showing signs of discouragement, Satan decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the man’s mind such as: “You have been pushing against that rock for a long time, and it hasn’t budged. Why kill yourself over this? You are never going to move it.” Thus giving the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure, these thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man even more.

“Why kill myself over this?” he thought. “I’ll just put in my time, giving just the minimum effort and that will be good enough.” And that he planned to do until one day he decided to make it a matter of prayer and take his troubled thoughts to the Lord. “Lord,” he said, “I have labored long and hard in your service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?”

To this the Lord responded compassionately, “My friend, when I asked you to serve me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all your strength, which you have done. Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to me, with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed. But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back sinewed and brown, your hands are callused from constant pressure, and your legs have become massive and hard. Through opposition you have grown much and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. Yet you haven’t moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. This you have done.

“I, my friend, will now move the rock.”

At times when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what he wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in him…

“By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains; but it is still God who moves the mountains.”

Prayer: God, You call us to obedience every day. Sometimes, I want to see beyond obedience. I want to know why, how and when. Yet, it is usually long after the obedience that I begin to realize what Your plan was back then. So help me just be obedient for today. I am learning, Lord, that by being obedient today, I am stronger for tomorrow. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

_________________________________

The night ended in group prayer that resulted in great community.

We are all thankful for your support, prayers and dedication to follow our trip (and witness our growth).

Shalom,

Andrew  Richardson

I'm sure you can hear the passion and excitement in this post.  It has been such a blessing to not only begin these incredible relationships inside the classroom, but it has also been a blessing to share it with each other.  You've heard it said here already, but I'll say it again; God is SO good!