iBelize Navidad! - 12/25/06

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family, wherever you are this holiday season! This picture of us was taken today on Ambergris Caye. Sorry for the glare, that's the ocean making sure it recieves proper attention as well! We celebrated Christ's birth by snorkeling in the Caribbean, drinking rum punch (not too much!) and getting sunburns. We miss our family and Christmas traditions, but again, we're having a great time.

These past 8 days have been crazy-adventurous as we have been hosting Nathan's aunt and uncle and making sure they enjoy all of the most special parts of Belize. Nathan will write soon and tell you all about it. In the meantime, please post a comment and tell us how you spent Christmas!

In the words of the great pre-adolescent 19th Century English philosopher, Tiny Tim, "God Bless us Everyone!"

God is Cool! - 12/18/06

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for our kids over the last few weeks. All of the kids involved in the accident are now home and able to spend Christmas with their families.

Bradley, the one who was most seriously injured, came home last Wednesday and is doing so well, it can only be beause of God's help and your prayers. He had his surgeries in Guatemala and the doctors there said he was the forth person to go through such intensive surgery in their hospital that year and he was the only one who survived. The doctors actually sat his parents down and asked them what was different about Bradley, how he was able to survive surgery and recover so quickly. The nurses were amazed at his rapid healing and noted that he was filled with a sense of peace and was making miraculous progress in the few short weeks he was there.

At one point the family was scrambling to find a blood donor for him. He is O negative, which is a very rare blood type. His father was with him in the hospital and was a blood match, but he had given so much of his own blood the hospital would not let him give any more. We were visiting with his older brother, Richard, one night and Nathan mentioned he was also O negative and said he would be willing to get to Guatemala if the family needed it. Then, overnight, Bradley healed so quickly and regained so much strength, there was no need for any more blood! He didn't need Nathan's blood to give him strength, he just needed God's strength!

The doctors took bone from his hip to recreate an upper and lower jaw and he still has exposed bone in his mouth so he has to be very careful about infection. Also, he recently had a very bad reaction to his antibiotics, so he can no longer take them. Continue to pray against infection in his body. Ironically, he is having more pain in his hip from taking the bone than pain in his face from the accident or surgery! He will be in a wheelchair for a while because he absolutely cannot take the risk of falling down and braking any of the new bone or injuring the weak hip.

He is so happy to be back home and surrounded by friends and family! He is talking a little and smiling a lot. We haven't able to visit him yet but everyone notes a change in his attitude and his spirit. There is no doubt in my mind God is using this experience to bring this little guy closer to Him!

I just wanted to make sure to update you all. I know many of you have been praying for Bradley and the other kids, so I thought you would enjoy some good news for the Holidays! Sorry to all of you who have been anxiously waiting for new information on the kids. We have been on "internet lockdown" again for the past few weeks. That is one frustration I will never be able to get used to in this country--internet that costs $130 a month that is constantly not working!

Playing Santa - 12/16/06

On Saturday we went with a group of folks from the church to hand out gifts to kids living in an orphanage in Belize City. We were especially looking forward to meeting the two boys we had shopped for and watching them open the gifts we selected for them. When we arrived at the orphanage, all of the kids were gathered outside watching a play about the First Christmas, which was put on by kids from a local Calvary Chapel. The play was funny, little known fact: After the angel appeared to Mary, she called Joseph on his cell and asked him to come over to her house because she had important news! Didn’t know that! Anyway, while the kids watched the play, I watched the kids. I was surrounded by 64 beautiful children with dark eyes, various shades of brown skin, and smiling faces. Of course, I immediately selected 3 kids that I just knew I couldn’t live without, that I would have to talk Nathan into letting me adopt. Little did I know Nathan was doing the exact same thing, having immediately taking a liking to a particular little mess named Ethan.

After the play was over the kids excitedly turned their attention to us, the white visitors from Blue Creek with all the gifts. The church collected monetary donations as well as gifts for specific kids, and the people of Blue Creek had been so generous we were able to buy stuffed animals for all the kids, put together candy goody bags, and supply the orphanage with a 50 lb bag of rice, boxes of formula, soap and feminine products for the girls. As each child’s name was called they were given their gift, a stuffed animal, and a goody bag. Each child went back to their seat with their wrapped gift and waited patiently for all of the kids to receive gifts before opening theirs. I couldn’t believe how patient these kids were! They sat excitedly watching as others went up to get their gifts. Even when it was time to open them, one little one refused to take the wrapping off, just wanting to treasure the gift. Finally, after a lot of coaxing from one of the youth, the child relented and opened the present.

Nathan and I watched 15 year-old Joseph open the soccer ball and t-shirt we bought him. He immediately tore off a piece of wrapping paper and wrote us a thank you note right there on the spot! He told me he loved soccer and that #3 was his favorite number (the shirt was gave him had the number three on it.) What a sweet, charming, and polite young man he is! I talked to him for a while and he told me he was in 11^th grade at a very prestigious and academically challenging school in Belize City. He also said he was planning on going through the necessary training to become a pilot after school! Our friend Abe was there, so I introduced them and they talked flying for the rest of the visit!

We bought a razor scooter for another little boy, Jamique, but he was not at the orphanage, so we were not able to watch him open his gift. We found out that he is deaf and unable to speak, so this gift is really going to make him popular among the kids! One of the lady who works there said, “that gift is gonna have me runnin all over after him!” I hope they let him have it! It turns out Jamique wasn’t at the orphanage because every year, for two weeks during Christmas, Belizean families can arrange to have one of the orphans stay with them in their homes! You have to go through a home study with Child Services and be approved, but what a great idea that is! It also serves two purposes. The first and most obvious, the kids are able to spend Christmas in a home and have the thrill of a Christmas morning and a huge Christmas dinner. Also, the ladies who work at the orphanage and staff it 24 hours a day, are able to get a break and spend the holidays with their own families.

After the kids opened their gifts, we sat and talked and played with them for about 2 hours—I have never known two hours to pass so quickly! One of the boys that I just fell in love with was named Eric, he had a broken arm, so Nathan and I nicknamed him roto, meaning broken. I helped him get his toy cars out of their packages and played with them. One of them was a police car with a siren; he got a big kick out of that gift. Then, another little boy, Wrick, about the same age as Roto, got a transformer that turned into a jet that shot arrows, so of course, I had to play with him. He shot me with an arrow and I fell over, crying, asking how he could shoot me. He spent the rest of the time sneaking up on me and shooting me with arrows and laughing as I pretended to be in pain. Wrick needed help opening some of his candy and he and I looked through his bag together. One of the things in the bag was a chocolate wafer stick and I told him they are soooo good, so he offered it to me! I couldn’t believe how cute that was! Even when I told him no thank you and told him to enjoy it, he wouldn’t. I put it back in his bag, but he was no longer interested in eating it, he wanted me to have it! I hope he was eventually able to enjoy it!

Ethan, the one I called a “mess” earlier, really was a cutie. He is the one Nathan was so drawn to and for good reason. I called him “mess” because he was just a little guy with a Michigan hat tipped to the side of his head and when he collected his gift, his goody bag and his stuffed animal his hands were full, full, full. He dropped his stuffed animal in the mud, trying desperately not to drop his candy. Then, when he bent to pick up the animal, his shorts, which were way too big for his teeny frame, started to fall down! So there he was, walking very carefully, with his legs spread wide apart to keep his shorts from slipping past his knees, juggling his armful of gifts, with a HUGE grin on his face! Oh if only we had been allowed to take pictures of these kids!

All of the kids were cute and sweet and excited! Most everyone at the orphanage spoke a type of creole, a mix of English, African dialects, and Spanish, called kriol. Listening to those little voices with their big accents just added to their charm! At one point little Wrick got up to play with his transformer and leaving his candy bag on the table asked Nathan, “You mind dis fo me.” Nathan smiled and said, “Yes, I’ll keep an eye on your bag for you.”

Eventually it was time to go, which wasn’t easy. I mean, I can’t even leave the Humane Society without crying, and here I was surrounded by beautiful, funny children who needed a home! Talk about gut-wrenching! If Nathan and I had known you can keep two kids over Christmas, Roto and Ethan would definitely have left with us!

As I mentioned before, we weren’t allowed to take pictures at the orphanage, which was a big bummer. But, since many of the kids placed there are the Belizean equivalent to Child Protection cases, it makes sense. So instead, here are some pictures of our journey home. The first one is of a little boy in Orange Walk. I’m used to seeing boys ride bikes that are too small for them, but I have never seen a little boy attempt to ride an adult bike! I couldn’t let that moment pass!

Also on the way back, Paul got the van stuck in deep deep mud. Apparently dirt roads + the hurricane like rain we have had over the past two weeks = mud traps! We all had to get out, take our shoes off, and push the van through the mud! If you don’t look too closely, this could be a picture of Nathan standing ankle-deep in a snow drift! Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking! After we pushed him out, Paul washed each of our feet and we got back in the van and continued the ride home.

It was a great Saturday, I wish the orphanage was closer so I could visit more often. I have to admit, Nathan and I entertained the idea of adopting one of those little guys. I thought of something Kate said during the days leading up to mine and Nathan’s wedding. She said she wouldn’t be able to stand me having so much attention to myself, so she just may have to announce she was pregnant in the middle of our ceremony. I have to admit, it was a little tempting to think of Nathan and I showing up for Kate’s wedding, with the first grandchild in tow. “Hey Kate, nice dress, it’s really white and pretty! Hey everyone, let me introduce you to our new son! Yup, you guys are now grandparents!! Can he be in the wedding too?” Hehe, tempting, but too evil, even for me. I love you sis!

Please Pray for our Kids! - 12/10/06

Last night we learned that several of the high school youth had been in a very bad accident. Two are very badly injured and are in need of prayer.

One of the kids here drives a car that everyone calls la cucaracha, which looks a lot like a doon buggy-- it's an old vehicle without a roof, hood, or doors. Last night after dark, some kids were driving around the rice fields in la cucaracha, hunting crocodile when the car dropped into a big, newly-dug ditch. When the kids hunt here, they stand in the back of the cucaracha and use a spotlight to see their target. When the care dropped into the ditch the kids came down and hit the bare metal of the vehicle (I do not know whether or not any of them were thrown from the car). Two kids are in neck braces, one has stitches and one is being taken to Guatemala, where better doctors with better equipment can deal with his critical injuries. One young man, Reuben, broke three ribs and is complaining of back pain and partial numbness. Another, It is my understanding that his face slammed into the exposed metal of the cucaracha and did extensive damage to his mouth and jaw. One of Nathan’s students came by this morning and reported he had only one tooth left and his jaw was crushed. Bradley, is in the worst shape.

We prayed with the parents and youth at the medical center last night, but the kids are still very upset and Reuben and Bradley’s conditions are still painful and serious. Accidents are common here because kids as young as 11 drive 4-wheelers and scooters, and they like to push the limits and show off. But this situation is different because no one was being especially unsafe, yet they were hurt very badly. The kids realize it could have been any one of them. The mother of the driver is especially upset. Her son walked away with only a neck brace and some soreness, so she was so relieved. At the same time she feels so much guilt because the other kids in the car were hurt so badly.

Plus, any tragedy around Christmas time is a difficult one. Please keep the kids and their families in your prayers.

Chetumal, Take 2 - 12/9/06

Yesterday we went on a Christmas touring and shopping extravaganza! New friends, Paul and Susie picked us up at 6:30 a.m., we crammed into their van along with another couple, Darryl and Corrina and our friend Hilda and headed to Mexico to do some light Christmas shopping. A quick stop to drop off Paul and Susie’s two daughters and we were just a group of crazy youthful adults full of Christmas cheer!

An hour and a half and 45 bumpy, dusty miles later we stopped in Orange Walk and had a breakfast of tacos from a street vendor. THEY WERE SOOO HOT! I should have known better, I have lived in Belize long enough. But, when they ask, “¿Quiere chile?” I should be careful, these tacos were loaded with habenero! They were still sooo good though and some fresh squeezed orange juice washed the heat away. Who knew? I was always told to drink milk after eating spicy foods, but the OJ was just what I needed.

Another hour and a half and we were at the Mexico-Belize border. Nothing exciting to report there, everyone added one more stamp to their passports and we were on our way downtown to do some shopping in the markets. We looked at lot of stuff but didn’t find anything to buy. We were on a mission, we had signed up to sponsor two children from a local orphanage and were desperately trying to figure what 10 and 15- year old Belizean boys would want to see all wrapped up on Christmas morning.

We all met back up a few hours later and were headed to the mall when we saw police lights behind us. Paul pulled the vehicle over and a very angry and hostile police officer came to the window demanding to see Paul’s license, which he immediately handed over as requested. FYI: Do not ever, under any circumstances, hand over your driver’s license to a police officer in Mexico. You can hold it up for them to read, but do not let go of your license. The officer asked if anyone spoke Spanish and we all played dumb. We have learned that language barriers and confusion often lead to a quicker solution in sticky situations. This was not one of those times. The officer began animatedly yelling at Paul, pointing at him and made a gesture that clearly meant he intended to keep Paul’s license. At that point, Nathan folded and began talking with the officer. He accused Paul of a silly traffic infraction which basically translated into, “Hi, you’re foreign and you’re in Mexico. I have your license, if you want it back you will have to pay my bribe.” At that point he said he would write a ticket that would cost Paul 200 pesos. Nathan asked for the license back and explained, very respectfully, that it was his understanding that the officer had no authority to take Paul’s license away. It was at that point that the officer must have noticed the leather interior in the van because suddenly he remembered Paul had committed a second infraction and it would now cost 400 pesos to solve the situation. At this point, Nathan, Paul and the officer all stepped out of the vehicle and continued this charade on the side of the busy Mexican road. In the end, Paul left without his license and the officer left without a bribe. Not much incentive to travel to Mexico and try to boost their economy with foreign dollars, huh?

Still in relatively good spirits, we continued to the mall. Paul was very calm and seemed unconcerned with losing his license and I was very impressed with this cool head in that very unjust situation. We all had lunch together, more tacos, and then decided to check out the movie theater, in hopes of seeing a nice Christmas movie. Most of the group wanted to see The Nativity Story, but it was only playing in Spanish. Our choices for English movies were A Good Year, Casino Royale, DejaVu, or Children of Men. I voted for A Good Year, but the group decided on DejaVu, because the timing was right to maximize our shopping time. I was surprised by the cast; Denzel, Val, Jim “I’ve played Jesus” Cavaziel, and Nathan’s favorite “Hebrew Hammer” (nod to Dad and Nathaniel) Adam Goldberg. There was a brief joke about Canada during the movie and since we were surrounded by all our new Canadian friends, I made sure to laugh extra loudly. The movie was a little annoyingly far-fetched, but it was still pretty good. Or maybe it was just the excitement of being in a real movie theater again.

After the movie we stopped by a little café for some faspa and then finally got to some Christmas shopping! The mall was decked out; in Mexico you’re actually allowed to celebrate Christmas, no one wished us a “Happy Holiday.” After much anxiety, we selected a Razor scooter for our 10-year old (those are just now catching on down here) and a soccer ball and new t-shirt for our 15-year old. I really wanted to get a basketball, but Nathan reminded me we are in Central America, and futbol is the big sport here. Things are much cheaper in Mexico, than in Belize. We took care to make sure our selections were good quality and we only spent about $30 US! Next weekend we are going to the orphanage with a group of people from Blue Creek to deliver the gifts to the orphans, I hope the 15 year-old likes soccer!

After a quick cruise through Burger King—yes, I finally folded for that flame broiled taste, we headed back to the border! Going through customs was a bit more tricky. Hilda went through before us with a wave and smile from the friendly officer. I don’t know what happened to him between the time Hilda walked away and I pushed my things forward. Maybe he just saw my U.S. passport, which I wasn’t able to slip back into my purse quickly enough. He sized up all my purchases and decided I needed to pay $10 in duty. I explained I had a volunteer Visa and that the gifts were for orphans, then he went into a long lecture about how everything has a price, blah, blah, blah. I asked if he would write a receipt for the duty and he said he would. That calmed me down because I realized he wasn’t asking for a bribe, that the duty would go to the Belizean government, which is appropriate. Then I explained we had changed all of our money for pesos and assumed it would be fine if we paid that way. He stated they would not accept pesos and said we would have to pay in BZ. Nathan calmly explained we really, truly only had pesos but the officer was unconcerned and said we’d “have to figure something out.” That’s when I lost my cool completely, thinking about what had happened with the Police officer earlier that day and realizing we were the only ones in the customs area being asked to pay duty. Nathan of course, stayed calm. I said some things I shouldn’t have said, which basically boiled down to, “It’s really unfair how we are constantly targeted by crooked officials just because we are Americans.” Of course, I typed it here much more politely than I said it. I had to end up borrowing money from Darryl and Corrina, who skated through customs without even a side glance from their customs officer. My officer, however, explained I could be charged with assault for the way I gave him the money. I’m really lucky I have a husband who can remain calm and not make a scene in public government places. Especially when, really, I threw a fit over $5 U.S. and Paul had remained completely calm when an officer had unjustly taken his license from him on the side of a busy Mexican road.

After a few more hours on a long, bumpy road, we made it home! We have gifts for our sponsor kids, we have a new bottle of wine and we bought 4 glasses, so we don’t have to drink everything out of the 1000’s of mugs that came with our apartment. All in all, it was a good day with a few minor bumps. We spent some time with new friends, got to see some pretty impressive Christmas lights, and I’m not currently in a Belizean jail!

God bless us, everyone!

Lamanai – 11/26/06

…A face only a mother could love…

This is the famous trademark of the Mayan ruins of Lamanai. This site is about fifteen miles from us, set along a river and featuring a small, American-owned (of course) resort. We spent the afternoon walking around the ruins after church.
Much of the site is still under jungle cover, but the shape of the hills cannot be mistaken for anything but temples, palaces, and municipal structures. The biggest temples are fully excavated, however. The Temple of the Mask features a unique carving of a single, giant face – a feature not typically found on Mayan temples.

Walking around the site was fascinating because most of the trees and strange plants alongside the trail were labeled. A botanist’s dream come true. I know money doesn’t grow on trees, but did you know that horse balls do? The hand-painted sign proves it. And the “seeds” further emphasize the point. This sign is incredibly useful because it also features the Mayan word for cojones, so if we ever travel to the far South we’ll be able to converse with the locals.

On the way to the High Temple we passed a detour sign directing us to the Fig Tree. We decided to see what the big deal was about and stepped off the main trail. This thing was ginormous!

First, let me say that mosquitoes must love figs. I know this to be a scientific fact because near the giant fig tree we experienced what could only be described as pestilence. Maria loves the significance of fig trees, so she wanted us to take a picture of her at its base. I don’t really think you can disturb a mosquito nest because they spend most of their time flying by your ear and biting you in your sleep, but I’m guessing she found a big one. She could not stay still for even half a second for this picture. They swarmed her as if they were part mosquito, part Africanized honey bee. Consequently, all pictures of Maria and the fig tree look like this…

But, the adventurers that we are, being eaten alive would not stop us from continuing our trek. Well, most of us. Maria did ask for an ambulance, or to call 911. We had to remind her that a 911 call from Central America would not only be expensive, but the response time would be less than ideal…

The High Temple was creatively named. I bet you can’t guess how it came to be known as such. I could only describe it as something large, stone, old, and, yes – high. There are some steep steps leading partway up the temple, then some even steeper steps beyond that with a rope fixed to the middle of them to help you climb to the top. Once there, however, I couldn’t help but feel like I had a little bit of the Captain in me…

Melissa and Maria also got to show off their muscles at the top, with a stunning view of rainforest canopy and jungle growth as far as the eye can see with a river cutting through the middle of it all. I kept trying to picture what it was like with a Mayan city in its prime along the riverbank and the boat traffic coming and going from all the foreign traders. All that’s left now are mounds of stone and angry black howler monkeys. There was a particularly aggressive one in the tree closest to the temple that started screaming as we began our descent. Other monkeys returned its call from nearby, and their echoes through the trees, trails, and temples continued long after we left. I wish you could hear their call – it sounds more like a lion’s roar than a monkey’s scream and incredibly loud.

There were a couple other temples to conquer, but we plan on saving those for when our guests arrive from the states. We thought maybe next time we’ll just drive to Orange Walk and take the boat up the river to the landing at the site of the ruins – that way we’ll get a good jungle tour in as well.

Until then, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Well, not really – but we have a small tree and two stockings to remind us of the season. Although we’ve been sweating recently, another “Norther” is coming this week so we should be able to wear long sleeves for a few days again.

So, I hope you are all enjoying your holiday season. It’s busy here – our Christmas program was moved up to the 8th, so this is a short school week with a lot of practicing while gearing up for semester exams at the same time. I can’t believe how fast time is flying by! I love and miss SO many of you, let me know how you’re doing!

Love,
Nathan