To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Monday.
This message is a bit anticlimactic in that everyone is back and you have no doubt talked to someone and gotten all the news, but…
We got up early and finished packing, had breakfast, and got the classrooms in which we were staying as clean as when we arrived. After some last minute details, we headed for Belize City airport. We got there in plenty of time.
In Dallas, we needed to enter the USA, so had to go through immigration, pick up our luggage, go through customs, recheck the bags, go through US security, then find our gate. We had only about 1 hour 10 minutes to get all that done, and that is not nearly enough time. So we were concerned enough that while we were in Belize airport, a couple of the staff members offered up special prayer for everyone getting through and on time. My specific prayer was that God would somehow arrange things so that our departure gate was close to the exit of the customs area. God answered our prayer, in that our flight arrived 25 minutes early, and when we finished getting checked through, there was only one gate between where we exited and our departure gate. So we had ample time to get supper and boarded
Arrived in Denver about 20 minutes early. Most of the group was riding the bus up to Campion, but there were a few happy parents on hand to welcome home their world-traveling kids. We finally arrived on campus by 12:30 a.m. Wow! What a trip!
You might have seen the list of 7 objectives for the kids on this trip:
1. Grow closer to Jesus
2. Serve others with no expectation of reward
3. Learn to be more generous and unselfish
4. Become acquainted with another culture
5. Appreciate the blessings that you have in your home, school, and country
6. Make a bunch of new friends that you learn to genuinely love
7. Have a really great time
Each student had his/her own experience, but to one degree or another, all of our kids achieved all 7 objectives. Good kids, good times.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Day 11, Sunday
To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Sunday.
Well, today is the day that everyone was really excited about – SNORKELING!!! That pretty much took up the whole day. Left early – 7 a.m., drove to Belize City (2 hours), boarded the boat for Caye Caulker, and about an hour later (21 miles NE) we were on a beautiful island with a pristine tropical beach. After getting fitted with mask, snorkel , and fins, we boarded the boat and went out to the second largest barrier reef in the world – second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
We divided up into group of 10 or so and a local guide drifted around with the group, pointing out and identifying different things. As we snorkeled around above the coral, different groups reported seeing hundreds of tropical fish, a couple of parrott fish, nurse sharks, barracuda, butterfly fish, fire coral, lion fish, starfish, sea urchin, and neon colors of blue, yellow, white. It was like swimming in an aquarium. Then we went to a second location to see the Manta Rays – scores of them with their huge wings powering them all around our feet. We could reach out and touch them as they glided by. They were slick and squishy, and they looked very menacing, but they are harmless. We were there with the Rays for about 45 minutes.
After snorkeling we had opportunity to walk the streets of the little town. It is a really cute town with sand streets that run right along the beach. The whole key is only a block or two wide. There are a lot of cute little shops and vendors. We were there about 1½ hours checking out the town.
After the 2½ hour ride back home, we once again had our hermano restauranteers bring food to us. Their food is local, original, and GOOD. Immediately after supper we broke up and started packing and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow we will leave around 11; our plane leaves at 3:45 p.m.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Sunday.
Well, today is the day that everyone was really excited about – SNORKELING!!! That pretty much took up the whole day. Left early – 7 a.m., drove to Belize City (2 hours), boarded the boat for Caye Caulker, and about an hour later (21 miles NE) we were on a beautiful island with a pristine tropical beach. After getting fitted with mask, snorkel , and fins, we boarded the boat and went out to the second largest barrier reef in the world – second only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
We divided up into group of 10 or so and a local guide drifted around with the group, pointing out and identifying different things. As we snorkeled around above the coral, different groups reported seeing hundreds of tropical fish, a couple of parrott fish, nurse sharks, barracuda, butterfly fish, fire coral, lion fish, starfish, sea urchin, and neon colors of blue, yellow, white. It was like swimming in an aquarium. Then we went to a second location to see the Manta Rays – scores of them with their huge wings powering them all around our feet. We could reach out and touch them as they glided by. They were slick and squishy, and they looked very menacing, but they are harmless. We were there with the Rays for about 45 minutes.
After snorkeling we had opportunity to walk the streets of the little town. It is a really cute town with sand streets that run right along the beach. The whole key is only a block or two wide. There are a lot of cute little shops and vendors. We were there about 1½ hours checking out the town.
After the 2½ hour ride back home, we once again had our hermano restauranteers bring food to us. Their food is local, original, and GOOD. Immediately after supper we broke up and started packing and getting ready for bed. Tomorrow we will leave around 11; our plane leaves at 3:45 p.m.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Day 10 Sabbath
To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Sabbath:
This morning most of us attended the campus English church; only a handful went to Concepcion and campus Spanish. Joe Martin preached at the English church again, and almost all students were there for it. We all ate lunch here at our quarters.
For the past 4 years we have collected shoes and brought them down to give away. So this afternoon was our 5th Annual Great Shoe Give-Away. We brought down about 1,000 pounds of shoes in 20 suitcases. Since we had so many, we thought it would be cumbersome to give them all away at one location. After talking with some knowledgeable locals, we chose 3 locations of the poorest churches and neighborhoods and made arrangements to give out the shoes. So at 2 p.m. we loaded up the bus with students and shoes, and made a “milk run”. We dropped about 15 of us and several hundred pounds of shoes at Chan Chen, then on to drop a similar group at Pachacan, then another at San Antonio. By that time the first group was ready to be picked up, so the bus made the same pass doing the pick-up. So almost all of the shoes were given away in a matter of less than an hour at each location.
Some good news to report: For the first 2 years we gave away shoes at the local school house in San Antonio. It is a very poor community, and it was mostly a humanitarian effort. However, there was a small group trying to get a church started there. (Our friend Andy Lizarraga and his brother were very involved in the effort.) This year when we rolled up to San Antonio, we discovered a lovely little church right across the road from the school house, and there is a faithful, growing group that meets there each Sabbath. Incidentally, their church is a “one-day-church” that they have done a nice job finishing. (see attached picture) There is a “one-day-church” shell that is waiting to be finished for their use as Sabbath School rooms. Future project for us?? Only eternity will tell what impact our shoe and literature distribution had on the efforts to evangelize that community.
And speaking of literature distribution, we gave away all of the 3,000 copies of condensed “Desire of Ages”. Again, there is no way of measuring the effectiveness of our work, but the promise is that when we “cast our bread” (the Gospel) out there, it will “not return void” (have zero impact).
After sundown we loaded up the bus and went to a very nice restaurant for our supper. It is right on the water. What a delightful time we had! The atmosphere was warm with friendship and a sense of wholesome pride in our accomplishments of the week. The cool breeze coming off the water, the full moon, the indirect lighting, the sights and sounds and smells all added up to be a real highlight of the trip. Oh, the food was good, too.
Everyone is hyped at the prospect of going snorkeling tomorrow. All is now quiet.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Sabbath:
This morning most of us attended the campus English church; only a handful went to Concepcion and campus Spanish. Joe Martin preached at the English church again, and almost all students were there for it. We all ate lunch here at our quarters.
For the past 4 years we have collected shoes and brought them down to give away. So this afternoon was our 5th Annual Great Shoe Give-Away. We brought down about 1,000 pounds of shoes in 20 suitcases. Since we had so many, we thought it would be cumbersome to give them all away at one location. After talking with some knowledgeable locals, we chose 3 locations of the poorest churches and neighborhoods and made arrangements to give out the shoes. So at 2 p.m. we loaded up the bus with students and shoes, and made a “milk run”. We dropped about 15 of us and several hundred pounds of shoes at Chan Chen, then on to drop a similar group at Pachacan, then another at San Antonio. By that time the first group was ready to be picked up, so the bus made the same pass doing the pick-up. So almost all of the shoes were given away in a matter of less than an hour at each location.
Some good news to report: For the first 2 years we gave away shoes at the local school house in San Antonio. It is a very poor community, and it was mostly a humanitarian effort. However, there was a small group trying to get a church started there. (Our friend Andy Lizarraga and his brother were very involved in the effort.) This year when we rolled up to San Antonio, we discovered a lovely little church right across the road from the school house, and there is a faithful, growing group that meets there each Sabbath. Incidentally, their church is a “one-day-church” that they have done a nice job finishing. (see attached picture) There is a “one-day-church” shell that is waiting to be finished for their use as Sabbath School rooms. Future project for us?? Only eternity will tell what impact our shoe and literature distribution had on the efforts to evangelize that community.
And speaking of literature distribution, we gave away all of the 3,000 copies of condensed “Desire of Ages”. Again, there is no way of measuring the effectiveness of our work, but the promise is that when we “cast our bread” (the Gospel) out there, it will “not return void” (have zero impact).
After sundown we loaded up the bus and went to a very nice restaurant for our supper. It is right on the water. What a delightful time we had! The atmosphere was warm with friendship and a sense of wholesome pride in our accomplishments of the week. The cool breeze coming off the water, the full moon, the indirect lighting, the sights and sounds and smells all added up to be a real highlight of the trip. Oh, the food was good, too.
Everyone is hyped at the prospect of going snorkeling tomorrow. All is now quiet.
Day 9 Friday
To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Friday
Today is our last day on the job, so we really wanted to give a good, hard push to get as much done as we could. But the end result of “getting it all finished” was a mixed bag.
The paint crew got the entire second story painted with 2 coats, inside and outside. And it really looks nice. In the end, there is a bit of difference in the exterior color of the first floor and second floor, but that is the hazard of waiting a year between purchasing the paint. So all 7 of the upper floor classrooms are painted, and ready for windows, doors, electrical, and tile.
We had so-o-o hoped to get the chapel all dried in, but it was not to be. One more short day and it would be finished. It lacks the upper cap being poured on one wall, and one more course of block on top of that. (see attached pics) But let’s not compare it to what we had hoped to get done, let’s just look at how far we came in the 6 workdays that we have been here. It was transformed from just a roof supported by a few ribs, to a chapel that is useable as is, although still incomplete. To God be the glory!
This morning at 8:30 we held a joint meeting with all of the students and staff from BAJC, along with all of our “missionary” group to dedicate the chapel to the service of God. They sang their national anthem, then asked us to sing ours. President Joel Clarke and Joe Martin each shared some thoughts, prayers, and other remarks. To conclude the program they called each one of us up by name and gave us a token gift – a BAJC water glass. It was a very nice, appropriate program.
There are about 10 kids out of our group that have been at every VBS program, night after night. While everyone else relaxed or went to town for the evening, these have faithfully performed their duty: Ashley Growneweg, Caroline Silva, Moses Arevalo, Sneha Schrestha, Tim Medina, Emily DaSilva, Kelsey Downey, Dakotah Padille, Audrey Hatfield, Ivanna Carillo, JC Lynch. And there are probably another 6 or 8 that only missed one night of VBS. Kids like this are what make these trips so good, and trips like this are what bring out the very best in good kids.
Tonight for our worship we had our old friend, Floyd, give us his testimony. For the first 5 years, Floyd was our night watchman as long as our lodging was in town at Cascade Maya. But two years ago we began staying right on the premises of our work, so we have not needed a night watchman. But Floyd still loves to come around our kids, and he has a wonderful testimony of how God delivered him from a degenerate life, and led him into a life of following Jesus. As a bonus, his interesting story is delivered in a really cool Caribbean accent that is really charming.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Friday
Today is our last day on the job, so we really wanted to give a good, hard push to get as much done as we could. But the end result of “getting it all finished” was a mixed bag.
The paint crew got the entire second story painted with 2 coats, inside and outside. And it really looks nice. In the end, there is a bit of difference in the exterior color of the first floor and second floor, but that is the hazard of waiting a year between purchasing the paint. So all 7 of the upper floor classrooms are painted, and ready for windows, doors, electrical, and tile.
We had so-o-o hoped to get the chapel all dried in, but it was not to be. One more short day and it would be finished. It lacks the upper cap being poured on one wall, and one more course of block on top of that. (see attached pics) But let’s not compare it to what we had hoped to get done, let’s just look at how far we came in the 6 workdays that we have been here. It was transformed from just a roof supported by a few ribs, to a chapel that is useable as is, although still incomplete. To God be the glory!
This morning at 8:30 we held a joint meeting with all of the students and staff from BAJC, along with all of our “missionary” group to dedicate the chapel to the service of God. They sang their national anthem, then asked us to sing ours. President Joel Clarke and Joe Martin each shared some thoughts, prayers, and other remarks. To conclude the program they called each one of us up by name and gave us a token gift – a BAJC water glass. It was a very nice, appropriate program.
There are about 10 kids out of our group that have been at every VBS program, night after night. While everyone else relaxed or went to town for the evening, these have faithfully performed their duty: Ashley Growneweg, Caroline Silva, Moses Arevalo, Sneha Schrestha, Tim Medina, Emily DaSilva, Kelsey Downey, Dakotah Padille, Audrey Hatfield, Ivanna Carillo, JC Lynch. And there are probably another 6 or 8 that only missed one night of VBS. Kids like this are what make these trips so good, and trips like this are what bring out the very best in good kids.
Tonight for our worship we had our old friend, Floyd, give us his testimony. For the first 5 years, Floyd was our night watchman as long as our lodging was in town at Cascade Maya. But two years ago we began staying right on the premises of our work, so we have not needed a night watchman. But Floyd still loves to come around our kids, and he has a wonderful testimony of how God delivered him from a degenerate life, and led him into a life of following Jesus. As a bonus, his interesting story is delivered in a really cool Caribbean accent that is really charming.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Day 8 Thursday
To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Thursday:
Our day started off with Joe Martin and several of our students going over to the BAJC assembly, where Joe delivered their worship thought. He also handed out The Messiah to every student. All of our students reported that it was a very positive experience for them.
It is crunch time on the jobsite. We knew from the get-go that we did not have as much work as in times past, and we also knew that the work that we did have was not going to be as heavy. So we were prepared to not push the kids as hard, yet get the assigned jobs all done. Well, it kinda looks like we didn’t push quite hard enough. We will probably get it all done, but tomorrow is shaping up to be a long Friday.
Today we continued work on the chapel (one-day church). We had planned on having a cement mixer at our disposal; not to be. So we had to mix several yards of concrete by hand on the floor. We usually do the mortar mud by hand, but this is the first time we have had to mix cement by hand. Tomorrow we will pour the lentil/wall cap all around the top of all 4 walls. We will not have the end gables finished. Local folk will also have to finish the windows, doors, electrical, floor tile, and ceiling. Also furnishings such as pews/seats, pulpit, etc. What we DID do is pour the platform, pour the floor, lay block around all 4 walls clear to the top, pour pillars, pour lintils/cap, etc.
The painting project is pretty much done as of tonight. There is some 2nd coat of ceiling yet to do, but that should go rather quickly.
Tonight was the last night of VBS and our entire troupe attended. Good thing; there were about 130 kids in attendance. The kids (especially the boys) here are quite undisciplined, and that poses some real issues in this setting. Seems like it is borderline chaos right from the opening exercise. But there is no doubt that there are young lives that were changed through the time we devoted to them. Only eternity will tell.
Another major ministry project has been to pass out books in Corozal each day. Joe Martin arranged for 3,000 books to be shipped to BAJC, and they were here upon our arrival. The book was The Messiah, which is excerpted from Desire of Ages. Almost without exception, the kids really got into it. We went door to door, business to business, we stopped cars in the road, and handed it to bicyclers on the fly. Joe was constantly amazed at how receptive people are in this country. Almost every person seemed eager to receive the gift. In addition to handing them out on the street, we gave 300 out to all of the students of BAJC, and 800 to the federal prisoners.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Thursday:
Our day started off with Joe Martin and several of our students going over to the BAJC assembly, where Joe delivered their worship thought. He also handed out The Messiah to every student. All of our students reported that it was a very positive experience for them.
It is crunch time on the jobsite. We knew from the get-go that we did not have as much work as in times past, and we also knew that the work that we did have was not going to be as heavy. So we were prepared to not push the kids as hard, yet get the assigned jobs all done. Well, it kinda looks like we didn’t push quite hard enough. We will probably get it all done, but tomorrow is shaping up to be a long Friday.
Today we continued work on the chapel (one-day church). We had planned on having a cement mixer at our disposal; not to be. So we had to mix several yards of concrete by hand on the floor. We usually do the mortar mud by hand, but this is the first time we have had to mix cement by hand. Tomorrow we will pour the lentil/wall cap all around the top of all 4 walls. We will not have the end gables finished. Local folk will also have to finish the windows, doors, electrical, floor tile, and ceiling. Also furnishings such as pews/seats, pulpit, etc. What we DID do is pour the platform, pour the floor, lay block around all 4 walls clear to the top, pour pillars, pour lintils/cap, etc.
The painting project is pretty much done as of tonight. There is some 2nd coat of ceiling yet to do, but that should go rather quickly.
Tonight was the last night of VBS and our entire troupe attended. Good thing; there were about 130 kids in attendance. The kids (especially the boys) here are quite undisciplined, and that poses some real issues in this setting. Seems like it is borderline chaos right from the opening exercise. But there is no doubt that there are young lives that were changed through the time we devoted to them. Only eternity will tell.
Another major ministry project has been to pass out books in Corozal each day. Joe Martin arranged for 3,000 books to be shipped to BAJC, and they were here upon our arrival. The book was The Messiah, which is excerpted from Desire of Ages. Almost without exception, the kids really got into it. We went door to door, business to business, we stopped cars in the road, and handed it to bicyclers on the fly. Joe was constantly amazed at how receptive people are in this country. Almost every person seemed eager to receive the gift. In addition to handing them out on the street, we gave 300 out to all of the students of BAJC, and 800 to the federal prisoners.
Day 7 Wednesday
To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/ Best to go to the right-hand column and view the pictures day-by-day; otherwise they are in totally random order. Give it a few minutes to load, then click on “slideshow”.
To read all of these e-mails, log on to www.rmcmission.blogspot.com.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Wednesday.
Today was the first of our recreation days. Initially we had planned on going cave tubing, but things changed and we decided to go to the island (Caye) of Ambergris, to the little town of San Pedro. We boarded the boat right here in Corozal, and rode the 1 ½ hours to our destination. It is a little beach town that is THE tourist destination of Belize. In the past few years it has become a bustling place with cars and condos. It has an abundance of shopping, restaurants, souvenir shops, and a very nice beach. Our kids were able to spend 5 hours walking the streets, laying on the beach, and shopping. It was a welcome break from the heavy labor of the past few days.
We left Ambergris at 2 p.m., arriving back in Corozal at 4. One of our local “hermanos” runs a sidewalk café, and was commissioned to prepare us 50 meals. What great food it was, all local fare! On the plate was a burrito, a garnacha (a tostada without lettuce), a salbute (thick, small tortilla with nothing on it), 2 empanadas (beans wrapped in pastry and fried), and a tostada, with a side of repollo (like cole slaw). There was plenty to fill up even the hungriest of the guys.
After supper, most of us went to VBS, some went to bed, and a few wanted to make a trip to town just for an ice cream night cap. These are great kids all having a great time.
More on the subject of our food… as previously mentioned, Toni Odenthal is our cook. Food is a huge part of any youth project, and especially mission trips. But in a tropical setting, unique opportunities are offered. Every day when we go to market, we look for foods that may not be familiar to the kids so that their culinary horizons can be broadened. Below is a list of some of the things they have tried:
Chayote (prickly pair) vegetable that is in the squash family that tastes a bit like artichoke.
Mamey - orange colored fruit that looks like an oblong cantaloupe, but tastes like a really sweet, fruity sweet potato.)
Anona (custard apple) ugly rind with white, sweet flesh with black seeds.
Guayava (guava) closest to a pair in looks/texture, but tastes altogether different, really hard seeds
Papaya (same) yellow/orange flesh with frog-egg-like seeds, size of a small watermelon
Zapote (Sapodilla fruit) looks like a brown golf ball; tastes like honey
Kaimito (like a deep purple baseball) don’t eat too close to the rind or it’s bitter
The pineapples from here are ripe when they are picked, and as sweet as if they had sugar dumped on. Ditto on the watermelon. Believe it or not, there are no native mango or avocado available here in Belize. Whatever is available has been imported (smuggled) in from Mexico. The cantaloupe is also picked ripe, and very, very flavorful and sweet.
Funny thing, here in Belize they have some fairly strict import laws of fresh produce. Locally grown stuff tends to be scraggly, and rough looking. Produce from Mexico (15 miles north) is usually prettier, with better color and packaging. To protect the local grower, there are laws forbidding the sale of Mexican produce; it is contraband. So as you walk around the market, the merchants sidle up to you and ask if would like broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, lettuce, etc. They whisper as they glance around. In the USA we arrest people for peddling marijuana, cocaine, etc. Here in Belize they are arrested for peddling broccoli and cauliflower! Weird!
Yesterday the rain curtailed a lot of our work, and today we were completely shut down for recreation. So tomorrow we must really make some headway if we expect to see this project to completion.
To read all of these e-mails, log on to www.rmcmission.blogspot.com.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Wednesday.
Today was the first of our recreation days. Initially we had planned on going cave tubing, but things changed and we decided to go to the island (Caye) of Ambergris, to the little town of San Pedro. We boarded the boat right here in Corozal, and rode the 1 ½ hours to our destination. It is a little beach town that is THE tourist destination of Belize. In the past few years it has become a bustling place with cars and condos. It has an abundance of shopping, restaurants, souvenir shops, and a very nice beach. Our kids were able to spend 5 hours walking the streets, laying on the beach, and shopping. It was a welcome break from the heavy labor of the past few days.
We left Ambergris at 2 p.m., arriving back in Corozal at 4. One of our local “hermanos” runs a sidewalk café, and was commissioned to prepare us 50 meals. What great food it was, all local fare! On the plate was a burrito, a garnacha (a tostada without lettuce), a salbute (thick, small tortilla with nothing on it), 2 empanadas (beans wrapped in pastry and fried), and a tostada, with a side of repollo (like cole slaw). There was plenty to fill up even the hungriest of the guys.
After supper, most of us went to VBS, some went to bed, and a few wanted to make a trip to town just for an ice cream night cap. These are great kids all having a great time.
More on the subject of our food… as previously mentioned, Toni Odenthal is our cook. Food is a huge part of any youth project, and especially mission trips. But in a tropical setting, unique opportunities are offered. Every day when we go to market, we look for foods that may not be familiar to the kids so that their culinary horizons can be broadened. Below is a list of some of the things they have tried:
Chayote (prickly pair) vegetable that is in the squash family that tastes a bit like artichoke.
Mamey - orange colored fruit that looks like an oblong cantaloupe, but tastes like a really sweet, fruity sweet potato.)
Anona (custard apple) ugly rind with white, sweet flesh with black seeds.
Guayava (guava) closest to a pair in looks/texture, but tastes altogether different, really hard seeds
Papaya (same) yellow/orange flesh with frog-egg-like seeds, size of a small watermelon
Zapote (Sapodilla fruit) looks like a brown golf ball; tastes like honey
Kaimito (like a deep purple baseball) don’t eat too close to the rind or it’s bitter
The pineapples from here are ripe when they are picked, and as sweet as if they had sugar dumped on. Ditto on the watermelon. Believe it or not, there are no native mango or avocado available here in Belize. Whatever is available has been imported (smuggled) in from Mexico. The cantaloupe is also picked ripe, and very, very flavorful and sweet.
Funny thing, here in Belize they have some fairly strict import laws of fresh produce. Locally grown stuff tends to be scraggly, and rough looking. Produce from Mexico (15 miles north) is usually prettier, with better color and packaging. To protect the local grower, there are laws forbidding the sale of Mexican produce; it is contraband. So as you walk around the market, the merchants sidle up to you and ask if would like broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, lettuce, etc. They whisper as they glance around. In the USA we arrest people for peddling marijuana, cocaine, etc. Here in Belize they are arrested for peddling broccoli and cauliflower! Weird!
Yesterday the rain curtailed a lot of our work, and today we were completely shut down for recreation. So tomorrow we must really make some headway if we expect to see this project to completion.
Day 6 Tuesday
To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/ Best to go to the right-hand column and view the pictures day-by-day; otherwise they are in totally random order. Give it a few minutes to load, then click on “slideshow”.
To read all of these e-mails, log on to www.rmcmission.blogspot.com.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Tuesday.
Tonight it was stated that as of tonight we are at the half-way point of our trip – 6 down and 6 to go. When this was mentioned to a few kids standing around, there was a collective groan. At least at this point they are not ready for this to end. Seems that everyone is having a really great time.
At least one day during our stay, each family group gets to do the “domestic” thing. That is the day where you help in the kitchen, do the day’s shopping, clean the bathrooms, prepare the materials for VBS, and hand out literature. We start off by going to market – the open-air style that sells fresh produce, clothes, meat, etc. There are a couple of shops that are owned by some “hermanas”, so we try to buy as much as we can from them. We also try to spend money in a number of different stands to spread it around. The market is a real study in tropical foods. More on that tomorrow, but let’s just say that the trip to the market is a real education. Most locals speak both Spanish and English, so the kids do very well.
Just before leaving, we go down the fish/meat row. There is a really nice guy (Javier) that runs a meat stall and always enjoys having our kids stop by and visit him. The meat is hanging out in the open air, and strewn about his counter top. The various organs are clearly visible and identifiable – pig’s feet, liver, lungs (with bronchial tube attached), kidneys. The most fascinating thing is that the local people do not like cow meat, they want bull meat. So Javier hangs the “Rocky Mountain Oysters” from the rack to advertise the fact that he is selling bull meat that day.
After market, we make several other stops at grocery stores to pick up non-fresh items. Then we try to make a stop at the tortilla factory to show the kids how tortillas are manufactured. The folk there have seen us come and go for years, and seem to enjoy us stopping by for a visit. The kids can taste what fresh, warm tortillas are like, and see what it is like to work in primitive conditions. Inside the oven area is very hot – probably 120 to 130 degrees. Then we go to the bakery where we buy all of our fresh whole wheat bread, rolls, buns, etc. Here again, one of our “hermanas” works there.
Each evening we try to take a group of kids in to town. Half of the kids are required to go help at VBS, and the other half have the option of going to town or VBS. Corozal is a typical Hispanic town, complete with central plaza with Catholic church attached, hygienically substandard, noisy, smelly, and lots of bicycles and pedestrians. But it is fun to walk around.
Besides the Catholic church attached to the plaza, this town has an Adventist church as well. It is located right next door to the town hall, near the taxi stand and post office. So on Sabbath morning when they crank up the song service, the entire downtown area gets in on it. Very cool.
There is a huge Chinese influence here in Belize. Many of the shop keepers are of Chinese ancestry. They own grocery stores, restaurants, hardware, building supply – just about everything you could imagine.
When a group kitchen responsibility, they also must do the VBS in the evening. So when supper is all finished, we head on over to the academy auditorium and put on the program. From 6 – 7:30 they are indispensable helpers in keeping scores of kids corralled. Tonight there were 68 in attendance. For most kids, this day is a welcome break from the heavy work out on the building sites.
By the time we finished breakfast this morning, clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon. It sprinkled lightly off and on during the morning. Then when we broke for lunch, it began to rain steadily. That continued for 2 or 3 hours. It did not force us to a complete halt, but it put a serious damper on our progress. We lost a lot of man-hours due to the weather. But even so, we made noticeable progress. The block is almost to the roof all the way around the chapel, and we will easily be finished with the painting by Friday.
Tomorrow we will take a day for recreation and go to the town of San Pedro on the island (Caye) of Ambergris. For some general info and pics you can log on to: http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS378US379&q=san+pedro+ambergris+caye&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=q_B-TfTOHsXi0gG10dCHCQ&ved=0CHUQsAQ&biw=1259&bih=499
And speaking of pics, we are trying to get a good many more pics posted. It is a work in progress, but you may now log on to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/ . Right now we are about 3 days behind in getting the pics posted, but we will try to get it current by Thursday.
There are 2 pics of the day: 1) inside the chapel facing the back wall of the platform, and 2) inside the chapel facing the rear of the room. Both were taken in the morning before the rain hit. By quitting time the walls were about 1 course below the eaves.
To read all of these e-mails, log on to www.rmcmission.blogspot.com.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).
Here is what happened on Tuesday.
Tonight it was stated that as of tonight we are at the half-way point of our trip – 6 down and 6 to go. When this was mentioned to a few kids standing around, there was a collective groan. At least at this point they are not ready for this to end. Seems that everyone is having a really great time.
At least one day during our stay, each family group gets to do the “domestic” thing. That is the day where you help in the kitchen, do the day’s shopping, clean the bathrooms, prepare the materials for VBS, and hand out literature. We start off by going to market – the open-air style that sells fresh produce, clothes, meat, etc. There are a couple of shops that are owned by some “hermanas”, so we try to buy as much as we can from them. We also try to spend money in a number of different stands to spread it around. The market is a real study in tropical foods. More on that tomorrow, but let’s just say that the trip to the market is a real education. Most locals speak both Spanish and English, so the kids do very well.
Just before leaving, we go down the fish/meat row. There is a really nice guy (Javier) that runs a meat stall and always enjoys having our kids stop by and visit him. The meat is hanging out in the open air, and strewn about his counter top. The various organs are clearly visible and identifiable – pig’s feet, liver, lungs (with bronchial tube attached), kidneys. The most fascinating thing is that the local people do not like cow meat, they want bull meat. So Javier hangs the “Rocky Mountain Oysters” from the rack to advertise the fact that he is selling bull meat that day.
After market, we make several other stops at grocery stores to pick up non-fresh items. Then we try to make a stop at the tortilla factory to show the kids how tortillas are manufactured. The folk there have seen us come and go for years, and seem to enjoy us stopping by for a visit. The kids can taste what fresh, warm tortillas are like, and see what it is like to work in primitive conditions. Inside the oven area is very hot – probably 120 to 130 degrees. Then we go to the bakery where we buy all of our fresh whole wheat bread, rolls, buns, etc. Here again, one of our “hermanas” works there.
Each evening we try to take a group of kids in to town. Half of the kids are required to go help at VBS, and the other half have the option of going to town or VBS. Corozal is a typical Hispanic town, complete with central plaza with Catholic church attached, hygienically substandard, noisy, smelly, and lots of bicycles and pedestrians. But it is fun to walk around.
Besides the Catholic church attached to the plaza, this town has an Adventist church as well. It is located right next door to the town hall, near the taxi stand and post office. So on Sabbath morning when they crank up the song service, the entire downtown area gets in on it. Very cool.
There is a huge Chinese influence here in Belize. Many of the shop keepers are of Chinese ancestry. They own grocery stores, restaurants, hardware, building supply – just about everything you could imagine.
When a group kitchen responsibility, they also must do the VBS in the evening. So when supper is all finished, we head on over to the academy auditorium and put on the program. From 6 – 7:30 they are indispensable helpers in keeping scores of kids corralled. Tonight there were 68 in attendance. For most kids, this day is a welcome break from the heavy work out on the building sites.
By the time we finished breakfast this morning, clouds were beginning to gather on the horizon. It sprinkled lightly off and on during the morning. Then when we broke for lunch, it began to rain steadily. That continued for 2 or 3 hours. It did not force us to a complete halt, but it put a serious damper on our progress. We lost a lot of man-hours due to the weather. But even so, we made noticeable progress. The block is almost to the roof all the way around the chapel, and we will easily be finished with the painting by Friday.
Tomorrow we will take a day for recreation and go to the town of San Pedro on the island (Caye) of Ambergris. For some general info and pics you can log on to: http://www.google.com/images?rlz=1T4ADFA_enUS378US379&q=san+pedro+ambergris+caye&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=q_B-TfTOHsXi0gG10dCHCQ&ved=0CHUQsAQ&biw=1259&bih=499
And speaking of pics, we are trying to get a good many more pics posted. It is a work in progress, but you may now log on to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/ . Right now we are about 3 days behind in getting the pics posted, but we will try to get it current by Thursday.
There are 2 pics of the day: 1) inside the chapel facing the back wall of the platform, and 2) inside the chapel facing the rear of the room. Both were taken in the morning before the rain hit. By quitting time the walls were about 1 course below the eaves.
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