Hello from Belize,
I have been here for three weeks now. We have been very busy and the time is going by quickly. We are still getting some rainy days, which translates to mud everywhere. The soil here has a lot of clay in it, therefore it sticks like glue. We just had a cold front come through that brought 4 days of overcast skies, drizzle, and temperatures below 70 degrees. I was comfortable but our Belizean friends were wearing heavy jackets. Today it is hot and sunny once again.
The 40-foot sea container that the CMTS staff packed and shipped from Pennsylvania in December finally arrived here on Friday, Feb 19th. The cooler weather was a great blessing for all of the people who came on Saturday to help unload it. They did a great job and got about 90% of the job done. The large heavy objects are being unloaded this week with the help of the backhoe. The container must have traveled through rough seas as things were really shaken up on the inside. Some items did not survive the trip, but for the most part, we are very pleased. I am especially happy to have the washing machines. Our house is filled with boxes of food and household goods that now need to be sorted, then stored or distributed according to where they are going. It feels like Christmas as we open the boxes not knowing what we will find inside. This morning Andy was making us a breakfast of eggs and french toast when the propane gas tank ran out. The food was in the frying pans with no way to cook it. As I wondered what we could do, Andy went rummaging through the boxes and came out with an electric grill he had spotted the day before. That is how the Lord provides for us daily! God is so good!
I have really enjoyed getting to know the young man who came down with Andy in January. Isaiah Lucas has a wonderful spirit of service and he seems to have adjusted very well to life here in Belize. We are praying that the Lord will grow him spiritually strong during this time.
On Sunday, Andy and I attended a Valentine Banquet sponsored by the church we attend here. It was designed to build up marriages with couples doing activities together before the meal. We sat down to talk with a small group of people and I end up seated next to the couple who recently lost their 14-year-old son in a tragic truck accident. The husband is still recovering from his injuries. The wife poured out her heart to us. It was a very special time, as the words and the tears flowed. I was emotionally spent in the end and yet felt God’s comfort and peace. Please pray for Ronald and Tina and their other children who are morning the loss of Luke, a very special boy who really loved the Lord. That same accident also took the life of Danny Barkman, an elder in our church here, a local businessman and family man. He too is greatly missed.
Our closest neighbors are Estella and Pablo Saravia and their large extended family. They are the ones who take care of our place when we are not here. Last Friday morning, Estella had a spell and did not feel right. She said her face was tingling. Vicky took her to the doctor’s and he told her she had mini-stroke and gave her medication. She is still having difficulty with her left side of her face. Please pray for her healing.
Nancy Merrick