I just got back into Mango Creek late this afternoon from a trip up to Belize City for my day off. I spent my time with the Sampsons again. I had planned to take this trip about a week ago, that was before all of the flooding happened and the Kendal Bridge at Sittee River was destroyed. So I had planned to fly up to the city. As my day off crept closer I grew a bit weary of paying so much to spend one day in the city. So I phoned the James Bus Line to see what was up and if they were still running. They were. So on Monday late morning I jumped on the school bus and made my way north. We came to Sittee River where the Kendal Bridge used to be. We all got off the boat, walked down to the shore banks of the river that you could tell was hundereds of meters higher days ago. 25 of us were put in a dory boat and boated across the river. As I looked around I saw locals standing at the edge of the road where the bridge used to be, and all they could do was look across, they all looked absolutely stunned at the damage. The people in the boat with me were terrified to cross the river, they worried that something unexpected would happen on our 2 minute ride across the river. I don't blame them for being scared, the damage that the floods caused is definitely a scary matter. We made it safely across the river to the north side of Kendal and we waited about 20 minutes for the next bus to pick us up. As we drove along the highway I saw Orange Trees completely destroyed. It looked like someone had picked them up effortlessly and broke them as if they were twigs. I had no idea water could be so destructive. What I saw on the highway was only a small glimpse of what happened. I'm sure had I ventured off road I would have been witness to much more destruction and devastation. After arriving in Belize City, I found out from Lorna that she accomponied Bishop Writght on the weekend to Gales Point, Hope Creek and Sittee River to drop off care packages for the victims. The water level has receeded which is a blessing, and now residents are working at cleaning out their homes. The flood brought with it a lot of mud, 2 - 5 inches and victims have been spending most of their days washing out the remains of their homes and belongings of the mud. The month of June brings with it rain, usually at night, and then sun during the day. I'm praying that the rains do not cause more flooding damages just as the victims start to get their lives semi back on track.

After popping in to see the staff and Bishop at the Diocesan Office for a quick visit, I traveled to Belmopan the capital of Belize on Monday with the Sampsons. And I have to admit, my entire trip I was a big grouch. I was a bit tired, but usually being tired doesn't effect me the way it was on Monday. Everything the Sampsons would talk to me about, I would have some negative thought go through my head and it was driving me nuts. I was pulling off being polite, but really, I just wanted to be quiet for a while and be by myself. So after we got home I called it a night and was asleep by 9:00. I woke up this morning and decided last minute that I was going to stay in the city for a few extra hours so that I could take in a service at the Cathedral. Best decision I have made all summer. It was so wonderful to be able to sit in the pew, listen to the readings, listen to the sermon and participate in the service as everyone does without having to lead it. It was so nice to receive the sacrament and pray with the community not as the person in charge. After the service I told Lorna that I was feeling really Spiritually Satisfied - it was the only way I could explain the energy I had after the service. I've become aware of the fact that as a clergy person part of my vocation is to lead others in worship and spiritually feed them in the worship through the sacrament and preaching etc. But I also need to be aware of my spiritual needs and the fact that I need the opportunity to be spiritually fed as well. I don't know how often I will be able to make it to services that I'm not leading where I can just go to worship, but I'm sure that through prayer and patience I will find a parish near Mango Creek that I can visit one weekday afternoon. That being said, it may not happen, which means I need to be praying about ways that I "spiritually satisfy" myself. I'll keep you posted.

I joined the Bishop and 2 missionaries from Fort Worth, TX who were down to visit Belize and discuss a potential summer mission with the Bishop for lunch. It was a wonderful aftenoon full of lots of laughter and....well....we laughed a lot! From there Lorna Sampson had me drive while we ran errands. I can proudly say that I surivived driving in Belize City where the roads are super narrow and full of pot-holes, people don't stop at stop signs, people cut you off, bicycles dodge in front of you or hold on to the back of your vehicle so that they don't have to work so hard in the heat, police officers pull you over to check your insurance (yip it happended to me today), and it's just basically chaos....and it was so neat to. I must admit, I loved it!! It's definitely an interesting experience to be a driver in this country, VERY different from Canada. Toronto drivers are angels when compared to drivers in Belize!

I head out to Placencia tomorrow morning for a service and then will spend some more time at IPS, next week is the last week with exams happening. It will be weird not having the school to fill my days. I'm happy to report that St. Michael and All Angels will be holding a VBS this summer for 3 days from July 8 - 10. We're just waiting to hear about potential funding for supplies and hope to advertise and invite a number of Anglican children in the village to attend. We're also hoping to ask some of our youth to help out as counselors. I'm really excited about this and pray that God will be present in our planning and in our ministry. Please keep this important ministry in your prayers. Pray that we will be able to reach out to children and share the Gospel with them, pray that they will encounter the love of Jesus through this ministry and ultimately that seeds will be planted and that future ministry will nurture those seeds and allow them to grow.

In Communion,
Chelsy