You Better BELIZE It!

Last days in the Tropics!

2009-05-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Labour Day in the country. Nothing was open, and due to the Swine Flu scare, nothing was happening either. All of the major events scheduled for this weekend were cancelled or postponed. So the city and the country was pretty quiet. Dawn and Ralph's place at Sunset was particularly quiet throughout the morning. I enjoyed one of the most relaxing days of my life here in Belize.

I slept in until 10:30 which I've never been able to do here because the sun rises so early causing it to get hot. However, my blood seems to have remained quite thin throughout the year, as I woke up yesterday morning with my sheet right up under my chin as I was a bit chilly! I took my time getting ready and then spent my morning reading while Ralph went to run errands and Dawn studied for upcoming exams. Dawn and I also cooked for ourselves yesterday. I didn't realize that she's not a cooker nor does she like to cook. So the night before we went to the store and picked up some meat, rice, veggies and plantain and decided we were going to cook a big meal for ourselves. I'm happy to report that it turned out beautifully. Ralph and Dawn got a rice cooker as a wedding gift, I was in charge of rice (even though I don't actually know how to cook rice). Thank God for rice cookers, I made the rice, taught Dawn how to use the cooker and it turned out very well. Our entire meal included Meatballs, Rice, Fried Plantain, Green Beans and Corn! It was delicious. Lorna, Joe and the kids came over for the afternoon. I hung out with the kids in the back yard we played ball, laid in the hammock and listened to music. It was great!!! Lorna's youngest grandson Kayvaghn is quite shy, and was quite shy last year when I met him. I was not expecting him to remember me or like me this trip, but he seems to remember who I am. Every time he sees me he runs up to me screaming my name coming to get his daily hug and kiss. The Sampson's refer to him now as my new boyfriend!!! He's super cute!!!

Dawn and Ralph decided to take me "out on the town" last night. We got ready and headed out at around 7:30. Stopped by the Sampsons in the city and then made our way to the Casino. Now, I've never been to a Casino, the closest I've come to gambling is Bingo with my grandmother, and that was a long time ago. At the beginning of the week, Dawn had asked if I go to the Casino and if I'd be interested. I told her, I've never been and thought experiencing the Casino in Belize would be great story to share with people. Ralph and Dawn are not gamblers. When they do occasionally go, they spend about $10 and eat at the resturant. So we went. Dawn and I got $10 in quarters, Ralph $7 in nickels and we headed to the machines. The guys working the tills laughed out loud at us, as most people who come through usually spend hundreds of dollars. I felt totally out of place there, but I tried my hardest to make it look like I knew what I was doing, while the whole while I kept leaning over to ask Dawn what all of the lights and buttons on the machines meant. She laughed pretty hard at me. We had a lot of fun. In the end, I broke even, I won my $10 back. I'm sure the woman sitting beside me thought I was nuts...1) because I only spent $10 at the Casino and 2) because I decided not to keep gambling it!! In the end, it was fun, we had a lot of fun and laughed a lot!!

We woke up late again this morning (not as late as yesterday) and took our time getting ready. I drove Dawn and I into the city to pick up Lorna, Joe and the kids and we made our way out the CrocLand on the Western Highway for the day. It's a tourist attraction with a petting zoo of different crocodiles, a resturaunt and swimming pool. We made our way through the zoo, stopped for lunch and spent most of our time in the pool. It was a lot of fun, but quite exhausting. I was the only adult in the pool (the Sampson adults didn't swim) and two of the kids couldn't swim and needed to be held. So when I wasn't looking after one of the lee ones in the big pool they were hanging out in the kiddy pool until it was there turn. So I'm beat!! They had an absolutely wonderful time and that's all that matters to me, it was great to be able to hang out with them all day.

After getting out of the pool, I quickly dreaded not bringing along my contact holder and solution. The chlorine got into my eyes from all of the splashing the kids and I did that I couldn't see. Once we got into the city we stopped at a store and thankfully was able to find some solution to soak my contacts in. From there, Dawn and I found a great fruit stand, loaded up on fruits and vegetables and made our way home. We will soon be enjoying freshly made watermelon juice and a whole lot of fresh oranges from the orange farms here. I CANNOT WAIT!

I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow. It's going to be sad and hard to say good-bye, but at the same time I'm ready to go and begin preparing to move out west. The trip has been great, even though I've only been here 11 days, it honestly feels I've been here for months, mainly due to the length of days and the laid back atmosphere of the country. I really do feel refreshed and ready to take on packing up my stuff and saying my goodbyes to people back in Toronto as much as I don't want to. The next week is going to be busy, so I'm glad I've had these few days to enjoy some time taking care of myself and enjoying the company of my Belizean families. They certainly are a blessing, and this trip has made me realize that I don't think I can go more than a year without seeing these folks again. Dawn and I have already started planning where we will go on my next trip!!!

I arrive in Toronto at 8:30 tomorrow evening. Please pray for safe travels and continue to pray for the Diocese of Belize and the people here!! They have become incredibly close to my heart and I know that I will continue to keep them close in prayer as my minitry continues!!! See you soon!!!

Chelsy

Driving in Belize

2009-04-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

I got to hang out with Lorna Sampson all morning this morning!! It was great. I came into town with Ralph, Lorna's son-in-law, this morning. Dawn and Ralph live out of town in a little village called Sunset, I've been staying with them all week and then coming into the city every morning. Anyway, Lorna needed to be a St. John's Cathedral to lead the primary school kids in Morning Prayer this morning at 9:00. So her husband Joe, gave me the keys to their Prado and I got to be her chauffeur for the day and she was my navigator, I'm starting to figure out my way around the city.

We got to the church a bit early, so while we were waiting we walked across the street and checked out the House of Culture, which is a house on a piece of land that used to be owned by the British when the country was still a colony and governed by the British. The land has since been sold, but is kept maintained an is now a museum on the sea. It's the same place that Ralph and Dawn got married a few weeks ago...it's beautiful.

We then made our way back to the Cathedral, where 300 children were waiting for Lorna to begin the service. It was really great to see her in action. She's a very quiet woman individually, but when she is leading service, and preaching she has so much energy and life. It was great to see the kids and her having so much fun!! Right after the service about 50 tourists came into the church. Three big greyhound type buses dropped them off. Today was a Cruise Ship day. Three Cruise Ships docked at Belize and passengers are then boated to shore and get the day to spend money and check out the city, they were everywhere. The nice thing about them being in town is that the Tourist Village was open and I was able to find a few souveniers for myself that I was not able to find in the south. While walking through the village, I was worried that Lorna may have felt a little uncomfortable, but she really enjoyed it. They have lived in Belize City for about 20 years, and this was her first time in the village. She liked it so much, we went back this afternoon!! I think she just liked seeing people she knew, and looking at all of the crafts!!

We then came back to the house at mid-day and had our lunch, Dawn and I then ran errands. It wasn't as successful as we had hoped. Tomorrow is Labour Day, so nothing will be open, it's a day off. That means that everyone is getting their banking and errands done today....and when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE!!! Line ups at the banks were about a 2 hour wait, it was ridiculous!! Needless to say, our bank errands didn't get done, gonna have to wait until next week!!

The rest of my afternoon was spent on the couch napping. Everyday this week has included a good hour long nap, it's been glorious!!! And now I sit at Dawn and Ralph's in the village of Sunset where you can't hear a thing except the crickets and other noisy bugs outside, the neighbours are burning garbage and the fire is the biggest fire I've ever seen. It's been a great evening. Due to the day off tomorrow, Dawn and Ralph will be spending the day in Sunset. I'll stick around as well, lay in the hammock underneath their thatch and read a book...I'm re-reading The Shack while I'm here as I'm going to Paul Young's lecture at Wycliffe in a couple of weeks. Should be a good time. Tomorrow evening, Ralph, Dawn and I are going to go out and celebrate the fact that Ralph finished an exam today. Saturday - Lorna, Dawn, Diroune, Kayan and I will be heading to Croc Land for the day - it should be fun!!

Swine Flu and it's effects on Belize

2009-04-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

I've been in Belize City for a day now, I think....all of the relaxing that I have been getting in, I've actually lost track of time. I think I got here on Monday.....or maybe it was Tuesday. In any case, I'm here. Either Monday, or Tuesday morning I hopped the James Line Express Bus at 7:20am and made my way through the country side with my final destination in Belize City. The ride was nice, a little more crowded than I had expected, but still very nice. It's always wonderful driving through the diverse countryside. I will never get over how diverse Belize is, particularly due to its size. You don't expect the diversity.

I arrived in Belize City at about 11:30am, just in time for lunch with the Sampsons. Dawn dropped me off, and headed to work, while Lorna Sampson and I laid in the living room and had a nap. It was lovely. The last couple of days have been filled with afternoon naps. Part of me wants to go out and do things, while the other part of me just wants to sit and laze around. I have a feeling the majority of my time here will be the latter.

Dawn Sampson, was hoping to take a trip to Croc Land which is about a half an hour away on the Western Highway. We were going to spend the day at the park, and finish the visit with lunch, she figured that seeing how she'd never been there it would be a great place to go and experience for the first time together. Unfortunately it looks like our plans are going to be changing due to the Swine Flu pandemic. As of this evening, there are 4 suspected cases of the Flu in Belize. 1 in San Pedro, 1 in Orange Walk Town and 2 in Belize City. People in Belize are taking a number of precautions, face masks are being worn by employees of banks and the electricity company as well as locals on the streets. All of the events that were planned to take place this weekend have been canceled. This has included town hall meetings, the circus that was to start tomorrow in the city and the Agriculture Show, an annual weekend event that happens every year in Belmopan, it usually brings in 30,000 people. With all of the cancellations of events, the reality of the pandemic is beginning to sink in. I'm taking precautions as best I can, washing my hands constantly and making sure to keep my distance from highly populated areas which has been easy, as I'm not familiar with the city, so stay close to home.

Friday is a holiday here, Labour Day, so instead of going to Croc Land, Dawn suggested we have a Belizean barbecue at her place. I'm really excited, they have got a beautiful thatch in their backyard, complete with electricity, sink, barbecue, and hammock. It's lovely. I think all of the Sampsons are going to come to Sunset to join us. It should be a good time.

Aside from that, I might make my way to the sea to sit for a while, but other than that, I'm basking in the fact that I have absolutely nothing to do and taking huge advantage of it. I'm scheduled to fly back to Canada on Sunday and am preparing myself to be stuck at the border for a while, due to the fact that I'm arriving from Central America. Please pray for a stress-free arrival in Canada.

I will try and update in the next couple of days if anything exciting happens with my trip!! Take care!!

Chelsy

Where the Jungle meets the Sea!

2009-04-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not posting yesterday, it was a very busy morning and afternoon. I went with Miss Lorna and Shanton to church at St. Michael's yesterday morning. They did not ask me to do any services yesterday which I was grateful for, it was really great to be able to sit and participate in the service with the rest of the congregation. That did not stop Miss Lorna from asking me to read and then preach a quick homily on the spot for the congregation. I was nervous, but very happy to do so.

It was lovely to see some of the parishioners again. As we pulled up in front of the church a bunch of the little children who I had taught how to serve last summer were waiting for us. It was wonderful to see them, they sat right beside me in the front row of the church, crawling all over my lap as we particpated in Morning Prayer, led by Miss Lorna. We stuck around for a few minutes after the service to chat with other women at the church and to catch up. They all seem to be doing so well. I've missed them tremendously.

From there we decided to take a trip out to the graveyard to see Shawn (Shanton's mom's grave). He's been having trouble going to see the grave and tries to make up excuses as to ways he can not visit it. I asked him yesterday if he would show me where it is. Once I explained to him that I wanted him to show me where it was so we could visit together he was more willing. We sat on her grave and told stories that we remembered about her and laughed at some of the funny memories we had. He seemed to be less tense once we all sat down and talked about Shaw with him. It was a really precious moment, and really wonderful to be able to go and visit her grave, as her death came very suddenly and after I had left, which was hard to grasp.

Miss Sue from Monkey River picked me up after our visit to Shawn's grave. We made our way through the orange field farms and into the jungle to end up in Monkey River 8 miles off the Southern Highway. We dropped Miss Sue's truck off at a friends home, jumped into a boat and made our way up the coast to her home and resort called Stepping Stones. Due to the roughness of the sea we went around the back and enjoyed a lovely smooth boat ride through a lagoon that leads to the back of their lot. It was lovely. We picked up her husband Mr. Chris and made our way back to Monkey River Village. A young woman named Elizabeth who resides in Orange Walk in the north was staying in the village over night and interviewing locals. She writes for the Belize Times and is doing an article on the erosion happening in Monkey River.

The beaches and land at Monkey River is beginning to disappear as the sea creeps slowly toward the village. In the last 9 months since I conducted the funeral for the young child in Monkey River, the sea has made it's way incredibly close to the graveyard. If nothing is done it will be gone soon and so will the village. The village used to be a town of over 8000 people, it's current population is 180. Chris and a number of the locals, as well as support from the government will be working in the next couple of weeks to put up wood barries about 500 feet out at sea to stop more water from coming in and allowing the river that runs into it to take it's course. I'm not 100% sure of how everything is to work, but with time, once the barriers are up, there is a very good chance that nature will takes it course and Monkey River will be home to the beach it is so well known for and residents will not be in danger of losing their homes and belongings.

We enjoyed Stew Chicken for lunch while Chris and Elizabeth talked about the erosion problem. Sue and I made our way to the church. Sue has been working to lead Sunday School for the children in the village 2 Sundays a month. She asked me if I would be willing to lead a family/children service when I was there. I said yes. Before my arrival she put up posters and we had 26 children and their parents come for the service. It was truly wonderful. Sue seemed to be very happy with the turn out! We said a couple of repeat-after-me prayers, a bunch of songs (that they led, because I didn't know any of them), and a question and answer period where myself and the adults quizzed the children on their bible knowledge. If they got a right answer they got a pencil!! They loved it. It was a short service, but a great one. Teacher Wally and Sue said, that I got points with that service because it was short and didn't lose the kids attention!!! It made me smile. From there, we walked to the school, I've never been inside and really wanted to see what the kids were up to. They have done a wonderful job of educating the children. It's very inspiring, particularly when taking into account that Miss Sue is volunteering her time to keep the school running and making sure the children are being offered incredible education. She's an amazing woman....a true blessing and inspiriation!!! The Anglican Church is so blessed to have her and Chris working in Belize and spreading the Good News!!

From there, we hopped a boat and made our way back to Chris and Sue's place. Chris and Sue own a home and some cabanas right on the seaside. Their resort is called Stepping Stones. It is lovely, incredibly comfortable, clean, welcoming, and hospitable located where the Jungle meets the sea. You look out one window and all you see is green jungle, the other side of the building is sea. I spent the night on their deck sipping wine, eating pringles, listening to the waves crash on the beach, the palm trees move in the wind, and watching the FireFlies fly in and out of the trees. It was a beautiful evening. It was wonderful to catch up with the Harris's.

This morning Sue and I jumped into the boat at about 10am and took a half an hour boat ride up the coast to Placencia where I was being dropped off in order to catch the Hokey Pokey back to Mango Creek. We said our goodbyes there and I hopped in another boat. I really do enjoy the whole getting around by boat, much more fun than driving!!! I got off at Mango Creek, wrapped myself in a shawl, as I look like a tomoatoe and the sun is brutally bright today and started my half an hour walk to Miss Lorna's. Just as I reached the half way point a van stopped in front of me and my favourite taxi driver Carl was waiting for me! It's so neat to be remembered, and to know people here. I jumped in the car, and he updated me on his life since last summer!! He seems to be doing really well and that makes me so glad!!

The rest of my day will be pretty low key. I leave Mango Creek at 7:30 tomorrow morning and head to Belize City. It's going to be really hard to leave, I'm going to miss it here. Until then, I will pack up my stuff, hangout with the Longsworth's, and keep my ears on the news as I listened for updates on the Swine Flu that has hit Mexico. I have no plans to be in Mexico during my time here, however, my flight on the way home does stop in Houston, Texas. Miss Sue said there could be a chance that they will be offering vaccinations upon my arrival in which case it might not be a bad idea to take it. We'll see what happens when I get there.

I'll write again in a couple of days, once I am settled in Belize City!!

C.

Maxin' and Relaxin' in Placencia

2009-04-25T20:11:00.001-07:00

Not much to report today. The sky was overcast here today, and it was a bit windy. The Longsworth's and I decided to make our way over to Placencia anyway, we just decided that we would not go for a swim due to the waves. We decided to leave at around 11am this morning. Then Miss Lorna took the grandkids back to Mango Creek at 2:30 leaving me time to go and visit people that I knew in Placencia. I stopped by Miss Sonia's house. She wasn't expecting me and was very surprised to see me. We had a lovely little chat, not long as she was pretty tired, she's a very very busy woman. She was telling me about the new priest in Placencia and how they also have a new Treasurer. You could tell she was relieved to have other people stepping up and taking leadership in the church as she was doing it all up until December. She's a remarkable woman. Just before I left, she went to her cupboard and pulled out a jar of homemade Guava Jelly. It's my favourite and I was so touched that she remembered. Hopefully this one will last me longer than the last one did. I don't think the other jar made it to Canada my parents and I ate it all!!

From there I went to meet some other friends who I got to know really well in Placencia last summer, however, they have moved and through our correspondence before hand, did not get information about where they lived so was not able to get together with them. So I went back to my spot on the beach, pulled up a beach chair and sat in front of the sea and read for a good 2 1/2 hours. It was so lovely. Just before I took off to the water taxi, I made my way to my favourite Gelato shop and ordered myself a scoop of Sour Sap and Lime Gelato. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

My walk home from the water taxi was great. I met up with Mr. Peter's (my neighbour from last year) in Placencia. We took the taxi back together and he walked with me through town. A number of lee ones came running up to me for hugs!! It's really great to be remembered it really makes it feel more like home.

I'm now sitting at Miss Lorna's house, trying to keep my eyes open. Even though my day wasn't very eventful it took a lot out of me. I got a bit sunburned today, and am not looking forward to going to sleep, I have a feeling it's going to be an uncomfortable one, but I'll manage.

My time in Mango Creek is coming to an end and I don't want it to. Shanton asked me today if tomorrow was the last time he was ever going to see me again. My heart broke a little inside, we've had a lot of fun this week, and I'm going to miss him terribly. I told him that I would definitely come back to visit. I think Belize is going to be a place that I visit yearly, the culture has officially become a part of me, I'm hooked. It would be great to be able to bring a group of young people down to do mission work here, it's a goal that I have, and hope to meet in the near future. There is so much that could be done down here, and I would love to be able to bring others down and introduce them to this part of the world and allow them to experience the culture, lifestyle and hospitality of Belize, and ultimatley to see God at work in the communities here. Something to pray about!!

I'm going to go and put some Aloe Vera gel on my arms and legs, my skin's a little hot and sore. Talk to you soon!

Chelsy

Hammocks are GLORIOUS!!

2009-04-24T18:27:00.001-07:00

Hey Folks,

So I experienced my first circus. I must admit, I never thought the first time I would be at Circus would be performed by Guatemalans in Spanish in Mango Creek, Belize, but there you have it. The whole thing was in Spanish...didn't understand a word, but thouroughly enjoyed it! Shanton, was so excited for me to go. He's seen the circus twice already so he kept telling me what was going to happen next and looking over at me during the funny parts to check out my reaction. It was really cute. The circus was better than I thought it was going to be. Trapeze(sp?) artists, tigers, llamas, ponies, camels, dirt bikes in big metal balls, sword throwing, clowns and tones more. It was great, I'm really glad I went, it was a great time!!

Today was a brilliantly laid back Belizean day for me. A kind of day that I don't ever remember enjoying while I was here last summer, probably because I was so worried about making sure I was doing work while I was here. I woke up this morning earlier then I had planned because of the time of the sunrise which is 5:30am - the sun is usually fully in the sky by 6:00am which is the time I woke up. I bathed and then ate with the Longsworths. I had a conference call with a committee that I'm on back in Toronto at 8:30am which I attended and then the rest of the day was mine. I had absolutely nothing planned, and kept it that way. The temperature was high 80's low 90's however it was really windy which made the temperature perfect. I sat outside in the sun took in as much vitamin D as I could. After about 45 minutes I started to get tired of reading and laid on the hammock for a while. Last summer I never was able to have a decent nap in a hammock, probably because I had so much on my mind. With nothing to distract me I had the most glorious nap of my life in Miss Lorna's hammock this morning. Apparently there was a tone of people walking past me with packages for the Longsworth's, I didn't hear a thing.

The rest of my day was spent, making my way between the couch and the hammock with my book. It's been unbelievably glorious - I LOVE IT!! I got a little stir crazy this afternoon so I hopped on my old bike and took a ride to the store to pick myself up a little treat....Plantain Chips, they were great!! I forgot how much I liked them! I came back to Miss Lorna's and spent the rest of the day on the deck with Miss Lorna and Teacher Shirley (Lorna's daughter-in-law) who lives next door. It was a great afternoon.

If the weather holds out, Shanton, Miss Lorna and I will be making our way over to Placencia to enjoy time on the beach. I also hope to catch up with the Villafrano's who live under the rectory at Placencia. Their youngest Beyonce was one of the little girls who spent a bunch of time last year trying to teach me how to dance like a Belizean. Joseph, her father, e-mailed me to tell me she's got a few more moves to show me. We'll see if I can learn them!

Sunday I will go to church at St. Michael's and then take a trip out to Monkey River for the evening to spend some time with Sue Harris and her husband. I will return to Mango Creek on Monday early afternoon. So if you don't hear from me on Sunday it's because I don't have internet access. Monkey River is very small (pop. 400) and it's about a half an hour drive through the jungle, so it's a little secluded, I cannot wait!!

Please continue to pray for the Diocese of Belize. They have a real shortage of clergy people here, clergy are looking after many parishes, up to nine in some areas. The thought of it exhausts me. However their faith is so apparent and strong, it is incredibly encouraging and reminds me everyday as to why I love it here and the people here. They are constantly proclaiming the word of God and allowing the light of Christ to shine through them through their actions of hospitality, and their ability to share their love for Christ with each other! What a wonderful blessing!!!

Until tomorrow, take care!!

Chelsy

Home SWEET Home

2009-04-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

My morning began bright and early, 6:00am to be exact, the sun was well into the sky by that time. It was glorious. I stayed with Dawn and Ralph Sampson and had a wonderful wonderful evening. It was pretty laid back, we watched t.v and ate cheesecake. Dawn and I ended up being locked out of the house for about 45 minutes and had to wait outside for Ralph to come home. While we waited she asked her neighbour if she could make the cheesecake from the package that we bought at the grocery store, she said absolutely and we enjoyed just before bed. It was great.

Dawn drove me to the airport this morning at 8:30 so I could catch my 9am flight to Savannah (Mango Creek) however, my 9am flight was actually at 10 so I had to wait around for a bit which was no bother for me, got to read a book FOR FUN which was glorious. I arrived in Mango Creek and was greeted by Miss Lorna Longsworth. She looks great it was so great to see her. As we drove into town, I couldn't help but continue to feel like I was coming home!! We dropped my stuff off at her house and waited around for Shanton (her grandson) to come home. She was telling me that all last night he kept asking where I was, who was picking me up, and when I was going to arrive. So I waited in anticipation for him. As soon as I saw him I almost started to cry, he has grown so much and his smile was contagious. What a wonderful strong young man. In the last year he has gone through a lot. Shortly after I left Mango Creek, Shanton's mother who I got to know quite well passed away suddenly. Miss Lorna has said it's been a hard year for him, but that he has been doing well. She also said that when he found out I was coming he was incredibly excited, and that she hasn't seen him smile this much since I was here last. It's been great to see him and chat with him. I missed him and Miss Lorna tremendously.

Miss Lorna took me around town to say hello to friends that I haven't seen. One of these people included Mr. Peter's my neighbour who kept an eye on me all summer last summer. He told me he's going to come to church on Sunday, it's going to be great!!!

I found out that school is out tomorrow as it is the last Friday of the month and they don't have school. So Miss Lorna and I made a trip to IPS to see some of the kids. I must admit I was expecting the kids to make noise and run to give me a hug. It wasn't like that at all. When I walked into their classrooms their expressions resembled that of a deer caught in the head-lights. It looked like they had seen a ghost. They were incredibly shy and didn't say much. It was a bit awkward. However......I knew them well enough to know how to break the ice......I simply held out my hand in preparation to receive a high five and they raced to me. It was great. Their faces lit up, and they demonstrated their high fiving skills for me. They haven't lost it. God continues to be at work here. Mango Creek does not have full time clergy. Fr. Gordon who is full time in Placencia comes to Mango Creek once a month to do Eucharist, all of the other Sundays Miss Lorna leads. I will be joining her this Sunday. I'm very excited.

There is also Circus in town. Miss Lorna, Shanton, Miss Shirley (Lorna's daughter-in-law) and I are going to attend. I'm really looking forward to it. It's just across the way from the Longsworth's, so all afternoon I've been listening to the Lion and Tigers roaring. It will be a fun evening. Not quite sure what tomorrow will hold, haven't thought that far ahead, and probably won't until tomorrow. I envision a lot of reading in the hammock on Miss Lorna's deck - about 3 hours of my day were spent in that hammock today.....BEAUTIFUL!!!!

It's been really great seeing people here. Mango Creek is small enough that people still remember me, we've kind of picked up where we left off....and I really like being able to do that with people. It really is home for me and the people here have become family. What a wonderful gift and blessing to have!!

It's 6:00pm and it's pitch dark outside which means it's time for me to bath and get ready to go to the circus with the Longsworths! As always take care and talk to you tomorrow!!!!

In Christ,
C.

I'm back in Belize baby!!!

2009-04-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I made it safely to Belize today. I arrived just before 3:00pm Belize time (5:00pm Toronto time). The trip was tiring. I was up at 4:00am in order to get ready and get my stuff together to be to the airport on time.
I must admit, a big part of me was hesitant to come. Part of me wished I didn't plan to come and I was regretting making the decision to come here. Mainly because there are so many people at Wycliffe who are not going to be there when I get back, and I will not be able to say good-bye properly to them. So the trip itself was not the greatest as I was feeling like I was just coming to Belize to get away from saying good-bye, to get away from feelings about finishing up my degree and transitioning into work in Edmonton. That being said, it wasn't until the plane was flying over the Caribbean Sea and over the countryside of Belize that I started to get excited. The closer we came to the ground the more detail you could see in the trees. You could see the different features of the palm trees from others. The closer we got to the ground the more excited I got. I walked through the plane and walked down the stairs onto the plane runway, the heat and humidity of Belize hit me and I felt like I had just come home, I was home!!

Lorna Sampson and her grand-daughter met me at the airport and we took a nice long drive through the city. It is a really neat experience to come back to a place that you once lived and that has become home, to see what has changed, and you make a big deal out of things that others would not. For example, consturction that was happening around Belize City has been finished and dirty, dusty, pot-holey roads are paved. I was so excited by this. A park in the middle of Belize City where a lot of homeless people took up residence has been renovated, re-painted, and now is a clean park for Belizeans to hang out, again super excited by this. The Sampson children are growing, Dawn and Ralph (Lorna's daughter and new son-in-law) are married, things have changed, God has been at work. It's wonderful a wonderful thing to witness!!!

I head to Mango Creek early tomorrow and will spend time with Ms. Lorna Longsworth and Shanton. I can't wait, it's going to be great. I will try and blog again tomorrow evening and update you on what my day entailed.

I'm so happy to be back, and completely blown away by how much Belize continues to feel like home, even after being away for a year. It's a real testament to the hospitality of the people hear and the work of the Spirit within the community!! It's going to be a GREAT week!!

In Christ,
C.

Belize in T-minus 3 days!

2009-04-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

It's been a while since I last posted. My final year of the MDiv has been extremely busy and eventful, therefore keeping me from posting anything!! Since the last time I posted, I have finished my degree in Toronto, and am preparing to Graduate in May. During my studies I've managed to keep in touch with many people who I met down south during my internship. Ever since I arrived back in Canada, I haven't been able to stop thinking about the country and the people that I met in Belize.
So as a treat for finishing my MDiv, I decided in February that I was going to take 11 days to visit the country and the people that I met in the south. I leave on Wednesday morning! I'm incredibly excited, cannot wait to get there and catch up with the people who became so much like family while I was down there. I cannot wait to experience the laid back life style again, I cannot wait to take a trip to the school in Mango Creek to see the kids! I can't wait to be there!The trip is going to be a very quick one, but totally worth while. I will be splitting my time between the south (Mango Creek, Placencia and Monkey River) and the north (Belize City and Caye Caulker, maybe San Pedro).
I will be visiting and staying with the Longsworhts, the Sampsons and the Harris's. It's going to be a great, relaxing and refreshing time.
I will try to keep the blog updated for those who are wanting to know how I'm doing. I will not have easy access to a phone, so this will be my way of communicating with people.
In Christ,
C.

Culture Shocking in Canada Has Begun

2008-08-28T20:51:00.001-07:00

It's been just over 2 weeks that I have been back in Canada. I must admit, that there were a few things that I wasn't used to when I got back here. 1) The traffic and abundance of pavement 2) The weather. I found it pretty easy to get "back into the groove" of things back in Ponoka when I visited my parents. It kind of took me off guard as I was expecting to go through a bit more shock when coming back to Canada. I just assumed I was a lucky case of you know that 1 in 1 million people who don't experience culture shock upon their re-entry into a first world country. My assumption has proven to be wrong. I just recently arrived back into Toronto where I will complete my last year of my M.Div program. I arrived after spending 9 days in my home town with parents maxing and relaxing and taking it super easy. And after spending 6 days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania helping with preparations and attending a friends wedding, which was way less stressful then I thought it was going to be - she's super organized. By this point I was convinced I wasn't going to experience culture shock. Boy was I wrong. Since arriving back at Wycliffe I have had to move all of my stuff into my dorm room in a bit of a hurry so that I can finish off last minute details for the upcoming Orientation Week and Retreat that I am in charge of as Senior Student. It was today, in the midst of my running around trying to get things done that I officially started culture shocking. This morning I had 3 things that I needed to get done in the span of about 20 minutes, so I was a bit stressed and moving significantly faster than I had been all summer. My mentality was to get things done and quickly as possible. I accomplished what I needed to and then went back up to my dorm room. This finish the jobs quickly mentality caught up with me quickly as I sat down at my desk and couldn't stop shaking from the hustle and bustle that I had just experienced. My body has gotten used to the laid back lifestyle of Belize, and the attitude that no one is in a hurry to get things done, and don't worry everything will get done. Which is the attitude that I began to embrace during my time in Belize. (I hope that doesn't make them sound lazy....cause they're not!) Anyway, I'm sitting in my room, my body shaking and working on adreneline as I try to relax myself and stop stressing out about the upcoming week and the stuff I need to get done. I forced myself to take an hour to do nothing and just sit and relax, I grabbed a piece of olive wood carved like a cross that I bought in Bethlehem last year and rubbed it and prayed for a while. I must admit, I don't want my attitude to change....I don't want to be in a hurry, but that's life here, and I don't want to let go of some of the cultural differences that I embraced during my 3 months abroad. This experience has made me realize that I'm going to transition back into the culture whether I want to or not. But it's also got me wondering how I can continue to maintain this laid back mentality and incorporate it into different aspects of my life. My prayer life for example and not being in a hurry to get it over with, but taking the time that I feel I need at that moment to be still in the presence of God and not be worried about the endless list of things I have to do. Being able to spend time with friends without worrying about the endless list of things I have to do, but enjoy the company and blessing of their friendships and so on and so forth. This is something I really want to incorporate into my life, and over the next couple of months I will be discerning how to do that, without falling behind in my academic life etc. I'll keep you posted!

I've also had a few conversations with friends in Toronto. And they have included them asking questions about what is one food that you haven't eaten all summer and would love to have? I have to admit when asked the question I can't think of anything. It's not until I eat or drink something that I have tasted all summer that I am reminded of how much I missed it. Example: I headed out for lunch with a friend and ordered myself and Root Beer. The first gulp of that soda pop I don't think I will ever forget. It was so satisfying, and I hadn't realized how much I missed it until I had it. Slurpees, licorice and trail mixes are a few other things that I have thourougly enjoyed eating. I know in the next few weeks there will be more and I will definitely be keeping a record.

So there you have it, I'm not the lucky 1 out of 1 million that does not experience culture shock. I just realized that my lifestyle in the last couple of weeks hasn't been overly different from what it was in Belize....the only difference was that I was in Canada and not Belize. My pace stayed the same, and it has changed drastically in the last couple of days, and has thrown me off!!

Last days in Belize, first days in Canada

2008-08-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

The rest of the week with my parents was a wonderful time. Our routine over the last week was balanced between activity one day and then a day off after that. The heat really took a lot out of my parents, so we made sure that if we did something active one day we would relax and recoop the next. Tuesday was a laid back day. We walked around Placencia, went for our daily swim in the sea and just hung out. We were planning on heading Belize City on Wednesday but my friends Joseph and Shelley convinced us to stay one extra day. So instead of travelling on the bus through the country, we hopped a little fishermans boat and headed out onto the sea to Laughingbird Caye and National Park. The ride was bumpy, so much so that our tail bones were sore and bruised by the time we got there. The Caye is a small island with a shelter, barbecue, bathrooms and lots of Pelicans and Palm Trees. We spent about 4 hours between the water and the picnic tables. The beaches were amazing and soft, I would have stayed there forever if I could. We had a great time with Joseph and Shelley's three kids Travis, Amber and Beyonce. They were a hoot. My dad had so much fun bugging little Beyonce and she loved being picked on. On the way back our ride was significantly less bumpy as we were riding with the waves not against them. About 15 minutes into our ride we anchored the boat and did a little fishing in the sea it was great. Upon our return, we packed up our stuff, and got ready to meet Joseph and Shelley for a drink and a little Karaoke at the Purple Space Monkey, it was a great experience, some people made us plug our ears.....but I'm assuming that happens at all Karaoke clubs!!

Thursday morning we hopped the 6:45 am water taxi to Mango Creek and caught the 7:30 am Express Bus to Belize. I thought it would be nice for my parents to see the country as we didn't get a chance to make it into the Mayan Mountains, and the bus ride is perfect if you want to see the country side, and super inexpensive. I purposely packed my sweater as the A/C makes me freeze. We stopped in Dangriga, and a man came and sat beside me in the back of bus. We started talking about what I was doing down in Belize. When he found out I was a Deacon in the Anglican Church he told me he knew a Deacon in Belize. "Her name is Lorna Sampson," he said. I clapped my hands and said, "Lorna did an exchange at my seminary and she lived across the hall from me in Canada, her daughter is coming to pick us up at the airport." I replied. "You know Dawn as well? She's my god-daughter." It was so cool....and totally common in Belize. I don't think I ever took a bus ride that didn't involve me talking to a local who knew someone who I had gotten to know well during my time in Belize. It's amazing, how many people you get to know in such a short time. It didn't hit me until yesterday when I realized that I had actually met a lot more people than I thought I would, and a lot of them were situated outside of Mango Creek. Small world......I'm definitely going to miss that. We arrived in the city. Dawn Sampson picked us up and dropped us off at the hotel. It was amazing. The beds were divine, and they had douvee (sp) covers which I took total advantage of seeing that the room was air conditioned!!! Because the bus ride can take a lot out of a person, we laid low for the day because our Friday was going to be packed with activity. Friday, Dawn took the day off of work, and she and her neice and nephew joined me and my parents on an adventure to Jaguar Paw Resort to go Cave Tubing and Ziplining. What an awesome experience. My parents walked up a path for about a half an hour, made their way into the cave, hopped on their tubes and let the current take them down stream to where Diroune and I were waiting. They tubed through a massive pitch black cave that would open up so you could see the jungle as you were floating down stream. They couldn't stop talking about it. After their return, we hung out played in the river a little...my parents jumped off a cliff. My mom was stiff as a board when she jumped off the cliff and she landed in the water with her mouth open. Of all the people that jumped that day she was the only one to scream....we laughed pretty hard.

From there we made our way to the Ziplining section of the resort. We met our tour guides, got dressed for the occasion and briefed as to what was going to happen. The trip was 45 minutes and we would Zipline to 6 different platforms....the highest was 85 ft. It was amazing as we soared over the canopy of the rain forest, you felt like a monkey. I don't think I've ever laughed so much in my life. My mom is really afraid of heights but we convinced her to come. The majority of her time was spent with her face in the tree that the platform encircled......I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard at her and the noises she was making. I don't think the tour guides had laughed so much either, they got a kick out of watching my dad and I hound my mom as she held onto the tree for dear life!!! Now it's important to know that when I do things like this often I scream.....loudly. I was so proud that as we got to the last platform, I hadn't screamed once. It was time, to get down, and the tour guides lower you to the ground. So you're standing there and basically have to walk off the platform and pray that their ropes are secured. Before I walked off the platform, the one guide asked what speed I would like to be let down at, I said it didn't matter, thinking that I was all pro now. The first second and a half was a slow decent and then he let go of the rope.......I'm happy to report that my vocal chords are working and I'm pretty sure I scared any animal in the jungle away from us with my screech. As I got to the bottom of the tree the guide waiting for me was red he was laughing so hard.....all I could do was laugh as my knees knocked together.

Our final evening was spent having a wonderful supper with the Sampsons. They have been my Belizean family so it was wonderful to have the opportunity for my Canadian and Belizean families to spend time together. We had a wonderful time, we laughed a lot...it was a great way to end the week. At the same time it was really hard to leave. My parents kept telling me this week that they felt like they were taking me away and that was hard for them to do, particularly when they saw the people that I had gotten to know and grown close to. I must admit, it still hasn't sunk in that I'm not returning to Belize, coming back to Ponoka is like a vacation, and I need to keep reminding myself that my next destination isn't Belize. I miss the country and the people tremendously. Everyone that I talked to has told me to come back, and I can see myself making yearly trips to spend time with my new friends and family in Belize. I'm going to miss the gentle nature of the people, their humor and hospitality. I'm going to miss the laid backness of life in Belize and simplicity in which they live their lives. And yes I'm even going to miss the rodents that took up residency with me in the rectory.

After 14 hours of travel time I made it home in one piece. It was hard for me not to burst into tears as I flew farther and farther away from the country and people that quickly became home to me. I know the next few days are going to be hard. I'm excited to be home, yet homesick for Belize at the same time. I was welcomed to Edmonton by the graceful dance of the Northern Lights in the sky, and the captain updating me on the weather in Edmonton 16C (59F). It scared me, I haven't been in weather less then 85F and 100% humidity all summer!!

I've only been home a few hours and already I'm finding myself culture shocking a little. Having my luggage still in Denver doesn't help the situation either. :) In the airports I couldn't get over the hussle and bussle of the people. Everyone was running or speed walking to get somewhere, and all I could do was slowly walk to where I needed to go the fast pace of the America's can be overwhelming....it was to me. When I got home, I couldn't get over all of the pavement and the smoothness of the roads...it was a nice change from the pot hole roads in Belize, but with smooth pavement comes lots of traffic, traffic I'm not used to seeing. And walking into my parents house was a huge shock as well. There house is very large compared to the houses that people live in, in Belize. Not that the people are poor, their houses are just compact and small. I realized this morning that the first floor of our house is bigger than most peoples houses who have a family of 8. I don't really know what to do with all of the space. It's something that I will need to grow accustome to.....but the simplicity of housing and living in Belize is something I've really grown to love.

I've decided to continue to blog over the next couple of months as I tranisition myself into the North American culture. I figured it would be a good way to debrief and continue to reflect on the experience. Please keep me in your prayers, as I share my experiences with people and reflect on the work that God accomplished through me this summer. Also continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Belize as they continue to spread the Gospel through the country!

Last Sunday in Mango Creek

2008-08-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

My parents arrived safe and sound on Thursday evening. After a long 12 hour trip from Calgary to Belize via Houston (and almost missing their flight in Houston), I met them at the airstrip in Placencia and helped them settle into the hotel we are staying at. It is so nice to have family here, someone to share my experience with, and talk about what I've been doing, introduce them to people that I've been telling them about all summer, take them to the resturaunts I've been scoping out for their arrival, getting them to eat some of the Belizean Cuisine that I have fallen in love with over the last 3 months. It's been so wonderful and refreshing to have them here. I need to keep reminding myself that it's hot down here and that we need to take it slow. Over the last 3 months I've gotten used to working in the heat and can go all day running errands and taking little breaks here and there. On Friday morning, we were scheduled to go snorkeling but we canceled it because the folks were still pretty exhausted from their trip. So we Hokey Pokied it over to Mango Creek. I took them to the rectory and the church, introduced them to my neighbour Mr. Peter's, and we walked around town really slowly. It nearly killed them. I tends to get hotter in land because of the lack of sea and it got hotter the longer we were in Mango Creek. Let's just say my parents slept incredibly well from their exposure to the sun and the walking that they did :) The last couple of days have been spent lazing around Placencia, I've been taking advantage of the souvenier shops and stalking up on souvy's that I've been eyeing up all summer. I was walking down the sidewalk the other day and looking at some paintings, I really wanted to find a small painting that I could bring home with me to remind me of Belize. I just so happened to bump into an artist who had said if I would like, he would paint me an original picture for me before I leave the Penisula on Tuesday...I jumped on the offer, and am waiting anxiously to pick it up!!! The lazy days have been glorious, I'm finding myself to be freezing my butt off in the hotel room that my parents booked. We purposely got AC with the room so that they would be comfortable. When they come into the room they lay out on the bed and soak in the airconditioning....when I come in, I jump into my bed and cover myself up with the sheets and 2 blankets that are in the room. We've got it all working well. The AC is blowing directly on them, and I'm sleeping in the bed farthest away from the machine. I'm so screwed when I get back to Canada!!

So technically last Sunday (July 27) was my last Sunday in Mango Creek and Placencia. But both parishes wanted to do a farewell service for me together before I left. So I told them that I would be happy to lead another one yesterday (August 3). I must admit, Saturday evening I was not looking forward to it, just because I was supposed to be on "holiday" with my parents but I was still thinking about work, so it was just frustrating. The parishioners had decided to invite Placencia congregation to Mango Creek for my last service and then have a big lunch and dessert afterwards. After 3 months of an average of 20 people in Placencia and 5 in Mango Creek, I wasn't expecting a big crowd yesterday. I was blown away, when at 10am people were still coming into the church. It was full, everyone had to share hymnals and prayer books. There were people there who I had met on the street in Mango Creek, but had never come to church and decided to come and worship with us for my final service.....even my neighbour Mr. Peter's, whose not a church goer but has been looking after me all summer came for the service. And the food was never ending. About 6 members of Mango Creek looked after the main meal, while Placencia looked after dessert. The food didn't look like much, but it seriously never ended. It was a wonderful coincidence that the Gospel for Sunday was the feeding of the five thousand. And just as the five thousand came together as a community to eat together and worship together, so to did people from Placencia, Mango Creek and Canada at St. Michael's. I couldn't help but be filled with joy as I led the service and looked up at the front pew that was saved for all of the food! It was an absolutely wonderful day. My parents said afterwards that they feel bad, because they feel as if they're taking me away from my home. Belize has become home. I've been very persistent in telling parishioners that I will absolutely be back. I want to come back to continue in mission and to visit my family in Belize. They have been such a blessing. Their hospitality and love have helped Mango Creek and Placencia to become home, and they have truly helped my experience to be an enriching and fulfilling one as I have witnessed Christ at work in their lives.

So today I feel like I'm officially on holiday. No sermon or service to worry about. My parents and I had booked a tour to see the Mayan Site Xunantunich (shoo-nawn-too-nich) but it poured last night, and when we woke up it was still super cloudy. Our tour guide phoned us at 5 this morning and suggested that we make our way to Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Reserve. He was worried that with all of the rain that we had, had the potential rain to come that we might end up getting stranded on the north side of the river where the Kendal Bridge was washed away. We agreed and instead took a trip to the Wildlife Sanctuary. We enjoyed a fun, and educational tour through the Rainforest by our tour guide Ems. (If you are ever in Placencia and you want a great tour guide you need contact me and I'll give you Ems number....he was AMAZING!!!) We then enjoyed a wonderful Rice and Bean lunch and then we headed back into the rainforest our final destination - WATERFALL!!! We enjoyed the most refreshing swim in the pool. (Coldest swim ever for me). We even got to enjoy a natural back massage from the waterfall. Ems made his way beside the falls, and we followed him and sat under it with our back towards the falls....it was glorious!!!

We just returned. My parents are showering, I'm running a couple of errands and may go and enjoy a quick dip in the ocean before I bath. The week has been wonderful and relaxing. We are scheduled to head up to Belize City on Wednesday. I've convinced my parents to take the Express Bus that way they can really see the country...and it gives me one more countryside drive before I leave. I can't wait. Once in the city, we will take a day trip to Caye Caulker, one of my absolute favourite places down here (aside from Placencia and Mango Creek) and then out to Jaguar Paw with Dawn Sampson. Our final night here, we are going to enjoy a nice dinner with the Sampson Family. I can't wait!!! I'll try and post again soon with updates as to how our adventures have been. So far, it's been great....it's always a hoot having the Alberta Hillbillies visit me in foreign lands!!!

National Anthem

2008-07-30T17:39:00.000-07:00

Over the last three months I've been to a number of functions for schools and most recently a fundraiser where at the beginning of every event the Belizean National Anthem was sung. It's taken me all summer, but I can proudly say that I have learned the national anthem of Belize. I was helping some of the parishioners in Placencia to cook for the mission team from Virginia this afternoon and had the national anthem stuck in my head....and then realized that I was actually singing the words from memory and I didn't have to sit with the words in front of me or ask the kids to sing it for me. It may have been a fluke, but I was pretty excited!! The words are below. It may not be something you're interested in, but I wanted to post it so I had it written down and could look back on it!! I don't know how to post or link the melody, sorry, so if you're really curious ask me when you see me and I'll sing it for you :)

O, Land of the free by the Carib Sea,
Our manhood we pledge to thy liberty
No tyrants here linger, despot must flee
This tranquil haven of democracy
The blood of our sires which hollows the sod,
Brought freedom from slavery oppression's rod
By the might of truth and the grace of God.
No longer shall we be hewers of wood.

Chorus:
Arise! Ye sons of the Baymen's clan,
Put on your armours, clear the land!
Drive back the tyrants let despots flee-
Land of the free by the Carib Sea!

Nature has blessed thee with wealth untold,
O'er mountains and valleys where prairies roll;
Our fathers, the Baymen, valiant and bold
Drove back the invaders; this heritage hold
From proud Rio Hondo to old Sarstoon,
Through coral isle,over blue lagoon;
Keep watch with the angels, the stars and moon;
For freedom comes to-morrow's noon.

My parents fly in tomorrow which means I'm officially on holidays. I'm so excited!! I've cleaned out the rectory and packed up my stuff....I seem to be leaving with a lot more then what I came with, and trust me I came with a lot. I think I may end up going through my bags once more at the hotel and throwing out things that I don't need.

My emotions are mixed this week as my internship comes to a close. I'm super excited to have some time to enjoy the country without having to worry about working and I'm so excited to see my parents. But I'm really sad to be leaving. Three months is not enough time...and...yeah...I'm really not wanting to leave yet. I'm praying that I will be given the opportunity to come back down here in the next year to do some sort of mission with the Diocese. That would be really wonderful!! Until then, I continue to pray that God will be present in the lives of the people that I have met, and that whatever seed has been planted will continue to be nurtured by God. It's still not completely clear to me as to what the seed is that I've planted, but I have a feeling that I may not realize it until I am back in Canada and debriefing it verbally with people.

Last Service in Placencia

2008-07-28T16:52:00.001-07:00

Last night marked my last official service in Placencia. It took so much energy out of me. I had, had a busy day of traveling, it was particularly hot in the church as we had 18 visitors from Virginia among us, who are here for the week leading a VBS at St. John's Memorial....and with that many new people it made me a bit nervous. And to top it off, it took every ounce of energy for me not to cry. And I managed not to shed a tear. The service was lovely. It was great to see the church full, and it was such a pleasure to welcome the group of young people and their leaders from Virginia to Placencia. You could feel the enthusiasm that these young people had for mission, and you couldn't help but be so exicted and look forward to doing mission with them.

Before the service Miss Sonia had told me that one of the leaders of the group was a priest, so I asked her if she would talk to him about coming up after communion to bless those who haven't been baptized. Because I'm not priested I can't bless them, I often will invite them to come forward and will say a prayer with them. So I thought it would be a great experience for him to be able to bless them. But I think I may have embarrassed him when I let people know that he was present. I think my exact words were, "We have a real live priest among us this evening ladies and gentlemen." The congregation laughed, and I glanced over at him to see him sink a bit in his chair and turn a bit red....while laughing as well. He was a good sport about it. It was so wonderful to have him come up to the front and watch the children hurry to the front to receive their blessing. Their faces were radiating as this priest signed them with the cross and said the blessing. What a beautiful moment...and I must admit, I was so thankful that this had taken place on my last service in Placencia. I couldn't have asked for a better memory to leave the country with :)

I stayed in Placencia for the day, hung out at the church and at the school in case I was needed during the VBS. I wanted to stick around as a member of the congregation and be available to the team from America if they needed anything or anyone to run errands for them. It was a lovely day. The team had 70 children come out for the VBS today, and the kids were so excited. While the team ate their breakfast I was cleaning some things up in the church and the children were in there bouncing in their seats waiting with such excitement for their new foriegn friends to arrive. Crafts were done, games were played, snacks were had and swimming was enjoyed. As somone who has been living here for the last 3 months, I've become very aware of the need for Christian education and VBS for the children here, and I couldn't help but feel so grateful for this team as they are taking time out of their summers to come and live among us and be present in our community. It really is a blessing, a blessing that I have taken for granted when involved or ministered to by mission groups in Canada. So if you're reading St. John's Mission Team from Virginia....God bless you, and thank you for sharing in mission with us and sharing your faith with us!!

It's All In the Hips Baby!!

2008-07-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed a fun filled evening at a fundraising event for the Friends and Supporters of the Diocese of Belize (FSDB) which is an organization that raises funds or the Anglican Schools in the Diocese and also recognizes outstanding individuals in the Diocese around the country who offer their time and talents to the Diocese of Belize! It was a wonderful evening of eating, drinking and dancing....yip.....I danced!!!

I was super excited to go to this event. For the first time all summer I was going to be able to dress up, do my hair and make up and enjoy the elegance of the evening. I caught the 7:30 express bus from Independence to Belize and made my way on what I realized could very well be my last bus ride across the country. Learning from the last express bus ride I took, I packed a sweater with me as to not freeze my booty off because of the A/C. Good idea...I got weird looks from the tourists, but I was warm and that's all that mattered!!!

I arrived in the city, Lorna and Dawn Sampson picked me up and I spent the day chilling out with them at their place trying to not to show too much excitement for the evening....and secretly counting down the minutes until I got to get ready!!! So 5:30 rolled around and I hopped in the shower, got dress and went to do my hair and make up. My hair has gotten quite long over the last couple of months, and I have worn it in a pony tail every day since I arrived. I didn't bring a curling iron or blow dryer because...well why? So I let my hair air dry, stuck a head band in it, and left it at that. Not too hard....I still know how to get ready for a fancy night. Piece of cake. Then I pulled out the make up. And must admit I had flash backs to the first time I ever put make up on in Middle School. I don't know if it's just me, but I remember being so excited to be allowed to wear it, but when it came time to actually put it on, I was a bit nervous. How different was it going to make me look? That's exactly what I was feeling last night. I had to laugh. I was so nervous that I was going to poke my eye out with the mascara after not using it for 3 months. I'm happy to report that the mission was accomplished and I still have both of my eyes!!!

I arrived at the Biltmore just after 6:30 and as I entered the ballroom where the event was taking place, the Emcee announced my arrival. "We would like to welcome Deacon Chelsy Stevens presently Deacon in Charge at Independence and Placencia." Wasn't expecting that, and may have turned a bit red. Found out shortly after that they introduced all of the clergy that walked in as they walked in as well as the Governor General and the Prime Minister!

As I sat at my table I was overcome with joy to see a bunch of Steel Drums waiting to be played....I was so excited!! And as soon as the orchestra began to play I couldn't keep my eyes off of the them. This instrument has such a soft and welcoming sound to it, and you can't help but be over come with happiness when watching the musicians play as they move to the beat of the song they are playing. It's captivating. And I said to one of my parishioners....."I so wanna learn how to play that!" The Steel Drum Orchestra serenaded us over dinner. Dinner was followed by awareds to individuals who have offered of their time and talents to community, school and church in Belize. My good friend Sue Harris from Monkey River was one of the Honorees!!

After the awards were concluded, and the drum orchestra had cleaned up. The live band set up to get ready for the dance. This was the point of the evening that I had been dreading. I thought I was a good dancer, and maybe according to Canadian standards, I am, but I was convinced I wasn't going to meet the requirements of "Good Belizean Dancer." The music started and I slowly sipped on my glass of water as I watched the dance floor quickly fill up. Within a minute and a half of the music starting.....more then half of the assembly was up and dancing. Men, women, young and old, clergy, the Governor General and the Prime Minister were up shaking it. Sue came up to me after about 5 minutes and pulled me up to dance. And I didn't stop. It was awesome no one cared what you looked like and everyone was having a grand time. It was so much fun. And to my surpirse I didn't feel like a complete idiot...I may have looked like it but know one drew attention to it!!

By 11:00 I decided to call it a night as I needed to catch an 8am flight to Mango Creek to lead Sunday Service. I phoned Joe Sampson to pick me up. While I was waiting at the front entrance of the hotel, 2 members of the Cathedral who I've met in passing a few times came up to me and said, "You look like you were having fun out there!" I told them I had a blast. The man piped up and said, "You are a really great dancer!" I just about kissed, that made my night...I told him I had been so worried about looking like an idiot cause Canadian dancing is a bit different from Belizean dancing where hips and pelvises are used a lot! He replied, "Well, it's all in the hips baby, and you were definitley know how to work your hips!!" BooYah!!! It was a great night....and the couple laughed really hard when I told them that I was going to go back to Canada and teach people how to dance like a Belizean...they thought it was awesome!!! Looks like the few dancing lessons from Miss Lorna and the children in the village paid off!!

I'm heading over to Placencia this evening to lead an evening Eucharist service. I'll stay the night and then head back to Mango Creek tomorrow morning. This week is going to be pretty low key as I need to clean the rectory, work on a report for the internship and say good bye to people. We'll see how it goes!! Continue to keep the people of Belize in your prayers, particularly the south as the shortage of clergy is very noticeable...after I leave there will be 9 parishes without clergy and one clergy that is relatively close (between 40 minutes to a few hours drive away.)

Matthew 20:20 - 28

2008-07-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I eavesdropped on a conversation by some North Americans who couldn't stop talking about money and how much of it they had. It was something that annoyed me and I realized it was something I needed to prepare myself for in my transition back to Canada in a couple of weeks. And I was praying about how I could do that. Then this morning I opened up my Forward Day by Day devotional and this was the appointed reading and reflection for the day:

"Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. And he said to her, "What do you want?? She said to him, "Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom." But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said to him, "We are able." He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for thsoe for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
Matthew 20:20 - 28

In our culture, your worth is measured by what you can buy. We're encouraged to buy...and to buy and to buy! The culture says we are consumers, valued for what we own. The one who owns the most has the most prestige and the most power. Donald Trump is famous, but do we know the name of the homeless person sleeping beneath the bridge?
Jesus turns the world on its ear. He tells the name of Lazarus, the poor man who lies at the gate of the rich man (Luke 16:20ff), but doesn not name the rich man.
Money and power are things that our society teaches us matter. But to experience the kingdom of Jesus reveals, seek not money and power to serve. For in serving we come to know our Lord, we come to know our brothers and sisters and we're assured our name matters.
Forward Day by Day Reflection

I think this is a passage and a reflection that I'm going to use in the next few months during my transition back into N. American culture. Pretty decent answer to prayer if I do say so myself :)

Don't Worry Be Happy!!!

2008-07-24T17:57:00.001-07:00

So I officially have one week until my internship is over. The last couple of have days have been a bit rough as I have been trying to prepare myself for next week when goodbyes will be the majority of my conversations. I went up to Dangriga yesterday to a funeral - I didn't have to do this one, I was just in attendance. I didn't know the woman that died, but I did know some of her family as they live in Mango Creek, so I went up to the city with Miss Lorna and some other members of the community to support their family. As the locals from Mango Creek hopped on the bus to make our way to the grave yard for the burial, I quickly checked my cell phone, and found that there were a number of voicemails from home with no message. It's not like family to phone that persistently and not leave a message so I figured something was up. So I called home asap. It turned out that my uncle Scottie (who is my great uncle and who my family has been quite close to) died suddenly on Tuesday evening from a massive heart attack. I didn't end up making it to the burial of the deceased person due to the shock of the news about my uncle Scottie, but instead I hung out at the sea. My family is really close, so this it's going to be hard for me to be down here and not in Alberta with family during the funeral. I know that this is where I need to be, it's just hard to be so far away. I was able to talk to my family and my aunt last night and just being able to tell them that I was thinking about them and praying for them helped me not to be super upset of the news.

I made my way over to the Peninsula this afternoon to book a hotel room for my parents for when they show up next week and while I was there grabbed a quick bite to eat. While I was sitting at the Hokey Pokey waiting to head across to the Peninsula I was presented with a bit of a reality check as to the culture that I'm about to head back into. Belize as you know is super laid back. I swear the song "Don't worry be happy" was actually written for Belize, and if it wasn't, it should have been. I've learned with time to embrace the laid back way of life, and must admit am loving it. I haven't felt stressed (much). And the one thing that has really been refreshing is the lack of talk about money. In Canada, it seems like everyone is out to make more money then the next person.....not everyone is like this but, we can be. Anyway, I was sitting at the water taxi attempting to read a book and a couple of tourists were sitting beside me. And all they talked about was money and how it just cost them $12,000 to buy something, and how house prices in California are over a million and so on and so forth. They talked about it for 30 minutes. Part of me wanted to get up and say "you know there's more to life then money!" But I held my tongue. But it definitely opened my eyes to potential conversations that I'm going to be moving into in North America. People in Belize don't talk money, and if they do, it's not for long. I didn't come to Belize with a lot of money, and I haven't worried about it all summer because I wasn't reminded of it all summer and I really like that. I like that people down here aren't set on competing with one another (or at least there not in Mango Creek) or maybe they are and I'm just completely oblivious to it. In any case, it's not the centre of peoples conversations, and I like that....and was a bit annoyed by the conversation that I couldn't get away from as these men flaunted their worth loudly in the middle of the Hokey Pokey. This is a feeling and an annoyance that I need to be aware of over the next month, because the topic is going to be something that is going to be discussed in Canada and it's a topic that I'm going to need to be thinking about in the near future. I just kind of wish I didn't have to think about it or be reminded of it.....I like not worrying about money.....I like not worrying about anything and just being happy!!

Tomorrow I will be making my way out to Placencia again. Ruth and Malcolm Lambert, priests in Belmopan, who are hear for 3 years from England doing mission are coming to Mango Creek to visit. They haven't been to the Peninsula and have asked if I will show them around. I'm right excited. Saturday will be spent in Belize City enjoying a dinner with Miss Sonia from St. John's and then Sunday is my unofficial last service in Mango Creek and Placencia. Miss Sonia and Miss Lorna have asked if I would lead service on August 3 so as to have a celebration before I leave.

And because of the busyness of the weekend, I need to sermonize....right now!! :)

Kriol Lessons - Day Two!

2008-07-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

Aarite!! So I learned a whole wack of Kriol Consonants and Vowels today :)

Single Kansananz:
baaboon/baboon
daag/dog
feda/feather
goat/goat
harikayn/hurricane
jekit/jacket
konks/conch
lag/log
mengo/mango
nots/nuts
pikni/children
riva or riba/river
son/sun
taiga/tiger
vegitabl/vegetable
winda/window
yam/yam
zipa/zipper

Kansanant Blenz:
chayn/chain
shobl/shovel
tweni/twenty
fren/friend
snayl/snail
graashapa/grasshopper
klak/clock
flowaz/flowers
kraab/crab
chree/tree
skol/skull
blakbod/blackbird
brij/bridge
glaasiz/glasses
wing/wing
playn/plane
prikl/prickle
slipaz/slippers
smoak/smoke
spoon/spoon
staar/star
swim/swim

Kansanant blenz in Kriol, bot no eena Inglish:
bw, gw, skr, nj, skw, jr, schr

bwai/boy
gwaava/guava
skrach/scratch
areenj/orange
skweril/squirrel
jrom/drum
schrecha/stretcher

Vowilz:
a = hat/hat
e = ketl/kettle
i = pig/pig
o = okro/ummm...I forget what this is in English :)
u = fut/foot

Vowil songz weh rait wid too letaz:
aa = waata/water
ai - fait/fight
ay = chayn/chain
ee = leef/leaf
oa = boan/bone
ow = hows/house
oo = soop/soup

Ada vowil blenz:
klaim/climb
naif/knife
tayl/tail
lait/light
rayn/rain
playt/plate

Kriol Lessons

2008-07-21T11:29:00.000-07:00

Miss Lorna, who has been taking very good care of me this summer, has been asked to teach members from the Peace Corp living in Belize the Kriol Language. She starts teaching sometime in August. Leading up to her 8 week teaching session with the members she attends training in Belmopan and has been told she needs to find someone who doesn't know Kriol that she can practice teaching. It didn't take her long....only a couple moments after she returned from her first training session, to choose me as her guinea pig!! I just had my first Kriol Lesson, and will continue to meet with her for the next couple of days before she has to go back up to the city. The people in Belize have been very patient with me as I've tried to listen intently to conversations that Belizeans are having in Kriol. I'm no where near being a Kriol pro, but I have been able over the last few weeks to be able to understand what people ask me in Kriol without having to ask over and over for them to repeat what they said. I just can't speak it. If you were to ask me a question I can understand it, if you were to write what you're asking me in Kriol I can basically translate it, but I can't verbally communicate back in Kriol.

So Miss Lorna, transformed her little sun room into a classroom for me this morning and I spent an hour learning Kriol greetings and introductions as well as a song in Kriol (that I should have mastered by the end of the summer and can teach people when I get back). She taught the lesson as if she didn't know me. Introduced herself in English and then spoke Kriol the entire session...I'm proud to say that I understood most of what she was saying :) I wanted to share with you the stuff that I learned today. So the next little bit of the post is going to be in Kriol with a very, I repeat VERY rough English translation!! I hope you enjoy!!

Greeting:

Lorna: Gud maanin./Good morning.
Chelsy: Gud maanin da how yu du?/Good morning, how are you?
Lorna: Ah di du aarite an yu?/I'm doing alright and you?
Chelsy: Noh tu gud gyal. Mi belli de hat mi./Not too good gal. My belly is hurting me.
Lorna: Ah sarri fu yer dat gyal./Sorry to hear that gal.
Chelsy: Tenk you Lorna./Thank you Lorna

Introductions:

Chelsy: Da weh yu nayhn aah?/What's your name?
Lorna: Mee nayhn Lorna. Ahn yu, da weh yu nayhn?/My name is Lorna. And you, what's your name?
Chelsy: A nayhn Chelsy. Pleez fu meet yu Lorna./My names Chelsy. Please to meet you Lorna.
Lorna: Same yah gyal./Same to you gal.

Kriol Song - FuFu:

Ah mi gaan da mi riba benk
Fi go pik me kalalu
Fi go mek me peppapat
Fufu di faas da mi troat

KORAS:
Mek wi noh halla? ----Rispans: Wy? Wy?
Mek wi noh baal?-----Rispans: Wy? Wy?
Mek wi noh scream?--Rispans: Wy? Wy?
Fufu di faas da mi troat.

So that's just the first part of the song, I'll post more as I learn it. And will post the translation later on as well!!

The one thing I noticed as I practiced the introduction and greeting with Miss Lorna, is that it is impossible to speak Kriol quietly. It doesn't matter how hard you try to be quiet when speaking it, you can't. While sitting in Miss Lorna's sun room practicing with the door open, all of a sudden her son who was across 2 back yards at his place shouted something to me in Kriol. I didn't catch it cause I was so focused on learning what Miss Lorna had prepared....but it made me very aware of how loud I was if David was able to hear me across 2 back yards. It's so much fun. I'm not going to be fluent in Kriol, but I just found a Kriol-Inglish Dikshinari that I plan on purchasing to bring home with me. Maybe that way when I come back to Belize to visit I can dialogue a bit more with the people here!!

I have 10 more days of my internship left which is blowing my mind. My parents arrive on July 31 for 9 days. I'm super pumped, it will be wonderful to share my experiences of Belize with them. The locals have been watching the weather network with a close eye as Tropical Storm Dolly is making her way up toward the Belize, Orange Walk and Corozal Districts in Belize, southern Mexico and into the Gulf of Mexico, however, if it shifts, it will inevitably hit all of the country of Belize. So far no rain or fast wind, so I think we're in the clear. But what do I know. I will be heading up to Belize City on Saturday morning with a member from the congregation in Placencia. We are going to a fundraiser for one of the Anglican Schools in the city. The congregation decided to buy me a ticket as a going away gift for them. I'm excited, it's a fancy dinner which means I get to dress up, and make myself look pretty. My only worry is that I think I may have forgotten how to do my hair, I've had the same do all summer - ponytail/bun, I can't stand my hair on my neck when it's this hot. We'll see what happens. My last day is officially the 31st, but St. Michael's and St. John's have asked if I would be willing to lead one final service on August 3 for them. St. John's members have asked if they can join St. Michael's on that day in Mango Creek and then celebrate with a pot luck afterwards. It's going to be great as my parents will be here and that will give them the chance to meet all of the people who have been such a wonderful part of my experience here!!

I'm realizing that the next couple of weeks are going to go by fast, and they are going to be hard. I love the community here, I love the culture, and I'm sad to have to say good-bye, but I know I have to. Please pray that you will provide me and those who I have formed wonderful relationships with, with strength as we part. And continue to pray for guidance for St. Michael's as they await to hear what is in store for them "clergy-wise" after I leave. In my opinion I think it's incredibly important that someone be placed here long term in order to develop a vision for the church and to work with them in accomplishing the vision within the wider community....but that's just my opinion!! Please continue to pray for the ministry that St. Michael's offers and the dedicated people that have worked so hard at keeping it alive!!

Funeral at St. Stephen's, Monkey River

2008-07-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

The last week has been a little bit of a roller coaster for me. This time last week, I received a phone call telling me that I would baptizing an 18 month old at St. John 's. Yesterday I received a phone call asking me to come and do a funeral for 3 year old who had just died from Leukemia.
Miss Lorna had told me at the beginning of my time here that I would probably experience a little bit of everything while I'm here (re: baptisms, communion, the sick, funerals etc.) But I had convinced myself that I wouldn't experience a Belizean Funeral this summer, and I certainly wasn't expecting to be asked to do one for an infant.

I must admit, I was scared. How was I going to hold myself together? A lot of my work here this summer has been with the children here. Children that have brought so much joy to my life. I can be having the worst day ever and all I need to cheer me up is to hear them calling my name and running toward me for a hug. I didn't know the child, but the thought of seeing a child, like the other children who have touched my life in a casket, scared me completely. I wanted to be strong and was scared that I wasn't going to be able to hold myself together. I honestly didn't think I could do it.

So after getting over the initial shock after I was told about the funeral, I tried to hammer out a sermon and familiarize myself with the Rite Two funeral service. And then I prayed....all I could think of was "how am I going to get through this?" So I prayed for comfort and strength over and over and over again. I didn't sleep much as I was up thinking about the family of the infant. I woke up.....prayed some more...got myself ready and headed to Monkey River with one of the locals. In Belize it's important to know that the family usually holds a reception before and after the service. So after being boated across the river by a local, he invited me to a house that had a bar on the main floor where a lot of men who knew the family had gathered. I accepted the invitation and sat with them for about 15 minutes. The bar was under the elevated house, and I sat and chatted with the boy's uncles. It wasn't until just before I left that I realized, I had been sitting beside the casket of the little boy the entire time and hadn't even noticed it. Everyone was socializing and having great conversations. It didn't seem like the place to have the casket sitting. It took 3 women who came to view the body for me to notice it. I felt awful and is if I had been disrespectful. Before I left, I walked past the casket, viewed the body and headed to the church to be there for when the men brought the little boy to the church.

I was told that the funeral was going to start at about 1:00, which translated in Belize means about 2:00. I was blessed to have been able to sit with the Administrator and Principal of the Anglican School, who had been trying to figure out what they were going to do for the service, (they hadn't been told that I was coming). We had some tea and allowed members of the family and friends to view the body in the church and sit in the church with the body. I was also told that one of the family members was bringing an order of service which I would need to quickly study just before the service started. So it was unlikely I would need to use the Rite in the book, but had it there for the prayers etc. I was grateful for Carl and Sue who chatted with me and reflected with me as I prepared for the service...it was a blessing. I'm not being very articulate, I'm still trying to debrief it....I figured if I wrote it, the reflection would come but it's not.

Anyway, the service began at about 2:15 after the Order of Service arrived. It was a very simple service and an informal service, which I must admit was absolutely perfect. As I walked up to the front of the church and stood off to the side of the casket I couldn't help but feel an absolute calm over me that lasted the entire service. God provided me with the strength and peace that I needed to lead the service and comfort the family. One observation that I made during the service was the lack of men present. Aside from the step-father of the boy, the principal of the school and missionary in the village, I didn't see any of the men that I had met at the reception.

After the service we gathered to process across the village to the graveyard. There is a tropical storm that has situated itself over Honduras and Guatemala, and the northern part of it hit Monkey River last night leaving the grass roads full of water and mud. The procession made our way through the water and mud to the graveyard that is about 200 feet away from the Carib Sea. The congregation stayed as the grave diggers covered the hole with cement, and then we made our way back to the reception for lunch.

Like I said this is still something I'm trying to debrief and let sink in. Right now the only way I can explain how I'm feeling is.......numb. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but that's the only way I can describe it. This is probably one of the most unarticulate posts I've written, and need to keep reflecting on this for the next couple of weeks in order for this to process some more!

Chillin' in Punta Gorda

2008-07-16T08:08:00.001-07:00

So I'm in Punta Gorda for a couple of days, have been walking around for about an hour and needed to get out of the sun for a bit. Came into this cafe and found they have internet and thought I would update you a bit on my last couple of days!
As a treat to myself I decided a couple of weeks ago that I was going to spend a couple of days in Punta Gorda, the major and captial town situated in the Toledo District. It's a town I haven't been too, and it's the largest town in the south of Belize. Surrounded by numerous Mayan Villages, the Toledo District is lush and green. Tones of palm trees and other green trees (I'm not sure what they are) and the district is one of two districts that remain mostly untouched, as it is fully of national parks. The drive was beautiful, that is, once I caught the bus. My journey here was eventful and I found myself to be chuckling a lot last night as I looked back on it. So I figured I would fill you in while I have a bit of time.

I woke up bright and early yesterday morning (July 15) to catch the Express Bus to P.G. It was to come around between 9:00 and 9:30. So I packed up my stuff and headed to Tony's Supermarket. Sat on the sidewalk and waited. Mango Creek was pretty dead, so I pulled out a book that my mom had sent me in the mail and started reading it. I was really into it, so much so that when the James Bus pulled up in front of Tony's at 9:20 to drop people off and pick me up, I didn't even notice it was there.....and these buses are super loud! I just kept reading, it wasn't until the bus was about 50 yards away that I looked up to make sure I hadn't missed it that I realized.....I missed it!! Now had this happened to me 2 months ago, I probably would have panicked and freaked out....but it was very very apparent to me yesterday that I have almost completely adapted to the "don't worry about it" attitude of the Belizeans. After realizing I missed the bus, I picked my stuff up, and walked down the street to sit at the bus stop. I was getting lonely at Tony's and there was no shade and I was getting hot. So I hung out with others waiting for the bus, and hung out with some of the cab drivers who were waiting for the next bus to arrive. Turns out the next bus to P.G. wasn't scheduled to come by until 11:00 or 11:30.

I caught the 11:15 bus and enjoyed a beautiful 2 hour drive to Punta Gorda. Upon my arrival, the bus conductor asked where I would like to be dropped off. I told him where I was staying and they dropped me off right in front of the hotel that I had decided to crash at. The owner of the hotel is super sweet, I ended up interrupting his lunch, as I had arrived when everything is closed (between 1:00 and 2:00) but I got the last single room. It's purple! He checked everything in the room to make sure it was working, we found out the T.V. didn't work. So he said he would send someone over to take a look. When he got to the room, he tried to fix the t.v. no such luck, and he wasn't sure what he was going to do. So i packed up my valuables, and went for a walk, and asked the guy to shut the door behind him, that way I could make myself familiar with the place. While walking up Front Street. A couple of young men hollared out to me. Being the friendly person I am I stopped for what I thought was going to be a quick "hello where are you from" conversation. WRONG!!! I think they were a little drunk. One of the guys kept telling me I was the most beautiful woman he had ever met and they were very persistent in inviting me to their village in Columbia. I refused....over and over and over again! When I finally tried to get a move on, they followed me, I needed to find a tour agency to see if I could hop a tour to a Mayan Ruin, and I needed to get some lunch. So my afternoon was spent with a couple of young tipsy guys, who insisted that I visit their village. I found myself being very blunt with them. And for the first time all summer, getting quite annoyed. They ended up paying for my meal, which I thanked them for, and as I left the resturaunt I walked into a Supermarket to buy something that I could munch on in the evening. Best decision of the day. Because I haven't seen them since :)

I came back to my hotel, registered with the owner, and went to my room. Only problem was, I couldn't unlock the door. Something had happened with the needle in the lock after the t.v. guy had left, it got stuck and my door wouldn't open. So they had to pry the door open with a crowbar....thankfully they didn't have to replace the lock. I laughed pretty hard. You could tell that the guys at the hotel were a bit embarrassed, so I tried to assure them that it's not a problem...and that I'm not going to give them a bad rap. Actually....all of the events of the day makes me want to come back to St. Charles Inn!!

After getting back into my room and relaxing for a while, I decided to take a walk to watch the sunset. It was beautiful. I bumped into a man on my walk from one of the neighbouring villages. His wife died 5 years ago in child birth, and his other children have grown and have moved away and he doesn't see them. After hearing his story I wanted to cry, not just becasue I felt sorry for the guy, but because I was blown away by his faith. The last couple of weeks have been difficult for me and there were moments where I lost sight of why I was here, I got caught up in worrying how I was going to pull things off, and my mind was focusing on one thing....me. He said to me almost immediately into our conversation after telling me about his hardships that, "God doesn't give us more then we can handle." It was such a simple statement, but a profound one at the same time a statement that I know I'm going to have to remind myself of everyday!! I couldn't help but recognize Christ in this stranger, and it was that recognition and presence that almost brought me to tears. It was a blessing.

One of the things that I have been witness to here in Belize is the faith that people have. Every conversation that I've had with locals has almost immediatley begun by talking about God. I know what you're thinking, "they know that you're the Deacon." But that's just the thing, I don't tell them until usually the end of our conversation when they ask what I'm doing in Belize. So I know that they aren't talking to me about God and faith because they know I'm a Deacon, cause I usually don't say anything. Maybe it's because I'm white and they associate white people with missionaries.....I don't know. Or maybe they just have really strong faith, and even if they aren't "church goers" they aren't afraid to proclaim their faith to the people they meet. This is something I need to reflect on and talk to some of the locals and members of St. Michael's about.

After my walk, I went back to the hotel, to do some report writing for my internship. I wrote for a couple of hours and then decided to get ready for bed. I was overjoyed and almost screamed when I found out that the showers at St. Charles Inn has HOT WATER!!!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!! It was glorious!!! I've never smiled so much in the shower in my life.....and had probably one of the longest showers all summer!!! I'm very excited to get ready for bed this evening!!!

I headed down to the market in Punta Gorda this morning. Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days. P.G. definitely comes to life there are lots of people in town and you get to see all different types of vegetables, and seafood throughout the market. The Mayan's from the villages around town come into town at 5:00am, they bring their vegetables and sit on the street under umbrellas for the morning selling their goods. It's been really neat. I spent about 20 minutes standing outside the fish market as I watched people pick out their pick for the day. It was neat!!

After lunch I will head back to the hotel, and relax, I'm still not feeling 100% but am getting better, and figured that I should use the next couple of days not only to get ahead on writing but also to give myself a rest. I'm hoping to head out with a tour group tomorrow to check out some ruins, waterfalls and maybe go for a hike in the Jungle....I really hope it pans out. Anyway, that's been my last couple of days in a nutshell. Over and out.....for now!!

Post VBS sickness and Baptism at St. John's!

2008-07-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well, VBS finished on Thursday the 10th and the 11th, began a time of being super sick and exhausted from a very busy week!! I'm happy to report that all together, St. Mike's saw 98 children of all ages come through the doors of the church. Some of them were family to some of the congregation members. Most of them do not go to church. I have no idea if they will come back to St. Mike's for their Sunday School, but am encouraged and pleased that they came, and am confident that a seed of some sort was planted!! We'll see what God does from there!! I spent most of Friday laying around catching up on lost sleep. And Saturday I got REALLY sick. I didn't get a lot of down time on Saturday as I was on the go preparing myself to head across the Lagoon to Placencia for service.

On Friday afternoon, one of my parishioners phoned to let me know that there was going to be a baptism on Sunday. I was a bit surprised by it. I was expecting there to be one, but later on in the month. So I wrote a sermon and studied the West Indies Prayer Book to learn the service of Holy Baptism. I was a bit worried on Saturday when I arrived in Placencia as my stomach pains continued to grow worse and worse. I didn't sleep much throughout the night as I was in a lot of pain, and was really worried that I wasn't going to have enough energy to lead the service. I took some medicine, tried to sleep as much as I could. I woke up early in the morning, took my time getting ready so as to not irritate my stomach, and was able to make it through the whole service without feeling any pain. The service was wonderful. I baptized an 8 month old boy. Cutest kid ever. I was so scared that I was going to drop him. When the parents and god parents met with me the day before I asked them if I could practice holding the little guy (he was super squirmy). Thankfully he wasn't as squirmy on Sunday. After I poured water on his head, I turned to receive a purificator to dry off his head, as I turned he tilted his head back a farther as if to try and dip his head into the bowl of the font. He then got distracted by everyone who he was looking at upside down at, and just sat there. It was pretty precious. I'm still reflecting on the whole event. It was such an honour to be able to meet the family, and godparents of the little one and to baptize him and support the parents and family as they all take this next step in their journey together.

I came back over to Mango Creek, led service here, my stomach pains had disappeared. But as soon as the service was over they started up again. I was sick and in pain all day. So I took some more medicine, phoned my mom, cause it's always nice to hear a familiar voice when your sick, and tried to sleep throughout the night. I've come to the conclusion that my stomach pains are a result of working myself a lee bit too hard this past week. I woke up this morning after having a good night sleep with no pain. I'm still taking it easy, moving slowly, my stomach doesn't hurt, it's just sore from the pain of the last couple of days.

I'm heading out of town tomorrow for three days. I'm going to head down to Punta Gorda to spend a few days on my own to work on some paper work as my internship comes to a close, and to take in some of the sites down there while I have a lee bit of time. As my time here draws to a close, it's getting harder and harder for me not to fall into being a tourist. I have 17 days left before my time here is finished. My emotions are all over the place. I'm excited to be done and on my way home, and at the same time I'm sad to be leaving the families and friends that I have met here. The next couple of weeks are going to be quite difficult for me, please pray that the remainder of my time here will continue to be fulfilling and enriching and that I will continue to be blessed by the hospitality and ministry of the people here!

"A Future Not Our Own."

2008-07-09T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've had a stressful week. St. Michael's launched it's VBS on Tuesday. It ran Tuesday, Wednesday (today) and Thursday (tomorrow) is it's last day. Unfortunatley last minute, one of my parishioners who had a lot to do with the planning of the VBS had to leave town to go to the city for a required training event for something she is involved in later this summer. I was quite worried about it, mainly because I've never led VBS before, and didn't know the first thing about it. And when my parishioner had suggested the VBS I said absolutely and told her I would be happy to support her and help her with the ministry and I would encourage the congregation to offer their gifts during this time. So I was really stressed and upset on Monday as I tried to plan stuff to do for the VBS after she had left. (Her phone call came really last minute, and didn't give us time to chat before she left - it was no ones' fault, life happens and choices needed to be made.) So I sucked it up and prayed for the best. Tuesday arrived and so did 21 children from the area. And then Wednesday arrived with 35 children! I was the only adult there, which dissappointed me, I was hoping for some support from the congregation members. However, over the last couple of days, I've been so encouraged by the children, particularly some of the older children, who have come to VBS. I've taken the opportunity to designate the older children to be more counsellor types for VBS rather than participants. I have given them a lot of responsibility that they have embraced and done with so much joy and excitement. I ask them to help me out throughout the morning either with handing out paint brushes, or leading a outside game, or helping to organize the lee ones or handing out snacks during snack time. They have really embraced the leadership opportunities that have been given to them, and I have been so thankful for their willingness to sacrifice doing crafts and getting snack first, to help me with the lee ones!!

After doing some reflecting this summer (particularly the last couple of days), I'm very aware that 1) I have a huge desire to see the results of my minsitry and 2) I don't want my ministry to fail and disappoint people. I like to know that what I'm doing has made a difference and I tend to want to see it accomplished. At the same time, I'm aware that I'm not always going to see the results of my ministry and that there are a lot of different stages in ministry and evangelism. I need to be open to the reality that not all of the ministries that I'm invovled in are going to pan out the way I envision. (I forget these two points about ministry a lot, and need to remind myself that I need to trust that God will continue to nurture the ministry that I'm involved in). Our gifts are going to nurture the communities that we serve in ways that other peoples strengths and gifts won't. I need to allow God to use my strengths and gifts in those ministries, even when I'm scared or hesitant. Just becasue I don't see the results doesn't mean that God is not going to use what I have offered and just because I'm scared, nervous, or uncomfortable doesn't mean that God isn't going to use me to share the gospel.

A dear friend of mine sent me a care package with a book entitled "The Secret Message of Jesus." (Good book!!!) I was struck by a poem that is included in the Afterword that I have been finding myself to be reading regularly....okay.....daily (this week) as it is a great reminder of my ministry and my desire to want to see results and the reality that I'm not always going to see them.

"A Future Not Our Own"

It helps, now and then, to step back
and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection...
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is the beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results...
We are prophets of a future not our own.

- Archbishop Oscar Romero

A wise young priest told me the other day "you only have to worry about pleasing and honoring one person." I've tried to embrace this over the last few days and need to remind myself of this when I start to worry about disappointing people. It's a challenge but with time and continued ministry experiences, opportunities and prayer, I'm sure this will eventually engrain itself in my head!

Please continue to pray for the children in Mango Creek. They are thristy for the gospel, they have brought so much joy to my life and the lives of the community here. It's been such a joy and blessing to have 55 of them come through the doors of St. Michael's - this number will definitley go up after tomorrow :)

My journey to find a Locksmith!

2008-07-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

I've had an eventful couple of days that have frustrated me more than I thought they would. It had nothing to do with the people that I'm forming relationships with or the ministry that I'm doing down here....but with me. For the first time all summer I lost my keys! That's right, keys to the rectory and to the church. They were no where to be found. I was at Miss Lorna's, got ready to leave and checked to make sure I had my keys. They were gone. I ended up having to stay at her place on Monday evening. By the time I realized they were gone, all of the stores that I had been to that day were closed and I wouldn't have had any luck finding them. So I woke up really early the next morning, hopped on my bike and made my rounds around town to all of the places I had visited the day before. Still no luck. By noon on Tuesday I had given up, and figured that they must have fallen out of my pocket while I was riding my bike somewhere. So I decided to call a locksmith. I think this was the point of the whole event where I started to visibly look frustrated to everyone and feel the frustration building. I was embarrassed that I had been so irresponsible not too notice earlier that the keys were gone. I felt bad having to stay at Miss Lorna's house, she's been so hospitable to me this summer I didn't want to over stay my welcome (I know she didn't mind at all, it was just me worrying), and I was worried that this event would make people think that I was irresponsible or something (Miss Lorna was very quick to tell me otherwise and that everyone has lost keys and not to dwell on it, they're only material things) So, Monday night I laughed off the fact that I had lost my keys there was nothing I could do until morning anyway. But it was yesterday when I had to make arrangements to get my deadbolt fixed, that I realized there are still things about the culture that I'm not used to and I must admit frustrated me.
In Canada if you need a locksmith you flip open a phonebook to the "L" section of the yellow pages and find the number for a locksmith. I figured that this is how it works down here as well.....i've never had to find a locksmith in Belize. It's not....locksmiths here are people in town who have jobs (mechanic, security guard etc), and just know how to change locks. Which is great, except when you don't know the people in town who changes locks. So my looking for a locksmith involved me getting directions to a mans house in town, interrupting his job as a mechanic to ask him if he would come over to the rectory to change my deadbolt. I felt like such an idiot. Thank goodness he was easy going about the whole thing. He chuckled at me when I told him the story and how I had to stay at Miss Lorna's and that I really wanted to get into the rectory so I could shower. His willingness to stop what he was doing at his home and come and help me out (a complete stranger) truly reflected a love and image that I know was Christ.
I realized in this whole event my need of routine. Miss Lorna's home has become my second home and her family has embraced me as one of their own. I love to spend time with them. But I also enjoy the time I have in the evening to be by myself in prayer, or listening to music, reading and hanging out in the rectory as quiet and bare as it is. It's a routine that I put in place at the beginning of the summer that has helped me to balance my social activity in the village and my prayer life and alone time (which I never thought I would need as an extrovert). That routine was interrupted on Monday by my losing my keys. And I didn't like the frustration I was feeling yesterday. It's not like me to get worked up over a little incident like losing keys. But in reflecting on it, I think my frustration came from my familiar routine having to be discarded for the evening, culture shock that keeps biting in me in the butt when I'm not expecting it, and the exhaustion and anxiety that is beginning to set in as I near the end of my internship. My emotions are starting to take flight again as I'm realizing, in a few of weeks, I will be starting to say goodbye to people, and it feels like I've only just arrived here and just settled in.

I may be reading into the loss of my keys in way too much detail, but I couldn't help but notice my difference in attitude when dealing with the frustration. Thankfully God is good and he has provided people in Mango Creek with big hearts and locksmith knowledge. I'm truly grateful!!

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

First of all Happy Canada Day!! It's defintely weird being in Belize while so many friends and family are celebrating Canada Day!! I decided to treat myself to some Canadian food for lunch. A little beef and french fries!! It was wonderful!! Last week was probably one of the busiest weeks I've had since arriving in Belize. Between work and play I tired myself right out, but was able to experience a lot of the culture and ministry of Belize!

Thursday, June 26:
I hopped an Express Bus from Mango Creek to Belize City at 7:00am. I was a bit tired as I didn't get much sleep the night before so figured that I could catch some z's on the bus. It was a fixed up Greyhound so I knew the seats would be comfortable. Forgot that the bus was air conditioned and froze my buns off the entire way to Belize. As little request to anyone who I may end up riding with upon my return to Canada, can we please cool the vehicle off by opening the windows.....we can introduce air conditioning back into my life, but I think we need to take it slow :) Anyway, apart from the coolness of the ride it was great, and short, because it's express, it doesn't stop as often on the highway as the regular buses.
I arrived in Belize City at 11:00am, had just enough time to run to the Sampson's house, have a quick shower and get to the Diocesan Office for a Clergy Meeting that Bishop Wright had arranged to have before his departure for the Lambeth Conference. The meeting ended up being just under 4 hours, as we had a lot to cover. It was so wonderful to finally meet some of the other clergy of the Diocese, and was a huge eye opener to me. For the entire Diocese here there are less than 20 clergy persons. About 12 of us were able to make it to the meeting. I was the youngest person at the meeting by about 25 years. In the last couple of months I have realized that the country of Belize may look small on a map, but is actually quite large. With 5 districts to look after the Bishop and Clergy of the Diocese have done an incredible job. But you could tell that, the number of clergy that they have right now just isn't enough. One of the Canons who lives in Dangriga about an hour north of Mango Creek looks after 5 different parishers. So needless to say I was blown away at the lack of clergy that they have down here, while at the same time blown away at the leadership that the clergy has undertaken and the faith that they have. Being able to sit in on the meeting was a great experience. The Bishop discussed the vision of the Diocese, that is how the church can be a more unified church in the larger community. He envisions the church acting out this mission and vision by being a "Christ-centered, spirit-filled, vibrant, and growing community." As I listened to him lead his reflection on his vision for the Diocese and listened to some of the presentations by some of the clergy on how they are working at meeting this vision I couldn't help but hear the passion in their voices, and the excitement they had to be a more unified church. Bishop Wright and the clergy in the Diocese are certainly embracing the vision by being allowing their leadership and ministry to be Christ-centered, spirit-filled, vibrant and growing. I envision wonderful things for the Diocese and hope to see with time, more clergy in this Diocese.
During the meeting I also met for the first time Rev. Ruth Lambert. I had met her husband Father Malcolm on my first Sunday here. They are serving in Belmopan (St. Anne's and Anglican Theological Institute) for the next 3 years. They are originally from England. They arrived in Belize about a month before I did, so are still in the process of settling in here. It was so lovely to meet her, she is such a warm, gentle, hospitable woman. We had a wonderful chat and she and Malcolm invited me to spend an day and evening with them at their home with the hopes that we might be able to chat about our experiences thus far. We have plans to meet in a couple of weeks after Mango Creek's VBS is up. I'm really looking forward to it!!

Friday, June 27:
I stayed in Belize City at the Sampson overnight, and hung out at their place for the day. Earlier in the week Lorna's daughter Dawn, who I have become good friends with asked me if I would like to make a trip out to Caye Caulker with her as she was asked to judge the Miss LobsterFest 2008 Pagaent there. The LobsterFest committee put us up in a beautiful hotel. All we had to pay for was our plane ticket and meals. I jumped at the opportunity. I've seen pagaents on t.v. but never in real life, and I was curious as to how different the pagaents would be in Belize. They aren't much different. Less technology, but they basically shadow what you would see on the Miss U.S.A pagaents on t.v. just with younger and less contestants. It was a great experience however, as one of the competitions that the girls had to do was a skit about what the appreciate and like most about the culture in Caye Caulker and Belize. Many of the girls talked about the easy going attitude of the people, and acted out how they grandparents would teach them how to cook, or crack open a cocunt or make baskets or hammocks....and other survival methods that their ancestors would have had to be good at. It was actually quite educational for me.
We arrived back to our hotel and I decided to jump into the shower before heading to bed. It's a routine I've made for myself as going to be with wet hair keeps me cool at night. Whlie in Canada I was a master at taking short showers. I could be in and out in 10 minutes tops. And here at the rectory there isn't hot water, so my ability to take quick showers has come in handy on cool evenings. I think the shower I took on Friday night may have been the longest shower I've taken in my life. It was the hottest shower ever. I was in heaven. Definitely sang a lot and ended up enjoying the warmth of the water and the pressure of the water for half an hour. The bathroom was steamy after I got out. It was the first hot shower I had had in two months.....it was amazing!!! (*sigh*) However, upon my return back to Mango Creek, it was nice to have a cold shower waiting for me in the evening as it's been a bit hot the last couple of days.....it was nice to come home to that familiarity!!

Saturday, June 28:
Dawn, Diroune and I woke up early, and headed out for a nice breakfast in Caye Caulker before I had to hop on the plane to make my way to Stann Creek District. I was scheduled to depart from the Caye at 11:00 however my flight was delayed an hour. And the connecting flight that I was supposed to catch in Belize City was to leave at 12:00. The laid back attitude of the Caribbean is officially starting to rub off on me. Two months ago I would have been freaking out, and on Saturday I just sat around, and waited for my plane. The men at the airstrip kept apologizing for the delay and my only response to them was, "No worries." It's a phrase I've been using a lot down here. I got to Belize City, and found that the 12:00 flight from Belize City was also delayed so I was able to catch the flight I had reserved under and got to Stann Creek District around the time I had originally planned. I picked up a box of bread and flour that had been left for me to bring down to Mango Creek. On Thursday, there was another storm that brought a tremendous amount of rain into the Stann Creek District. It flooded Sittee River again, so the temporary road was demolished and they need to rebuild it. So once again the south is disconnected from the north and we are beginning to see the effects that the loss of the bridge has created. Prices of food have gone up tremendously and bread, flour and rice continue to be scarce.
From Mango Creek I boated over to Placencia, put my things away and headed to the beach to enjoy my first ever LobsterFest. Two good friends of mine from Placencia, Shelley and Joseph, made me feel very at home. We enjoyed a couple of drinks together, sat on the beach while listening to Caribbean Music, the waves of the Sea and the conversations around us. It was a great great time. Lots of fun games for everyone to participate in and watch. I think my favourite was the stuffed Tuna throwing contest.

Sunday, June 29:
I woke up bright and early and headed over to St. John's to lead them in a Deacon's Mass and then boated to Mango Creek to lead them in worship. I love Sundays here. It's always so wonderful to worship with the folks here. You can't help but sense the presence of Christ among them. They are such a faithful group of people. Their hospitality is amazing and I am always so blown away at their eagarness to share that hospitality and their love of Christ with the people that they meet.
After the services, I headed back to Placencia to eat my first serving of Lobster ever. I decided to go with the Fritters. I loved them!!! I love Lobster!!! I can't wait to eat it again!!! During the day a woman came up to me to ask me if I would like to buy a raffle ticket. I decided it wouldn't hurt, signed my name on the piece of paper and my phone number. She looked at my name and said, "oh you're Chelsy! I've been reading your blog!" My computer books marks websites that mention Placencia. It was so neat to meet someone who I didn't know before coming here who's been keeping up with my journey, and who lives just across the Lagoon!! It's amazing how in a world that is so large and diverse, God still manages to find ways of connecting you to people in ways you didn't think possible.

Monday, June 30:
Bishop Wright made plans to travel down to Mango Creek before leaving for Lambeth on July 2nd. I met him at the airstrip and we made our way to St. Michael's where we talked about how I was doing and feeling about the internship. And if there was anything that I needed. We talked about struggles that I have been having both with the isolation of the internship, but also with some of the issues in the parish that I have become aware of and how some of those issues, (which were issues before I got here, just for the record) have challenged me in my internship. Bishop Wright and I both discussed the potential that we see the community of St. Michael's and Mango Creek to have. I think that we can both see God doing wonderful things in this community in the near future, and I hope that after I leave and after I've planted the seed that I have been sent to plant that God will continue to nurture the community and send to them a leader who can support and encourage them in their already strong ministry. As always, it was a very affirming meeting with the Bishop. He is a wonderful man with a strong faith, and love of the church. His vision for the Diocese is in my opinion a wonderful vision and the Diocese of Belize and Anglican Communion is so blessed to have him as a leader in the Church. He assured me that the work I was doing here was impacting peoples lives as young children would ride past the rectory and wave like crazy and call out my name in the middle of our meeting!! I really do hope to come back here regularly and continue to work closely with this Diocese. The Diocese of Belize and the people here, have a very special place in my heart!! I'm so thankful that God has called me here this summer to minister with the communities down here. I have seen the light of Christ in people and in ways I was oblivious to in Canada. And continue to be introduced to ministry in a new light that I have been oblivious to in Canada. God is definitely opening my eyes to see him present in so much down here. I'm excited to continue to be witness to the work of Christ in the community through the next month!!!

I ask that you continue to keep the residents of the Stann Creek District in your prayers. Tropical Storm Arthur really hit us bad, and it hit us early, and has basically determined what our Hurricane Season is going to look like. Construction on any means of bridge or road across the river cannot begin until the water levels decrease, and in Hurricane Season, Tropical Storms are expected and they often bring a lot more rain than hurricanes. Please continue to pray for the communities who were and continue to be affected by the floods. Pray that they will be able to rebuild their lives and homes soon. Pray for the people who were not immediately affected by the floods and who are beginning to see the after affects of it through lack of resources. Pray that God will provide us with comfort, peace, patience and care for one another.
Also continue to pray for the parish of St. Michael and All Angels, as we prepare to offer VBS to the children in the village. Pray that we may portray the love of Christ to the children who attend and that the children may know tht love through our actions and our lives!!

Snorkeling with the Rays!

2008-06-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

I had an incredibly busy weekend and fulfilling weekend and wanted to share it with you! So here we go!

Saturday, June 21:
Was my busiest day of the week as I had two large commitments that I had made earlier on in the month. Commitment # 1: Acolyte Training. One of the parishioners has a number of neices, nephews and grandchildren who come to church regularly and wanted to learn how to be servers for the service. So I arranged to train them on Saturday morning at 10am. I was only expecting to have 2 or 3 show up, but was surprised when 5 of them came, including Maesha a 4 year old who was determined to learn how to serve even though she wasn't big enough to hold on to the cross that we use when processing in. They showed up, we went through a few bags under the altar, found a bunch of cassocks and found everyone's sizes and wrote their names on the tags. Their faces beamed as I put their names on the tag, it somehow made it that more official for them. Unfortunately all of the cassocks were too long for little Maesha, so we improvised and put a surplice on her. She spent a large amount of time swinging her arms around pretending to be an angel!! About 20 minutes into training I realized the the four older children all wanted to serve in church the next day, which left me in a little bit of a pickle. Serving isn't overly difficult and is usually only done by one person, but I didn't want them to feel like I was favoring one person over another, so I split the one person job into a 4 person job. Tanlyn was the cross bearer and led the procession in and out of the service. Cameron carried the cross during the reading of the Gospel and collected the offering. Chelsea served during the offertory hymn when I needed to set the table, she passed me stuff. And Myra read the second reading.

Committment # 2: I was invited to attend and pray at the Graduation Excersices for St. John's Memorial in Placencia. It was a wonderful day as I watched the young people who I have gotten to know over the last 6 weeks walk across the stage to get their certificate. Like at the IPS ceremonies I had a chair reserved for me with my name on it. I wasn't taken a back by it like I was at IPS. But as the ceremonies started and the childern came up to give their speeches, I'm pretty sure my face dropped and I turned a little bit red. You know when at these ceremonies and the kids giving speeches welcomes everyone, but before they welcome everyone they acknowledge all of the big wig people who have a lot to do with the school like the "Chairman of the Board, and the Principal", and so on and so forth. Well I was listening to the first young person acknowledging people, and all of a sudden I hear "Deacon Chelsy Stevens." Holy crap....my name was on the list of big wig people to acknowledge. It blew me away, and I was touched to be included and to know that in the short 6 weeks that I've been here, I've been able to have a small impact on the 25 young people who graduated from St. John's.

Sunday, June 22:
Sunday Service in Mango Creek. Well, I had 4 servers for the morning and must admit there were times it was a bit chaotic. But seeing the smiles on the childrens faces just made my day and affirmed that this is exactly what needed to happen. It was super encouraging to see them so excited to learn. On Sunday morning they showed up at the rectory at 8:30 to get ready for the 10:00 service. It was a great morning and our numbers at St. Michael's were up. Granted half of the congregation was vested and sitting near the altar (including 4 year old Maesha in her white surplice), but we had 14 people in church, and 2 other children who couldn't make it to our first acolyte training but are going to come back when we practice again!!

From the service I hopped on the James Bus Line to Belize City. While waiting at the bus station I met a young woman about my age named Molly. We chatted while we waited and I found out that she's from Iowa and has been living in Belize for the last two years serving with the Peace Corp. She has one more month left. It was such a blessing to have met her. I sat with her all the way to Belize City, and I honestly will never forget that trip. For the first time all summer I got to sit down with someone and share my experiences with someone, and listen to someone else's stories and experiences. Our experiences were very similar. We talked about the difficulty we had with the culture shock, we talked a lot about the isolation that we felt and how we have found ways of dealing with the lonliness that we feel (ie: excersicing, journaling, traveling, etc). We talked about the stress that we felt in trying to acheive the goals that we set for our time here and the fear we had in dissapointing supervisors. We talked about what our view of success and acheivement was before arriving in Belize and how that view has changed. We talked about some of the aspects of the culture that we like/love (ex: laid backness of the culture, the importance of family and how all businesses are closed on Sunday in order to sit around and be together). The conversation was so refreshing and fulfilling -and the first time I was actually able to openly reflect with someone. I have no doubt in my mind that God sent her to me and I'm so thankful that he did!!

Monday, June 23:
Unfortunately after arriving in Belize City I found out that the Sampson's were not going to be able to go out to the Cayes with me. I was dissapointed, but told them that I was going to go out on my own. I was nervous, I've never traveled by myself. I was worried that I would be so focused on the fact that I had no one to talk to and I would be experiencing everything on my own with that the trip would turn out to be dull and boring. It was the complete opposite.
I left the dock at Belize City at 8:00 and took the 45 minute water taxi ride to Caye Caulker, on of the tourist islands in Belize. Arrived at Caulker by 9:00 and walked around. The island is home to about 1200 locals, and lots of tourists who are visiting. I had my lonely planet Belize book that I had been studying the night before and tried to introduce myself to the village. My first duty: find a snorkeling tour shop and sign up to go snorkeling. It needed to be the first thing I did or else I would have chickened out. So I signed up to go snorkeling, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and was in the water by 11:00. It was a three hour long trip with three stops. First stop: Southern Channel of the Barrier Reef. It was beautiful. I've never snorkeled before and it was a lot earier than I was expecting. We swam through tones of coral. Tones of schools of fish and a gigantic turtle that is rarely seen by the reef. At one point I turned around to make sure I could still see the group I was with, and there were about 15 yellow tail snapper fish following me - they followed me all the way through the reef!! Second stop: Shark Ray Alley. It's a section of sea near the reef that is home to sharks and sting rays. There were no sharks around on Monday which I must admit I was thankful for. There were about 175 sting rays around though. And I got to swim with them. They are so neat....I was floating in the water at one point and this foot long fish with a beak like thing coming out of it's head swam right in front of my face while at the same time a sting ray swam under me and rubbed itself up against my stomach. What a great experience....and definitely my favourite. Third stop: Free for all. We got an hour to snorkel through the coral on our own. I was a bit hesitant, to do it by myself. The waves were a bit stronger at this stop, and they can easily push you into the coral, and I didn't want to chance getting hurt, so I swam around the outside of the reef and enjoyed the fish life from a distance. After that I grabbed a bite and a drink. (Before coming to Belize I read about a drink called a "Panty Ripper" the name made me laugh so I figured I would try it). Very delicious, it's pineapple juice and cocunut rum. From there I found a dock with a little palm branch shelter on it and a hammock, and laid down for a little siesta beforing heading back to the mainland. It was the most refreshing and fulfilling day of my life. And I was by myself the entire time....it was a new experience, and one that I would be happy to have again!!!

Monday: June 24:
Departed from the Belize City Bus Terminal at 10am. Destination: Mango Creek. About 45 minutes into our trip, the bus pulled over to the side to pick someone up and as we stopped, we got into an accident. An SUV of young people rear-ended the bus and part of the hood got stuck under the bus. The police were phoned and we had to wait about 45 minutes for them to show up. They ended up having to hitch a ride with another bus to get to us, because they didn't have a police car to drive. Thankfully no one was hurt and everyone arrived safely to where they were headed.

This week proves to be busy as well. I have to go back up to the city for a meeting with the clergy on Thursday before the Bishop leaves for Lambeth. I've been invited to travel with Dawn Sampson to San Pedro on Friday until Saturday (flight and hotel paid for) and then I will be heading to Placencia to take in the LobsterFest, and lead Sunday service there and back in Mango Creek.

VBS is fast approaching and my home parish in Ponoka raised money and purchased all of the resources we will need for the week. It was just sent on June 23. This may be a weird prayer request, but please pray that the stuff gets here in time. We've been finding that the mail from Alberta to Belize is a bit slower than what we were told. So please pray that we will have received the VBS resources by July 8th.

"Puh, puh, puh, please!!"

2008-06-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call yesterday from one of the parishioners in Placencia asking me if I would be willing to make a trip to St. John's to lead a memorial service for a member of the community that died a year ago today. I said yes, and got to planning the service. Miss Lorna was gracious enough to sit down with me and lead me through what a memorial service looked like as she has led a number of them for people who have died in the community. God bless her!

I got to Placencia a bit late and found that the congregation was significantly larger than I was expecting. I figured that the memorial service idea was a last minute thing and that only 3 or 4 people were going to show. I found out just before starting the service that it had been advertised for weeks and so they were expecting a number of people......nerve wracking!! So to calm my nerves I said a quick prayer and began the service. Due to the short notice, I didn't have a whole lot of time to prepare a sermon for the occasion, but knew that I was going to be expected to say something. One of the parishioners got up and said something to the family and shared a couple of memories of the woman. I probably could have moved the service along from there, but something inside of me was pushing me to get up and preach the good news of the resurrection to the congregation and the gift of eternal life that the resurrection gives us. So I did. I've never just stood up and preached without notes before, and I wasn't nervous, I've never felt so calm when standing up in front of a congregation preaching, it was an amazing experience....I have no doubt the Holy Spirit was guiding me through the whole thing - it was apparent to me, I don't know if it was to the congregation, but it defintely was to me.

I returned to Mango Creek and headed to the rectory to pick up my laundry to take over to Miss Lorna's house to do this evening. I grabbed a quick bite to eat, packed up what I would need while waiting for my clothes to wash and dry and headed out the door. I hopped on my bike and just as I made my way to the road I saw 3 familiar little busy bodies running towards me yelling out, "Miss Chelsy, some cold waata (water in Creole)." I turned my bike around and went back to the rectory ran upstairs, grabbed my jug of cold waata, 3 orange glasses that I bought for the kids and met them at the gate. They each took a glass (they love them it makes their waata look orange) and held them out for me to top up. They drank it in about two gulps and then pushed the glasses back at me and said "More." Manners are a bit foreign to the kids down here, so I figured this would be a good time to teach them. I looked at the boys and said, "What do you say?" They looked at me like I three heads and said, "More waata!" "Say please." I said back with a smile. They smiled and said, "Please." And I topped em' up. They drank their glasses in two gulps and pushed the glasses back at me. I looked at them again, and refused to give them more until they said please. I figured I wouldn't have to remind them to say it, we just went through the teaching session...it's fresh in their brain right? WRONG!! They just stood there, with outstreched arm holding their water glasses.....so I decided I would give them a little hint as to what they needed to say in order to get more. I quickly made "p" sounds by saying, "puh, puh, puh?" Nothing..."puh, puh, puh, Please," I said again. They smiled, looked at each other, and said almost simultaneously "puh, puh, puh please more waata!!" I couldn't help but let out the biggest laugh ever as they tilted their heads and smiled at me. So they finished the jug of water off, and descended down the stairs, one of the little boys Ali turned around and said, "Miss Chelsy, some food." I told them I didn't have any food, I just ate the last of my chicken, and as they turned around to walk away they all said, "puh, puh, puh, please!" So my manner lesson turned into a new found game with the boys!! And as they hopped on their bikes I yelled out, "Bye boys!" They yelled back, "Bye girl!" And as they rode away they yelled at the top of their lungs over and over again, "puh, puh, puh, please!!!! It doesn't matter how gloomy a day I'm having, I could be in the worst mood ever because of homesickness or worry, or I could be in a wonderful mood and so thrilled to be having this experience. As soon as I hear those children calling out my name and running up the stairs of the rectory I can't help but be so thankful that they exist. And so thankful that God has given me the chance to see him at work in them. Wonderful blessings!!

Tomorrow will be another full day. I am meeting with a couple of the young children who come to St. Michael's regularly to teach them how to be acolytes. I'm really excited. One of the little boys, Cameron, never sits in the pew. He always comes up and sits on the steps beside where I stand in by the altar and repeats everything that I say.....can you say vocation?!?! And then I will make my way back to Placencia for St. John's Memorial Graduation ceremonies, where I have been invited to close the ceremonies with prayer. I'm pretty pumped!!

Hope all is well. Thank you so much for your thoughts, prayers and encouraging words.

Chelsy

Ministry to Belizean Men!

2008-06-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

Another week has gone by and this puts me at 6 full weeks of living in Belize. I'm realizing that the time is beginning to slip away, and the next 6 weeks are going to come and go faster than I think they are. So I've been trying to take in as much of the community as possible with that in mind.

This time of the month is graduation time as I'm sure it is everywhere!! I was invited to a graduation ceremony for the Independence Primary School last night. On Wednesday I received an invitation inviting me to the ceremony. I was tickled pink to go. I got myself ready showed up at the Senter, with every intention of making my way to the back to find an empty seat. To my surprise I turned out to be one of the distinguished guest for the evening, I sat among some of the Town Council Members, and Board Members. My chair even had my name on it. I was blown away, to have been thought of as a distinguished member for the ceremony. I don't think I stopped smiling last night. There were 75 graduates, graduating from Standard 6 level which is the equivilent of Grade 8, which means they will be applying to highschools next year. What a wonderful bunch of young people, so vibrant and gifted. I didn't know all of them, but was so proud of each and everyone of them. Each child that got up to speak (3 in total) first foremost thanked God for his guidance in their journey through primary school. It was so encouraging to hear them as they thank God for blessing them with this accomplishment. Inspirational!!
Because of the work that I've been doing with the St. John's Anglican School in Placencia, I will also be at their graduation next week which I'm excited about, as I know a number of the young people due to my weekly visits!!

I've been diligently following and reading my Day By Day devotional this summer. I usually start my day out by reading scripture, the reflection and then praying. It's been wonderful, as many of the sciptures and reflections have tied into my ministry down here and help me to reflect on my ministry daily, it's something that I've been finding difficult to do without a supervisor. One of the appointed readings for yesterday was that of the Transfiguration. An event where Peter, James and John go up a mountain with Jesus and experience a moment in which they get a glimpse of Jesus as they have never seen before and ultimately are given a glimpse of God's presence. I was blessed to have couple of really precious moments today in which I was given the opportunity to acnknowledge glimpses of God's presence. Glimmer #1: I was walking to the Hokey Pokey (Water Taxi) this morning (6:30) to catch the boat to lead service at Placencia. On my way down the road, one of the taxi drivers, who I have gotten to know over many games of Domino's at the water taxi shelter, offered me free ride. On our two minute ride he told me that he wanted to change the way he was living his life and he want to live a life with Jesus. I was so excited for him to be taking this step and encouraged him in his decision to give his life to God. He ended up having to run to pick up some other folks, and my taxi was about to take off, so we didn't get much of a chance to talk. I told him that I would love to talk to him about his decision, and that I would pray for him. He seemed eager to set up a time to meet again. I have a feeling our discussion will be over a few games of Dominos. Glimmer #2: As I got off of the water taxi I started down the main street of Placencia toward St. John's. I've gotten to know a man by the name of Omar who owns a resturaunt and guest house beside the rectory. We've had some great conversations over Snapper Fish and O.J. Anyway he just opened up another resturaunt on the main street of Placencia, it opened this morning. It's a bright pink and green building, you can't miss it. I was making my way down the street when all of a sudden I hear "Hey baby, you want a coffee? It's the grand opening of my shop!! Come on in, can I get you a coffee? You'll be the resturaunts second customer!" He gave me a hug and kissed my cheek as he guided me onto the patio of his new resturaunt. I ordered myself a Lime Juice. Omar was beaming, he was so excited. As I waited for my juice he turned to me and said, "Chelsy, would you please pray for my resturaunt and for me?" I was taken off guard as I was in the middle of putting down my bags. I said sure, and before I could put everything down, every man in the resturaunt stopped what they were doing, and bowed there heads to pray with me. It was AWESOME!!! Glimmer #3: I finished the service at St. Michael's, which went really well (8 people in church today YAY!!) and decided that I was going to hang out at the Triangular Park down the street from the rectory and read and hang out. So I greased myself up with Sunscreen, grabbed a book and claimed a park bench. I was starting to get extremely hot, so went to leave when I heard someone greeting me. I turned around and there were a group of 4 or 5 men sitting under a tent barbecuing chicken and hanging out listening to music. They invited me over to sit with them, I introduced myself to them and we had a great 2 hour long conversation over wicked barbecue and beer!!
I've been noticing over the last couple of weeks that ministry is arising among a lot of men in the village. I'm aware that some of them only talk to me because I'm white and figure they can convince to take them back to Canada with me. But there are a number of them who are genuinely interested in what I'm doing in Belize, and why I've decided to answer God's call to ordained ministry. It's been a really neat experience, an experience that I'm not used to. In Canada, my ministry seemed to gravitate toward women's stuff, because I'm a woman. It's been a great new experience, one that I've had to get used to mainly because men don't come to church down here, yet it's the ment that I'm having religious conversations with. There are moments where I can get pretty embarrassed, with some of the conversations. Example?!?! I was walking down the street and a guy, about 50 or so, stopped me, introduced himself to me, when he found out I was working at the Anglican Church his first response was "You work at the church? I think I might have to become a Christian!" I chuckled, told him when the services in Mango Creek were, and headed on my way. He never did show...oh well. It's been a joy getting to know the people here!!

Our plans for VBS are continuing, it's been a bit of a frustrating week for me, as we've been trying as a congregation to figure out how we can reach out to all children- anglican, non-anglican, christian, non-christian. But we need to be careful because come July 8 it's likely we could have 300 - 400 children at the church which would be a wonderful turn out - but unfortunatley we don't have the resources or the volunteers. I'm praying lots about it, and with the congregation discerning ways in which we can be hospitable to everyone who comes. I'll keep you posted!!! In the mean time, continue to pray for the VBS as it approaches. Pray for the children who are called to attend, and for the volunteers!

2008-06-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

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

Mango Creek fundraises for the Victims of the recent floods

2008-06-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

I've really been struggling the last couple of days. It's been really hard for me to be so close (35 miles) to the devastation of the flooding, and to have no way of helping. I've really been struggling with how helpless I have been feeling. It's been a hard couple of days. So I ventured over to the Primary School, and stuck around for about an hour after school let out, and it was wonderful. All of the children at the primary school and teachers were asked to bring either food or clothing donations for the victims of the flooding. The village of Mango Creek was also asked to bring any donations to the primary school to be sorted out. So I helped sort the items and was truly blessed as I worked with 20 of the teachers and a number of students sorting out clothes, and putting together food hampers. It was so wonderful to be working together as One Body and acting out our calling to mission together.

Pictures from the Tropical Storms Alma and Arthur

2008-06-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures I found of the aftermath of Alma and Arthur

The Village of Gales Point

Sittee River is home to one of them men who drowned in the flood.

Thi is the remains of the Kendal Bridge. It's the major bridge that runs along the major highway that allows traffic to get into the southern part of the country where Mango Creek is located.

Please be praying for the people in these villages and the people throughout the country that were not affected as brutally by the storm. May the love of Christ be reflected in our repsponses, and may the victims of the flood know the love, comfort and peace of God at this devastating time.

Tropical Storm Arthur

2008-06-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

Over the last 5 days, the country of Belize has been rained upon. The Tropcial Storm Arthur (not a hurricane) has situated itself just outside of Placencia and has brought a lot of water with it. It's result, the northern parts of Belize from north Stann Creek up to Corozal (just south of Mexico) has been affected with flash flooding. I believe to date, 8 people have died, and many many families have lost everything. The Kendal Bridge, which is one of the main bridges on the main highway in Belize has been swept away, making transporation from the flooded areas impossible to get out of. A large number of people have been airlifted out of their communities and are safe, thanks be to God. But the damage fromthese floods is tremendous. Thankfully Mango Creek is above sea level and has not experienced any flooding and will not as the rains have stopped. I ask that you please hold the country of Belize in your prayers this week as those who have not been affected by the floods, step up and provide aide to those families who have lost everything. Pray for those families who have lost loved ones in the flood, and pray for the families who have lost all of their belongings. Pray for comfort, and peace as we work together to support one another.

The village of Mango Creek, started collecting food and clothing to be sent to those affected byt he flood. It's amazing to see God at work through the people here and the speed at which they have responded.

I will keep you posted as to the progress of the clean up of the communities affected and the bridge that needs to be rebuilt in order for food from the city to be tranported to villages throughout the country, such as Mango Creek. Please keep us in your prayers!

In Communion,

Chelsy

Money Changers in the Temple

2008-06-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

It has officially been one month in Belize, and what a wonderful month it has turned out to be!!

So I had a little bit of an embarrassing moment yesterday morning. It's been raining like crazy here all week and pouring throughout the night. My bedroom is right above the roof of the church, and the roof is tin, so the last few nights have been sleepless at times when the rain starts to pour. Yesterday (Saturday) I slept in a little. I took my time getting ready for the day....which basically translates to mean I lazed around in pajamas for longer than I normally would. Had some breakfast and spent a significant amount of time on my morning devotions. All was going well, and then I heard someone calling for me and walking up the stairs to the rectory. Definitely wasn't expecting anyone, didn't want them to have to wait, but was definitely still in my dark blue penguin print pajama pants. What to do, what to do? I walked outside, in my pajamas and met the woman on the stairs. Everyone who rode or walked past the rectory couldn 't help but stare at me and my funky pants. The woman was a Mayan woman in Independence from Punta Gorda going to Placencia to sell some of her jewlery and homemade baskets. She asked if she could visit me. I said sure, but told her I needed to change my pants first, I asked her to wait for me by the church and we would sit in there and chat, I've been warned not to allow people up on the veranda or in the rectory. So I quickly changed, popped a piece of gum in my mouth (I hadn't brushed my teeth) and headed for the the church. Turns out the woman didn't really want to talk to me, but she wanted to show me all of the stuff that she had made with the hopes of me buying something from her. As she pulled out all of her goodies and tried to get me to buy from her, the story of Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple in Matthew started flashing in my head. What was I supposed to do with this? I let her show me her stuff, asked her questions about how long it took her to make the baskets and the necklaces and then took the opportunity to affirm her and reassure her of the gift that she has and not suggesting that I would buy anything from her at that moment. When she noticed I wouldn't budge, she told me that she sold this stuff in order to support her family and put her children through school, in trying to avoid buying anything I started asking her about her family. "How many children do you have? How old are they? What are their names?" After about a half an hour, I convinced her I wasn't going to budge. I thanked her for showing me her things, and assured her that I would find her in Placencia and buy something from her before I left for the summer. And then told her if she is ever in town again to stop by, and that I would love to visit with her again. I couldn't help but chuckle afterwards!!

I led two services this morning. This weekend is one of the weekends that I spent inPlacencia. Once again my evening was super relaxing, I lazed around in an incredibly comfy chair and read an incredibly good book for the evening while I listened to the rain fall on the tin roof of the house beside me. It was basically amazing.

I then led the service in Placencia, and boogied back across the lagoon to St. Michael's. The one thing I'm getting used to here is the lack of people that come to the church on Sundays. Today Miss Lorna and I were the only two at church (for a while) so we decided that instead of having communion we would do morning prayer together. It was simple, and so spirit filled. Half way through the service another parishioner came in. He sat near the back and just listened, he can't read so rather than following along in the prayer book he just sits and listens. But when it's time to sing, he knows the words to hymns because he's memorized them. It was so wonderful to be able to hear his voice as we worshiped together. I was filled with joy as I heard him sing his heart out the words of the scripture that the hymns we sang were saying. And it was at this moment that I truly knew what it felt like to the be the body of Christ. As I sat in the pew with Miss Lorna and the other parishioner I couldn't help but realize that we were all from different walks of life. Literate and illiterate, Caribbean, Canadian and Belizean, young and old, but that didn't stop us from worshiping together, worshiping the God of love as the one body of Christ. It was a pretty amazing moment for me...God is good and blessed us abunantly in our worship this morning!!

Tomorrow is my day off. I promised Shanton a trip to Placencia to swim in the ocean, but from the looks of it I don't know if the weather is going to cooperate. Hurricane season officially began today and will be upon us until November 1st. Haven't heard what the forecast is for the summer in terms of tropical storms, but I'm not worried!! All I know is that if I had to choose between being too hot, or wet......I choose being too hot!!!

Chelsy

Belizean Food

2008-05-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks,

I received an e-mail from a friend in Ponoka and she was interested in knowing what I was eating. So I thought it would be great thing to post on the blog, to give everyone an idea of what the food down here is like. The one thing I am learning to do here in Belize is eat with my fingers and not worry about getting my face dirty or my fingers dirty from the food. I've been really lucky as Miss Lorna has been cooking for me. I have to admit, before coming to Belize I considered myself a pretty decent cook - that is if there's a recipe for me to follow. I was a bit shocked to find no directions on how to cook things and quickly came to realize how much I relied on the box directions in Canada for things like rice.....cause I got here and found out I actually don't know how to prepare it without the directions. Thanks be to God for Miss Lorna, who has been so hospitable and has been cooking meals and inviting me to dine at her place with her family. One thing to note is that Belizeans eat their big meal at mid day (noon) and then have something light in the evening.

Here is a list of some of the dishes that I've eaten with the Longsworths!
Breakfast:
Johnny Cakes (thin little biscuits that you put butter and jam, or peanut butter or ham or cheese on and eat)
Fresh fruit (Mangoes, Papaya, Oranges etc)
Eggs and Bacon/Sausage and homemade Flour Tortillas
Flour Tortilla with Jam, Peanut Butter etc
Lunch:
Rice and Beans, Chicken and Potato Salad is a very VERY popular meal here in Belize. The rice and kidney beans are often cooked in cococut milk, chicken is barbecued or fried, and the potato salad isn't much different from what we have in Canada, they add carrots and peas and corn and different tasting dressing which I love! Throw a little bit of Marie Sharps hot sauce on the rice and beans and it's great!!
Chicken Stew on Rice is great as well. From what I could tell, they put whatever they can find in the stew and mix it together and then serve it on a bed of rice.
Pasta and meat sauce - with lots of Cilanto....they love cilantro here.
Creole Shrimp on Rice (basically shrimp made in cocount milk and cilantro with some carrots and any other vegetable)
I had fried Snapper fish for the first time yesterday. 3 hours before I ate it, it was swimming in the ocean. It was AMAZING. I've never been a big fish eater, probably because I'm from Alberta and we're not known for the fish, but I think I could be! Half way through our meal I looked out side, and there were about 6 stray cats crying outside - they could smell the fish and were climbing up the screen trying to get into the house.
Supper:
Is usually pretty small and consists of flour tortilla and some sort of meat (usually chicken or fish)
Panades are also a great thing to eat in the evening. It's fish rapped in a corn pattie and then fried to perfection. It comes with a really great tasting cabbage and onion sauce that you put on top. When I went up to the city, the bus would fill up with people selling fresh panades for a shilling, they are great snack foods or meals for the evening.
Meat pies. Biscuit like pies with that are hollow and have some gravy and little bit of meat in it. Delicious.
Chips and Dip (homeade corn chips with a dip that consists of peppers, onions, velveeta cheese, mayo, hot sauce, cilantro and anything else you wanna put in it.
That's all I can think of right now.
Snacks:
Plantain Chips. Plantain is a vegetable that looks like a banana and tastes like a potato. It's great with rice and beans and great as chip snacks.
Panades
Johnny Cakes
Fruit (lots of mangoes, oranges, bananas and grapes)
Custard
Chips and Dip

I must admit I chickened out the other day in Monkey River, they were selling Crab soup, I was tempted to try it but didn't have the guts to...maybe another time. Next month, Placencia celebrates it's annual Lobster Fest weekend to celebrate the opening of Lobster season. I've never had it, so will be going over with Shawn and Lorna Longsworth for my first taste, I'm pretty excited!!
That's all I can think of right now. I need to start writing down what I'm eating. Miss Lorna told me that she's going to teach me to make Johnny Cakes and Tortillas, I'll be a pro by the time I get home!!!

We got our first rain fall today and it has cooled down a little bit. The wind is blowing making the temperature and tad bit more bareable. I continue to look forward to working with the children and have had some wonderful conversations with a number of locals outside the grocery store, the bar, and the water taxi port. I'm finding the culture down here to have a lot of respect for clergy...it doesn't matter to them how old you are. This is something I'm trying to get used to. I'm used to people being a bit hesitant to come and talk to me because of my age. This is not an issue for the culture down here. It's been a really good learning experience. Having people come to me with their problems or for advice is something that scares me a bit because I've never had to do it before....because of the age factor. However wisdom and discernment and compassion are things I pray for daily, and so far, God has provided. The experience will continue to be challenging and I'm finding that ministering down here is helping me to discern areas in my ministry that need work.

Hope you are well. Take care for now and talk to you soon!!

peace,
Chelsy

Hope you are well. Looking forward to hearing from folks soon!!

peace,
Chelsy

Just when I thought it couldn't get any hotter......

2008-05-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

This past week has been incredibly hot!! 98 degrees and higher......bah!! I seriously thought last week I had adapted.....FAT CHANCE!!!

The week was busy with lots of time to lay back and try to keep cool!! I continue to spend time at the Primary School in Independence. I love it there. Mainly because I'm always so encouraged by the kids, even if they are little chaotic and wild. Being able to teach them not only their maths and social studies, but to be able to live out the Gospel with them is so exciting. I've taught a couple of scripture lessons and the children get really excited when they get to answer questions about the stories! It's really encouraging to see them so interested and to know that God is at work in them, even if you can't always see it through their crazyness!!! It's been a blessing!!

Yesterday Miss Lorna found a couple of little keyboards that she's been looking for that Shanton was learning to play a couple of years ago, but doesn't know any other song other then Mary Had a Little Lamb. So when she found out that I played she asked if I would teach him some other stuff. I agreed, and had a beautiful evening sitting out on the veranda in a hammock with Shanton and a couple of his friends teaching them how to play the piano. It was a wonderful evening!!

I took the 20 minute drive to Monkey River in the Toledo District today. This is a small village that I may have to lead a couple of services at during the summer. The village was having a festival and the woman who phoned me to invite me to come and chat with her about the services was quite involved in the running of the festival, so I didn't get a chance to talk to her which was a dissapoinment, mainly because I had to arrange for someone to drive me out. I was able to see the school, and check out the church which was good. Stuck my feet in the ocean and enjoyed the events of the festival. I'm not sure what's going to happen with Monkey River, but will keep you posted.

I'm hoping to go out and hang out at the park for an hour or so this evening, while riding my bike around, I bumped into a local who introduced himself and family to me. They often sit out at the park and hang out with friends, and watch the kids play Basketball etc. I've rode past often, but have been too chicken to stop and talk to people, mainly because it's usually been after 8:30. So I think I might go and sit with these people for a while and chat with them learn more about the community and about them. We'll see!!

Monday is my day off. And I'm planning on heading to Placencia with Miss Lorna's grandson Shanton. I promised him....actually pinky swore him that I would swim in the ocean in Placencia. I didn't get to swim at Monkey River, so I promised him I would take him over for the day and swim. I've never swam in the ocean - so that should be exciting!!!

Thank you for your continued prayers. It's incredibley comforting to know that you are supporting me through thought and prayer!!

love,
Chelsy

Children's Service in Placencia

2008-05-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

My morning started early this morning. 6:00am......okay that's when my alarm went off and I stayed in bed until 6:30 :) I made my way over to Placencia this morning back to St. John's Anglican Church. Caught the 7:30 boat over ther and was there by 7:45. I got to lead the Anglican School in a Morning Prayer service. It was awesome. They have a service every Wednesday morning and the church was packed. The children had to bring in extra chairs and benches to sit on. I think I counted 120 children in the church!!! And boy can they sing....there was clapping and tamborines! They sang 'This is the Day.' Half way through they took me by surprise when they started singing in Creole (broken English), they laughed at me, and I laughed too!! It was so wonderful. I'm hoping that over the next few weeks to have the children a lot more involved in the service. Hopefully they will act out the reading, read the prayers and pick the songs for the service. I'll be sure to take a picture of the church in the next couple of weeks, which will probably prove to be more packed as some of the children were away on a field trip!!

After the service I took a walk over to Omar's Resturaunt to have a little fresh Orange Juice and Breakfast. If you are ever in Placencia stop by Omar's and tell him that the Deacon from Independence sent you :) I sat and listened to the waves of the ocean and took some time to pray and reflect on my last couple of days. Very refreshing. However my reflecting and prayer time took a little longer than I had anticipated and I ended up missing the 10am boat back to Mango Creek....and the next one didn't leave until 12:30. It was getting hot so I decided to sit at the gas station in the shade and wait the 2 hours for the next boat. I was delightfully surprised when a guy in his own boat pulled up and said to me, "You going to Independence?" (That's the other name for Mango Creek) I said yeah, and he told me to wait, he had to go pick someone up and he would come back and take me across the peninsula. I wasn't sure what to do.....I thought about leaving, but I was tired from the heat....... so I waited. He came back, and told me to hop in. Turns out he's a taxi driver in Independence and he was in Placencia picking something. So there you go, I hitch-hiked my way across the penisula this morning :)

Came back to Mango Creek, and went over to IPS where the children were to perform their poems and songs for the Festival of the Arts coming up. I had no idea it had to pass the teachers judgement. I was so nervous for them. Both of the classes that I have been working with both did extremely well. I was so proud of them. I then sat in with the teachers and watched all of the other children perform their acts. Lots of dancing....people here love to dance. And it turns out that the Festival is a competition between schools in the Stann Creek District. So the next week and a bit will be spent working on our performances that will be adjudicated at the Festival at the end of the month.

This evening I'm getting together with some of the membrs of the congregation to have a bible study. Last week was our first one and it was really great!! I have a feeling tonight is going to be just as wonderful!!!

love,
Chelsy

Fleas in Belize!

2008-05-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

So it's been a few days since I last posted. And the last few days have been jam packed!!! First thing to update you on....I think the dog that was sleeping on my balcony has fleas.....actually...I know he has fleas. Why, you ask? Because I've been suffering from flea bites around my ankles. They bite me and then I scratch them like crazy. My ankles have definitely seen better days. I'm happy to report that I have figured out a way to keep the dog from getting up the stairs and I don't think he's been there the last 4 days. I will also be wetting down the balcony and bleaching it like crazy so to kill the fleas, keep the dog off the balcony and so that I can spend my mornings in the sun.

The weekend was super busy and so much fun. So here it goes:

Saturday evening I caught the last Hokey Pokey Water Taxi over to Placencia where I stayed the night. One of the parishioners asked me if I would be willing to lead a service for them every other week, as the other student from Canada who was supposed to be placed there needed to go back to Canada because of a family emergency. I was a bit hesitant as I didn't want to overwhelm myself, but said yes, and I'm so happy I did. The congregation at St. John's is amazing!! I got to Placencia and was taken straight to the rectory. I was a bit taken a back as I thought Miss Sonia would be having me stay with her. I got into the rectory and my mouth dropped to the floor. They had a couch, and comfy chairs, a bed that didn't have springs popping out of it, a big kitchen and an ocean view, as it sits right on the beach. I stayed up until 10 with every door open and read while I listened to the sound of the waves!!! I've never fallen asleep the sound of the sea before....what a lullaby!!

Woke up Sunday morning, led an 8am service at St. John's, Placencia, had some breakfast which included fresh squeezed Orange Juice, (OverEasy's O.J. in Toronto has nothing on the O.J. here!) Miss Sonia's son Bruce then boated me across the Lagoon where I was picked up and taken to Mango Creek to lead the 10 am service. And as always the service in Mango Creek was wonderful. I love the congregation here!!! After the service at Mango Creek I packed up some of my stuff and headed to the bus stop where I caught the James Line Bus. It's an old School bus that has been fixed up that runs from Punta Gorda in the south to Belize City in the north. It's basically equivelent to a city transit bus except it runs on the Highway and not in the city. It has designated stops to pick up people and drop people off. The trip was about 4 hours and cost me $19 Belizean dollars. It was worth every penny, the country side here is beautiful and diverse. At one point we were driving down the highway with orange trees on my left and banana trees on my right. We then headed into the mountain region which is lush green with palm trees and all sorts of different vegetation!!

Lorna and Joe Sampson met me at the Bus Terminal in Belize City, we hung out at their place for the evening, it was wonderful!! Lorna's little grandson Kayvaughn is quite a shy little boy, but all night wanted to play with me, the family was blown away by how friendly he was being...it made me happy!! On Monday morning, Lorna and Joe took me on a road trip up to Mexico. It's only about a 2 hour car ride from the City. It was lovely. I found out from the trip that I need to renew my visitors permit every month by leaving the country. My new one expires on June 18 so I'm hoping to make my way across the Guatemalen border next month. During our drive to Mexico, we drove in the Sampson's SUV that has A/C. And about 20 minutes into our trip, I had to ask them if we could shut it off and open the windows I was FREEZING!!! I guess that means that my blood is officially getting thinner :) We arrived back in the city in the early Monday evening and we crashed.

I woke up early Tuesday morning and hopped the James Line bus at 9am, destination, Mango Creek. It was another long trip, and when I got off the bus all I could think during my walk to the rectory was "I'm home." I never thought I would hear myself saying that, but it was so nice to be back in Mango Creek where life was peaceful and ......familiar. I dropped off my stuff and headed to IPS where I taught a class about the parable of the Good Samaritan. It was wonderful to be there again. On my way out, all I could hear was "Hi Miss Chelsy" coming from every direction, and children running up to me for their daily high fives!!

This next week is proving to be busy as well. I head back to Placencia tomorrow morning at 7:30 to lead the Anglican School in a Morning prayer service. Then I spend the rest of the day at IPS. Thursday and Friday will be spent around town and writing a sermon. Saturday Miss Lorna and I will make a trip to Monkey River for their annual village festival. I will meet the school administrator, check out the church and the school, talk about services at the Church and hopefully make my way down a couple times this summer to lead a service for them and also talk about working with the school. Sunday will be service in Mango Creek at 10, and then Miss Lorna and I are going to take the bus to Punta Gorda for the night. I'm really really looking forward to it!!

I'm starting to feel more at home. My weekend away, helped me to realize how much I love Mango Creek and the people here. I was pretty bummed a week ago as I was feeling lazy and bored. But coming back to a community where people wave at you and greet you on the street and everyone knows who you are is really reassuring and affirming. I'm super excited to be doing God's work here!! Thank you for your prayers, please continue to pray for me and the congregation of St. Michael's as we minister together this summer!!

peace,
Chelsy

I turned 24 in Belize!

2008-05-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that I would have spent my 24th birthday in the tropical country of Belize. Definitley not me! Wednesday was my birthday and the day turned out to be a lot harder than I had expected. It's the first time I've been away from home and not able to spend the day with my family. I tried to distract myself of my emotions by heading to the school. I hadn't been for a couple of days, so the kids were pretty pumped to see me. They are so sweet, and it was such a wonderful treat to spend the day with them. Wedensday evening consisted of having Bible Study at the church. Some of the women have been meeting diligently every week to discuss the upcoming Sunday's readings, and they asked if I would like to join them....they didn't have to ask me twice, I was so excited to be able to meet with them. It was a small intimate study. Myself, Miss Lorna and Miss Bridget were there, along with Miss Bridget's neice Chelsea and nephew Cameron. Our discussion was great. The women of the parish are very passionate about their faith, it's so inspiring. They are strong women and God is at work in their lives. Miss Lorna then suprised me with a home made birthday cake. Chelsea grabbed one of the extra candles for the altar, set it next to my cake and lit a match. She and Cameron watched intently as I made a wish and blew out the flame. It almost made me cry. Drinks were provided by Chelsea and Cameron (fruit punch) and we had a wonderful little party in the church.

I've spent the last couple of days taking it pretty easy as the beginning of my week was quite hectic. I've spent some time working on my sermon and have found that the Lagoon is a wonderful place to go sit, and be inspired. I woke up this morning, headed out to the water side and got to writing. It was great. I came back just in time to open the church for Chelsea, Cameron and TanLynn three of the children from the parish who were sent over to sweep, mop and dust the church. Not knowing what was going on, I helped out - found out later, it's their weekly job and that I didn't need to help out, just needed to be around to open the church. It was great to hang out with them and talk to them. They are a wonderful group of kids. It's very encouraging knowing that they are members of the church. They have great leadership potential! Very exciting for the church!

Since I last posted, my veranda, has turned into a sunbathing spot for a particular smelly, dirty, ugly stray dog. He comes up the stairs, and climbs through the fence part of my porch and basks in the sun all day. I have to kick him off every morning. He's a sneaky sucker too. He'll leave when I kick him out, but he doesn't stray far, he keeps an eye out and waits until I'm gone and then climbs back up the stairs. When he sees me coming he leaves. So we have to put some wood over the fence as my veranda smells like gross dog.

I'm heading over to Placencia tomorrow afternoon and will be spending the evening with Miss. Sonia, one of the parishioners from St. John's Anglican Church in Placencia. Sunday morning I will be leading a service there and then boating back to Mango Creek to lead the service here. I have every intention of coming over to Miss Lorna's house and relaxing at her place as it is a lot more comfortable then mine. And it's nice to be able to spend the afternoon with people. Monday is my day off and I haven't decided what to do. I'll probably stick in Mango Creek again, but am hoping that next week I can hop a bus and ride up to Belize City for a couple of days to spend some time with the Sampson Family.

Please continue to keep me in prayer. I'm still homesick, I think I'm going to be homesick until the day I have to leave and once I get back to Canada will be homesick for Belize. I don't want to be, but I can't help but be. Particularly when I'm alone so much. I also ask that you pray for my health and strength. I'm still struggling with worrying about not having enough to do, this is one aspect of the ministry down here that I need to embrace and learn from, it's just really hard to do, coming straight from the busyness of Toronto. Hope you are well!!! Take care for now!

love,
Chelsy

Her name is Ruby, and she's red!!

2008-05-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

So I decided to splurg yesterday and boy was it worth it. I went out and bought myself and bicycle here name is Ruby and she's red! It's been a bit of a challenge as it's been more then a decade since I've rode a one speed bike, but I'm slowly learning. I've gotten so used to riding mountain bikes and having the breaks on the handle bars. The locals have gotten a kick out of watching me ride as every 5 minutes or so, I got to rotate the petals backwards like you can on a moutain bike and I jerk into a complete stop. By August I will be a pro at one speeders again!! It's been wonderful having the bike, I've been riding it almost all day because I actually feel breeze when I'm on it. It's great!! And I can make it out to the Lagoon in 5 mintues and take time to sit and listen to the water.
I went to Placencia today with Miss Lorna, it was lovely. Very hot, we ended up only staying for about 2 hours which was plenty. I'll take in more of the tourist village on Saturday when I'm there for the night.
Spent some time at the rectory, I finally got gas and now my stove works so I made myself some lunch, cleaned up, hopped on my bike and went out to the Lagoon to read for a while. Met a man named Peter Dueck who lives at Spanish LookOut which is about 100miles away from Mango Creek. It's a village of about 1500 people and they are all from Canada, living in Belize. Our conversation was very delightful.
I've been trying to be at the rectory between 2:30 and 4:30 as the children get out of school at 2:30 and 3:30. They usually stop at the bottom of my stairs, call out for Miss. Chelsy. I come down, we sit under the mango tree, some of them climb up the tree looking for ripe mangos (I've learned not to sit directly under the tree when they're up there, mangos hurt the head when they fall) and they pull out their homework and do it while I sit with them. Yesterday I had about 15 children under the mango tree between 2:30 and 4:30.
That's all for now. I've been feeling a bit homesick lately and could definitely use your prayers! Thanks all! Hope you are well.

peace,
Chelsy

I survived my first Sunday!

2008-05-11T16:58:00.001-07:00

Hey Folks,

Well I officially survived leading my first service in Mango Creek. Wearing an alb in this heat is CRAZY DEADLY!!! I didn't sleep much last night as I was super nervous about screwing up the service and that my sermon wouldn't be what people were expecting. You know me, worry wart Chelsy. Anyway, after not sleeping much I woke up to do my morning devotions. I've been struggling a lot with transition and how out of place and comfort zone I feel down here. The people of have been wonderful, it's just a different experience. Anyway I was reading the reflection for today's readings for Pentecost:

"The coming of the Holy Spirit nto our lives gives us some important polarities to contemplate. On the one hand, the Spirit brings diversity - manifest in different culturs, languages, and races. On the other hand, the Spirit brings order, as in the scriptural writings which reflect stability, identity, and truth. How do we deal with diversity while acknowledging on truth?"

It was this paragraph of the reflection that brought me an immense amount of comfort this morning as most of my mornings have seen some tears of fear, anxiety and doubt. And the paragraph that challenged me to be aware this summer of how I deal living with diversity while acknowledging one truth. I'll keep you posted!!

Next week, is going to be semi busy. I'll give you a quick run-down and then update as the week goes by! I have my day off tomorrow and will be spending it hanging out at Miss Lorna's so that I can be sure to stay away from any church stuff. Tuesday, Miss Lorna is taking me across the Penisula to spend the day in Placencia. I'm very excited to see the village as I will be leading services there as well during the summer. Wednesday I will be back at the school with the Infant II-2 class practicing our King of the Jungle song. And another teacher asked me to stop by her Infant I-1 class to teach her kids an action song for the festival. Thursday and Friday are designated sermon writing days. Saturday I will be hopping a boat back across the Peninsula to Placencia where I will spend the night with one of the parishioners of St. John's and lead an 8am service. Then I boat back to Mango Creek to lead the 10am service at St. Michael's.

Continue to keep me in your prayers. I'm taking one day at a time and trying not to worry about looking lazy to the community as it's something that I have been worrying about a lot. Hope you are well!! Looking forward to hearing from you when you have a moment!!

Chelsy

posting pictures is making me impatient!

2008-05-09T15:26:00.001-07:00

Hey Friends,
As you are all aware the blog is lacking in pictures. I've been trying to post a few here and there, but as I'm sure you can understand, the internet connection is not quite as efficient here as it is North America. If it continues to take too much time to upload photos, I will try and fire off an e-mail to folks who I have e-mails for. And until then, if you have a Facebook account, you can check out some of the photos there. There aren't many but it captures life in Belize a bit better!! Hope you are all well!!
Sending love from Belize!
Chelsy

I had NO idea a person could sweat this much!!

2008-05-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Well it's day five in Mango Creek, and the last couple of days have been RIDICULOUSLY HOT!!! Thank goodness the rectory where I'm living stays semi-cool with the breeze from outside. Miss Lorna has lent me a fan which has been a huge blessing, and helps me to sleep better at night!!

I made my way back to IPS yesterday to spend the day with the same two classes as I did on Tuesday. I have one word for them.....CHAOS!!! But what fun!!! I spent my morning once again with Teacher Sharlene, I took the 8 performers outside under a tree to practice our song which has been turned into a poem with actions they aren't singing. For only learning it 2 days ago they are awesome!! We went back to the classroom where Teacher Sharlene asked me to help her teach the kids about Bar Graphs. They are such sweet children. I'm still getting used to the fact that the people in town here respect me a lot because I'm a Deacon and therefore have authority. They have no problem handing me their lesson plans and a piece of chalk and letting me teach the class while they try and settle children down. You wouldn't see that in Canada. Anyway I helped Teacher Sharlene out, which she appreciated. She has 38 children between the ages of 5 and 6 and they can be hard to handle at times. Yesterday a number of them were not listening very well, and while they were fooling around two children came up to me with their assignments for me to check them. I gave them a star on their page and then held up my hand for a high five. The two children smiled and smacked my hand. Some of the misbehaving children came up to try and get one, I told them I wouldn't give them a high five, unless they settled down and did their work. I had NO idea it would actually work. By the end of the morning it had caught on. Before any of them left for lunch at 11:30 I had 38 children lined up around the classroom waiting to show me their work so that they could get their high five. When I walked in again this morning I was greeted with little voices saying "Hello Miss. Chelsy," and wasn't allowed to sit down until I had made my high five rounds. It makes me laugh everytime I think about it.

Miss Lorna took me out to the Lagoon which is about a 15 minute walk from the rectory and possibly one of my favorite places in Belize. It looks out onto the village of Placencia. We took some lawn chairs out yesterday and sat beside the lagoon for over an hour and we sang our way through St. Michael's Hymn book to learn some Belizean hymns. It was a blessed moment.

I left the school early and am now over and Miss Lorna's house. The heat has really been taking a lot out of me. Miss Lorna can tell and she is making me take it easy. We just had a wonderful lunch with rice, and shrimp cooked in Cocunut Milk, and fried Bananas with cinnaman (sp). The heat is something that is going to take me a long time to get used to. I'm finding it hard to not have much to do, but at the same time am realizing it's okay. I need to get out of my busy life routine and into a laid back Belizean routine where.....sounds easy....but it's not!! I'll keep you updated as to how it goes!!

Other than that, that's life in a nutshell. My internet connection has been a bit iffy over the last couple of days, but I'm hoping to have access to it daily if possible to update everyone!! Hope you are well. Talk to you soon!!

May 6 at Indepencen Primary School

2008-05-06T16:45:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Alright, I officially need to get into a routine of not showering in the morning. I think it’s going to end up being evenings. I woke up again to no water. So I tried to get myself as ready as I could for the morning. Took a walk to the superstore to buy a bottle of water to drink, it’s ridiculously hot today. And then walked over to the school.

I visited Teacher Sharlene’s class. She asked me to come by to teach her children a rhyme or poem with actions that they can perform at the Festival of Arts. She picked 8 children from her class for me to teach, they will be the 8 to perform. I decided that I was going to teach them a camp song that had lots of actions. It’s called ‘King of the Jungle.” For those of you who aren’t familiar with it the words are:

Whose the king of the jungle? Ooga ooga.
Whose the king of the sea? Bubbly, bubbly, bubbly.
Whose the king of the universe?
And whose the King of me?
I’ll tell you J-E-S-U-S is!
He’s the king of me.
He’s the king of the universe,
The jungle and the sea. Bubbly, bubbly, bubbly.

It took me about a half an hour to teach it to them and it was slow going, but it was a lot of fun. They really enjoyed the actions, particularly when I did them, because I had to exaggerate everything I did to try and encourage them to exaggerate their actions, and they found it quite funny. I led the song as a repeat after me for them, and as soon as we got to spelling out Jesus, they all knew exactly who we were talking about. I could hear little voices shouting out, “that’s Jesus.” Only problem is, the 8 in the front of the room kept reversing the ‘e’ and ‘u’. J-E-S-U-S quickly turned into J-U-S-E-S. After a few more practices we got it figured out. Teacher Sharlene asked me to come by again tomorrow morning and work with the 8 who she wants to perform at the festival. I’m looking forward to it.

Independence primary school is an amazing school. It currently has 800 students enrolled and employees 31 teachers. It’s a government run school, that receives no government funding. This lack of funding has not stopped the administration from doing wonderful things with their program. Two years ago they introduced a computer class to the school. They started out with 8 computers that they were able to buy with a donation from someone. They then charged students who wanted to enroll in the course extra so that they could save up money to continue to buy more computers. To date they now have a designated computer room that they have been able to install air-conditioning into, they have 20 computers, and have been able to purchase and use LCD projectors as part of their teaching strategies. Like the computer program, they hope to also implement a music program. To date they have 10 guitars and are hoping that with time they will be able to purchase more so that the program can grow. They are also in need of someone who can play the guitar to teach the children. It’s days like today I wish I would have learned that instrument. I’ve been very inspired by the teachers and administration staff at the school. And I can definitely see God at work throughout their community. What an encouragement to see so many children getting an education.

Later on this afternoon I returned to IPS to sit in on a standard 4 level class to listen to the teacher talk about HIV/AIDS which is a growing problem here. I showed up half an hour early which turned out to be late. Anyway I sat in the back of the classroom the teachers were so welcoming. During the children’s break I found out they wanted me to lead the second part of the discussion as they thought that’s why I was coming. I had to decline as I wasn’t prepared. They laughed, probably at the shock on my face. But it worked out well. I will be heading back again tomorrow for the day to work with the same to classes again!!

Thanks all for reading and for praying. You don’t know how much it means to me that you are upholding my ministry, the ministry of St. Michael’s and the ministry of the community in your prayers.

I'm culture shocking!

2008-05-04T17:25:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 6:30 this morning to meet the congregation of St. Michael’s at the park up the road for 7:30 where we would hop a bus and make our way to Hope Creek, about 50 miles away to worship with a number of congregations in the area. I was relieved that I didn’t have to lead the service - but I was totally ready to had the need been there! I was nervous, as this would be the first time I would meet the majority of the congregation and I didn’t know how they were going to react, and I didn’t want them to react like everyone else and say “wow, you’re young.” I never know how to respond. I met many people, and like in Canada, all of the husbands dropped off their wives and children and hit the road, I would have hoped to have seen them join us, maybe they will attend St. Mike’s. On the bus I met a young girl who sat with me and acted as my personal tour guide. Her name is Chelsea.

We arrived in Hope Creek, I met Canon Valentine and Fr. Malcom who is doing mission work in Belmopan from England. Canon Valentine had me put on a stole, read the gospel and set the table. What are usually considered to be small jobs scared the crap out of me. I was so worried I was going to do something wrong. I was relieved to know that no one cared, they were more thankful that I was there and worshipping with them. I was given the opportunity to introduce myself to the group. They are all wonderful people, and boy can they sing. Worship lasted about an hour, it was wonderful to pray and sing together. Communion lasted a good 15 - 20 minutes as after everyone had receieved about 30 children who did not receive communion came up for blessings. It was amazing!! We then laid hands on a family whose son, and brother was murdered on Wednesday, it was a sad moment, but you could truly sense the presence of God among the congregation as we prayed for the family.

We were then invited to share in lunch together and I experienced my first Belizean meal. It was huge. I had a Tamole which is chicken wrapped in a corn wrap, beans and rice (signature dish), a piece of chicken smothered in some orange sause, potato salad and a cupcake. I couldn’t eat it all, but was thankful for the abundance of food. It sits in my fridge, waiting for me to hoover it this evening for supper!!

I returned home, sat down to begin a time of prayer. Not 3 minutes into my prayer time, I hear little foot steps running up my stairs onto my balcony. My small friends came to say hello. They had come by 3 times this morning and I wasn’t around. One of the children took me for a walk to her home where I met her mother. We returned back to the rectory and enjoyed some time alone reading, praying and napping :)

The last few days have been incredibly difficult as I have been trying to get used to the culture shock here. However, throughout the shock I can’t help but see God at work among the people in Belize. I have been blessed with the hospitality of Lorna Longsworth and the members of the St. Michael’s, as well as with the hospitality of the children who put a smile on my face by coming to the rectory everyday to say hello. I only hope that God is as strongly present in me as he is in them.

The next week will be spent getting to know the congregation and the area. I'm hoping to make my way out to Placencia in the next couple of weeks to check out the church a there is a chance I could be leading a couple of services there this summer. I also have to get back to studying the prayer book and writing my sermon!! I ask that you continue to pray for guidance, patience and peace as I continue to transition into the culture!!

Oops!!

2008-05-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

Sorry about that. I pushed the wrong button on the keyboard!! Just wanted to let you all know that I arrived after a very long day of airplanes and airports yesterday.

Yesterday was exhausting. After only getting about 2 hours of sleep the night before I started my day at 4:30 (that's 2:30 Alberta time) but I figured it's no big deal....I can sleep on the plane. Unfortunately I had the aisle seat, so it wasn't as restful as I had hoped. I arrived in Houston, printed out my next boarding pass - destination - Belize!
Upon arrival I was welcomed by Bishop Wright, bishop of Belize. He is a very friendly, soft-spoken, wise and supportive man. I was able to enjoy a tour of the city and supper with him at a great restraunt off the sea. I'm really looking forward to working in his Diocese. During our supper he was very persistent in reminding me that I need to take care of myself and not overwork myself. He also said that half of the experience with the international internship is experiencing the culture and giving myself time to play - this was very comforting for me. However, I'm still a bit nervous as I still don't know a lot about Mango Creek, but am confident that once my transition time subsides, my time here will be a wonderful experience.

I'm in Belize City until tomorrow afternoon. I've just been told that sometime tomorrow afternoon I will hop a little Belizean plane to Mango Creek. I'm currently staying in a wonderful hotel that has a balcony and overlooks the Carribbean Sea. My morning devotions were wonderful as I listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the cement, and watched many Belizeans head to work! I then joined the Diocesan Office staff and Bishop Wright in Eucharist as his home in his chapel for Eucharist as we celebrated the Feast of the Acsension. It was really great! The Deacon at the service this morning's name is Lorna Sampson, she did an exchange with Wycliffe through her seminary in Barbados last year and she lived across the hall from me. So I surprised when I showed up for Eucharist. It was so comforting to see a familiar face among the unknown of the city!! I hope to have time to chat with her today before leaving tomorrow.

Today I need to find a bank. When I got to Houston the currency exchange had NO belizean money, so I need to get some to buy shampoo. I will then be meeting with the Bishop to talk more about my work in Mango Creek.

So that's about it for today. I'm not sure when i will be able to post again as I'm not sure what the internet connection is like in Mango Creek, but Bishop Wright has encouarged me to find a connection in order to keep in touch which I definitely plan on doing!!

peace,
Chelsy

I've arrived and I'm HOT!!

2008-05-02T08:21:00.001-07:00

Rejoice in the Lord always!

2008-04-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:4 - 7

Over the last couple of days I have been reading and reflecting on this that a very dear friend of mine has been praying through (he encouraged me to do the same). This passage has been very helpful in reminding me of the power and presence of God with me now as I prepare for Belize and that will be present with me this summer. I have found myself constantly turning back to it when I start to worry about the "unknown" of the summer - it's acted as a great comfort to me over the busyness of this last week. It has reminded me that even though I will be experiencing a lot of the "unknown" over the next few months, there is one thing that I can depend on to be "known" and that is the love of God reflected in the lives of the people I meet, in the ministry that we share together and in the Gospel that we proclaim.

As my departure date creeps closer, I'm growing nervous however, I'm looking forward very much to the challenges, new insights, and relationships that will arise through this experience.

Thank you all for your continued prayers for peace, affirmation, courage and discernment over the next few months!!

Wanna know how excited I am?!?!

2008-03-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

Ok, I just realized that it's been one month today since I last wrote on this blog. It's something I need to get used to, so please be patient with me. I promise there will be more blogs by the time summer roles around
I just received a tentative itinerary for my trip down to Belize this summer. And I have one thing to say, AHHHHHHHHHHHH, I'M SO EXCITED, and way more nervous then I was last month.
I've been finding in the last 30 days, that the preparation tactics that I had planned on using before departing for Belize, are not happening as often as I would have liked, which has been a bit frustrating for me and causing me to be a bit nervous. As I have been reading through my lonely planet book I have been very encouraged to hear that the people in Belize are very friendly and laid back people. This definitely excites me. However, at the same time, I've been aware of the fact that I have been living in the busy, fast city of Toronto all year and that integrating myself into a laid back community and ultimately taking on the laid back attitude of the community there is going to be a challenge in itself, but it's a challenge I'm willing to take!!
So there you have it, things are happening in the planning of my trip and the date is slowly getting closer....six and a half weeks!
Please continue to uphold the community of Mango Creek in your prayers as well as the whole country of Belize. I pray that we may sense the Spirit at work among us as we minister together!!

"....and we'll need a urine sample!"

2008-02-12T13:43:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, I will be embarking on a huge journey this summer. And in order to keep as many of my loved ones and friends up to date on my travels and experiences I've decided to make a blog!!

I've been given the opportunity to travel to Belize in Central America to do a summer internship as a requirement for my Master of Divinity program at Wycliffe College in Toronto. I have a lot of mixed emotions about it...but I'm mostly very excited!! And am looking forward to sharing what I see, learn and feel over the next 6 months in preparation for and ministry in Belize! I've recently been informed that I will be working in the village of Mango Creek in the southern part of Belize, just inland from the coast.

Over the last couple of months I have been trying to take time out of my week to prepare myself for my travels! This has included, an 11 day orientation week organized by the Canadian Churches Forum for Global Ministries, reading my newly purchased Lonley Planet book on Belize, and the many articles that the wonderful librarians at the Anglican Church of Canada photocopied for me on the history of Belize, AND.......doctors appointments!! I must admit, that my doctors appointment was quite an eventful one. And I've been chuckling about it since then. What should have been an hour long appointment turned out to be closer to two and half hours. Why you ask? Well it's because I completely forgot that part of medical/physical appointments usually include urine samples. The doctor did her part of the medical, checked my ears, my eyes, my mouth, my heart, and then sent me to lab for blood work. After a quick and painless blood test, the technician kindly handed me my plastic cup and asked for a urine sample. I'm sure a look of panic came over my face, and the first words to come out of my mouth were, "Well that might take a while." It did, it's amazing how difficult it is to give urine samples when the pressure is on and you can hear other patients outside the bathroom door waiting to do their duty. I learned from that day, it's better not to make eye contact with anyone after being in the bathroom! :)

Later on that afternoon I headed back to the medical clinic at UofT for my vaccination consultation. After a four vaccinations in my left arm I left the clinic with a pile of reading about the vaccinations that I had been given, including, my personal favorite, Dr. Smith's 5 Rules of Travel. Little did I know how incredibly sore my arm was going to be later on that day from these 4 little needle pokes. (Note: got my needles last Thursday, and can finally sleep on my left side without feeling too much pain - it's Tuesday!) From there, went for a walk with my friend Katie to pick up my Malaria pills, which I found out from the Pharmacist, that there is chance of the pills playing with your mind - it's not uncommon to experience bad dreams and nightmares while taking them - quite exciting! :)

Aside from the craziness of my last couple of weeks, I continue to be reminded of the presence of God in my life as I prepare and pray for the country and people of Belize, and as I am in contact with others who have had the opportunity to travel there. I can't help but feel excited to have the opportunity to minister and worship with the community in Mango Creek, Belize and to be witness the the work of the Holy Spirit in their life and culture!

I ask for your continued prayers for the people of Belize, and for myself as we prepare to work, pray, laugh, worship, and proclaim the good news of God together this summer!!

peace,
Chelsy