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
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Just when I thought it couldn't get any hotter......
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
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
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Children's Service in Placencia
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
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
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Fleas in Belize!
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
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
Friday, May 16, 2008
I turned 24 in Belize!
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
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
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Her name is Ruby, and she's red!!
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 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
Sunday, May 11, 2008
I survived my first Sunday!
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
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
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