Arrival and Day 1

Sorry for not posting sooner! Last night the internet wasn't working very well. Then by the time it was working I had already fallen asleep!

We arrived yesterday afternoon/early evening in Belize City and after the craziness of immigration and customs we headed to visit San Pedro Village. Some members of our team have built a relationship with Rafael (Raffi) and his wife Desi, who live in this village. Raffi works for the Catholic church and has contact with several churches in many different villages. We visited with them for a while, which was so wonderful. Desi, Raffi, and their daughter are extremely hospitable and welcomed us to their home like we were their family! As we drove into the village we saw several trucks filled with cut sugar cane sticks. Upon arriving in San Pedro we saw another one parked near Raffi’s house. After asking Raffi many questions about sugar cane, what it tasted like, and how it was cut, Raffi called his nephew Carlos (who works in the cane fields) over to cut us some cane! It was delicious! It’s very hard to bite a piece off, but once you do, it’s delicious! You can’t actually eat the cane, you just suck on it until the sweetness is gone, then you spit the cane out. After visiting with Raffi and Desi for a little while we headed to the hotel where we’ll stay for the week and settled in for some yummy dinner. It wasn’t very long before everyone was falling asleep at the dinner table, so we all headed to bed.

This morning we woke up feeling very refreshed and rested, so after breakfast we headed back into the villages (about a 15 minute drive from where we stay) to get some work done. One thing that has been a challenge for some is to live on “Belizian time.” You see, in Belize things don’t move at the same pace that things move in the US. So, we thought that we’d get right to work, but first we had to be introduced at the school and then play with the kids...which was fun! It was very funny when we were introduced at the school. The principal asked the kids to turn around and see who was standing in the back of the room. Quickly they shouted, “Gringos! (a slang, but not offensive term for “americans” or “white people”)” They were extremely excited to meet us, talk to us, and find out our names. One really cool thing about Belize is that even though it’s a foreign country in Central America, they speak English (and Spanish and Kriol)! So, we’re able to communicate with the school staff and students without much trouble.

For the rest of the day, many people worked on preparing for the Kid’s Bible Camp that will begin tomorrow. We also spent time playing futbol with the kids who hung around after school. Tamera spend time with Raffi training him on his new laptop that was donated! Dave G, Greg, and Raffi spent time going to four different hardware stores to collect materials that they needed to begin work on the computer lab. After returning from the store they were able to install formica onto the wooden counter/tables that the computers will sit on. Tomorrow they will do some electrical work and then install the computers. The principal of the school in Cristo Rey, Mrs. Chen is so excited to have these computers in her school. She told us that when she went to college to become a teacher she was very afraid of the computer. She even thought it would explode if she touched it! Her experience (or non experience) with computers is one reason that she’s so excited about having the computer lab installed in her school. She really wants her students to grow up knowing how to use a computer. She said that next year the school schedule will involve computer classes for each student!

Now that we’re here and have settled in a bit, we’re very much looking forward to the rest of the week. Tomorrow we’ll begin the kids camp, continue working on the computer lab, and spend some time putting screens on houses in both Cristo Rey and San Pedro. We also hope to meet some ladies who work in the Cristo Rey tortilla factory and talk with them about their business.

Please continue to pray for us as we meet with and connect with members of both villages. It’s amazing the impact that can be made on a village by just a small number of people. Please also continue to pray that we make wise choices about what we eat and drink, so that we don’t get sick.

Thanks for following us on our journey!!

-Beth :)