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Holiday Greetings from Belize! What a privilege it has been to be here.  We now have 4- 4 and 1/2 months "under our belt" so to speak.  We have settled, worked, and done school.  We have found new routines and new friends.  We are learning and growing.  We pray you and your family are also enjoying this time to celebrate Christ's birth.

We have participated in many church activities. This was the 10th anniversary of the church.  There also were some movie nights, Sunday school, Bible Study, and game night. We spent a day seeing the Maya Ruins.  Our Regional Representatives were able to go with us.  Nathanael also visited the Cayo Deaf school on this trip.

Searching for Treasure As with most things, we have found that life isn't what we expected.  This can be a good and difficult at the same time.  We navigate through change, culture and language. Life is messy. Life is fun.  Life is difficult. Both Nathanael and I have been to other countries.  I lived in Mexico for 8 months. He spent a month in China.  Neither of us had "done missions" as a family.  There are unique benefits and challenges to this.  We are able to create a space of our own; our home where we can have a culture of our own without the worries of offending or language difficulties.  At the same time, this can be a hindrance to learning language and integrating into the culture. The children continue to adjust.  They socialize with the other children at church Sundays, Friday nights and sometimes other times during the week.  Sometimes our children simultaneously have fun and are frustrated when interacting with others. About a year ago, I started to read the book 1,000 gifts.  The premise of the book is to find 1000 things to be thankful for.  Here it has been like a time to find a hidden treasure.  The other day while at the pet store; I found a Rod and Staff book... ones I have been trying to get from the US to use with Zephaniah.  How exciting! Now to see if I can find some in English!  The man who Nathanael had the privilege of breaking his window told us he used to live in Nicaragua.  He had a good job doing rap music.  Last week we got to see him preform.  We were all impressed!! The stores here are like most developing countries. If an item is there, you should buy it; especially if it is rare. Next time you return, it probably won't be there.  Nathanael and I had to search through 4 different stores to find some popcorn.  The next time he saw some, he got every bag in the store. We have about 10 pounds of popcorn, and 4 bags of tapioca balls.. you never know when you'll run out! Living in a different country with different rules, laws and boundries is exciting and tiring at the same time.  We love finding treasures in our daily lives Update on Nathanael's Job and Discipleship For about a month there was a lot of confusion and waiting.  Nathanael thought things were set in place for him to start a job with the ministry of education.  We waited.  He worked some for free.  Then he was told not to work at all until they could pay him.  We have learned to be patient, to pray, to work on relationship, and to enjoy time as a family.  Since the last letter, Nathanael has been asked to teach a 6 week ASL course.  He is quite excited about the opportunity to educate, bring awareness, and advocate.  He will start teaching in February. Previously Nathanael was meeting 1 on 1 with Deaf men for discipleship throughout the week.  However recently these meetings have changed to small group Bible studies with a handful of Deaf men 3 days per week.  It is a blessing to see God work. Kids Corner This month we are interviewing Zion What has been your favorite thing about Belize? Chocolate Bananas at the corner store. New friends. What is the most interesting thing you've done in the past 2 months? Ben coming here. What do you miss most about the United States?  My friends and the snow. What things are different about Belize that we don't have in Pennsylvania? Lots of things, like Chuck E cheese. Not having a car.  The food we eat (tacos).  People say "good night" or "Noches" as a greeting.