Kids Konnect 4 Jesus trip

Wednesday found us at 3:15am, awake scrounging around.  Of course I had to try at least to finish washing dishes before leaving the house.  The kids woke up with much complaining and we walked to the bus stop.  The busses that miss going to Belize city save us 2 hours of travel however they come at 4:00 and 4:30am.  We try to catch the 4am bus so that we have a better chance at seats.

 We had an uneventful trip to Dangriga.  8:30am found us in the local ice cream shop (which also sold good coffee).  Galen and Phyllis picked us up and we "crashed" for a while.  After a lovely lunch of barley and rice we went to the Kids Konnect camp.  Phyllis took the little ones out to the river to play a bit.















Wednesday evening was spent organizing and meeting people.  We were unsure of how our sleeping arrangements were to be made.  Dr Ed generously let us stay in his cabana for the time.  It was such an unexpected blessing!  We have stayed in the dorms every other time so were surprised at this! Abigail and Selah enjoyed having their own room together.  Zion and Zephaniah stayed with Galen and Phyllis for the days we worked.

Thursday morning after a time of worship, eating and devotions we headed out to do clinics.  I continued my job of nursing.  This time I was privileged to work with a local nurse.  She is originally from Nigeria but has lived in Dangriga for 6 years now.  It was her only day off and she came to serve!

Nathanael and the older girls had a good time.  All of the doctors were in a big room so much of their time was spent interacting.  Both Nathanael and the girls did entertaining.  Nathanael helped "people move" by directing them to their locations.  Abigail and Selah shared about Jesus and played with kids.

Friday was my birthday  Galen and Phyllis arrived with a wonderful tres leches cake to share.

This pattern continued into Saturday. Saturday is a big day with Kids Konnect. They head further from Dangriga to a church called Light of the Valley.  There our patient load about doubled.  I triaged at least half of my patient load in Spanish.  I did some interpreting although this isn't my expertise. It was good to remember what I used to do at Esperanza!  (Just as a side note although I triaged 40-50 people a day; in order to protect their privacy we are not allowed to show people's faces)

Really what makes an impact on me is the humility of the people we've worked with.  The doctors don't have any qualms with "getting dirty" and are humble.  It is a community I enjoy and that truly loves Jesus. We like talking with the "fresh" people who come for the trips and the long term people who are settled in the Stann Creek area. 

Today the people from the US actually took their bus from Dangriga.  This allowed us to get home quicker. We had only one bus to catch from Belize City which was nice.

We arrived home and have crashed!  It was a long 5 days and we are exhausted.  We are so thankful to Kids Konnect for welcoming them as part of their family, and allowing us to serve alongside of them.  It was truly an honor.

Big Annoucment/Joel and Heidi visit part 2

Sunday morning came. Nathanael preached and I taught Sunday school. Joel sat in the preaching. Nancy interpreted.  Heidi attended Sunday school.

After church we packed up our bags. The original plan was to meet our supervisors closer to the middle of the country.  Unfortunately the place we were going to stay at suddenly became occupied.  Instead we ended up traveling to right outside the town where they live.  We got to stay at the same camp I had been at 2 weeks ago with my mission trip.

On our way to the camp we stopped with Joel and Heidi at Altun Ha, the same Maya(n) ruins that we had visited with Lucianna.

A boy at the restaurant was delighted to play dominoes with us while we waited for food: 

Joel and Heidi got some fresh coconut water: 

The trip to Dangriga took a little longer in the dark than we expected and once it got dark it was difficult to drive!  Nathanael navigated well and the kids had their fill when we pulled up to the camp at about 9:30.  Miriam, the cook for the camp left us some delicious chicken for dinner.  I saw her and her husband get baptized last week.

Joel and Heidi shared the Men's dorm and our family slept in the womens'. We all enjoyed the HOT showers! The next day our kids woke up and RAN to get in them! :) We also appreciated the huge fan which provided some white noise: 

That afternoon we met with Galen and Phyllis, Joel and Heidi

.  Dangriga is a town right next to the ocean (unlike Orange Walk) It made for some beautiful pictures.  The restaurant where we ate at has a small beach.  The kids loved playing in the sand for the first time since we've arrived.

We had a good honest talk with all of us together.  At this point you are probably wondering what the big news is.  It was part of the reason we had our meeting.  After discussing with Galen and Phyllis, our MST (including Joel and Heidi) our children and Nancy; we are excited to announce that: 

We have committed to another term in Belize!  

It was good to process details and discuss.  After our time at the restaurant, we spent some time back at Galen and Phyllis's house where we prayed and talked some more.  Galen and Phyllis live right next to the playground.  Our children had playmates.  

After sleeping at the camp a second night (and another round of warm showers) we drove Joel and Heidi to the airport.  We are very thankful to them for their visit!  Thank you to all of you for investing in our lives and ministry. You play a huge part in our work here.