First Trip Out!

After we had been able to secure a van and everyone was feeling all better (1 week!) we headed out for our first trip together. The first stop was this great little tortilla factory in Santa Elena.

 

 

 

 

 

Quarantine Week

We all got sick, one by one. It was pretty terrible. We felt so badly for our friends whose children had pretty much never had the flu before. They were so anxious to get out and about to see Belize but just when we would make plans, the flu would strike someone else! And if that weren't enough..the van started having problems. In fact as it sits in our driveway it STILL has problems! Sigh. We have now owned three vans here in Belize and they all have had issues. Just another one of those things to trust the Lord for. Thankfully we were able to secure a 15 passenger van for a week which is a blessing.

 

Grant and Miss L teach the little girls Uno

Workin' on the van

 

Still workin' on the van

 

 

 

 

Happy B-day Miss L.!

Making plans.. minutes before their children started getting sick! :-(

Laura gets a haircut!

 

 

 

 

Sick!

We felt so sorry for the little girls.. they came down with the flu. The really terrible thing was that they came down with it on the day that we went to pick up our friends from the airport. We felt so sorry that the first thing we had to tell them once welcoming them to Belize was that they most likely their family would come down with the flu.. we were hoping that it would just hit the girls but day 2 into it, Daddy, Ryan and Grant came down with it. I was next. It was a TERRIBLE flubug! Ash escaped somehow.. thankfully, since she was able to take care of all of us.. while our poor friends hung out inside the travel trailer in our back yard in the banana trees, waiting for us to get better! (and praying that they wouldn't get sick too.. which unfortunately they DID :-(  )

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Photos of our Week

 

This great billboard is just within a few miles of our place. It is pretty large, about 20x10.

We always think of Christian Aid Ministries billboards when we drive by it

These noisy parrots woke me up the other morning. Two will sit on a branch

'arguing' for quite a while. We like to use that illustration when dealing with squabbles with the children..'remember those parrots? That is what you sound like!' :-)

This friendly cockroach gave me quite the start when I opened the fridge!

 

I love this photo of Grant, Grace and Laura. He gave them rides like this for an hour

The boys go down to the pasture with neighbor John to do some clearing

John's girls come over to play for a bit

Ashley took this pretty photo of Andrea. I love these flowers!

Trip to Springfield

We had a lovely time recently out in Springfield. A very special family invited us for a visit. We enjoyed one another's company tremendously, praying and reading God's word together. We hope to go out for a visit again soon!

The family drives a horse and buggy, no cars

Our girls enjoyed a fun time with their daughter

The son offered to take everyone on a ride on his ox cart

thsee oxen are so well trained that this young man can lay on the cart with his eyes closed and his team will take him home after a long day in the field

 

So we felt pretty comfortable letting him take the kids on a ride. Grace whined because she just knew that they would all end up in the ditch..

 

So to keep Gracie happy they cut the drive short and headed back to the house (seen in the distance) It was a fruitful day, full of fellowship and encouragement. What a blessing/

Belizean Downpour!

 

This storm left no time to get the clothing off the line! It was literally a flash downpour!

The girls of course had to go running and shrieking outside..

It was refreshing after a few days of pretty high temperatures

The girls were literally soaked within 5 minutes..and it was over as soon as it started. Such fun weather here!

New Friends

We received an email from a family from Wisconsin asking if they could stay with us for a few days. They were flying down to surprise their family members in Spanish Lookout, Springfield and Barton Creek. Their family hadn't been to Belize for 14 years, before their oldest child was born. We had  fun time hosting them while they made the rounds and visited their family.

 

The dishes crew

Playing house

 

Playing games

Mrs. H reads Laura a story

Sweet friends

Mr. H and Grady enjoyed each others company.. it was so fun to have them here.. they are now staying with family in Belize for a few more weeks. What a blessing to have made

these new sweet friends!