Our Belize Night!

We invited some friends over for an authentic Belize dinner! (well as authentic as we could up here in the States!) We served Belizean chicken with rice and beans, plantains and coleslaw along with iced tea. Also, the Popes brought along 3 cases of Mexican soda! Ashley had put together a wonderful movie slideshow of some of our Belize photos to show the families. After the slideshow they surprised us with the special blessing of washing of our feet and prayers. It was a sweet time which we will cherish as we prepare to go back to Central America.

 

Nothin' like a Mexican Sprite!

 

Or Fanta!~

 

The beginnings to yummy coconut rice

 

plantains! ( a sorry substitute to the ones found in Belize, but we made do! :-) )

Special friends

... and sisters

 

 

the girls want to be the ones to wash Mandy and Ashley's feet

 

 

Even the little ones wanted to be a blessing!

 

We went late into the night, praying for one another and just enjoying each other.. not many more times would we be meeting as a group.. what a sweet season in our lives. The Lord has blessed us with so many special friends & loved ones. As we all parted ways that night, someone cried 'Hey, we HAVE to take a group photo!" It sounded a bit daunting since some of the little ones were exhausted and ready for bed but after a few tries, we got this wonderful shot

 

¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15:12-15 NKJV

 

 

 

SNOW much fun!

Fun on snowy days!

 

Grant has a great time making 30 + snowflakes and hanging them up in our living room. It was a festive decoration that we enjoyed for at least a month!

 

Rocket Stove Class

 Grady attended a workshop to learn how to make rocket stoves. They are ingeniously designed, for third world cooking. The stoves are extremely efficient and designed to reduce the amount of smoke emitted during use. We noticed while in Belize that the cooking conditions for women in some of the poorer villages was extremely smokey and inefficient. Upon our return to the States, we heard about these great stoves (and ovens and whole kitchens!) made out of organic matter and materials and can be made with simple tools which could be found in most third world countries. We are wondering if this Rocket Stove may be a blessing and a good alternate to what they are cooking on down there. Our friends the Rubins had shown an interest to learn how to make them also and opted to come along to learn with us! They hope to come visit us in Belize and help make them.

                                                                  Rocket Stove

John starts by mixing up organic matter and ash for the clay

Moving the formed brick to dry

Starting the next piece

Packing it down

 

 

 

 

These will be baked and assembled to make a rocket stove

 

Here is a finished stove. They are designed to use very little wood with virtually no smoke..

 

 

 

 

Rocket Kitchen

The guys were especially interested in the Rocket kitchen which includes an oven and 2 burners. The kitchen is formed with rebar and cement. Here you can see the three small holes in the front for the small fires which heat the 2 burners and oven. John lights them all with just a few pieces of wood to get them heated up for the meal he and his wife Flip prepared for us.

 

 

After being lit, there was just a small amount of smoke and then virtually none at all

 

it warmed up pretty quickly

 

Flip starts putting together the soup..

 

Set to simmer..

 

And into the oven went the rolls

 

 

Flip had set a lovely table for our group.

 

 

After only a half hour, with very minimal wood usage, she had prepared an amazing soup and rolls. all cooked in the Rocket Kitchen!

 

 

Flip helps the girls wash up

We had such a lovely day with this couple! It was so special to hear of the people who they had trained to make the stoves and where they were being constructed and the way in which they were helping to improve the lives of families worldwide. Thank you friends for taking the time to teach and encourage our families! Lord bless you both for your work and devotion to the Lord and others.