Goodbye Succotz

Why Lord? Why have we gained so much favor with you that you allowed us to spend time with these sweet children who you created? To speak your precious words into their lives.. We are so fragile and needy ourselves and most days do not feel qualified for any of it.

We do not know what the Lord has in store for our family but we do pray that whatever it is that we will be bold enough to 'go' again, wherever that may be.. Thank you Lord for the most treasured 8 months of our lives. Thank you for being faithful to us in our desperate times of need.. for holding us up spiritually during the dark days.. and practically on those days where only rice was to be found on our shelves. Thank you for teaching our children what it truly means to sacrifice and to serve. And thank you that although we are broken vessels that you allow us to serve in your kingdom. 



                                                       LAST DAY IN SUCCOTZ

A group shot of as a friend has recently dubbed them our 'distant relatives' ;)

This time grandpa was there too! He really wanted to get a photo of he and Roberta alongside our family

Uh humm.. we found Laura digging treats out of the floorboards, and EATING them!

The family had prepared us a traditional Belizean meal as a farewell thank you.. complete with rice, beans and chicken as well as coleslaw, plantains and hortchatcha which is a rice drink (and which I suppose I horribly misspelled). It was difficult to choke down this delicious meal as the rest of the family had nothing for themselves for lunch.. we were so touched by this special gift.

We had asked Anna and Rudy to find out the most needy families in Succotz so that we could hand out the last of our donated food and clothing items. What made it so special is that Rudy's family kind of took over the distribution of the items. It was so heart warming to see them serving others.

One stop we made was at Denea's mother's grave. She died just 9 months ago, leaving she and her 4 other siblings. It was heart wrenching watching she and her cousin Rudy cleaning off the cement above ground grave site. Such a heavy burden to bear for an eleven year old little girl.

Back at home, we started saying our goodbyes.. as you can imagine there were plenty of tears.

Rudy presented me with a small book of scripture verses and poems. It has been amazing to see how much he wants to serve the Lord. Please continue to pray that he finds someone to disciple him. That is one primary reason we look forward  to going  back to Belize, if it is the Lord's will.

My sweet Grant had one last gift to give. His bicycle which he had purchased from the auction in Belize and had replaced about every part which could be!  It is so special to see the Lord work in the hearts of our children. We will miss this family so much. Lord, please bring us back to Belize if it is your will..

We just want to ask you that if the Lord tells you to 'go', will you? It is worth every sacrifice. The Lord is not looking for perfect vessels. Only willing ones.

Clarissa Falls

This past week our Belizean neighbors John and Judy Banman invited us to accompany them to this very lovely attraction. We had a nice day of fellowship, viewing the falls and sharing a great meal! We even were able to experience our last (for now) true Belizean thunder and lightening storm! The thatch-roofed restaurant does not have walls and by the end of our meal some of us were quite wet from the downpour! ;) The children had a sweet time together and food was delicious!




The restaurant was a quaint, open area. Nearby were some lovely stone stairs which led down to the falls and shore.

Judy Banman checks out the menu

Clarissa Falls

In Spanish Lookout, Plauduetch or lower German is mainly spoken in the home. Once children enter school they are taught English as well as High German. So some homes you visit, the smaller children do not know any English. It was so sweet however, seeing that despite the difficulty in communicating how the little children can still hhhplay and be the best of friends!

Andrea, Sophia, Wanda, Judy (with baby #4 expected soon!) and John Banman

It has been such a blessing getting to know the Banman family. We look forward to spending more time with them upon our return!

~The Construction Project Begins~

Here in Belize, things can move very S*L*O*W*L*Y*! Selfishly we want to see Maria's house finished by the time we leave for Washington.. but unfortunately that is not going to be the case. :) Not having electricity in the village for power tools poses as one issue. Also the heat plays into how much a small work crew can accomplish in a day. The guys have been able to work on the house for 2 days now but only for a few hours each morning. By noon the heat index here has reached into the 100's which is not very conducive to building! Maria's brother in law who is heading up the project says they hope to have the project done by the end of July.. As a praise report, we were recently told that a family in the U.S is planning on raising the final $400 USD needed for the project!

Jerry Ezell who has experience as a builder was a huge help on the beginning stages of the project


Jina, the girls and I had a nice time visiting with the San Marcos ladies. In addtion, we were able to deliver some clothing items to a church which distributes clothing during evangelical visits to the surrounding villages. Thank you so much Jina and Jerry and all who donated!



Squaring off the foundation. The cement will be poured right onto the ground and rock. But first they will erect the supports and foundation forms.

Ryan, using a digging bar to start a four foot deep hole which will hold a huge support beam


Grady and the boys went back out to help set the supports on Good Friday. While watching the huge 14 ft beams being raised, Grady couldn't help but visualize what it must have looked like to have watched the huge cross which held our Jesus being erected into the air. It set a very sober atmosphere for the day.

By midmorning, they had placed all 6 supports for the house as well as the 2 for the large front porch

More Friends Come to Visit!

We have been so blessed by all of the visitors we have had here in Belize! The Sebens, The King Family, Grady's mother, my mother and husband.. Also a few months ago we had a couple contact us who really, we do not know very well. We had fellowshipped together a few years back but really had never gotten to know one another well. I was surprised to hear that they were planning a trip down here and wanted to stop by and visit. What a blessed 2 day visit it was! Jerry and Jina are missionary-minded and have done a lot of mission work abroad as well as much closer to home. Because of their missionary mindset, they came here with the purpose of being a blessings to us. Jina pampered me with a lovely manicure and massage.. they prayed for us and even brought us gifts, including a huge bag of chocolates! Jina is wonderful with children and even won over our sceptical little Gracie! :) The boys and Grady enjoyed visiting with Jerry about hunting and other guy stuff! Also, they shared their vision of a recent ministry the Lord is giving them in regard to ministering to hurting people. It was so special to hear their hearts. Thank you Ezells for sharing part of your vacation with us. We so enjoyed our time fellowshipping together!

Of course we *had* to take them to Western Dairies for the famous Belizean ice cream!

Jina had brought lots of 'pretties' for the girls' hair.


They had fun playing 'beauty parlor'

Homestead Happenings

Countryside Park, Spanish Lookout

We just love this old farmhouse that we live in! We will miss it very much and pray that we will be able to continue renting it upon our return.. When we first moved in, we were warned that living here is a bit like 'camping'.. boiling water in order to have hot water.. run down interior.. rusty roof.. but to us, it is a mansion.

As we prepare to leave for the States for 6 months, we realize just how attached we have gotten to this funny little country of Belize. Surely we have had our share of difficulties here.. and many more to come I am sure. But, the opportunites and overall life here is something we wouldn't trade for anything. That is, unless the Lord led elsewhere! For now though, we look forward to our return and pray that the Lord sees it in His plans to allow us to eek out a living here so that we are able to serve and survive. Many fun memories have been cultivated in this home and as we pack to leave for 6 months we can't help but feel a bit sentimental. Here are a few recent photos of our family. Thank you Lord for our wonderful blessings from you!



A view of the house and part of the orchard

The backyard and barn



The sweetest young ladies that I know (not that I am bias or anything! :) )




Our budding young men who are always eager to help others and be a blessing

Our lovely 'ladies' as we call them.. who bring so much joy and laughter to our family