what I miss...

i have spent too much time on the internet today

went to my local grocery store...

cooked with what is here

and thought of some of the things i used to get all the time

but cannot here in belize

and those things i miss:(

fresh strawberries and blueberries

chick fil a

shopping in general

taking my kids to the library

and the park

coffee dates/lunch with my friends

target and walmart

seeing family often

being cold (at least sometimes)

a bathtub

ksbj

our life church family

but then, there are things here that i did not have there

very fresh produce

going to market twice a week

learning to cook new things and time to do it

my kids being with me all the time
less materialism

knowing my family is healthier because we eat out less

new friends/church members
the art of game playing
no tv

little traffic

chollis (ice cream w coffee)

lime juice

my life is more "green" here

cheap movies:)

i liked my house in katy and like the house we live in here, so that is about the same

the longer i live here, everything in my life is normal

but sometimes i look at things on the internet or facebook, etc, and miss the u.s. and the blessings i had there

it is those times i have to once again count the cost

and be thankful that once a year, i get to go back and enjoy those things

and enjoy those things when people come to visit

and that helps me keep things a little more in perspective

So now we have a Guard Dog and a Motion Light

Due to Monday nights unpleasantries, this week has been a mad dash to secure this house even more...

For months, my 13 year old has prayed and cried over a dog in the backyard behind us.  The home is owned by an elderly couple...and the husband died of alzheimers right around Christmas.  Apparently the woman is sick too.  So, the dog is chained up and never fed...except for scraps that we throw her.  Every time it rains, it floods for her...literally sitting in water.  It has been heartbreaking to watch this sweet dog go to bones.  Every time we go out to the car, she looks at us, like please rescue me.  So, we pray.  Our other neighbor asked the daughter to give us the dog...then we got bolder and asked ourselves.  Always told No.  Tori's heart has been broken.  She aches over watching this dog die of starvation right before our eyes and there is nothing we can do.

Well, this week when we got broke into, we decided to find a dog.  We found  a dog that had been rescued and restored through the humane society.  Josh loved the dog.  But our neighbor's dog was always our first choice...because she still needed to be rescued.  So, once again, Lee asked the son of the dog owner.

A family meeting was held Tuesday night after meeting the dog from the humane society and our family decided on that dog, with some reservation because of worry of the dog accidentally hurting Erika.  Our neighbor's dog still our first choice.

Literally at the last minute on Wednesday...God answered Tori's prayer.  We were waiting for the lady from the humane society to bring over the dog.  In one hour, she would come.  And our neighbor called us to the fence, said do you want the dog?  Yes, of course.  He picked it up and put her over the fence.  

We have renamed the dog Stormie...she has suffered many storms.

We have had a vet visit.  He did all sorts of things, but she is overall healthy, just starving and sunburned.

We are lovingly restoring Stormie's life.  We are working on training her.  We are putting ointment on her skin, giving her vitamins, feeding her slowly.

Tori is so happy.  Stormie is so happy.  It sure feels good to be loved and wanted and fed.

The vet will come back.  We have to walk this road out.  

Stormie is already barking and protecting the house...and her food from Promise.

I will post pictures when she is well.  Of our journey with her.  But would rather wait until she is whole physically.

One other thing I wanted to share is that the other night, when we were broke into, Lee's brother, Wayne, had a very frightening dream about us.  He woke up and began to pray for us.  Then he read my blog the next day and told Lee.

Thank you for interceding for us.  We are in battle every day.  We know who wins the war, but the little battles along the way can go either way.  So, prayer works.  God protected us.  Tori was able to rescue a dog in need of rescue.

I was thinking about Tori's rabbit and dog...both rescued...one from snakes, one from starvation...

kind of a spiritual picture of what God is having us do for the people of Belize.  We are rescuing them, restoring what the enemy has stolen in their lives, and helping feed their spirits and make them strong. 

About Last Night

Last night I had a hard time sleeping.

About 2, I decided to go out into the big hallway closet and get an extra blanket because I was a little chilled. I know its hard to believe, but it is cold here this week.  Like in the 60's at night.  Gorgeous.

I turned on the light, climbed the stool, and got the blanket, noticing that the dogs next door and behind us were barking like crazy.  Who knows?  They are always barking.  It was a little more intense than normal, but I was tired.  Thought about looking out the window, but I was tired, so went in and went back to sleep.

Sleeping in this morning, I rushed to shower, get a load of laundry out to dry and sneak out of the house to market while the kids slept.  We were locking the house up and getting in the car.  My door was open as I got in, and I said, "Did you open this for me, Lee?"  "No."  He said mine was open too and the glove compartment was open.  "Those kids...did they come out here last night?"  Then we noticed the back car door was open...and looked to the van, it was open too!!!  We had been robbed last night.

It was a lot for me to process today.  I am even hesitant to write this post, as not to alarm my family.

Please pray Psalm 91 over us.  I am!

After settling my heart, we woke Josh and told him then locked up again and headed to market.

My security was shaken.  My security is in Christ.   But knowing someone jumped the gate and was going through our stuff...

They stole our hammock, our umbrellas out of the car...and we may find other things as time goes.

We believe they were in the process of stealing parts from under the hood in the van...but I must have spooked them when I turned the light on.  It freaks me out that as I was in my home, that was going on outside.

We have now bought and will soon install a motion light.

We will get a guard dog ASAP.  We actually met with one possible one today.

I hate this.

Crime is increasing here in Belmopan.  

But God is bigger than crime...and I have to plead His protection over my family.  But we must use wisdom as well.  And wisdom says we are getting a dog that is big and scary and will not let anyone in our yard.

I believe God has a way of dealing with people...it all comes around, but it is a reminder that we need to pray for protection.

Pray for my heart as well.  To remember that God did protect us...and that they do not come back.

New Years...fresh start

I'm up early on this second day of the year.  Lying in bed, my head was spinning of things I want to get done.

I am starting Erika back to kindergarten this morning.  We are halfway through, which also means we are STARTING the second half of her school year.  So, last night, we got everything out, all new stuff.  Almost like starting the year again.

I already have beans cooking for a soup I am making today.  I am constantly googling or Pinterest-ing new recipes these days, so last night, I decided to punch holes in all of them and sort them...the good ones.  We have had some flops, but I have also made some amazing new things these past few months.

It has rained all afternoon yesterday and all night.  This morning it has slowed to a drizzle.  So with a hopeful attitude, I just hung out a load of wash.  Maybe the sun will peek through later today.

I am fighting a cold.  Lots of vitamins and praying is how I fight.  I don't like to take any sorts of medicines except Advil.  So, hopefully this morning I am on an upswing.

I love the fresh start that a New Year brings.  Yesterday at church, it was an interactive sermon about what we want the Lord to do in us this next year.  It was a really neat service.  It is so interesting to me the people that God is bringing together at LifeNet.  And it is neat  how it is all HIM.  Just so neat.  We did not have an empty seat yesterday, even though many of our regulars were gone.  We just always seem to be growing with new people.  It is quite exciting.  Soon, we will outgrow the room we are in as well.  Hopefully not too soon, because there is not another room to move to:(

We have begun the rotation with Children's church, so Tori is not in there every week.  But she still helped set up, gave instructions to the teacher, and helped clean up.  I think she is a little Nursery Coordinator in the making:)

Mondays, I always start with this full list of things I want to get done.  Unfortunately, the errands will have to wait til Tuesday.  Everything is shut down today still.  Its not like America, where everything opens back up.  Here, they actually take a holiday.  Which is a good lesson to the American in me.  To really relax and enjoy my family.  But it is so quiet and so boring!!!  We did have a fun family night last night with Ice Cream Floats and a mean game of Monopoly.  Josh was proud at what a good businessman I am...slowly taking out each of the kids and then Lee.  I'm thinking we should play again today.  I normally hate to play, but winning sure was fun.  Lee would like me to note that he trained me well.  That is why Josh has beat him the last few times as well.  Poor guy.

Well, time to get going, get Erika up and start a fresh half-year of kindergarten:)

Have a great Monday.

Oh, just a few shots of our quiet New Years Eve.  We could have easily had a houseful, but it was nice to have just a few of the kids come hang out with our kids, play monopoly, snack, watch movies.  It was nice.  And then at midnight, we went outside into the warzone (jk) of fireworks.  Whew, it was pretty crazy and loud.  They were on top of their houses, shooting them off.  But it was a fun way to bring in the New Year, with new people God has blessed us with in our lives...

Feeling Settled...and at Peace in God's will

so much has happened in my past few years...

2008-2010, i was in the fight(spiritual) of my life to fulfill my dream of adopting the most beautiful little princess in the world

2009-2010, i walked through one of the other most difficult journeys of my life...truly laying down my life...a life i felt was amazing...to follow God to Belize

2011 has been a journey that is difficult for me to describe.

i have to relearn how to do just about everything that i have learned in my life up to this point.

i have had to relearn how to do laundry, how to cook, to homeschool my children, to drive in a foreign country, to shop without a walmart, to get good deals on produce because my family goes through so much of it, to minister to an entirely new age group than ever before, and most importantly, learn to understand creole:)

i am realizing that i am getting settled though.  that belize is my new home.  when we went through training to come to the mission field, they taught us not to go home for a year...so the mission field would become your new home.  we are a month away from a year of living in belize and i see great wisdom in this.  in may and june, we had family and friends from the states come to belize, then my older kids went to the states.  this plumetted me into a time of not wanting to be here...just wanting be home...it was a very difficult time for me.  just now, in december, we once again had visitors and that did not happen to me.  of course, i love all the goodies they brought us from the states, and enjoyed their visits, but find myself making this my home.  we went to spanish lookout yesterday just to get out of the house.  we hung up several crosses on our wall yesterday (wini got us another one for christmas).  all of these set a feeling of me being home.

i dont know what the future holds or how long we will live in belize, but i have reached a place of contentment.  of course, i cannot wait to go to the states next summer and see our friends and family.  i am still dreading the hot summer that never ends that will once again be upon us in a couple of months.  but i find that i am at a place of perfect peace and that i am in the center of God's will.

lee and i ministered to some kids yesterday.  they are our kids now.  we pour our life, our time, our everything into them.   we are fighting on our knees for them as they walk through battles of their own.  God needs us here in belize.  it is good to be needed.

so, here we go, 2012

Christmas 2011

christmas was definitely a different experience for us this year...but it was good.

last night, after napping all afternoon, we reorganized some closets, cleaned up the christmas decorations, and put away our gifts.  it felt good to have the house back in some order.  we were able to get a much bigger and fuller tree for next year 1/2 off, a tree skirt, some ornaments and an angel topper.  i look forward to setting up 'our own stuff' next christmas.  and we can give away the stuff we dont need from this year.

yesterday, our church service was short, but still well attended.  i was tired from having dinner at midnight the night before...but i love that we did that too.  just made me kind of drag on sunday.  one observation i made is that next year i would like to make a dinner for those who have nowhere to go.  those that are alone here...because there were a few that i saw and it made my heart sad.  i may not have family here, but i still have 5 people with me always, so am definitely not alone.  next year, next year...so much is learned the first year for me here on the mission field.

this week, we are doing absolutely no school.  it is a good feeling.  we are halfway through the year and i want a week just to catch up on some organization and deeper cleaning around the house.  also, since we have decided not to come to texas til later summer, it gives me more time to finish out the year.  the kids are doing great, but looking forward to a week of relaxing as well.

our first gift, a houseplant, from a girl i am discipling...wow, what a plant.  we bought a beautiful planter for it and it is in the corner where our christmas tree was...so pretty and homey feeling.  my first houseplant in belize:)

the lifenet tshirts are in...a huge box sits in my hallway...we will bring some home to texas with us, for those who want one:)

the stockings are stuffed and ready to go...thanks to a little help from our elves the elliots...

the gifts are wrapped and labeled...from mom and dad, the elliots and tori and wini got gifts for everyone as well

now wini has her own itouch...thanks for helping us with that mom and dad...she is so happy

she never really celebrated christmas in the past, so it was fun to bless her

so excited i found this scooter...she is having a blast and rides everywhere now...burning up some of that endless energy she has

present i regret the most...yep, this one.  but she loves it, so i must endure...

dinner at midnight with some very special people

the kids loved their newest puppy...she is pretty cute, i must admit

preparing the feast...it was so good.  turkey, ham, scalloped potatoes and they all love the brocolli and rice casserole i brought, tricia:)

fireworks, check.  my son is complete.

dont worry, andreas dad is a doctor and was overseeing the fireworks, kind of...

sunday morning, we were blessed with some yummy goodies.  and we all had a dr pepper i had saved from when the elliots came...so happy christmas to all of us:)

oh and i got a coffee maker, MMM, and a new phone.  my phone was arcaic and everyone texts here, so now i can keep up with the texting belizeans on my new texting phone...thank you honey:)  and now we have an extra phone for missions teams to borrow when they come..

Christmas Eve without my family:(

Today has been a pretty relaxing day for us.  Tori and I woke up and went to the store to stock up on food, as we were told things will be shut down for a few days...remember, no quick trips to Walmart here.  It was crazy and there were tons of people everywhere we went, at market yesterday too.  Belizeans definitely wait til the last minute!!!  One blessing is that all the Christmas trees and decorations were marked 1/2 off tonight, so we got a bigger tree and ornaments for next year.  That was fun.

I relaxed all day, watching movies, tidying the house, preparing for tonight the food we are taking.  It was a nice day.   A nice mellow day.  Lee and the kids went for a walk and brought me back a Chollis, which is ice cream, coffee and cinnamon...MMMM.

But there was this thing in the back of my throat all day.  This is the first Christmas....for MANY, MANY years...that we are not with family.  The last one would have been when I was pregnant with Josh, when we lived in Ohio.  We are one of those families that just has a great family around us that supports and loves us.  So there is a true loss not to be with them this year.  My parents were just here, so that definitely helps a lot.  And we will skype/call them tomorrow.  That helps too.  But we will miss all the fun of just hanging out and laughing and seeing them open gifts from us, etc.  We will miss the fun of stockings at my in-laws house...that was always really fun for me.  So I stuffed my kids stockings FULL to overflowing to try to capture that feeling a little.

A little while ago, we opened gifts with the kids.  It was fun.  They are thankful.  We are going to eat dinner at midnight tonight, so they have plenty of time to play with their new stuff before getting ready to go.

But I must admit, I still miss our family...

So I hold on to next summer when we will see everyone again.

And choose to know that I am blessed with the people in my life here in Belize, starting with the family we are spending dinner with tonight...and the congregation that we will worship with in the morning.  And it just makes me appreciate our family a little bit more.