What's new in Cohune Walk...

After months of repeatedly calling the city to remind them to do their pick up of yard clippings they finally showed up today! There was so much debris throughout our community they had to send a backhoe and a dump truck out to do the collection.

As you can see it's been so long since the last pick up

 that we actually had a tree growing out of the pile in front of our house. 

Tom went out to thank the driver and chat with him.

They had a four man crew out working. 

One driving the backhoe, one driving the dump truck,

 and two helping to load the backhoe when needed. 

There was a snake in that pile!!! 

As they finished up in front of our home we thanked them and clapped. We pray it won't be another year before they come again. All up and down the street in all three phases of the area we live in there are piles of yard waste and overgrown bush. The jungle just keeps growing back if no one clears it. And that makes a breeding ground for snakes and vermin that becomes hazardous to all the neighbors.

We're grateful that it's finally cleared. It looks better and it's much safer for us all!

Catching up...

I'm so far behind with giving updates on our work and life here. Please forgive me. It's been a bit hectic lately. Here are a few snapshots of what we've been up to!

Tom and I had a fun night celebrating with other couples at a dinner on Valentine's Day.

Our church is in it's new building and we're growing!

Tom and I are enjoying getting to know Pastor Han and Sarah. 

Sarah prepared a wonderful Korean dinner for us.

 Bulgogi, kimchi, potato pancakes, tofu, served with rice & veggies.

CDF had it's annual Women's Conference

A new counseling class is in session

We got to deliver shoes, socks, and underwear to needy kids

 

And all of that was just in the past few weeks!! 

Crown Him in Belize!

We bought our copy!  Did you buy yours?!

People in Pune...

Are you a people watcher? I am! I think God's creations are fascinating. And each time we travel to a new place we get to see more of His handiwork in action. These are just a few of the photos I took on our bus tour of Pune.  If you are friends with me on Facebook you can see the full album by clicking HERE.  

New Cell Phone Day...

 

 

 

We are so excited to have new phones!  Just a short walk from the flat where we are staying...there is an electronics store where we were able to get new phones for both of us.  The price was right and they should last us a while.  I was a bit nervous that we might have made the wrong choice because our Belize SIM cards were too big for the phones.  I am so grateful that they were able to cut the SIM cards down to the correct size.  

Today was our first day out and about since we were both struck down with a gastrointestinal infection last week.  And how fun it is to celebrate feeling better with a new toy!

an unwanted late night visitor...

Last week I had an unwanted visitor in the bathroom.  It's surreal to see a tarantula come around the corner headed straight for you.  Of course I ran out of the bathroom and yelled at Tom to come and get rid of it. 

As Tom took a look at the spider he says, "aren't you going to take a picture?

I took the first photo and then screamed when it moved!!

Tom scooped it up into the dustpan and threw it outside.

I heard from a few others that they'd also had tarantulas show up in their bathrooms or right outside their doors last week.  Apparently, a combination of  heat and rain brings them out.  We've been here almost three years and this was our first run-in with such a huge critter in our home.  Seriously, this thing was bigger than the frog we had come inside.  

Well, now I know when tarantula season is and I'll be ready next time...maybe!

At Da Sno Shack!

  A new business just opened up here in Belmopan!

Bethany and Kaylon, are young entrepreneurs who are hard at work to make their new venture a success.  They have a great location, a tasty product, and an awesome work ethic.  We think they are destined for great things!!

When your parents own the store...

your playground is wherever you make it!

Where do you find your joy?

 

I'm finding it today among the simple things...

Holding up traffic...

Last week there was a check point set up in the middle of the city.  It happened close to the Catholic church around the time kids were getting out of school.  It was an odd place and time to shut down the flow of traffic.  

I wonder how many violations they found that day and if it was worth it?

Since we rarely have traffic jams here in Belmopan...I had to snap a photo of the occasion!

To market, to market...

If you need furniture, flowers, fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, shoes, clothes, or household goods...the market is the place to go.  Market days here in Belmopan are Tuesday and Friday.  It's best to go in the morning if possible.  By the late afternoon many of the vendors are packing up for the day.

I walked 2.6 miles getting my shopping done.  That mileage includes the walk to and from my house.  I found the produce that I needed, got some more seeds for my garden, and picked up a few outfits as well.  Most of the clothing is used and comes from the U.S.  If you have the patience to dig through the clothes on a table or look through racks hanging up inside the tents...you can always find a bargain or two! 

Spring cleaning...

Most of our neighbors were working on their houses before Christmas.  So, we're a little late with our 'spring cleaning'.  

We hired our gardener and his family to scrape the old paint and scrub the mold in preparation for painting.  They did such a great job with the clean up that when they asked about actually painting the house we wanted to give them the work. 

Here are a few before shots...

 

 

and here are a few after shots...

 

 

While the grownups were at work... the little daughter had her own projects going on!

They are coming back later today to finish off the front of the house.
It's good to see our home looking fresh and new again!