thought for today

The clouds contrasting with the fiery shades of orange caused us to stop and take note of God's majesty as we drove home the other day.  This is March.  The rainy season ended weeks ago and yet we have had many rain-filled days this year.  Sometimes the downpours go on for hours.  The charm and beauty of the sun can sometimes get lost when days are hot and the earth is scorched by fires.  But, when it is overcast and dreary for days on end... the appearance of the sun calls us to rejoice.

And yet, I know that my praise should not be affected by my circumstances.

Why do I allow my mood to affect my worship?  

His glory doesn't change like our attitudes.  His majesty still exists when clouds are dark.

May we rejoice in the splendor of our Lord no matter what comes our way. 

 Rain or shine He is worthy.

Let us ascribe to Him the glory due His name!

linking up with:

and

Tasty Tuesday...Spiced Chai Mix

A few weeks back my mother in law sent me this recipe along with a gift to help me out with the ingredients.  Last fall I was blessed with a care package from my friend Sharon that had cardamom in it.  I remember us joking about needing to find a recipe with cardamom in it so that I would be able to use it.  You can imagine what a pleasant surprise it was to see it listed among the spices needed in my mother in law's recipe!

After gathering up the rest of the ingredients I put this mix together on Sunday.  I love the taste of this tea.  It is so comforting to sit with a cup while I slowly wake up in the morning.  Or it is also great as a relaxing treat at the end of the day.

Spiced Chai Mix

3 cups non-fat dry milk powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup unsweetened instant tea

3/4 cup vanilla powdered dairy creamer

1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Directions:

Combine in a food processor and process until powdery.

Store mix in an airtight container.

Makes about 5 cups of mix.

To serve:

Stir 2 Tbsp of mixture into a mug of hot water.

Enjoy!

counting the gifts and an incredible day!

Every day above ground is a gift from Him.  

And yet, I think some days are bound to be treasured and pondered more than others.  Saturday was one of those blessed days for us.

Our friends Dion and Andrea invited us to spend the day with them.  That in itself is a treat.  But, we were also blessed to travel with them and their three children out to an area that we had never been to before.

First we drove to Bermudian Landing... the village where Andrea grew up.  From there we went to see our first cricket match over in Lemonal, a neighboring village, and then we drove over to the village of Double Head Cabbage to see the canoes coming ashore in the La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge.  After watching some of the teams come in and chowing down on a traditional Belizean meal of rice & beans with chicken we went back to Bermudian Landing for a tour of the Community Baboon Sanctuary. 

So many firsts all packed into one day.  Our first cricket match, watching part of the La Ruta Maya Belize River challenge and seeing howler monkeys up close and personal.  It was just incredible!

557.  adding to my list of Things to do in Belize

558.  visiting the villages of Bermudian Landing, Lemonal, and Double Head Cabbage
559.  meeting new people

560.  having cricket explained to us by Conway Young

561.  watching our first cricket match

562. intense concentration on the face of a child

563.  seeing canoes coming to shore after reaching this day's checkpoint in the race.

564.  tasty food cooked over an open flame.

565.  cashew trees

566.  creation's beauty

567.  time with howler monkeys

568.  large iguanas that try to hide high up in the trees

569.  Belizean holidays that give us three day weekends...today is National Heroes and Benefactors Day.
570.  being invited to spend the day with Dion, Andrea and their children
571.  being present and awake to the gifts of life
572.  emails from old friends
573.  spending the day appreciating village life and the people who live in them
574.  a camera that is still working after seven years
575.  ice cream on a warm day
566.  singing birds

567.  the perfect ending to an incredible day!

 joining in with the gratitude community:

I made something from Pinterest!

So, I saw this on Pinterest...

A recycled tshirt scarf.

and I noticed that one of my blogging friends made one

so I decided to give it a try in yellow

If you would like to make one the tutorial is here.

All you need is an old t-shirt and a pair of scissors...no sewing required!

Impressions from election day in Belize

In the battle of red vs blue it looks as if the red has won again.  

Yesterday was election day here in Belize.  We stayed up late listening to election results coming in.  And we heard that the United Democratic Party had retained leadership of the country.  We have not been here long enough to know if that is good or bad.  We have heard positive and negative things about both the United Democratic Party (UDP) and the People's United Party (PUP).  There were also people running as Independents and there is a third party called Vision Inspired by the People (VIP).

When we drove out to Roaring Creek we saw people lining the streets to vote... 

And the same was true in Belmopan...

 

 

 

While we were out we sensed the excitement in the air from all of the people we saw out in the streets.  Tom chose a white t-shirt to wear while we were out but I made the mistake of wearing a red one and a young lady in blue teased me about the red being no good.  She claimed the blue had better chicken dinners to offer to voters!

Around midnight we heard some fireworks but the rain helped keep the partying down to a dull roar.  We had been warned of possible alcohol related rowdiness but so far we have not heard about any violence or disturbances of any kind.  It will be interesting to hear reactions from people today and read the news stories about all of the events of yesterday.  There was not much mystery as to what the election results would be when we lived in Russia.  But, this election here in Belize kept us guessing until the end about who would come out on top.

Thought for Today

I took this photo in Dangriga last week. This gentleman was diligently working to repair his net as his children played in the yard.  Fishing for him is not a hobby.  It is how he feeds his family.  Casting his net out into the sea is a daily activity for him.  

We have had times in the counseling office when we have an unexpected client stop in and we choose to put aside what we are doing to give our attention to the person in front of us.  We have to put down our 'nets', so to speak, and follow what He would have us do.  

I don't think that leaving your net has to always mean literally walking away from your livelihood.  To me it means being open to those divine appointments within our days which come in the form of interruptions.  These interruptions may simply be an opportunity from God to guide you deeper in your walk with Him. 

May we be open to leaving our nets when He calls.

And may we see the blessings in the divine appointments He brings our way.

linking up with:

and

Winsome Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday and the pursuit of the perfect cookie

I found this chart on Pinterest and it explains the various problems of each of the cookies pictured below.
The credit for this chart goes to The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie website.  I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me!  Be sure to check out their website for more helpful hints and recipes.

source

There are many variables in baking. Pictured are cookies with various problems using the same dough (with flour adjustments in numbers 3 &4).
1. This cookie is done just right. It is pictured to compare with the rest.
2. This dough was not refrigerated. It is still good but a little flatter than it should be.
3. This dough contained too much flour and did not spread much at all. It is interesting to note that the dough looked identical to the correct dough, but was much stiffer and drier.
4. This dough had too little flour. It spread too much and didn’t bake evenly.
5. This dough was over-mixed. It had a poor color, baked flat and had a strange consistency.
6. This dough was formed too small. It was overcooked at eight minutes. It is fine to make smaller cookies, just bake them for less time.
7. This dough was formed too large. The outsides were done while the middle was too high and underdone.
8. This dough was baked in an oven 25 degrees too hot. The outside was overdone and the inside was slightly underdone.
9. This dough was baked in an oven 25 degrees too cool. It fell flat and became too crisp without much of an inside.
10. This dough was frozen when baked. It took longer to bake and didn’t cook as evenly. To use frozen dough, set on cookie sheet at room temperature while oven is preheating, 15-20 minutes. It takes the frost off and bakes perfectly.

Prince Harry's visit and counting the gifts...

Prince Harry has come and gone.  

I had to take these shots over the heads of a few people as I stood on my tip toes a few feet away.  I even manged to get a quick video of him as well.   The initial spot where we chose to stand was soon found by several international journalists who crowded around the prince making it difficult for anyone to get a clear photo but them.  The crowd near us screamed angrily at the photographers to get out of the way so they could just get a glimpse of the prince.  It is a miracle there was not a stampede or an altercation with the press. 

Early in the afternoon I had walked over to see how the workers were doing with the set up for the prince's visit and this is what I found:

the street was closed off

the trees and the median were touched up earlier in the week

but the fences for the crowd to stand behind were still being set up

vendors were getting set up and some people were out there cooking already

the media area was ready to go

the press stand was set up

lights were being put in place

chairs were avilable for a chosen few

the new street sign was in place

We have a lot of great memories of the event.  And we are truly grateful we got to participate in this history making event for Belize.  This was not only Prince Harry's first visit to Belize but his first time on an official tour of the Caribbean for the Queen.

536.  the beauty of these little Garifuna girls.

537. children posing for their parents

537.  beautiful costumes on beautiful ladies

538.  cute little couple dancing for the crowd

 

539.   Tom being willing to stand and wait with me for two hours before the prince showed up

540.  Our neighborhood street being chosen for this honor

 

541.   Tom being interviewed by a reporter from ABC New York.

542.   Seeing our neighbors and sharing this exciting night together.

543.   Getting a few good close up shots of Prince Harry.

544.   Having the YWAM crowd with us and sharing my photos with them.

545.   Enjoying the food and the street party afterwards.

546.   Spencer speaking at church about DTS (Discipleship Training School)

547.   The Chinese people in our church beaming as Spencer greeted the crowd in Mandarin.

548.   Hearing testimonies from several students visiting from the University of Florida.

549.   The creativity of their dramas and dances.

550.   Their college pastor giving today's sermon.

551.   Spending Sunday afternoon with a good book while Tom watched a few NBA games.

552.   Cool refreshing rain and wind.

553.   The sun coming out and fresh smelling laundry on the line.

554.   Finding Tootsie Rolls at the supermarket.

555.   Having enough food available when an unexpected guest shows up for lunch.

556.   Spencer's friends feeling so comfortable in our home. 

 joining in with the gratitude community:

Guess who's coming to Belize?

 HRH Prince Harry!

He is flying in today and he leaves tomorrow.  

He will be in our neighborhood, just a few streets over from where our house is located, to dedicate and rename a street in the Queen's honor as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebration.  The road that leads to the area we live in is getting a facelift for the festivities. 

We were hoping that the whole neighborhood would get paved but that didn't happen.  But they are putting up fencing, a platform for the ceremony was built, the bottoms of the trees have been painted white, the median has been trimmed in a bright yellow and all the lines on the street have been repainted.   They will be shutting down the street around noon to car traffic.  People will be lining up around 4pm to get a glimpse of the prince at the dedication ceremony which begins at 6pm. 

We are excited to be here for this celebration and are hoping to get lots of pictures to share with you next week.  And from now on if you want to come and visit us you will have to drive down HM Queen Elizabeth II Boulevard before you get to our street!

You can read more about his schedule of activities here.