thought for today...let's go to Mercy's place

This photo was taken last year in Orange Walk.  We went there for both of us to speak at a Youth Rally put on by CDF.  On our way home we stopped at this street side stand to pick up some tacos.

The name Mercy's Place struck a chord with me.  I want to be in that place.  The place of God's mercy.  His mercy is a precious gift which is not based on what we do or don't do.  It is completely up to His discretion whom He chooses to grace with His mercy.

We are seeing some clients in severely difficult situations right now...and we find ourselves calling out to God for mercy on their behalf.  Some are finding relief.  But, a few are feeling the heat turned up even higher as they are caught in the wake of someone's sinful choices.  And yet we know that God is faithful.  And in His time He will set them free.

Meanwhile...we keep praying...we keep crying out to Him.  And we keep trusting Him for mercy.

linking up with:

and

Sugarcane and peanuts...an afternoon snack!

Frequently when we are in the office at CDF there is a man who comes by selling sugarcane and peanuts.  We have always smiled at him and said  "no, thank you".  On this particular day we decided to say "yes".

Tom and I are not new to seeing peanuts in the shell so we didn't need a tutorial on how to eat them.  But, neither one of us had ever tried sugarcane before so we had to ask what to do.  One of the girls in the office, Shelly,  taught us to just chew on the sugarcane but not actually eat it.  She even claimed it was good for cleaning your teeth.  Her statement made me curious about the benefits to eating sugarcane...so I turned to Google to investigate.

According to LIVESTRONG.com

Raw sugarcane has fewer calories than refined sugar and contains no saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium. Per teaspoon, raw sugarcane provides 2 percent of the daily value for carbohydrates needed for muscles and brain cells. Sugarcane's juice is a source of iron for the production of hemoglobin; B vitamins, especially niacin and B-6; and calcium, magnesium and phosphorus for strong bones and potassium, essential for the proper functioning of the body's cells, tissues and organs.

And the article goes on to say "that antioxidants in some sugarcane concentrates exceed that of many existing commercial antioxidant supplements and many natural foods including prunes and raisins".

I really love it that we enjoyed something fun to eat, lightly sweet, and that it is actually good for you.

Mementos make a house a home...

We have been in this house for over a year.   

Usually it takes me much longer than 12 months to make a 'nest'.  Growing up in a military family I got used to moving around.  And Tom and I have also made our share of moves over the 30 year life of our marriage.  

This weekend we realized that we needed to get some personal items on the walls and truly make this house a home.  We don't own much...the boxes we packed  up in Russia and will never receive contained many of the gifts and treasures from our travels. 

But, I still have a few crosses.  Enough to call a collection. 
And we have the gift of memories that no one can ever steal from us.

As I continue counting to One Thousand Gifts I choose to add these blessings to my list:

582. the gift of precious moments and the memories we share as a family.

583.  a treasure from island of Cyprus made by the ladies of Lefkara

584.  remembering time spent in Rome babysitting for a dear friend

585.  collecting bamboo on the shore during our 30th Anniversary trip to Maya Beach

 

586.  the incredible depth of His Amazing Grace

587.  a precious treasure given to Tom by Alexei before we left Russia

588.  Tom helping me with repairing the cross I made

and a few gifts from daily life:

589.  Going out for ice cream with Gene and Liz after Bible study Wednesday evening.

590.  Lunch with Patty and Max after church on Sunday.

591.  Enjoying an episode of Amazing Race with Tom and Spencer that was filmed in Azerbaijan.

592.  sunsets that take my breath away.

and gifts found in the Word:

593.  He will strengthen us when needed Isaiah 41:10

594.  His goodness 1 Chronicles 16:34

595.  His righteousness  Psalm 7:17

596.  that He increases the power of those who are weak Isaiah 40:28-29

597.  His perfect faithfulness  Isaiah 25:1

598.  that He watches over us  Psalm 121

 599.  He knows us intimately Psalm 139:1-5, 13

600.  that His promises never fail  Joshua 23:14

 joining in with the gratitude community:

My cross broke

Now, I realize that there may be a great spiritual application to the title of this post... but today... it really is about a craft item and not about my walk with the Lord. 

It is a simple styrofoam form covered with twine and embellished with a charm from an old necklace.  But, I made it...so it was special to me.  I had it on my dresser because I was still deciding where the best place would be to display my creation.  One morning I knocked it over.  And it broke.  

At first I couldn't decide how to make the needed repairs..   I mean, I didn't have a lot of experience with styrofoam.  My first thought was to heat up my glue gun and see what I could do.

 

Tom suggested using toothpicks to reinforce the area before I glued it back together.


and it worked out perfectly!
 

I am so glad to have him on my team!

How much sugar are you consuming?

Source

Have you seen this chart on Pinterest? 

I am fascinated by the comparisons.  But, each time I look at it I end up wanting to eat something sweet.  Sugar has always been my weakness...and my goodness that Cinnabon Cinnamon roll looks good. But, it is more likely that I will eat watermelon or some pineapple because there are no Cinnabon stores in Belize!

Is there anything on this chart that surprised you?

thought for today...

This photo was taken near a waterfall on the grounds of Cisco Citrus.  We had to cross over this bridge to walk up to where the fall is located.  Keeping our feet on the path was important but also difficult.  The bridge was slippery.   It was an unexpected stop for us so we were not dressed for a hike.  But, God protected us.  No one slipped.

I know that there are times when God's hands are on us, guiding us, directing us, and we may not even realize it.  But on this occasion God's literal protection and care was evident to us all.  We stuck to the path that was laid out for us and we all made it safely to the waterfall and back.

Praise God for the faithfulness of His word!

linking up with:

and

Corn dogs, Cake Dogs or Cup Pups?

Have you ever had one of those days where you forgot to defrost the meat 

and needed to think of something quick and easy for dinner?

 Well, I have... and this was one of those days.

I call these Corn Dogs Without A Stick... but, Tom calls them Cake Dogs or Cup Pups.

Actually, no matter what you call them, they are easy to make and tasty to eat!  

I mixed up 1 box of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix according to directions on the box, poured the mixture into muffin tins and then added sliced hotdogs in each one.  The first photo above just shows one slice of hotdog in each muffin but I used one hotdog cut in thirds in each muffin.  It takes 15-20 minutes to bake and voila!  You have dinner.  I topped mine with honey mustard but Tom ate his plain.

So what would you call them?

the gifts of breaking ground...

Yesterday we attended a ground breaking service for the church that we've been attending.  It was exciting to be a part of this new phase in the life of Bethel Disciples Church.

The church property will not only benefit the congregation here in Belmopan but also the sister churches in the various villages.  It was such a delight to see such a beautiful rainbow of people coming together to celebrate this step in the life of the ministry.

part of the worship team

 

the children's choir is so big I couldn't get them all in one photo!
 

Pastor Han playing the guitar while the children sang...
 

another view...
 

the Spanish worship leaders...

prayers were written on cards and taped to balloons...

leaders of the various sister churches preparing to launch the balloons...

balloons soaring into the skies...

officially breaking ground...

There were so many joys throughout the day...so much to celebrate!

568.  colorful bracelets on the arms of little girls...

 
569.  prayers attached to balloons...

 

570.  listening to Pastor Han preach in English while Phillip translated into Spanish

571.  being a part of such a diverse congregation

572.  truly feeling at home among this body of believers

573.  having a new believer lean over to me and ask if she belonged to the church now

574.  sitting next to her in the group photo

575.  enjoying a girls day out with several women from Bible study

576.  coming home to a hot meal waiting in the crock pot

577.  conversing with group leaders from the Women's conference back in March

578.  hearing stories about 'the way it used to be' when they were growing up here in Belize

579.  touring the Good Shepherd clinic run by a nurse down in San Jose Succotz

580.  the beauty of the peace-filled grounds

581.  having a blog post featured in the Cayo Scoop!  Best of Cayo E-Magazine
 

 joining in with the gratitude community:

oh, the places you'll go!

Last Saturday Tom and I took a walking tour of the Community Baboon Sanctuary (CBS).  This was one of the items that I have on my list of Things to do in Belize.  So I was thrilled and grateful when our friends, Andrea and Dion, invited us to go out there with them. 

The sanctuary was founded in 1985 by an American Primatologist, Dr Robert Horwich, and a Belizean landowner in Bermudian Landing, Fallet Young.  From its beginnings with 12 landowners it has grown to have the support of over 200 private landowners.  CBS focuses on four main goals-- Conservation, Education, Research and Tourism.  And not only does it provide protection for the estimated 2000 Black Howler Monkeys in the area it also serves to protect the flora and fauna as well.  

Here are just a few of the photos I took on our tour:

the museum...

warning about feeding and littering...


inside the museum...

Robert, our tour guide, led the way...

Robert was great at pointing out the various birds...he saw this tanager long before we did.

this is one of the two large lizards we saw in the area...

we saw a total of five monkeys...1 male, 3 females and 1 baby.

here is the baby peeking out to see us... the funny looking creatures down below!

these "baboon crossings" help ensure that the monkeys can safely cross the roads... 

The tour we took was a nature walk through the private lands.  It is mandatory to have a guide with you on the tour.  Along with the nature walks they offer night hikes, river tours, crocodile night tours, and birding.

Our walk was confined to Bermudian Landing but there are also things to see and do in the villages of Big Falls / St. Paul's Bank, Willow's Bank, Double Head Cabbage, Isabella Bank, Scotland Half-Moon, and Flowers Bank as well.

Please go to the website http://www.howlermonkeys.org/ to learn more about the sanctuary or about how you can get involved with the work that CBS is doing.  You can also check them out on Facebook.

And if you come to Belize... the sanctuary should definitely be on your list of places to go!

Would you speak up? Tweets from #ididnotreport

Yesterday afternoon I noticed in my Twitter feed that a few people were talking about the tweets under the hashtag #ididnotreport and some anonymous tweets that were retweeted by @ididnotreport1.

As I read through the tweets it was obvious to me that they were coming from various places around the world.  It appears that the crimes of molestation, sexual abuse and rape are still under reported. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) sexual assault is one of the most under reported crimes.  Statistics show that 60% of assaults are not reported.  Males are least likely to report and they make up 10% of all victims.

I found this chart featured on their website:

It is 2012...and although I probably shouldn't be... I am shocked.

And my heart breaks for these victims.  Sexual violence in all of its forms has to stop.  Now!

Here is a sampling of  anonymous tweets posted by @ididnotreport1:

I didn't make corrections or censor any post.  

Tweets 
#ididnotreport because I was a child and had no idea what to say

@Ididnotreport1 to the anonymous who blames themselves for any future attacks for not reporting - only the attacker is to blame. Not you.

So many adults failed me as a child. Looking back there were so many clues that I was being molested. #ididnotreport

#ididnotreport our PE teacher comin gin to the changing rooms and expecting us to continue changing while he watched. Aged 15.

#ididnotreport the boy who hit me in the face at a school disco because I didn't want to kiss him.

@Ididnotreport1 ...not saying anything did not mean I was responsible for anything that happened after, it was ALL his fault, HIS hands xxx

 #ididnotreport when a worker in my childrens home offered me £25 to watch me in the bath, because I was already in trouble for other stuff

#ididnotreport when I woke up with him on top of me, I'd drank a lot that night & was afraid it was my fault & no one would help.

#ididnotreport that my friends boyfriend held me down and pushed my legs open and when she came in he said I tried it on. She believed him.

@Ididnotreport1 please know that was not your fault, same happened to me with childhood abuse, took a long time for me to realise that by...

 #ididnotreport that I had sex with a boy I fancied in the back of a car while his friends sat in front and I didnt really want to. age14

#ididnotreport that my mum's friend gave me £1 for sweets as he stroked my thigh,told me not tell mum. I never spent the money or told. Age7

...regret that #ididnotreport. I'm filled with guilt cuz my fear kept me from stopping him from raping someone else. Their blood, my hands

#ididnotreport because he was my boyfriend, my "best friends" didn't believe me, & I got preg from it. My son's a blessing but still regret

#ididnotreport my babysitter because I didn't understand, I thought I would get into trouble

I woke up in a strange place with him on top of me, I said stop, stop #ididnotreport b/c how do you report a crime you barely remember

#ididnotreport my kindergarden friend's older brother who made me perform oral sex & had intercourse w/ me.

#ididnotreport because I was a child, I didn't understand and by the time I did it was too late

#ididnotreport parents & relatives taking photos of us 5 - 7 year olds flashing our knickers - we thought it was funny at the time (80's)

Christ I wish I were surprised by anything from @Ididnotreport1 #ididnotreport

#ididnotreport it was happening in a public bus, I was in HS, n didn't realize it was a molestation. A nice man helped, offered me a seat...

#ididnotreport because it was technically not a rape. No penetration whatsoever, n I didn't understand that it was molestation at that time

#ididnotreport my friend's father & uncle who were also my bosses in a shop, when they regularly passed comment on my breast size. I was 16.

@Ididnotreport1 because I blamed myself.

#ididnotreport my best friend's brother who pulled me to the ground putting his hand down my pants in their house- he was 14 and I was 15

#ididnotreport. I DID report but felt guilty because it was never penetration, he never hurt me, and others had it much worse. I was 12-14.

#ididnotreport the stranger who chatted me up for a few minutes before leaning in and biting my face

#ididnotreport [italian villa cont.] He's a teacher. I was 20.

#ididnotreport the gang of men who asked me for directions on quiet Belfast street at night then made lewd comments

a scientist from NY(2009) - would not accept a no, sexual coercion, attempted rape, verbal/emotional abuse

because the people I told first didn't seem to understand that I didn't really agree to what he wanted me to do.

#ididnotreport. Didn't know it was wrong if I consented. Embarassd 2 say no & just wanted 2 be liked. I was 14. Angers & Grosses me out now.

#ididnotreport Family friend on Italian villa holiday who looked at me funny & stood outside my bedroom door heavy-breathing & masturbating.

#ididnotreport the uncle of my friend who slapped my ass before commenting on my "good birthing hips". 10+ people just laughed. I was 16.

because it was in a huge crowd. I didn't really believe that could happen or that anyone would believe he groped me

#ididnotreport the guy on a crowded train rubbing his member against me, cos I kinda liked it- does that mean I was asking4it (2go further?)

#ididnotreport because I couldn't remember enough of what had happened as I was passed out, other than I could not have given consent!

#ididnotreport because i'd slept with him before & i knew people would blame me as I had been out drinking

#ididnotreport because I was cold and stuck in the wrong part of London -he said I could stay at his til morning, but all he wanted.. *sigh*

I did not report because I did not speak the local language. And 'nice' girls aren't drunk on a Tuesday night...

because I wasn't allowed a boyfriend. Telling that he assaulted me would mean getting in trouble for him existing in the first place.

If you or someone you know is currently being violated  SPEAK UP... Make a report. 

Or if you suffer with emotional and spiritual wounds
of past sexual violence please talk with someone you trust.

Don't let another day go by without getting the help and support that you deserve.