the gifts of a conference...

She walked into the chapel Friday afternoon carrying burdens on her shoulders for all to see.  As the weekend progressed the light of hope began to flicker in her eyes.  When asked about making connections over the weekend she quietly admitted to getting in touch with herself for the first time.  As she left the grounds on Sunday afternoon walking with an air of confidence in the Lord, it was evident that inner healing was in process and that God's hands were guiding her step by step.

It was such a joy and a privilege to witness transformation taking place throughout the room.  This weekend's Healthy Women's Conference was indeed a blessing for the ladies who were able to attend. Our desire for the weekend was for women to move from victim to survivor, grow in their relationship with Him, and feel comforted by the Father so that in time they will be able to comfort others with the comfort they themselves have received.  

As I count the gifts from the weekend my heart overflows with gratitude for what the Lord has done...

983. watching the room fill with women...

984. Miss Diana's vision and passion for this ministry...

985. and her message of God's restorative love...

986. topics that touched the hearts of many...

987.  women learning that they are not alone...

988. Tom's teachings on What Abuse Is, The Affects of Abuse and his sermon on Forgiveness...

989. "Sell Tacos Not Children!" bracelets to create awareness and raise funds...

990.  selling out of the t-shirts with the same message...

991. resources for those who need support or want to learn more...

992.  learning more about the ministry of Mary Open Doors...

993.  hearing the courageous testimony of a woman who suffered through an horrific abortion experience...

   994.  the sound of the hammer pounding nails to the cross reminding us all of Christ's sacrifice...

995. that which we are ready to forgive nailed to the cross...

996.  the sharing of hearts during small group time...

997.  the blessing of serving as a small group leader...

998.  the freedom that comes when we our pain is traded for His restorative and redemptive love...

999.  Jadine's teaching on our identity in Christ...

as I come to the end of counting to 1000 I have to acknowledge that it has also been a gift to discover:
1000. that the blessing of practicing gratitude has altered my outlook on life!

If you would like to read posts from others in the gratitude community just click on the box below.

What's in the News in Belize?

Yesterday a torch run left from Belmopan and went down to San Ignacio for a peace rally.  As the run began Tom and I were watching on PlusTV.  After the torch was lit by their mother, Ivolene, it was heart wrenching to see Keran Belisle,the sister of murder victim Norvil Belisle, carrying the torch out of the city with the mayor of Belmopan running by her side.

All of the local businesses closed down as a show of support.  This video is one of the news reports covering the event.  It was great to see the people, young and old, banding together to speak out against the violence and the injustice that has been happening in the country.  

Pain is temporary but quitting lasts forever...

Today is Day 57.  In the early days getting out to walk was a major ordeal.  I had to watch the time to make sure that I stayed out the full 30 minutes.  My body ached.  My attitude was not the best...I just wanted to "get it over with".  Now, I cannot imagine my day without going out for a walk.  And I am so grateful that I didn't quit.  The pain is over and I am 43 days away from my goal!

Pain is temporary but quitting lasts forever!

thought for today... Unchangeable!

 

I am grateful that the Father of heavenly lights is unchanging.  Yesterday, today and forever...He is God.  

And He is good. All the time!

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Counting gifts of time...

We've had time with friends and time with family.  Meals with several different groups of people.  Meetings in more than one location on the same day.  Ministry in the midst of it all.  And yet, in all of the business there were precious gifts...moments spent with others that were priceless treasures.

967.  learning how to use Facetime  and being able to see Nathan's face for the first time since June.
968.  Steve and Sharon's time here in Belize.
969.  Spencer and Meesha getting the weekend off
970.  Laughing so hard that my head hurt while enjoying family and friends
971.  Attending Pastor Dan's birthday lunch with several others from church
972.  Game night with Spencer, Meesha, Steve, and Sharon
973.  Counseling class and all of the incredible students at Belize Bible Center
974.  Planning for and dreaming about the future of CDF
975.  Connecting with others at the monthly meeting with area missionaries
976.  Dinner at Pasquales with Steve & Sharon and Tom & June
977.  Pausing to spend times in prayer for someone in need
978.  Quiet moments to reflect now and then.
979.  Evening walks with Tom when he is able to go out with me...
980.  Prayer walks when I go out alone
981.  Our home filled with people we love spending time with
982.  Knowing that all of our days and plans are in the hands of God!

                        

You know you're in Belize when...

You find one of these guys on your windshield!

or on the wall of a building...

 

or in the hand of a friend!!

The first time I saw one of these critters the Belizean friend we were with called it a cricket.  Just a few days later one of them surprised us by landing on the windshield of our car as we pulled out of our driveway.  I took his photo and put it on Facebook.  

Last night we were at a dinner meeting over at the Blue Thumb Mission when one landed on the wall  surprising us all.  The first time someone got too close and it flew away revealing beautiful mauve colored wings.  The lighting was not the best for picture taking but we are so grateful to Joe for picking it up, calming it down, and getting it to pose for us!  

And yeah, I did get that close.  I know. I still can't believe I did that.

Half way there!!

This evening when I go out for my walk it will be the 50th day!  

It is so hard to believe that I am half-way to this goal.  It's not always easy to go out walking here.  Two days in a row the rain has come down so hard it didn't seem like it would ever stop.  My contingency plan is to walk around the house for a half hour but fortunately I have not had to do that yet.  It seems to clear up just in time for me to get out there,

I also have to confess that I learned a valuable lesson this week.  Just because I walk everyday now does NOT mean that I can eat ice cream everyday.  You probably knew that...but, for some reason I was delusional and thought a small bowl wouldn't hurt.  I guess my bowls are not that small because I gained a pound back.  Live and learn!

So how are you doing with your health and fitness goals?

Thought for today...keep pressing on!

Seeing these kids running reminded me of a few lines from a song my Aunt Betty sang many years ago... 

The race is not given to the swift
The race is not given to the strong
But, it's given to the one who keeps pressing on! 

 May God grant us the strength, determination, and perseverance needed to run the race. 
 And may we all remember to keep pressing on!

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Stop and Breathe...

In order to catch my breath I had to let some things go.  Not posting yesterday helped me to take a step back.

We are always grateful for the ministry opportunities that God places in our path.  Our desire is not to get weary as we work so we need to take small breaks here and there when we can.  As we face a jam-packed week ahead we could use your prayers...so that we'll have the energy needed to get through it all.

Hope you remember to stop and breathe too!

It's that time again!

Tom starts teaching the counseling class again at Belize Bible Center tomorrow.  We are eager to see how many students return and if there will be any newcomers or not. 

Tom is excited about this quarter.  He enjoys teaching about character and developmental stages.  This is the fourth semester of the six semester course that began last year.  Soon there will be more trained counselors to work in churches and various places throughout Belize. 

During the break between semesters some construction took place at the center.  It looks like the new classroom is almost ready too! 

Why should you eat fruit?

thought for today...His Protection

 Whether we are crossing a bridge or making it through a challenging life event...

when He charts the course and blesses the way we are safe in His hands.

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Where do your tortillas come from?

There are several vendors around the city who make their own tortillas to sell from their homes.  Most people charge 50 cents a pound.  When I went to get corn tortillas yesterday the woman I buy from didn't have any made.  So I had to wait.

When she went to another room to make the masa (dough) I took a photo of her work station.  

 The cut-out bleach bottle holds the plastic circles she uses to shape the tortillas.

The metal comal that she cooks over has a fire underneath.  The first thing she did was add more wood to the fire.  After that I saw her take some corn to another room and when she came back she had the dough all ready to mold and shape into tortillas.

Some day when my Spanish gets better I will ask her to explain her whole process to me.  I was fascinated with watching her and her daughter work so quickly.  She told me it would take 15 minutes to make two pounds of tortillas and she was right!  

Before the parade passes by

We had two parades here in Belmopan last week.  On Thursday evening there was the Take Back the Land Christian Parade.  And on Friday the Citizen's Parade was held.  I had heard that the Citizen's Parade was going to start at 10:30.  Assuming that meant 11:00 I left home home just after 10:30 thinking that I would have time to see them line up and then begin walking.  I had more time than I expected.  The parade didn't get underway until closer to noon.

Getting over there so early meant seeing what happens before the parade passes by.  

The University of Belize float...

 the Peace Corps getting set up...

 other participants chilling out before the long walk begins...

soldiers ready to go...

a smart businessman selling plantain chips to the gathering crowd

Riders kept their horses busy until it was time to line up...

Children played in the dry drainage ditch...

when the police finally arrived we knew it was almost time for the parade to start!

Take Back the Land...

Here are a few memories from the Christian parade last night in here in Belmopan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn't get a chance to check my camera battery before we left the house.  Many of my photos are blurry.  But, I chose to share a few shots anyway just so you could get an idea of what the parade was like.  

We stood outside for two hours watching the crowd slowly gather before the parade actually reached our location.  It was a treat to see so many familiar faces in the parade and in the crowd.  We were called out to, hugged, and given a few fist bumps as the parade went by!  

After the parade came another hour wait for the fireworks...we decided to pick up a late dinner and come on home.  I was able to see the fireworks from our back porch so I didn't have to miss anything! 

Today there will be more parades throughout the country...Belize is now 31 years old.  Mercy, it sure feels strange to be older than a country!

On the road again!

The rocks on the road shift and groan as I walk along.  Being out in the fresh air early in the evening is priceless.  And lately it has become one of the highlights of my day.  I don't always realize how tense I am until I get on the road, my shoulders relax, and the stress for that day melts away.  When I get back home I am covered in sweat, breathing a little heavy, and am overwhelmingly calm.

Today is Day 36...and I am still putting one foot in front of the other!

thought for today...Shout, Rejoice, Sing!

 

His comfort and compassion are indeed worthy of praise!

I suffered through sadness and grief this week over the discovery of yet ANOTHER vital item that was among the boxes we lost in our move from Russia to Belize.  I am grateful that God's compassion has kept me from feeling the weight of the losses all at once.

There are days when I don't even think about it, days when that is all I think about, and then moments like Monday when it slaps me in the face out of the blue.  As I breathe in deeply and hold my head up and try to move on...I realize that it still stings. 

Only His comfort and compassion help me through the inconsolable times.  

Today I choose to appreciate all that God has done and the numerous lessons we received from the loss of those 34 boxes.  Right now I can gaze upon the setting sun, be comforted by the cooling breeze, and breathe out my gratitude for His compassion.  

And and in this moment...

 I can shout with the heavens, 

rejoice with the earth, 

and sing with the mountains

about the goodness of the LORD!

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