Take Back the Land Parade

Churches from Roaring Creek, Belmopan and a few other cities marched together as one body of believers to pray for the country, the people and to celebrate the 29th year of the independence of Belize. As floats, trucks and church buses began lining up around 6pm the Christian radio station was on hand doing a live broadcast to keep everyone abreast of the latest developments and by 7pm the parade was on its way to the first of five prayer stops.

The first stop was the police station where the Chairman of Roaring Creek opened the parade and gave safety instructions. Following that one of the local pastors gave the opening prayer for the marchers and for the country.

At each prayer stop a different pastor led the prayer. Several of the churches including ours, Shepherd's House had their worship teams on hand to keep the crowd pumped up with praise music all evening. At the main prayer stop the Mayor of Belmopan gave the churches a key to the city and prayed a prayer of blessing.

Due to the live radio coverage of the entire parade people were lined up along the entire parade route to watch and some even joined in the march behind various floats. Security officers and policeman were on foot, bicycles and horseback to keep the crowd under control.

The parade was so large that it was ended early for safety reasons so everyone could park and get settled in for the flag raising ceremony followed by fireworks.  This evening was very exciting for Tom and I. We were amazed that something like this could even take place. The religious freedom here is refreshing for us. And we feel so blessed to be a part of the work that God is doing here in Belmopan!

The float built by our church, Shepherd's House.

 The worship team is warming up and checking their instruments for the parade.

Miss Carla trusted this rainbow as a sign that the parade would not get rained out.  And it was dry all night long!!

Tom drove the van that followed behind the float.  There were a few times during the evening when the marchers would get back on and have a snack or a drink of water before rejoining the march.

All lit up and ready to go!!

Shots of the crowd and some of the marchers... the sign says "United Proud Moving Forward We are Belize"

thirsty?

Water sold in bags is cheaper to buy than the water that is sold in bottles.  Just open one of the corners and take a drink!!

Market Day

Tom and I went over to the open market to see what treasures we could find. It was overwhelming to me. Seeing all of the fruits, vegetables, and housewares laid out on the ground on blankets or tarps was overwhelming for me. The markets in Russia were more organized and clean. I know that in time I will come to see this as normal and will be able to shop there along with everyone else. But, this being our first day I struggled to take it all in.

Wash day for baby dolls....

We noticed these baby dolls hanging by their hair from our neighbor's clothesline. These dollies must be well loved to have become part of the daily chores!

 

Tom and I were able to enjoy our first large celebration here in Belmopan.  The crowd was huge, the music was lively, and the food was tasty.   

Pastor Joe and his family were there and as we were walking over to the field, about a five minute walk from our house, he called out to Tom with a smile.  Later, as we were walking around looking at all of the booths with food and crafts I heard someone call my name,  It was a little girl named Alina.  It felt so good to be recognized by people already in such a large crowd.  

I found an article on line about the celebration from Caribbean News Now!

BELMOPAN, Belize -- It is said that it was the largest crowd ever seen in Belmopan, Belize's capital, as no less than 8,000 people packed the Governor General’s playing field on Sunday evening to witness colourful cultural presentations from Belize, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Nicaragua.

Cuba also had an entertaining presentation.

The large crowd was mainly nationals from the six Central American countries and Mexico who now live in Belize.

The occasion marked the 200th independence anniversary of Mexico and the 100th anniversary of its revolution, as well as the 189th independence of the five Spanish speaking Central American countries.

Belize will celebrate its 29th independence anniversary from Britain on September 21.

The ambassadors of all the Central American countries were present and addressed the gathering in their native language -- Spanish. Belize Governor General, Sir Colville Young, was also present, but did not address the crowd, however Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister, Wilfred Elrington spoke on behalf of the Belize government.

He said, "This event provides a wonderful opportunity to bring everyone who now calls Belize their home closer together, thereby furthering the fusion of our people into the Belizean identity."

He added, "I see before me people of all colours and ethnic backgrounds, young and not so young alike, celebrating in harmony."

The crowd thoroughly enjoyed themselves and waved their national flags in appreciation, as their countrymen and women entertained the gathering with their rich cultural presentations.

It is understood that no less than 250 artistes came from Mexico and the six Central American countries for Sunday night's presentation.

Among the presentations were: The Belize Dance Company, The Traditional Ballet of Merida Mexico, the Wajshaquib Batz (which means Eight Threads or Eight Monkeys) of Guatemala, the Choreographic Group of El Salvador, and the Banda Cubana Group.

The evening's programme culminated with fireworks.

Pastor Joe's Birthday

Between all of the stops to pick everyone up for church who needed a ride (including Tom and I) Carla picked up a cake to celebrate Pastor Joe's 50th!

 The girls made sure everyone got something to drink and a piece of cake.

 Saskia with a bit of frosting on her fingers...

take time to smell the flowers...

First Sunday

The worship was great and we enjoyed getting to meet everyone.  It is going to take a while to put all the names with the faces but we are ready and willing to be a part of this church family!

time to unpack

Our street is named after a Mayan city... you can read about it here: http://www.southernbelize.com/lubaantun.html

We have two suitcases, a duffle bag and two back packs...

just taking a break after all of the running around we have been doing trying to get settled in here.

Time to fill up the closets and drawers in our bedroom!


We are so grateful to have a place to call home.  And we have two empty bedrooms ready and waiting for guests!!!

We have a house!

We chose this three bedroom, 2 bathroom house!  The owner, pictured, came down on her asking price by $200 a month just so that we could afford the rent.  God is so good!

Partial view of the front room... the livingroom/dining area/kitchen is one big open space.

View of the other side of the room.

kitchen area.. we have to get a stove and a fridge.



We  move in today and I will get more photos up when I can.  We won't have internet at the house for a while.  This is a three day holiday weekend here so not much will happen until Monday.  It is simply amazing how much we have accomplished this week.  We got here on Monday and already we have a place to truly call home.  And we are both excited that this morning will be the last one that we get dressed out of our suitcases!!

House hunting

This one was the first one we saw yesterday and I compared all of the others to it.  Originally we were told that the price would only be $400 a month.  However, because they are putting in a fence the price has now gone up to $500!

We will visit this house tomorrow. It is located not far from the University of Belize.  We are not yet sure if this is an asset or a liability!

This property is located about a 10 minute drive from the Belmopan in a village called Tea Kettle.  This is the veranda area where the caretakers of this 2 1/2 acre compound are living.  There is also a one bedroom house and a cement slab that could serve as the foundation for another home to be built on.

Here is a 3 bedroom 2bathroom house that is of interest to us as well. It has high ceilings which gives an open feel. It is also conveniently located in the city of Belmopan and in our price range. There is not as much property but is much closer to the church than the other two houses.

thought for today

There is nothing more refreshing than a tall glass of ice cold watermelon juice on a hot day!!

Looks like we made it!

We have been living out of suitcases and boxes since late February.  It is wonderful to arrive here in Belize and feel as if we have finally come home.

Our cab driver from the airport was very kind.  He chatted with Tom on the hour long drive from Belize city to Belmopan.  After he and Tom agreed on a price for the ride we went to the gas station for him to get enough for the trip before getting on the road!

We were going so fast all I could manage to snap were blurry photos of all the trees along the way.  The countryside is very green with small simple homes made of wood or cement, businesses and tourist attractions dotting the highway.

Tom got us checked in at the Bull Frog Inn and were pleased to find our room modest but comfortable, equipped with amenities we could appreciate namely air conditioning, WiFi and a clean bathroom!!

leaving for Belize

We leave today for Belize... I don't know how long it will be until we have internet access and I can start posting photos for you but as soon as I am able I will!!


Thanks so much to everyone who has hosted us and prayed for us and supported us throughout this journey.  We are truly grateful for each of you!

thought for today

Some folks are wise and some are otherwise. ~Tobias Smollett

where are our boxes?

just got a message from a friend.  The guy that was supposed to send out our boxes from Moscow to the US has been in the hospital for the past two weeks.  He was recently diagnosed with diabetes.  We have been told that our things should get shipped out on the 1st of September.  We'll see! 

Keep us in your prayers. 

made it to North Carolina

The next time we get on a plane, September 6th, we will be on our way to Belize!!  Counting down the days!!

thought for today

When you discover your mission, you will feel its demand. It will fill you with enthusiasm and a burning desire to get to work on it.” ~ W. Clement Stone

puppies!!

Sharon's dog Diamond Girl had her litter last night... 9 pups!  And they are soooo cute!

check them out here: http://www.rosehavengoldens.com/pics

Durango, Colorado

We are enjoying some down time here in CO.  We are staying in the home of a gal who was also a missionary in Russia for several years.  Her home is peaceful, yet filled with life. 

She has four golden retrievers and two cats.  We are enjoying being able to be loved on and give love to the dogs.  It has been three years since our family had a dog.  This dog therapy is well timed.  Next week we will begin our debriefing week at Missionary Training International.

On one hand I am excited about seeing some team mates of ours who will be there at the same time.  On the other hand I am dreading all of the emotions that are waiting to burst out of me from our five years in Russia.  I don't know how much is there... but I do know that I will be in a safe place to let it all out.

For now... I will just go back to petting Max.

thought for today

Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Wind Farms in Western Kansas

As we were driving to Hays, Kansas on Friday we saw these wind farms on the way. How exciting to see this type of energy being tapped in to out in Western Kansas!

thought for today

People love to talk but hate to listen. Listening is not merely not talking, though even that is beyond most of our powers; it means taking a vigorous, human interest in what is being told us. You can listen like a blank wall or like a splendid auditorium where every sound comes back fuller and richer.

- Alice Duer Miller

customs...

We just heard news yesterday that our belongings have finally been released from customs in Moscow and should be getting shipped out to us soon.  It will be interesting to see what is in our boxes and what may have gotten "lost" in the process.

thought for today

A little Consideration, a little Thought for Others, makes all the difference.
Eeyore, Winnie the Pooh

in the land of Oz

We left NM yesterday and are now in Kansas.

It sure was hard saying goodbye to both Nathan and Spencer.  Spencer is leaving for University of the Nations in Hawaii and Nathan will be moving to California soon.  We enjoy being together as a family and the hard part is not knowing when we will all be together again. 

We are so grateful for Facebook, email, text messaging and Skype so that we can stay in touch!

thought for today

“The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.” – G. K. Chesterton

looking forward to cooking again...

I keep hearing about how good the bananas will be in Belize and I found this recipe when I was checking out Paula Deen's website:

Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

1   12-ounce container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whip
1   14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1   8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 cup milk
1   5-ounce box instant French vanilla pudding
6-8   bananas, sliced
2   bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies

Directions:

Line the bottom of a 13x9x2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.  Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.  Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.  Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.  Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen
Servings: 12 servings
Prep Time: 30 min
Difficulty: Easy
Show: Paula's Home Cooking/Just Desserts cookbook/Mar/Apr 2006 issue

 

so what happened with those 10 spies?

I found this article yesterday.  Here is the link to the original:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100725/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_singing_spies

Russia's Putin sings with expelled agents

FOROS, Ukraine – Vladimir Putin says he met with the Russian spies who were expelled from the United States, joining them in singing an unofficial KGB anthem and promising them good jobs and a bright future back in their homeland.
Russia's prime minister said late Saturday he recently got together with the 10 sleeper agents, without saying when or where. The agents were deported from the U.S. earlier this month in a biggest spy scandal since the Cold War.
"We talked about life," Putin told reporters in Ukraine. "We sang 'What Motherland Begins With' and other songs of that character."
"What Motherland Begins With" is a song from the 1968 television series about Soviet spies in Nazi Germany. The song is widely known as an unofficial anthem of Russian intelligence officers.
Putin, a former KGB officer who in the early 1980s worked in communist East Germany as a low-level functionary, spoke about the uneasy lives the secret agents had in the U.S., where they were caught by the FBI in U.S. cities and suburbs where they had been living for more than a decade.
"They had a very difficult fate," Putin said, referring to the expelled spies who spent years of burrowing into American society. "They had to carry out a task to benefit their motherland's interests for many, many years without a diplomatic cover, risking themselves and those close to them."
The 10 agents were deported in exchange for three former intelligence officers and a think tank arms expert convicted and sentenced to long prison sentences in Russia. An 11th Russian spy escaped authorities in Cyprus and remains at large, and a 12th one, who had worked for Microsoft, was deported from the United States in mid-July.
U.S. authorities did not charge the agents with spying, and it is not clear whether they actually compromised any U.S. secrets. Some Russian analysts called their mission a failure that showed how inefficient Russian intelligence agencies are.
Putin, however, promised that Russia will take a good care of its spying sons and daughters.
"They will work, and I am sure they will have decent jobs," he said. "And I am sure they will have an interesting and bright life."
The biggest spy swap since the Soviet collapse did not complicate President Barack Obama's campaign to improve and broaden U.S. relations with Russia, and both Moscow and Washington sides expressed satisfaction with the resolution of the spy case.

fun with family over the 4th

thought for today

“It is especially important to encourage unorthodox thinking when the situation is critical: At such moments every new word and fresh thought is more precious than gold. Indeed, people must not be deprived of the right to think their own thoughts.”

Boris Yeltsin

everything is bigger in America

Each time we go somewhere to eat we are constantly amazed at the portion sizes of food and drinks.  When did a small drink become so large?!  The culture shock continues...

Pastor Killed in Dagestan

I just read about this in the news this morning.  Please be in prayer for the church in Russia and for the Dagestan area specifically.

Pastor killed by gunman

Published: Friday 16 July 2010

Country: RUSSIA

A dynamic Christian pastor has died after being shot in the head as he was leaving church, in what is being seen as a bid to intimidate converts from Islam in the strongly Islamic republic of Dagestan.
Artur Suleimanov (49), himself a convert from Islam, was murdered by a gunman who approached and opened fire as the pastor got into a car outside Hosanna House of Prayer in the capital, Makhachkala, on Thursday 15 July. He died from his wounds in hospital around an hour later. Nobody else was injured in the attack. Pastor Suleimanov leaves behind a wife, Zina, and five children, the youngest of whom is twelve years old. Mr Suleimanov’s church is one of the largest Protestant churches in Dagestan. In a context where Christians face regular harassment and intimidation, his life had been threatened on several previous occasions.
Barnabas Aid has supported Christians in Dagestan, and our co-ordinator for the Former Soviet Union met Pastor Suleimanov a number of times. He said, “Pastor Suleimanov was a wonderful Christian brother and his shocking death is a devastating loss for the Dagestan church. He and the Hosanna House of Prayer church were very active in ministry and outreach in particular. We see his murder as an attempt to put further pressure on Christian converts in Dagestan.”
The Russian Republic of Dagestan borders Chechnya in the turbulent North Caucasus. The population is 98 per cent Muslim, and the Church faces harassment and intimidation from various groups.

Please Pray:

• That God will comfort and uphold Pastor Suleimanov’s family, and their large church family, in their distress and grief.
• That the murderer and all those behind this horrendous incident will be brought to justice, and that they will come to faith in the Lord Jesus.
• For protection over those attending Pastor Suleimanov’s funeral as well as the wider Church in Dagestan.
• That Christians will not be intimidated by this act of violence

http://barnabasfund.org/%C2%A0/?m=7%23227&a=1837

learning about Belmopan

Found a website today that has some great info about Belize and about the city we are moving to... Belize.  Here is the link for you to check it out for your self:   http://belizex.com/belmopan.htm

slowly but surely

We are here in America.  Texas to be exact.  We have been able to spend time already with my family and some friends of ours.  We are sort of back to a normal sleeping schedule.  It has been hard to adjust to the time difference, and the reverse culture shock is still giving us problems here and there. 

Thanks to all who have prayed for us... we truly are grateful for this time of rest and renewal before moving on to Belize!