Thought for Today

Tasty Tuesday

 My hair dresser had an open house at her salon for Christmas and she invited me to come out.  I was excited about the invitation and about trying the Christmas desserts.  She had her daughter bring me out a small slice of each cake so that I could sample both the black fruit cake and plain white cake.  

 

The black cake is called that because there is a food coloring they use to make it dark...and the fruits inside are soaked in rum weeks before the cake is baked.  Doing an internet search led me to recipes for both of them along with some other holiday dishes enjoyed here in Belize.

 

Here is a copy of the white cake recipe for you to enjoy!  

White Cake

No Belizean Christmas is complete without plain white cake being offered at EVERY house you visit.

• 1 lb cake flour (16 ozs)
• 1 lb white sugar (16 ozs)
• 6 eggs
• 3 tsps baking powder (level)
• 1 nutmeg grated
• 2-3 tsps lemon & pineapple essence
• 8 Ozs + 1 tsblsp margarine (1cup or 2 sticks)
• 1 Sm Evaporated Milk (diluted) with equal amounts of water to make 1 ½ cups

Directions

Prepare cake tins. Preheat oven to 350F

Sift flour, nutmeg & baking powder (Set aside)

Cream margarine and sugar until light & fluffy

Beat eggs one at a time until very frothy

Add margarine and sugar. Mix well after each addition. If an electric mixer is used, mix at medium speed.

Add essence. Mix well.

Before adding flour, decrease speed of mixer to low.

Add sifted flour alternately with milk. Begin and end with flour.

Bake for 40 minutes 350 or until a tester inserted in cake comes out dry. Cool before moving cake from tin.

it's not about the stuff...

As we get closer to Christmas and we still don't have a tree, we have no idea if our boxes will actually arrive from Russia or not and all of the furniture we currently have in our rented home is borrowed.

Seems kinda whiney to say all of that.  Especially in light of where we went Sunday morning.  Our normal habit is to attend church.  But on Saturday we got a call saying that the church service had been canceled due to the death of the Youth pastor's grandmother.  We were given an invitation to attend the funeral and though we never met Granny Choc we decided we should go to support her grandson.

Mrs. Choc was born in September of 1918 and died on Saturday, December 18, 2010 at noon. Within 24 hours she was laid to rest in a cemetery not more than a half mile from the house we are renting.

We were picked up by Pastor Jose and his wife Carla.  The van made the rounds to pick up a few other church members before arriving at the house where the service was held.

The house was very plain.  Just a simple cement shell... not even painted.  The only color that contrasted with the grey cement was the large black bow hanging on the front door.  A tent in the yard covered the seating area of metal folding chairs.  I was grateful to the chivalrous young man who gave up his seat for me.  And someone else went to grab a chair for Tom, Pastor Jose and Carla.

The service was simple but powerful.  And dare I say almost joyful.  You see Granny was a believer.  She gave her life to Christ 25 years ago and today at her funeral the eulogy was delivered by one of her grandsons, Jonathan, a youth pastor, scriptures were read by her granddaughter, a worship leader, and several other family members were listed as to how they each serve in the local churches.  Granny was a tiny little woman; her casket reminded me of the size they use for children in the states...and yet she had a major impact on her family. 

Pink carnations made from plastic were fashioned into a wreath laid at her feet in the casket.  She was covered with a beige blanket and only her face was visible.  The coffin looked to be made of wood but was covered in a majestic purple material.  With a gold plated sign on one end that read: AT REST.  A fan was placed in front of the open casket to keep the body cool before the burial.

The pastor presiding over the funeral opened with prayer then we sang a hymn followed by the reading Psalm 90.  After another hymn and scripture reading Jonathan came up to do the eulogy. He described his grandmother as 'the rock that all the waves shattered upon.'  He implored everyone to follow Grandma's example and seek God.  Even up to the age of 92 she still knelt in prayer everyday for two hours.  She was frail in body but strong in spirit. Jonathan called on us to celebrate her life because she was finally out of pain and was entering into the Kingdom of God.

Much like in the small church I grew up in we sang a few traditional funeral hymns.  When the Roll is Called up Yonder and When we All Get to Heaven.  I remember singing them at my grandfather's funeral over 30 years ago.  The theme for the pastor's sermon was 'God speaks. Listen and respond.'  Using Psalm 19 he imparted that God speaks to us in two different ways;  through creation and through His word. After the final hymn was sung Pastor Jose was asked to pray the closing prayer.  We were allowed a short time to view the body and then the casket was loaded onto the back of a small truck.

Surrounding the coffin were Granny's grandchildren and great grandchildren.

 

We walked behind the truck about 3/4 of a mile to the cemetery

The casket was then placed down into the grave

 

 Following another hymn and more words from the pastor

some of the family members put handfuls of gravel into the grave

while others prepared the cement to seal it.
  As one group of men mixed cement another group prepared the grave

placing boards and a metal grate over the coffin.  

Wetting down the area was the final step before pouring the cement.

After the funeral Tom and I walked home.  We were grateful that we were able to be there for Jonathan and his family.  Grateful that we are alive, healthy and that we have each other to share life with. 

As we count down the days to Christmas we cannot help but ponder the real reason for this season.  And we both know for sure it is not about the stuff.  

Holiday displays...

After leaving the tree lighting last Friday with our bellies full of garnachas and tamales we walked over to Cardinal's grocery store to get some soda. The line for the free soda at the tree lighting ceremony was just too long to handle. 

As we walked into the store we saw this Christmas display

of Santa and his reindeer. 

Standing in line to pay we noticed this display above the doorway.

I wasn't totally shocked to see a Nativity scene here but very surprised it was in the grocery store and not in front of someone's home.  I mean this is the place where people come to shop, pay their electric bills or put money on their cell phones.  Does this even happen anymore in the states?

This year we spent New Year and Russian Orthodox Christmas in Krasnodar, Russia, Easter in Istanbul, Turkey, and the Fourth of July in Dallas, Texas.  Each location had it's own take on the holidays.  Russian Christmas has Ded Moroz in place of Santa Claus.  And in Istanbul only a handful of people celebrated Easter.  We were fortunate to find an English speaking Christian church for the Easter service and while the church was packed it did not compare to the number of people we saw headed toward the mosques when the calls to prayer were sounded.

Since our arrival to Belize we have enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving and now we are looking forward to the Christmas and New Year's celebrations. We are excited about seeing and experiencing all that the holiday season has to offer.  We are eager to try the holiday dishes and learn how the this country celebrates its holidays.

When Mayor Simeon Lopez spoke at tree lighting he reminded everyone that the purpose of the Christmas holiday is to "commemorate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ".   Keeping that in mind as we face our first Christmas without our loved ones around we have hope that we too will have a Merry Christmas here in our newly adopted country.

Tree Lighting in Belmopan

Kids dancing around before the show begins

                                                                                                              

Dancers from Our Lady of Guadalupe Primary School

Mayor Simeon Lopez

Our Lady of Guadalupe Primary School Choir

Area Representative, Honorable John Salvidar

Wen dey gunna lite di tri?

ready for the countdown...

The 2010 Belmopan Christmas Tree

jumping the line for free sodas...

Free drinks from Bowen & Bowen

Thought for Today

I'll bring them to my holy mountain

   and give them joy in my house of prayer.

Isaiah 56:7

The Message

Belizean Fast Food

Tom and I went to the Christmas tree lighting ceremony here in town last week and part of the fun at any event we have gone to here in Belmopan are the food vendors with their carts or a picnic table spread with food... they rarely disappoint. 

Here in Belize these little tostadas are called Garnachas.

 And in my Belizean cookbook they are in the category of Maya & Spanish recipes.  I am sure that each family has their own special twist in making them but the basic recipe is fairly simple.


3 fried corn tortillas per person
grated cheese
diced onions
refried beans
shredded cabbage

Spread fried tortilla with refried beans and garnish with onions, cabbage and grated cheese.

These tasty little treats are sold just about everywhere... at the outdoor market, in front of stores and anytime a large crowd is milling about at an event.  Rest assured that no matter where you go in Belize some entrepreneurial person is making garnachas and selling them 'tree fo a dolla!'

29 years ago today...

Two 18 year old kids tied the knot and began a life together...

the joys of going to the Post Office

I have noticed that mail here only gets delivered once a week or so.  We don't see the postal carrier coming by everyday like in the States.  It seems as if they save up the mail and deliver once a week or maybe even bi-weekly.  We have heard that people just get in the habit of going over to the post office to see if there is anything for them.

I stopped by one day last week as I was on my way home from the market.  There just happened to be two boxes and a letter there for us.  The boxes had just arrived and had not yet been officially checked in.  The postal worker proceeded to open the boxes right in front of me.  I was shocked.  It felt like such a violation.  I didn't want to watch my packages being opened by someone else.  I at least wanted the illusion that I was the first person to open them after their arrival here in Belize.

One of the boxes held Christmas ornaments sent to me by a friend and the other contained spices sent to me by my mother in law.

I was excited to see the spices but the postal worker was not.  He went to consult his supervisor... they looked over the spaghetti seasoning with great scrutiny.  Apparently, you have to have a permit to bring herbs into the country.  I was told I could have them 'this time' but next time they would be confiscated.  I couldn't believe that a jar of spices could be a cause for concern. 

Looking back I am glad that the package was opened in front of me... I doubt that my herbs would have stayed in the box otherwise.  And I can just imagine the pasta party they might have held without my knowledge!

The Haven

Last night we had 16 adults and just as many children at The Haven.  Jonathan did a great job leading worship and Tom's teaching went well.  Just before Tom began teaching he had a verse up on powerpoint for the children to read.

You are the one who put me together inside my mother's body,

  and I praise you because of the wonderful way you created me.

   Everything you do is marvelous!

   Of this I have no doubt. Nothing about me is hidden from you!

   I was secretly woven together deep in the earth below,

but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed.

   Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do.

Psalm 139:13-16

Contemporary English Version

All the ones who were old enough to read did so loud and clear.  When they finished Tom told them "God made you for a purpose" "He designed you!" You are special and unique!"  He followed up these statements with a few questions;  "Do you know that God did all this for you?"   "Do you know that God knows you better than you know yourself?"  The eyes of one little guy on the second row grew wide with unbelief and he said "Wow!" 

Each week Tom addresses the kids in some way; to give them encouragement for how vigorously they sing worship or just to tell them how much he enjoys seeing them.  And each week we have several teens as part of the adult group who stay in for Tom's teaching.  With 48% of the population of Belize being under the age of 18 making a connection with the young people here is vital. 

Our prayer is that the parents who are attending The Haven each week will continue to come out, to learn and grow healthier as individuals so that they will affect their families and loved ones in a positive way.  Please join us in prayer!

thought for today

They will be like a tree planted by the water

that sends out its roots by the stream.

It does not fear when heat comes;

its leaves are always green.

It has no worries in a year of drought

and never fails to bear fruit.
Jeremiah 17:8

Trying something new

Since we arrived here in Belize we both have tried to keep an open mind about new foods. Each time I go to the market I look for things that are unfamiliar. My latest find is a fruit.  

Sapodilla

 

I asked the girl what it was called, and how you eat it.  She filled me in on those details along with giving me the warning to wait until it was soft to eat.  It wasn't very expensive so I decided to give it a try.

 

Looking online we read that it comes from the Yucatan, Mexico, Central America and the West Indies.  Also we discovered that it has the grainy texture of  an over ripe pear but has a malty taste and that some people think it has a caramel taste.  

 

I kept it on the counter waiting for it to soften up... maybe we didn't wait quite long enough.  It was not as sweet as we had hoped it would be and neither Tom nor I liked the taste. It was pretty bitter.  I have a second one that we are still waiting on to soften up and will give it another try.  

 

And of course I am still on the lookout for new things at the market!

sometimes geckos come inside when it rains...

Every now and then I forget we live with geckos and they startle me when I see them. And then I calm down and remember to get the camera.

Leafcutter Ants

Ants are creatures of little strength,

   yet they store up their food in the summer...

Proverbs 30:25  NIV

I thought my days of watching bugs were over now that my sons are adults and we were no longer homeschooling. This would have made a great unit study with our guys.  I can envision our oldest son making a video or wanting to find a book at the library to learn more about them while our youngest would be the one to follow their every move to see exactly where they were going and what was going to happen next.

Hearing about them is one thing but seeing them at work is a totally different experience.  It was actually a little startling to see small pieces of leaves moving around.  You can click here to see a video and read more about these ants.

Initially I saw them on the sidewalk... after following their trail I found them on this tree.

As they moved out of the tree they went through the grass across the sidewalk

And they laid them on the grass on the other side of the walkway

From reading about them online I discovered that they are the world's smallest gardeners.  They use the leaves for compost in their own little gardens.  I am not usually interested in nature; bugs, insects or anything creepy.  I guess once a homeschooling mom always a homeschooling mom!

Getting involved...

Yesterday I went over to the offices of the Child Development Foundation to meet with Diana Shaw and some of her board members to scout out a safe house for girls rescued from child trafficking.

The offices of CDF are located here in this building.

CDF is a Christian non- profit organization that I have been praying about getting involved with. I have been doing some research on the issue of the commercial sexual exploitation of children and it has truly touched and captivated my heart. After learning that 48% of the population here are under the age of 18 it is no wonder that this issue is critical in Belize. You can read more by clicking here to find out why a foundation like CDF exists.

Here is a video of a report by Channel 5 here in Belize on this issue... Diana Shaw is one of the people interviewed.




After looking over a potential property we prayed together to seek guidance and direction as to whether or not this property is the right location. One that will provide for the safety and healing that the girls will need.  Then back in her office she gave me all of the paperwork that needs to be processed before I can be accepted as a volunteer and receive training as a Family Intervention Specialist.

We have been here almost three months and I am grateful to be finding places to fit in and be of use inside the walls of a local church and outside the walls by serving in the community. 

thought for today

“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Romans 10:15