Children at Play

This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

(Our verse of the day while in Belize)

Still rainy season, the picture above was recently taken.  What a joy to see a rainbow on the property and to understand the promise behind that rainbow.   The updates will not be as frequent for the next few weeks, however work slowly continues on the property. 

Cisterns on the island are overflowing with an abundance of water these days that a few months ago were dry.  We look forward to the day that our cistern is built and utilized by students, staff and volunteers.

The rest of the pictures are a great inspiration to see children at play on the campus (even in the mud right now).  Keep the vision of an amazingly beautiful campus with the students having the same smile and enjoyment for learning on their faces as you see here.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support to see this a living reality.

Lights, Camera, Action

A recent tropical storm near Mexico has caused some illustrious lightning storms to take place nightly over the Caribbean Sea. One of our volunteers was able to capture the glorious sight with his camera.

Maple Apple

One of our volunteers was given some Caribbean fruit called “Maple Apples” which grows on a tree. It has the sweet taste of a pear but the tartness of a green apple. The locals say that it is very good for your body.  They also suggest the maple apple as a great treat to freeze and eat after a hard day’s work. Each Maple Apple is small enough to eat with one big bite and perfect for a little snack.  As you can see, the fruit is in a small cluster of four or five little maple apples.

Scripture and Picture

Luke 10:2 - Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

Under the Sea (Snorkeling)

Today was a first in many ways. It was the first day of the rainy season, and I snorkeled for the first time out side of a bathtub. 

Getting Ready to Snorkel

Snorkeling in the Rain

"Go Under the Water So You don't Get Wet!"

There is a lot of snorkeling and SCUBA diving on the barrier reef in Belize because of the marine life. Being the second biggest barrier reef in the world, it spans the entire length of Belize. It is a barrier that protects the islands from being sunk by waves. 

We snorkeled at 2 famous dive/snorkeling spots on the barrier reef: Hol Chan (which means little channel in Mayan) and Shark Ray Alley. Both are marine sanctuaries. Although I have seen many documentaries about marine life and reef life, there is nothing that compares to feeling the warmth of the water and being surrounded by fish and coral. 

Nursing Sharks

Hidden Ray

Snorkel Instructor Showing Us the Reef and Fish

Seeing all the abundance of life down under the sea made me so thankful to God for all of His abundance that He has made available to us, His kids. This was absolutely an Ephesians 3:20 experience for me. Although the detail that God put into these underwater creatures is so meticulous it doesn’t come close to the detail in His Word. He magnified it above all His name!

Gumbalimba Tree

Today was a blessed day.  We continued to work on the bridge then after stopped by a small bird watching sanctuary to visit a new friend.  He introduced us to a new tree called the gumbalimba tree that the locals call “the tourist tree”.  When we asked why it was called the tourist tree he replied “because if the tourists don’t stay out of the sun or don’t use sunscreen they look like the tree”.  (It looks like it is peeling). 

This tree is also used to make the antidote for the Belizean Poison Tree.  Farmers often use the tree for fence posts. When it is chopped down and placed in the ground, it sprouts roots and often becomes another tree which doesn’t rot.  Likewise the stump of the original tree continues to grow as well. 

While standing around sharing his knowledge of birds and trees, he also shared his heart on the difference between religion and having a relationship with God.   

Matthew 12:34b "...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."

Matthew 7:20  "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

Thirsty?

Presented to volunteers as “Sky juice”, the glass below contained rain water that had been treated by reverse osmosis.  As the waiter placed the glass on the table he said, “do you like your sky juice?” “what?”, we asked.  “Sky juice,” he repeated as he pointed to the sky.  Reminds us of manna provided by God to the children of Israel. 

Water on Ambergris Caye is a precious commodity especially during the dry season.  Water from San Pedro and the south side is treated twice by filtration and reverse osmosis.

John 4:13, 14

“…whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Foto Of The Day