Interested in volunteering?

Hi everyone!

If you or someone you know is interested in being a volunteer high school teacher in Belize this year please let me know!  You can message me on facebook, email, or leave a comment below.

Currently we are short a volunteer.  Most likely you would be asked to teach Social Studies and/or Religion at the 9th or 10th grade level.

Thanks everyone!

Check out Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School!

A Collection of Random Updates

The new volunteers have arrived!  We're going to have another great group of volunteers this year.  It's fun to see them excited about serving here and embracing their new life in Belize.  It's been enjoyable watching them their first week and remembering how I felt three years ago when I first arrived.  

I returned to Benque to find out the stores no longer sell Coke Light!!!  I couldn't believe it!  But, since I was trying to kick the habit anyway, I figured this is God's way of just helping me out.  On an airport run to Belize City I did see it's still for sale there, so I'm guessing I can pick one up here or there when I'm in a bigger area.  One of the guys just told me that he found some in one of the obscure little Chinese stores in Benque so today, the feast of the Assumption, when I woke up I thought, "I'm going to that store to see if I can get a Coke Light.  Gonna make that happen today!" . . .

 

I have one of the best roommates and friends anyone could ask for.  For those of you who know Jen Hurley you know I'm not exaggerating.  This woman has more patience than I could ever even imagine having!  She works tirelessly at the clinic all day and sometimes into the night, then she spends the evenings around town visiting her patients, or their families, just being there for them, whatever their ailment, and if they're not sick presently, well then she will still make time to check up on them and make sure they don't need anything!  This morning after I declare "I will get a Coke Light today." I open the fridge to get my water bottle and what do I see?

 

She's so sweet!  And then there's the love notes Shelby left for me.  Coming home to a dusty house with lots of roach carcasses lying around wasn't so fun, but the notes made it all better!  (yes Shelby, they're still up!) 

 

 

  

 It's avocado season here in Belize!  I just love this time of year when we can eat as many avocados as we'd like!  Our principal just gave me a grocery bag of these giant ones and I made up a tasty recipe for "Missionary Nachos" (Chips with slices of avocado and salsa on top)

 

Switched to a different room in the house this year, which means I needed to hang an indoor clothesline, of course.  Unfortunately our walls are cement and hanging anything can be tricky.  In the other room we used the wooden curtain rods which are larger than normal U.S. size curtain rods.  But since there's only one curtain rod in the new room I decided to rig up this: 

 

1"x4" piece of wood = $0 (swiped it from random pile of wood in the teachers' lounge)

U shaped nails = $0 (leftover from repairing the barbwire fence last year)

Clothesline = $1.50

Note: the biggest inconvenience was borrowing a hammer from someone since the male volunteers broke mine last year and never replaced it.  I'M TALKING TO YOU, BUTZ.  

Our washing machine was stolen!  Our wonderful watchdog Belle is a lot less scary now that she's not protecting her puppies!  We had 2 washing machines, one with a working washing part and one with a working spinning part.  The one with the working spinning part was stolen Tuesday night.  I'm very excited to report this because it means WE ARE GETTING A NEW WASHING MACHINE!  yes, I'll only be here 6 more weeks, but I'm excited for the other volunteers' sake!  It will save so much time and energy having it.  Thank you Mike and Gaby for leaving/selling it to the high school.  They were going to sell it off to someone else, but now that ours was stolen WE GET YOUR NICE ONE!  

p.s. yes, yes, yes, we will be locking the gate religiously and double checking all locks on the doors in the house, and training our dog to bark at intruders!  

Back in Belize

Pictures from my life in the U.S.

 

 Here I am, back in Belize! 

Many people have asked how it feels to be back and it's hard to come up with an answer... I'm guessing they expect to hear that it's exciting, wonderful, emotional... I'm not exactly sure because it's not really any of those things for me.  As most of you know this is the beginning of my 4th year in Belize, but I'm not staying for the whole school year.  In fact, I will only be here for 2 months.  Just enough time to do my part with the opening of John Paul II Jr. College, and then I will be moving back to the States.

Each year I've returned I've had mixed emotions.  It's been tough to leave my family, knowing I won't see them for 6 months or a whole year and especially knowing how much I'm missing in the lives of my precious little nieces!  But without fail, when the plane wheels hit the ground in Belize that sadness is always matched with excitement and thankfulness for the opportunity to be here another year!  This year both sides of the emotional coin were different.  The sadness of leaving my family and friends wasn't as bad because I know I'll only be gone 2 months... and the excitement of serving the people of Belize wasn't as exciting because I know I'll only be here 2 months.  But God his given me a certain contentedness, a strong feeling that this is the right move, the right decision, and He has given me peace about it.

The immigration officer at the airport noticed I had several work permits in my passport and asked how long I've been living here.  When I told him "3 years" he responded, "oh, well then, welcome HOME."  That pretty much sums up my feelings on returning and being back in Belize.  It feels just like it does when you get home from vacation or from visiting family.  It was a great time away and now it's back to "normal life" to work and routine.  It's peaceful being back in your own house and in your own town and sleeping in your own bed.  Last night I walked to the store and met several students along the way "HI MISS!" coming from different directions and stopping to greet each of them was great.  It feel like home because after 3 years it definitely IS my home.  I don't necessarily think of being here as anything out of the ordinary, as anything different than your lives in the States, I mean, it is, of course, because it's a developing country and it's a completely different culture.  But people are people and what I'm doing here is what I hope to be doing wherever I end up in the States... making people's lives better... loving those around me... trying my hardest to bring everyone to Christ...

I was just looking up the definition of "mission" (an important assignment carried out for political, religious, or commercial purposes) because as many of you know, I'm always preaching about how everyone is called to be a missionary wherever they are.  It's just so true I have to talk about it again!  People often look at me and say "man, you're so blessed, you're doing so much good there, I wish I could've done that" or something along those lines.  Remember, everyone is called to be a missionary!  We all have this "important assignment" to be carried out!  We are to make the world holy!  We are to get ourselves and others to Heaven!  If you're married than your mission is first to get your spouse and children to become more like Christ and help them get to Heaven, then after that it's your extended family, friends, coworkers, etc.  Just because God called you to live in the United States and not go gallivanting off to a 3rd world country, doesn't mean you're not called to be a missionary!  He has very real work for you to do where you are!  You're called to do the same thing I have been doing the past 3 years:  LOVE OTHERS AND BRING THEM TO CHRIST.  Pope Francis just told the attendants of WYD "Go. Be not afraid. Serve." in his closing Mass homily.  This was the message for those attending, the 3 MILLION people attending, people from all different countries, of all different ages, and with different occupations, yet the message was the same because we are all missionaries with the same mission.  In 2 months when I move my location will change but my mission will not. 

Returning to Belize this times feels like I never left... it's same old, same old (in a good way).  To me, Belize feels so close to the U.S, so similar to the U.S. somehow, I can only guess it's because I feel so comfortable here.  I know and understand life here the same as I've always known it in the U.S.  I can't imagine how tough it's going to be saying goodbye...  but I'll put those sad thoughts off for later... I've got lots of work to do before the John Paul II Jr. College opens it's doors August 26th!

Please continue to keep our students, faculty, sisters, and priests in your prayers! 

Photos from my life in Belize, people are people wherever you go!  :)