Church Bells

Last weekend we traveled to Flores, Guatemala.  About 2 hours away by bus, Flores is a small town located on an island in the middle of a lake.  We planned to go to Mass at 9am on Sunday morning (remembering that was the time of Mass from our trip there last year) but about 7:30am on Sunday we heard the bells ringing and walked to the church as the bells usually ring 1 hour, then 30 minutes, then 10 minutes before Mass to let people know there will be a Mass.  Thanks to the tradition of the bells before Mass we knew Mass was earlier than 9 and we didn't miss it :)



It's one of the simple things I appreciate about life here.   The ringing of the Church bells at 6, noon, and 6.  Some people don't even have clocks in their house, they go by the bells, and others set their clocks by the bells.  It feels quite nice to hear the bells ringing as you're waking up in the morning.  Real bells, not a recording, real bells rung by someone pulling the rope in the belltower (or in the confessional in our case).  We even have a "death bell".  People hear it's not so lovely sounding tone and know someone has passed away.  People immediately pray for the deceased and call the church to find out who passed away (or send their kids to run up to the church and ask).  There's just something "small town" about it... bells that can be heard throughout the whole town, reminding us to begin our day with prayer and stop to give time to God throughout the day.  Those of you who know me know how sentimental I am, especially about things from the past.  It's not surprising I love the bells so much, I feel they connect my life to the lives of so many others that lived before me.  It's a small piece that remains of a less-complicated time from the past.

In the towns here the Church is usually the center of the town and the tallest building.  It is the center of the town, the community, and our life.  As it should be.  You may not be able to see the church from where you live, but you can always hear the bells.

p.s. If you have an iPhone you can set your alarm to the "Bell Tower" ring and see how nice it is to wake up to the church bells tomorrow morning.  Although, our bells aren't quite that nice, but you get the idea :)

Opportunities

Yes, I am a volunteer teacher, yes, I am a missionary, and yes, I live in a country very different than the U.S. ... but,  I still woke up tired this morning and my first thought was not about the opportunities before me today it was "THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY" Just like everyone else, I wanted to just pull the covers up and stay in bed.  Well, no, it's way too hot here for covers, I wanted to turn the fan on high and point it directly at me... but you get the point.

On Fridays we start the day with Mass for the entire student body.  Since we have over 400 students we won't fit in the Church.  The covered basketball court fits everyone and the students learn (sometimes through trial and error) that they have to be reverent even though it's the basketball court where they have P.E. and eat lunch everyday.  During Mass I began to think about being a new version of myself.  (The Gospel was about pouring new wine into old wineskins)  I thought about how we're changing everyday(for better or worse) in the smallest of ways.  We don't notice it as it's happening but can look back and see the difference over months or years.

That got me thinking about opportunities.  Why did I wake up dreading the day?  Well, partly because I am tired from a long week!  But also because sometimes I fail to see the opportunities of the day, instead I see the routine and the mundane.  And who wants to get out of bed for routine and mundane?!  I see another Friday, the last day between me and my weekend... instead of seeing what's really there... the opportunities to do many small and wonderful things, or great and amazing things throughout the day.  As I thought about it, the details of my day, I realized how many opportunities I have today to affect those around me.  From the words I speak to my roommate when I first wake up, to the "Good Morning" to those I pass on the street walking to school... every "good job", "nice answer", or "you're really paying attention today" said to my students is so simple for me to say but has the potential to change their day, and if heard enough over it has the potential to change their confidence, self-image, and their life.  I have the opportunity to stop by a coworker's desk that I usually don't talk to much and ask how he's doing, or what his plans are for the weekend.  I have the opportunity to do so so many small things this day.  And what's amazing is that every day provides different opportunities.  Many unplanned opportunities pop up throughout the day.  Like this morning when my 1st period class (which I had planned a quiz for) was cut down to only 15 minutes... an opportunity is set before me... will I be the new me, always striving to change for the better?  or will I be the same old me and complain about the unorganization and lack of consistency around here?  Will I avoid the person who tells boring stories and goes on waaaaay to long?  Or will I show him the love of Christ in that moment and attentively listen the way Christ shows interest to each one of us?  All these opportunities aren't put before us just so we can help others.  They're also given to us for our sake.  Every time we take advantage of an opportunity we are choosing to be a better version of ourselves, bit by bit... everyday, 1,000 times a day, we are given the opportunity to become more like Christ little by little.  No opportunity is too small, just like every kind word and act of love from Christ was never too small.  The best part?  Even when we fail to see the opportunities or to act on them, God never stops giving them to us.  Every new day He gives us 1,000 more opportunities!

Nobody's life is routine or mundane... we all have days when we feel like it is.  I often think of my sister changing diapers for two kids all day, doing laundry, dishes, etc, but there are 1,000 new opportunities in her day just like in mine.  And how cool is it that the opportunities I've been given are unique to me, specifically designed for me, for me to become more Christlike and designed specifically to help those around me, too!

We had the opportunity to make Sean's birthday special by combining his 2 favorite things, hockey and chicken burgers!  

Never a missed opportunity to appreciate the beauty of creation at the beach :)  

Swimming in the river, a great opportunity to spend time with the students outside of school

God, help us to see the opportunities you put in our life today!     

Off to a good start

It’s hard to believe I’ve been down here two years, then at the same time it feels like I’ve lived here forever.   I’ve been back for 2 weeks and everything is right where I left off... in full swing! 

                        Here’s an update on the school, community, and my life here in Belize.  

School orientation and workshops were the best out of the three years I’ve been here.  I can see the administration really put a lot of thought into what would be of use and of interest to the faculty and staff.  The orientation week flew by and before we knew it we had about 150 new 1^st Formers nervously staring at us from the bleachers at orientation!  Along with teaching Religion, this year I’ve been assigned a homeroom.  In the U.S. this is primarily a role of taking attendance but here in Belize you are the mom to a particular class.  The students are your kids for the year and you take care of them, look out for them, and report back to their parents about twice a year on their progress.  I have 38 1^st Form girls I’m responsible for!  My goal is to keep all my girls for the whole year.  I don’t think this is a realistic goal since we usually have about 6-10 girls drop out of each class or fail between 1^st Form and 2^nd Form, but I don’t care if it’s unrealistic, it’s still my goal!  The girls are very quiet and sweet.  At this point in the year they are shy and still nervous about being in High School so I have to pull answers out of them in class.  I’m not worried about it; I’ve been here long enough to know that it will change soon enough and then I’ll be trying my hardest to get them to STOP talking.  The boys on the other hand… they warm up a lot faster!  They are quiet for the first 2 days and then they start in being funny, yelling out answers, talking to each other, and just acting like normal 14-year-old boys.  Once again this year, I am so thankful the classes are separated.  It’s so helpful to their learning at this age.  Coming back into the classroom for a third year here is a wonderful feeling!  It’s definitely a feeling of being “home” when you are at school where you are teaching all the 1^st Formers and know all the 2^nd and 3^rd Formers from teaching them in previous years.  For some of my students this year I’ve already taught 2 of their siblings! I feel like part of their family J

I realize every new school year how much I LOVE teaching!  It’s so fun challenging the kids to think on their own, to ask questions, and to find the answers!  They say little kids are like sponges, but I think they’re still pretty spongy their first year in high school!  By the end of the day I’m usually exhausted.  Any teacher will tell you how much energy it takes to teach.  But, it’s a good kind of exhausting; it’s rewarding, and it feels good to know you’ve given so much to the kids!

As you may have heard, I will be helping prepare for our Jr College to open Fall 2013.  We can use some prayers for this!  Having a Jr. College here in Benque will be so beneficial for the community here.  Right now people have to travel to go to college and the inconvenience along with the cost deters many people from being able to attend college.  There’s a lot to be done between now and August 2013.  I keep reminding myself “His grace is sufficient”!  It’s neat to be a part of something from the ground up and it’s great to see so many things are falling into place beautifully, Thanks be to God!  I’ll be posting information about Our Lady of Mt Carmel Jr College on my blog this year so you can be a part of it all!

We have an awesome group of volunteers this year!  We have 4 new men and 3 new women from different places in the U.S.  It’s refreshing to have new faces around, new people with new ideas, new friendships to form, and new memories to be made.  All the new volunteers are eager to be the best teachers they can be, to serve the students well, to learn about the culture, to experience new things, and to be part of the community.  It’s a great reminder to us returning volunteers of why we’re here, to serve, to give it our all, to be exhausted at the end of the day, to lay down our lives for others, to LOVE. 

Thank you, THANK YOU!

The raffle was a huge success!
Congratulations to Sandy Gazda, the winner of the painting!

Because of your generosity I was able to raise enough money to cover my flights and my personal expenses for this year!  God is good, and so are His people.  Please know that I pray for my benefactors daily :)

Putting together thoughts for another post, so it should be up soon!  God bless

Raffle

Hi everyone,
To raise some money to cover my expenses for this year in Belize I did  this painting which will be raffled off.  If you'd like to purchase a raffle ticket for $5 just click the "Donate" button on the right of my blog and use your credit card or paypal.  To pay by check just email me and I'll send you my address.  Thanks so much for your support!
Betsy

Belize Round 3!

Hey everyone, just a quick note to let you know I have decided to return to Belize for another year!  It was a tough decision in the beginning... but after a lot of prayer it became easier and fairly obvious that God is calling me to continue serving at the mission in Belize.  I have peace about it and I'm getting excited about the new schoolyear!  To be able to see the same students 3 years in a row and watch them mature and grow is a real gift.

This year I am set to teach 1st form (Freshmen) Religion as well as help make preparations for the 6th Form (Junior College) which will hopefully be opening Fall '13.  Of course, things can always change at the last minute, so I'll keep you posted as to what I'm up to once I get down there.

I've added two new features to my blog!  (This was a big feat for someone like me who is not so savvy in this area!)  The first is a "Donate" button at the top right for anyone who would like to donate to the Mt Carmel Mission using their credit card or paypal account.  The other is the "Follow By Email" option where you can enter your email address and you will receive an email each time I post something new on the blog.  This will save you time so you don't have to waste all that time by going to my blog everyday like you have been doing just to see if I have written!  ;)

Thank you all for your prayers thus far, and please continue to pray for missionaries everywhere, especially our priests!  God bless you

Article for SOLT Mission Magazine

Education plays a central part in the work of the ecclesial family team at Our Lady of Mount Carmel mission in Benque Viejo Del Carmen, Belize. Our Lady of Mt. Carmel oversees the education of approximately 1,800 students between Our Lady of Mt. Carmel primary school, two elementary schools in the villages of Arenal and Calla Creek, and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School was founded by Fr. John McHugh in 1990 with only a few classrooms and some young and eager American volunteers. The high school has come a long way in the last 20 years and now has an enrollment of more than 400 students and is primarily staffed by Belizean teachers. 12 new American volunteers still come each year; having the volunteers present helps maintain the original vision for the school, to educate and serve those students most in need. In Belize a high school education is highly valued. To graduate high school is a great achievement; many of our graduates are the first in their family to complete high school.

There is a great gift and responsibility having so many young people in our care. When I first arrived Fr. John Robinson and I were discussing the privilege of being an education and the great impact you have on the students lives. He told me we have to be very present in the schools. We reach 1,800 kids in our schools, far more than we see at Mass on Sunday. This is where we can form them, and therefore form the culture.

Each member of the team serves in education in one way or another. Between the weekly Masses, retreats, and confessions, the priest do an excellent job serving the students. In my English class the 9^th grade students wrote a journal entry about school and at least half of them mentioned Mass and Friday being their favorite day of school because they get to go to Mass, even the ones who aren't Catholic! The priests do an excellent serving the students. The students know the priests love them; it's beautiful to witness. The sisters, along with the candidates for priesthood, serve in the primary schools. They teach religion to all grades and give courses, including Theology of the Body to the teachers. S.O.L.T. Lay members serve as a teacher in the high school, and as the Director of Catechetics at the parish, preparing formation and retreats for the lay ministers and organizing classes for the Sacraments.

Serving as a lay person as a member of the team at this mission has been a wonderful blessing. I am constantly learning from, confiding in, and being inspired by my team members. More importantly than the work we share is how we function, striving to love each other as a family. My mom, upon visiting last year, was the first to bring it to my attention. She shared with me how worried she had been having her daughter so far away in a developing country, but after visiting she wouldn't worry anymore. She said, “It's so great to see you're taken care of. You have a family here. I can see the priests and the sisters really love you and you love them. I don't have to worry. I know you'll be taken care of.”