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.”

From Fr. Mark

A great blog from Fr. Mark about the youth of Belize and their amazing World Youth Day experience last August:

http://theworldyouthdaystory.blogspot.com/

Videos in class!

I've never been a big fan of watching videos in class.  But, the last two years here have converted me.  There are so many useful resources available on the internet these days!  A music video or cartoon clip really grabs the kids' attention.  Thank God for youtube!  

Here's two great videos I used today with my Freshmen boys.  We watched the first one then wrote our own poetry/rap about what we've learned so far in our chastity lessons.  Can't wait to see what they come up with!

Sexual Healing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlJFvxad1_A

Love, Marriage, and Fairytales
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4OK9DmLpCY&list=UUc4yillQaNo6a-iG2PYbbrA&index=3&feature=plcp

4 Weeks Left

There are four weeks of school left.  Well, it's four weeks of regular classes then a "review week" and "finals week"... so, six weeks total.  I can't even believe it.  I've been here two years already.

In some ways the last month of school here feels like it does every year.  I feel tired at the end of the day, I wonder how another week has flown by so quickly but at the same time I'm counting down the days to the end, I'm sooooo ready for summer break.  But, in other ways, this time of year is different than the years of teaching before... since I know this is probably my last month of teaching in Belize.  It could still change, but I'm pretty sure this will be my last year teaching in Belize.  

I feel worn out as usual, but it doesn't bother me as much as usual, because I guess I'm trying to savor my remaining time.  I want to appreciate the little time I have left with these kids.  Everyday I realize more and more how much I like it here.  Isn't that about right?  You don't appreciate the things you have till you don't have them!  So I'm trying to really appreciate my life here, my students, the volunteers, and the community before I leave, instead of waiting to appreciate them when I no longer have them.

If it's already tough to think about leaving here, if it already makes me sad... I can't imagine how tough it's going to be on June 9th.  I think I should stop moving around so much, so I don't have to say goodbye so much!