This past week has been a difficult one for me. My brother relapsed and had some health concerns. His blood pressure and heart rate were very high, and he was unstable to go into detox. Detox was his decision. I stayed at the ER with him during the afternoon and into the early evening. He was released after being stabilized with fluids and medication. He presently is at a Detox center and I have spoken to him several times. However the environment there is controlled. If only he can give that chemical dependance to the Lord completely. I know that the best program is AA and I highly commend and recommend the program for ANYONE with an addiction. But .. God is the ultimate One who is in control in my humble opinion. If any of my Christian brothers and sisters out there wanna help, the best help is prayer. Prayer for cleansing, for strength, for humility, for a place to live, for pyhsical healing for my brother. The list goes on and on. Obviously, the present concern is for detoxification and a renewed spirit and drive to get and stay clean and sober.

Several good things happened this past week. There were 3 birthdays in our family... .. my husband turned 54 on Monday, my son and future son in law turned 22 and 27 respectively. Life is good. I need to see this more often.

Once life settled back to normal upon our return, it was dificult not to think about Alexander. I mailed his Mom a letter asking about his condition and if he needed anything. That was the invitation she needed from me. She wrote back and elaborated on life in the village where she and her 5 youngest kids live. (She has 5 more grown children). Biscayne Village is near Belize City and this is where they call home. One son, Kameron age 10 is blind; the others are Carol age 8, Jonathan, age 11, and Anna age 16, along with Alexander (with cancer) age 14. She told me that it was difficult for her to send them to school at times as she did not have food to send or money to buy their lunches. I asked many questions like what about milk? She cannot afford it, and pretty much feeds them a staple diet that is not nutritious at all.

I sent her 200 USD to have her power restored as it had been turned off. She was concerned about leaving her other kids by themselves to candle light while she and Alex returned to Guatemala City for another treatment. I had doubts about her using the money for the electric bill, but God told me clearly not to question, but to give. Funny thing happened the following Wednesday when I received a letter from the courthouse and my deceased Mother's estate. There actually was no estate since she owned only her clothing, as she was in a Nursing Home. The letter stated that there was a refund due me in the amount of $600.00!! I couldn't believe it.

As I began to share about the Dominguez family at my place of work, others wanted to help. I started collecting clothing of their sizes from friends, and found many articles of clothing from Goodwill. It was so much fun for me shopping for these kids. Many items were donated from ball gloves to toys and games to rain coats. I mailed a package that arrived on Thanksgiving which happened to be Anna's 16th birthday. They all received a new pair of shoes from the US. The other packages were wrapped thanks to my friends at Biltmore, and I mailed them off just in time for Christmas. All the mother asked for was some sheets and towels for her children. They bathe in the river. I kept trying to picture this and just couldn't grasp this concept. I also sent her a Bible and that was my special gift to her.
Jimmilee called me and each child thanked me several times. What a blessing ! It was a great project for us at work as well.

Jimmilee calls me a couple of times a month. She has started taking Alex to Merida for chemo treatments as it is closer and they seem more helpful according to her words. Unfortunately, his cancer is at stage 3. My dream is to be able to visit this family in their home and take these children who literally have nothing to places like the zoo, or on a water taxi ride to Caye Caulker and swim for the day. All of the things we take for granted, they will never experience. Yes, we are in a recession, but I have felt and know beyond a doubt that my God is in control. If you think of it as you lay your head on your soft pillow tonight, please say a prayer for my friends the Dominguez family and for their health and well being. But mostly, that they will experience the love of Christ in every small thing that is sent their way.

We continued our journey in Belize starting on the western side, San Ignacio. It is a great little town and if you want to go tubing, caving or experience the mountains of Belize, this is where you need to go. At first, I didn't warm up to the town at all. Our motel room was very modest, but had a/c and to us this was important. Rosa's was the name and it was clean and small. Rosa and her staff were wonderful hosts. The motel is right on main street and close to restaurants. We loved Eva's food and right across the street is where we booked our trip to the ATM cave- (Achtun Tunichil Muknal). Also booked our trip to Caracol, the Mayan ruins. Both excursions were well worth our time and money. The ATM cave was the most fun and adventureous of the two. After our tours, we realized that the locals there were very friendly and anxious to talk about their heritage. Working in a museum, the history of this tiny country fascinated me. We chose not to ride a bus to our next destination if possible, and we met a couple who were willing to share the cost of a van ride to Placencia. We paid a driver to take us the 3 hours to the coast and it was definately worth it.



Placencia was a beautiful place, but when we arrived it was disappointing to see all the trash that was littering the beach and water. If we had chosen to swim that day, we would have had to swim through plastic, styrofoam and debris about 15 feet all across the shoreline. I realized how filthy people are and I was saddened that recycling is not more prevalant here. The locals told us that this trash blows in from the Caye's occasionally. The wind was very strong, and the beach was a total mess. However, the locals began to pick up hundreds of trash bags full that afternoon and made it more appealing to us. The next day was a calm, clear day and the beach was nice. Great food in this small place and the room at the motel next to the restaurant De Thatch was a great find. Our room had a balcony with a hammock overlooking the beach- 35 USD per night! No a/c but the breeze was great the entire time we were there.

We stayed there for 3 days and went by plane on to Caye Caulker. The plane ride was great in itself, soaring above the Caribbean, flying low enough to see clearly below. The plane was very small, but the ride was smooth. I found my ideal destination in Caye Caulker. The place is very laid back with no paved roads. Being only 5 miles long and 1 mile wide, it was easy to get around by hoofing it- day or night. We snorkeled in Shark Ray Alley and I couldn't believe how clear it was. Did you know this is the second largerst barrier reef? We ate well, and when I found lobster kabobs, all other food became less important. Getting off the Caye is an adventure too. The water taxi was very reliable and actually quite fun. We went back into Belize ond day so we could visit the zoo and the Howler Monkey Preserve.

All too soon, it was time to leave, but the memories will remain forever.

Blessings in Belize

Journeying on through the winter months becomes more difficult for me as I grow older. I used to love the snow (especially when we really had some), but now if we don't get a good one by the middle of Feb. I am looking forward to Spring, and then to Summer...

I think back to the Summer of this past year, and to the vacation that we went on to Central America. I had always wanted to go to Belize and Ron and I had talked about going many times. The plane fare into Belize City, however is very expensive. We decided to fly into Cancun Mexico and take a bus down into Belize. Either you take the time, which is cheap, or spend extra money and less time. We chose the first route.

It was such a great trip, even though it was August 4th when we left. The flight from Charlotte to Canun was great, and the bus we boarded from the airport was very nice.. and air conditioned.
Traveling just a few miles outside of the miles of motels in Cancun was an eye opener for me. The poverty is staggering. I guess I just didn't realize that thatched roof huts exist, and they aren't just in Africa! I saw workers waiting on buses and saw why these people want to leave here and make a better way of life for themselves and their families.

We stayed one night in Playa del Carmen, and it was nice, but a bit touristy. The next day we walked to the bus station with our packs on our backs (luckily we didn't carry food), and I couldn't believe how hot and humid it was there. We went from Playa to the border crossing at Chetumal. Then we went to a Northern town for the night, Corozal. The best thing about there was the nice man who owned the motel and the wonderful breakfast. The motel was about 30 USD.

We set out on our second morning after learning a bit about the natives there from the motel owner. He told us that the average wage for nurses and policemen in Belize is about $12.00 per week. Our next stop would be to change buses in Belize City. Quite a difference in buses too, as we were now on an old US school bus. You know what that means.. no a/c. The bus became jam-packed with locals going to and coming from the city. We went past many villages where folks just stand on the side of the road and wait for the next bus. The fare was so cheap to us- I think about 5 USD from Corozal to Belize City. To them, though that may be a full day's wages.

When we arrived in Belize City, I couldn't believe how dirty the city was. Open trash was everywhere. This is the place where lots of business takes place. so it is a busy place. When we boarded the bus here it was crowded so I asked a young man if I could sit next to him. He answered yes and if you know me, I can't keep my mouth shut and not talk to someone.. even (especially I should say) a stranger. This young man stole my heart, and we talked about basketball, food, and travelling. His name is Alexander and he is now 14 yrs. old. His Mother was in the seat in front of us and leaned over to tell me that they were going to Guatemala City for Alexander's chemotherapy treatment. Cancer!? At 14... I couldn't believe it. I offered him some gummy bears to eat and he was amazed at them. Obviously, he had never tasted them.

They had to change buses too quickly, and I pressed some one dollar bills into his hands as he left the bus. Jimmilee, his Mom in return pressed their address into mine. I knew there was a connection between us. After they left the bus, I thought of this young man so often. I sent him a postcard from one of our destinations knowing he may never see the Mayan ruins of Caracol. I kept thinking, "what can I do for this child?" I began my prayers, knowing I would help him in some small way.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

...stay tuned to the rest of the story.