Another day in paradise.

Good morning!

I'm writing to you this morning with a full heart and a smile on my face. We continue to have a GREAT time in Belize. Let me fill you in on the last couple of days.

Yesterday we had the oppertunity to head to a school in the neighborhood to lead some chapel times. True to normal Belizian culture, our plans changed once we arrived at school. Instead of doing 3 full chapels as we had planned, they decided last minute to get the whole school together in only one assembly. The rest of the morning the team was split up and sent into classrooms to help out. They had a whole range of experiences in the classrooms, all the way from sitting in the back and observing to getting up front and teaching several lessons. Curt and Kathryn were teamed up in a classroom, and much to their surprise as soon as they walked in the teacher announced that they would be taking over for the rest of the morning. They did a great job of teaching math and english to their class. Like I always say to the team, you always have to be on your toes when in Belize! Going to the school is always a ton of fun because the kids here are incredibly excited to get to know us. The team was a hit during recess especially. I heard Carly say that she started playing catch with one girl, and within about a minute there were 50 kids trying to get in on the game. This is also the school where a lot of the kids from our Sunday school class attend, so we were greeted by many familiar faces. What an incredible welcome. We are continually humbled to be showered with so much love and appreciation.

After school, we came back to the base for lunch and then headed down to the river for a swim. It doesn't get more authentically jungly then swimming in the river in Belize. The kids had an awesome time, and were glad to have a chance to cool off. The weather here has been very hot every day.

Last night we headed into Belmopan to do some souvenier shopping at the Art Box, and then went out for a nice supper. We were happy to have Alyssa, Omar, John and Patti join us for supper. It was a lot of fun to take some time to relax together. One highlight was spending time with John and Patti's daughter, Evangeline. I don't have enough words to express how cute this little girl is! She's 2 years old, and FULL of energy. She loves a crowd, and I think it's safe to say she's captured the hearts of our whole team.

Today is going really well so far. We had some breakfast, and then joined the YWAM staff for worship this morning. It was a powerful time, and we were all able to feel God's presence in a very real way. We took some time to pray for each other. Not just light hearted prayers of encouragment, but surrounding our team mates and lifting up their burdens to God as if they were our own. It's always such a blessing to be able to worship with teh YWAM staff. They are some of the most incredible people I've ever met, and their passion for God is contagious. They had many encouraging words and prayers to share with us this morning, and I think that we are all very grateful for their willingness to come along side and pray with us. I think it was just the life we needed to regain our energy and remain focused for the rest of the week. There's a lot of hard work ahead, and we want to give it all we've got to the very end.

The rest of today should be great. Right now some of the kids are in the kitchen baking some cookies to deliver to John and Patti's house, because we're heading there right after lunch to help with some spring cleaning. Patti is very pregnant with her second child, and we're happy to be able to spend a couple of hours there helping her sort through clothes and make sure everything is perfect for their new arrival. When we're done there, we're heading back to the orphanage for the afternoon and evening. We'll help with homework when all the kids get home from school, and then buy fried chicken for the whole house for supper. Fried chicken is an all time favorite for the kids there, and they don't get it more then once a year. There will be much rejoicing around the table tonight!

I need to head out for lunch. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. They mean the world to us. Here are some prayer requests for the day:

-Unfortunately I have developed the same skin infection in my legs that I had last year. It turns out that I have a severe allergic reaction to the bugs down here, and my bug bites get very infected very quickly. I went to the Dr. yesterday, and am on antibiotics. I know that I'll be fine, but the Dr. instructed me to completely stay out of the sun. That's a little tricky in Belize, so I'm still trying to work out how to lead the team and be in the shade at the same time. Please pray that these antibiotics do their job quickly, and this infection can disapear.
-Pray for our team. Like I said, this morning was a powerful time of worship. I know that God is at work in our team, and He's asking us to shift and change our perspectives a bit in preperation of coming home. Pray that we can truly gain all we need to out of this trip, and come home ready to bless others with everything we have.
-Pray for our afternoon at the orphanage. There are a ton of kids there who need our love and affection. Pray that we can give it our all today as we hang out with these awesome kids.
-Pray for the YWAM staff. There are some new staff members and shifting of roles. Pray for the peace of God in all the new changes and beginings.

That's all for today. Thanks for all of your constant support. We love and miss you!!!!

Kristin and the team