Where are you going again?

Belize is located in the southern portion of the Yucatán Peninsula in Central America and borders Mexico and Guatemala, facing the Caribbean Sea to the east.

We will be working at a school about 16 miles from Dangriga.

Belize is the only English speaking country in Central America. Creole is also often spoken by locals, as well as Spanish in the western part of the country near Guatemala.

Religions common in the country are Catholics and Christianity. Some other practices common are Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindu, and Voodooism.

Fifty-eight percent of the population is under the age of nineteen.

The Constitution offers freedom of religion. This allows denominations to partner with the government in running the educational system, denominations also provide many social and family welfare services.
Light of the Valley school where we will be working was built and is maintained to Belizean government standards by the Baptist Association of Belize.

This school currently has around 300 students. Grades K-8. Some classes have 42 students.

Some facts that are not so easily found, starvation is real. I got to meet the missionaries we will be working with for lunch today. She spoke about starvation not hunger but starvation like it was normal as we sat at a restaurant where we could order from 50 different items. She talked about children being abused and her going to talk to parents. She talked about poverty. I don't think my head and heart have grasped the depths of what we will see. However, the truth is that the same God that loves me loves the children of Belize. And so we go. We go to love and share the gospel. My friend that went last year gave us a book of pictures with all the children's faces. I can't tell you how excited I am to love up on these beautiful children.

Please help support our team and mark your calendars for January 14th at 9 am at the Applebee's in Pelham. For 5 dollars you can eat all the pancakes and sausage you want!

It's The Most Wonderful Time

I am usually the momma behind the camera. I would call this Christmas an epic fail in the picture department. I forgot my memory card for Disney World and settled for husband's work camera which proved to be pitiful. The pitiful Disney picture post will come later. The kids got up at 4:30 am and daddy let them. Thanks to apple we had a techno connected holiday.

I am not complaining. I get text like this all the time. My daughter can face time her grandparents whenever she wants.

And after dealing with loss this year, family is so much sweeter to me.

I even gave my sister a facial with cranberry sauce Christmas Day night. She looked so refreshed with cranberry sauce up her nose and on her face. Too bad she didn't know I was going to do it.

Blessed that my children spent time with two great grandmothers this season.

This picture makes my heart explode.

The Auburn gifts are always still favorites.

Sister is always trying out new fashion.

Pink BB guns for 6 year old little girls.

Her other request to Aunt Pam, "I want a guy who can cock my BB gun."

I am sure you can buy one at Wal-Mart but Mommy Roach tries to stay away from Wal-Mart during the holidays.

Thankful that the men folk tested out the safety of the BB guns by setting up target practice. The kids seem to be enjoying their presents.

This picture is part Christmas over load and part Butler County but you can thank my brother-in-law later for the material.

So thankful for the gift of Jesus and thankful for a family who believes.

We would not have reached our goal for our mission trip without the support of our family.

By the way 80 days until BELIZE!

Disney or Something Like it

I have rescheduled this trip too many times. I wrote about it here. I rescheduled for a December trip thinking the kids would be out of school and I would love to see Disney at Christmas. Needless to say, I had no idea I would be in a boot ... again. I mean we have been to Disney a few years ago. We had a great time and the kids still talk about that trip. This trip was to be part relaxation and part Disney. You see Disney will wear out the triathletes of the world. It is not for weary parents needing a break from work. We were hoping we could have a nice balance on this trip. That is still my plan. In fact I have done very little planning in regards to the trip. I hope I remember to pack. Right now I am barely wrapping up Christmas shopping.

I am excited to see my kids enjoy the parks. I am excited to not have anything on the calendar of events. I don't want anyone to wake me up or tell me what I have to do what day. I may be in a boot but I will be there with my happy vacation face on wearing my happy camper clothes.I sent husband an email the other day telling him I would cry when I drop Lulu off at the vet. He quickly replied, "I love that you cry about a dog that eats our couch."

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and spend some time celebrating not just the birth of a Savior but the salvation that came through Him.

The Broken Road

The first - this is how the story started. Broken ankle.

The second - this is the second surgery. Hardware removal.

The third - this is the third surgery. Bone fusion.

These are the numbers.

Yesterday, I stepped of a curb during a fire drill at school and I felt my ankle roll - both ways. I landed on top of it. I am in a boot for 4 to 6 weeks. Pretty sure my toe is broken. God is good- the bone fusion held and did not break or come apart from the screws. There is some soft tissue damage just from rolling the ankle. I am okay. I have friends and family in worst conditions. My friend's child is fighting cancer again. I have friends that have lost their parents this year. There are 147 million orphans in the world. There are over 925 million people hungry in the world.
I am heartbroken to be in a boot and experience pain again. I am heartbroken for my husband and my kids that they have to deal with a broken momma again. But we are all on a broken road at some point. Having to be mended. Needing a new direction. Needing rest. Needing healing. Needing love. And with all the different broken roads we travel there is only road that gives you healing, love, direction, rest, mending. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the light. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

Tiny Twirler

Twirl - To rotate or revolve briskly; swing in a circle; spin

Daughter has really been twirling her way through life since she entered the world almost 7 years ago. She is fire and ice. She is drama and fun. She loves candy, ice cream and popcorn. She is always moving, always talking, always thinking and if still - she is asleep. She is a good reader and a good daughter. She fights like a boy, throws like a boy, and is always in need of a bath. She is still tiny. She is a tiny twirler in my life.

My Boy

You are my favorite son.

When I was pregnant with you, everyone said, "boys love their momma!"

It is true.

More true is how much I love you.

Favorite Boy quote: "A boy is the only thing God can use to make a man."

My personal quote: "You smell like a boy and you look like one too."

I pray his wife likes me.

If not she can sleep in the barn and he can sleep in his room.

I am slightly kidding.

Fired

Have you ever been fired?

I have been fired.

I was 16.

It was my first job.

My daddy got me the job because he worked on the library committee with the city library.

It was suppose to be job I could work at after school and during Christmas holidays.

If you know me at all you know I am kinda loud.

I like to talk to people.

I will talk to people I don't know.

I need communication.

Even at 16 I knew it would be a stretch to work in a library.

I mean I love to read books.

I enjoyed reading.

I just thought I would learn to whisper.

Most of my friends were worried I didn't know a lot about some guy named Dewey.

I started work anyway.

I learned real fast that Dewey was into numbers.

I am not into numbers.

The librarians were serious.

All the time.

I mean like joking not really kosher in the library.

Putting a Romance book in Non-Fiction which I called Not False was Not Funny.

My official title was PAGE.

Not like turn the page but PAGE as in file the books.

That was my job.

That was my only job.

I told my friends to visit me.

I was bored out of my mind.
The librarians called me into their office week one and said, "you are really sweet but you must not talk to the patrons."

I seriously thought they were talking about old people.

I made an effort to only talk to non-white headed people.

This continued for another 3 weeks.

I was called into the office for round 2 of counseling, "you may not tell people where books are, you may only instruct them to the Librarian. You may not talk to the patrons."

I just couldn't help myself.

I could not be silent.

Week 3.

I was called back into the office and told it just wasn't a good fit.

I was so happy.

I mean I like old people.

And come to find out, I like patrons too.

Some Happy

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Through tears there is always laughter in our family.

It is how we work.

I think it is how most of us work.

Sometimes we laugh so we won't cry.

Sometimes we laugh because we know our families so well.

For some of use we need a card, a joke or a hug.

For some of us it is a diet mt. dew, flowers on a table and apple cider in the crock pot.

Planning for our mission trip husband and I talked about how we wanted this Christmas to look different. I mean these pictures tell us how stressed our Christmas can be.

So this Christmas we hope there is more of a focus on what is real rather than what is not real. My dear friend, Jenny Funderburke, a kid minister and momma of two created an online Family Advent calendar that provides a great way to sit your family down and focus on the season. You can find it here. I am super excited about it because even though we will be traveling some during the holidays this will be easy to access away from home.

I have always decorated if not before than right after Thanksgiving. December 1st rarely made its way into my home without a Christmas tree to welcome it. I am happy to report that a pumpkin is on my door and ghost on my dining room table. I have joked about it for two weeks but could not bring myself to stress out about decorating with an already full plate. So we have decided to embrace the ghost and think it will top our tree as the ghost of Christmas past...I am completely kidding. I plan on something more festive for all involved.

I wish I could share all the happy stories we have been experiencing while preparing for our mission trip. If you look over to the right side of my blog you might notice God has used lots of people to support our trip. There are lots of stories of family, friends and even people we don't know who have given selflessly so that others might know Him. It makes you humbled.

It makes you cry.

It makes you laugh.