It's Been a Week Already?

Well today I cooked my first meal in another country.  To some that may not seem like a big deal but trust me there are little things you take for granted when you have everything at your fingertips.  I've received my emails regarding my stay here with lots of questions about what it's like to live here.  In one world --
 it's different.  But unlike what most may think it's not hard, just different.

School is now underway and we are halfway through our first week.  Since your reading this, you know I've survived. You can laugh but for a few hours on the first day I was worried. :) We have 35 kids enrolled ranging in age from 4 years old to 17 years old. The younger children are in class downstairs with two of the ladies from the church here.  Here is the picture of the main school room when I arrived on Wednesday....thankfully it's nice a clean now.

Here is a typical street corner in a Belize town.  While many of the streets are paved, it's by no  mean smooth.  The nearest town to us is Orange Walk Town which is about a 30 min. drive from the village and on unpaved roads for most of the journey.

This is the police station here in Orange Walk Town. The truck seen in the picture is the police truck, there is no standard car/truck for the police here. I think they simply use their own car/truck and put the red lights on the top. Here in the village I've been told that you are lucky if they show up when you call. While the country of Belize has it's own government, it's still connected to the United Kingdom and it's very much a "fend for yourself" kind of life here.  The church has just recently purchased an ambulance and has begun training for first aid and emergency response.  This is the only ambulance in the village and there are currently no other group here willing or equipped to help with emergency situations. 

I will try and update this weekend with some more pictures of the area and other activities.  For all those that have sent emails and asked to send stuff, please know I am so very touched.  Everything helps here since things are either expensive or hard to get here in Belize.  Please keep me in your thoughts & prayers. Watching God move here has been a wonderful experience and an honor to be apart of.