Dental Health Kits

Thank You to the people of the Virginia Conference churches who donated to the Virginia Mennonite Missions Alternative Giving Catalog.  We received money to make dental health kits for 22 families and individuals. Most Belizeans have toothbrushes, but our Deaf families are among the poorest of the poor here. Many are just getting by with enough money to buy food.  Toothpaste and a new toothbrush are not high on the list of priorities when they are hungry. After Bible study in my home last week Sulmi and I noticed that our toothpaste in the bathroom was open and our tooth brushes were wet.  Ewww.  Someone had used them.  But we understood.  The next Sunday we passed out the dental health kits.   Thank you for helping in this way.  It is greatly appreciated.

Chaya

You can really eat this?  

 

This leafy shrub grows to about 7 feet tall and is easy to propagate.  One of our church members, Reinalda, has many of these bushes growing in her yard.  I cut off a chunk of the stem and put it in the ground.  Now I have a bush growing. 

Chaya is richer in iron than Spinach and is a good source of potassium and calcium.  People here in Belize say that it prevents diabetes and helps to lower blood sugar.

Unfortunately it has a toxin running through it's veins.  It's a white substance called hydrogen cyanide.  I have never heard of anyone dying from eating chaya, because most people know that you have to boil it for 15 minutes before eating it.   You cant just chop up chaya and toss it on your salad (bummer).

So I chop it up, boil it in water, drain the liquid and use it like spinach in an egg strata.  It's yummy!

Belizeans say,  don't throw out the water!  Drink it!  It's full of anti-diabetic properties. Hmmm.  I tried to drink it, once.  It's a little green and bitter.  I suppose adding sugar would counteract the benefits.  But in the strata or with tortilla chaya is yummy!

Honor Roll

Congratulations Sulmi!
It wasn't easy to get honor roll this first term of high school.  She had a new interpreter to get used to.  The interpreter is terrific, but she has a different style, a "high school style".  In the past Sulmi's interpreters have helped her alot.  When the teacher gives a task, the interpreter would re-explain and guide Sulmi through it. The interpreter and I agreed that she needs to try to wean Sulmi from the "helper" role.  Sulmi can do it. She's smart. This weaning was hard.  It forced Sulmi to really pay attention to the interpreting, not space out and then wait for her private "tutoring".  It was a difficult transition, but she did it!  So proud  of her!

All of the honor students are standing outside the church ready to file in for the honors mass. Sulmi is between two good friends and classmates, Veronica and Heidi Uh.

The principal of Bishop Martin High School, Mr. Pook, is handing out the cards to the students that achieved honor roll.  Some in the faculty were amazed and said, "Sulmi is Deaf and she can achieve honors.  That should be a model for the other children."

Go Sulmi!

Guess Who's Getting Married?

Scroll Down...

Congratulations to Angelica and Juan !!!