Leaning on the Everlasting Arms: Team Belize

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Team Belize

Special Eduction Belize is headed to Greece in June for the 2011 Special Olympics Games. We will send a team of 8 football players, (three coaches, and one Special Olympics Board Member.) There are only 8 players on our team because in Special Olympics they play 5 on a side on a reduced field that is about 1/4 of a normal football field. Special Education students from all over the country have been training for about a year and some longer to earn a position on the Belize Team. On Saturday the children from the north (Orange Walk and Corozal Districts) and coaches traveled in my van to Belmopan (the capital city) for the final tryout for the team. I am delighted that Sydney Rhaburn (tall, smiling, center, back row) from St. Peter's made the team and will get to be part of the awesome experience of traveling to Greece and being part of the Olympic events.

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Things I Love About Belize

EVERY meeting begins with prayer, whether it is a Town Council Meeting, a school function, or the National Spelling Bee.
No matter where you go, there is always someone you know who is greeting you with a smile and a wave.
The zillion stars in the sky.
When my car fell into an uncovered drain and I could not go forward or back... within 3 minutes 6 men came running to help and lifted the car up and out! Not that I would pull the stunt to have six men come running (smile)... but I have been saved more than once!
When something breaks, like the rubber gasket on the bottom of the tank behind my toilet and water was flowing everywhere, or when the dog chewed through my garden hose while I was at school and water sprayed over the fence and into the street, there is always a neighbor who is ready to come to the rescue and fix the problem.

About this Ministry

How did I end up in Belize?
In 2004 a Belizean family asked me to come to Belize to teach their deaf son and possibly other deaf children for the summer. We expected about six children but were surprised by fifty-two adults and children who came to our three week ASL workshop. God walked with me and led me each day. In so many ways God empowered me and encouraged me. When it was time to return to the US and my full time teaching job there, I felt God calling me to plan to return to Belize to start a Deaf Church. I returned the following August (2005) to start a church and teach the Deaf children at St. Peter's Anglican School here in Orange Walk. Since then God's hand on this ministry has been beyond my wildest dreams. This blog is a dialogue on the journey. I hope it shows God's power and presence in the lives of those who commit to following in Jesus' footsteps to build the Kingdom. I pray over each entry hoping it encourages others to "step out of the boat" and take risks to answer God's call in their lives.