Saint Anne's in Partnership with Belize 2010

Belize In Photos

2010-02-08T17:26:00.001-08:00

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Home Again, Home Again

2010-02-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

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We are all back now, safe and sound. We have stories to tell and photos to share. And jungle dirt to wash out of our clothes! Watch this space for pictures in the coming days and we are so looking forward to being able to share more details in person as we reconnect with everyone.

We are very proud of the work we did and the connections we made, and we could not have done it without you and all of your support. Thank you. Thank you.

With love from Minnesota,
The St. Anne's Belize Team 2010

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Days Seven and Eight

2010-01-31T18:10:00.000-08:00

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Saturday was a beautiful day on Ambergris Caye. We spent the day in various ways: wandering the island by foot for some and by bike for others. Some went snorkeling and marveled at the amazing and colorful world out on and beneath the water. Some walked the streets of San Pedro, talked with locals and shared stories. Wearing our Think Globally, Run Locally t-shirts as we explored San Pedro at various times during our stay there proved to be a good conversation starter. We were asked time and again about the shirts and what the words "I ran the trails at Lebanon Hills to support Maya education in Belize" meant. We got involved in several deep conversations, making real connections, as we explained St. Anne's work in Belize. It is a good thing, to watch understanding and appreciation for each other, across cultures and worlds, grow and multiply.

On Sunday morning we shared Eucharist with a church group from North Carolina, on the island to begin a week of work at Holy Cross Anglican School. It was a joyful celebration of gratitude for the beauty of God's world, and of the mutual desire to share the gifts we have been given with others. We thought of St. Anne's, of course, and shared communion with you, in our hearts. We are all one body, for we all share one bread, one cup.

With love from Belize,
The St. Anne's Belize Team 2010

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Day Six

2010-01-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

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It rained all day Thursday and Thursday night and into Friday morning. It rained and rained and rained. And thundered! And lightninged! The power went out! It was dark. Very dark. Everything we had was wet. And mildewy. (And, between you and me, we didn't smell very good...) It was a good thing that due to timing, we had known in advance we would not be able to be at Tumul K'in on Friday morning because as we learned later many of the area roads were flooded. Including...the road out of our lodging. The bus that was coming to pick us up had to remain about half a mile away and we had to carry our luggage on our shoulders through muddy water, thigh-deep, in order to reach our bus. Singing "Wade In the Water" was very tempting, but the fact that our lodge host had advised us to watch for "crawling things" in the water had us preoccupied.

The short version: we all made it.

On to Punta Gorda where it was market day. Because of the flooding there were fewer vendors than normal, but it was fun to see farmers out with their fruits and vegetables and hand-made goods. A quick education in the making of chocolate and we were on to Maya Air, where we boarded two small planes to take us to San Pedro and Holy Cross Anglican School.

We were able to tour Holy Cross late in the afternoon and found a number of improvements made to the school since we had last worked there. The school is still struggling with a neighboring developer over land ownership issues, but is moving forward with plans for growth. Holy Cross is currently educating 500 students and continues to make a difference in the nearby San Mateo neighborhood.

With love from Belize,
The St. Anne's Belize Team 2010

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Day Five

2010-01-28T22:00:00.000-08:00

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Our last day at Tumul K'in. We arrived by bus in the morning, as usual...in the midst of a pouring rain, not our "usual" Belizean weather experience thus far. The rain was relentless! Warm, but not gentle. We were grateful for rain ponchos and indoor work. We all had much we wanted to accomplish before we had to leave Tumul K'in and our work day took on an even more urgent pace.

By the end of the afternoon we were tired but very pleased with all we had managed to squeeze in to our final hours at the school. Benches and tables were completed and brought to the main dining and gathering room. New shelves were built and carried to the library. The library was organized and clean with a place for (almost) every book! Jeff's grand masterpiece - the trestle table! - was finished enough that it was ready for easy assembly at a later date.

The staff and students of Tumul K'in were so kind to us -- over and over again telling us how much they appreciated the work we had done when we were there. St. Annians and Tumul K'inians gathered together at the end of the day to celebrate our week together, the work accomplished and the friendships and connections made. The students played the marimba for us (beautifully!) and treated us to a dance performance as well. We were each presented with jars of honey made at Tumul K'in as gift of thanks and, in turn, we sang "You Are My Sunshine" to them -- with our thanks and appreciation for a wonderful week at the school.

After the bumpy bus ride back from the school, we quickly cleaned up and left again for a very special dinner with the Maya Leaders Association in the Maya village of Laguna. Cristina Coc's parents welcomed us into their home for a traditional Maya meal of caldo -- a rich broth with chicken, pork, purple yams and cassava. They shared with us their struggles, as Maya people, for civil rights in Belize, including the land rights issues that are currently being heard by the Supreme Court of Belize. It was an enormous honor to be welcomed and to hear their heart-felt stories.

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Day Four

2010-01-27T14:00:00.000-08:00

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The United States Ambassador to Belize visited Tumul K'in today. It is very exciting for the students and staff who are very honored to have the Ambassador as their guest. They were proud to show him their school, tell him about their mission, and allow him to see their work. The staff and student so strongly believe in what they are doing that they do not need to work very hard to impress a visitor. The success of the school is evident on every student's face and in every teacher's glow of dedication.

The students of Tumul K'in treated the Ambassador (and us!) to traditional Maya music, dance performances and a performance of the Maya Story of the Corn -- a very important story in Maya culture and tradition. The performances were outstanding and reflected the heart and soul of this very special place.

Today's work complete list (so far): table and chairs built! library is being overhauled and organized! new lockers in the boy's dorm! benches for the lunchroom built! new library shelves are in the works! It is fun to check things off of our list.

With love from southern Belize,
The St. Anne's Belize Team 2010

p.s. Have we mentioned that sheep wander the grounds, everywhere? Baaa! Baaa! Baaa! is a constant background noise.

Day Three

2010-01-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

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There is a new floor in Classroom #2 at Tumul K'in today!

We Americans were not sure how the project would go. Twenty-five + bags of cement to mix, enough to cover the floor of a large classroom, a pile of sand, a few shovels, a hose and two wheelbarrows. Hmm. How would we ever be able to handle the project without a Cemix truck backing up to the classroom door?? By 8:30 am we had our answer. Tumul K'in staff and St. Annians piled into the classroom, everyone shoveled and hauled wheelbarrows full of sand into a mound on the floor of the room. Then they broke open bags of cement and used hoes to mix it with the sand. They made a hole in the middle of the pile, then children lugged in bucket after bucket of water to pour into the middle of the sand/cement mounds. They mixed the whole mess with hoes and shovels right on the classroom floor. After it was mixed, the pile of cement were spread, and another load of sand, cement, and water was mixed and spread beside it.

Six hours later, there is a new floor in Classroom #2!

After the floor was complete we were able to hike up the jungle-covered hills that surround the school. What a beautiful setting for Tumul K'in!

The students and staff of Tumul K'in are amazingly open, kind, friendly and generous. We are truly experiencing God in everyone we meet.

With love from Belize!
The St. Anne's Belize Team 2010

Day Two

2010-01-25T17:08:00.000-08:00

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It was about a 45 minute drive down (and up and down and up and down!) a largely dirt and gravel road to get to Tumul K'in. Creeks and houses peeked out from behind thick palm leaves here and there as we got closer to the school. We all smiled as we pulled into the clearing that is the school grounds and saw the Tumul K'in Center of Learning sign we had previously only seen in photos.

The school leaders greeted us, gave us a tour, and spoke with us about the school and its mission. The staff is dedicated and hard working. We were all impressed with the respect the teachers and students have for each other. The core mission of the school - educating Maya children in both traditional Maya ways as well as preparing them for a successful future in today's society - shone through in every school program.

We jumped right into work: hand chopping a cement classroom floor, building tables for the main hall, going boxes of boxes of books and organizing the library. It was a hard, long, dusty day - a good day's work!

We are proud to be working with Tumul K'in and grateful, as always, for your prayers and support. You are in our thoughts, always.

Much love from the Belize Team 2010

Day One

2010-01-24T14:54:00.000-08:00

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We arrived safely into Belize city via Houston mid-afternoon yesterday. We were warmly greeted at the airport by familiar faces -- Stephen, who takes care of luggage at the airport, and Philip Elliot, our now-regular driver in Belize. After hellos and hugs were exchanged all around, we hit the road for our 5 hour drive into the jungle. We arrived after dark to Tranquility Lodge, near Punta Gorda.

Sunrise revealed what we had not been able to see in the dark of night: lush jungle, brightly flowering plants and many birds. The jungle is definitely a creation about which God must be greatly pleased!

We worshiped this beautiful Sunday morning at St. Joseph's church in Punta Gorda. It is a tiny, simple, beautiful building. The 16 in our group more than doubled the regular Sunday morning attendance. Lydia presided over a joyful service and preached a heart-felt and moving homily.
Lydia explained why St. Anne's is drawn to Belize: both the facts of Daniel Brown's accident and the wider view that St. Anne's holds -- that we, though many, are truly one body and we are all, globally, brothers and sisters. That our loving relationships with each other are part of loving one another as we are commanded.

St. Anne's was in our hearts and thoughts as we prayed and sang.

We stopped briefly at the Julian Cho Society and met Cristina Coc, a member of the Maya Leadership Society. We will meet up with Cristina again tomorrow at Tumul K'in Center of Learning. We are eager to begin our work there, early tomorrow morning!

With much love from Belize,
The st. Anne's Belize Team 2010

Off to love the world...

2010-01-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

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Deacon Pat Markie commissioned and sent the team of St. Annian's heading to Belize tomorrow with these words:

As Christians, our mission is to make God known to all people. We hear this in Jesus’ words: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We celebrate you and your devotion to the work ahead of you in Belize.

Through the gift of your service, you show others the love that God has for all people. This is both a privilege and a responsibility, and by standing here you are publicly affirming your commitment to this work.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, look graciously upon these people whom we now commission for your service. Give them your spirit, enrich them with your grace, and strengthen them for the tasks which lie ahead. Amen.

We rejoice to recognize you as representatives of this Congregation and we thank God for your dedication and your willingness to serve. We send you to Belize with our prayers and our support, and, with you, we renew our commitment to service in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thank you for your support, love and prayers!

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Belize Team 2010

2010-01-15T05:57:00.001-08:00

Willing hands, ready hearts

Think Globally, Run Locally 5K Run

2009-10-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

October 17, 2009

Thank you to all who particpated in raising money and awareness! With your efforts, we are on our way!

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Making a Difference in Belize

2009-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Belize Mission 2010
January 23 – February 1, 2010

Helping to build a radio station in the Toledo District of Southern Belize

As part of its community outreach program, Tumul K'in Center of Learning, a Maya residential high school, seeks to establish a self-sustaining community radio station capable of empowering community members in the Maya villages of the Toledo District, with information on their cultural identity, traditional healing, indigenous rights and other topics that will improve their lives.

St. Anne’s 2010 Belize Mission Team includes 13 St. Annians, 1 friend from Yoga class, and 2 relatives from California! These 16 hardy workers will travel to southern Belize in January to help relocate the country’s only Maya Language radio station so it can reach more Mayan villages. The radio station will provide cultural education and community information to areas of the country otherwise quite isolated.

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Why Belize?

2009-08-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

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In 2003, Rev. Lydia and Mark Brown's son, Daniel, survived a non-fatal drowning at Vaca Falls in Belize. A series of "coincidences" and miracles led to his survival and full recovery. The Brown family came to see Vaca Falls not as the scene of a terrible accident, but a place of divine intervention. As a way to give back to the people of Belize who played a key role in their son's survival, they have sought opportunities to make a difference for good in this tiny, beautiful country.

Through outreach and education, the Brown family has introduced others to the great beauty of Belize and to the beautiful spirit of the people of Belize. They have inspired others to join them in making the world a smaller, better, more loving, place.

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Kick off meeting for 2010 mission trip

2009-06-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

In January 2010, St. Anne's will be sending a mission team to Tumul K'in Center of Learning in Blue Creek Village in Southern Belize to build a Mayan language radio station. The first organizational meeting was held Monday, June 1, at St. Anne's. We hope to assemble a team of 15-20 by July 15 for this 10 day trip, January 23-February 1. See the attachments to this post for information about the trip and, if interested, complete an application and send to the office at St. Anne's.