Breakdown from the first week (Elisabeth)

Number of weeks into the school year:  .5

Number of times I have been over my course expectations: 7

Number of times I have mispronounced my new students’ names: approx 11

Number of hours in the classroom: 10

Number of hugs received: over 100

Number of times my old students have requested to have me back: enough to make my heart ache.

In the past week and a half we have had staff orientation, a nerd party to celebrate my birthday, freshmen orientation, and the two days of regular classes.  Staff orientation was packed with the usual workshops on how to lesson plan, assessing students, motivating students etc.  The nerd party was for us volunteers to get to know each other better. What better way to get to know someone than to see their awkward side?  Freshmen orientation consisted of us teachers telling the newbies the rules and showing them where their classes would be taken.  And finally, the first two days of regular classes consisted of going over rules and expectations, course outlines, and explaining to my former students why I am not teaching them.  As much as I want to be back in the classroom with them, I know that God works in mysteriously good ways.

                     Above is a picture of me with my Takis cake, my favorite Belizean snack!
                                                          All credit goes to Joe, he is a decorating genius!

Week 1- Halfway there! (Katie)

I can’t believe it is already Wednesday of the first week of school. In some ways it feels like
it's almost the last week,in that things around here never change and the kids are just as
wonderful and crazy as ever. It also feels like I am waiting for something to begin. I am at
the same school, in the same house, but it will be a completely new year. We have new
volunteers mixed in with some old.

All of the volunteers, new and returning are great. They are really enthusiastic about
getting the school year started and about being the best teachers they can be. It wouldn’t
be Our Lady of Mount Carmel high school without something wild and crazy happening.
Schedules that we were given are thrown out the back door, classes we thought we were
teaching change, etc. Things that as a returning volunteer I have come to expect. It's funny
watching the new volunteers wonder if things will always be this crazy and unexplainable.
In some ways yes, things will always be unplanned here, but in other ways things will start
to calm down.Being here in Benque, Belize will be home.

It feels great to be back in the classroom teaching again. This year I will have a lot more
teaching hours than last year,which is music to my ears. Something happens when I am
teaching and I get an energy and excitement that I don’t normally have. The Lord has
definitely already graced me with great students and with words to give to them.
Last year most of the new volunteers said that the second year is the hardest. I know this
year will bring new challenges and crosses along the way, but I also know it will come with
new joys and laughs as well. My hope and prayer is that I am going to be expecting a
challenge to come along or to be in anticipation of what is going to come next. One of the
many beauties about this place is that you have to live in the present moment. Taking my
day one second, one hour at a time is a must. I never know what is going to come up. If I
happen to pass by a new student,an old student, or a friend and we end up catching up for
two hours instead of grading the pile of papers I have waiting for me, then that is what will
happen.
In other great news because I know you were all wondering…our dog Belle looks better
than ever!She has so much energy this year and gets so excited to see us everyday when
we come home from school. Her coat is nice and shiny and she looks younger than ever. I
think the five little pups at the end of the semester probably took a lot of life out of her.
She still has no idea how to go for a walk using a leash, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

We’re back! We have been in Benque now for 112 hours but it feels like we never left.   Coming back was just like coming home, not to sound cliché or anything, but it’s the truth.  There are many things that are just the same and many things that are new.  For example, new volunteers! Katie and I are two of the four returning volunteers who will be working at the High School and there are five new volunteers working with us this year.  Another new thing is that Katie and I will be teaching different subjects this year.  We have both been moved to the religion department and are currently going through all the new curriculums and lesson plans. 

For me, the greatest thing about coming back is seeing all my students and fellow staff members that I missed very dearly.  Within the first couple hours of being home we had seen about 8 students and each time I felt a part of my heart come alive again.  I didn’t realize how dearly I loved these kids, but boy I was ecstatic to see them again. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and I wouldn’t trade the time I spent with them this summer for anything, but it just made me realize that it’s not the place, but the people.

Picture above is last year's volunteers; we miss you all tons!

Lessons of a Frantic Fundraiser

Fundraising.  As a Missionary, it’s inevitable and purgative.  It truly is one of the many things that allow me to grow in faith.

Katie and I are 5 days away from Belize, our home away from home, and we are still a little short of our goal. At the beginning of the summer when we started racking our brains trying to come up with ways to fundraise I remember praying before mass saying, “Ok, God. If this is what you want of me, you have to provide.” I don’t think it was coincidence that the Gospel was from Luke 12:7, “[I]ndeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.” God has a very mysterious and sure way of working in my life.  Through the cans and bottle drives, the garage sales, the bake sales, chicken barbeques, and letter writing, the only way I kept my sanity was by saying “Ok, Lord.” And just when I was about to throw my hands up in the air and think that it was impossible, an image of the kids or a cherished memory would pop into my head and I would calmly continue on.  

This past weekend Katie and I held a bake sale at our Church.  We both work 40 hours at our summer jobs, so there was no way we could bake everything that we needed to. I was definitely hesitant when my mother suggested a bake sale; it seemed like too much work and not enough profit. I was wrong. The mass right before the bake sale, I prayed and said “Lord, I just need people to be generous. I trust You.” It turned out to be one of the biggest fundraisers of the summer!  At the end of the weekend I was astounded by people’s generosity; I am always so touched when people give us donations. Every time, without fail, I simply say “God is good.” It’s true, you can even ask Katie! There are no words to describe how thankful Katie and I am for the generosity that people, even total strangers, have shown us. It reminds me of the beauty of the Universal Church and that this isn’t “my” mission, it’s God’s and He will use me as He desires, I just have to be willing.

A special thanks to my wonderful mother who spent countless hours baking and preparing things for me. Also to everyone who devoted their time and talents. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!