The Prayer Ladies

On Tuesday I had a treat when the ladies that I used to pray with came over to visit me at the Lodge. They had originally planned a mini- retreat for me. Nevertheless, when we all got slightly ill, and of course Aaron was laid up for two days, I could not go anywhere. These ladies are some of the hardest working, praying, servants that I have ever met. They were a huge encouragement to me when we lived here.

One of the women, Sue brought her children to swim. Her two youngest sons were briefly in my classroom. Sadly, they could not stay in my room because I was not skilled enough to help them. Sue and her husband Dean, have been in the process of adopting all six of these Belizean children ever since they were babies. The three boys all have special needs. Because there a no special education classrooms available in the district, Sue has to home school the boys. I have a hard time imagining how impossible this has been for her. She also makes all of their food by scratch, grows as much of it as she can, and helps her husband who is partially disabled due to a severe back injury. In fact, he has been in the U.S. trying to get help for his non-ending pain. She was alone with all of her kids, in Belize for three months. Her life is beyond hard, yet every time I am around her, I am totally humbled by her faith and complete dependence on God. She is one of those women who will have a book written about her......after someone discovers that she is a living saint.

The kids had a blast in the pool. They loved the big kitchen, the girls pitched in and helped clean up after we raided the refrigerator.

It was hard to say goodbye to them again. These children may not even be alive if Dean and Sue had not rescued them. They were all sick and failed to thrive. Yet, this couple continues to stay in Belize for one reason; it is their children's homeland and it is what they believe God would want them to do. By honoring their kids and their culture, I have to believe that these "treasures hidden in the darkness" will be part of the new generation of Belizean youth who will make an impact on their community.

One very cool note to add. Eddie, a young man who was once a student of Kevin's, is now a teacher at TCA. He will be teaching one of Sue's sons this year!