On our last full day in Belize, Ray took us on a cross country tour. Pretty funny that you can do that in a single morning!
We made a couple of stops, first stop was at this Amish place for breakfast. We had heard it was great food, but had never had the chance to stop. We read the breakfast menu and decided on breakfast burritos. Yeah, can't get enough tortillas! I was thinking of McDonald's breakfast burritos, and thought two of those for breakfast should be good. $7 for breakfast. That's $3.50 to you and me! Oh, and the burritos - not quite the size of Chipotle, but definitely 2-3 times a McDonald's one! Tabor and I shared one plate.
Next stop, Pastor Marcos' house. He is the pastor of the Nazarene church in the village of Armenia. I kept thinking "Albania? Argentina? Algeria?" It was humbling to be in his home. We walked down a path barely worn in the grass, past the mother hens and their offspring, running the other direction. We entered through the low door, into a two room home. The concrete floor was swept clean, and the two chairs looked comfortable, but well worn. The hammock was tied up toward the ceiling in an overhand knot, and the the thin mattress was against the wall for the day. We stepped down into the kitchen area. Against one wall, there was a small stove, and for a pantry, two short wooden shelves with some oil, seasonings, and a few items on the shelves. Out one door was a low shed - probably the chicken coop - and out the other, a small yard. Kittens dashed in and out, while Tabor held the mamma cat on his lap, stroking her contendly.
In this 'kitchen' area, there was no table. But, in the middle of the room, was another hammock, cradling the smallish frame of the pastor, in black pants and blue short sleeve shirt. He has had a fever for five days, with death a real possibility. Justa, his wife, told us of how she spent the night watching him, and then at 1:30 in the morning, he began to shake with chills. She covered him with her body, to try to warm him. There were no blankets in sight. I could sense her helplessness in recounting her night of "in sickness and in health."
We prayed with Pastor Marcos before we left, and trusted for God to heal him, whether by supernatural intervention, or by a doctor's hand. He needs two surgeries - one for a cyst on his liver, and another to have gall stones removed. The doctors won't see him until he pays for half of the surgeries up front. He doesn't have the money. $10,000? No. $5,000? No. $1000? No. Four hundred dollars. Two surgeries for $400. That's less than what I would have to pay for surgery for my dog. Or even a root canal. Or some weekends at the mall. That's some food for thought.
Next stop - Belmopan and the Art Box. The art box is a shop run by Christians, so we are encouraged to support them. BEAUTIFUL handcrafted wood products are a highlight. You can check out their website via Ray's blog - he gets a percentage of sales if you click through from his - http://www.neusnews.blogspot.com/
Ray had to stop in Belmopan to get his cell phone activated, then we were finally on our way to the 'main attraction' of the day - Xunantunich - a Mayan ruin just 8 miles from Guatemala. What a spectacular site! I love old architecture, so this was right up my alley. And did I mention, it was also quite a workout!
We went to Benny's for lunch, an outdoor place that has great food - looks funny, tastes great. We stopped by the camp where my mom will be spending next week, helping to train teachers for children. We swung by the local naz church where they were working on the ceiling, then headed back to Belmopan for ray's phone. And some bolts. Tabor and I explored another market. Gas is so expensive, you have to cover lots of errands in a single trip.
We went back through Armenia to see how Pastor marcos was doing, and he was at least in the chair, which we took as a good sign. He had received some antibiotics the day before, so they were beginning to help. We were also surprised to see the church next door teeming with 75 children there for vacation bible school!! It was exciting to see the volunteers, and to hear them speak of how great God is. One of the ladies is from Florida, and came to help her daughter and son-in-law hold this bible school for the kids. Two of the kids were left locked in their home all day while the parents worked - young kids. Another pair of brothers couldn't attend until they finished their work, so they went to the markets at 4am to finish by 8 am. Wow. Again, we seem so lazy in comparison.
Finally, we made it back to the camp, and Remigia had made pizza for our "last supper." I had asked for her to make something that we could all share, including her family. Her three sons had all come for an extended visit, along with a new grandbaby. We had a great time, and Tabor taught Felize how to play "Battleship".
This entry is so long! Thanks for sticking with it to the end. Here are some great views from the top of Xunantunich.
Leah and Tabor
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