Getting to Work

It's day 2 at the School. Jan Lamb is serving as the back-up Francis (since Vernon and Francis are back in the States), greeting visitors, searching desperately for someone else to take charge of the bulletin boards, and generally keeping things on an even keel. A dental team is also here this week, so Holly Hodges is serving as the Angel of Dental Visitation, collecting the Appointed Ones from their classrooms and leading them to the Chair. Other work includes Hope, Amy, Bob and Jean unloading and storing the supplies we brought, applying color-coded labels to the spines of books in the library to make filing (and the correction of mis-filing) easier, providing 1-on-1 tutoring and, for Randy, painting poles that are being used to mark the boundaries of the school property.

We've also begun sorting the medical records for the students from last year, so that we can start the height and weight measurements for new and returning students and have the records sorted by classroom for next week's medical team.

Those with strong backs and weak minds have been relegated to moving sand, welding (Oh my God, they've given men from St. Luke's welding torches!!), moving lumber from across the road and, unfortunately, taking apart the beginnings of a maintenance walk-way that a group last week started but apparently did not do as instructed (I thought the February workers weren't supposed to be punished for the sins of the January workers; isn't that in Matthew or Mark, somewhere?). John Willard drew the short straw and had to crouch underneath a classroom in a nice layer of muck to cut off screws. John H-C stuck to taking apart the pieces of the walkway reachable from an upright and locked position, making mamby-pamby excuses about bad knees, the risk posed to a 6-footer if he has to contort his back, and general sissy-ness.

Craig, Van, David (the welder) and Wayne have been extending a porch off the back of the building that houses the kitchen. Mr. Bob kept his streak alive as the Most Famous Celebrity From St. Luke's by being hailed on the beach by a student who had graduated from Holy Cross last year and is now attending the high school on the island.

On Sunday, we had a joint worship service at Ruby's led by a group from St. Anne's Episcopal Church, located near St. Paul, MN. Jan Lamb served as deacon; pictures accompanying this post are from the service. Monday evening we read Compline before heading to dinner.

The hard work continues to be rewarded with wonderful meals. Last night was lobster burritos at Waraguma, home of the best papusas on the island (as Jan Lamb can tell you, papusas are Salvadoran corn meal pancakes typically filled with meat and cheese).

Jan Lamb's apartment continues to be a popular destination due to her refrigerator and internet connection. We trust that the constant parade of different men to her apartment isn't raising eyebrows with the neighbors.

Internet access has been a bit spotty, but we'll update this blog as time and the Belize telephone monopoly allow, and as the Spirit moves us. Comments are welcome. All posts are the sole responsibility of the blogger and are not to be construed as official or sanctioned views of St. Luke's, the Belize Mission Teams or the blogger's ordained spouse, who is too far away to keep him in line.