Back Home and Catching Up: Having Fun

While the team works hard at Holy Cross during the week, the weekends are our time to have fun. There are many ways to have fun on and around Ambergris Caye, and our team enjoyed most of them.

Going out to snorkel the reef:

Hopping over to Caye Caulker for lunch:

Checking out a bare-throated tiger heron on our way up the New River to the Mayan site at Lamanai.

Climbing the Mayan pyramids at Lamanai:

Talking with the a local pelican on Ambergris Caye.

Enjoying team dinners at our favorite restaurants in San Pedro.

Partying with the Holy Cross Education Foundation Board after our week of work was done. That's Holy Cross co-founder Francis Wilson in the green, dancing with Peggy and WendyT to a local band's version of Sweet Home Alabama. We have been lucky enough to overlap with the Board for several years on our February visits to Holy Cross. 

Back Home and Catching Up: The House of Grace

This year's trip included something that our teams haven't done in many years: new construction. The House of Grace, which will serve as on-campus housing for a priest serving in the new church that will also be on the grounds of Holy Cross. When we arrived, the house was well on the way to completion.

Over the course of our week, however, we were able to advance the house in three ways.

Because our team included Doug - a building contractor in "real life" - we were able to take on the large task of tiling the shower in the house. With assistance from Janet, an able volunteer but definitely not a building contractor, Doug took the shower from just a pan on the floor to a fully tiled, walled shower. And while it's probably not possible to connect the dots explicitly, the "brick-and-mortar" fee that our team paid to Holy Cross using the generous grant we received from the St. Luke's, Salisbury Foundation may well have purchased the tiles that Doug installed in the shower.

WendyC and Doug took the lead with our second task on the House of Grace, sanding several rough doors to prepare them to be installed. The porch was an ideal place to do this work, since it was both shaded and open to the breezes coming in from the lagoon.

Thirdly, Doug spent part of an afternoon cutting some plywood sheets and installing them as flooring in the attic. This was not a major task, but it did cross one more item off the list.

Finally, Peggy took advantage of the same shade and breezes on the porch of the house for her art studio when she created the painting that was hung outside the preschool classroom.

Back Home and Catching Up: Seeing Our High School Students

Blogging while we were in Belize was a challenge, since it involves simultaneous access to the time, a computer, the Blogger interface, and photos that may have been taken by anyone on the team. So we're catching up with a few additional posts from home.

This post involves something we especially enjoy doing each year: visiting with "our" students, the Holy Cross graduates whom we have supported through high school and beyond. We already introduced you to Leticia, our current St. Luke's high school student, in the post from February 6 / Day 4. But Leticia is just one of six Holy Cross graduates with ties to St. Luke's.

Isolene

Jan formally sponsored Isolene through high school, and helped her through university after that. We didn't get a chance to see Isolene on this trip, because she has graduated from the University of Belize and taken a job in ... Richmond, VA! Now that we're back, Jan is working to arrange for Isolene to come to Durham on Amtrak. So some weekend before too long we should have a chance to welcome Isolene to St. Luke's in person.

Arianie

Bob and his wife Mary Jane were Arianie's formal sponsors through high school. With other folks from St. Luke's, they continue to support her as she studies at the University of Belize, Belmopan. Arianie came out to Ambergris Caye for the weekend to see us. Together with her brother Nathaniel (currently in his second year of high school on the island), Arianie spent parts of three days catching us up on her progress at the university. She is in the second semester of a four-year program that leads to a nursing degree. After she completes that program, she will decide on her best option for going further in the medical field.

Ashanti

Ashanti's formal sponsors were two families from previous St. Luke's teams, the Atwells and Chapmans. Our recent visits with Ashanti have expanded to include a medical side as well, since Dr. Jim keeps up with some health issues for Ashanti's baby Melanie. Everyone on our team was taken with Melanie as she visited with Jim.

Valdimir

Valdimir was the first Holy Cross graduate sponsored through high school by St. Luke's itself. We tried for most of our week on Ambergris Caye to connect with him, but we never succeeded. After we got back to Durham, however, Jan was able to contact him electronically and determine that he is doing well. We'll try for an in-person meetup with Valdimir again next year.

Kevin

Kevin was also sponsored by St. Luke's, using donations that we raise each December at the Alternative Gift Fair. After graduating from high school last June, Kevin has been working at a water and soft drink bottling plant on Ambergris Caye. We were all struck by the obvious effect on his physique of lifting all of those heavy water bottles. In addition to full-time work during the day, Kevin is also enrolled in a program of evening classes at the high school leading to a junior college degree. He's not quite sure what he wants to do once he finishes that program - but starting his own business is one of the options he's considering.

Grace Happens Here

The title, Grace Happens Here, was purposefully chosen because it reflects so well what I encountered on Ambergris Caye.  The white sand beaches and sea breezes in San Pedro remind me to breathe in the abundant grace and beauty of the island.  Yet what has made being here so profound was discovered amid the third world poverty of San Mateo.  Unexpected lessons about life and love awaited me at Holy Cross Anglican School, in the homes of its surrounding neighborhood, and through my work beside some extraordinary people with the St. Luke's, Durham team.  I was fortunate to spend much of the week assisting Dr. Jim Short and Dr. Kim Shackelford, including going into the community as they made "house calls." Witnessing Dr. Jim's incomparable empathetic medical skills and Kim's gentle insightful social work was a complete privilege.

At one home we encountered Gasper, a young twenty-something man tethered by medical restraints that keep him all but housebound.  A vibrant spirit, he spends much of his time honing his artistic talent.  Following a peace-filled time at his family home, as we prepared to leave, he insisted that Kim and I accept a couple of his drawings.  Responding to his offerings, I wanted to pay him.  Gasper explained to me that if he were to accept money, the art would no longer be a gift, a gift from his heart. Grace happened as the shades lifted from my eyes.

As I pack to fly home in the morning, I am sad to be leaving.  I will dearly miss being with the good folks from the St. Luke's team who have openly shared themselves, and who have become dear to me.  I believe that my Ambergris Caye week has left me with a deeper understanding of God's love for all of us.  The good people of San Mateo, people with so little a share of what the world has to offer, live lives full of hope, faith, and love.  Grace happens on such fertile ground!

Mary Cerrato
February 9, 2020

February 6: The Bishop visits Holy Cross

Thursday was a very special day at Holy Cross, as the Right Reverend Philip Wright, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Belize, visited the school for the entire day.

The day began with Bishop Wright leading an abbreviated Morning Prayer service for the entire school in the palapa. Prior to the service, the students carried approximately 500 chairs and desks outside to the palapa; and after the service they carried them right back to their classrooms. The whole process was surprisingly efficient.

In the service, the Bishop asked the students to reflect on specific ways they could make their light shine in the world. Even the youngest students accepted the Bishop's invitation to come to the microphone and share their reflections. He finally had to cut off the sharing part of the service with many volunteers' hands still raised.

After the service, the Bishop went around to every classroom in the school, sharing time with the students and blessing each classroom with holy water. 

Our St. Luke's team shared lunch with the Bishop and his party, getting to talk with them in a less formal setting. Jim grabbed the opportunity to get a photo with the Bishop.

The Bishop concluded his day meeting with the school faculty and sharing dinner with the Holy Cross Education Foundation Board. Our team was very fortunate to have the chance to meet Bishop Wright and to see his deep commitment to Holy Cross.

First Impressions

Although having lived in the tropics some 40 years ago, I had forgotten the humidity and what it does to the body!

The school was welcoming and one never had to worry if you were wanted and needed.
The buildings were somewhat connected and a map was needed to find one's way around.
The staff was appreciative of any and all help given. Rooms were brightly decorated and students and staff were proud to be a part of the Holy Cross Anglican School.
The cafeteria ladies offered a variety of delicious foods and a plentiful supply of water. The best part of the trip was the fellowship among our team.

Janet, Trinity Episcopal Church, Mt. Airy

February 6, Day 4: Two Traditional Activities

There are two activities that our teams do every year at Holy Cross: touching base with the Holy Cross graduates we've supported through high school, and adding new team members' names to our wall in the cafeteria. Walking around the school, it's easy to spot 25 or 30 of these murals noting mission trips to Holy Cross from congregations in many states and countries.

Our current St. Luke's student Leticia - a freshman at San Pedro High School - came by Holy Cross to drop off her report card and to see our team. The report card is outstanding: a legitimate GPA of 3.78, with no Honors, AP, etc. classes to contribute numbers greater than 4. Leticia herself has grown and matured so much in the 12 months since we last saw her: in height alone (based on our height and weight data from last year) she has grown more than 2 inches. St. Luke's will be supporting Leticia for three more years in high school.

We have also made arrangements to visit with our previous St. Luke's student Kevin. After four years of support from St. Luke's, Kevin graduated from San Pedro High School last June. We heard that he is working a fulltime job during the day, while also taking night classes as the high school working towards something roughly equivalent to a junior college degree.

Our other activity is adding new names to our wall display. Since other congregations send members to Holy Cross as part of our teams, our display shows St. Luke's in the center and the other congregations alongside it. 

Janet added her name to the list for Trinity Episcopal Church in Mt. Airy, doubling the length of the list. This is the third year that WendyT has joined us from Mt. Airy.

While Doug had been to Holy Cross on an earlier St. Luke's trip, it was before we started recording team members' names on the wall. So he added his name this year.

As a true first-timer, Mary added her name to the wall as well.

February 5, Day 3: More Activities

Most of these activities started yesterday, but we're just catching up with the photos.

Peggy is taking advantage of the space on the porch at the House of Grace to work on a new mural she's painting for the preschool. Between Monday morning and Wednesday, the mural is almost finished.

On Wednesday, Mary joined WendyT and Janet in the literacy center.

Also on Wednesday, it was Nancy's turn to teach the math lesson, this one on simple interest.

Peggy and Wendy continued working with one Standard 6 class on their music.

Janet and WendyT presented a gift from their church - Trinity Episcopal in Mt. Airy - to a Standard 2 class at Holy Cross. The gift is enough copies of the book Charlotte's Web for the entire class to read together. The presentation was just yesterday, and the class is already reading the book!

February 4, Day 2: LOTS of Different Things to Work On

We got an early start on several activities on Monday, but Tuesday was our day to fan out across the school and get to work. Among the 12 of us, we covered a surprising number of jobs.

Doug started on a big project in the new priest's house on the campus, the House of Grace. Doug had to call on his construction skill and stamina, but the shower looks great even now. It will be fabulous by the end of the week.

Doug wasn't the only one working on the House of Grace. Here's Wendy, sanding a door out on the porch.

Don and Jeannine took the lead with heights and weights this year. The St. Luke's team has recorded these for all students in the school for about 10 years. The data is useful for tracking the growth of individual students, as well as for capturing trends across the entire population.

Peggy played and sang for the preschoolers. She has also been working with the oldest kids, Standard 6, on some songs that they will sing at their graduation in June.

Bob made a presentation to Ms. Tasher, the principal, of handmade crosses created by St. Luker Mark Karengin. A cross will be presented to each Holy Cross graduate as a part of their graduation ceremony.

Dr. Jim opened his usual "office" for students (and teachers) requesting an appointment. Wendy played the vital role of walking students to and from their classrooms. Mary has played this role through the week as well.

Bob (photo above) and Nancy (photo below) worked with the Standard 6 students as they prepared for the math portion of their PSE exam. These photos show a lesson involving business math: cost, selling price, profit, percent profit, etc.

"Total selling price equals total cost plus profit, so profit equals total selling price minus cost."

WendyT (photo above) and Janet (photo below) worked in the literacy center, helping students one-on-one with a structured program to improve their reading.

Where's Jan? She was the one behind the camera taking all of these photos illustrating what the rest of us were doing.

February 3: Day 1, Part 1, Delivering our Donations

After getting down to Belize and over to Ambergris Caye, we spent the weekend boating, snorkeling, swimming, eating, and watching the Super Bowl. Then it was Monday morning, time to start our work at Holy Cross.

Our first task was unpacking and sorting the nine suitcases we had collected for the school. First, we packed them at St. Luke's, ...

then we got them down to Belize with us (including the last hop on a small plane flown by Tropic Air),  ...

then we unpacked them in the school's computer lab.

Bob, Mary, Peggy, Jan, Nancy, Janet, WendyC, and two others carried an extra suitcase filled with donations down from RDU. The donations came from many sources: St. Lukers, parents at Peggy's school in Raleigh, Trinity Episcopal Church in Mt. Airy (home church for Janet and WendyT), and some individual donors. Thanks to all, with an extra thanks to Southwest Airlines and their Bags Fly Free policy, which makes the whole thing possible.

There's lots more to come related to our work at the school - but that's another post.