Day 2

Hello from the rainy jungle! This is not actually Day 2, but it is Day 2 of our work at Tumul K'in.



We have had gentle rain on and off all day. Taking an outdoor shower while it is raining outside, is a new experience to add to the list now. The plants and birds definitely love this weather. The jungle is as green as can be and the birds are singing back and forth to each other quite loudly. Life in southern Belize is full of adventure.




Our very own St. Anne's Journalism Team spent time today conducting interviews with students and teachers at Tumul K'in as a continuation of the video project we began at Somerset School. It was a wonderful experience. The students at Tumul K'in are clearly passionate about studying their Maya culture and traditions. They are equally passionate about their future, as Maya people in the 21st century. The teachers and leaders at Tumul K'in have true vision, and hold every hope for Tumul K'in students. It is very exciting to watch this project come together!



Our work on the radio station is progressing very quickly. Yesterday was a wonderful example of a cultural exchange in terms of getting the job done. The task was daunting: how to get a cement mixer up a very steeply graded 1/4 mile gravel and sand road without a truck to pull it. While we stood around talking about the possibilities, a group of teenaged boys, students at Tumul K'in, placed large tree branches under the mixer so the branch stuck out on either side, and then lifted the branches to their shoulders and hauled the mixer up the road themselves. A group of our men joined them for the last 10 yards, just to say they had done it. :)

The rest of the afternoon was spent mixing cement and pouring footings for the base of the radio tower. One wheelbarrel of cement at a time, but put a group of St. Annians and a group of Tumul K'in leaders, students, and teachers together and anything is possible! It is so exciting to watch this project come together.










Meanwhile, back at the ranch, (or down in the open-air dining hall and meeting center), another group of us worked with the director of Tumul K'in on a public relations and communication project for the school. We cut and painted large wooden arrows naming different school buildings and areas, which will be staked on a wooden sign post at the school entrance. The signs read "Office", "Girl's Dorm", "Boy's Dorm", "Library", "Radio Station", etc. They are painted in traditional Maya colors - red, green, yellow, and black - and they add a lot to the school entrance.

We also made a sign that reads "St. Anne's, Minnesota" and points....north. :)
















It is difficult to convey in writing the experience of being here. It is difficult to convey the true need here. Difficult to convey how good it feels to give and to receive, here. Difficult to convey the gratitude that we feel from our friends in Belize, and the gratitude we feel toward our friends in Belize, for the true relationships that are continuing to develop and grow. We will post photos when we can, and of course will share stories (maybe more than you want to hear!) when we return. For now, we can only say that we live in a beautiful world, and it is an honor to be able to be a bridge between our corner of Minnesota and this corner of Belize - two particularly beautiful parts of it.

With love from southern Belize.

p.s. We are covered with bug bites!!

First Days

Greetings from southern Belize! We left the Twin Cities early in the morning and arrived safely in Belize early Saturday afternoon. We were greeted at the Belize Airport in Belize City first by a traditional Garifuna band playing live music as we retrieved our luggage, and then by our friend and guide Bruno, of Sun Creek Lodge. It was wonderful to see the sights, hear the sounds, and smell the smells of Belize again. Belize definitely welcomes visitors with open arms.

We loaded luggage and got settled in the trusty Sun Creek Lodge bus, and we headed out right away for the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center in Belize City. The Dorothy Menzies Center is a public home for neglected and abused children in Belize. The center is a badly needed safe home for 70 children, from infants to early teenagers. The Dorothy Menzies staff tirelessly provide loving care to the children under its roof.

Unfortunately, the center is badly overcrowded. While it was built to accommodate 12 children, there are currently 70 children living there. Beds, bedding, clothing, bathing capabilities, toilet capabilities, and food are all in short supply. The children are in desperate need of basic living supplies - and in desperate need of attention and affection. St. Anne's, the West St. Paul Rotary, and the Belize Rotary have been working in partnership to bring some funding and support to the Dorothy Menzies Center and this visit confirmed for us that this is a very important project.

After leaving the Dorothy Menzies Center we found ourselves at an almost familiar site - St. Ann's Episcopal Church....in Belmopan, the capitol of Belize. It is a large, open, church, with beautiful grounds. A true sister congregation!

On Sunday we worshiped at St. Joseph's Anglican Church in Punta Gorda. The congregation is small, and is led by lay ministry. As with previous visits, Lydia received permission from the Bishop of Belize to celebrate Eucharist there, which was very nice.

We were able to spend some time yesterday exploring the Blue Creek Cave area near Blue Creek. Cave swimming up waterfalls with headlamps - what a magical experience! The natural beauty of this country continues to fill us with awe and amazement.

Today (Monday, January 30) we are at Tumul K'in Center of Learning, the Maya school near Blue Creek Village, where we have been working in partnership with school directors and community leaders to build a transmitter to increase public availability to the Maya language public radio station. We are also assisting on projects around the school - painting signs, doing small repair work, etc. The students and teachers are warm and welcoming. It is good to be here!

Internet is not always easy to find and we do not always have electricity, but we will continue to update when we can.

Sending love from the jungle!

What do you love about your school?

We asked students, teachers and principal at Somerset School in Mendota Heights, MN, what they love about their school, the challenges and their vision for the future. Watch the video. We will be doing a matching video at the school in Blue Creek Village in southern Belize.

http://gallery.me.com/mlbrown45/100334

Getting Ready to Go

The Belize Mission Team from St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Sunfish Lake, MN is making final preparations for their departure to Blue Creek Village in southern Belize to build a Mayan language radio station building. Once the new building is completed, the radio station will be able to transmit to the entire Toledo district which includes all 48 Mayan villages and Punta Gorda, the largest town in Toledo. This will create opportunities to involve new partners and advertising for the radio station which is housed at the Tumul K'in Center of Learning.

Fifteen members and affiliates of St. Anne's will be going to Belize in 2012, the fourth such trip from St. Anne's. Leaders Lydia and Mark Brown are hopeful that our work will help the Maya accomplish their goals, but more importantly that we will make new friendships, build new alliances and work together for justice in southern Belize.

Please follow along on our journey that begins Saturday, January 28 and ends on Monday, Feb 6.