With fall upon us, and Christmas just around the corner, we think this is the perfect opportunity to hold a Thirty-One products fundraiser to benefit next summer's Camp Creative. Thirty-One is a great resource for bags in all shapes & sizes, for men, women, and kids, and the best part, they can all be personalized! 20% of the sales go directly to Camp Creative. Here's the link for our online fundraiser (the fundraiser ends October 23):
www.mythirtyone.com/651239/shop/Party/EventDetail/8637391
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
What's My Intention?
It's not what I intended, really it wasn't. Getting wrapped up (actually strangled might be a better word) in life's busyness, barely stopping to catch my breath for the past 3 months, was truly not my intention. Yet here it is, 3 months since we've returned from our trip to Punta Gorda, Belize to bring Camp Creative to the kids, and I've barely taken the time to stop and reflect, let alone compose a response to my experience. While it's no surprise there--I've barely managed to blog on my reflections from any of my times working on Camp Creative (this is the camp's 4th year running)--it doesn't mean that I haven't had some of the best of intentions. Unfortunately, there is a big difference between intentional thinking and intentional living.
We started this art camp in 2012, just weeks before we moved back home to the States. This year was the third time I was able to help run the camp (in person). In a seemingly divine set of circumstances, my husband was able at the last minute to return with me to work and serve as well. Being there together, working as a team, was a very fresh reminder of life back in Belize when we shared that experience as a family full time. It was also a very fresh reminder of the one thing that seemed to be missing from our lives not long after we moved back to the U.S.--intentional living. Where did it go? How could I have possibly let that get away? Was it forgotten about? What I'm doing now is intentional living isn't it? Well, yes and no.
Recently, I was piddling around on the internet and out of curiosity decided to google my name. One of the first things I found was an online article written in October of 2012 (2 months after we moved from Belize) about our experience there. This quote jumped out at me, “Being removed from it [American culture] we saw a lot of changes and ways we lived differently that we want to hold onto, but have learned that it takes a lot more intentional living than maybe we were anticipating,” she said. “You have to decide to do things differently.” That 'she' was me. I said that.
The entire time I was serving in Belize this summer it was as if I could hear God telling me, "get off the hamster wheel, stop spinning your wheels with hardly a destination or purpose." When he means purpose, I don't think he just means the great big grand scheme of things, cause frankly, I think I do a decent job with that stuff already. It's the day to day, moment by moment even, experiences that he's asking to be lived with a purpose.
As much as I hate to admit it, it didn't take all that long after my family's return from Belize in 2012 to find ourselves back on that hamster wheel, spinning around and around forgetting to live each day with purpose. Going with the flow, getting caught up in the dailies of life, is just so darn easy sometimes. As I said in that article, I have to decide to do things differently because it's not just going to happen on its own.
I have a few friends of different backgrounds and faiths that I see doing this--that have a focus and a belief that guides virtually everything about their lives. That's what I want for myself. As a Christian, I feel that my purpose is to love God by loving and serving others. That doesn't just happen on it's own, I have to work to make it happen. Intentional living can only be successful when we try to weave it into all aspects of our life. I know it's possible to live counter culturally--and believe me, living intentionally is counter culture. I just have to resolve to wake up each day and do it myself. And when I falter, resolve to wake up the next day and try to do it all over again. Whenever I find that I'm doing that, sometimes the effort is hard, but the reward is always so great. I feel a greater peace, I have a lot less regrets, and I can some times even see the fruits of my labor (though that is never my reason for living purposefully).
If you're taking the time to read this, it's probably safe to assume that you yourself have great intentions. Now, I'd like to challenge us all to take it up a notch, to really live with purpose, all the time. Give that friend a call that has been feeling depressed. Take a son out to lunch to share some time together. Bring dinner or cookies to the elderly neighbor 2 houses down. Smile at the grumpy guy in the office across the hall. Most importantly, get rid of some 'time suckers' that are not rewarding or fulfilling--we don't need to be running all. the. time. just because it seems like a good idea.
I'm not suggesting that we all go out and try to save the world, or even necessarily that we all head to another country to serve the poor--although that seemed to be what I needed to kick myself into gear. I'm just suggesting that we all put a real effort into our day to day lives. Mother Teresa said "not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love." Let's put great love into what we do and see how the small things make this a better place to live.
Living with intention takes effort, it takes time, but imagine how much better our lives would be, our communities would be, if we would just take the time to do that. Let's stop doing what's in front of us, and start doing what we were truly created for--our purpose.
Peace,
Julie
We started this art camp in 2012, just weeks before we moved back home to the States. This year was the third time I was able to help run the camp (in person). In a seemingly divine set of circumstances, my husband was able at the last minute to return with me to work and serve as well. Being there together, working as a team, was a very fresh reminder of life back in Belize when we shared that experience as a family full time. It was also a very fresh reminder of the one thing that seemed to be missing from our lives not long after we moved back to the U.S.--intentional living. Where did it go? How could I have possibly let that get away? Was it forgotten about? What I'm doing now is intentional living isn't it? Well, yes and no.
Recently, I was piddling around on the internet and out of curiosity decided to google my name. One of the first things I found was an online article written in October of 2012 (2 months after we moved from Belize) about our experience there. This quote jumped out at me, “Being removed from it [American culture] we saw a lot of changes and ways we lived differently that we want to hold onto, but have learned that it takes a lot more intentional living than maybe we were anticipating,” she said. “You have to decide to do things differently.” That 'she' was me. I said that.
The entire time I was serving in Belize this summer it was as if I could hear God telling me, "get off the hamster wheel, stop spinning your wheels with hardly a destination or purpose." When he means purpose, I don't think he just means the great big grand scheme of things, cause frankly, I think I do a decent job with that stuff already. It's the day to day, moment by moment even, experiences that he's asking to be lived with a purpose.
As much as I hate to admit it, it didn't take all that long after my family's return from Belize in 2012 to find ourselves back on that hamster wheel, spinning around and around forgetting to live each day with purpose. Going with the flow, getting caught up in the dailies of life, is just so darn easy sometimes. As I said in that article, I have to decide to do things differently because it's not just going to happen on its own.
I have a few friends of different backgrounds and faiths that I see doing this--that have a focus and a belief that guides virtually everything about their lives. That's what I want for myself. As a Christian, I feel that my purpose is to love God by loving and serving others. That doesn't just happen on it's own, I have to work to make it happen. Intentional living can only be successful when we try to weave it into all aspects of our life. I know it's possible to live counter culturally--and believe me, living intentionally is counter culture. I just have to resolve to wake up each day and do it myself. And when I falter, resolve to wake up the next day and try to do it all over again. Whenever I find that I'm doing that, sometimes the effort is hard, but the reward is always so great. I feel a greater peace, I have a lot less regrets, and I can some times even see the fruits of my labor (though that is never my reason for living purposefully).
If you're taking the time to read this, it's probably safe to assume that you yourself have great intentions. Now, I'd like to challenge us all to take it up a notch, to really live with purpose, all the time. Give that friend a call that has been feeling depressed. Take a son out to lunch to share some time together. Bring dinner or cookies to the elderly neighbor 2 houses down. Smile at the grumpy guy in the office across the hall. Most importantly, get rid of some 'time suckers' that are not rewarding or fulfilling--we don't need to be running all. the. time. just because it seems like a good idea.
I'm not suggesting that we all go out and try to save the world, or even necessarily that we all head to another country to serve the poor--although that seemed to be what I needed to kick myself into gear. I'm just suggesting that we all put a real effort into our day to day lives. Mother Teresa said "not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love." Let's put great love into what we do and see how the small things make this a better place to live.
Living with intention takes effort, it takes time, but imagine how much better our lives would be, our communities would be, if we would just take the time to do that. Let's stop doing what's in front of us, and start doing what we were truly created for--our purpose.
Peace,
Julie
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Recap of Camp Creative 2015 part 2
Recap, recap, anyone, Bueller? Crickets.
Well, life has slowed down a tiny bit and I'm finally getting some time to finish up the recap of Camp Creative. I imagine you've already ready about some of the things we did through Wednesday so I just briefly wanted to let you know how we finished things up at camp.
Thursday
Thursday was our music day. The team from Baylor had several projects designed to bring out the "musician" in each camper. The younger kids began by making several musical instruments. They made harmonicas from popsicle sticks, kazoos with our leftover toilet paper tubes, and shakers with paper plates.
When possible, we try to purchase supplies for the art projects in country and the beans for the paper plate shakers were no exception. Unfortunately, what the Baylor team had to learn the hard way, was that beans purchased at the local (Chinese run) grocery stores, known as the chiney, do not carry very fresh beans. By the time we went to work with them on Thursday, the supply of beans were full of bugs! Good thing were weren't trying to cook with them. For the most part, we just roll with the punches and we used the beans anyway. That's what going with the flow is all about. :-)
After the campers finished their instruments, it was time to test them out. The service group did a great job with leading the kids in song and even in a story of the 3 Little Geckos and the Big Bad Jaguar (a version of the 3 Little Pigs). These were some great opportunities for the kids to get out a little bit of energy too. Since the musical instruments were some simpler projects, the kids had extra time at the end of the morning to get out the paintbrushes again and work on their inner Picasso. Painting is almost always a favorite activity of our campers.
The older campers got to use this day to work on some projects suited for them. They used toilet paper rolls & pipe cleaners to design their own insects. They also got to work with scratching tools to make designs on crosses and their very favorite--God's eyes--made with yarn and popsicle sticks. Year after year, the older kids love working with yarn. Once they got the hang of it, several of them enjoyed making multiple God's eyes.
Friday
The last day! It's always bittersweet when we get to the last day of camp. We're usually pretty worn out by then but knowing we've come to the end of an extremely successful week is really what brings me joy--and making it to Friday is safe to assume it's been a success. Things ran pretty smoothly on Friday. The youngest campers started off making sea turtles with egg cartons as shells. Then they moved on to paper plate masks. The older campers got to work on soda tab bracelets again this year. Making the bracelets usually takes the kids a little bit to get a the hang of it but once they do, it becomes a great opportunity to work together. The kids show each other how to make them until everyone knows what they're doing.
We spend a lot of time on Friday finishing up with things. We make sure each group has a selected 'artist of the day' and 'best behaved camper' who then get a certificate and first pick from the Prize Pile. After that, we make sure every camper gets a turn to pick from the prizes. This year book bags and plastic tiaras were the hot items to get, followed closely in second by Spiderman & My Little Pony Happy meal prizes. I like to collect flip flops every year and include those in the prizes. It may have taken me until this year to fully realize that, while flip flops are extremely useful and necessary, they're sort of like a kid getting underwear for Christmas; not exactly the most desired prize to take home. Needless to say, of the 50 pairs brought down, every pair found a home.
The highlight of the last day for everyone (for many, the highlight of the week) was snack. Each camper got an ice cream cone! We did this last year too and in the days leading up to Friday, we had many kids asking if we were going to have ice cream again this year. It really seemed like a nice way to wrap things up.
Having the team from Baylor down to help this time, along with Andy, really helped to free me up for other business tasks. This year, we were able to do something we've never been able to do before. At the end of camp on Friday, we were able to debrief with our volunteer teachers and my camp co-coordinator, Faye. This seems like commonsense but we've just never been able to do this in the past--there's always been too much work to do just to clean up and clear out on the last day. Getting feedback from the teachers was amazing because they are the ones who work more closely with the campers than myself. We gained so much insight from them and moving forward, I am confident that we have some plans and tools in place to really make Camp Creative become even better.
As camp wraps up, the leftover supplies get divided up among the volunteer teachers who in turn can use those supplies & project ideas in their classroom the next school year. This is an important element in our goals for Camp Creative--to help keep the arts going throughout the year & to enable others to benefit their community.
This year we also collaborated with the Baylor team over lunch at camp's end. We got a lot of wonderful feedback from them too. They really were instrumental this year in making camp such a tremendous success. They helped with so much of the planning, the supply gathering and the work. They came in with a shared vision of what this experience should be for the service team and more importantly, the camp as a whole and we are forever grateful for the ways in which they helped to transform Camp Creative to be even more successful.
The highlight of the week for me was when we went to dinner that night with some missionary friends and I saw a camper of ours adorned in her homemade beaded necklace and flip flops that she got at camp this week--I'd call that a success.
That's it for camp!
We're already gearing up for next year and we look forward to working with the teachers and, especially the children, in Belize again.
Well, life has slowed down a tiny bit and I'm finally getting some time to finish up the recap of Camp Creative. I imagine you've already ready about some of the things we did through Wednesday so I just briefly wanted to let you know how we finished things up at camp.
Thursday
Thursday was our music day. The team from Baylor had several projects designed to bring out the "musician" in each camper. The younger kids began by making several musical instruments. They made harmonicas from popsicle sticks, kazoos with our leftover toilet paper tubes, and shakers with paper plates.
When possible, we try to purchase supplies for the art projects in country and the beans for the paper plate shakers were no exception. Unfortunately, what the Baylor team had to learn the hard way, was that beans purchased at the local (Chinese run) grocery stores, known as the chiney, do not carry very fresh beans. By the time we went to work with them on Thursday, the supply of beans were full of bugs! Good thing were weren't trying to cook with them. For the most part, we just roll with the punches and we used the beans anyway. That's what going with the flow is all about. :-)
After the campers finished their instruments, it was time to test them out. The service group did a great job with leading the kids in song and even in a story of the 3 Little Geckos and the Big Bad Jaguar (a version of the 3 Little Pigs). These were some great opportunities for the kids to get out a little bit of energy too. Since the musical instruments were some simpler projects, the kids had extra time at the end of the morning to get out the paintbrushes again and work on their inner Picasso. Painting is almost always a favorite activity of our campers.
The older campers got to use this day to work on some projects suited for them. They used toilet paper rolls & pipe cleaners to design their own insects. They also got to work with scratching tools to make designs on crosses and their very favorite--God's eyes--made with yarn and popsicle sticks. Year after year, the older kids love working with yarn. Once they got the hang of it, several of them enjoyed making multiple God's eyes.
Friday
The last day! It's always bittersweet when we get to the last day of camp. We're usually pretty worn out by then but knowing we've come to the end of an extremely successful week is really what brings me joy--and making it to Friday is safe to assume it's been a success. Things ran pretty smoothly on Friday. The youngest campers started off making sea turtles with egg cartons as shells. Then they moved on to paper plate masks. The older campers got to work on soda tab bracelets again this year. Making the bracelets usually takes the kids a little bit to get a the hang of it but once they do, it becomes a great opportunity to work together. The kids show each other how to make them until everyone knows what they're doing.
We spend a lot of time on Friday finishing up with things. We make sure each group has a selected 'artist of the day' and 'best behaved camper' who then get a certificate and first pick from the Prize Pile. After that, we make sure every camper gets a turn to pick from the prizes. This year book bags and plastic tiaras were the hot items to get, followed closely in second by Spiderman & My Little Pony Happy meal prizes. I like to collect flip flops every year and include those in the prizes. It may have taken me until this year to fully realize that, while flip flops are extremely useful and necessary, they're sort of like a kid getting underwear for Christmas; not exactly the most desired prize to take home. Needless to say, of the 50 pairs brought down, every pair found a home.
The highlight of the last day for everyone (for many, the highlight of the week) was snack. Each camper got an ice cream cone! We did this last year too and in the days leading up to Friday, we had many kids asking if we were going to have ice cream again this year. It really seemed like a nice way to wrap things up.
Having the team from Baylor down to help this time, along with Andy, really helped to free me up for other business tasks. This year, we were able to do something we've never been able to do before. At the end of camp on Friday, we were able to debrief with our volunteer teachers and my camp co-coordinator, Faye. This seems like commonsense but we've just never been able to do this in the past--there's always been too much work to do just to clean up and clear out on the last day. Getting feedback from the teachers was amazing because they are the ones who work more closely with the campers than myself. We gained so much insight from them and moving forward, I am confident that we have some plans and tools in place to really make Camp Creative become even better.
As camp wraps up, the leftover supplies get divided up among the volunteer teachers who in turn can use those supplies & project ideas in their classroom the next school year. This is an important element in our goals for Camp Creative--to help keep the arts going throughout the year & to enable others to benefit their community.
This year we also collaborated with the Baylor team over lunch at camp's end. We got a lot of wonderful feedback from them too. They really were instrumental this year in making camp such a tremendous success. They helped with so much of the planning, the supply gathering and the work. They came in with a shared vision of what this experience should be for the service team and more importantly, the camp as a whole and we are forever grateful for the ways in which they helped to transform Camp Creative to be even more successful.
The highlight of the week for me was when we went to dinner that night with some missionary friends and I saw a camper of ours adorned in her homemade beaded necklace and flip flops that she got at camp this week--I'd call that a success.
That's it for camp!
We're already gearing up for next year and we look forward to working with the teachers and, especially the children, in Belize again.
Monday, August 3, 2015
Recap of Camp Creative 2015 part 1
Hello all!
We're back from Belize after an
extremely successful week of camp. Some of you may have kept up with
us on our facebook page, which is great. We thought we'd use this
space to give a slightly more detailed recap of our week in service,
along with more photos, including some we did not have the space to
post on our facebook mission page. So, if you want to know what we
did all week, read on.
Saturday-Sunday
After a lengthy 17 hours of travel to
the airport in St. Louis, a layover in Houston, a ride to the bus
station in Belize City, and a bus down to Punta Gorda, I (Julie)
arrived at 9 pm on Saturday night ready for, well, bed. Bright &
early the next morning, at 7:30 am, I attended mass at our old parish
which was a great way to feel 'home' again. 7:30 am is the only
service offered on Sunday mornings as the local priest has to then
travel to say mass at 3 other churches in villages throughout the
district. (Those villages are only able to have a full mass once
every 6 weeks and each is on a scheduled rotation.) After visiting
with the priest and some church members, I had the rest of the day to
prepare for camp. I met in the afternoon with my in-country
co-director, Faye (aka Teacher Faye), to go over logistics for the
week and to review our registration, which was currently at 63
students. For dinner I had my first meeting with the group from
Baylor University. We were able to get to know each other a bit
better, talk about logistics, and prepare ourselves to be working
together for the rest of the week. This was very exciting. We
finished up dinner and then I headed over to meet Andy at the bus
stop, as he had been traveling all day Sunday. It was at this time I
learned that he didn't have the privilege of taking the express bus
because they do not run on Sundays. Instead, he had to travel almost
an hour longer (for 5 ½ hrs total) on an overcrowded school bus with
no a/c, and windows that didn't close properly when it rained. It
was at this point, that I became very thankful I had traveled on
Saturday's express bus, in the comfort of a/c—it can get hot with
60+ people crammed on to 1 bus.
Monday
We started off the week with a 3 project rotation which gave the kids
an opportunity to work in groups to make our awesome Camp Creative
sign, create name tags, and design their own drawstring day packs
which they could then use for every day. At the end of camp each day, the teachers select one camper from their group as Artist of the Day and one camper as Best Behaved. Those kids receive a certificate and get to pick from the prize pile--back packs, spiderman goggles, and princess tiaras were top choice for most campers.
We were also visited for the second year in a row by Love FM, a Belize national TV/radio station. They took pictures and interviewed people. It's good to spread the news about good programs and happenings in the country and they love what Camp Creative brings to the community.
In the afternoon, Andy stayed back to handle the business side of things. Faye, the Baylor group, and myself drove out to LOL
Children's Home to introduce our first ever mini Camp Creative to the
kids living there. I think we were a bit surprised by the number of teens living at the home but we worked the projects out to be enjoyable even for them. The kids took a bit to get going but once they did, they had some really incredible designs on their drawstring bags (to protect the identity of the children living at LOL, we are not allowed to show their faces in photos).
Tuesday
Today the Camp Creative sign the kids painted was all finished and dry. Andy found a ladder and managed to hang it high up on the front of the building so that it could be seen from the road. We also hung up a few photo collages of last year's camp and took group photos of each class this year in front of the sign. We get a lot of returnees and they all enjoyed getting to look at their pictures from last year. The kids made pencil holders out of salt dough that the Baylor group mixed up. They had fun making them but alas, salt dough does NOT dry in 95% humidity. They also mixed up plaster of paris and put together come fun mosaics & designs.
The low of today: learning that one of our campers had tried to climb the soccer goal post during break time and cut his hand down to the bone on a pin sticking out of the post--requiring 15 stitches (which is probably the equivalent to 30 stitches in the states). This weighed heavily on us, we felt so bad, but thankfully his mom wasn't angry with us and he was able to return to camp by Thursday. The high of today: I got to return to LOL Children's Home to teach cake decorating to the teens. One girl had learned some skills in a recent class at school and was eager to learn more--she helped Andy mix up the icing we were going to use for decorating. We used this opportunity to encourage her to help some of her peers as we began the instruction. The confidence & excitement in her was awesome to see. Despite having little knowledge of cake decorating, Andy was the perfect assistant and he helped to move things along smoothly. The kids LOVED learning to decorate cakes and even the boys decided to take a stab at it. I LOVED getting the opportunity to work with the kids. So much of what I do for Camp Creative is more behind the scenes and this was a real reward for me to be able to get back to working with kids.
Wednesday
By Wednesday we had 103 campers registered, the most ever to attend Camp Creative! It was at this point that I was reminded of how incredible it is to be working with the service group from Baylor and to have some great local teachers volunteering in the classrooms. Camp Creative could not have been so successful with 100+ campers without all of their amazing help and input. Wednesday turned out to be a hodge podge of activities. The younger kids beaded necklaces & bracelets while the older kids enjoyed making god's eyes. Both groups made sock puppets and raced paper airplanes. The Baylor group brought out some parachutes and the kids LOVED playing with those at break time.
In the afternoon Andy & I rode out to Big Falls village with the professor from Baylor who volunteers for TFABB (Teachers for a Better Belize). She and her daughter wanted to visit with some preschool teachers that she knows. As an added bonus the professor's daughter, who is 10 and on her first trip to Belize, got to meet her penpal, the daughter of one of the preschool teachers. It was great to see them connect. In case you were wondering, even 10 year olds can be a big help on service mission trips--she was working right alongside the college students. Andy & I got to reconnect with the preschool teacher, Cecily, and her husband George while we were there. Andy had worked with them at teacher workshops and got to get to know George when they traveled together to a conference in northern Belize. Our family had been to their farm a few times for dinner and visits when we lived there. Even though George was in the middle of chopping down overgrowth along his property line when we showed up, he didn't mind stopping to say hi and getting to reconnect. Within minutes we had plates of chips & dip, sodas, and beer offered to us and we stayed for probably a couple of hours.
It's the little things like this that made a big difference this time around. Last year, I was working long hours catching up on prep for the next day. This year, especially with Andy there too, we had a far greater opportunity to work on building relationships, making connections, and even to reflect--what a better experience it makes for.
In an effort to not drag on too long in one post (if you're even still reading this), we look forward to blogging again with a wrap up of the week. Thursday, Friday, and the rest of our trip were rewarding and exciting too.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Check out the Updates
Hey blog watchers,
We see that you are following us and checking in for updates. We've been using our Facebook page for more real time updates and daily postings of pictures and such. We've been so busy with everything here that it is really the quickest and easiest way to connect right now. Good news is that you don't have to be "on Facebook" to access this. We have it set up so that anyone can view it, even if you are not a Facebook user. Just click the link on the right of our blog or click this link.
https://www.facebook.com/kuhnertfamilymission
Thanks for all your interest and support. We plan to have some more formal blog posts/reflections in the future as well.
We see that you are following us and checking in for updates. We've been using our Facebook page for more real time updates and daily postings of pictures and such. We've been so busy with everything here that it is really the quickest and easiest way to connect right now. Good news is that you don't have to be "on Facebook" to access this. We have it set up so that anyone can view it, even if you are not a Facebook user. Just click the link on the right of our blog or click this link.
https://www.facebook.com/kuhnertfamilymission
Thanks for all your interest and support. We plan to have some more formal blog posts/reflections in the future as well.
Friday, June 26, 2015
So Many Questions
Well, here it is, in just 24 hours I will be landing in Belize City. After going through customs & paying a few duties for the supplies I brought in, I'll take a taxi over to the bus station where I'll wait 3 hours to catch the "express bus" to Punta Gorda (cause the regular bus is not air conditioned and is a longer, more miserable ride). After 16 hours of travel, I should arrive safely in Punta Gorda. As you can imagine, Saturday is my least favorite day of the trip.
I've done this trip solo once before and after living there, I feel pretty comfortable in Belize. However, there are naturally some anxieties that come with such a lengthy amount of travel.
But, there's a twist: several weeks ago when we found an extraordinary deal on airfare to Belize, God laid it on someone's heart to cover the cost of a plane ticket. Since my ticket had already been purchased, and the situation seemed to be right, we moved forward with purchasing airfare for my husband. Andy will have to travel a day after me and return a day sooner but beyond that, we felt this was a great opportunity for us and more importantly, for the work we do in Belize.
While I know this will be a good thing for our work, it also inevitably adds a new layer to the picture. 3 kids have to be delivered to 2 different camps while 2 kids need childcare for 10 days and all 5 need childcare at the beginning and the end of the trip (from 2 different family members). Oh and did I mention that currently 1 child is feeling ill?
There are so many things to worry about. Will my children be healthy, safe, and get where they need to go in my absence? I still have packing to finish, am I remembering the essentials, the things I must have that can't be purchased in country? Travelling to Belize and running a camp can be costly and we currently do not have enough cash in our bank account to cover all the costs of camp & travel. How are we going to pull this off? The more I ask these questions, the more anxious I feel.
The solution: stop asking questions!
It sounds crazy right? Of course it does but then I am reminded to trust. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov. 3: 5-6. A good friend of mine shared this with me last week and although I try to make this my life's mantra, I still needed to be reminded of it--often. There are a lot of times in my life that I've chosen the 'least desirable' path by doing not what I want to do, but what I feel called to do. Things may not have even turned out the way I'd hoped. Yet in spite of that, God has always worked out the details and goodness and peace have always come from it.
This situation is no different. I know that, I just have to remember to listen to that.
I like to think I'm getting better at that. I haven't asked those 'worry' questions nearly as much this time & (no shocker here) I feel a lot less anxious this time. One way or another, it will work out because I'm not in charge.
In the mean time, we would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers as our entire family makes sacrifices to have our work in Belize be a success this year.
We look forward to keeping you updated this week as time, and internet access, allow.
p.s. as a shameless plug--we are holding a Thirty One products online fundraiser. 20% of the sales will go towards making Camp Creative a success. Here's the link if you are interested but the fundraiser sale ends TODAY (6/26): www.mythirtyone.com/651239/shop/Party/EventDetail/8369176
I've done this trip solo once before and after living there, I feel pretty comfortable in Belize. However, there are naturally some anxieties that come with such a lengthy amount of travel.
But, there's a twist: several weeks ago when we found an extraordinary deal on airfare to Belize, God laid it on someone's heart to cover the cost of a plane ticket. Since my ticket had already been purchased, and the situation seemed to be right, we moved forward with purchasing airfare for my husband. Andy will have to travel a day after me and return a day sooner but beyond that, we felt this was a great opportunity for us and more importantly, for the work we do in Belize.
While I know this will be a good thing for our work, it also inevitably adds a new layer to the picture. 3 kids have to be delivered to 2 different camps while 2 kids need childcare for 10 days and all 5 need childcare at the beginning and the end of the trip (from 2 different family members). Oh and did I mention that currently 1 child is feeling ill?
There are so many things to worry about. Will my children be healthy, safe, and get where they need to go in my absence? I still have packing to finish, am I remembering the essentials, the things I must have that can't be purchased in country? Travelling to Belize and running a camp can be costly and we currently do not have enough cash in our bank account to cover all the costs of camp & travel. How are we going to pull this off? The more I ask these questions, the more anxious I feel.
The solution: stop asking questions!
It sounds crazy right? Of course it does but then I am reminded to trust. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Prov. 3: 5-6. A good friend of mine shared this with me last week and although I try to make this my life's mantra, I still needed to be reminded of it--often. There are a lot of times in my life that I've chosen the 'least desirable' path by doing not what I want to do, but what I feel called to do. Things may not have even turned out the way I'd hoped. Yet in spite of that, God has always worked out the details and goodness and peace have always come from it.
This situation is no different. I know that, I just have to remember to listen to that.
I like to think I'm getting better at that. I haven't asked those 'worry' questions nearly as much this time & (no shocker here) I feel a lot less anxious this time. One way or another, it will work out because I'm not in charge.
In the mean time, we would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers as our entire family makes sacrifices to have our work in Belize be a success this year.
We look forward to keeping you updated this week as time, and internet access, allow.
p.s. as a shameless plug--we are holding a Thirty One products online fundraiser. 20% of the sales will go towards making Camp Creative a success. Here's the link if you are interested but the fundraiser sale ends TODAY (6/26): www.mythirtyone.com/651239/shop/Party/EventDetail/8369176
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Back To Belize, Again.
While some of you have still been checking on our blog, we haven't exactly been active in our posts. Fail.
Anyway, we just wanted to give you a quick update (we'll post more later, we promise). I (Julie) am going back down to Belize this summer to direct Camp Creative. This year, a representative from one of the departments at Baylor University contacted me about bringing a service group down to work with us at Camp Creative. We could not be more happy to be working with this enthusiastic group. The best part about this, it allows us to expand and grow Camp Creative. This year, we will be able to bring a mini-camp opportunity to a local children's home, LOL Children's Home, that serves 35 kids, in addition to the kids we normally serve at our day camp. I've also been asked by the orphanage 'mom' to teach the girls a cake decorating class. I'm thrilled to give these girls an opportunity to teach them a craft that they can actually use in the future.
I am currently looking for cake decorating supplies, bags, tips, couplers, and icing gel color, to donate to the children's home. If you have any of those supplies or wish to purchase any to donate, we would be most grateful. This children's home operates on a tight budget and survives on their own donations so I'm really hoping we can bless them with these supplies.
While I plan to give more information, including ways you can help if you wish to, I wanted to let you know about an opportunity to come down to help. American Airlines is currently offering a sale on their airfare. St. Louis rountrip to Belize City is only $382! That is the cheapest price we've seen since they offered a sale 3 1/2 years ago when we lived there. If you feel called to help with kids and creativity, we would welcome your help at Camp Creative. The week of art camp will be June 29-July 3. I'll be heading down the Saturday before and staying several days afterwards for some much needed "down time." Those are the dates that I know are on sale but quite possibly, there is some flexibility on the dates at that price.
Think about it, pray about it, and if you feel called to come down, let us know. If you want to help in any other way, let us know that too.
We're currently exploring some fundraising options for us to help cover the cost of expenses for the camp, as well as travel down there for myself. We'll let you know where we get with that and post any opportunities on our blog.
Thanks and God bless.
Anyway, we just wanted to give you a quick update (we'll post more later, we promise). I (Julie) am going back down to Belize this summer to direct Camp Creative. This year, a representative from one of the departments at Baylor University contacted me about bringing a service group down to work with us at Camp Creative. We could not be more happy to be working with this enthusiastic group. The best part about this, it allows us to expand and grow Camp Creative. This year, we will be able to bring a mini-camp opportunity to a local children's home, LOL Children's Home, that serves 35 kids, in addition to the kids we normally serve at our day camp. I've also been asked by the orphanage 'mom' to teach the girls a cake decorating class. I'm thrilled to give these girls an opportunity to teach them a craft that they can actually use in the future.
I am currently looking for cake decorating supplies, bags, tips, couplers, and icing gel color, to donate to the children's home. If you have any of those supplies or wish to purchase any to donate, we would be most grateful. This children's home operates on a tight budget and survives on their own donations so I'm really hoping we can bless them with these supplies.
While I plan to give more information, including ways you can help if you wish to, I wanted to let you know about an opportunity to come down to help. American Airlines is currently offering a sale on their airfare. St. Louis rountrip to Belize City is only $382! That is the cheapest price we've seen since they offered a sale 3 1/2 years ago when we lived there. If you feel called to help with kids and creativity, we would welcome your help at Camp Creative. The week of art camp will be June 29-July 3. I'll be heading down the Saturday before and staying several days afterwards for some much needed "down time." Those are the dates that I know are on sale but quite possibly, there is some flexibility on the dates at that price.
Think about it, pray about it, and if you feel called to come down, let us know. If you want to help in any other way, let us know that too.
We're currently exploring some fundraising options for us to help cover the cost of expenses for the camp, as well as travel down there for myself. We'll let you know where we get with that and post any opportunities on our blog.
Thanks and God bless.
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