try dancing on this:
it's the end result of a grand jeté...and yes, i kept dancing on it...at least 12 grand jetés on that same foot over and over and over again...
at least we have proof that i'm landing on the center of my toes now!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
for everyone who thinks ballet is "easy"...
...or to those who mock those who dance...
try dancing on this:
it's the end result of a grand jeté...and yes, i kept dancing on it...at least 12 grand jetés on that same foot over and over and over again...
at least we have proof that i'm landing on the center of my toes now!
try dancing on this:
it's the end result of a grand jeté...and yes, i kept dancing on it...at least 12 grand jetés on that same foot over and over and over again...
at least we have proof that i'm landing on the center of my toes now!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Belize 2008 - best missions trip EVER! (for me, at least!)
Sorry it's taken me so long to post these, but Blogger has literally been fighting with me every step of the way! Anyway, the photos are FINALLY posted!
By the way, please be praying for the village of Gales Point. They just experienced some BAD flooding - probably the worst in a LONG time - and it really devastated the village.
Here are some photos and captions of the whole trip...for a good summary of what happened, check out Eileen's blog at www.thetruthministry.blogspot.com. Eileen also has flood photos and updates on her blog.
Anyway, here are the photos of our trip!
Upon arriving in Belize City, we were met by Gerhaldine, who took us to her house (where we stayed the first night). This is Gerhaldine and I putting together the gift baskets that we would give to the women who came to the conference in Gales Point.
We were assisted by her cute little girl, Allyson.
Eileen on "cellophane duty"...
Vera took us out to a nice dinner before the women's meeting at the Spanish church on Wednesday night, our first night there. Don't we look so cute under that Belizean flag?
We were expecting 10-20 people AT THE MOST...however, God had bigger plans...150 women showed up for that meeting! It was so amazing - and we had GREAT worship, too! How incredible!
I got to share part of my testimony (and introduce myself in Spanish - haha) before Eileen's teaching...don't ya love that dress? It's from Paul & Nikki's wedding...and it's probably the ONLY bridesmaid's dress i'll ever bring on a missions trip! :)
Eileen preached an AMAZING message, and in this photo, jumped up on a bench and started prophesying...all i can say is, "WOW"...
At the end, EVERYONE came to the front to pray and be prayed for...again, it was an incredible night!
Eileen with one of the young girls at the meeting...
That's the outside of the building that hosted our Spanish women's meeting...WHAT AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT!
Now you just really can't go wrong with a view like this! I shot this sunrise photo from Gerhaldine's front porch, which overlooks the Caribbean Sea...
What can I say? I love floral photography...and Gerhaldine has a BEAUTIFUL garden!
And how could you go wrong with her WONDERFUL cooking? (Those were the best black beans i've ever had...and Gerhaldine makes her own freshly-squeezed orange juice!)
One of Vera's Hibiscus flowers at her apartment in Belize City...
I got a butterfly in that one! sweet!
This would be our ride out to gales point...no AC, but we had windows!!! It's a miracle we didn't get any flat tires on the costal highway!
THIS is the costal highway...yeah...HIGHWAY...unpaved, and full of potholes and large rocks...it's a flat tire waiting to happen, but we didn't get one on either trip - out there or back!
Our first stop in Gales Point was at the school...you can apparently teach whatever you want in government-run schools in Belize, so in this classroom, they were teaching Jesus! :)
A few more kids at the school...
After leaving the school and driving through the village, we had to take a boat across the lagoon in order to get to the missions base. Mandy (one of the teachers at the school who lives at the base) came with us. (Note all of the dust-covered gift baskets at the front of the photo!)
TEAM PHOTO! (we did a lot of that...hey, it was a small team...) There's only one way to get to the base, and that's by boat! The manatee live in that particular lagoon, but i didn't see any...bummer...
Finally at the base! This has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth...
Yeah, call me a tree hugger...hey, i like palm trees!
TEAM PHOTO!
This is a view of the base from the lookout point on top of the main house (looking east toward the Caribbean).
Here's another lookout point view...the chapel (where we held the conference) is on the left, and the cabanas (where we stayed) are on the right.
A view of the houses & cabanas from the main house balcony...
Here's a better view of the chapel where we held the conference...
This is the new cross...the old one got eaten by termites... :(
It's me in front of Mandy & Carol's houses (main house on the right...)
And what trip would be complete without trying to wash your hair in salt water? (Beware of jellyfish and sea lice!)
Gotta love that warm water! (OK, so you don't come out squeaky clean, and you sweat up right away when you're done, anyway, but...it's the thought that counts, right?)
Dorita (who lives in the village and works as a cook at the base) said she'd never swim in the Caribbean...she joined us anyway!
By Friday afternoon, most of the women attending the conference had arrived at the base...(Left - right: Dorita, Melissa, Tiffara, and Millie)
The other side of the group... (left-right: Shyrel, Bridget, Sista, Nellie, Brenesha, and Brianna)
It's Eileen in her element - preaching and teaching like a superwoman!
When we started out the conference, the women were rather "closed", and kind of had this "glazed over" look (despite the amazing teachings we were getting!) However, we knew that God was going to do something in these women and completely change them - like a light switch being flipped on...
One of the women brought her cute little girls with her...here we are hugging them and playing with them. (Eileen and Brenesha)
Eileen and Nellie...
Me, the glorified jungle-gym, with Brianna...
Me with all the girls...
It's me with Brianna again...that little girl really liked to jump up on me! Isn't she cute?
That next morning, i got to shoot a few more "scenery shots" before the first session...I'm particularly a fan of this one...
Hangin' out in a palm tree again...
Aww...isn't she pretty?
Now here's where the fun starts! We had our morning sessions, and before we were ready to "break" for some afternoon free time, we wanted to make sure that all the women were "right with God". Eileen gave them the opportunity to spend some time alone with Him, and we played some worship music, hoping that at least a few would stay...well, to our surprise, EVERYONE stayed for a LONG TIME! It was amazing! Not one of the women there decided to leave early -- they all wanted more of Jesus!
Here's the entire group...all the women who came, the 3 of us (me, Eileen, and Vera), plus Carol and Mandy.
Here's our whole "leadership team", along with Basil and Brianna...
And that's me with Val...she lives in the village and came to the conference...we connected real well (she's also an artist) - she makes beaded jewelry, and I SO wish I could have seen her work!
That's me leading worship...i know, i know...scary photo...I also had a chance to teach and share my testimony, which was really exciting for me, because i've only taught on a very small number of occasions!
That's me teaching...it was just WAY TOO HOT to use any energy standing! yikes...
And here's me dancing! It was the first time I had ever danced for a group before...again, VERY exciting for me! (And very hot and sweaty in all that black!)
As if having the opportunity to dance for them wasn't enough, they all prayed for me after I was done! And here I thought I came to Belize to give, not receive...wow...powerful stuff!
Now this is just cool...these women, who were SO closed the night before, decided to put their choir together and sing some songs for us! How cool is that?!?!
On top of that, Una and Shenieke performed one of their dances for us! The light switch was being flipped!
And this is just the best -- I wish I had photos of it! During our last session, Eileen gave a teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then invited everyone to receive it if they wanted it...we were expecting one, MAYBE two women to come forward, but instead, EVERYONE came forward AT THE SAME TIME! Everyone received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and all but 2 or 3 began speaking in tongues almost immediately. It was SO AMAZING! After praying and prophesying over these women, Eileen and I ended up getting "glued" to the floor (the power of the Holy Spirit was pretty strong), and she was actually quite "drunk" in the spirit...in this photo, she's literally stuck to the floor. What an amazing night! These women were CHANGED!
OK...so if you and your best friend were on a missions trip, and you both woke up at 2:30am, you know you'd start shooting photos of yourselves inside your mosquito net, right? Don't lie...you know you would...(We affectionately named our mosquito net "the fort"...and you know you used to build forts out of bed sheets when you were a kid!!)
So...we had running water up until the last day, and then we ran out... So then, if you're out of water, how do you flush? You get a big bucket, take it down to the sea, and fill it up with water. Carry it back to your cabana, and dump it into the tank... Repeat these steps, but the second time, roll up your shorts (as to not get wet), but miss the big wave that would smack into you, get drenched, and carry your half-sand/half-water bucket back to the cabana. Dump that into the tank, and flush. (I always love an adventure!)
Remember those women who were kinda "glazed over" at the beginning of the conference? Well...these are photos of those SAME WOMEN, except that they're totally changed! They really went for it during worship at our last session, dancing and singing and waving flags and banners during worship. It was amazing!
(Una and Tiffara)
(Sista)
We all got to write a scripture on the walls/floor/beams of the chapel, so here's Una writing hers...
Bridget writing hers on the wall...
And here's me writing mine...
This is Eileen with Delroy...he lives in the village and works at the base, helping out with "maintenance". (Yaaaay for running water! Thanks, Delroy)
I grabbed a quick photo with Tiffara and Dorita in the kitchen before we all headed back to the village.
Another one of our luxuries on this trip to Belize -- we didn't have to carry all of our luggage and hike that long path through the jungle! We got to hitch a ride on the back of this van...and it was FUN!
That's the first load heading back to the village...I think we managed to get everyone AND all the luggage, the projector, the screen - everything - across the lagoon in two trips!
That's me singing "When Love Came Down to Earth" at Galilee Gospel Church in the village of Gales Point (keyboard track courtesy of Nikki -- yaaay, sister!) If you get a chance, ask me about the "horse story"...it's HILARIOUS!
Here are a few photos from our walk through the village...(it's a really tiny peninsula...yep - just one road...it's REALLY narrow!)
On our last day in Belize, we were at Jorge and Gerhaldine's place again in Belize City. Here's their daughter, Allyson, "resting" in a hammock...she's just so cute!
Like Eileen said in her post, "It's amazing what a shower can do!" We got to go out to a nice dinner on our last night in Belize with Gerhaldine, Vera, and Basil...it was WONDERFUL!
It was probably the best missions trip i've ever been on yet, and I can't wait to get back to Gales Point again. Thank you to everyone who supported me!
By the way, please be praying for the village of Gales Point. They just experienced some BAD flooding - probably the worst in a LONG time - and it really devastated the village.
Here are some photos and captions of the whole trip...for a good summary of what happened, check out Eileen's blog at www.thetruthministry.blogspot.com. Eileen also has flood photos and updates on her blog.
Anyway, here are the photos of our trip!
Upon arriving in Belize City, we were met by Gerhaldine, who took us to her house (where we stayed the first night). This is Gerhaldine and I putting together the gift baskets that we would give to the women who came to the conference in Gales Point.
We were assisted by her cute little girl, Allyson.
Eileen on "cellophane duty"...
Vera took us out to a nice dinner before the women's meeting at the Spanish church on Wednesday night, our first night there. Don't we look so cute under that Belizean flag?
We were expecting 10-20 people AT THE MOST...however, God had bigger plans...150 women showed up for that meeting! It was so amazing - and we had GREAT worship, too! How incredible!
I got to share part of my testimony (and introduce myself in Spanish - haha) before Eileen's teaching...don't ya love that dress? It's from Paul & Nikki's wedding...and it's probably the ONLY bridesmaid's dress i'll ever bring on a missions trip! :)
Eileen preached an AMAZING message, and in this photo, jumped up on a bench and started prophesying...all i can say is, "WOW"...
At the end, EVERYONE came to the front to pray and be prayed for...again, it was an incredible night!
Eileen with one of the young girls at the meeting...
That's the outside of the building that hosted our Spanish women's meeting...WHAT AN INCREDIBLE NIGHT!
Now you just really can't go wrong with a view like this! I shot this sunrise photo from Gerhaldine's front porch, which overlooks the Caribbean Sea...
What can I say? I love floral photography...and Gerhaldine has a BEAUTIFUL garden!
And how could you go wrong with her WONDERFUL cooking? (Those were the best black beans i've ever had...and Gerhaldine makes her own freshly-squeezed orange juice!)
One of Vera's Hibiscus flowers at her apartment in Belize City...
I got a butterfly in that one! sweet!
This would be our ride out to gales point...no AC, but we had windows!!! It's a miracle we didn't get any flat tires on the costal highway!
THIS is the costal highway...yeah...HIGHWAY...unpaved, and full of potholes and large rocks...it's a flat tire waiting to happen, but we didn't get one on either trip - out there or back!
Our first stop in Gales Point was at the school...you can apparently teach whatever you want in government-run schools in Belize, so in this classroom, they were teaching Jesus! :)
A few more kids at the school...
After leaving the school and driving through the village, we had to take a boat across the lagoon in order to get to the missions base. Mandy (one of the teachers at the school who lives at the base) came with us. (Note all of the dust-covered gift baskets at the front of the photo!)
TEAM PHOTO! (we did a lot of that...hey, it was a small team...) There's only one way to get to the base, and that's by boat! The manatee live in that particular lagoon, but i didn't see any...bummer...
Finally at the base! This has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth...
Yeah, call me a tree hugger...hey, i like palm trees!
TEAM PHOTO!
This is a view of the base from the lookout point on top of the main house (looking east toward the Caribbean).
Here's another lookout point view...the chapel (where we held the conference) is on the left, and the cabanas (where we stayed) are on the right.
A view of the houses & cabanas from the main house balcony...
Here's a better view of the chapel where we held the conference...
This is the new cross...the old one got eaten by termites... :(
It's me in front of Mandy & Carol's houses (main house on the right...)
And what trip would be complete without trying to wash your hair in salt water? (Beware of jellyfish and sea lice!)
Gotta love that warm water! (OK, so you don't come out squeaky clean, and you sweat up right away when you're done, anyway, but...it's the thought that counts, right?)
Dorita (who lives in the village and works as a cook at the base) said she'd never swim in the Caribbean...she joined us anyway!
By Friday afternoon, most of the women attending the conference had arrived at the base...(Left - right: Dorita, Melissa, Tiffara, and Millie)
The other side of the group... (left-right: Shyrel, Bridget, Sista, Nellie, Brenesha, and Brianna)
It's Eileen in her element - preaching and teaching like a superwoman!
When we started out the conference, the women were rather "closed", and kind of had this "glazed over" look (despite the amazing teachings we were getting!) However, we knew that God was going to do something in these women and completely change them - like a light switch being flipped on...
One of the women brought her cute little girls with her...here we are hugging them and playing with them. (Eileen and Brenesha)
Eileen and Nellie...
Me, the glorified jungle-gym, with Brianna...
Me with all the girls...
It's me with Brianna again...that little girl really liked to jump up on me! Isn't she cute?
That next morning, i got to shoot a few more "scenery shots" before the first session...I'm particularly a fan of this one...
Hangin' out in a palm tree again...
Aww...isn't she pretty?
Now here's where the fun starts! We had our morning sessions, and before we were ready to "break" for some afternoon free time, we wanted to make sure that all the women were "right with God". Eileen gave them the opportunity to spend some time alone with Him, and we played some worship music, hoping that at least a few would stay...well, to our surprise, EVERYONE stayed for a LONG TIME! It was amazing! Not one of the women there decided to leave early -- they all wanted more of Jesus!
Here's the entire group...all the women who came, the 3 of us (me, Eileen, and Vera), plus Carol and Mandy.
Here's our whole "leadership team", along with Basil and Brianna...
And that's me with Val...she lives in the village and came to the conference...we connected real well (she's also an artist) - she makes beaded jewelry, and I SO wish I could have seen her work!
That's me leading worship...i know, i know...scary photo...I also had a chance to teach and share my testimony, which was really exciting for me, because i've only taught on a very small number of occasions!
That's me teaching...it was just WAY TOO HOT to use any energy standing! yikes...
And here's me dancing! It was the first time I had ever danced for a group before...again, VERY exciting for me! (And very hot and sweaty in all that black!)
As if having the opportunity to dance for them wasn't enough, they all prayed for me after I was done! And here I thought I came to Belize to give, not receive...wow...powerful stuff!
Now this is just cool...these women, who were SO closed the night before, decided to put their choir together and sing some songs for us! How cool is that?!?!
On top of that, Una and Shenieke performed one of their dances for us! The light switch was being flipped!
And this is just the best -- I wish I had photos of it! During our last session, Eileen gave a teaching on the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and then invited everyone to receive it if they wanted it...we were expecting one, MAYBE two women to come forward, but instead, EVERYONE came forward AT THE SAME TIME! Everyone received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and all but 2 or 3 began speaking in tongues almost immediately. It was SO AMAZING! After praying and prophesying over these women, Eileen and I ended up getting "glued" to the floor (the power of the Holy Spirit was pretty strong), and she was actually quite "drunk" in the spirit...in this photo, she's literally stuck to the floor. What an amazing night! These women were CHANGED!
OK...so if you and your best friend were on a missions trip, and you both woke up at 2:30am, you know you'd start shooting photos of yourselves inside your mosquito net, right? Don't lie...you know you would...(We affectionately named our mosquito net "the fort"...and you know you used to build forts out of bed sheets when you were a kid!!)
So...we had running water up until the last day, and then we ran out... So then, if you're out of water, how do you flush? You get a big bucket, take it down to the sea, and fill it up with water. Carry it back to your cabana, and dump it into the tank... Repeat these steps, but the second time, roll up your shorts (as to not get wet), but miss the big wave that would smack into you, get drenched, and carry your half-sand/half-water bucket back to the cabana. Dump that into the tank, and flush. (I always love an adventure!)
Remember those women who were kinda "glazed over" at the beginning of the conference? Well...these are photos of those SAME WOMEN, except that they're totally changed! They really went for it during worship at our last session, dancing and singing and waving flags and banners during worship. It was amazing!
(Una and Tiffara)
(Sista)
We all got to write a scripture on the walls/floor/beams of the chapel, so here's Una writing hers...
Bridget writing hers on the wall...
And here's me writing mine...
This is Eileen with Delroy...he lives in the village and works at the base, helping out with "maintenance". (Yaaaay for running water! Thanks, Delroy)
I grabbed a quick photo with Tiffara and Dorita in the kitchen before we all headed back to the village.
Another one of our luxuries on this trip to Belize -- we didn't have to carry all of our luggage and hike that long path through the jungle! We got to hitch a ride on the back of this van...and it was FUN!
That's the first load heading back to the village...I think we managed to get everyone AND all the luggage, the projector, the screen - everything - across the lagoon in two trips!
That's me singing "When Love Came Down to Earth" at Galilee Gospel Church in the village of Gales Point (keyboard track courtesy of Nikki -- yaaay, sister!) If you get a chance, ask me about the "horse story"...it's HILARIOUS!
Here are a few photos from our walk through the village...(it's a really tiny peninsula...yep - just one road...it's REALLY narrow!)
On our last day in Belize, we were at Jorge and Gerhaldine's place again in Belize City. Here's their daughter, Allyson, "resting" in a hammock...she's just so cute!
Like Eileen said in her post, "It's amazing what a shower can do!" We got to go out to a nice dinner on our last night in Belize with Gerhaldine, Vera, and Basil...it was WONDERFUL!
It was probably the best missions trip i've ever been on yet, and I can't wait to get back to Gales Point again. Thank you to everyone who supported me!
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