The rest of the day I spent in and on the water. I was baptized Presbyterian. I have been an active congregant of the Lutheran denomination since I was 10. Twenty-two of my 26 years of teaching were in Christian education (love those Catholics and Baptists). I have used the phrase, "It's a God thing" most of my life to define the people, situations and even art that I have been blessed to be in the cross hairs. However, it has always been on, in, under and around water where I feel God the most. From my childhood summers on Ottertail Lake, to my friend Janell's Lake Herman Cabin to the Caribbean Sea, my Christian spirit has always been strongest and happiest with water. Sunday I - literally - needed the hope of baptism in that beautiful, blue ocean.
Snorkeling is my quiet time with God. For over 3 hours, I heard only my deliberate breath, rhythmically move me from one God thing (an eagle ray) to another (an almost transparent jelly fish). A nurse shark developed a curiosity (or as I would like to think - a crush) and followed me most of the afternoon. A trigger fish, an angel fish over a foot high and an entire school of squid were just three of my new discoveries on this dive. However, it was the light of the Belizean afternoon that really spoke to me. There was the strong western light that permeated the turquoise, and - inexplicably - another strong eastern light piercing the water. I was being told to "just keep swimming" through this crucifix of light. Like a water kaleidoscope or a maritime stained glass window, this light was a crucible of prayer and the silent power of God.
I have always known that I need water to be healthy, happy and creative. Now I know I need it to breathe life.
When I woke up on Monday morning, I warned the Devil that he should be thinking, "Crap, she is up." I was a blonde with a mission and a plan.
For the next part, I am going to make the long story as short as possible. I rode my bike all over the DFC neighborhood (the area close to the kid's school). I found a few - very small spaces - that would be a healthier option to my family's current situation.
Just to make it clear, my family of 6 was living in a 14 x 8 feet room built on garbage and feces. They have lived there for 8 years. There is no bathroom but instead a bucket. They share an outdoor shower with all the others on the "compound." There is a lot more detail of these women, their families, their plight and their environment. If you ever want the whole picture, please ask me. They have been cared for by an old Belizean fisherman, who is the patriarch of one of the oldestand wonderful families on the island. He truly cares for these women and their children. Unfortunately, the area also draws deviation on every level,
Back in DFC, I found a couple of options. From there, my superhero friend Cara loaned me her cart. Esperanza (the mom) and I picked up another friend of mine Merla and headed to down. Merla was a great addition. Not only could she translate, but she could address Esperanza as another Belizian mom. I had given her prompts about our roles as mothers - we do what we must do to make sure our children are healthy, happy and safe. However, after living in the same place so for many years and not having to worry about paying for housing and food because of her physical commitment, Esperanza was scared.
She decided on a rat trap. I negotiated the price based on the fact that 30 hours from that moment, the space would be totally cleaned and refurbished, and I would pay cash for the first 2 months.
The next morning, Esperanza went to court to confirm the restraining order against the father of her youngest child (we started that process the week before), and I went to work. I showed up at the house with a gallon of paint, a bucket, a hammer, Ajax and the will to work. Around 9 am, a local man showed up at the house on his motorcycle. Kyle and Cara had sent him (and another employee) to help me for the day - their wages had been paid. It's was a God thing.
In 50 years of life, I have never worked physically harder. While the guys built a new porch, I rid "the yard" of years of garbage. Old, soiled diapers, bags full of food, and broken bottles were just some of the the things I could identify. We could hear the rats and patched over 50 holes in the walls. The dirt/spider webs hung from the ceiling like Tim Burton movie vines. The bathroom required an acid wash in which I had to wear goggles and a breathing apparatus.
Then, we painted. After Esperanza bravely attended court to activate the restraining order, she came to her new home. She was a trooper. We painted and painted and painted.
Around 8 pm, their items from the compound showed up in a truck. My sweet, 14 year old Erick directed the entire move from the other end. I don't know what you were all doing at 14, but I was not even curling my own hair in the morning. They didn't have much other than some clothes, a small stove, a dorm fridge and a some bike parts.
Around 10 pm, we began laying the new floor. The children were exhausted. One by one, they took a shower in their first ever bathroom. In the chaos of luggage, they found pjs. For the second time that day, I fought back tears.
The first? When the kids got out of school, they were instructed by Principal Migel to go to their "new house." I would lie if I said the children coming home was helpful. They just wanted to explore and play.
I was taking a break and sitting on a log in the yard, drinking another liter of water. Eight year old Moises had just scouted out the work on the house. Without a word, he plopped down next to me on the log. There we sat, looking at the garbage free yard and new porch. The smell of paint, bleach and acid oozed from the front door. He then stood up, looked at me and kissed me on the cheek. He sat back down - a little closer - and put his hand on my leg. We just sat there holding hands silently for a long, lovely time. I don't know who loves who more. His ability to say thank you - without one word - was truer than I have ever experienced.
Other amazing moments - Principal Migel stopped by the house on his way home from school to congratulate the family on their beautiful new home (that is a great educator). Some of my friends on the island sent a table, rugs, bed sheets, curtains and even art to make the house a home. The laughter Esperanza and I shared throughout the day as we cleaned and painted - she with no English and me with no Spanish - was rich. Miss Elvi stopped by to welcome this new family to her neighborhood - meeting an treating Esperanza like any other working mother of the 21st Century; it was a lesson in grace.
When I left around 11:30 pm, this family had a home. I rode my bike slowly back to town with my hammer and bucket. A shower had never felt better. The prayers on my pillow morphed from "Help Me" to "Thank You." I will never clean the blue paint off my flip flops, as it is the color of new beginnings.
My flight the next morning was a 9 am. I rode my bike back down to their new home around 7:30. I do have this on video and hope to share it soon, but when the door opened, Nardo jumped on me yelling, "Miss Kim!" like he had not seen me in years. Moises said simply, "It's so pretty." They were dressed in their school uniforms and ready to walk the 3 blocks to school. All were well rested and safe.
There is a God, a Father and a Holy Spirit. Frankly, they all exhaust me, but in the most amazing way. If you have not had a conversation with one of them lately, you just need to listen. I promise, they have something to say to you that will change your life.
If you would like to know what you can do to help this family or any of the other children that I work with in Belize, I am not shy to tell you how. My cell is 376-8440 and my email is Kim.creativeconsulting@gmail.com.
