Updates!

We miss Hilma. Okay that really isn't an update because that is a constant for us. The good news is we have heard from Hilma via email a good bit (not as much as we would like...haha) and we actually called her a few weeks ago. Hearing her voice sent us basically over the moon!


The great news is that she is doing well in school. Math and English are both a bit of a struggle for her because she was out of school for three years but she is keeping up. She is also playing volleyball for her school, Cornerstone. We are thrilled for her, pumped that she is doing so well, but saddened that we can't drop everything and fly to Belize this minute to see her.



We are planning to head back to Belize in January though! Horray! Our dates are still to be determined. Of course our main goal is to see Hilma, visit her school, see her in action, hopefully catch one of her volleyball or football (soccer) games while we are there, etc. Our second goal will be to help out The Belize Project in any way we can while we are there. The Belize Project is the main organization of which Sports Servants is a branch. The Belize Project has many branches, one of which is the Education Branch that has a goal of helping support teachers and students in 9 presbyterian schools in Belize. These schools for the most part are supported by missionaries and churches here in the U.S. and are in desperate financial need. On top of that these teachers are working for half salary, some of them are working for free and all of them need encouragment, training and supplies! Now that we have an obvious personal attachment (Hilma) to the education system in Belize we feel really strongly about helping out in this area as well as being volunteers for Sports Servants in the summer. Our hearts are full with concern for these precious Belizean students and always for our Hilma.


We had a Sports Servants reunion last week to catch up with all the summer volunteers as well as the huge team of people who volunteer here in the states doing behind the scenes work for Zac. It was a very fun night. Zac put together a slide show of pictures from the entire 8 week summer....I was definitely not ready to see Hilma up on the big screen....but here are some pictures of her that made the slideshow....

These pictures are from the coaching workshop that Sports Servants puts on for Belizean teachers to come learn how to be coaches. The goal right now of SS is to remove the "American crutch" and help the Belizeans step up and run the show in their villages. These pictures are so moving to me because our sweet Hilma, who could shove a soccer ball down your throat before you could even blink, is one of the only girls at the coaching clinic, learning with the guys, taking advantage of the resources in front of her, soaking it up. She is actually a better soccer player than all the guys put together (no offense guys)!

Also, just love how she plays in jeans....what a girl! And yellow is her favorite color if you didn't know...now you do.

So please continue to pray for Michael and I as we make decisions about going back to Belize, as we continue to work with The Belize Project's Education Branch, as we help them with fundraising for the education in Belize and as we walk with God as ordinary people in this broken world. PLEASE continue to pray for Hilma...we just miss her so much. She is worth your prayer time, I promise!!!