Departure and Arrival

Goodbye to Birmingham; Hello to Belize!




A long day: leaving Birmingham airport at 8am, a long flight to Newark New Jersey arriving at 12 noon; then later in the afternoon a further flight to Houston. Overnight in Houston, and then another early start on Thursday. We arrived in Belize at 10.30am on Thursday 27th. Belize time is 6 hours behind UK - so it's now 2.30pm here and will be 8.30pm in UK.

We were met at the airport and welcomed by the Bishop and by Tess Meadows, a Canadian deacon who spent two years in Belize and has just been back for a couple of months to visit. We had a lovely lunch, and a guided tour of Belize city. Overnight in the Diocesan guest house, within sight of the Caribbean Sea.



The photo above is the view from the Bishop's verandah, looking out over the coast of Belize city. We think it might qualify as one of the best views from a Bishop's residence.

Then today, Friday, we had prayers and breakfast with the staff from the Diocesan office: fresh papaya and watermelon, coffee and orange juice, scrambled eggs and johnny cakes. These are small split breads - like a flat bread roll made from a rich dough, then filled with refried beans. A very filling start to the day! Later in the morning we spent time with the Dean of St John's Cathedral, and were shown round. This evening we hope to meet with Maggie Patchett, a Methodist from Leeds who we have been in email contact with.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we travel to Belmopan at lunchtime and will be introduced to members of Ruth's new congregation, and we will also get to see our new home.

First impressions: Belize is very lush and green and unpopulated. Belize city is a mix of older wooden houses and modern concrete ones; terrible traffic congestion in tiny narrow streets. There is a marked contrast between the poorer housing and very wealthy a/c offices and residences. The people have all been polite, friendly and helpful. It's very hot - especially compared to the snow of Easter weekend in England. Yesterday we had a gentle introduction. It was overcast all day, which kept the temperature down to about 25 degrees C. In the late afternoon there were tropical rainstorms which continued intermittently through the night and helped clear the air. This morning skies were blue and the temperature has climbed to about 30 degrees. It's quite humid, but the sea breezes are really pleasant.

We've already managed to get new sim cards for our mobile phones: email us if you want the numbers (I'm a bit reluctant to post them on a public site). And we had one shopping trip to find some food for last night. The supermarket had most things in it that you might need, but anything imported is very expensive - usually the same price as in the UK, but occasionally even higher.

We are emailing from the diocesan office and staying these 2 nights at the diocesan guest house, which is within sight of the ocean. There are wonderful birds all around and now we have met more people here we are beginning to feel that this is for real!

Look forward to hearing from you: thank you for your prayers and support.

Easter Day

Christ is Risen, Alleluia!
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

We have just left the Easter morning service here at Queen's College. We woke up this morning to snow. Not a lot of snow - just a light covering on the ground, with flakes falling as we gathered around the flames outside chapel at the start of the Easter service.

The last month has been very busy. While we've been here at Queen's, both of us have been working to finish MPhil dissertations. We started these while we were still in Leicester, and they relate to work we have been doing on inter-religious relations. (Ruth has been researching Christian clergy's experiences of ministering to, and praying with, people of other faiths. Malcolm has been researching Christian and Hindu experiences of inter-religious dialogue.) Finally, last week, the last version of the dissertations were approved by our supervisors at the University, and the theses have been printed, bound and submitted. Now we just have to wait three months or so to find out what the examiners think of what we've written.

We fly to Belize in three days time, so the last couple of weeks have also been busy with final preparations, and saying some goodbyes. We have managed to have time with family and friends; stored a final couple of boxes for when we eventually come back; and disposed of lots of things we won't be needing. Our car has gone to friends from a previous Parish; winter coats and jumpers have gone to charity shops, and other things have gone to students here in College.

Tomorrow (Monday) is a public holiday, and we are having a final get together here in Birmingham, with a few people also staying over until Tuesday morning. Then we aim to empty the flat, finish packing the suitcases, and have an early night. The taxi is booked to collect us just after 5am on Wednesday, to get us to the airport to check in at 6. We fly first from Birmingham to New Jersey; then change planes and go from New Jersey to Houston. We stay in Houston overnight, and continue to Belize early on Thursday morning.

We are staying in Belize city for two nights, and Bishop Philip Wright is showing us round the cathedral and introducing us to some of our new church colleagues. We finally get to Belmopan on Saturday morning, and will meet some of St. Ann's congregation that day. We also have some dates, so please remember us in your prayers!

Sat. April 5 is Ruth's licensing as Priest-in-Charge of St. Ann's, at 3pm.
Wed April 23 is Malcolm's institution as Director of the newly re-furbished Anglican Theological Institute, as well as the ground-breaking ceremony for the new St. Ann's Church Primary School.

Easter is a good time for new beginnings.
We wish you all a peaceful and happy Easter.
Alleluia, the Lord is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!