Update From Belize
DECEMBER 2009
HAPPY 2010! Wow that seems strange to say. A decade has passed since Y2K. We want to extend our prayers to all of you and your extended families. We pray that God's blessings will pour out in abundance on you in 2010! Certainly it will be better than 2009 was. At least we are praying that fervently for each of you.
December started out a bit cooler than usual. I guess we've adapted to our environment and when it gets in the low 70's we're pretty much freezing. The whole month has been on the cooler side for us. It's been in the 60's at night and some 80's during the day, but mostly rain and 70's. Basil would prefer the warmth and Vera is enjoying the coolness.
Mike Flinchum, our field rep with Converge Worldwide (formerly known as Baptist General Conference or BGC) and John Bjorgen arrived for a annual meeting to set forth goals for 2010 year of ministry. It was good to see John, and we were able to get some important things accomplished prior to his move, ie. crib for Evangeline. We have set some good healthy goals for this coming year and we'll be anxious to see what God has in store for us.
Carole Stanley returned after her recovery from her kidney stones. However, she returned to pack up her things and make her final move back to the states. She has some medical issues that she needs to have a doctors care with, so reluctantly she has made her return. We gave her a farewell party in the village and sent her back to the states on Dec. 20th.
Dec. 24th we had a children's program for the village kids at Galilee Gospel Chapel. The Belize Mission & Retreat provided candy canes, small toys and marbles in each of the gift bags, and an apple was also provided. They sang Christmas carols and played games which made all of their Christmas' a whole lot brighter.
Christmas Day, we celebrated Christ's birth with 13 villagers and our German neighbors with a Christmas ham. The villagers brought a crate of soft drinks and white cake for the occasion. We sang songs and played games and enjoyed each other's company. This year our gift to each other was providing the children with their Christmas gift bags which was more rewarding.
Basil and I left the base on Dec. 26th to pick up our team arriving on Dec. 27th. Grandview Baptist from Davenport, Iowa arrived late and we returned to the base on Dec. 28th, starting minsitry in the village on Dec. 29th. The first day in the village went well, but upon returning to the base, things took an unsual twist. Vera was making sure things were going smoothly for the team while Basil was with our staff, helping get the boat up on shore. We have finally replaced our boat engine after a year and half of not having one, since it was stolen. The electric winch had burned up and could not be used to pull the boat up the ramp. The only option we had to get the boat pulled all the way up was to go get the backhoe. During that process, Vera heard the backhoe starting up and driving around the back of the lodge. She rushed out on the veranda to see what was going on, since we don't normally use the backhoe on the grounds. She barely touched the railing on the veranda, and over she went railing and all. The railing must have been rotted and it gave way, as she put her hand on it. She fell approximately 10 to 12' onto the ground. By the grace of God she didn't do as much damage to the rest of her body as she could have done since she landed on her feet. She has fractured her right ankle in two compound fractures and shattered the back of the ankle bone. Read the email posted after this update for further details.
The team remained at the base and we are praising God the ministry continued on. The ladies went into the village daily, in the morning they learned Belizean cooking methods and in the afternoon the young gals of the team held youth Bible study and VBS and the mature women lead a ladies Bible study. The two men on the team remained back at the base, replacing all the railings on our veranda to make it safer for everyone. The whole team celebrated New Years Eve by holding a party for the youth of the village and then bringing in the New Year with a watchnight service. We want to thank Grandview for being so willing to continue the ministry during this emergency crisis.
Remember we sent you a bookmark that could also be planted, watered and watched to grow into colorful flowers? The seeds were embedded in the bookmark. As you watch your seeds grow please be praying for the seeds that have been planted in Gales Point to grow and bloom as well.
Blessings and Happy New Year,
Basil and Vera
Here's the email that Vera sent out describing the accident and the ensuing events in more detail:
Hi,
It's Vera. I arrived back at our apt. on Jan. 2nd and I think I have my mind about
me enough to share with you what has happened to me.
Here is a picture of the Main lodge to show you where I fell from:
It was the 2nd floor it is approx. 10 to 12' off the ground. I truly believe
that God was watching over me and protecting me, because of this I'm sure this
would have been a whole lot worse then it ended up.
On Tuesday, Dec. 29th, after the team and I arrived back from the village, I was
checking to be sure that all was well with with our staff. Then I heard our
backhoe start up and went outside to see what was going on, because I didn’t
want the driver to break any of our pipes or the sidewalks as has happened in the
past. I went to the side where Carole’s staff house is, and put my hand barely on
the railing and off we went. I held onto the railing as long as I could, but I
lost the fight. Down I went. It’s between a 10 to 12’ drop. All I remember is
rolling over onto all 4’s after seeing my right foot pointing all the way to the
left, it seemed to be dangling there. A staffmember's boyfriend, Trenton just
automatically picked me up and put me in the back end of the truck. The nurse on
the team said it looked like it had gone back into place to some proportion.
Basil drove me out of the base and down the “wonderful” coastal road which is the
worst condition it has been in for such a long time, years probably. I’m sure you
can all imagine how wonderful that must have felt. I sang as many Christian songs
as I could remember, which wasn’t very good. Songs I know so well, just didn’t come
to my memory. By the time I reached the Western Highway which took almost an hour
I was pretty delusional.
I was able to call my doctor, Jorge Hildalgo, and he met me at the hospital. Dr.
Sosa was the orthopedic doctor who took care of me. I have complete confidence in
him as he took care of one of our interns, Andrew Walker, 5 yrs. ago when he fell
off the roof at the mission base. He couldn’t do surgery right away. he scheduled
it for 8 am the next day, but it didn’t happen until 1 pm. Basil went back to meet
Shannon to register our boat as we just got a boat engine. By the time that was
done, approximately 2 hours later, I was in recovery. It was about 4pm. They
rolled me into my room. The Dr. had talked to me about having a epidural, but I
didn’t really want that but now I wish I had gotten it. The pain has been some of
my worst, and I have a high threshold for pain. I’m on 2 pain relievers, both some
kind of codeine and anti-inflammatory and antibiotics. I’m still in pain.
The Dr. says I have two compound fractures in my right ankle and the back anklebone
is shattered. He put 3 screws in, one that goes all the way thru from one side to
the other. The long one will be removed at a later date under general anesthesia,
if my memory serves me correct. I am not to put any weight on my foot for 6 to 8
weeks, and will be in recovery from 2 ½ to 3 mos.
I still need to have x-ray’s on my neck as it has been bothering me for 2 mos. now
and getting worse and worse with each road trip we take, however, it’s seems worse
to me now, but I have to be able to stand for them to do x-ray’s.
I was released on New Year’s Day to our apt. in Belize city. This apt. has approx.
16 to 20 steps. Basil hired an ambulance company to take me home in the rain. There
were two women that came and let me tell you I felt absolutely every move they made
and was hyperventilating by the time I got to my bed in our apt. These women had no
place trying to get me up the stairs. I don’t know how I will be getting to my
Dr.’s appt. on Wed. because I don’t want to do the ambulance thing again. Please
pray. I’ll update as I can. I’m in an out of consciousness.
Vera
