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In Progreso, Yucatan.
February 2022

Dear Friends,

February has been a good month in my life and at Belize Friends. School is in full swing, we enjoyed a special Sunday service for Valentine’s Day that included worship sharing over 1 Corinthians 13, and Brian and I celebrated our twelfth wedding anniversary.

The Tutoring Program
The last of “my kids” who was coming for tutoring has officially gone back to in-person school, so I am returning a larger part of my attention back to less exciting things like paperwork and bureaucracy. This work is not my favorite, but it is very important to the smooth running of Belize Friends.

I’m reflecting on the tutoring program we’ve had for the past two years. I have gotten the opportunity to assist several students in various ways. Almost none of them were students of our own school. Rather they were alumni or church kids. Some needed help with practical issues like uniforms. Others needed encouragement and emotional support to keep going to school even when it seemed as though they were definitely going to fail. Others came to my office (and in one case even my home when I wasn’t feeling well enough to go to my office) regularly and persistently. None of those kids have left school during the pandemic. Some are on the honor roll at their schools. One is a prefect now. A few are set to graduate in a few months. One started school again after a couple of years out of school, caught up, and is now on the honor roll (and trying to figure out how to stay there now that he’s back in person, missing the one-on-one time he used to have with me).

The kids that came to our center for help are the ones who were absolutely determined not to be set back in life because of this pandemic. A couple even took advantage of distance schooling to learn in a way that was more effective for them than traditional school is. These kids are brilliant, resilient, determined, and absolutely admirable. It has been a incredible privilege and honor to be able to witness their strength and courage as they navigated the challenges that the pandemic added to their already challenging circumstances.

Health Update
As many of you know, I have recently started treatment for an autoimmune disease. I am so grateful for the many emails, Facebook messages, and cards that you Friends sent me filled with concern, encouragements, and love. I am extremely blessed to have such a supportive community. As an update, I am still waiting for the medicine to kick in all the way, but I have been in significantly less pain, for which I am just so grateful. I’ve been struggling with fatigue, lack of appetite and nausea, but I am hopeful these things will lessen as my body adjusts to the medication. And some days I feel positively amazing. Thank you for your continued prayers for my health. I am doing my best to adjust my work flow to accommodate both my responsibilities and my health, and I’m hopeful that as I learn better how to do this, I will be more effective as a minister, a mother, and a corporeal being.

Joys
  • All our kids at school and church and my own children are back at school in person, and none of our Belize Friends kids dropped out during the pandemic.
  • The recent Covid spike we had in Belize is diminishing rapidly. There is a hopeful sense that the worst is over, and we might be able to move toward a post-pandemic world.
  • I have lived officially one third of my life as wife to the best man I know, and it has been a true adventure. I look forward to many more years of life with my Love.
Concerns
  • I am grateful that I am getting treatment, and a little concerned by the number of hard days I have—I would love you to join me in praying for a reduction in my experience of side effects.
  • The kids going back to school are in another period of adjustment, and I’m hopeful that they will all transition back with strong grades and positive social interactions.
  • I need wisdom and peace as I transition back to a more administrative role.

In Joy,

Nikki
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