By Joe and Linda Schnorr
Most folks who have traveled to Los Tambos with the FCPC mission teams knew how involved in the community Flori Godoy was and the impact she had on everything she was involved in from cooking for the school – to running her little roadside tienda – and participating as a key part of the Los Tambos Threads Sewing group. It was a great shock when we learned she had been struck by a snake and was not able to survive the attack. When we arrived in the village this year you could see the folks still suffering from her loss. Our prayers go out to the family and Flory will surely be missed. Always a bright spot when she was there.
Our first visitors upon arrival were our 5 “adopted” neighbor boys. Always look forward to their weekly visits and we even have them rooting for Tennessee!! Youngest missing on picture day..
We were able to attend the Christmas programs for Los Tambos School and also the church Christmas program our “adopted” boys were involved in.
Our first couple weeks in Belize have been spent visiting the sewing groups and making plans for the time we are here. Schools are closed for the Christmas holiday and there is a lot of family involvement so actual sewing projects have been light.
Los Tambos- This group is getting themselves organized for the this years uniform project. Measuring the students will be done immediately after the holiday and they will be ready to start sewing as soon as we get fabric ordered. This group has been able to include personal projects and work for Hope for Life in addition to the uniforms.
Buena Vista- The girls in Buena Vista have been concentrating on gowns, bags and blankets for Hope for Life to help support the existing as well as the new operation recently opened in the south of Belize. These girls have also been doing uniforms for the children in several of the surrounding schools.
Duck Run II- This group started last year only about 2 weeks before we returned to the states last spring and has really evolved into a team. Working with this group through social media they we able to complete several small projects as well as each girl completing a quilt with amazing quality for their first attempt!! They also surprised us with a Christmas luncheon.
At Home Sewing- There are several ladies who cannot attend the classes for different reasons. We try to visit them as often as possible and they have all remained in touch. Brenda was part of the original Tambos group in 2014 but was forced to drop out to address her growing family. This past year they have had electricity added to their home and her talent will allow her and her daughter, Daisy, to be part of the uniform fab team this year.
Repairs and Construction Projects- When we arrived this year Joe had concerns because there were no repair or maint projects on the To-Do list. Be careful what you wish for!! After visiting the three sewing centers and some family homes, this list has grown and I think we will need to stay far beyond April 1st to have a chance of completing them.
All considered, we feel the first two weeks have been busy seeing all of our old friends and getting things in order for another productive and successful 4 months.
Please keep us in your prayers.