One Ending, Many Beginnings

It has been more than a week since we all said our goodbyes and sent our students back to North America.  Our shared adventure here has ended, but 17 new and compelling adventures are just beginning.  While we are excited to see how each of you, our students, will continue to grow and live out those adventures, we can't help but reflect on a few of the things that we will miss about you all...

We will miss your laughter.

Curtis unashamedly loses to Stacie in a staring contest during Small
Group Olympics (photo by Stacie Martin)

We will miss your encouragement and enthusiasm.

Catie, Lauren, Mikayla and Joelle keeping up the team morale
(Photo by Stacie Martin)

We will miss your toughness in tackling things head-on.

Fruit never looked as intimidating as Jenny, Stacie, Danielle & Carissa

We will miss your focus and determination.

South-paw Sallie uses her non-dominant hand to
dominate the Mop Balance
(Photo by Stacie Martin)

We will miss your sense of fashion.

Mikayla dresses to match her piece for the
Trash Art show (Photo by Justin Ahn)

We will miss your willingness to do ridiculous things in the name of community (and competition).

Justin applies peanut butter in preparation for the challenging
event, "Ants On A Face"

We will miss eating meals with you as a family.

Thanksgiving 2012, with friends old and new (Photo by Stacie Martin)

But most of all, we will miss having you as a part of our lives every day.

Small Group Olympics: four teams, one community

Thank you so much for an amazing semester, Amber, Carissa, Catie, Connie, Curtis, Dana, Danielle, Liz, Jenny, Fuzz, Stahn, Lauren, Mara, Mikayla, Nick, Sallie, and Stacie!  We can't wait to see where your new beginnings take you!!

Love,
-Jeff, Brindley, Joelle, Alex, Mark, and Gellie

Coral Reef Classrooms

Imagine spending a week learning about the marine ecosystems of the world (and more specifically of Belize), why they are important, and how much they are affected by the land and its inhabitants.

Now imagine spending that same week learning that same important material here:

Photo by Justin Ahn

Naturally, your classroom would look a little bit like this:

Nick (Messiah) inspecting - but not touching - some coral
(Photo by Justin Thompson-Henney)

Full attendance for professor Laurie Furlong (photo by Justin Ahn)

Your learning implements and some of your textbooks would look like this:

A hermit crab outside of its shell

A brittle star (photo by Curtis Abney)

Curtis discovers a beast of a conch

a French Angelfish (Photo by Justin Ahn)

Snorkel gear, or... tools for learning! (Photo by Justin Ahn)

And your free time might look a little something like this:

Mara masters the art of opening coconuts (photo by Carissa Bernard)

Curtis and Justin master the art of shredding freshly opened coconuts
for consumption (photo by Justin Thompson-Henney)

Kayaking with Lauren and Catie! (Photo by Jenny McCarty)

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how CCSP Belize students learn about God's oceans and how interconnected they are with us and the land.  Thank you to professor Laurie Furlong, and to Glover's Atoll Marine Reserve for helping to teach us important lessons that we will not soon forget!

View from the reef crest of the sunset on Northeast Caye
(photo by Justin Ahn)