Andy, Lisa & Spencer in Belize

Settling in Indiana

2006-05-03T15:16:00.000-06:00

While Andy recovered from his surgery, Lisa and Spencer (along with Lisa's mother) went to Belize last week to pack up our house and to say our good-byes. It was difficult to leave Belize, but we have been reassured along the way that we have made the right decisions. Of course even knowing this, we will miss Friends Boys School and our neighbors very much!

Andy is doing much better now. He is able to drive and has just started a new job at White's Family Services working as a clinical supervisor in the foster care office. He has to be careful not to do too much now that he does not feel the pain that used to prevent him from doing things. He still has a lot of restrictions, but he is able to move about so much better than just a couple of weeks ago. We are so grateful!

Andy's surgery

2006-04-17T10:31:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all who prayed for Andy's surgery last Tuesday. It went very well, and we are encouraged that this will really help him. The surgeon seemed more positive after the surgery that this would help Andy as the disc was herniated more than it had appeared on the MRI's.

Lisa is making arrangements to return to Belize to pack up our house, visit our students and friends, and tie up all our remaining loose ends. Thank you for your prayers and support, and please continue to pray for us through our ongoing transition.

Leave of Absence

2006-04-08T19:51:00.000-06:00

A lot has happened since our last blog update at the start of the new year . . . Andy had to travel to the U.S. for a second spinal injection in early February. This time he did not get the relief that he felt for a couple of months after the first one. His pain worsened very quickly, and we as a family returned to Indiana the end of February so Andy could be near the medical resources he needed to deal with this condition. After a month of unsuccessful physical therapy, Andy is now scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, April 11 to remove the part of the disc that is pressing into the nerve. This should relieve the pain he has in his leg and foot. We are praying that his back pain is stemming from this leg pain and that this procedue will be all he needs even though this surgery does not tend to ease backpain.

Meanwhile, we, together with FUM, made the decision that we will take a leave of absence from FUM since Andy is going to need ongoing access to medical facilities for some time to come. Since we do not have a clear timeline this leave is indefinite, and we will seek other employment. FUM will continue to provide our insurance and salary through May to allow us a transition period. Lisa is planning to return to Belize to pack up our house and take care of all the remaining details there as soon as Andy has recovered enough from his surgery.

Thank you to all of you who have been supportive of us and our ministry at Friends Boys School. We anticipated serving there for many years, but we know that God is leading us back to Indiana for now.

New Year. . .

2006-01-10T12:12:00.000-06:00

We are getting settled back into the school routine as the boys start their first week after a three week Christmas holiday. We had a quiet Christmas and enjoyed being home together more than normal. Then we had a work team from FUM here Dec. 28 - Jan. 4. They did a work project to improve FUM's property at La Democrocia.

Spencer is growing, growing, growing . . . He is on the move crawling and exploring all those things we take for granted. He is long for his age, and most people think he is older than he is. It is a joy to watch him grow and learn every day.

Six months already. . .

2005-11-27T20:34:00.000-06:00

FBS takes part in Basketball. . .

2005-11-10T20:03:00.000-06:00

Our boys are participating in basketball with other local schools in a league through the National Sports Council. We only have 7 players, but they try very hard. So far we are 0-3, but we are working on having good sportsmanship and attitudes.

Just too cute. . .

2005-11-10T19:45:00.000-06:00

I can't help it, he is just too cute!!!

Spencer is still growing and loves to laugh.

He loves to roll aound and has just begun using a walker and already can go forward and backwards!!!

We are looking forward to him getting into EVERYTHING!

Thanks

2005-11-01T07:41:00.000-06:00

We wish to thank everyone who has been praying for us during the past few months.

We are back at Friends Boys School and beginning to get back into the swing of things. This afternoon is our first basketball game! Lisa and I have never coached basketball before, so it should be very entertaining!

Please continue to pray for the school, the students, and field staff as we continue God's work here in Belize.

Andy & Lisa

Update...

2005-10-18T07:47:00.000-06:00

We apologize for not updating the blog for so long. We have had an interesting couple months since returning to Belize. When we arrived after the summer, Andy hurt his back loading our luggage in the truck at the Belize airport. The doctor in Belize wanted to operate as soon as possible, but we were very hesitant. Friends helped us find a doctor in the States willing to look at his scans and give a second opinion. It was re-assuring to hear Andy didn't need surgery. We returned to Indiana and Andy received a spinal injection. This worked very well and we thank God Andy has avoided surgery and lengthy recovery.

We are getting ready to head back to Belize on the 22nd of October. We are very ready to get started (again!) and settle back home in Belize.

We have been very thankful for God's guidance in all of this. We are also very grateful for the support and encouragement we have received from FUM. It had been difficult to deal with not being able to contribute as we had planned and not knowing for sure the best decisions to make.

Back in Belize & almost time for school

2005-08-30T10:41:00.000-06:00

We returned to Belize last Thursday after approximately two months in the U.S. for summer deputation and some family time. Classes begin at Friends Boys School on Monday, Sept. 5.

Spencer has sure been growing! He is doing well and changing every day as you can see.

Please keep us in your prayers. Andy injured his back lifting our luggage as we were leaving the Belize airport on our way home. This is an unexpected situation and we are working with many different people to determine the best course of action. We are hoping to avoid surgery, but that is what the doctor here has recommended.

He's Here!!!

2005-06-11T22:02:00.000-06:00

Spencer Joseph Stout

Spencer Joseph Stout arrived on May 27, 2005 at 2:08pm. He weighed 8 lb 4 1/2 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long. These pictures were taken June 2, 2005.

School's almost out for summer!

2005-05-13T11:12:00.000-06:00

Here at Friends Boys School the students anxiously await summer break. This past Monday was the final part of the PSE (Primary School Exam). The PSE determines for most students if they will gain acceptance into a high school. The students are now getting a taste of First Form (freshman year) work to help prepare them for the transition to high school. Next week they will have review and internal exams with graduation planned for May 28. They will not know their PSE results until later in June so all they can do now is apply to various schools and wait.

Lisa and I are also gearing up for our son's arrival later this month. We were blessed to have a work team member paint a mural for what is starting to look like the baby's room. Nancy McCormick did a great job in very little time to give the room a Noah's Ark theme. We are excited and doing all the little preparations for his arrival which we hope will be sooner than later!

Backyard visitor

2005-03-19T14:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday and today we have had an Iguana come to visit us in our back yard! He blends in very well, and Lisa and I both about walked over him!

2005-03-18T13:15:00.000-06:00

Students in Class

We are getting settled into our roles at school. The students have just finished the second term and the teachers report most everyone has improved this term. We have enjoyed getting to know the students and teachers and look forward to becoming more and more active at the school.
Taking notes. . .

Home sweet home

2005-03-18T09:40:00.000-06:00

Our House

We are so glad for our home. As you can see, there is still a lot of work to be done. The pile of sand is to fill in our yard. Belize City is at or below sea level so most people have to fill up to keep from flooding.

Our new vehicle!

2005-02-23T08:52:00.000-06:00

We are so excited to show you our new vehicle!! We picked it up yesterday afternoon!

We wish to thank everyone who has made it possible for us to have this vehicle. We would especially like to thank the Wabash Friends Food Booth Committee and all who supported that outreach for their contribution towards our vehicle. Without all of you praying and being a part of our ministry, we would not be so blessed. Thank You.

For those who are curious it is a Ford Ecosport. It is made in Brazil and is seen mostly in Central America. It has a 1.4L Turbo Diesel engine that gets close to 50 mpg (that is what we've been told, we'll put it to the test!). That in itself is wonderful as regular gas here is over $4.00 US/gallon!! Diesel is still just under $3.00.

We got it!

2005-02-10T15:13:00.000-06:00

Thank you to all who prayed for us as we struggled through the process of clearing the container of our personal effects. We finally were able to wade our way through each step, and we unloaded our things into our home at 8:00 last night!! We look forward to getting things unpacked and really getting settled into our home.

We now have electricity and water at our house. Things are slowly coming together to make our home more and more comfortable.

Finally, almost, and hopefully. . .

2005-02-04T08:01:00.000-06:00

We are finally into our new house!!!! We spent our first night in our new house last night. It was fun to finally have a home. We are encouraged and looking forward to settling in.

We almost had electricity at our house. They were suppose to come and hook it up yesterday, but they never made it. We are expecting them to come today and then we will be able to settle in better.

We hopefully will be able to finish our paperwork for our container today. The ship has arrived and we are now working on getting all the paperwork necessary to clear customs. We have a broker and the only hold up is the ongoing strikes here in Belize. Of course the strike includes the Customs officers, so we are hoping we can find the right person at the right time today.

Over all we are very grateful and looking forward to getting started.

We'll keep you posted!

2005-01-26T09:15:00.000-06:00

Boys School Logo

Welcome to Belize!

2005-01-25T13:08:00.000-06:00

The sign welcoming you to Belize from the airport.

Here is a link that gives information about the country and its people.

http://www.answers.com/belize&r=67

Enjoy!