Christmas Came Early to Belize

Christmas for the Magnussons came early to Belize with the arrival of three of our children, Rachel and Lisa from Salt Lake City, and Sam from BYU-Idaho. What joy it is to have them visiting through Christmas.

It's great to have family around our kitchen table once again.  

If you ever wondered what complete surprise looks like, this is me opening an early Christmas gift from Lisa:  homemade granola!  The last time I ate my favorite breakfast cereal was before my mission.  The ingredients are too hard to come by here in Belize for me to make it.  

As a family we were able to pass out newborn kits to six new mothers in Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.  I enjoyed talking to the mothers about their newborn babies and their families.  One of the mothers asked Elder Magnusson to say a prayer over her new baby.  It was memorable because we are missing all of our new grandbabies.  And this time of year made us think that perhaps Mary would have loved receiving a newborn kit during her stay in the stable.  Poignant moment, for sure.  

We took an excursion to Lamanai, the Mayan ruins an hour north of Belize City, best reached by boat on the river. 

We had the best tour guide:  Nefi Gomez.  If you are ever in Belize and want to tour the beautiful sites of Belize,  I would highly recommend getting in touch with him.  You can check out his website by clicking here.   

Nefi taught us jungle survival skills, like how to eat termites! 

Lamanai was the site of a large Mayan city, estimated to have been occupied 1000 B.C. to 1500 A.D. Its name is believed to mean "submerged crocodile", a nod to the wildlife of the river it borders. Much of the city's stone structures remain hidden in the dense brush, and under centuries of mud and foliage. 

The Temple of the Jaguar. The worn face of the beast is still visible with earrings dangling on either side. Jaguars continue to roam the forests in the countryside.

The Temple of the Mask is an amazing testament of the ingenuity and craftsmanship of the ancients who inhabited this land.

What goes up, must come down.  

On Saturday, we traveled to the island of Caye Caulker.

We met up with some members of the local branch. Swimming in the Carribean in December...

On Christmas Eve we had Elder and Sister Adams over for dinner.  

And yet, work must go on. Other happenings this week....

Weekly district meeting in Belize City, conducted by our new district leader,  20-year old Elder Reyes from Texas.

Helping the elders re-open the town of Orange Walk for missionary work, with the branch president.

 Our neighbor children getting into the holiday spirit.

Christmas Eve in front of a church member's house, with friends, family, and missionaries joining in singing Christmas carols.

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends in faraway California, Utah, and Idaho. May the peace that our Savior brings to our lives be with us through 2018.