Spirit Overflow

As far as the amount of people I connect with on a daily basis, it’s not me connecting. It’s not my spirit rather it’s all him. He made me this way-smiling towards others, having enthusiasm, interest in their being, passion to listen to their story, an eye staring at their hearts.

This is not about going on a mission trip with people and getting to know tourists. This is about the spirit going heart first out into the world and putting all my faith into people.  Things will work out because a person will always be sent my way to guide me, to help me, to provide me with directions, to give a recommendation, to treat me like family, to appreciate me, to praise me, to care for me, and to love me.  This spirit overflows out into a world of beauty. A world that gravitates to our spirit. 



Perhaps people will disappoint me and there will be someone there to pick me up. God sends angels. It’s not something that just happens to people before the die or to care for the sick. It’s something that happens to guard and protect the children of God. They serve as security guards who are watching over you always. They step in when you are in need and your spirit and positive nature is not taking you far enough.

Spirit of Flowers Bay

Oh the Coconuts 

Oh this beautiful, beautiful spirit selling coconuts and avocados across from the beach in Flowers Bay. He wore a Yankees cap and a neon green tank top.  He didn't wear shoes nor did most people on this side of the island.  As far as his inner appearance, his soul shined like the sun and he was so spiritually happy.  This kind of happy is the kind of true happiness pastor's preach about, authors write about, Dalai Lama speaks about, and people dream of reaching.  He was happy without material goods to make him happy.  He reached a positive, enlightened place.  Yes, he reached that place living in a poor area without a Range Rover, an Iphone, and a house. 

I sat with him on his tool bench as he was showing me his different shapes of avocados. It's a human trying to impress with what they have. It's not much, but it's something for them to share and be proud of, which is important for human sense of responsibility and creation.  He went back to get a knife in his shack without a roof or room rather it just had a bunch of tools and machine parts and pieces inside. He began to speak of his younger days where he visited Chicago, New Orleans, Tampa Florida, and Jacksonville.   With his great memories of the past, he feels content with his current life and work. "It's not much, but I get by," he says.  He doesn't speak with sadness rather he speaks with acceptance, faith, and love in God.  These are the people that lift up my spirit. 

Of course, I bought some avocados from him and he gave my friends and I all coconuts.  It was sad to part ways from him because I always meet these people and want to do more, but I know that God is taking care of him.

Purely Beautiful Exchanges

This trip is pure, simple, beautiful exchanges created by God's desire to share his gifts with the world. The exchange whether with a baby, a child, a troubled teen, a lonely grandfather, an alcoholic, a kind man, an elderly women-it's all coming from the same spirit. I am overwhelmed with the amount of interaction I have with community and people.
While I have always had a positive connection through God's spirit, it has never been as strong as the present. 

On this trip it's constant work through God. He is putting me in the right place at the right time to meet that person to help, to comfort, to reassure, to empower, to smile at, to coach, to listen, and to love.  It's a wonderful relationship that is co-created between two people sharing one spirit.   


When it comes to simple things like smiling, it feels like there is so much power in just a simple smile(just as Mother Teresa believed and just as I feel).  

One day on the bus in La Ceiba, I was sitting and making jokes and everyone was smiling and laughing. I kept my eye on this one older lady sitting in the corner who was not smiling. She was just staring at me and my smile. It felt powerful as her stare had a hold over me.  When I smiled again, she looked directly at my smile and she just smiled so big.  She had no teeth, but it was the most beautiful smile.  The best part was that it felt like my smile was transferred right to her. Those who are true believers and missionaries understand the power that can be released through spirit. 

This will be explained more extensively throughout this blog. 

It feels like this is my own unofficial and informal missionary work- the work of God started by me. It is so powerful and surreal at times to believe that God would give me his spirit.  He would make me so strong, athletic, fashionable, friendly, funny, curious, studious, enthusiastic, inspirational, compassionate- its all from him. The way people respond to me is so unbelievable.


Sitting on buses and making the whole bus laugh and hotels/restaurants/bars making friends with everyone. My whole life and all the people I have helped has been one big mission- one that never stops. 

Anything is possible with the power of The Lord.

Angry Loser Boards Boat

During the World Cup half-time, I must have went in and out of 5 or 6 places checking the score and making sure I did not miss anything. I ended up by the boats checking the time of departure because one night in Placencia would royally mess up my schedule.  Everything is planned out between the boat times and bus times and missing those times can be a unnecessary headache. I must reiterate that this route from Belmopan(Northern Belize) to Honduras to Roatan Island(Caribbean) is a 3-4 day journey with overland buses, ferries, and boats because I chose to not take any planes within Central America.  Surprisingly, I have no complaints because the adventure and excitement happens traveling overland.  

They were all laughing when they saw me walk into the boat arena. My head was down and I was in complete disappointment.

I walked into their office with the guys sipping on a beer and listening to the radio. 

All dramatic, "How could this happen? I don't understand." 

"What kind of justice is this for South America. Brazil couldn't win it, Colombia couldn't win it-at least give the win to Argentina."

It was intentionally done being over dramatic-that's what makes things the most fun. 

They say, "Don't worry maybe next time."

Pris, "No, what about this time?

They say, "Germany is a solid team and they won it fair."

Pris, "Yeah, yeah that's true."

I think deep down inside I was more disappointed about not moving to Argentina and trying to figure out what was next.

Nah, I really, wanted Argentina to win it because they are just amazing. 

Still pouting like a 10 year old girl, they were still laughing and entertained by my disappointment.  It turned out I was early for the boat and I was totally fine with that.  Mr. Big Belizian teddy bear(looks Spanish and something else) chimed in with our conversation.  He was quiet the whole time just standing there, but he warmed up a bit with me. 

 It's really a mystery because you can never assume someones background rather it's just best to ask.  This man had a whole bunch of money in his hand and not one customer in front of him.  Using my friendly, humorous ways, I joked with him that he had enough money to go to the Caribbean. He replied, "If you plan on coming with me, let's go." Oh I love friendly, teddy bears-they always add a dose of sunshine into my trip. 

                  

After they cheered me up a bit, I was ready to continue the longest journey ever and hopped on the speed boat.  Usually, people sit in the middle seats to avoid the bumps, but I sit right in the front to jump the waves.

 This speed boat was worth the $10 and it was worth the wait.  It was a "Blessed Boat" charging through the water with the waives lightly splashing the sun was peaking through the clouds staring right down at me. In your vision, all you can see is nature while your speeding through tilted slightly into the sky. There is sun and there is light and there are the shades of gray. 

                

It's having those moments with yourself and up above that make traveling alone 100 percent worth it. 

Singing in the Rain

The weather was gloomy and it was not the day for kayaking. When they sky looks like it is about to fall down onto the ground. It just might not be a great day for kayaking, but I was with some cheerful, upbeat, carefree people.


"If we get wet, we get wet."
I thought to myself, "Okay, then lets go get wet."
That is whole lot of wet!

This couple was from Minnesota or North Dakota or one of those outdoors kind of states.  They were casually dressed with shorts and t shirts and I was wearing my rain shoes, rain jacket, and rain shorts.  Due to not catching ammonia, I realized this was a good choice because we were in for a fun surprise. 


Our guide was Mojita so I just called him, "Mojito." I made sure to say his name extra times so everyone would laugh. It was the beginning of a beautiful, entertaining Priscilla adventure. 

 

Off we went in the 4x4 down by the river. Mojito threw the raft into the water and slipped right on his butt. We were all laughing so hard that one of us was bound to fall down and that would be the Sarah, the wife from the unknown state fell down on her face. She had mud all over t shirt and face.  She was such a good sport and laughed off the whole thing. She just wiped it off and dipped her face into the river.  Luckily, my Kean's gripped the mud just enough to keep me above land.  I made a smart decision to leave my phone behind because we also planned on swimming(separate from the mud bath of course).

Of course, I sat right next to Mojito because I told him I wanted to be the one doing all the work.  Always interested in a workout at all times.  It worked out great because the couple did not care if they paddled or just sat there.  They were pretty fascinated with nature.  All of us kept looking up at the sky at the same time because we knew it would rain.  And it just so happens that Belize was waiting for some good rain as it was just raining on and off for days. 

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and there came the rain.  It came pouring down so hard that I felt bad for the others who did not have a rain jacket.  Instead, they just got soaked, especially Mojito.  We were paddling to cover underneath the tree and we were still getting wet.  We all looked at each other and paddled back out into the rain.  It was so beautiful. It felt like "The Notebook" where they were paddling in the rain except it clearly was not a romantic encounter with my buddy Mojito, but it was for the married couple. 

We just kept paddling and after 15 minutes or so, it finally stopped. Mojito and I began to switch off singing and I was singing so loud I think I scared away the birds, iguanas, monkeys-any living organism in the jungle.  Mojito was describing all these different types of trees, plants, animals as we were going along.

In Belize, there are different colored iguanas-green, black, yellow, and orange. The only one I had not seen was the orange one and I was on the lookout for one.  It appeared that I had left eyes at home because I was not seeing anything that was pointed out.

The couple were basically Wildlife experts from National geographic as they were pointing out more plants and birds than Mojito.  It was some advanced hiking trip for me, but I still did not see the leopard, which is what I wanted to see. 

Amongst the Sibun river are some of the most amazing plants, fauna, birds, but also the water is fantastic.  It is warm, clear, and clean leaving us to jump  right in and swim away.  It was paddling and swimming paddling and swimming:) It rained again and we were splashing each other with our paddles like teenagers. 

When leaving we stopped by an archaeologists house to see all his ancient finds-very interesting.  

My dear Mojito, so kind and sweet, is an example of a tour guide who becomes a friend and a resource to learn about Belize. 

Let the rain cleanse you, heal you, and receive you. PRIS

The Religious Experience

Let's just say that I'm the type of person who thrives with different cultures. I love to learn about them intimately through real conversations, real learning of their everyday life, cooking with them, eating with them, attempting to work with them, and most of all: praying with them-learning about the role Christ plays in their lives. How does the church, prayer, religious community, music, gospel- get them through the day. 


There is always a curiosity to learn about how people accept their religion into their life. Whether it's a Hindu temple, a Mosque in Morocco, a Buddhist temple, or a Church- There is full commitment to being present and learning through ritual ceremony. I don't just float into take photos rather I want to be present for their religious experience to feel what it's like. 

When it comes to the Church, it's my number one place and my favorite place to visit.  To see how beautiful God's presence can be in a small space, a big space, a historic space, a fancy space-what matters is how people are interpreting this space.  How are they internalizing the message, the Eucharist, his spirit, the music, the Pastor etc. It's just a beautiful time to feel the moment and internalize what is being said. 

What if you cannot understand what is being said? It does not apply because you are still focusing on what you're feeling, observing, your senses and taking in the surrounding.  If you see the church committee smile and carry in the flower arrangement- you can see the love and the joy in their expressions. When you hear the Pastor's voice elevate and his tone of expression shift higher and lower, you can learn to identify what he is referencing. It just takes active listening and a positive attitude and will to learn. 

Over the years, I have attended services in French, Spanish, Bulgarian, Italian, Russian, and English.  In Morocco, I had an option to attend English services and I decided to attend French to learn and I felt connected to the French choir and my lovely Pastor. It just felt so right even though I only understand bits and pieces of the service. What felt right was the overall religious experience. It does not matter the language or the country rather it is how you connect to the overall experience with your observations, senses, and connecting with people and spirit.  It's not about hearing the historical text and knowing exactly what was said, but in this new experience. 

How Do You Feel?

What Do You Feel?

What is The Feeling?

Why Do You Feel This Way? 

Sense And Act on Loneliness

Sometimes you can just sense a person's loneliness. It's just a glimpse in their eye or a moment of stillness.  A moment of stillness, which makes you wonder.  It's written all over their presence. These moments may seem just like a chance encounter, but someone up above wants you to be present for these.  We are expected to give some extra time or effort with these individuals.  Why? Because that time could make their day, their week, their hour, or maybe even a lifetime.  

When I was bike riding down the main street, I decided to stop for a water. I was completely parched and would not take a chance drinking tap water. I walked into "Cheers" to buy a bottled water. I opened my bag and realized I did not have my main wallet. I threw together the change and $1 bill-it did not cut it.  I sighed and thought about leaving my wallet behind. 

A man stood next to me near his pickup truck.  He was carrying a Coca-cola and a water. 

Mr. J- "Would you like a water?" 
Pris- "Oh, thank you, but I'm fine." 
Mr. J-"Please, you must be really thirsty." 
He hands the bottle towards me
Pris-"Thanks" "Are you from around here?"
Mr.J- I'm just doing some construction work here. I'm from Mexico
Pris-That would explain the perfect English. 
Mr.J- Thanks. You are from Mexico too? 
Pris-No. States. Just doing some social work here
Mr. J- That's great. Nice to meet you. You seem like a nice person
Pris- Thank you. You as well. Have you always been doing construction work? 
Mr. J- Too long.  
Pris-You must be good at with all your experience
How do you like it?
Mr J.- It's okay I guess. 
Pris-What do you enjoy? 
Mr. J- Not much lately..
Pris- Lately? 
Mr. J- Not feeling any excitement lately 
Pris- I sense that
Mr. J- You're a smart girl.
Pris- You're smart too. Your life may benefit from a bit more purpose or direction. 
Mr. J- Like what are you referring to?
Pris- Purpose in life and/or career. Doing something for yourself rather than just material profit. 
Mr. J.- I love painting. I haven't painted in over 20 years though. 
Pris- Wonderful. I love painting too except I never quite get the time. Do you have a paint brush?
Mr. J- Somewhere. 
Pris- Could you try picking it up?
Mr. J- That's it?
Pris- Yes, Just one step at at time. No rush. Let yourself, your senses slowly get connected.
Mr. J- I could try
Pris-That's all I could ask you to do

The conversation went on for about 15 minutes, but he spoke about not having family or a significant other. His work here in Belize did not serve much of a purpose in his life other than paying his bills. His presence was shouting that he needed a friend or something new to brighten up his life, actually, his spirit.  With identifying his interest of painting, he could slowly step by step working this  back into his life. For most people, it is helpful having a supporter, a therapist, or life coach working on this step by step.  Many can't find the motivation within themselves or they have anxiety, sadness, feeling overwhelmed, or hopeless.  

Everyone deserves to feel that their presence is noticed, loved, respected, acknowledged, and cared about PRIS  ...