LaShell visited our school during the Spring Break with her daughter. She is a nurse and had the following to say about SEPS.
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| LaShell with her husband and two daughters, |
Good Morning, and hello to each and every one of you! My name is
LaShell, and I recently had a chance to visit your beautiful country
with my daughter and a group from her Middle School in South Carolina,
USA. I will start by saying that Belize is one of the most beautiful
places I have ever seen, but what makes your country SO beautiful goes
beyond the lush and colorful flora and fauna , or even the inviting
warmth of the beaches and the Carib Sea. The thing that makes Belize so
beautiful is it's people! Without the visit to Santa Elena Primary
School I would never have experienced the people of Belize in such an up
close and personal way. I first noticed your school's sign when we
entered. The triangle: student, parent, teacher. Academic; Aesthetic
and Spiritual. I knew that this would be something different. When I
read the school's mission statement there were tears welling in my eyes.
Doreen noticed, and then I began to cry as I told her that you all
have found what we in America have lost. You work together as families
and communities. And you work to instill POSITIVE MORAL VALUES in your
students so that they become PRODUCTIVE MEMBERS OF SOCIETY. That is
what made me cry. I rode around for three days looking out of a bus
window thinking how little you all had, but then I visited your school
and realized that you all have SO MUCH MORE! Be proud of who you are
and what you do! My life is forever changed for having met you and
visited your school. I have already returned home and shared this story
with so many - by word of mouth, and by internet. I want to get the
message of what you taught me to as many as I can! In so many ways this
trip was like a missions trip to me, but not how one would think.
Instead, it was YOUR gift to ME! I know that God had me there for a
reason!
The children that you teach and reach out to every
day are so blessed to have you! Do not ever be discouraged by the
limitations that you face as their teachers, for you are giving them
more than what can be provided with a computer or a textbook or the
proper amount of pencils and paper. You are giving them things that I
long for my child to be given when she walks into her classroom at
school everyday. YOU are the fortunate ones! I am changed for having
met you.
Please know that I will regularly pray for each and
every one of you. I will also pray for the things that you need in your
school to be provided. I will be praying for a fruitful workshop and
safe travel for each of you going to Orlando this summer. Keep on
setting a wonderful example for the children of your community. The
world is a better place for it already!
Sincerely,
LaShell Head
