Belize Mission Trip

For several months the Mission Team has been praying, planning, and preparing for the trip to Corozal, Belize. We will be there from June 10 - June 17th. The purpose of the trip is to glorify God by being of service to the missionaries and people there. In the mornings the team will be doing some construction, painting, cleaning, and anything else that needs to be done. In the afternoon we will be holding a VBS at a village church. We will appreciate your prayer support as we travel, and as we minister in Belize.

On Wednesday, June 7th we packed up all of the items we will need as a team. Things like VBS craft materials, sports equipment, and food for our lunches. We also packed some donated books, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Daily Log from Belize

Saturday, June 10th - Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! The Belize Team (TBT) has arrived safely! Our flight down was thankfully uneventful and we landed a little ahead of schedule at Belize City. 10 of us hit the ground (Esther Pembroke, Harold and Audrey Smith, Tom Nunnallee, Mark Breed, Charlotte Heston,Todd Bloemsma, Dan Shawver, Andrew Breed, and Will Heston). 9 of our passports proceeded to customs when we discovered Tom had lost his. He went back to the plane and found it in his seat where it had evidently fallen out of his pocket. The day began early (not bright) when we left the church at 4:30 am. Had no problems with security or check-in and had time to sing Happy Birthday to the newly 14 years old Will in the boarding waiting area. Later, we also sang Happy Birthday to him on the plane from Houston to Belize, and then again at supper last night. I think we sufficiently embarrassed him for the day. After clearing customs in Belize City and gathering our luggage we boarded an old school bus for a very pleasant 2 hour drive to Corozal. The countryside looks much like central Florida type scub land or like parts of South Florida as you're nearing the Everglades. Not too hot, but plenty humid, also like home. We reached our home for the next week - the Hotel Hokol Kin in Corozal - and checked in to our rooms. Very nice room arrangements, all rooms have A/C and TV, and everybody has their own bed. Sharing rooms are Andrew and Will, Charlotte and Esther, and Harold and Audrey. In a big room with 2 queen beds and a bunk bed are the remaining 4 men. The hotel is right on the water in Corozal with a nice view. We were then bussed to the Cascada Maya for dinner. The Cascada Maya was our alternative lodging (which we did not choose) - if you stay there you have to sleep on sleeping bags or air mattresses on the ground and they have no A/C. 2 large groups from Orlando churches - mostly youth - are staying there, and we will be dining with them on a regular basis. The meals will be brought in by ladies from local churches and last night we ate good barbequed chicken with mashed potatoes, baked beans, pineapple, and a tortilla. We will be eating our breakfasts at our hotel, and will prepare our lunches on the work sites. Brought back to the hotel after dinner for a brief orientation of the rest of our week and then everybody was asleep by 9pm Belize time (11pm your time). Up early this morning for what will be an easy day. Going to lunch at 11, church at 2:30 this afternoon and then we have the rest of the afternoon off. We begin work at 8am tomorrow - slight change of plans - instead of working at the Cornerstone school, they are taking us to Concepcion, which is a smaller school nearby to do some digging for a septic system, some electrical work, and painting. Please continue praying for us for safety, and that we can be a blessing to those we are ministering to this week. More later, TBT

Sunday, June 11th - Sunday night from Belize. Greetings again to everyone. It's about 8:45pm our time at this close of the Lord's Day and it's been an enjoyable one. Everyone slept soundly last night and we're much better rested from our travel day yesterday. We had a big, good breakfast this morning at the hotel - scrambled eggs, ham, bacon, sausage, fresh pineapple, orange juice and coffee. Our hosts for this week are a very nice retired couple from Illinois - Chuck and Liz - and they joined us for breakfast. They are volunteers for MTW and will be down here for a month acting as drivers, runners, gophers, etc. for the teams coming through here so we will see quite a bit of them this week. MTW provides them with an apartment close by. We had a free morning until they came to pick us up at 11:15 to take us to lunch. We were joined by the 2 Orlando teams (comprised of primarily high school age kids and chaperones) and to Tony's - a very nice place right on the waterfront and ate in an open-air covered dining area. Big lunch of fried chicken, Fanta soft drinks (do you remember Fanta drinks?) and grilled vegetables. Let's see: we're in a 3rd-world country and we're really roughing it - A/C in our rooms, separate beds, hot showers, chauffered to and from all of our activities, good meals, and private baths. Oh yeah, and Internet access too. Well, things change tomorrow because we'll begin our work projects then. Back to today though. After lunch, we had a couple of hours to rest and relax until we were picked up for church at 2:30. Went to the town of Xiabe (pronounced Shy-bay) to a pretty little, quaint church seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. Very small congregation with quite a few beautiful little Belizian children. The service was very interesting. We were welcomed by our hosts and most of the service was singing - they accomodated us by singing some songs in Spanish and then let us pick some songs to sing in English. No musical accompaniment. They picked several Scriptures to read in Spanish and then asked us to read them in English. We were in an open building with windows and doors opened and ceiling fans running, it rained for most of the service, and bats would occasionally fly in and out of the sanctuary. After the service, they took the children into 2 adjoining rooms for Sunday School (Will and Andrew went with one of the classes) and the adults stayed in the sanctuary. The adult teacher asked us to share what we were there for and our one member who is never at a loss for words (that would be Tom for those of you who don't know) shared with them our greetings from Sebring, FL and then talked a little bit about our plans for the rest of the week. The teacher then gave his lesson in English for our benefit. All in all, a wonderful time of realizing that Christians all over the world, regardless of race, nationality, language, and cultural barriers, are indeed bound by our membership and fellowship in the fact that we are all saved and members of God's family. Got back late in the afternoon, had a brief team meeting and devotional, and then most of us walked down the street and ate supper at a Chinese restaurant that was very good. Back to the hotel, to bed by 9, and looking forward to a big day tomorrow. We'll keep you posted. Later, TBT

Tuesday, June 13th - Tuesday morning from Belize. Greetings again. Sorry we didn't report back last night but after our first work day showers and sleep seemed more important than writing. However, after a good night's sleep and a good breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, and fried jack (a croissant-type pastry made from tortillas) - we're ready to go again. We left yesterday morning at 8am for the Presbyterian school at Concepcion. Schooling here is mandatory through grade 8 or age 14, and Concepcion consists of grades K through 8. School is still in session so when we arrived, the kids were all milling around outside waiting for the doors to open. They all wear uniforms and are all beautiful looking children. They have a kind of class assembly outside where they recite a pledge and several Bible verses before they begin their day. The school building itself is only partially finished, but they'll move into a building as soon as a roof is in place, regardless of what still needs to be done. We will be primarily painting, doing some electrical and plumbing work, and digging a hole for a septic tank this week. Charlotte, Harold, Audrey, and Esther worked on the painting. Todd is our electrician. Tom, Mark, Dan, Andrew, and Will commenced digging the hole for the septic tank. Our first day we finished the plumbing and did the majority of the painting that was needed. The septic hole is another matter. The ground here is a mix of mud and rock and getting through it is hard, slow going. By the end of the day, we were about a foot deep. We hope we can make it four feet deep by the end of the week. It needs to be 8 feet, so we'll leave the rest for another team. Lunch was picnic style prepared by the ladies - PB and J's, canned ham sandwiches, Belizian chips, cookies, and bananas. Mark will prepare and lead a short devotional for the team each day during lunch. At around 2:30 the bus picked us up and took us back to the church at Xiabe for our afternoon VBS for the kids in that area. Harold and Audrey are our wonderful leaders for the VBS and were well prepared. We began with only a handful of kids but as the afternoon wore on, kids kepts coming in a steady stream. By the end we had between 25 and 30 kids and a couple of Moms. The crafts are the big hit with the kids but they also loved a puppet show that Andrew and Will did for them. The kids seemed thrilled that we were there for them, and we understand that as word gets out, more and more kids will be arriving. We have a little less time for VBS than we had thought, so we're going to eliminate some of the games we had planned. Dinner that night - after a shower, excuse me, after a blessed shower - was spaghetti and fresh mango cobbler for dessert. Carla Stevens spoke to the groups and told us the Belizians really appreciate gringos who work like dogs. To bed around 8:30 last night and ready for another day today. More later, TBT

Tuesday night, June 13th - Tuesday night from Belize. Greetings again from the Belize team (TBT): Two words to describe today: tired and enchanting. Tired - that's us. Enchanting - that's the Belize children, or more specifically, the children we're sharing the gospel with at the Xiabe church. Our 2nd day of work was more of very hot and very humid. We worked at a slower pace than yesterday. While Todd continues to make good progress on the electrical work and Charlotte, Harold, Audrey, and Esther are looking for new things to paint, Tom, Mark, and Dan are very, very slowly working their way through the septic hole we're digging. Tom has now re-named it the "pit". I think we're maybe now one and a half feet deep, but we're still plugging away. In order to help the men from becoming overly tired, Charlotte joined us and believe me she swings a mean pickaxe, although she ending up admitting she's not the man she thought she was. Andrew and Will helped out when we needed a break, and helped move the dirt in the wheelbarrow to a dump site. Lunch was good - we were brought tacos from the Cornerstone High School which was a treat. We worked until 2:30 and then the bus picked us up to take us to Xiabe. We doubled our attendance today - nearly 50 kids and probably half a dozen moms came today. The word is evidently now out that we are there in the afternoons and we may well see more tomorrow. Harold and Audrey continue to do a great job in leading the program, Will and Andrew did their excellent puppet ministry, Dan is a big ole teddy bear for the smaller kids, and Todd is kind of our pied piper - he stands out in the street waving soccer balls or blowing bubbles and waving at the kids up and down the road to come on in and join us. Oh, and then there's Esther - how do we describe Esther? - so far, she's dug in the pit with a shovel, climbed ladders, and today at VBS she jumped rope and rode a bike much to the delight of the kids. The kids seem to really enjoy the crafts we have for them and more of them are talking to us and getting to know us better. The moms have thanked us repeatedly for doing this and the smiles and enthusiasm on the kids faces makes this more than worthwhile. Back to the hotel around 5:15 for quick showers and then to Cascada Maya for supper of beans and rice, chicken, fried plantains, and cole slaw. To bed early again, ready for another day tomorrow. God is blessing us on this trip, and we pray that we are being a blessing to them as we share the gospel with them. Continue to keep us in your prayers, TBT

Wednesday, June 14th - Greetings again to everyone: Today was an awesome day for the team. Another long, hot, hard day of work at Concepcion where we continue to make good progress on the painting and electrical work. The pit, however, is really the pits. We're maybe now past 2 feet deep and the group doing the digging (which still includes Charlotte amazingly enough) will probably not miss the pit at all when we leave. The kids in the afternoon are an entirely different story. Word is now out in the Xiabe community and they started arriving earlier today and just kept coming and kept coming. We lost count when we reached 70 kids and we're saddened by the realization that we only get to be with them one more afternoon. Several of the moms that stay have been a big help to us when a little discipline is needed or when we're having translation problems. After we're done some of the kids pitch in with us and help us with cleaning up the church before we leave. We've taken lots of pictures and should have much to share with you when we return. Dinner tonight was excellent - huge burritos and our daily helping of seemingly abundant and inexpensive fresh pineapple. After supper Chuck and Liz took us to an ice cream store for some ice cream and smoothies. Very good. After we got back to the hotel, we wandered down to Cinty's which is the Belizian equivalent of a Home Depot / Wal Mart / or an old-fashioned five and dime store. Bought a few souveniers and then headed home for bed. We've had the pleasure of several visits with Carla Stevens and have really enjoyed getting to know her. She's very aware of the fact that we have been supporting her for a long time (I think she said since 1993) and I think she's pleased we're here. Please continue to pray for safety and for a good finish with the kids tomorrow afternoon - we're really going to miss them. Pray that God will be glorified through both our work ministry and our VBS ministry. We'll be home before too much longer but want to finish strong before we return. More late, TBT

Thursday - June 15th
Greetings again from all of us down here:
"I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together."
Psalm 34: 1-3
What a wonderful day this has been. The day began with good early news when Chuck pulled the pit crew out of the pit only an hour into the morning because he had had enough. Nobody objected. It might not seem like much but we reached the 2 foot deep mark and were happy enough with that. Much painting and electrical work was done and we feel like we've been of some help to the Concepcion school and everyone there was very appreciative of our efforts. We were taken to Cornerstone High School and treated to a very good pizza lunch there. After lunch we went to the Presbyterian Medical Clinic at Patchakan for a tour of their facility. They are staffed by MTW missionaries and provide low-cost medical care to the people who live in Patchakan. We also had the privilege of meeting Mrs. Helen Lacey, whose husband founded the clinic in 1970. From there, we headed off to Xiabe where even more kids were already waiting for us. Oh, also, one of the nurses who works at the Patchakan clinic - Miray (sp? - pronounced Mee-ry-ah) lives at Xiabe, was there at our VBS Tues. afternoon, and let us know she hated the fact she couldn't come back. Well, she was at the clinic when we showed up, and we were able to talk the clinic administrator into giving her the afternoon off so she could come and help us with the VBS. She was thrilled, and we were delighted to have her. We also needed her help because today we topped 100 kids. It was pandemonium but what a wonderful problem to have. Harold shared the gospel with Miray's help in translating and then we handed out toothbrushes and toothpaste (donated by Highlands County dentists), soap, and crafts. The kids hated for us to leave and we hated that we had to leave, but all in all a very memorable few days spent with the children of Xiabe. Early on in our planning for this trip, MTW suggested at one point that VBS for 100 kids in a 3rd world country might be a bit more than we could handle, but let me tell you, when it comes to doing VBS well (and especially if you have Harold and Audrey Smith on your team), CPC of Sebring does it as well as or better than anyone else. Oops, sinful pride creeping in there, sorry. Better perhaps to remember God's promise to His people that He will bless them and they shall be a blessing. We pray that we have been able to be a blessing this week.
Back for a good dinner of fried rice and chocolate cake for dessert, and another nice visit with Carla Stevens, and then home to bed. No work tomorrow, we get to play tourist and are going to Lamanai to tour an ancient Mayan ruin and do a little sightseeing. Then home Saturday. We miss everyone and are looking forward to seeing you again - but we're also coming home with hearts for Belize and their people and the work the Lord is doing down here.
See you soon,
TBT

Friday, June 16th - Greetings for the last time:
Well, it's finally coming to an end - that's the bad news. The good news is that we're bringing Esther home safe and sound. Today was a fun day. Started again this morning with our usual excellent breakfast and left at 8:30 for Lamanai. When we reached our departure point we boarded a boat for a tour down the New River which is in a tropical rainforest region near Orangewalk town, which is about an hour south of Corozal. Our guide pointed out the native vegetation and local birds and was very interesting. The boat ride took about an hour to reach Lamanai where we began our tour of the Mayan ruins. Spectacular Mayan temples have been preserved here - the Jaguar temple, the Mask temple, and the High temple. The highlight (excuse the pun) of the day was the chance to climb the High temple. It is 112 feet from the bottom to the top and the stairs are very tall so you have to take big steps. Once you reach the top you are about 270 feet above sea level and well above the rain forest canopy. The view is spectacular. Esther Pembroke - yes, our Esther - made it to the top and then back down again all in one piece. She is amazing! Our guide said as far as he knew no one that old (85 years) had ever made the climb. He thought some people around 70 had done it but nothing older. Oh yes, Harold Smith (69) made it too. We indeed have quite a crew on this trip. Our tour included a good lunch and then we had time to do a little souvenier shopping before heading back. Went out for a Mexican supper tonight, wandered around town for a bit, are now packing and getting ready for bed.
We are thankful for safety while we were here, great team unity (and remember we range in age from 14 to 85), a chance to serve and help Concepcion elementary school, but especially the children and moms from Xiabe. To God be the glory!
See you soon. Love from all of us,
TBT

Pictures of the trip are here