Belize - Tuesday

No pictures today ... I have to go pack.

Today was the official 'fun day.'

We went to Placencia on the southern coast of Belize - a 3 hour bus ride - for some time in the sun and sand.  We had the sand, but the sun was trying to hide. There was a good breeze and it was a bit chilly. However, not too chilly for some of us to go snorkling at a nearby reef. There were 10 in a boat with no waivers to sign, no pretrip safety lecture, just a driver who had some gear that had questionable cleanliness.  But there were lots of starfish, a few sea urchins, some fish and coral to see. And the water was warmer than the air so it felt good swimming in the salty ocean.

Others stayed back and relaxed, shopped and visited. Several youth from the church joined us on the trip which guaranteed the bus ride was anything but quiet or boring.  Mrs Bell and the kids joined us on the trip. This was the first time she had ever been to this beach and her sister happened to live nearby. They had a chance to visit some - something that they don't often get to do. Another blessing!

The rodes in Belize are not too wide and there are lots of speed bumps to keep drivers from going too fast. There are also a lot of people walking, riding bikes, and just hanging out on the roadsides. There are no streetlights so when the sun goes down, it is nearly impossible to see people. We witnessed the danger of this tonight when we came up on an accident between a bicycle rider and a bus. We prayed in the bus for the gentleman's family ... we are pretty sure he did not survive.

After dinner, Eduardo delivered our wood carvings - they are BEAUTIFUL!!! The fact that he made these creations in less than a week and made two penguins - an animal he had never seen - shows his incredible talent.

Tomorrow morning, we will be stopping by the Bell family's house to be interviewed by the local news. Before they can move into their house, a power line has to be moved and electricity wired to the house. This would cost about $400 USD (800 Belize).  Mrs Bell only makes $100/month. It would take her a long time to save the money needed to have the work done so she can move into her house. As a team, we donated the funds to the mission for them to have the electricity installed and the power line moved. The family will find out about this during the interview tomorrow.

Prayers:

Team: safe travel tomorrow as we fly home

Mr. Bell: healing, freedom from pain

Mrs Bell: rest, peace

Bicyclist: comfort for his family as they grieve

Bus Driver: comfort and peace following this tragic accident

Oasis Mission and Mt Hope Church: God's blessings on them and clear direction for what he wants them to do.