Belize - Wednesday

We started the day with no water. Apparently the water company will randomly turn off the water for unknown periods of time ... the longest being 100 hours. Today was only about 4. Thankfully. Then we headed to the Bell's house for one last visit.  

Singing 'Amazing Grace' on the front porch to Mr. Bell. 

The Bell family. 

The team and the family. 

Being interviewed for Plus TV 

To see the story and/or read the transcript, click here

Ms Yolanda being interviewed on the steps of her new home. 

This is where we surprised her with the news that installing her electricity was covered. 

Ready to begin the trek home.

Craig hanging out of a moving bus. 

Local Post Office

Belize from the air.

Shannon and Kurt had a bit too much time together. 

A tired Lissa and always happy Alexa.

Eric looking forward to seeing his family. 

Part of our welcoming committee ... I know one person who was very glad to see that smiling face. 

We are home. 

Back to our comforts. 

Back to our beds. 

Back to consistently running water. 

No flying, biting bugs. 

Lower humidity and temperatures. 

But

We have all been changed. 

In our hearts.

In our relationships.

In the way we look at our very Americanness.

We spent a week with people in extreme poverty.

Caught in a cycle that is nearly impossible to break. 

Often without the strength or will to do the work even when help is there.

That is all of us. 

We all have areas and times of extreme poverty.

Maybe not materially or financially. 

But often spiritually, emotionally, mentally. 

And we don't have the strength or will to do the work even when help is there.

A final prayer is this:

That we all muster the little strength we have when we are poverty stricken

Hold out an open hand

and graciously accept the blessings that others freely provide. 

And that we draw strength from friends to help give us the will to do the work 

to break the cycle of poverty in our hearts and souls. 

Good Night. 

Amen.

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.

Belize - Monday

Good Night (as they say here ... not as a way of saying good bye, but as a greeting)

Today the team split into several groups.

Kurt, Shannon, Eddie, and Chelsea went to a house to help put on a roof. Did I mention that it was raining? Again. They still did some work on that house.

Eric went out on foot to the surrounding villages and made 1 to 1 visits with local folks. He had bibles to distribute and prayed with several families.

Chris, Lissa, and Bill stayed at the base to help around here. Chris continued working the mobile library organizing and sorting. Lissa and Bill put linoleum on tables in the classrooms. The linoleum makes it easier to clean. 

We also helped undecorate from Christmas. Then a few went to visit Mr. Bell and was interviewed by LOVE radio - the interview was on the 12:30 news that most Belizians listen to every day. They all heard about God's work happening in Cayo district!

The remaining folks went up the road to a village to paint a new barber shop and used clothing store the mission built to help generate income. The barbershop also needed a girder put under the floor.  While some were priming the building (in the rain), others were raising the building, installing the joist, and securing the floor. The building was moving and shifting while being painted. Amazingly - none of them returned wearing too much paint!

Cleaning up after supper. We have meal set-up and clean-up divided so we all have duties on different days.

There is a basket ball hoop set up by the house. As a gift to the mission, Kurt made a backboard and Shannon and Becky are painting it. Pictures of the completed project to follow when it is up.

And we once again made a trip to get ... ice cream!!!

Gary and Lissa after eating their ice cream.

Alexa, Becky and Craig - happy after the yummy treat.

Chelsea, Chris, Bobby and Eddie still digging in (and it is CHEAP! Two scoops for $1 USD)

Ron and Linda with Elbia. Our hosts here in Belize.

Prayer Requests:

Mr. Bell - for pain control. He has been out of his pain medication since last Thursday and has not received more yet. He has been in tremendous pain.

Troy - Eric met his sister today. He was shot 9 times on New Year's Eve and had surgery today to remove a bullet from his head. Pray for healing. 

Eli Kramer - Tuesday is her 7th birthday and her Mommy will miss it. :-(  (Happy Birthday Doodlebug! I love you)

Ron and Linda - as they prepare for school to resume next week and another team arriving.

Belize - Sunday

Happy New Year's Day 2012

Today was a restful day. We went to Xunantunich - an ancient Mayan site. While the rest of the team climbed to the top of the temple and were amazed by the views, I (Chris) wandered around the base of the temple ruin and was amazed by watching a family of balck howler monkeys in the tree tops. There was even a baby with them.

Lunch was at a small restaurant run by a Chinese family. Fried chicken and fried rice (or french fries). Then we returned to the compound and had FOB time (as Craig dubbed it - flat on back time) 

There was a worship service tonight ... it started at 6:30 and ended about 9. Lots of music, drama, a few videos and Conda gave the message - on Ezekial and the valley of dry bones. Wonder what would happen if the services at SOJ started alsting that long? Pastor Ed wouldn't have to worry about being 'too enthusiastic!' 

Tomorrow is a holiday for the country, but we have work to do. Please feel free to comment on the blog. The comments are shared with the team and we really enjoy hearing from friends and family.

Pray

- safety tomorrow as the team splits to go do various projects

- to see God in small and large ways ... and to remember his wondersfor more than 3 days after we return home.

- for the families we will be working with tomorrow.

Belize - Saturday - New Year's Eve!!!

Happy New Year's!

We agreed it was a bit odd ringing in the new year in shorts after dedicating the house, pushing a bus out of mud, swimming, worshipping and watching 'Courageous' under a thatched roof church that has only 1 wall. But that is how we spent New Year's Eve in Belize. 

Dedicating the Bell's new house and giving them the keys. (Who needs Ty Pennington?)

Yolanda and the children with the cross we gave them. The cross was made by Lynne Lerch for the family and is the first thing you see when you open the door to the house. The team signed the back of the cross for them. It is inscribed with "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  They had tears in their eyes when we presented it to them. (Thank you Lynne!)

The team and the fmaily with the completed house.

Worshipping on the capital steps Friday evening.

Giving goodie bags to the kids. Kurt loved showing them how to use Pez dispensers.

Walking to the river where the ring was lost and miraculously found.

Pushing a bus out of the mud. Yes - you read that right. We were taken on an outing to Rio Frio caves very close to the border with Guatemala.  We traveled a dirt road for over an hour in the mission's school bus. There were two different check points with armed guards. At the final check point, we had to have excorts to go to a cave to protect us from bandits.  As we were bouncing down the road, the bus got stuck in the mud. We tried pushing. We gathered and prayed. We walked the Beliezian 'two minutes' to an amazing cave. (More like 20 minutes)  Rio Frio Cave is a huge cavern with a sandy beach area, and incredible formations. It was awe-inspiring.

We walked back to the bus ... in the squishy mud ... after watching a line of carpenter ants taking leaves to their home. When we got back to the bus, it took people pushing on the side and front and we (with lots of help from God) were able to get the bus out of the mud. It was in deep! Another way God has shown his mighty power on this trip.

We were then taken to an area of hte river with natural pools. It is like Johnson's Shut-In's in Missouri. Natural waterslides, pools to jump into and swim around in them.  Tonight we had worship with the church to pray out 2011 and pray in 2012. Youth drama, singing, testimonies and prayer. 

Scott and Kelly left today and they have made it home safely. They are already missed. (especially Scott by Chris)

Here are a few personal messages from team members:

Bill: Kathi, are you out there? Can you at least say hi in the comments?

Kurt and Shannon: Connie/Mom - we love you and miss you.

Becky: Brandyn - I love you. xoxo

Eddie: Joyce - I love you!

The Team: We love our SOJ family! And miss you. Happy New Year!

Prayer Requests:

Team: continued safety. a few have colds - healing, homesickness

Bells: that they have a peaceful first night in their new house.

Belize - Friday

The house is complete!!!

Yes - we got walls up inside, a roof on top and a front door that locks on the house.

Saturday morning we will dediciate the house.

Praise God - the house was built without any injuries despite a team of inexperienced carpenters.

After we finished the house, we were treated to a trip to a local swimming hole on a nearby creek (more of a river)  There was a strong current that made swimming fun. Eddie jumped off the side of a cliff after one of the locals did so. His necklace broke and we all thought it was down stream somewhere. Darwin - a local guy who lives here with Ron and Linda - dove down in 6-7 feet of water, in a strong current, and FOUND the ring that was on the neckalce. A true miracle!

God IS here!! He is AMAZING!!

In the evening we went to Belmopan for a interdenominational worship on the steps of the capital. Christians from different churches, different countries, all worshipping together and praising God in unity.

Prayers:

team - continued safety. Scott and Kelly as they travel home Saturday.

The Bell's - healing for Mr. Bell. Rest for Mrs. Bell.

Belize - the local churches are involved in a lawsuit with the government to prevent homosexual acts from becoming legalized. Pray for the Supreme Court's decision.

Photos to come later!

Thursday in Belize

There are still some difficulties with loading photos, but here are a few ...

Wednesday (day 1 of build) at the end of the day.

There are 4 walls, the house is up on 7 foot posts.

The other house is where the Bell's are currently living.  

Some of the team helping lead worship at the Wednesday evening service for Mt. Hope Community Church.  A few even led the children's ministry that night.

Thursday (day 2 of build) - Half of the team went to the house to continue with construction and half stayed at the mission to help with odd jobs. Chris and Kelly helped work in one of the library trucks sorting and organizing the books.We were even able to help Ms. Linda get the church library set up - she said she had been dreaming of starting one since she got here several years ago. It was such a blessing to help her get this set up. Others helped sort and organize donations.

The team was framed!!

The building crew returning for lunch ... you don't see 16 people piled into the back of a pick-up too often.

At the end of the 2nd day of construction, the house had glass windows installed, a rail around the porch, rafters and gables for the roof and the inside walls framed. And according to Becky - the house was also thoroughly swept! 

This evening, we went up to St.Ignatious for ice cream (!) and to walk around the town. There is a strong Chinese influence here with several restaurants and the grocery stores are "Chinese Markets." 

Our evenings end with song and devotions. In God's amazing way, the devotions are tying together. Even the ones that were prepared prior to the trip. The major themes have been trust and obedience. For a group of Americans who are used to many comforts and luxuries - there is a large amount of trust for our comfort. And obedience in doing what God wants us to do in spite of our own desires. As the mission team t-shirts say, "It's not about me." It's about sharing Christ with our actions. 

Prayer:

for the team - to trust God and be obedient with grace.

Chris - her legs were eaten up with bug bites (you can do an incredible connect the dots on them!) and they are starting to itch something fierce

The Bell family - as their house gets dedicated in the next couple of days.

Mr. Bell - healing. He has 2 months in bed. His wife only makes about $100/month to cover all expenses.

Team Members - various aches and pains from the physical labor.

Pastor Ron and Linda - there are 11 kids living in this house. Patience.

Wednesday - Belize Day 2

Sorry for the lack of photos ... the connection is slow and kept getting hung up. 

The morning started with gray skies and drizzle. There was an approaching storm, but it went around us. Thankfully. The drizzle and overcast skies helped to keep us from getting too hot while working. After a few hours, the sun came out, but there was a nice breeze. God took care of us today!

The house now has a floor, four walls with siding, and a front porch. We had enough people working that each one had their own stud to nail into. The house is coming together so amazingly fast. The family is even helping where they can. One of the sons has been helping hammer on the siding. Mr. Bell has a window he watches all the action through. He has a smile on his face constantly.

The locals have no fear - they will stand on the window frames and lean out to get a nail in the right spot. Imagine if we had that kind of trust in God. Enough to balance on one foot on a 2x3 board, lean out 14 feet above the ground, hold on with one hand and drive a nail with the other. How much more will God get done through us if we did?

After we worked on the site for the day, we visited a local woodcarver. The ministry built their house and a few shops in the village. The gentleman does incredible work and also attends the mission church. Then we went for ice cream. What a treat!!

The evening ended with worship service with the community. Singing, sharing, praying. And the thought that our Spirit of Joy family was worshipping at the same time reminded us that the world is not so big and family is never ver far away.

Prayers:

For the Bell family - healing for Mr. Bell, rest for Mrs Bell as she cares for the entire family.

For the team - praise for an injury free day (except for a lot of bug bites!) and

continue prayer for safety and patience.

For the mission - that God will clearly show them what He wants them to do in the coming year.

For our families - comfort as loved ones are missed ... both here in Belize and at home.

Tuesday - Travel Day

We are all in Belize, but Satan had a field day trying to stop us from getting here!

The second group arrived at the airport at 4am and some were interviewed by the local tv ... Why in the world were we at the airport at that time of day? Those interviewed did an excellent job of telling about our mission trip.

There was rain from Charlotte to Atlanta.

One group was so late from Charlotte to Atlanta they would have missed the connecting  flight to Belize. However, the plane for Belize was not even there yet. Satan tried to bungle this, BUT GOD made certain the team was all in Atlanta so we could travel together.

If you look closely - there is an extra face in the crowd. A reminder that throughout this entire trip, there is another face in the crowd ... the face of Christ.

We were worn out from the early morning and long day of delays.

There are more stories of God's graciousness as we got on our final leg ... but some stories have to wait to be told when we get home. As we proclaimed on the plane (that we sat on the tarmac in for over an hour) 'God is good!'

We easily made it through customs and met Pastor Ron. We were greeted by a passel of kids who eagerly loaded our luggage onto the bus and then sang and laughed the entire way to the misison.

Pray

for us to allow God to lead us where He wants us to go

for open hearts and minds - both in the community and the team

for Eddie - he is very congested

for safety as we begin work on the house tomorrow

God is good. All the time!

Amen

And we're off ...

Part of the Belize team is heading to Atlanta tonight.

Part of the team is meeting at Spirit of Joy at 3am (feel free to come see us off)

Part of the team leaves about 2 hours later. 

Tuesday morning we all meet in Atlanta and fly together to Belize. 

There we will build a house for the Bell family.

The beginning of the Bell's house. The house is on 7 foot posts. 

Below is the community we will be working in. Oasis Ministries also built some small businesses to help families generate income. 

We will also worship with Mt Hope Church. 

Please pray for safe travel - both in the air and on the drive from the airport to the place we are staying.

Pray for grace and patience as we stay in close quarters together in an unfamiliar location. 

Pray for Pastor Ron and Linda - our hosts. 

Pray for the Bell family who will have a new house. 

Pray for the rest of the community we will be interacting with. 

Pray for our families that will be holding down the fort while we are away. 

Pray for the love of Christ to shine through us all. 

Amen.