2012 Belize Trip – Roads we traveled, places we visited.

Sunday December 9, 2012 – We visited the Hopewell International children’s home where Shannon and Christina Bullock provide a loving home to twelve or thirteen children. I say this because they were so excited when we arrived that they never were still enough to count.

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Our team also split up to visit three different churches in Flowers Bank, Bermuda Landing and Double Head Cabbage. We got to experience worship in the Belize way, which shows us we have much to learn. The rigid schedule and get out so we can get to the lunch buffet first mentailty of churches back home were foreign concepts here.

 

Monday December 10, 2012 – Our team made the journey to the More Tomorrow village which is fifteen miles from the Western highway which was our main travel artery. This village was the home of the More Tomorrow Pre-School where we had our second of two shoe box distributions. We were also able to spend a half hour with students from the More Tomorrow government school. We shared some items we had culled as extras, including sweets and trinkets that could help us share Christ. We also had some fun as the team members engaged in a friendly game of kickball.

One of the children we were blessed to share shoe box gifts with.

After lunch we traveled to Maya Mopan to see the Heart House tutor center. This is a community center type mission started by Miss Tuti to allow the children a place to come where they can read, color, and have fun. Carol and Tawnya help her run the center and gave us an insight into ways we can help them expand their ministry.

Tuesday December 11, 2012 – In Las Flores we visited a feeding center in the home of Ana and Alfredo where 30-40 children come during their lunch break from school for a hot lunch. The schools in this area do not provide hot lunches for their students, but allow time instead fro them to travel home or seek this elsewhere. Ana does this without a financial benefactor, trusting God each day to bless her willingness to step out in faith.

In the afternoon we visited another smaller Tutor Center that delivers the same kind of services to other children. We saw so much we could do even as we return to Virginia to help the children of Belize.

Wednesday December 12, 2012 – We visited families in Maya Mopan as we prepared for the highlight of the week, the night of Encoragement for parents and families. Folloowing the theme of building relationships and strengthening families we delivered shoe boxes to parents to give to their children. It is not important that we be the ones to give the boxes, but rather allow parents to be their kid’s heroes.

Thursday, December 13, 2012 – There was the remaining preparations in Maya Mopan in the early part of the day as well as an opportunity to visit the village of Camolotee where we talked and prayed with families as we handed out bags of fruit picked back at our base camp.

Part of the team ministered to the children of families as we had an encouragement service at a local family restaurant for the parents, letting them know why we felt like the giving of shoe boxes by them to their kids was a better way of blessing the family and strengthening their unit.

Friday December 14, 2012 – San Ignacio was the farthest west we traveled, visiting the Mayan Archaeological site at Cahal Pech. We also saw Spanish Lookout with its numerous Mennonite influences and also Buena Vista and the place we left our last 140 shoe boxes for later distribution.

As we criscrossed Cayo district we saw and photographed so many things it is hard to share them all. I hope you will continue to look for my posts as I try to share what I enjoyed on this trip!