It’s Monday in the beautiful, tropical country of
Belize. After devotions and hearty
breakfast, our team kicked into high gear with several construction projects
around the church. The 32 of us were
divided into three teams: one working on putting in new slats and handrails on
a staircase, one washing and re-painting a high wall, and one breaking up grass
and dirt in preparation for laying concrete for a parking area. Despite the heat and humidity, sand flies and
mosquitoes, the team leaned into the tasks with a positive, can-do attitude,
working up until lunchtime.
At noon-ish, our partner group, Belize Camping Experience
(BCE), joined us for lunch – probably 60 folks moving in and out of the little
eating area. We then headed over to
King’s Park to set up for the first day of VBS.
There were several unexpected events that required us to adjust our
plans – when we arrived for set up, we realized there was a sports camp
happening in the same park, so we decided to move our start time out by an hour
to avoid the overlap (the beauty of this culture is that it is so laid back
that time adjustments like these are no big deal!). We were also uncertain of the number of kids
who would attend our VBS since no pre-registration was required. After the other camp finished, many of them
trooped over to our VBS to continue their afternoon fun, so at its peak, we had
142 kids participating! The afternoon
went by quickly as we led the kids through songs, dancing, games, a Bible
lesson, skits, and snacks. Our BCE
brothers and sisters, who are the lead team for the VBS program, did an
incredible job executing on all aspects while we played a supporting role with
crafts, music, small group support, etc.
Fellowship time, dinner, and debrief were a really sweet
time of fellowship after a long and busy day of serving together today.
Some things I’m very thankful for so far on this trip: 1)
great teamwork and working relationships among so many different team members
from different ages and backgrounds – truly a picture of how the body of Christ
can work together! 2) health, safety,
and better rest each day, 3) really positive, fun, learning experience for my
two daughters, Allison (age 8) and Josie (age 5). The team has been extremely loving and
inclusive of them. In addition, on day
one of VBS, Allison, already made friends with a very sweet Belizean girl named
Kayla...children are such bridge builders!
We would appreciate your continued prayers for good rest and
energy since things will continue to be busy and hot throughout the week. Also pray for safety during the construction
projects, relief from the mosquito and sand flies (I personally am getting
eaten alive!), and most importantly, that God will make Himself known through
our time here! Peace and blessings from
Belize – good night.
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