Day Eight

Exploring the Beauty of God’s Creation
Today was a well-deserved day of rest for our bone-weary team. Most of the team spent the morning together on a snorkeling trip set up by Commissioned International. It was a good reminder that Belize is more than the prisons and orphanages that we’ve been visiting. It’s also home to the second-largest barrier reef in the world and, for a couple of hours, we got to see the beauty of God’s underwater creation.
This was my second time snorkeling the reef and each time I am overwhelmed by the diversity and beauty of life under the sea. We swam with sea turtles, giant black groupers, sting rays and schools of colorful fish. We went out in groups with a guide who took us above the coral reef and then to the drop off where groups of large fish and massive spotted eagle rays swam right by us. For me, I love floating above the reef and watching one small patch of coral. If I wait long enough in that one place and allow my eyes to adjust, more and more fish, large and small will appear. It’s as if I have a bird’s eye view of their life. And as I watch them, I just stand in awe of the power of our Creator God to design such a beautiful world.
After we toured the reef, the guides took us to a place called Shark Ray Alley. They threw a bunch of fish into the water and, within seconds, our boat was surrounded by dozens of sharks. Really cool! The guides kept telling us to jump in but only Edwin was willing to do it. Then the guide started throwing fish at Edwin and the sharks and other fish were all around him. When we all saw he was still alive, we jumped in after him.
Now we’re back to Belize City and ready for our last day of ministry. Tomorrow we’ll return to the orphanage that we visited last Wednesday. Then we’ll go for a final trip to the Youth Hostel to throw a party for the kids and celebrate the completion of the basketball court. It should be a fun and rewarding day.

Pastor Brian