Hello Friends
and Family!
This is Emmett giving an update of
the happening here in Belize. Today is Saturday, July 11, 2014 and it is currently
nighttime. Today was a packed day of prep work and set-up. We started the day
at about 8AM with a very packed breakfast (may have woken up a few times in the
night cause the AC was actually to cold…), which most notably contained meat
pie, which is an extremely popular food. It can be best described as a
miniature curry pies the size of an egg tart with a removable top that doubles
as a spoon. I made it a mission to eat a
lot, which for those who know me that probably isn’t a surprise; I had 5 of the
meat pies and other stuff, which you can ask about later.
After breakfast we worked on
prepping the church for VBS on Monday. Tons of streamers flying everywhere,
cups being stabbed, skits being prepare, Being in charge of the Skit team was
rather strenuous since it was sometimes hard to work over the sounds of Disney
music and other random singing, but we managed to get it together in the end
and it should be fine for our dress rehearsal tomorrow night. When we were
almost done with the skit preparation we were bombarded with a huge downpour of
rain that lasted for maybe 5-10 minutes, supposedly it had been the first rain
in quite a long time and many of us took the time to run out into the rain to
cool off.
Once the rain was done we went
inside the church to enjoy our next meal lunch, in which I actually eat less
cause I had a ton for breakfast. The main course of this meal was the grilled
chicken. Thankfully the rain hadn’t affected it and we were able to enjoy it
without much interruption.
Following the meal was by far I
think the most interesting events. We split up into two groups and worked our
way around the neighborhood meeting families and kid whom we invited to our VBS
and the basketball tournament that would be happening during the week. The
neighborhood itself didn’t feel all that strange to me. I was not supremely
startled or afraid of anything new or unusual but I did feel a little out of my
element in terms of my comfort aka being more social with strangers and talking
to them as we approached. The one thing that really surprised me was the social
dynamic of the housing in the area surrounding the church; in the areas that my
group toured you could tell the difference in wealth of those around you. Some were a bit run down and tattered but
then right next door you could see what would be considered a very modest
housing with three cars in the driveway, the way the economic status were so
closely intermingled was the strangest thing in comparison to our own
neighborhoods at home. At home we would usually see a bigger divide between the
economic classes but in Belize there was little to keep them apart except for
just not going over to their neighbor and talking to them. It makes me wonder
how that gap can be filled here and a home and it gives me hope that as we go
through the week of VBS and the basketball tournament we might be able to bring
that gap to a close as those from both can be bridged as members of the same
group or team. I pray that the VBS would be more than just a safe place but
something that can make the neighborhood a safe place in general. This was
really the first experience for me outside the church, which in its own way is
such a confined environment (Oh yeah and I haven’t mentioned but this is my
first time to Belize) and I wonder how much more I’m missing.
At the end of the day and after
dinner we all had our fun during the debriefing and listening to the stories of
the wanderings of both teams I hope and pray that we can just continue to make
a positive impact in the life of the Belizeans. I thank all of those who pray
and give continued support and pray that we can continue to make an impact here
in Belize. I’m not sure what else to say so this is Emmett Lee signing off and
saying goodnight.
Prayer Requests:
1.
That
the church can continue to be a safe and welcoming place to all those who come
during our stay and after we leave
2.
That
all those that we have asked to come to the VBS will be able to come and bring
all their friend and family
3.
That
our team will remain healthy and mosquito bite free (I only know that Uncle
Craig has one so far)
4.
That
God would show us more ways that we can positively influence the people of
Belize
5.
That
we won’t be held down by grudges or things back home and can just trust God to
take over in our live and keep us strong through all our activities showing
your grace and every one of our actions here in Belize
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