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On July 9, 2006, twenty-one rising seniors and four leaders departed Nashville for nine days in Belize. We were met at the Belize City Airport by the staff of Son Servants. There we loaded into vans for the hour and a half ride north to the town of Corozal. The Hotel Maya was home base for us as we worked construction on two local churches, conducted vacation Bible School, and experienced the people and sights of Belize.
Our group was divided for the work day. Part went to the church in Corozal where Arturo Mendez is the preacher. The others went to the sister church in Calcutta. This church was built by the adults from First Presbyterian.
Working alongside Arturo and local men, we spent the mornings in Corozal painting, pouring a sidewalk, and adding an additional room upstairs in the church. Our afternoons were busy also – we held Bible School for 150 Belizean children. Esther Mendez, Arturo's wife, as well as a school principal, bussed the children to church and home.
In Calcutta, forty children attended Bible School in the morning. Arturo arrived in the afternoon and supervised as we prepared the property to be fenced and poured roof decking.
This trip provided so many opportunities. Under hot, sweltering conditions we used our physical energy doing manual labor and shooing away mosquitoes. Mentally (and physically) we shared God's love with the Spanish-speaking children of Belize with songs, stories, games, crafts, and lots of hugs.
When our work was completed, we spent Saturday experiencing the beauty of the Belizean rainforest at the exotic Jaguar Paw Resort. Here we could either cave tube or aerial trek. After church on Sunday, we took a boat ride up the river to the Mayan Ruins.
We arrived home late on the night of July 17th, feeling tired, yet lucky to have caught our flight considering that the van got a flat tire en route to the airport. Most of all, we felt an energized spirit from seeing God's presence in the churches of Corozal and Calcutta, the works of Arturo and Esther, and in the faces of the Belizean children. We were blessed to be a blessing!
Click here to see additional photos from the 2006 Belize Youth Mission Trip. |
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