Belize: What You Don’t See on the Cruise

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.  Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.      Isaiah 6:5-8

 

I’ve been meaning to get this entry out for days, but time has simply flown.

 

What happened to our family, at least the superhero and the oldest, while away in Belize?   Well, one of the signs of a move of God was when we sat down to prepare a Bible study for our 13-14 year old Sunday school class this past week.   As I’ve mentioned before, we often use our homeschool science projects to teach scriptural truths.   Perhaps the biggest hit yet was the 20-foot geyser out of Mentos and diet Coke, which we used to kick off our Power Lab-themed VBS session.   Because of the average kid in our class, our goals have been about both spiritual and academic enrichment.   My husband wanted to share the pictures of Belize with the kids as a part of this month’s lesson.   I had my worries regarding how long that would hold their attention without a verbal scrimmage, but okay, it’s a start.   We were continuing to toss around ideas about how to expand the pictures into an hour-long lesson that would hold the kids’ interest, what experiments to consider, how to involve the kids, etc., when the oldest walked up and laid out the entire Bible study for us.      “Dad, talk about apprehension,” she said.   “Start with Moses, then talk about Gideon, and tell them about our fears.”    The kids loved it, and I had to laugh at my superhero, who kept referring to himself as a missionary (another move of God).   As a bit of background, he didn’t even want to go! (You can find that story here).    His presence was solely because of our daughter, and the fact that the Children’s Pastor was thrilled with the idea of a man tagging along.  

 

Here was a summary, in photo form, of what he was able to share:

 

Safe and On the Ground

 

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With the rest of the Team

 

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In the living quarters

 

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 (So that this entry actually becomes more than a draft at some point, I did not go back and upload the outdoor shower that was originally a part of the living quarters until the indoor one was installed, nor did I post the photos of crabs and iguana–all-too-regular visitors to the kitchen and bedroom areas).

As a brief Belizean history moment, this country is immediately south of Mexico and just Northwest of Guatemala.   It is one of the few that the Spanish abandoned, perceiving that there was no gold in the area.   The British then claimed it as a part of their empire.  Consequently, unlike most of the countries in this area, English is the primary language.   The people are an eclectic and beautiful mix of a variety of cultures:   there are Mestizos, descendants of the Mayan Indians and the Spanish setters.   There are Kriols, descendants of African slaves and British settlers.   There are Garifunas, also descendants of African slaves and Amer-Indian descendants who’ve escaped from Honduras.   There is a significant population of German Mennonites and Chinese in the area (I’ll have to study more on that part of the country’s history), as well as smaller constituencies of various ethnicities.   I thought that lesson in culture might make the following pictures even more meaningful.

Time to Worship

 

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Time to Teach

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The neighborhood Wal-Mart

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…and the Neighborhood

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My husband says that an average of 20 kids per day came to give their lives to the Lord.    This was our heart’s greatest joy, and the shot below became my husband’s laptop screensaver.

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So, now home again, we didn’t all get to share in the experience, but I think I can safely say that all of our lives were changed forever.  Incidentally, this was my favorite picture.   The oldest, a decidedly picky eater, made the most of the peanut butter and crackers, cereal, Nutrigrain bars, etc., packed in her suitcase in case she couldn’t stomach the Belizean cuisine.   During one night of the trip, she and the rest of the team visited a resort hotel before a day off, and this was the sole picture she took of the resort:

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 ROFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

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8 thoughts on “Belize: What You Don’t See on the Cruise

  1. Sounds like God had ample opportunities to show Himself with this trip. Not just for the kids at Belize either…

    Janet

  2. Praise the Lord for the lives that were changed!! AWESOME!!! God is good!!!

    Love the shots of the neighborhood Wal-Mart & the neighborhood……..

    Thanks for stopping by my blog, I took a month off from the computer and its been nice to get back to it….

    I hope your week went well!!

  3. As soon as I posted my last comment, they all showed up – go figure! I went to Belize when I was 18. It seems it hasn't changed much from when I was there. I went to Guatemala a couple of years ago expecting it to be like the Belize I remembered, but it wasn't. These pics bring back memories.

    How are you?

    Carol

  4. Looking forward to reading some more about Belize! What an exciting experience for those family members who went, and those who stayed and prayed!

    I have a blog award for you over at Song of the Sagebrush!

  5. Like your husband, mine went to Guatemala the first time to accompany our daughter. Then he fell in love with it. Although he still probably would have gone back again "just for her", he went back because he felt a call to; because it was in his blood now.
    I laughed at the food, too, because my husband is a picky eater, and that was a big concern for him. He's an old pro at eating Guatemalan food now. He says just to never ask what it is. Just eat it.
    How interesting that the language of Belize is English. I never knew that.
    It sounds like they had a great trip. And, you're right. It changes your life even if you're the one staying home praying.
    Thank you for the comment. Your comments always lift my heart and encourage me. You asked a while back about the girls being gone and if you'd missed anything. No, you didn't. They were both gone for a week to be counselors at a church camp. However, now one is gone, and unlike you, I cry! ; )
    Letitia

I'd love to hear your two cents!!