Sunday

After an amazing breakfast – French toast, local eggs, bacon, cantaloupe, and watermelon, we headed off to church. We rode first by the school and saw the concrete driveway location we are going to pour – then off to church. Riding in the vans on the local roads is always eventful – our drivers are wonderful – the no road rules adds comedy. I do not know how to begin to describe our experience at church– as we entered the small concrete church building – the anticipation on the little children’s faces was beyond description. At first they were bashful – staying at a distance – but the more we smiled and reached out – the more they opened up. The service was in Spanish – there was lots of singing and prayer. About 30 minutes into the service, we were dismissed with the children for Sunday School. We sat on benches under a big tree in a circle and our students sat intermingled with the children. Anthony opened us in prayer. Then, they took turns reading favorite passages from Scripture. Stephen, Lawrence, Hunter and Daniel read from a Spanish Bible – we were struggling with our pronunciations – the children giggled a lot – they even offered help – then they admitted – they all spoke English fairly well– we all had a big laugh and then we sang a variety of songs. Jesus Loves Me, Father Abraham, My God is so Big, and God is so Good. There are definitely cultural differences and minor communication issues – but the voices of our seniors with those precious little children broke all barriers. Next, the drama team took the floor – Lawrence told with great detail the story of Jonah and the whale – Daniel told about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and with a dramatic finish – JB told all about Samson.
After church, we returned to the hotel and changed into swimsuits – and went to lunch. We went to a local restaurant – R & B’s. We had barbeque chicken, potatoes, and a salad. Dr. Brown became our second driver – and he did great! We went to a lagoon and swam for hours – it was beautiful. The water was like a giant wave pool – clear water and very soft sand bottom. The water was a perfect temperature. The boys were very humorous – they had multiple chicken fights, bottom sand fights, & wrestling matches. Dr. Brown swam for a long time. Then, the boys had more fun on a swing set that had no swings than I can describe – they had pull-up contests and flipping attempts. We had a wonderful dinner – JB said it was better than Del Sol. Each night and morning a different team member will lead devotion. Hunter led tonight – he challenged the group to pour it all out this week. He read Philippians 1:27-28 which says, “27Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel 28without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you” Hunter reminded the team that we will leave a legacy in Belize – just as they had at DCS. He encouraged the team to strive to pour out themselves completely – in “a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” He said for each of us to make everything we do this week to be about Him! What a wonderful daily challenge! Everyone is in a great mood – faces are aglow from the sun and everyone is adjusting to the 2 hour time difference. Our rooms are on the 2nd floor and the decks have hammocks. As I finish typing this journal, Marian and Kaitlin are swinging in the hammocks – several of the boys intend to spend the night there. In the meeting room below, JB, Allyson, Zeb, Gary, Daniel, Lawrence, Hunter, and Corbin are having a Phase 10 challenge match. So much laughter. Thank you for your prayers – we can feel them! Have an amazing week. God bless!