Mission Trips - Our 3rd Trip to Belize
December 2012

Team 1 Report

Our third mission trip to Belize was another success. We had two separate teams going. Duane, Kit, and I, along with four new team members, Melissa, Audrey, Chelsea, and Mickey, comprised team one. We were anxious to see what God had in store for us to do. Our main objective was to get an unfinished building ready to be used as a health clinic. We arrived in Belize City on Sunday, December 16, 2012.

First stop was to see the children at Dorothy Menzie’s Childcare Center. Kit was anxious to see if any of the children would remember him from his last visit in 2011. His fears were quickly put to rest. As I entered the gate, Josephina spotted me and came running. “You came back!” she said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around me. Audrey and Chelsea, the young girls from Alabama, were amazed that Josephina connected so easily with me. One of the children immediately hollered, “Lucy is over there.” They knew Duane would be looking for her. And she came quickly, smiling innocently. Kit began his search for the children he had bonded with on his previous trip. He discovered several of the older guys were now in Belmopan at another orphanage. We spent awhile getting reacquainted and meeting new children. Thanks to Montgomery Printing of Tifton, GA, we were able to bring new specially designed t-shirts to the children. Then it was pizza time. The children seem to love getting the opportunity to eat pizza when we come.

After our visit, we traveled to our base camp at Camalote Camp, located in Belmopan, an hour and half drive from Belize City. The grounds are well landscaped with tropical plants and fruit trees: hammocks are scattered throughout. This would be a refreshing respite at the end of long days.

Work began on day one. We traveled to the small village of Frank’s Eddy to assess what we hoped to accomplish at the health clinic during our few days’ stay. We determined that we should paint the inside and outside of the building, connect the plumbing, complete the wiring, and build a cabinet to install sinks and a counter top. The girls began our traditional job of cleaning while the guys went to collect supplies we would need. Juana, a local woman with a quick smile and a loving heart worked beside us each minute. Her sweet children stayed by her side throughout the day, tending to one another and helping us ready the health clinic for use. By the end of the day we had painted the entire structure and, thanks to help from a couple of local young men, caulked around the walls. We also made another visit, to Belize City to see the children at Dorothy Menzies. We took them a couple of cases of hotdogs, peanut butter, jelly, and bread.

Day two consisted of completing the painting inside touch ups, painting the outside, framing the cabinet for the sinks and counter tops, and cleaning the outside area. Mr. Ray, our host was very involved with us on this project and spent his day working on the wiring. Much to our surprise, we had completed our mission by the end of the day.

We set out on our next mission of locating the local orphanage where we had been told some of the older boys from Dorothy Menzies Childcare Center were now living. We found the orphanage. Kit was anxious to see “his boys.” They were there and thrilled to see us. Marcus, a gifted artist, lit up when we gave him a pack of drawing cards that Whitney sent. He grinned and ran to retrieve his art work that he wanted us to take to Whitney. We then headed back to our camp, thanking God for a good day.

Day three began with a visit to get Kit and Clemente, two boys we have kept tabs on at the orphanage in Belmopan, some basketball and soccer shoes at the local market. It was rewarding to watch them select just the right shoe. After our shopping excursion with the boys, we took time to explore the area. We drove to the ruins of Xunantunich, another incredible feat by the ancient Mayans. The intricate carvings on the sides of the rock mounds were incredible. Climbing up the hundreds of tiny stone steps to the top of the structure was sometimes daunting but so worth it. The view was spectacular, a reminder of God’s delicate handiwork and magnificent creation.

A trip to Belize would not have been complete without a visit with our brothers and sisters at Hattieville Baptist Church. They are warm and full of God’s spirit. Following the church service we visited in the home of Pastor Mark and his gracious wife, Shari. We shared with one another what God was doing in our lives.

All too soon, the end of our time together was drawing to a close: it was time for our last share time. At the close of each day, we had a special time when we discussed our day and shared our hearts. On this night we stayed up beyond midnight sharing our experiences, ways in which God spoke to us, and what we were taking away from our time here, serving God and mankind.

On our last morning, we went to see the children once again in Belize City. The girls painted nails and we all gave out extra hugs, promising we would return to see them.

God once again revealed that He is in control. We went to Belize, not quite sure of the details. We just knew we would be working on a clinic in a rural village. We found endless opportunities for not only this trip, but for many more. We met with the “mayor “of the small village. He was grateful we had come to help his people. He said, “Praise God. He has sent you here to us.” Indeed, praise God. He has sent us a mission with a purpose. We are excited to see what else He leads us to do in this region of Belize as we seek God’s guidance in Sharing Hope Around.

“What an awesome life changing experience this trip was. God completely molded and changed each of our hearts! We thought we were going to help others, but really, we helped ourselves just as much!! I cannot wait to go back!! God is awesome.” Chelsea Mosley

Written by Jeanine Wetherington, Sha's Mom

Right off the plane we made a stop at the Dorothy Memzie child care Center to play with the children and love on them. While there we passed out coloring books and soccer balls with bible verses on them. We also talked to the kids about why we show love and why they should love each other, because God first loved us. When we left it had felt like we hadn’t spent enough time with them but I realized it didn’t matter how much time we spent with them that it would never feel like enough.

On the first night staying at the camp we were talking about plans for the next day. We talked about wanting to get food for some of the needy families in the village but we were on a limited budget. A group on a medical mission was also staying at the camp. When we were talking about wanting to get food for needy families, a member from the other group felt lead to help. This member doubled our budget and doubled the amount of food we were able to get and give. People with huge hearts like that are incredibly inspiring to me and show me just how great our God is and how great the love He shows through His people is!

The next morning we went into Belmopan to get the food. A t-2 paraplegic from the other group went with us. Cole and I helped him get in the van and while we were gone Mr. Ray took us on a tour of Belmopan. When we got back to the camp we were able to join a New Year’s celebration that the other group was having for the local Mayans. The Mayans brought supplies to make jewelry and different crafts and they taught us how they make their crafts. We colored and played soccer with the kids. We also talked to Mayans about their culture and their religious beliefs. The group on the medical mission had been working with them for 3 years before they saw any progress but now great things are happening. Through seeing this it showed me that perseverance pays off and that we should never give up because God has never given up on us.

As Cole and I did devotion and talked about the day that night I was down and a little upset because I didn’t think we were as productive as we needed to be. But as I got to thinking back on the day I saw the blessings we were able to give. The t-2 paraplegic talked about how easily Cole and I could put him in the van and he was so happy and smiling the whole time we were touring Belmopan. He was just happy to get out and ride. It showed me that even when things don’t go how I think they should, when I don’t think productivity is taking place, that things are going how God plans them, how He thinks they should, and that it is productive towards the blessings he knows needs to be received.

The next day we spent working on a medical clinical in Franks Eddy Village. We finished building a stand to put sinks in and we installed the sinks. We also built the foundational framework for a double bathroom to be added to the existing building. That evening we met a local contact and went through the village distributing the food we had got to the needy families. We also handed out note cards with bible verses on them to the families in the village.

During our time handing out food, a young man around 20 came up from one of the families and started talking to us. We could tell that he was very happy to see the food his family was receiving. The conversation consisted of small talk for a little while and then he told us that we were the people the Good Book talked about, that we were doing God’s good work. It was very humbling to hear that and it showed me that you never know how far your actions will go. To be able to meet someone’s physical needs while also meeting their spiritual needs is an incredible thing. At our devotion that night Cole told me that he had fallen in love with Belize and the people of Belize. He said we needed to hurry up and plan the next trip and that he couldn’t wait to come back.

The next day we visited and spent the day at the orphanage in Belmopan. There we distributed soccer balls and coloring books. We just played with and loved on the kids. We shared the message of love and hope that SHA Missions takes around the globe. There was one boy that we really broke through with about the reason to love one another and to treat each other good. At the end of the day the kids didn’t want us to leave and gave us hug after hug.

The next day we visited the ancient Mayan ruins of Xunantunich. It was an incredible feat and standing at the top of one of the ruins it was incredible to see God’s great creation. From the top we were also able to see a village in neighboring Guatemala. After we left the ruins we went to a local ice cream shop and toured some of the local countryside. We felt time running out and knew that another visit was needed to the orphanage in Belize City.
We woke up early the next morning and were at the orphanage when it opened. We got to spend some time playing with the kids before we had to be at the airport. When it was time to leave the kids were hanging on us and asking us when we would be back. The experience of a second trip was great because I received much of the same but also different blessings. I knew a little of what to expect but God still worked wonders for his kingdom and did them in different ways. It was also a blessing to see someone get blessed on their first trip.

Written by Lee Devine