Day 1 - Travels and Reunions

Greetings from always-beautiful Belize!  The Quest Belize Mission Team arrived in Belize City at 11:30am this morning and was welcomed by many members of our sister church, EQC.  Pastor German Gallardo and his family and friends were excited to see us once again.  We loaded our baggage onto "Big Bird" ( EQC's 63 passenger bus) and headed over to have lunch on the ocean-side boardwalk in Belize City.

On the drive through the city, many friends got the chance to become reacquainted.  (Travis and Carlito) 

Once down by the water, Alice and several others served the most delicious homemade chicken tortillas with fresh veggies, cheese and salsa.  The weather is much cooler than our recent April trip and we all enjoyed stretching our legs after a long morning of travel.

In true missionary fashion, intermittent bus complications required attention during our lunchtime festivities. (As I type, I can feel the laughter erupting from those who have been on these trips before!)  This is truly what flexibility is all about.  :)

Again, we can't say enough about Alice and the ladies who prepared our wonderful picnic lunch.  Wes Roberts, our fearless worship leader, showed his passion for our Belizean meal with this expressive

"chomp".  Jessica Bolyard then grabbed her meal and quietly slid just out of his reach.

The bus continued to delay our trip towards Belmopan.  But Ron Hartshorn and Noah Cruz didn't appear to mind - it seemed like they talked for two hours.  This reunion is truly a work of the Lord.

As we pulled into Camalote Camp, Owner Ray Jordan and Manager Austin Lopez met us with open arms.  Many of our returning missionaries commented that they felt as if they had returned home again.  Those new to the Belize experience spent time getting acquainted with the picturesque grounds and facilities.

Our meal this evening was a special time together, as we celebrated German's birthday.  Stewed chicken, rice and beans, fried plantains and cole slaw were enjoyed by all.  And everyone grabbed a big piece of birthday cake.  

Quest missionaries ended their first day with "circle time".  This gave us all a chance to come together and share our thoughts on the day's events and to pray about what will come throughout the week.

Until tomorrow, Good Night and God Bless

Joey