July 3, 2016 - Hammocks & Friends

Some of the team began to wake up around 05:30 A.M. and slowly each person wandered out of his or her bunkrooms.  Some immediately sought out a quiet place to spend time with the Lord, some went across the courtyard and into the kitchen in search of fresh brewed coffee and others made their way to the basketball court area for a morning workout.  Breakfast was ready at 7:00 A.M. and we had eggs, journey cakes, sausage and fruit.  After breakfast, we hung out until 9:00 A.M. and then headed out for service at our sister church at Evangelical Quest Church (EQC).

It was great seeing familiar faces as well as connecting with new people prior to service beginning.  In Belize fashion, things did not go quite as planned and Joseph Nordan was asked to step up and lead worship because Melvin, the worship leader at EQC, was working a 24-hour shift at his job.  Joseph took the stage with a local youth, Samuel on the drums, and together they led us in a great worship experience.  We are lucky to have Joseph and his talent here.

Pastor German preached on why we go through life’s storms and how to overcome them.  He also talked about loving other people.  German did a great job delivering this message to those in attendance this morning.  Following his message, the youth in EQC were brought up on stage where they recited the Bible verse they learned that day and then sang a song.  It was a great way to conclude the service.

We returned to camp after church and made our way back to the dining facility for lunch, which consisted of hamburgers, French fries and fruit.  Following lunch, we headed to the chapel where practiced a few of the games that we would be doing with the campers in just 2 short days away.  It was fun to cut up with the team for a little bit and we are all much closer now. 

We then headed out mid-afternoon to the Mayan village on the other side of Belmopan.  Mayamopan is a small, but growing village out in the bush.  There are no utilities running to the homes out there and many of the homes are made from scrap lumber and have thatched roofs.  There are a few homes that have managed to tie into the power grid and have a single power outlet in their home.

This is the area where Quest was able to put a well a few years ago when the village’s water well ran dry.  We spoke to a couple of people in the village who have talked about the long lines waiting for the well and the fact that it is being used throughout the day.  They expressed that a second well in the village is almost needed to accommodate everyone each day. We also went to several homes along the way and had opportunities to spend time with several children and families in the village.  

Of course, a few needs were discovered while we were there and we will work to resolve those issues tomorrow.  We were even able to see a quash, which is similar to an opossum.  After our time in the village, we headed back to camp for dinner, which consisted of chicken, rice & beans, fried plantains and potato salad.  Ms. Ethel even baked a delicious bread pudding for dessert.  Following dinner, some camp logistics were handled and then we all started winding down for the night.  All in all, we had a great day and are looking forward to tomorrow.

Quash

July 2, 2016 - We are Belize bound...

Greetings from your Missionaries in Camalote, Belize.  Our first day, while long, has come to a close without any issues.  Today was our travel day down to Belize and it began with the team meeting at Augusta Regional Airport – Bush Field at 04:00 a.m. which was quite early most, if not all of us.  Many of us were up sometime between 03:00 a.m. and 03:30 a.m. which has made today an incredibly long one.  After meeting at the airport, snack bags were distributed to the team so that we would have something for the plane rides ahead of us.  Thank you Heather Thomas for taking care of these bags for us.  The team has much appreciated the items you packed.

Next it was off to the Delta counter where we would begin the check-in process for the team.  This usually has some challenges associated with it due to the size of the team and we expected some complications with check-in today.  Expectations were correct since the Delta computer system in Augusta was not working properly and this extended our time there in line while they worked around the problem.  The staff with Delta was great and they worked diligently to resolve the issue.  Thank you Delta for your effort!

We boarded our flight in Augusta shortly thereafter and were on our way.  This was a quiet flight all in all since it was still early, but God spoke volumes to the team by displaying an incredible sunshine in the morning sky that worked to clear out some of the clouds in the sky. It was an incredible sight.  We landed in Atlanta and made our way to various establishments for breakfast before heading to our departure gate.  There we boarded our flight and we were on our way.

The flight to Belize from Atlanta was uneventful and many of us took the opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest.  When we landed in Belize, we were greeted with a mild 89 degree temperature and would soon face what we thought would be a large hurdle.  We had to get our 17 team bags (not including book bags and carry-ons) through customs.  We were concerned about some of the contents being taxed at a higher rate since we were delivering supplies to “A Better Belize” which was founded by Joey and Heather Barrs from the Quest Church.  (You can find out more about their ministry by clicking on the link.)  Anyways, our concerns were pointless as we breezed through customs with one the lowest taxes paid yet.  Of course, our friend Ernesto was waiting to pick up the bags once they cleared the customs counter.

Upon our exit from the airport, we were reunited with the Barrs family.  Joey, Heather and Sophia were there with smiling faces to greet our team and drive us to camp.  Once the luggage was loaded into the trailer, we climbed into the vans and headed out towards camp, but first we had to take care of a minor detail called lunch.  Ms. Ethel, who cooks at Camalote Camp, prepared a lunch for us consisting of homemade tortillas, shredded chicken, lettuce, tomato and cheese that we would combine as we wished to make a burrito of sorts.  It would be our first taste of Belize and it was delicious.  Joey took us to an area park in Belize City where we could sit down and eat with views of the ocean as our backdrop.  While there, we took advantage of a sign that was erected and used it as a backdrop for a group photo.

After lunch, it was back to the vans and on the road to Camalote Camp.  If you are not familiar with where Camalote is located, we are just a few miles outside the capital city of Belmopan.  We are located about an hour and 15 minutes inland from Belize City.   Once we arrived at camp, we unloaded the vehicles and met the rest of the camp staff and heard the story about how and why A Better Belize was founded.  Next, we received a tour of the camp.  As a person who has been to Camalote a number of times over the past four years, it was amazing to see some of the improvements that have been made here.  There are upgrades to the bunkrooms, the dining facility has been renovated completely and can now seat 80 people, a new and improved kitchen was built, a soccer field was established, a concrete pad was poured for a basketball court and even a new bunk room was constructed.  It was great to see the improvements that have been done in the past year.

Near the end of the tour, we met two additional members of the staff, Andre and Dragon.  Andre has been on staff at Camalote for a couple of years and he handles the maintenance, construction and grounds keeping here just to name a few things.  Dragon just started recently, but has earned his keep through his hard work according to Joey.  Andre and Dragon were not scheduled to be working at this time, but they did come by to meet the team and of course, cut down a few fresh coconuts and mangos for the team to share.  So refreshing.

The team then worked to unpack the many bags that we had brought in preparation for our upcoming camp.  The new dishes and towels that we were able to bring for use at the camp pleasantly surprised Joey and Heather.  Though, I think Ms. Ethel was most excited about the new dishes that would be used in the dining facility.  Ms. Ethel and her husband prepared dinner for us consisting of stewed beef, rice, beans, coleslaw and fried plantains.  Then she surprised us with cheesecake flavored ice cream from Western Dairies.  Everything was delicious!

We finished our night with circle time to discuss today’s events and go over what the week ahead would look like.  During this time, Pastor German arrived after a long day of working and we were able to introduce him to the team members that he did not yet know.  It was about 7:30 PM Belize time when we concluded and we were now ready to start winding down for the night.  After a long day of traveling and unpacking, we found the hammocks to be most comfortable.

Your missionaries are all doing well and we cannot wait for what the Lord has in store for us this week.  We have a great team and it is important to note that two of our team members come from Trinity on the Hill United Methodist Church in Augusta.  They are serving with us on this trip while also looking into how Trinity might be able to get involved here in Belize.  We are happy to have them.  We also have the Director of Family Promise of Augusta serving on our team and we are glad to have her as well.  Thank you to all of our missionaries and to those who support us back home.

Until next time…

Sunday, July 12th, 2015 - Summer Youth Camp - "Closing Time"

     Well, our summer youth camp came to a close this morning.  There was a brief devotion followed by a church service which we held at Blue Thumb.  Mike and Matt set out in different directions after breakfast and picked up other members of Evangelical Quest Church and brought them to the camp to worship there.  Pastor German preached on the prodigal son and delivered a strong message.  Part way through worship we lost power at the camp, but this did not stop us from worshipping the Lord.

     Following the service, our campers as well as the other children that attending service from EQC were provided a sack lunch with juice to take on their ride home.  Emily also cleaned and bandaged an injured foot following worship.  Then it got serious...

Goodbyes were said, tears were shed, but in the end we showed love to our new and already established friends.  It is always difficult when it is time to say goodbye.  Our campers would return to what they call home, whether it is with their family or elsewhere.  They go back to soccer in a field that is not mowed, many to homes with dirt floors, hammocks instead of beds, and the strong likelihood that many are not going to eat three meals a day.

     We have so much left to do here in Belize.  For me, I know my child will get to attend school this year.  The children here in Belize and many of the campers from our camp are seeking sponsorships for school.  Education is not free here and there is no excuse why we cannot provide to send these kids to school. Folks, we had many great kids at camp that need school sponsorships and there are many more at Evangelical Quest Church that need school sponsorships.  This is a mission you can participate in without ever leaving your couch.  No excuses.  It provides an education for a child who needs it, which will hopefully lead to opportunity.  At a minimum, providing the ability for a child to read will enable them to read the Bible and learn about God through His word.  If you are interested in helping with this much needed mission, please contact the Quest Church to participate.  All money will go through Quest Church for this mission.  Let's fight illiteracy in the world and provide these kids an education.  They just might find God along the way.

After our campers were dropped off, we headed back to camp to clean up  and eat some lunch.  Then, we headed off to the river where we went cave tubing.  It was quite an experience.  Then it was back to camp to change clothes and head to dinner.  We had a wonderful dinner with Joey, Heather, and Sophia at the Blue Moon restaurant.  But it was there, that most of us realized we were completely exhausted.

So, back to camp we went to finish packing up and preparing for our departure tomorrow.  A few of us came over to Camalote Camp to drop off some items, finish laundry and to use the internet.  We will depart for the states tomorrow morning and should be back in Augusta around 8:00 P.M.

Here are a few more photos looking back at camp...

Good night Quest and everyone back home.  Your missionaries are coming home...