Days 5 and 6

DAYS 5 AND 6

The last few days were a whirlwind! Today is our day off, to re-group, wind down, and prepare to make our journey back home. We'll take time to go over what went well this week, and what could have been improved upon... but mostly, we'll take time to process everything we witnessed this week, and the lifelong relationships we've built. Below are the final updates for each of the projects. Thank you all for journeying with us throughout the last week, and for all of your prayers and support. Know that you are a VITAL part of this trip, and we couldn't make this happen without you!! Thank you!


The Bathroom: 

After a lot of evaluating, re-evaluating, and a lot of learning as we go - our first plumbing/bathroom project was a success! The bathroom we built will serve 5 different families that live on the same lot of land. A man and 4 of his children/their families. This project is one that is so badly needed where we serve, but until now we weren't able to supply for this need. This could be a game changer for our future trips, and we appreciate Steve, Jay, Carol, and the whole crew that took the necessary time and work to figure this out!

                  

            

             

         

Art Camp: 

Our last Art Camp in Balama 4 was a HUGE success, despite most of our supplies being locked up in the kitchen! 😣As always, though - Sheila, Alisha, Barb, Shelly and the whole gang were quick thinkers, and we pulled together what we had to give the kids an amazing last day of Art Camp! Scrunchy balloon bracelets, watercolors, and parachute games made the 2 hours FLY by (See what I did there? Cause the parachute kept almost flying off in the wind...)

                  

 

                  

                  

The Double Houses:

The double houses are complete. Blue and yellow were a nice combo for the new neighbors, and the joy and gratitude on the faces of the families brought everyone to tears. It's such a beautiful gift, after a week of HARD work in the HOT sun, sand flies, and mutant mosquitos... to see the kind of impact that this has on a persons life. It makes you realize what a very minor sacrifice it is to give up just one week in order to help change a family's life forever!

       

The 10x10:

Much like the double houses, the 10x10 will change Terry's life. After being the victim of gang violence on his walk home one night a few months ago, Terry was shot multiple times, and sustained lasting injuries. To be able to offer him a house, small though it is, was such a blessing - something near his sister Candy, that he can call his own. These people see circumstances we never will, and it's humbling to witness the joy the possess throughout it all.

           

Seeds of Life:

The addition for Seeds of Life was another incredible experience. Hearing the stories of the people we help is so inspiring. Miss. Judy, after a miraculous(and I mean MIRACULOUS!) healing, gave her life to Christ and wanted to serve Him in a special way. She felt called to open a center for pregnant mothers and their babies. She has been running Seeds of Life in Belize City ever since, but after that many years of serving people, it was getting hard to assist ALL of these women and babies in the small space she had. George L, Sherri, Tracy, and Steph put on an addition that will serve as a little shop with baby clothes and other needs for moms, so that there is more space in her current place to meet with, and serve these families.

                 

              

The Concrete pad:

Cole, Russel, and Leonard(Keisha's Son) got to work on a cement pad at the church so that all the families coming to the brand new daycare don't have to trudge through the mud to drop off their children. The boys took great initiative and got it done in one afternoon!

               

An Epic Move:

Martita, a teacher at the Montessori school at the parish was in need of a new house, as well. On Wednesday, a group of us were able to help her move from her old house- which was a 300 foot, or so, walk through the swamp on a dilapidated pallet bridge- to the yellow house by the park that we built last year. as we carried her things from one place to the other, our privileges as Americans really struck me. To know that over half of the world lives in conditions comparable or worse is really humbling. Makes you really think about what is important in life....

                 

It's hard to Belize it (😂), but that's all there is for our trip this year... Tomorrow we all head back to reality, and the usual grind of daily life. We take with us, though, surprisingly, more than we leave behind. The love, experiences, and friendships we carry home with us are irreplaceable, and we are already counting the days until we are able to return to our Belizean family.

Cheers to all of you at home, enduring the arctic temps... we'll be there with you in just over 24 hours... but until then... you can enjoy the heat vicariously through just a few more of our other favorite photos!

Adios for now,

The 2020 Belize Team