Sweat, Sand, and Sticky Fingers
When we stepped off the water taxi to the sandy shores of San Pedro, Belize, I was sure we had arrived in paradise! It was everything I imagined a tropical island to be. Crystal clear waters, hot sunshine, soft sandy beaches as far as the eye can see, tourists everywhere. It was going to be a great last month!
Our hosts arrived and asked if we wanted to take a taxi or just walk to their house. We weren’t sure of the distance, so we chose the taxi, and that was probably a good choice with all our heavy luggage. Since that day we have made that same trek nearly every day, but without the excess weight.
We drove down the narrow roads, passing tourists on golf carts, bars beyond count, coffee shops, restaurants, and finally crossed a bridge overlooking those turquoise waters the Caribbean is famous for. And we entered into a completely different world.
The little area of San Mateo is the furthest you could be away from the tourist dream, but only right across a bridge. I will admit, I was shocked how different it could be. Trash was piled up not only in the streets, but people’s yards were overflowing with piles and bags of trash! It was as if the houses grew out of the local dump. Some houses are painted in patches, but most are just a few ply-wood boards nailed together on stilts hovering over swampy garbage heaps.
I have since learned that the people here are using the garbage to fill in the swampy parts. They collect the garbage in their yards, then cover it with sand and rocks, and it will eventually decompose. We are literally living in a landfill.
And yet, there is life here. Every morning this month we walked the streets of San Mateo. We talked with families. We prayed with them. And though it may seem that those tourist filled streets across the bridge have more life in them each night, I disagree. It was here in San Mateo that families thrived.
Every evening we got the chance to play with the local kids. We hosted VBS for about a dozen kids who walked in with fingers covered in sticky mango juice. We taught them stories and songs and games for 3 weeks. And though sometimes I wanted to strangle some of them, this is my favorite thing in the world to do. (Not the strangling, but just being with the kids)
In some ways, this was a challenging month for me. Last month I went home for a week, and that taste of home made it so much harder to come back and be focused. Also, this month was HOT. The weather app said it was high 80s, and low 90s, but humidity was 75%+ the whole time. There were some mornings that when I woke up I could literally wring the sweat out of my shirt. Also, with all the sweat, the sand was impossible to get off. I could take a shower and before I walked back to the house, I was again coated in a layer of sweat and sand.
But if I had to do it again, I would do it with a smile on my face. Because we were out in the community every day, we got to know almost everyone in the area. By the end of the month, as we walked to the beach we were greeted by someone from every house we passed. Kids came running to hug us. The people at the toll booth know us, and don’t charge us like they do every other tourist. I am going to miss this.
I’m going back home where I don’t know my neighbors. People don’t trust random strangers to lead their kids off to play games in someone else’s back yard. They don’t just make twice as much food as they really need and share with anyone.
There is so much more that I will miss. Things I may not even realize right now. But this place has left another mark on my heart. Thank you Palacio family, and Faith Bible Church for hosting us! You guys have been a blessing to our team this last month!
