As I’m sitting here in our host’s lovely home typing this blog while listening to music surrounded by my teammates who are either taking an afternoon nap on the couch or sitting in the kitchen with our host and her cousin while babysitting 2 of the cutest little girls ever while talking about various topics & our other teammate is sitting outside working on her Ipad as we are all relaxing (more like recovering actually) after a long day of ministry as we spent the morning & early afternoon talking to the religion classes by sharing a bit of our testemonies with the students of the school. So I thought I take this time to write this blog to update my supporters about my first week here in Belize.
I still cannot belizeive it that I am actually here.
We have been here in Independence little over a week now as we arrived last Wed. We are living at the church compound which is made up of the Church, Sunday school building- where we are living/sleeping this month, the church preschool an outdoor kitchen/dining area where we cook our meals and the Pastor’s home. Our hosts are Pastor Jerome & his wife Diana, and they have been such awesome hosts in providing us with whatever we need to make our stay this month as great as it can be. They are so kind hearted & such servants of God, and have gone out of their way to make us feel right at home.
As I mentioned above, we are living in the Sunday school building here, and we could have asked for a more perfect living quarters for it is def 5 stars on the world Race scale since it has all the luxuries of home that are hard to find sometimes on the World Race.
Here’s what’s our living quarters are like:
Solid building with a solid roof
Our private rooms where we are sleeping 3 to a room & on the floor (I am rooming with Kaitlin & Martha while Sarah Ann, Lauren & Jillian are sleeping in the other room) As I mentioned in an earlier blog, one of my biggest concerns was how I was going to live with 5 other gals for the first time since college, and within the first day that fear quickly went away as I feel like the 6 of us are living together like what I would imagine living in a sorority house would be like, and I refer to them as my “sisters”.
indoor plumbing including flush toilets where we can actually flush toilet paper down (don’t laugh as I know that in many countries you can’t as it damages the septic tanks)
A REAL shower, not bucket showers like at training camp
a fully stocked kitchen with everything we need to prepare our meals this month
WiFi access that’s pretty decent
So yeah life is good here in Belize for us. As I said in my last blog, I just feel an overall peace now that I am here, and actually doing what God has called me to do at this time in my life.
Our ministry schedule is pretty laid back for the most part as part of it depends on the weather since one of our ministry projects is to paint the exterior of the preschool. We painted the new interior annex of the preschool earlier this week, and it looks so amazing. We have started the exterior already, and hope to have that done soon.
In addition to painting the preschool we also take part in the nightly activities of the church such as ladies ministry/Bible Study-prayer night & youth ministry as well as attend both Sunday services & help out with the youth Sunday school. We have also gone to the local high school to talk to the religion classes about our faith, and our journey in our faith. I absolutely loved this as I have a feeling that I might end up being called to either teaching or ministry, but I still have to find my path that God wants me to go on for my life, but so far that path could end up leading down either one of those roads, but I have a year to figure out which one he wants me to go on. More on both of these in later blogs.
I have only been here a week, and I have fallen in love with the people here, as well as the climate since that has seemed to agree with me as the issues that I had back in the States with my allergies & such don’t seem to bother me here, PRAISE GOD!!!!!
Overall my team and I are feeling pretty good since we got here, and everything has agreed with us (except for the bugs & the water-we haven’t drank the local water, but instead we are drinking purified water by the 5 gallon just to be on the safe side), and I never thought I’d say this but I am also loving the heat especially having just found out it was in the 20s last night at home, so I am extra happy that God led me to go the October route.
We also had our first adventure day by going to Placencia beach, and we had a blast! despite all of us getting sunburned even tho we put on sunscreen, but it was still totally worth it, and I was able to cross another thing off of my bucket list by finally swimming in the Caribbean Sea. Water is so calming to me, and every time I’m near it I just feel at peace.
I am also to announce that I am $850 away from being fully funded!!!!!!!! Thank you to all who have donated as I couldnt have done this journey without you!
GO BLUE!!!!!! BEAT LITTLE BROTHER!!!!!!!
Til next time your fellow sister in Christ,
Bonnie
Team Surrendered
P Squad
Psalms 18:2
YOLO
