Hello again!
I’d like to think that some of you are wondering what I’ve been up to. Well, as we have just concluded our first full week of ministry, I will tell you!
Pre-body-of-the-post information: There are three teams from our squad staying together at Belize Basecamp this month. Nineteen girls…definitely the closest I’ve ever gotten to a sorority (those of you who really know me can go ahead and laugh). Belize Basecamp is a grouping of buildings on a family’s property that house missions teams that come to Belmopan. We were introduced by the lovely owner to people who are investing in the community long-term. It is located in the Las Flores neighborhood of Belmopan, Belize (the capital city, located pretty close to the middle of the country). Anyway, what I’ve been doing…
We spent last Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday helping some local missionaries. They are building a transition house for a single mom and her son behind their daughter and son-in-law’s house. We got to help clear the yard by organizing extra lumber (ps, tarantulas and scorpions are things here, we saw both), two of the girls hand-cleared a space to have a washer and dryer next to the house, move a playset, shovel sawdust and mulch under the playset, build a door, and probably a few other things that I’m forgetting.
The best part about working with this family is hearing their stories and their heart for the people of Belize. They aren’t affiliated with any missions organization. They’re here because mission is their life and their life is mission. It’s so beautiful.
Yesterday, our team did a “spiritual scavenger hunt” day. What is this “spiritual scavenger hunt?” I’m so glad you asked. A spiritual scavenger hunt is when you spend time with God, asking Him where you are supposed to go, what you’re supposed to do, and who you’re specifically supposed to talk to. I really didn’t want to do it, but God did some cool stuff with my heart. It wound up being really awesome. We also shoveled rocks onto Ms. M’s driveway that morning. The residents of Freedom House also came last night to eat dinner with us
Today, we went to a local school and painted some murals for them. When I was carrying the ladder to put it away, these tiny boys came and carried it with me. They were holding it above their heads. It was adorable. This afternoon, we had a couple hours break (ie. I got to work out) and then we went to Marla’s House (see previous blog).
It’s been raining a lot- which makes for a lot of mud, but I will take all the mud as long as it isn’t as hot and humid as the first few days. Air conditioning isn’t a norm here unless you have a lot of money, as electricity is expensive. The first few days were a growing experience in this respect for all of us. It’s actually kind of nice to be outside/in the open air all the time, especially since it’s been a little cooler. Also, I have never sweat working out as much as I do here – we drink all the water all the time. But we don’t actually drink all the water…because apparently when it rains a lot, parasites can get into the water pipes.
Oh, last Saturday, we went to Herman’s Cave/the Blue Hole for our adventure day (we get one of those a week. It was incredible. I read somewhere that the hole is around 25 feet deep. You can’t see the bottom. It’s a bit eerie to swim over the deepest point as you can see through the crystal water down to your feet and then there’s just a blue abyss beneath you. The cave is also epic. It had incredible acoustics so we sang into it (disturbing the bats). I also swam to the center of the initial cavern, with someone at the entrance holding a light. It was rather intense not being able to see anything in the water and having bats flying around, 10/10 would recommend for a short period of time.
Anyway, hopefully that gives you guys a bit of an idea of what we’ve been up to for the past week and a half. Tomorrow is another adventure day (ie day off). We were planning to go to some Mayan ruins but the river is flooded so it’s closed for a few days. Some of us are going to the beach tomorrow instead and will go to the ruins next weekend.
Things here have been pretty great so far. I think we’re getting pretty well adjusted and in a bit of a rhythm which is so nice. Hope all of you are doing well!
