I just finished sippin’ on a cup of coffee, and I have a whole big BUNCH of things to share.
note: I’m actually not a big fan of coffee. But this morning, I did it for the team… and the mug. 😉
This month (which is month-freaking-TEN y’all), I had the privilege of being a part of Team Relentless, and we had the privilege of taking on the assignment to pioneer Belize in a ministry called Unsung Heroes.
Who is an unsung hero? Unsung heroes are made up of men and women who are dedicated to serving some of the most impoverished populations in the world, yet rarely receive recognition for their dedication and service. Their names may not be in history books, their acts unknown to the rest of the world, while unrecognized, they shake a generation and move a culture and ultimately build the Kingdom.
What is the vision of our ministry? We have been in Belize to connect and network with local missionaries and ministries in an effort to come alongside them and provide lift to their efforts to further the Kingdom.
Our assignment, in a nutshell, is to hear hearts, document visions, and empower hopes of His servants and His Kingdom in this beautiful country. World Race/Adventures in Missions has never sent teams to Belize before, and it has been SUPER exciting for us to be the first to pave the way! *cue epic music*
But first, let me tell you why God is so cool (the absolute coolest).
Before we came to Belize, we did listening prayer and came back together to share what the Lord revealed to us. He gave my teammate a vision of a cobblestone wall, which was pretty neat because He gave me a vision of long stone floors, exactly like the one my feet rests over in this photo (I even drew out the vision that the Lord gave me in my journal when I was praying). Our visions came together and made sense once we arrived to Punta Gorda, Belize. This painted cobblestone wall and these long stone steps are the walkway to a beautiful, Christ-centered cafe owned by an amazing family who has offered us lodging for the days that we are here. It became our meeting place, our office space to contact ministries, our safe haven, our resting place. And everyone immediately felt like family. The drinks have bible verses written on them and His truth is written on every wall. I fell in love. Actually, I think it’s safe to say that we all fell in love. In love with the goodness of our Lord and with the fact that He cares about the tiniest details, even if it’s just a cobblestone wall and long stone floor. It’s the little things.
More and more, I have been awestruck with the way that the Lord speaks to us, to me. This past month of uncertainty, surprises, and answered prayers has the Lord romancing me into a deeper intimacy with His Spirit inside of me. It’s been quite the journey, I tell you, and I freaking love the the Holy Spirit.
Secondly, God provided us with lodging on the beach of San Pedro Island.
(shout out to our new YWAMDP family!)
a photo of Team Relentless worshipping while standing over the beautiful Caribbean Sea.
It was interesting to be in such a hot tourist spot, where just behind all the hustle and bustle of tourism you would find oceans of litter and humble homes on sticks. While walking through this community, the eyes of my heart were opened to the reality of Belize, the reality that most people miss. Amidst this community, we were able to meet with Pastor Everett Palacio and his beautiful wife, LaVern, who both had a GLOW because of the way that they spoke, because of their passionate Kingdom eyes, and because of their aching yet trusting hunger to see the Kingdom flourish in their community through more relationship, more discipleship, more love, more Jesus.
I’m telling you, I fell in love with them immediately.
But I gotta be honest, it was a scorching hot day and all I wanted was ice cream. Before meeting them, I was silently complaining inside while walking in the sun because I wanted ice cream. Ice cream… yes, ICE CREAM. Thankfully, my grumbling for ice cream was immediately rebuked as soon as I shook their hands. I wish you could’ve been there. The more they shared their heart, the more I was brought to a place of peace. The more they spoke about their love for their community, the less I craved for ice cream. The more they spoke about the passion for the Kingdom of God, the more I craved for the Kingdom to flourish in their community, too.
I started imagining myself serving alongside them on my Race.
I started becoming increasingly excited for (and maybe even slightly jealous of) future teams that get to come and do Kingdom living with them, who get to experience so much more of the Spirit inside of this glowing family.
“We were just talking about the Kingdom right before you guys came.”
Completely content and fulfilled, I didn’t want to leave.
Upon leaving, I plopped myself down onto the swing that hangs from their home.
And I wasn’t craving for ice cream anymore.
Thirdly, God provided us with lodging once again! But from the beaches of San Pedro Island on Ambergris Caye, we hopped into the jungle of Punta Gorda. This was just another beginning to a whole new set of incredible heroes we had yet to meet. And little did we know, one of us would commit to coming back even before we left!
(shout out to our amazing Machaca Outreach family!)
And just to note, Punta Gorda is more my style. Quaint, quiet, and peaceful. 😉
While in Punta Gorda, we were able to meet with Pastor Raphiel and his family. All it took was a quick phone call, and Pastor Raphiel and his wife were ready and willing to pick us up and welcome us into their home.
I’m telling you, it was another gift. Another unplanned surprise, another blessing.
We all sat down and immediately dove into sweet conversation. It was such a blessing to see how involved Pastor Raphiel and his wife are in their community, familiar with almost all of the villagers while still being faithful and dedicated pastors of their church. After two years of hosting new teams every week of over 20 people, they had taken a break from hosting such large teams but were praying for a new opportunity to come up.
This is where we come in. Again, isn’t God so cool!?
They had been praying for a new opportunity because they have a passion for teams, they have a passion for reaching out to their surrounding villages, they have a passion for hospitality and for showering this gift over people that enter their home.
Me and Amanda, for example.
After much fruitful conversation about how God has worked in us and through us on the Race and about how God has been using and molding them in their ministry, they invited us over to their dining table for some homemade beans, rice, and fried chicken. Y’hear that!? Fried. CHICKEN. Seriously, they said that people often come in and out of their home to just hang out, to simply fellowship.
And they love when people do.
While we were there, a man came by named Stewart. Stewart was another brother in Christ who came in at the most perfect timing to visit Pastor Raphiel and his family. Amanda and I indulged in sweet conversation with Stewart about the kingdom and how the Lord has been working through him and his church in Belize City. Again, it was God’s perfect timing. Stewart turned out to be a blessing in disguise, and another hero that we were able to submit for the future.
Amanda and I left completely confident, feeling so blessed and refreshed by Pastor Raphiel and his family’s love for Jesus and for serving not only teams, not only the church, but for serving every single person they encounter in Punta Gorda and every single person who walks through the doors of their home.
a photo of me with the incredible Mr. Richard! A man of the Lord with some of the most incredible stories I’ve ever heard, you might not even believe me if I told you them, but if I told you I might have to kill you.
a photo of Team Relentless with the beautiful Lisa Gatz of Boneville Cafe, our God-sent family and safe haven.
I could go on and on about more people we met with and came to love. I could go on and on about how much the Lord has been washing me this past month (literally and figuratively). I could go on and on about His faithfulness and how much He has reinforced the fact that He is faithful in all of His promises. I could go on and on about how beautiful Belize is and about all of the adventures we have been blessed to experience (snorkeling in the second biggest barrier reef in the world with sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, and schools of fish has opened my eyes even MORE to the glory of the work of His hands). I could go on and on about the difficulties that have also come with this month (mosquitoes, I have dominion over you) and how I’ve learned even more what it means to rejoice even in these moments.
Buuut, I won’t.
Just know that we have been created by a God who wants to speak not only to us, but who wants to speak with us. As you go about your day, ask Him for words, for pictures, for visions, for numbers. Step confidently into the fact that wherever you are going today, He is going to go with you.
And be ready for Him to change you by the people you have yet to meet, by the places you have yet to see, by the stories you have yet to hear and to create. And you know what? Sometimes, all it takes is conversation.
And a vulnerability to not only dive into conversation with the people who around you, but the vulnerability to dive into an even deeper and ceaseless conversation with the One who made you.
x.
