Easter Sunday

We woke up this morning at 4:30am and went to a sunrise service in Belmopan. The service went from 5:30-7:30am and it was raining. We got wet, but it was a wonderful time to remember that Christ has risen! We came back to the site for breakfast and then headed out on the buses again for 9:30am service which was held at the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base. There were over 200 people and it was a powerful worship service! After service we had a big church picnic. We played with the kids and had lunch. We played some volleyball and had a great time of fellowship! We are back at the ministry site for the day. We leave tomorrow to come home at 11:15am. l
It has been an amazing week of service and worship - Praise the Lord!

Old Belize

Yesterday was our day off. We slept in (7:30am) and had breakfast and then we saw the annual bike race go by - It goes from Belize City to Cayo and back and it is 135 miles. After breakfast we watched the race go back the other way. We left to go to Old Belize - a resort with a 90ft water slide, rope swing, beach, etc. Unfortunately we got stuck in traffic from the bike race. We eventually made it and had a wonderful lunch! It was Elbia's birthday so Pastor Ron, Elbia, Irma, Junie, Melvin, Stephanie, and Annalise came as well. We had a great time and got some sun! When we got back to the ministry site we hung out for a bit but then we went straight to bed so we could get up at 4:30am!

Work and Cahal Pech

Today we shifted from the normal routine. This morning after breakfast and until 9am we all raked leaves and spread gravel in the driveway - the kids all helped by ripping out the grass that was beginning to grow. At 9am the kids from Easter school came, but today they were watching Night at the Museum on the big screen in one of the classrooms. Some of the team watched with them, others raked more leaves and cleaned. When the movie was over everyone finished sweeping and mopping the preschool rooms and verandas. Somewhere in the middle was a coconut excursion - we learned that you should eat the green ones! And so, we put the 'lime in the coconut' and it was delicious!
After lunch we went to Cayo to go swimming at a resort called Cahal Pech. It was a wonderfully refreshing afternoon and Chris even put on sunscreen! This evening we had a Good Friday service at the Step of Faith Church in Belmopan. The buses were full and the service packed. God was truly at work and His Spirit was present. Three people went forward to accept Christ as their Savior - Praise the Lord! The service was wonderfully put together and very moving!
Tomorrow is our day off - we are headed to Old Belize (a resort) to hang out on the beach, swim, play beach volleyball, go down the water slide, do the zip line, and have a wonderful Belizian lunch. Tomorrow morning we'll also see the bike race go past - this is one of the largest events in all of Belize. Hundreds of cyclists from multiple countries compete. We have seen them train for the race this past week. The race goes from Belmopan to Cayo and back.
God is good!
Belize 2010

Fun in the Sun!

It was a beautiful, hot day in Unitedville, Belize! We all enjoyed being in the sun :) This morning the guys put up drywall in one of the 'dorms' on the ministry site and the girls taught Easter school. After lunch we organized and cleaned the preschool buildings. We took a break to jump in the river and then went back to work until dinner. For dinner we had a traditional Belizian dish: rice and stewed chicken - it was delicious! This evening Andrew and Emily took us to Cayo (a city about 30 minutes away) to experience Belize night life. We stopped at Cayo Twist on the way home for ice cream - it's non-dairy but you wouldn't know it if you didn't see the sign...
All in all it was a great day - spent some time with Pastor Ron and Miss Linda's children - Stephanie, Annalise, Melvin, Junie, Elbia, Irma, and Delmi and enjoyed the weather and serving the Lord!
ICO Belize 2010

Mayan Ruins and Burritos

Today we spent the morning teaching and on the work site - girls and guys respectively. We had delicious burritos for lunch, spiced up with some belizian hot sauce. After lunch we loaded up in the van and headed toward Cayo and San Ignacio to see Xunantunich - an ancient Mayan ruin. We climbed to the top and walked around. Played frisbee of course :) and took lots of pictures. After a few stops at gift shops we came back to the ministry site and changed for church. Step of Faith (Pastor Ron's church) meets every Sunday and Wednesday for service. The church is in the capital city - Belmopan. It takes about 45 min to get there and we pick up lots of people on the way (in the bus). The service was great; the worship was God centered and the message was about God's love (Crazy Love ch. 6).
We came home tonight and heard the wake going on for Mr. Steve Lopez - it was very difficult to hear, but hopeful at the same time because the Lopez family are Christians.
We played a game 'signs' and had quite a few laughs. Everyone's in bed, resting for another wonderful day full of God's love!
In Christ Alone,
Belize 2010

Flabergaster!

Day 3
Another wonderful day in a beautiful country! The boys went to the work site and put up the ceiling and wall boards. The girls stayed and taught. This afternoon we grabbed a bunch of inner tubes and went on the "lazy river" Belize style. After a few apprehensive jumpers (into the river - it was a 12 foot cliff...) we made our way down to the bridge doing our best to avoid the shallow spots and hitting the rocks. Then some of us jumped off the bridge into the river. We got cleaned up and then went to get ice cream in Spanish Lookout - AMAZING! This evening we did VBS for the kids - sang songs, did a skit (Lazarus and Jesus calming the storm), learned a verse in song (John 3:16), and made 'sponge boats' to represent how Jesus saves.
We're hanging out on the veranda tonight looking forward to another day!
Please pray for the Lopez family (neighbors of Pastor Ron and Ms. Linda). Mr. Lopez worked in a bank as a security guard and the bank he worked in was held up today. He was shot and killed. He is leaving behind his wife of two months and his unborn child. Please pray for God's strength and grace in the lives of the Lopez family.

In Christ,
ICO Belize 2010

School and Work

We had a great day today - The girls each had a class this morning for "Easter School" we tutored the kids in English and Math for two hours. The kids were great and we loved working with them.
The guys went to the worksite with Andrew and a few of the boys (James and Peter). They put up the cross beams for the ceiling. (We are working on the inside of Mr. Cruise's house - a previous team built the outside.)
The girls joined the boys this afternoon after we went to a taco stand and had panades, salbutes, and super tacos. (DELICIOUS!) We hammered in boards that will support the ceiling material (thin boards). The boys decided to make it into a competition and we tried hard to keep up but...they won. However, we sacrificed our bodies and came out with a few thumb bruises.
We had VBS tonight and taught the story of Moses parting the Red Sea. We made bracelets for craft and sang a lot of crazy songs :)
Tonight we hung out with Pastor Ron and Linda's boys Melvin and Juni and their friend Carl. They taught us some creole and sang some Christian rap for us.
Tomorrow should be the same schedule but we never know what new things will come up! Please continue to pray for focus on Christ and a reminder that we are doing all of this for His kingdom. Also please pray for Deshawn, Melvin and Junie's friend. His mother passed away in a car accident earlier this week and Deshawn fractured his femur. The wake (funeral) was tonight.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!
ICO Belize 2010