Belize Day 5: Lunch with Crisantos' Family

I woke up early this morning and went outside for some quiet time. The sky was dark and air was thick. The trees gently swayed in the breeze. I took a walk on the grounds and discovered the garden where they grow peppers, onions, pineapple, guavas, eggplant and lettuce, among other things.

We went to the clinic, and I was amazed at how quickly we are able to set up. Initially, it seemed like there weren't many patients, but that quickly changed. The throngs of people

For lunch, we went to Crisantos' house. A better word is compound. The land has one concrete house and several board-sided thatch-roofed homes that house members of his family. We were treated to a home cooked meal.  After lunch, we walked down to the creek behind the compound. His grandchildren jumped in the water and played hard, as children do. The river is used to bathe, wash clothing and dishes and also for play.

We returned to the school where we finished up the day's patients. Thankfully, we turned no one away. This week, we were able to see 362 patients.

The construction crew completed various projects.  Today, they repaired benches, dug up stumps, installed a toilet and  completed various items from the "construction honey-do" list.

The VBS crew finished their program today. In total, they were able to minister to over 700 children!

This has been a humbling week. I am thankful for my many blessings and also grateful that I am able to use my gifts for His glory.

Day 4: Feed a Child

Cher is helping paint a mural at the San Juan Church.

Today, the clinic was open to the villagers. When we arrived at the school there was a line of folks waiting in eager anticipation of the medical team's arrival. We set up quickly and hit the ground running. Some family groups were as large as 8. We saw everything from colds to diabetic neuropathy.

As a first-timer to Belize, I went to the Feed A Child Center. The program was started years ago in an effort to combat some of the malnutrition that the children suffered from in some of the village. The children wash their hands, sing and pray before being served lunch. The missions team was also fed a delicious meal of black beans and rice, chicken and fried plantain. In the sanctuary area, a mural was being painted by two mission volunteers.

Lunch time at the Feed-A-Child Center.

The children's team played with children and continued more of their VBS program. The construction team did more of the same, preparing the mission site by laying down a floor in one of the existing huts.

Show and tell included Paul showing us an actual cashew fruit and a fresh cacao fruit. The cashew is a fruit where the seed of the fruit grows on the outside of the plant. The nuts we eat is the actual seed from the plant. He also pointed out iguanas and told us the best way to capture an iguana and keep it safely until it's time to prepare it for a meal.

The people here have been so gracious, kind and appreciative of us. It truly is a blessing to be able to serve.

Day 3: Getting the Flow Down

Belize Day 3

I'm tired, but I think so is the whole team . We got off to an early start today. After our breakfast and morning worship, we headed to the school. Being our second day, we were more adept at organizing the rooms and triaging the patients. It flowed well today. The medical team saw adult and pediatric patients, with complaints ranging from hypertension to cough. Some children had complaints that were beyond our scope of care, requiring non-emergent surgery, others required complicated wound debridement. I really enjoyed team members's flexibility and willing to make do with the limited resources available to us.

VBS Puppet show.

The children's team entertained the children with puppets, balloons and songs. Children were able to hear of Jesus' love for them and see the team members in action. I felt the children were most engaged during puppet time and in the action songs.

The construction team was filthy by day's end. They repaired benches, built soccer goals and removed stumps to make way for a suitable soccer field for the children.

On the ride back, Paul shared stories of his early missionary days. It an inspiration to hear someone willing to sacrifice to share the gospel. When Paul started, his goal was to disciple 12 men. Through that vision and almost 25 years of missionary work, iServants has planted 53 churches and has about 12,000 members attending church on a weekly basis.

We've Arrived and Then Some...

Belize Day 1

It has been a long day, and our travels aren't over yet. We are still en route to Placencia and the sun has set. I'm glad I can no longer see our path; the narrow bridges and deep gullies made me a touch nervous as our skillful driver, Evan, navigated our path. 

Full May team.

When we left the airport, I was struck by all the water I saw: in potholes, drainage ditches and in marshy areas along the roadside. There were many brightly colored houses in various states of repair. Some were fresh and new, while others looked abandoned, becoming overgrown by the lush tropical growth that was cleared previously to make way for the dwelling. If I were to build in Belize, I would build high above the ground, to save myself the trouble of bailing out my living room in flood season.

As we went deeper into the countryside, I noticed all the shades of green that occupied the landscape. The beauty was raw and unmanicured. Nothing about the topography looked maintained, and it was precisely that which made it so beautiful. Even the acres of orange groves seemed to be at risk of jungle reclamation, only the hint of the original rows indicated that the trees were planned, and not spontaneous growth bursting from the moist red soil. 

Like anyone else who loves all things tropical (except the diseases), I searched the land for its fruit and plants. Mango trees are everywhere, laden with fruit, ripening and waiting for a summertime harvest. Banan

as grow haphazardly along the roadside and in the bush. And there was certainly no shortage of papayas. There was a portion of the drive where I noted a blanket of ferns, soft and delicate, pushing their way through the brush to expose their lacy, curling leaves. 

We arrived at the hotel in the evening, tired from the journey, after meeting other team members from other states, including GA, AZ, TN and IA,  We sat down to a well-needed meal. 

Belize Day 2

The morning started off with prayer, breakfast and worship. We packed the bus with hundreds of pounds of supplies that are stored in donated luggage. We have to go through that routine daily to keep all of our supplies safe.

Praying over the well.

We ventured to the site of the future Mission Center. These five acres of land were donated to iServants. The land has been cleared and two pavilions were built to accommodate future meetings and provide well needed shelter in the interim. After our prayer walk, where we silently spoke with God and asked His blessing and bounty on the land, we came across the most impressive structure on the property: the well. I am told this  over thirty foot deep structure was built without the aid of modern equipment. The well provides fresh water to the area. Steve, a pastor on the trip, pointed out that Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well and offered her the Living Water. That is exactly what we are here to offer. The Living Water will never run dry and springs up to provide eternal life. 

We left the construction team at the site to "build stuff" while the medical and children's teams went to the school to set up. We pulled into the school yard and I could see the excitement on the kids' faces. They were all in uniforms, playing in the yard with the abandon that only children have.

Dr. Curtis interviews his patient.

The teams made quick work of converting the classrooms into triage, treatment and pharmacy areas. Some children came in with relatively minor complaints such as colds, others had more serious ailments such as acute asthma or an infected and avulsed  toenail.

The children were excited and curious. They peered through windows and doorways in anticipation of seeing the doctor.

The VBS Team were rock stars! They brought puppets, games and songs to engage the children. The kids crowded the ladies and enjoyed all the activities. 

Today was a good day. We come to serve these people and show them the love of Jesus. It is my hope that these moments of care and joy will serve as a mustard seed to grow His kingdom. 

Team Belize 2014 (May 4-10)

Beyond the cruise ships and beaches and dive spots and the world's second largest coral barrier reef, Belize subsists as one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere.  While most Belizeans are professing Christians, according to "Operation World", the church there is plagued by legalism, syncretism, nominalism, disunity, and an over-dependence on outside sources (including a never-ending presence of mission-trippers).

Into this coastal enclave, the Lord sent Dr. Paul Whisnant in 1990 to found International Servants, a ministry focused on meeting both physical and spiritual needs and serving the poorest of the poor.  iServants are planting self-sustaining Belizean-led churches in the poverty-ridden jungle villages found in the country's interior.  To date, the Lord has used them and the teams they have hosted to help build a network of over 50 churches.

You can read more about them here:

About iServants...

You can read more about their strategy here:

Their strategy...

Our team will fly down on May 4, serve alongside fellow believers from other churches for the week, and return on May 10.  Some of us will serve with the medical team, some will work on a construction team, and others will work with children. Based on the reports of those who have been previously, we expect that we will work hard, but that we will be well fed and rested. It's a direct 2.5 hour flight from DFW, and offers an excellent and accessible cross-cultural short-term mission experience for anyone, including first-timers, of which there are several on our team.

Thank you in advance for praying for us and for giving to help support the mission as the Lord may lead (you may support our team here).