The journey to Belmopan, Belize began early Sunday morning of May 11 and we came home a week later on the 18. I know God was looking out for us because even the little things were taken care of. We had very short layovers to catch connecting flights and we made it! On the return flight we had to check all of our luggage in again since it was an international flight and out of the hundreds of bags on that flight our bags were the first to come through. God cares about the little things!
When I stepped off the plane I raised my fists in the air and exclaimed "Belize!" The ramp leading to the tarmac that I was standing on then proceeded to fall a couple inches lol. According to the people we were working with, it was cool for this time of year but it was extremely humid still. There's also no AC so it's like you're constantly sweating. The compound we stayed at was setup similar to a summer camp which was nice. I had a clean shower and as much water to drink as I would want so I was very thankful for that. We also had a "campus cook", Rubia, who made the most amazing food ever. I did not expect to eat so well while I was over there. You gotta watch for insects and wild animals though. That place is a wilderness!
The missionary we went to work with arrived Sunday night shortly after us and he is one of the most incredible people I have ever met. When you encounter Randy Gaither (yes, he’s one of THE Gaithers) you can’t help but come to know Christ better. Here is a man who lives out his faith as we all should, completely relying on God, and God is using him in mighty ways. Here’s a website for those of you who are curious about more of the work his family is doing: http://www.randygaither.org/index.html. He’s accustomed to teams coming in and serving alongside him so I was thankful for how he ran things during the trip.
A lot of the work we got to do in Belize consisted of assisting Randy or going out to the people and ministering to them in some way. Randy has a lot of different things he’s in charge of. Gaither Evangelistic Ministries literally spans the entire country. Through God’s power medicine has been standardized in Belize so medical teams can come in and be effective, over 20 churches have been planted, and more children are being educated since Randy’s ministry started over 7 years ago in Belize. Our team organized lots of things for Randy including clothes to be passed out to needy people and a container from which supplies are frequently used. We actually got to pass out these clothes to some locals and delivered some to churches so that they could distribute them to where there’s an actual need. When we passed out the clothes to the families, we got to pray with them too. I asked one man if I could pray for him, with the help of a translator (English is the main language there but there are many areas where Spanish or some Mayan dialect are more popular), and he ended up praying for our group. Talk about a change of perspective.
The missionary we went to work with arrived Sunday night shortly after us and he is one of the most incredible people I have ever met. When you encounter Randy Gaither (yes, he’s one of THE Gaithers) you can’t help but come to know Christ better. Here is a man who lives out his faith as we all should, completely relying on God, and God is using him in mighty ways. Here’s a website for those of you who are curious about more of the work his family is doing: http://www.randygaither.org/index.html. He’s accustomed to teams coming in and serving alongside him so I was thankful for how he ran things during the trip.
A lot of the work we got to do in Belize consisted of assisting Randy or going out to the people and ministering to them in some way. Randy has a lot of different things he’s in charge of. Gaither Evangelistic Ministries literally spans the entire country. Through God’s power medicine has been standardized in Belize so medical teams can come in and be effective, over 20 churches have been planted, and more children are being educated since Randy’s ministry started over 7 years ago in Belize. Our team organized lots of things for Randy including clothes to be passed out to needy people and a container from which supplies are frequently used. We actually got to pass out these clothes to some locals and delivered some to churches so that they could distribute them to where there’s an actual need. When we passed out the clothes to the families, we got to pray with them too. I asked one man if I could pray for him, with the help of a translator (English is the main language there but there are many areas where Spanish or some Mayan dialect are more popular), and he ended up praying for our group. Talk about a change of perspective.
One of the coolest parts of the trip was passing out some Operation Christmas boxes that hadn’t been passed out yet. I will never forget the look on the faces of the children when they realized they were getting something for free. It was pure joy and God was glorified in it. We also got to go to a couple pre-schools and run a typical Wednesday children’s service for them with a story, game, music, and craft. I had the opportunity to lead worship for children in a public school by playing guitar which blows my mind. I remember God telling me in 8th grade to play the guitar while I was listening to the worship at Fuge and it's so awesome to see how He's used that since then. The principal of the school took Randy aside while we were hanging out with the kids and was extremely grateful that we came to speak to the kids. He said it was something that they definitely needed and he was moved by what occurred. God was doing something special in that man's life. The Gospel was definitely shared throughout all of this.
We also had the opportunity to see much of the beautiful Belize. We went to the Blue Hole which has the bluest water I have ever seen. There's lots of Mayan ruins in the country as well so we checked some out and climbed to the top of Xunantunich. I could actually see Guatemala from the top of it. On our R&R day we made a trip out to Caye Caulker and went snorkeling! I shaved in the ocean and swam with sharks so I punched a couple holes in my man card that day.
I’ve been reading through my journal trying to comprehend everything God was trying to show me through this journey. The craziest thing about mission trips is that you go somewhere in order to serve and minister yet you come back changed feeling like you got more out of the ordeal than the work you did. God has shown Himself to me as more powerful than ever. He is God as much in America as He is in Belize and He is sovereign over ALL creation. When I begin to worry about things, He keeps telling me not to because He will take care of my every need. I am so thankful for a God who I can call my friend, who can demolish strongholds, and who loves me intimately despite my many shortcomings. May God be praised even more through the work that was done in Belize. I know that I will never be the same. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
I’ve been reading through my journal trying to comprehend everything God was trying to show me through this journey. The craziest thing about mission trips is that you go somewhere in order to serve and minister yet you come back changed feeling like you got more out of the ordeal than the work you did. God has shown Himself to me as more powerful than ever. He is God as much in America as He is in Belize and He is sovereign over ALL creation. When I begin to worry about things, He keeps telling me not to because He will take care of my every need. I am so thankful for a God who I can call my friend, who can demolish strongholds, and who loves me intimately despite my many shortcomings. May God be praised even more through the work that was done in Belize. I know that I will never be the same. “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
In Love,
Bill
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