Back From Belize

I assume everyone knows that we have been in Belize for the past couple months. Well that trip was so amazing, our language does not have a word for it!

January 13th2012 our team of 20 left Bernville, PA. We had two tractor trailers with containers, an RV (we drove), a flatbed tractor trailer with farming eqip, two omni buses, and a school bus, all towing a car. We drove 24 hours a day. Stephen, Joseph, and I took turns driving the RV. We only stopped for gas or the occasional breakdown. In Tennessee we had the car, we were towing, catch on fire. Stephen, Joseph and some other guys put out the fire with water bottles before the fire trucks got there and shut down highway. It was a interesting sight. The police and firefighters told us to just get it off the highway. So we  nursed the car to the net exit and found a place for all of us to pull over. Well in the dim lit parking lot we looked at the damage. The car was obvious not able to make the full trip to Belize. While this news was hitting everyone’s mind, one of the guys realized we were sitting smack next to a church! God is so cool! They invited us in for their evening service, fed us, let us freshen up and let us keep the burnt car at their facility until we could come back for it! How awesome is that?! God knows exactly what we need when we need it!

We eventually made it to the Mexico boarder. It took us 9 hours to get through customs and into Mexico soil. By that time it was dark and we stayed in a hotel. The group leaders felt it was too dangerous to cross Mexico during the dark hours of the day.

So we traveled by day and slept in parking lots or hotels at night. I personally was terrified going through Mexico. We were always being stopped by military, which would board our vehicles with MK 47’s and other big guns. I prayed so much on the ride down. When we were passing through Vera Cruz, one of the worst places in all of Mexico, I prayed and after my prayer I looked up into the sky and saw a cloud shaped like a dove. Now I know clouds are always shifting and blowing by. This cloud kept its shape the rest of the day. I knew it was God giving me comfort. I knew He was with us and protecting us. The rest of the trip I enjoyed the beauty of southern Mexico and the culture. You really don’t know if you trust until you are in the midst of it. I trusted with Gods help.

We made it Belize in a total of 10 days. It took us 13 hours to get across the boarded because of corruption. Only the buses, and the RV got through. The two container trucks were not allowed in for another two weeks and thousands of dollars later.

The first couple weeks there were a struggle. Getting use to hot hot weather and living in a jungle without electricity, and sometimes water. We used the RV bathroom in the other RV. There were bugs, mutant mosquitoes, and large carnivores outside at night so we learned to stay inside after dark. But the people and culture are absolutely beautiful. We were outside of Beuna Vista Village, a Spanish speaking village.  But Belize is a mixture of Spanish, African, and Europeans. The three major languages are Creole English, Spanish, and Garafani. The cultures all get along beautifully. So friendly and welcoming, yet so poor and lost.

Stephen was used by God as the site mechanic, fix it guy, taxi driver, voice of reason, and much more. He made strong relationships with some of our neighbors.

Ryleigh and I were the only females on the trip. I cooked 3 meals a day for the VERY hungry group. Lol. I also was the person to go to town and buy items for the kitchen or worksite. I schooled Ryleigh and also taught art classes in the villages.  I made good friends with the ladies in the village. I was invited many times into their homes, which was a neat experience learning to cook like them. Ryleigh traveled with another ministry who had a mobile library. She loved giving away books and reading to children. She helped Stephen and me, and also made friends with all the kids she met. There were always kids showing up to play with Ryleigh.

There are so many details that I can’t fit in the newsletter. It was an amazing trip. We saw and felt God work in so many ways. I personally learned so much. Things that I thought I had a handle on God  brought to my attention that I didn’t. We hope to share with you all soon the adventures of Belize.

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