Belize in color

Launch weekend spent with my parents was a blessing. They got to share in the world race events and understand it in a parent mindset. Looking forward to seeing them in a few months in Romania! 

ENTERING BELIZE! 

We went to one of the Myan villages to meet a few of the locals. These are the Sanchez‘s who graciously welcomed us and even offered us coconuts from their farm! Mr. Sanchez shared his story of coming to know the Lord and how that has radically changed his life. That day will always be one of my favorites. (not pictured: the bug bites that ruined us and taught us that pants are vital in the villages lol, but totally worth it)

My team! I have been doing life with these lovely ladies for the last two weeks and loving it. From left to right: Martha, Sarah Ann, Jillian, me, Bonnie and Lauren have been there for all of it! I can’t wait to see what else is in store for all of us. 

THE BEACH! We took a day off work to just relax and recharge. We went to a nearby island called Placencia which was absolutely gorgeous. It was a great day together to marvel at how beautiful God‘s creation is here. (not pictured: the sunburn that surfaced that evening on our delicate American skin. Again, totally worth it)

We spent a few days at the local high school in the religious studies classes sharing our testimonies. We talked about how God has been working in our lives and what led us to become missionaries. Their school system is very different from America in which they can talk about religion and christianity and even pray before and after class. It was a great couple days hanging out with the kids and getting to know them and their beliefs. 

Miss Diana and Pastor Jerome are our ministry hosts for the month and let me tell you, they are some of the best people I know. They have been so welcoming and generous with their space and time. Miss Diana has been feeding us the BEST food and teaching us how to make true Belizean dishes. She’s making something called journey cakes for us for breakfast, something similar to a sweet biscuit. Pastor is the king of selfies at youth night at church. Yes, we’re not too old for youth group.

One of the activities we’ve been doing throughout our days is helping paint the preschool both inside and out. It’s been so fun seeing the fruits of our work and how excited the kids and teachers are with the bright colors. 

These two little girls stole all of our hearts on day one. Jasara and Gracie are all about play dough and games and silly songs. We were currently making a play dough birthday cake for Gracie. 

We taught a Sunday school lesson in one of the Myan villages. All these little ones got to hear the gospel and some even accepted Jesus into their hearts! We got to sing, laugh and dance with them. They even taught us one of their favorite songs! Such a great day. (not pictured: the sweet hug I got from the little one who was thinking about it)