Hitting the Ground Running

We arrived in Belize three weeks ago and hit the ground running. I (Mark) arrived to the mission base around 9am and our first team arrived at 3pm the same day.

Our first week was spent with a young adult team from First Baptist Church of Frederick, Maryland. The

First Baptist of Frederick team standing in front of the first house that was painted.

team of seven painted two houses in the village in preparation for Christmas, put on a Birthday Party for Jesus Christmas morning for the village children, and participated in village activities including Bible studies and church services. We felt truly blessed to have this group as our first team. They were very mature young adults who were ready and willing to serve however asked of them. We admired their sacrifice to be apart from family during Christmas so that they could do ministry in Gales Point. We’ve heard about their testimonies given at their home church and are grateful to hear of the ministry impact this short-term mission experience has had in their lives. Some are considering a future in missions and the church is looking at sending another team this summer!

Cornerstone Baptist Church on the steps at Belize Mission & Retreat.

Our second team, from Cornerstone Baptist Church in Ludington, Michigan, arrived the day after our first team departed. During their twelve days they put on a Vacation Bible School in the mornings, donated food (flour, rice, beans) to the food pantry in town which was earned by villagers by working on various work projects in the village, participated in village activities including Bible studies and church services, and led a “Minute to Win It” game night at the church on New Year’s Eve. The men had a fun, but wet, afternoon fishing with some of the men from Galilee Gospel Chapel. The women hosted a pillow making activity for the ladies of the village. On their final day we were pleased to join them for a fantastic day tour of the Mayan ruins at Lamanai. This was a phenomenal group of people. We saw Christ working through them over and over again and feel blessed to now call them friends.

Avi standing in front of the net we've been installing on the deck railing

We are now at the base alone. It is quite a contrast to the previous three weeks, but there is a lot to do. Maintenance never ends here. We have been working to install a handrail net on the lodge deck. We call this Avi’s net because its sole purpose is to contain her. I need to complete monthly maintenance on the Jeep. The combination of driving on rough roads and through mud and salt water really takes a toll on vehicles here.

Throughout the week we will be going into the village to participate in the various church services and Bible studies. We are looking forward to building upon the relationships we have begun these past weeks.

Again we thank all of our supporters for your prayers and finances. We would not be here if it weren’t for your graciousness. We will keep you updated with blog updates in the near future as we get settled in to our new life in Gales Point.

p.s. We have already fallen in love with Skype. It is such a great way to stay in contact with friends and family. If you would like to Skype sometime just let us know. Our Skype name is sarahkbradbury1.