Busy Times at the Mission

It has been a busy month-and-a-half. We have had teams/guests/family every day since February 16th. Tuesday night was our first night alone again at the base, and now that we have some time to ourselves we can finally update you all on the many things that have happened since our last blog update.

Redeemer Lutheran
This team was comprised of 16 folks from two churches which are pastored by two brothers, Randy and Rick. There was a threefold focus during their time: building a house in the village, leading a house-to-house medical clinic, and facilitating a VBS in the primary (elementary) school. Facilitating daily logistics was more challenging than past teams due to the multifaceted approach, but it made for a great week of ministry.

Young Men’s Retreat
Along with men’s leadership at Galilee Gospel Chapel, the Caldwell family, and Fran Schneider assisted in ministry through a young men’s retreat. The focus of the weekend was to teach the young men how to be rebels for Christ. The men’s outreach has been an area of growth for the church and needs your continued prayer that as new believers commit their life to Christ, they stay strong and faithful as they continue in their walk.


Joel & Jessica
We were blessed to have a visit by a couple our age who are feeling a call to missions and desire to make Belize Mission and Retreat their place of service. Both Joel and Jessica have very strong faith and would be a great addition to the mission here. We pray that God would open doors during their preparations.


Bradbury Visit
We were visited by my (Mark’s) parents for two weeks. They got to experience a lot of the daily responsibilities we have here at the mission as well as the preparations we make for a team. We also took them to the Belize Zoo and some friends of ours here in Belize picked us all up in their boat and took us to a small island, called Goff Caye. The next day Sarah’s parents arrived in Belize and we all met out at San Pedro (another caye here in Belize). We thoroughly enjoyed our time with our families and are so grateful they came for a visit!


Olson Family Team
To cap everything off, Sarah’s uncle and two cousins and their families funded a short term mission to build a house for a villager named Manny. Including Sarah’s parents and sister, our family team totaled 14! The guys built Manny’s house (a smaller version of the typical mission built house) in 2.5 days! The ladies of the team assisted another missionary family in the village with packing up two rooms as they prepare to exit this mission field in May. The ladies also did some children’s ministry including painting girls’ nails, playing games and making Easter crafts. Uncle Norman brought several (and I mean SEVERAL) pairs of shoes that will be distributed to villagers in need. Some of the others on the team also donated first aid supplies for the same cause. Lastly, the team put on the egg hunt Easter morning. It was crazy fun, just like any good Easter Hunt!

It continues to be our privilege to be here serving as missionaries at Belize Mission and Retreat. We are grateful for the fellowship with the villagers, fellow missionaries and the teams we get to serve alongside with. God is so good and He continues to provide for all our needs and beyond.