Horray!!!! The team arrived in Belize on Saturday safe and sound. Despite being delayed 1 hour everyone was in good spirits when they finally got off the plane. We quickly loaded all the luggage and equipment onto the bus and headed out on our way to Cotton Tree.

A quick stop a Cheers for dinner turned into a teaching session as Rachel tried to explain the zoo game. After going through some of the animals (unicorn, two-nicorn, sloth, etc..) it quickly became evident who would excel in this game, and it was definately some of the youth.

We stopped by Cotton Tree Nazarene Church, met Pastor Joe and took some time to evaluate the community center which will be the location of the medical and dental clinic. It passed with flying colors.

Our journey ended at the Belmopan Hotel and Convention Center. Everyone unpacked their bags, had a team meeting and thanked God for all the blessings of the day.

We are excited about what is in store for the week.

Today we woke up to our first full day in Belize. It being Sunday it was a great day to worship God.

After breakfast we headed to Cotton Tree Nazarene Church for Sunday School followed by worship lead by Pastor Joe. Many team members took part in the service by reading lessons, sharing a welcoming and leading prayers.

After a traditional Belizean lunch (stewed chicken, rice and beans, potato salad) the team went out into the villages of Cotton Tree and St. Matthews to invite people to the clinic and VBS this week. BJ and Barrett were especially exctied to have come across a pet monkey during the visits, along with an alligator.

The team had some free time in the afternoon followed by some mission training where they enhanced their skills in building relationships with each other. Following training we were treated to some home cooking when pizza was the course for the meal.

The day ended with another time of worship with Pastor Joe and the community from Cotton Tree. Tomorrow will be an exciting day as we start the ministry that the team has been planning for the past several months.

Today was the first full day of our planned ministry and God could not have been more evident as His fingerprints were over all the ministries that took place. VBS started in the morning with almost 100 kids in participation. The church was full of energy and excitement as they sang, danced, played games and did arts and crafts. Today was the salvation necklace. After the kids left Pearl and Donna did a dance of joy for how well things went and that God blessed them with a well behaved group. The clinic saw over 80 people for dental and medical work. Roger, Theresa and the rest of the group worked non-stop all day cleaning and extracting teeth. The final ministry of the day was the construction and Bob, Martin, and John led the crew in digging teh trench that will be used for the foundation and footers of the parsonage. They were helped by many local men from the community who were excited about building the house and relationships with the team. What a great day of ministry. God is good.

Today was another day full of ministry and blessings from God. Can you believe that this was the second full day of ministering to the village of Cotton Tree and being ministered to by them as well? The day began with another exciting and energizing morning of VBS. 145 kids from Cotton Tree and St. Matthews came to the church to learn how they can "soar of wings like eagles" Isaiah 40:30 and made frisbees to remind them of how they can soar. The construction team worked hard in the heat and sun to pour all the footers for the new parsonage. They finished with plenny of time to spare in the afternoon thanks to the help of some local men from the village. Not only are the building foundation to a home, but also a foundation for long-term relationships. John was greatful that God was faithful and provided a light breeze and some clouds during the heat of the afternoon. The medical team performed beyond anyone's hopes and expectations as they saw 65 people in the clinic. The ministry they are providing is such a blessing for this community. Thankfully Rachel and Mrs. Rose are able to translate for all the Spanish speaking clients they are seeing as well.

Wow, we can hardly believe how quickly this week has been going by. After two full days of ministry, today provided us with a little bit of a respite. The morning began as usual with the medical and dental clinic running on all cylinders seeing many people from the village. VBS spent part of the day in health education and it was fun seeing all the pink teeth of the children as they chewed on the tablets that exposed plaque. And as the past two days, the construction team was working in high gear laying cement blocks for the foundation of the parsonage. As lunch approached the team loaded on the bus and headed out on their recreation day. We headed west and went to the Myan ruins of Xunatunich. After our guided tour the team headed down to the Mopan river to do a little swimming and cooling off. The fun ended with a dinner at Hode's. It was a great day to experience a little bit of the country of Belize

Our last day of ministry comes with a mix of emotions. It is nice seeing months of planning spring come out so successfully this week. It is sad that this our final day in Cotton Tree and investing in the relationships we had been forming all week long. As the medical clinic was ministering through their specialized God given gifts, a special guest arrived in Cotton Tree. Joshua, the Belizean youth who had been badly burned last year came to the clinic. It was amazing to see how much healing on his body had taken place over the past year as a result of the work from the church body. Providing Joshua the resources to be treated at Shriners Hospital in Galveston, TX has proven to be a life-saving ministry to him. The construction crew, finished with the foundation, focused their time on repainting the church sign. They created their own templates to ensure that the wording was crisp and straight. After a quick dinner the team was treated to a concert by the Heavenlies. The Cotton Tree Nazarene Church was filled to the max as Burton and the gang praised God in true Caribbean fashion

Today the group headed out to Caye Caulker for their day of relaxation and exploring more of God's creation in Belize. Want to know more about the day and the entire week? Ask one of the team members :)