Hello,
Sorry for no communication in transit today, we were on the move. It took 1.5 hours to get us all through customs in Houston. A quick rush through subway and we were in flight for Seattle. We should be leaving Seattle in 20 minutes. This makes me guess are eta to be 3:30ish at the ELEMENTARY.
Kids are great. They have been great all trip. This has been a very hard working group and I am proud of them.
Blessings
MC
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Tuesday
Hello,
We are back from a long day of fun in the sun in a beautiful part of God's playground. Our hard work yesterday made today's experiences even more enjoyable. We had a 6:30am breakfast and then headed out by bus and van through Belize City to the Princess Hotel. Here we boarded a 49 foot boat and entered the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean. Within 1 minute, dolphins greeted us (good on them). A 1 hour boat ride led us to Shark Ray Alley where we snorkeled for 45 minutes along the edge of the reef. We then travelled about 1km and ended up in 4 feet of water filled with stingrays and nurse sharks. The students were certainly apprehensive as they entered the water. Check that, the students AND CHAPERONES (Colin) were apprehensive as they entered the water. However, within minutes, students were swimming alongside, on top of, behind, and perhaps even under the rays and sharks (and even 1 barracuda). It was a memorable experience. 2 hours in the salty sun was enough for our kids. We headed to the island of Cay Caulker. We all ate lunch and then spent just under 3 hours on the Island. Some students shopped, but the majority of the time was spent at the split (a split of the Island that was washed away during a hurricane). The split is a great swimming spot and we all had fun diving, flipping, cannonballing, and slowly backing down a laddering in:)
We boarded the boat at 4:00 at headed back to the mainland. A spotted eagle ray led the way for the 1st three seconds the journey. We arrived back at the hotel and made the short drive to Old Belize. Old Belize is a historic marina that has a very hezzelic yet fancy restaurant. A good meal later and we were in the road. As boldy predicted, the students were full of energy for the 1st 15 minutes on the bus ride back to camp and were sound asleep at minute 16. It was a quiet ride home and the student are beat. We had devotions in small groups in our room and can sleep a little extra tomorrow as breakfast isn't until 7:30am.
Tomorrow we fly out at 3:25pm. We arrive in Seattle just before midnight. As long as everything is on time (which they always are), we should be in Chilliwack around 3:15am. PLEASE NOTE, DROP OFF IS AT THE ES. The shuttle has an inspection and needs to rest close to Ms. Shirley (everyone is miss plus 1st name in Belize, except for the males).
I will update when I can tomorrow, including in Seattle.
Blessings
MC
We are back from a long day of fun in the sun in a beautiful part of God's playground. Our hard work yesterday made today's experiences even more enjoyable. We had a 6:30am breakfast and then headed out by bus and van through Belize City to the Princess Hotel. Here we boarded a 49 foot boat and entered the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean. Within 1 minute, dolphins greeted us (good on them). A 1 hour boat ride led us to Shark Ray Alley where we snorkeled for 45 minutes along the edge of the reef. We then travelled about 1km and ended up in 4 feet of water filled with stingrays and nurse sharks. The students were certainly apprehensive as they entered the water. Check that, the students AND CHAPERONES (Colin) were apprehensive as they entered the water. However, within minutes, students were swimming alongside, on top of, behind, and perhaps even under the rays and sharks (and even 1 barracuda). It was a memorable experience. 2 hours in the salty sun was enough for our kids. We headed to the island of Cay Caulker. We all ate lunch and then spent just under 3 hours on the Island. Some students shopped, but the majority of the time was spent at the split (a split of the Island that was washed away during a hurricane). The split is a great swimming spot and we all had fun diving, flipping, cannonballing, and slowly backing down a laddering in:)
We boarded the boat at 4:00 at headed back to the mainland. A spotted eagle ray led the way for the 1st three seconds the journey. We arrived back at the hotel and made the short drive to Old Belize. Old Belize is a historic marina that has a very hezzelic yet fancy restaurant. A good meal later and we were in the road. As boldy predicted, the students were full of energy for the 1st 15 minutes on the bus ride back to camp and were sound asleep at minute 16. It was a quiet ride home and the student are beat. We had devotions in small groups in our room and can sleep a little extra tomorrow as breakfast isn't until 7:30am.
Tomorrow we fly out at 3:25pm. We arrive in Seattle just before midnight. As long as everything is on time (which they always are), we should be in Chilliwack around 3:15am. PLEASE NOTE, DROP OFF IS AT THE ES. The shuttle has an inspection and needs to rest close to Ms. Shirley (everyone is miss plus 1st name in Belize, except for the males).
I will update when I can tomorrow, including in Seattle.
Blessings
MC
Monday
Hello,
I need to be fast (if I can) as we are off to the beach in 30 minutes. After a late night at the bonfire and another 6:15am breakfast, there are many tired faces in the crowd. Stingrays tend to ail that:)
Our students once again really stepped up yesterday. It was our 1st hot day and by 1:00, our students were literally burnt toast (sort of literally, but the metaphor works). The construction students completed both projects and both the school and YWAM could not believe the quality of work and efficiency of our students (and chaperones) work. Miss Dayna at Cayo said, "I usually only hand teams paint brushes, but your school can do anything". Colin and Theo led the construction team at the YWAM camp and Mr. Huberts led the team at Cayo Christian Academy. Seeing the Principal drive their lawnmower into their new shed at the end of the day was a great moment. She drove it in after a dedication chapel for the new shed as well as for the gifts we brought them. We have developed a special relationship with Cayo Christian Academy as we were a blessing to them and they were a blessing to us. Many friendships were formed.
Also at Cayo, our students led their sports camps so well. They were sweaty and mildly sun burnt, but they kept playing. We fed the entire school a hot dog lunch as well. Mrs. Brouwer, Mrs. Visser, and Mr. Bron cooked to hot dogs on the open fire and Dylan (ywam kid) made his special hot sauce. It was great sharing a meal with the school. We arrived back at camp at 3:00 and had time for a quick swim in the river.
We then went to King's Children's Home for the late afternoon. We took the entire team of 55 students. This was a powerful time for all of our students. It blows my mind to see all of our students relate and care for younger children so so well. From parachute games to studying to basketball and soccer matches, our students enjoyed play with the children from the home for a couple of hours. Most of our students seem to form an extra special connection with 1 student. When these students would fall off the parachute and have some tears, they would jump in our student's arms and hug them so so tight. Several of the children looked in our kids eyes and asked, "will you be back tomorrow"? We had a lot of tears but a thousand great moments in caring for those less fortunate. At our nightly devos, we focused on not forgetting these moments upon our return (and scripture on children). I know I am fired up to help more during my trips and quickly forget this passion after the trip.
Sorry again this is fast. I have so much I can write, but we need to head out for a rough day of snorkelling with sting rays and nurse sharks and spending some hours on Cay Caulker. Hopefully I can access wifi tonight and share more.
I need to be fast (if I can) as we are off to the beach in 30 minutes. After a late night at the bonfire and another 6:15am breakfast, there are many tired faces in the crowd. Stingrays tend to ail that:)
Our students once again really stepped up yesterday. It was our 1st hot day and by 1:00, our students were literally burnt toast (sort of literally, but the metaphor works). The construction students completed both projects and both the school and YWAM could not believe the quality of work and efficiency of our students (and chaperones) work. Miss Dayna at Cayo said, "I usually only hand teams paint brushes, but your school can do anything". Colin and Theo led the construction team at the YWAM camp and Mr. Huberts led the team at Cayo Christian Academy. Seeing the Principal drive their lawnmower into their new shed at the end of the day was a great moment. She drove it in after a dedication chapel for the new shed as well as for the gifts we brought them. We have developed a special relationship with Cayo Christian Academy as we were a blessing to them and they were a blessing to us. Many friendships were formed.
Also at Cayo, our students led their sports camps so well. They were sweaty and mildly sun burnt, but they kept playing. We fed the entire school a hot dog lunch as well. Mrs. Brouwer, Mrs. Visser, and Mr. Bron cooked to hot dogs on the open fire and Dylan (ywam kid) made his special hot sauce. It was great sharing a meal with the school. We arrived back at camp at 3:00 and had time for a quick swim in the river.
We then went to King's Children's Home for the late afternoon. We took the entire team of 55 students. This was a powerful time for all of our students. It blows my mind to see all of our students relate and care for younger children so so well. From parachute games to studying to basketball and soccer matches, our students enjoyed play with the children from the home for a couple of hours. Most of our students seem to form an extra special connection with 1 student. When these students would fall off the parachute and have some tears, they would jump in our student's arms and hug them so so tight. Several of the children looked in our kids eyes and asked, "will you be back tomorrow"? We had a lot of tears but a thousand great moments in caring for those less fortunate. At our nightly devos, we focused on not forgetting these moments upon our return (and scripture on children). I know I am fired up to help more during my trips and quickly forget this passion after the trip.
Sorry again this is fast. I have so much I can write, but we need to head out for a rough day of snorkelling with sting rays and nurse sharks and spending some hours on Cay Caulker. Hopefully I can access wifi tonight and share more.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Sunday in Belize
Hello,
It warmed up today, so we have many warm faces:) The good news is that the cold showers were more appreciated by many as an escape from the heat. Tonight in devos we talked about 4 things (how was our Church experience different in Belize than home, where have we seen God's amazing creation, how we can strengthen how we act out your faith upon returning home, and where have we seen God's hand in helping us through out trip). Students recognize that we have been blessed with seamless transitions, great weather, and remarkably, no major sickness. We haven't lost a child yet to an upset stomach or heat exhaustion. This is amazing given that we have 55 travelers. In many of your notes to your children you mention that your prayers are with them. The kids tonight recognized the power of your prayers in so many facets of this trip. Thank you so so so much.
Today we had a late breakfast (7:30) and then dressed up and walked to the city wide Church service. The service was supposed to start at 9:00 and when we arrived at 8:55, we were the 1st people there. By 9:30, there were approximately 500 people in attendance People were waving flags, dancing, shouting amen, and clearly on fire for Jesus. 1 song's chorus was so much fun. It was, "for the lord is on my side, it's already betta" (supposed to be better). I think the song might be called "It's raining all Around Me". We sang, prayed with several passionate pastors, and heard a sermon that challenged us to be hurricanes, act out our faith, find ways to pray and worship in large groups, not to be passive, and to practice Unity. Scripture focused on Deuteronomy 20 and Phillipians 2:4.
We wrapped up the Church service listening to 4 singers sing the gospels. The male singer was the bass singer and had an incredible voice. We snuck out of the 6 hour long service after 2:15 as we had to rush for lunch and then prepare for our journey to the Mayan ruins. The 1.5 hour drive to the Guatemalan border was a hot 1, but the kids had a good energy. We boarded a small ferry and hiked 1 mile up a mountain to get to the Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich (this would be a great word for a scrabble match). The kids had a blast hiking the ruins and taking pics. We got a great pic of the entire group in the shape of a "U". So much fun. We spent 2 hours at the ruins and then hiked back down and had some fun bartering with the locals over souvenirs. Believe or not, our students tell me that they are all amazing barterers. The smiles on the locals lead me to believe otherwise:) We then went to a restaurant called "Hodes" in San Ignacio. It took some time to serve all 55 people, but the students demonstrated exceptional patience and spent their extra time trying an assortment of Belizian ice creams:) Student feedback was that they loved the restaurant.
We arrived back to camp around 8:00. Students de-sweated in the showers and the we spent time reflecting on the Church services and where we can be challenged as people and as a school to demonstrate and act out our faith. Teams also prayed with their small group leaders.
The kids are already off to bed. They recognize the last 2 days were wonderful experiences but tomorrow is diving back into the trenches of serving. We are up early tomorrow (breakfast is at 6:15) and will spend the morning and early afternoon constructing, running sports camps at Cayo Christian School, and preparing a hot dog feast for 400 at Cayo Christian School. We will then come back to camp to get prepared to spend the late afternoon at "the King's Childrens Home" orphanage. It is another jam packed day, but the focus on relationships should provide another transformational experience for your children. Keep praying, we are certainly feeling them.
Also, I am loving reading the messages that you leave. Please keep them coming.
Blessings
MC
It warmed up today, so we have many warm faces:) The good news is that the cold showers were more appreciated by many as an escape from the heat. Tonight in devos we talked about 4 things (how was our Church experience different in Belize than home, where have we seen God's amazing creation, how we can strengthen how we act out your faith upon returning home, and where have we seen God's hand in helping us through out trip). Students recognize that we have been blessed with seamless transitions, great weather, and remarkably, no major sickness. We haven't lost a child yet to an upset stomach or heat exhaustion. This is amazing given that we have 55 travelers. In many of your notes to your children you mention that your prayers are with them. The kids tonight recognized the power of your prayers in so many facets of this trip. Thank you so so so much.
Today we had a late breakfast (7:30) and then dressed up and walked to the city wide Church service. The service was supposed to start at 9:00 and when we arrived at 8:55, we were the 1st people there. By 9:30, there were approximately 500 people in attendance People were waving flags, dancing, shouting amen, and clearly on fire for Jesus. 1 song's chorus was so much fun. It was, "for the lord is on my side, it's already betta" (supposed to be better). I think the song might be called "It's raining all Around Me". We sang, prayed with several passionate pastors, and heard a sermon that challenged us to be hurricanes, act out our faith, find ways to pray and worship in large groups, not to be passive, and to practice Unity. Scripture focused on Deuteronomy 20 and Phillipians 2:4.
We wrapped up the Church service listening to 4 singers sing the gospels. The male singer was the bass singer and had an incredible voice. We snuck out of the 6 hour long service after 2:15 as we had to rush for lunch and then prepare for our journey to the Mayan ruins. The 1.5 hour drive to the Guatemalan border was a hot 1, but the kids had a good energy. We boarded a small ferry and hiked 1 mile up a mountain to get to the Mayan Ruins of Xunantunich (this would be a great word for a scrabble match). The kids had a blast hiking the ruins and taking pics. We got a great pic of the entire group in the shape of a "U". So much fun. We spent 2 hours at the ruins and then hiked back down and had some fun bartering with the locals over souvenirs. Believe or not, our students tell me that they are all amazing barterers. The smiles on the locals lead me to believe otherwise:) We then went to a restaurant called "Hodes" in San Ignacio. It took some time to serve all 55 people, but the students demonstrated exceptional patience and spent their extra time trying an assortment of Belizian ice creams:) Student feedback was that they loved the restaurant.
We arrived back to camp around 8:00. Students de-sweated in the showers and the we spent time reflecting on the Church services and where we can be challenged as people and as a school to demonstrate and act out our faith. Teams also prayed with their small group leaders.
The kids are already off to bed. They recognize the last 2 days were wonderful experiences but tomorrow is diving back into the trenches of serving. We are up early tomorrow (breakfast is at 6:15) and will spend the morning and early afternoon constructing, running sports camps at Cayo Christian School, and preparing a hot dog feast for 400 at Cayo Christian School. We will then come back to camp to get prepared to spend the late afternoon at "the King's Childrens Home" orphanage. It is another jam packed day, but the focus on relationships should provide another transformational experience for your children. Keep praying, we are certainly feeling them.
Also, I am loving reading the messages that you leave. Please keep them coming.
Blessings
MC
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Friday and Saturday
Hello,
So sorry for the late post, wifi has been hard to come by. It also has been too slow to post pics. We have some great pics and I will try to upload again tonight.
Since we last connected, the kids have been great and our opportunities have been tremendous. The kids worked hard throughout the day at Cayo Christian. Their only break came during a 1 hour hiatus at Spanish Lookout for Pizza and Ice Cream. We shuttled the kids in groups of 15 (or so) up to Spanish Lookout, so some had lunch nice and early and some had a rather late lunch. Spanish Lookout is a very traditional Mennonite Village (complete with home made clothing featuring suspenders and bonnets) and the their pizza and ice cream are fantastic. The Leadership kids at the school served admirably at Cayo Christian until 3:00pm. The construction kids nearly finished the shed that they started in the morning by about 5:00pm. Theo, Colin, and 12 kids worked at YWAM throughout the day doing 2nd floor foundation work and joisting. For both construction projects, the school and YWAM could not believe the work our kids can do in 1 day. It doesn't surprise me, these kids are great workers.
We found out that we had to extend our time spent cave tubing today so we challenged our students to spend extra hours serving on Friday. By 3:00 it was clear that our students were tired and sweaty. However, the students stepped up more than I could have ever imagined and helped out in countless ways right up to 6:00pm. With a few breaks, our students worked from 6:15am straight through to 6:00pm. I have always loved the work ethic and industrious spirit of a Unity student. We were able to celebrate this during devotions where Ms. Vyn's team shared some verses, prayed, and then had students each share their highlight of the day (or where God was clearly working during the day).
After a hard day of work yesterday, our students were able to have a "play day" today. After breakfast, we boarded the 15 passenger van (that I drive) and the bus (driven by Richard from YWAM) and trekked to "Jaguar's Paw" for a fun day of ziplining, buffet lunch, and cave tubing. All 3 experiences were tremendous highlights and possibly 1 of the best "tourist" activities I have ever been a part of. There were 7 zipline stations and our students flew all over the dense jungle (no flip flops were lost in flight). After this, we had a buffet lunch, complete with highly coveted cheese burgers, french fries, and other traditional Belizian fare:) We then put our life jackets and helmets on, grabbed our tubes, and hiked 30 minutes deep into the jungle to begin our cave tubing adventure. The area where we entered the river was gorgeous. We swam for about 20 minutes before we entered the 2km long cave. The cave was incredible. We floated with only the light of our helmets to guide us. Words cannot describe the experience, but I will try to post pics. We then headed out of the jungle and arrived back at camp just in time for a steak fajita dinner at 5:30.
In place of devotions tonight, we walked into Belmopan to spend some time at the "Belize Gospel Expo". The expo runs throughout the weekend and brings all of the local Churches together. We arrived for some half reggae and half Polka Christian Rock music. People would "runnety runnety" or "stomp, stomp, stomp" for the Holy Spirit. Our students were very tired from 2 action packed days so the whole experience was a little overwhelming for some, but it was a good opportunity to jump into Belizian Christian culture for an hour. A handful of students and teachers stayed longer and got their workout by jumping and swinging to the Christian beats:) The "Belize Gospel Expo" runs throughout the weekend and we will be attending a city wide Church service at the same site tomorrow morning. I am prayerful that the Church service will be an impactful time for our students.
The students are currently playing games and laughing a lot. There has been a great energy throughout the trip and all of our opportunities to this point have created experiences that exceeded our expectations. The chaperones have been great and there is a good spirit amongst our large group. All of the students love drinking pop out of glass bottles and a handful are trying the obscure flavours of readily available ice cream (sour sop and craboo to name a few). Thank you for your prayers throughout the trip. After Church tomorrow we will be visiting some Mayan ruins on the Guatemalan border and the having dinner at Hodies in San Ignacio.
Keep sending messages through to your children, I love reading them out loud:)
ps. The weather has not been overly warm so we have no students suffering from heat stroke and dehydration. It was unfortunately cloudy all day today, but this helped protect the handful of kids who are philosophically opposed to sun screen:)
Blessings
Mike
So sorry for the late post, wifi has been hard to come by. It also has been too slow to post pics. We have some great pics and I will try to upload again tonight.
Since we last connected, the kids have been great and our opportunities have been tremendous. The kids worked hard throughout the day at Cayo Christian. Their only break came during a 1 hour hiatus at Spanish Lookout for Pizza and Ice Cream. We shuttled the kids in groups of 15 (or so) up to Spanish Lookout, so some had lunch nice and early and some had a rather late lunch. Spanish Lookout is a very traditional Mennonite Village (complete with home made clothing featuring suspenders and bonnets) and the their pizza and ice cream are fantastic. The Leadership kids at the school served admirably at Cayo Christian until 3:00pm. The construction kids nearly finished the shed that they started in the morning by about 5:00pm. Theo, Colin, and 12 kids worked at YWAM throughout the day doing 2nd floor foundation work and joisting. For both construction projects, the school and YWAM could not believe the work our kids can do in 1 day. It doesn't surprise me, these kids are great workers.
We found out that we had to extend our time spent cave tubing today so we challenged our students to spend extra hours serving on Friday. By 3:00 it was clear that our students were tired and sweaty. However, the students stepped up more than I could have ever imagined and helped out in countless ways right up to 6:00pm. With a few breaks, our students worked from 6:15am straight through to 6:00pm. I have always loved the work ethic and industrious spirit of a Unity student. We were able to celebrate this during devotions where Ms. Vyn's team shared some verses, prayed, and then had students each share their highlight of the day (or where God was clearly working during the day).
After a hard day of work yesterday, our students were able to have a "play day" today. After breakfast, we boarded the 15 passenger van (that I drive) and the bus (driven by Richard from YWAM) and trekked to "Jaguar's Paw" for a fun day of ziplining, buffet lunch, and cave tubing. All 3 experiences were tremendous highlights and possibly 1 of the best "tourist" activities I have ever been a part of. There were 7 zipline stations and our students flew all over the dense jungle (no flip flops were lost in flight). After this, we had a buffet lunch, complete with highly coveted cheese burgers, french fries, and other traditional Belizian fare:) We then put our life jackets and helmets on, grabbed our tubes, and hiked 30 minutes deep into the jungle to begin our cave tubing adventure. The area where we entered the river was gorgeous. We swam for about 20 minutes before we entered the 2km long cave. The cave was incredible. We floated with only the light of our helmets to guide us. Words cannot describe the experience, but I will try to post pics. We then headed out of the jungle and arrived back at camp just in time for a steak fajita dinner at 5:30.
In place of devotions tonight, we walked into Belmopan to spend some time at the "Belize Gospel Expo". The expo runs throughout the weekend and brings all of the local Churches together. We arrived for some half reggae and half Polka Christian Rock music. People would "runnety runnety" or "stomp, stomp, stomp" for the Holy Spirit. Our students were very tired from 2 action packed days so the whole experience was a little overwhelming for some, but it was a good opportunity to jump into Belizian Christian culture for an hour. A handful of students and teachers stayed longer and got their workout by jumping and swinging to the Christian beats:) The "Belize Gospel Expo" runs throughout the weekend and we will be attending a city wide Church service at the same site tomorrow morning. I am prayerful that the Church service will be an impactful time for our students.
The students are currently playing games and laughing a lot. There has been a great energy throughout the trip and all of our opportunities to this point have created experiences that exceeded our expectations. The chaperones have been great and there is a good spirit amongst our large group. All of the students love drinking pop out of glass bottles and a handful are trying the obscure flavours of readily available ice cream (sour sop and craboo to name a few). Thank you for your prayers throughout the trip. After Church tomorrow we will be visiting some Mayan ruins on the Guatemalan border and the having dinner at Hodies in San Ignacio.
Keep sending messages through to your children, I love reading them out loud:)
ps. The weather has not been overly warm so we have no students suffering from heat stroke and dehydration. It was unfortunately cloudy all day today, but this helped protect the handful of kids who are philosophically opposed to sun screen:)
Blessings
Mike
Friday, March 15, 2013
Cayo Christian Academy
Hello,
Sorry for the delayed post, there was no wifi at YWAM last night (although it is still fun seeing the kids try to figure out the wifi password for something that doesn't exist).
We currently have 34 of our 46 students at Cayo Christian Academy (CCA is grade 8-12). We had breakfast at 6:00am and arrived at the school at about 7:30am. The construction team immediately began building a 10x10 shed. The leadership students helped with some setup, guarded some experiments, and set up their kids games. There are 800 students on campus today participating in a science fair. Many of the students come from Church run schools but don't attend Church. The Science Fair opened with a great chapel. The school sang their "School Song". I will be curious to hear how our students liked the song. It definitely articulated the school's vision well. Hearing the students sing about grace was awesome. After chapel, our students then became much more busy. There are some elementary schools visiting and they have been playing games and participating in crafts out on the school field. Our kids are doing great at interacting with the students and learning their names, painting their faces, and playing games. There is a great energy right now. Soon, I will be shuttling kids in groups of 15 for pizza and ice cream at Spanish Lookout (Mennonite town). Our students will continue to help with the Science Fair, interact with the students, play games, and build relationships throughout the afternoon. Our construction team will also continue building, and already have set the floor and are hammering away.
Some of the science projects on site would probably require much supervision at Unity. Chad just chopped the head off a chicken, 1 boy is creating rather large chemical explosions in the field, and I believe a 10 foot long catapult filled with potatoes just passed me (Rob Stace-Smith would be drooling).
We do have 12 kids with Theo and Colin at the YWAM Camp today. These students are working on the YWAM Kitchen that burned down in a fire 3 years ago. They are meeting up with us for pizza and ice cream in a couple hours.
Yesterday was a relaxing day. We had a great meal at Cheers. The students loved drinking coke in glass bottles. We then arrived at camp around 2:00pm. Mark and I were able to go to Cayo Christian and see the site and help with setup. Many of the students went swimming in Roaring Creek at the YWAM Base. Several students played some soccer with the local youth. We played a group of grade 4s. I wanted to get a pic of us scoring a goal, but quickly found that the ball was never in our offensive end. The kids will blame it on Dave Bron's passing, but those grade 4s can play:) We have a more official game with the local U17 team just before dinner tonight. Last night, we had a traditional Belize meal of chicken, beans, and rice. Many of the kids had been awake for 36 hours, so we did devos at 7:30 so the kids could go to bed early. The director of the YWAM Base, Santi, spoke about YWAM, Belize, and experiences. After this team Brouwer led us in a devotional on service. It was a great devotional to help frame a context for today at Cayo Christian School.
By 10:00pm last night, literally every one of our students were fast asleep. This made the 5:45am wake up more bearable. It isn't too warm yet today, but I anticipate a tired group again tonight. A full day in the sun will certainly drain them.
Tomorrow we will be working at YWAM and then staking the entire team cave-tubing and zip lining.
I have many great pics from today. I will try to post them later if I find wifi.
Some students may buy calling cards today, but if you would like to send a message through this blog, I can happily pass it along.
Blessings
Mike
Sorry for the delayed post, there was no wifi at YWAM last night (although it is still fun seeing the kids try to figure out the wifi password for something that doesn't exist).
We currently have 34 of our 46 students at Cayo Christian Academy (CCA is grade 8-12). We had breakfast at 6:00am and arrived at the school at about 7:30am. The construction team immediately began building a 10x10 shed. The leadership students helped with some setup, guarded some experiments, and set up their kids games. There are 800 students on campus today participating in a science fair. Many of the students come from Church run schools but don't attend Church. The Science Fair opened with a great chapel. The school sang their "School Song". I will be curious to hear how our students liked the song. It definitely articulated the school's vision well. Hearing the students sing about grace was awesome. After chapel, our students then became much more busy. There are some elementary schools visiting and they have been playing games and participating in crafts out on the school field. Our kids are doing great at interacting with the students and learning their names, painting their faces, and playing games. There is a great energy right now. Soon, I will be shuttling kids in groups of 15 for pizza and ice cream at Spanish Lookout (Mennonite town). Our students will continue to help with the Science Fair, interact with the students, play games, and build relationships throughout the afternoon. Our construction team will also continue building, and already have set the floor and are hammering away.
Some of the science projects on site would probably require much supervision at Unity. Chad just chopped the head off a chicken, 1 boy is creating rather large chemical explosions in the field, and I believe a 10 foot long catapult filled with potatoes just passed me (Rob Stace-Smith would be drooling).
We do have 12 kids with Theo and Colin at the YWAM Camp today. These students are working on the YWAM Kitchen that burned down in a fire 3 years ago. They are meeting up with us for pizza and ice cream in a couple hours.
Yesterday was a relaxing day. We had a great meal at Cheers. The students loved drinking coke in glass bottles. We then arrived at camp around 2:00pm. Mark and I were able to go to Cayo Christian and see the site and help with setup. Many of the students went swimming in Roaring Creek at the YWAM Base. Several students played some soccer with the local youth. We played a group of grade 4s. I wanted to get a pic of us scoring a goal, but quickly found that the ball was never in our offensive end. The kids will blame it on Dave Bron's passing, but those grade 4s can play:) We have a more official game with the local U17 team just before dinner tonight. Last night, we had a traditional Belize meal of chicken, beans, and rice. Many of the kids had been awake for 36 hours, so we did devos at 7:30 so the kids could go to bed early. The director of the YWAM Base, Santi, spoke about YWAM, Belize, and experiences. After this team Brouwer led us in a devotional on service. It was a great devotional to help frame a context for today at Cayo Christian School.
By 10:00pm last night, literally every one of our students were fast asleep. This made the 5:45am wake up more bearable. It isn't too warm yet today, but I anticipate a tired group again tonight. A full day in the sun will certainly drain them.
Tomorrow we will be working at YWAM and then staking the entire team cave-tubing and zip lining.
I have many great pics from today. I will try to post them later if I find wifi.
Some students may buy calling cards today, but if you would like to send a message through this blog, I can happily pass it along.
Blessings
Mike
Thursday, March 14, 2013
We have arrived!!
Hello,
Or as they say in Belize, "Hello". We have arrived. It is almost 11:00am and it is partly sunny and very humid. All but 1 group (and I) have cleared customs and things are looking good. It is nice an early, so we should get to YWAM well before dinner and have a chance to rest before a busy day tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers.
Blessings
Mike
Or as they say in Belize, "Hello". We have arrived. It is almost 11:00am and it is partly sunny and very humid. All but 1 group (and I) have cleared customs and things are looking good. It is nice an early, so we should get to YWAM well before dinner and have a chance to rest before a busy day tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers.
Blessings
Mike
In Houston
Hello Again,
We landed in Houston early and have had a 3.5 hour layover. Most of the kids, and even more of the chaperones were sound asleep for a good chunk of the layover. I am pretty sure that Ms.Vyn has found 4 different areas of floor to sleep on. Maybe she is seeking a soft spot. Our plane to Belize is on time and I believe that we land just before 10:40am. I will send a post tonight if able. The plan for the day is to enjoy lunch at a restaurant called Cheers and then get settled in at the camp.
MC
We landed in Houston early and have had a 3.5 hour layover. Most of the kids, and even more of the chaperones were sound asleep for a good chunk of the layover. I am pretty sure that Ms.Vyn has found 4 different areas of floor to sleep on. Maybe she is seeking a soft spot. Our plane to Belize is on time and I believe that we land just before 10:40am. I will send a post tonight if able. The plan for the day is to enjoy lunch at a restaurant called Cheers and then get settled in at the camp.
MC
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Through Customs and Through Security
Hello,
Great news, we have cleared airport security. It was a seamless transition through the border and through security. There was a couple questions from United about notarized letters for the students under 16, but we skirted around it and are safe and sound in the terminal. I always get a bit nervous getting through Belize Customs, as it is different every time. Prayers for another smooth transition are coveted:)
Our plane is on time and I can already tell that the students are looking forward to their 4 hour layover in Houston that begins at 3:00am (jk). If I can access wifi, I will update you before we leave Houston.
MC
Great news, we have cleared airport security. It was a seamless transition through the border and through security. There was a couple questions from United about notarized letters for the students under 16, but we skirted around it and are safe and sound in the terminal. I always get a bit nervous getting through Belize Customs, as it is different every time. Prayers for another smooth transition are coveted:)
Our plane is on time and I can already tell that the students are looking forward to their 4 hour layover in Houston that begins at 3:00am (jk). If I can access wifi, I will update you before we leave Houston.
MC
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
The eve of the 2013 Belize Trip.
On the eve of the Belize Trip, here is a reminder of what the students need to bring.
Belize Supply List (2013)
- Bible
- Sheets
- Towel
- Pillow Case (can be filled with clothing if a pillow doesn’t fit in luggage).
- Pants and a collared shirt for the guys for Church.
- Long skirts/dresses for the girls for church.
- Hiking/work shoes.
- Clothing for the beach day.
- Bottle for water (there is good water at the camp)
- T-shirts --Girls cannot wear tank tops with the exception of the beach day.
- Long shorts (short shorts cannot be worn in and around the camp and school)
- Toiletries
- Sun Screen
- American money to purchase snacks and souvenirs (suggestion $100)
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