Saturday

Saturday:  Today we took 53 children from the DMCC to the Belize zoo!  We all piled into 2 school buses for the 45 minute ride.  Three of the caregivers (who the kids call 'officers') went with us and were an amazing help.  We each had 2 children we were responsible for and everyone had a great time. We saw jaguars, snakes, tapirs, crocodiles, exotic birds, an otter and some deer.  All the kids and adults had a lot of fun and the best part was we didn't lose any kids and no one got hurt!  After the zoo a group of about 15 of us walked about a mile or so from the hotel to downtown Belize City to do some shopping. We got some souvenirs for loved ones at one and a few treats for ourselves.  Pictures will be forthcoming- some of us are having trouble loading them.

Day 2 - Friday

Today was an excellent day for our whole team. The construction team is making amazing progress on the shed they are building. Today they had a few of the older kids working along side them, as well as some people who were vacationing in Cancun and just decided to come to Belize and help out. They all feel God's presence as their plan comes together.

Our Heathy Habits team had a very impressive talk with the caregivers about how to care for kids with diabetes, cerebral palsy (there is one child here with CP), asthma, and suggestions for dental care. The donated toothbrushes and toothpaste were much appreciated. While they were listening, the caregivers received manicures and massages. Too bad all adult learning isn't offered that way!

The VBS and Teen program teams did a phenomenal job today. The teams are learning to trust each other and make changes on the fly, so today went much better than yesterday. The kids enjoyed watching a puppet show, playing the parachute game, making wooly sheep crafts and searching for Wooly the lost sheep.

Our food has been fantastic. So much for losing a few pounds here. The heat and lack of AC is pretty overwhelming but Nurse Sue is keeping a close eye on everyone, and we're all watching each other too.

Bev, Pat and Cameron went to a Rotary meeting today, and the whole construction team has been invited to a Rotary dinner and awards ceremony tonight. The rest of us are hanging out at the hotel preparing ourselves mentally to take 53 kids to the zoo tomorrow! (thank heavens some of the 83 have other plans).

Thanks for all your love, prayers, emails and support!

Day #1 of working at the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center was a long day!  Our team is amazing...The conditions at the DMCC are really really poor... children running around in a construction zone with no shoes, children clinging to us for love, no sheets on the beds, debris on the playing field. Some of the children appear to have mental impairments. However there are a few kids who shared exciting goals they have for their life- chef, military, soccer player, basketball player. Our hope is they don't lose sight of their goals and that God is watching over these children and will protect them.

WOW - we had an amazing and somewhat overwhelming first day.  The construction team worked long hours and got a lot of progress made on the shed.  We're all impressed.  They all just took off in the back of a pickup truck, driven by the construction manager, heading for the work site.  The rest of the team spent the day with the kids.  The conditions are really brutal at the child care center.  87 kids are crammed into a space meant for about 20, and the overworked and exhausted staff can barely get them all fed and bathed daily.  The kids crave love and are very receptive to our attention.  They have a hard time focusing on anything, and there are many emotional and behavioral issues.  We are so grateful for your prayers for them, and for all of us.  More soon!

We made safely to Belize!  Flights to Miami and then to Belize went very well... had a slight delay at customs, but one of our men on the ground Mark helped us through :)   Everyone at the Bakadeer Inn is being very accommodating and is quickly becoming family. Our tour of the Dorothy Menzies Child Care center took us a little off guard because the conditions are so poor. BUT the children made us feel like rock stars, immediately hanging onto and hugging us. One of our mottos will be "Blessed are the flexible for they will bend and not break".  Looking forward to starting our work tomorrow. Thanks for all the prayers, keep them coming!

We were so moved by the Missionary Commissioning at church yesterday.  It was an amazing feeling to know how many people will be praying for us this week. We are so grateful for everyone's love and support. Even Hurricane Debby couldn't dampen our spirits.  We pray that everyone is safe after a lot of local damage and scary moments. Thanks to Mary Ann Beall for her photographic talents - great team photo!

Thank you!

We are so grateful to everyone who supported us in our fund raisers.  We parked cars for the Mardi Gras parade, held a garage sale, sold shares of stock, and put on a Pasta Supper!  We couldn't be making this trip without you!

Preparing for our Belize Mission Trip

The planning is just about finished, the fund raisers are complete, and on June 27, a group of 25 adults and youth will depart from Dunedin, FL, headed for a Mission Trip at the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center in Belize City!  For many, this is our first mission trip, and we can all feel the excitement and anticipation building.  We will be working with over 80 children and teens at the center, teaching a Vacation Bible School program, working with teens on building self-confidence and following their dreams, constructing a shed at the center, teaching healthy habits, and conducting vision screens.  We are anxious for our trip to begin!