You know, its funny...when people hear you're going to Belize on a "Mission Trip," there is this stigma that goes along with it...like oh yeah, you're really going to suffer for Jesus on a tropical island. I have to admit that I had some of these thoughts too, even after all these years of Brian taking groups there. But then I experienced it. Other than the few hours we spent on this private island for our "fun day," there was no tropical paradise feeling to this trip at all. I was caught off guard by how remote and poor Belize really is. I mean, cruise boats come here...but I honestly am kind of baffled by that, after being here. I guess we just didn't see the commercialized parts of Belize? This trip stretched me...I felt dirty the entire time...covered in sweat, bug spray and sunscreen...the food was hard for me to eat...our room was sticky feeling and not the cleanest...being around people in this environment for days was challenging...all in all, it was just a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. And you know what, that was SO GOOD for me! It was good for me to be uncomfortable...it was good for me to be slapped in the face with the realization that I'm spoiled rotten. Phil 2:14 "Do all things without complaining or arguing..." It's good for me to be still and say...forgive me, Jesus...it's not about me.
We were hesitant and told the kids not to post a bunch of pictures from this part of our trip, because we don't want to give the impression that this is what a mission trip to Belize is like at all. All that being said, we did really enjoy a relaxing day on this private island at the end of our trip! It was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen...the water was even clearer than in Hawaii.
We got to take Mackenzie snorkeling for the first time, which was both fun & awful! The water was way deep & she was worried about water getting in her ears the entire time. We pretty much swam around some and didn't really see anything very cool, and I was stressed out the entire time. (After swimming with sea turtles in Hawaii a few months ago, I'm not sure anything would have measured up!) The best part of the day was just laying in hammocks and enjoying the beauty! Mackenzie had fun swimming in the ocean and finding huge conch shells. Those were pretty cool!
The boat ride out to the island was not enjoyable for me...we were splashed in the face with buckets of water the entire time. The whole "no grumbling or complaining" thing was not working so well for me in this moment...
One of my favorite parts of the day!!!
The snorkeling might not have been the greatest, but we got some fun GoPro pics anyway!
This sweet girl reminded us so much of Mackenzie...her name was Kennedy. Its fun to be around teenagers who love Jesus!
Chicken, Rice & Beans! Yea!!
For a couple $$ you could buy a coconut and they cracked it open so we could drink the coconut juice...not a fan...at all!
Mackenzie either...haha!
But now we can say we've tried it!
It was pretty cool...we walked all the way around the entire island. It was that small!
Goodbye, Beautiful Island!!
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