Belize: Answers

At Thirst, they see the value in recreation as well as work, so today meant a chance to get away from it all and enjoy what else Belize has to offer.

A quick breakfast (more of those amazing tortillas with some of the beans and eggs to top it off as fuel) and we're on our way to Lamanai for the morning! It was a perfect day - like pretty much every day, the sun was shining and perfect for enjoying the beauty of God's creation here in the tropics versus our woods in Michigan. It was a bit scary when one of the tires on the bus exploded open, but thankfully it was a rear one and we had dualies, so we were able to make it safely.

Our guide, Eduardo, who is part Maya himself, made the tour quite interesting and offered some deeper perspective because of that fact. One of the most fascinating parts of the visit was how this location was one of the most successful. Lamanai (Maya for "submerged crocodile) is one of the few sites where the people drove out los conquistadores and not only that, it reached its zenith much earlier than other city-states like Tikal, Palenque, or Chichén Itzá, which would climax roughly during the age of the divided Roman Empire and early Middle Ages or Three Kingdoms era/Jìn Dynasty of ancient China. He also brought up a lot of other points: the shifting of worshiping the deities of the sun and rain/heavens to the underworld. The discovery of igneous minerals when there are not nearby volcanoes. The discovery of jade. Mysterious questions such as why might they change the structure of their buildings so dramatically? Why is the ball court at Lamanai so small versus other city-states (Chichén Itzá has a very large one)? Did they have different views only in Lamanai regarding women, considering the body of the embalmed with the hummingbird (a sign of love and favor according to research on the Maya) is likely a woman? Or is the prevailing cultural view different than one anthropologists thought? The depth of knowledge of the Maya regarding astronomy, architecture, and advanced mathematics is truly great (a real concept of zero, trigonometry, geometry, and likely calculus as well). All interesting points, especially to a history geek like myself.

The return home gave us an interesting detour. We couldn't ride much longer with a flat tire, so Angel located a tire shop that was willing to fix us up. A bit to my surprise, it was Mennonite as well, just like our source for the lumber for our new benches. I'm willing to bet that although they're more than used to visitors, a group of 34 Americans on a repurposed bus doesn't happen all that frequently. It was neat seeing their place. They were friendly though, and we bought a ton of ice cream (it was welcome in the heat!). The other neat thing - their signs were in German. I never would have imagined seeing German signage in Belize. Luda and I enjoyed reading it and *attempting* to figure out what it was saying, without much success. I could definitely tell I was out of practice. I guess that means I'm due for a return visit to Germany and say hey to Jonathan!

It put us a bit late, but the kids didn't seem to mind a bit. They jumped right back into another day of playing fútbol, creating arte, crazy stories with Loco Larry, our painting team completed the inside of the church, and our carpentry crew put the last touches on those lovely new benches. It was a late day, but a definite highlight was from one of our kids at the church. I found out Carlos works at the local apiary tending to the bees and he brought home with him a fresh bucket of honey still in the comb and gave some to us to try. I'm normally not that big of a honey guy, but I wanted to try some and when it's made just a few miles away and it's still in the wax... it's like a little piece of Heaven. I can understand why folks years ago would chew the stuff like gum years before gum was a thing. It certainly seems more palatable than chewing on what's essentially shoe leather or a tire.

After dinner, the kids had another chance to just play with our group while the men and women gathered. It was really cool to hear from Angel about his church and their story. I'm hoping La Iglesia Templo Hermosa will see growth in a similar way from this example. Angel's model is a great one of prayer and leadership, not to mention strong friendship, which I admire greatly.

The best moment of the day actually came late into the evening, and it was an answer to prayer from the days before. I had a chance to sit down with Byron, one of the older boys from the church and just talk about anything. Pastor Vitalino joked with me that it's a perfect chance to practice my Spanish more (true story!), which I did. It reminded me like bilingual homes in the U.S. where they bounce between languages. That was what we did and it made me laugh. But more to the point, it was great to just talk with Byron and hear what was on his mind and more importantly, hear a bit of his story. The testimonies from our group had clearly meant a lot to the congregation at Templo Hermosa, so to hear a bit of his story, how God had moved in mighty ways in Byron's life (notably while on a hike) and stretched his faith meant a lot to me as well.

Reaching others for Christ is less about arguing someone to Christianity but as my friends Brandon and Stephanie put it, being the witness, saying the witness, and doing the witness. In doing so, we allow the Spirit to do His work through that and in doing so, He takes us for the ride with Him. In Byron's case, though not necessarily evangelism, his saying the witness moved my heart as well and it reminded me once again how loved we have been (and have been loved DEEPLY) in Belize in such a short time. It's a lesson we need to bring back to the U.S. in loving others. I was thankful for that chance.

I came back into the church for sleeping quite late, after the lights were already out. Caleb was still awake, so I asked him how he was doing. He was doing okay, and like the kind-hearted guy I've come to know, asked how I was. I told him how much I've come to love it in Belize, though the reality was I was starting to feel just a bit sad that, although we've connected with our friends and already made a difference here, I was feeling the impending departure. Caleb reminded me that, even though we may be there is the hope and joy in the great gathering we will with God the Father someday. Our friends in Belize clearly have their trust in Him and he was thinking on that.

I admire Caleb's wisdom. There is always an eternal hope and joy in Christ and it overcomes.