Belize: The Beginnings

Last night I didn't sleep much.

The shower was cool. There's no temperature control on the showers. You turn the handle, the water cascades out of the showerhead, and whatever temperature it is... that's what you get. Interestingly enough, in the tropical climate, it was wonderful! In practical application, I used very little water and still cleaned up just fine. It's an illuminating lesson in how much water we use (and really shouldn't) in the United States.

Upon going to bed, I wondered how sleep would be, as in any new place. The new sounds of local wildlife, roosters crowing, and the bus driver honking his horn on the his daily route at roughly 6:00 made for a tougher night. Adjusting to new places can be difficult, just as I remember to the sounds of freight trains in college.

Thankfully, breakfast was a tasty affair. More beans, which I could see would be a staple this week, but the thing I quickly discovered was that they're completely unlike the pasty, sludgy affair in the U.S. which taste rather like nothing. The beans in Belize, in contrast, are clearly made from pintos and still resemble them. I liked it! Some of my friends disagreed, but I enjoyed them just fine, even if they might not be the first thing I reached for in the morning. Put them on freshly-prepared tortillas (which were fried up until they're like crispy little clouds!) with some sausage and bacon and it's positively tasty, especially when you're hungry. Throw in some more of that fresh cheese and freshly-squeezed orange juice from real oranges and you've got breakfast. I'll never look at Tropicana the same way again, that's for sure. Or with the same happiness. Belize, you have ruined me for the best from the culinary perspective, and it's been three meals... and all of one day.

Today's mission was to go find families for both our daily outreach and our evening service today. Scott and Angel split us into three groups so we'd have some of the kids from the church along with Angel, Lorelly, and Luda with each of them so we'd have tradución in case we needed assistance with Spanish. Lorelly came with us along with a couple of the girls, Jessie and Daisy and we had a wonderful morning wandering the neighborhoods near the waterfront. Lots of the families were familiar with the church and the field nearby and were also glad for both our invitation and the gift of dulces for their children. It was a good experience meeting people, getting to see how local life is, and even learning Spanish for some of students.

After lunch and a time of rest (siesta time is definitely real in Belize), the kids came! Our invites were definitely noticed and we had plenty of them show up, which was a huge encouragement. Since school wasn't in session the week were in, the opportunity to have something to do was definitely appreciated. Fútbol was a huge draw, as were historias with Larry and aviones de papel.

Evening after a delicious tostada dinner (those little delights were AMAZING) meant another church service. Pastor Vitalino said after the previous service he wanted to have another and for our group to share more testimonies, so we once again heard from Ingrid, Naomi, and Christian within our group as well as some music led by Scott and a short message. Afterward, Hermosa's children also shared music they sing for their own services, which was a ton of fun. Their own motions to "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" are even the same as ours in the States. Familiarity intersected newness in wonderful ways!

Once again, I saw how the testimonies transcended language and borders; Mike and I had a chance to talk to one of the men in the church, Felipe, and his wife, Carla. Felipe told us about how his own story was very close to Christian's and how hearing Christian share his was a huge encouragement to not lose his own trust and hope in our Father above and to continue to serve. The sense of gratitude I saw from Felipe and Carla were palpable. They, along with the other families, are glad we are here.

So am I. I am grateful for the chance to come and serve.