Aaron Neuman: Greetings from Belize church family and prayer team! We had such an “exciting” trip down to Mango Creek on Saturday.  Our day started around 2am, meeting the rest of the team in the Church parking lot by 2:30ish.  We had such wonderful support even getting to the airport from several members of Peoples. Our first bit of excitement came in the form of a deer on our way to the airport.  We were in the lead car when Isabelle, our oldest daughter, looked back smiling telling us the she just saw a deer heading into the freeway.  We didn’t think much of it until we arrived at the airport.  We learned that the team members in the car behind us actually hit the deer.  How terrifying of an experience that must have been for them.  It’s interesting how perspectives can change for us in a split second like that, but we have trust in God that he will protect us.  The flight was a bit lengthy with more than planned boarding and deboarding of planes, but we eventually made it to Belize about 7 hours later than planned.  It was amazing to see how well the team handled what could have been a pretty miserable situation.  The team remained positive and used the opportunity to spend time together and get to know one another even better.  It was also pretty cool to see how contagious our team’s spirit was with other passengers, while sitting at the gate for 2+ hours…for the second time.  I can only think that the Holy Spirit was at work on that plane, helping us set an example of how to respond to adversity in a godly way.  On Sunday, we had such a welcoming from the Mt. Zion Baptist Church families.  We felt such love from the church families, knowing that we were all coming together to glorify the Lord.  That afternoon, we walked to a local park to just get out, meet members of the community, and let them know about our Kids Camp the next day.  It was tons of fun for everyone to meet several kiddos and play volleyball, frisbee, soccer, and hide-and-seek.  My favorite part was watching our youngest daughter, Megan, giving a young girl a piggy-back ride around the park.  Just seeing the joy on both Megan and the little girl’s faces brought such joy to me, …knowing that all the adversity in getting to Belize was totally worth it and this was truly what the Lord had planned for us to experience. 

Janet Schleh: It’s been so much fun to wake up these last two mornings hearing Andy’s wake up serenade! Knocking down the cement wall was fun to watch, with my tiny daughter using a jack-hammer to take out the wall edge. We had a crew washing storm blinds and screens on the windows that don’t have any glass. The second day they had guys up on the roof to finish off a back room for class use and storage, people mixing up cement, and the rest of us trying to scrape and paint the outside of the church a wonderful, bright papaya-orange color. We were even joined by some church members that helped us in the painting. We did have a few extra visitors, a cute little tarantula and a couple of little girls from the area, who joined us for lunch (the girls were a lot more welcome than the tarantula) and an afternoon of working and playing with the girls! The kids that came for the first day of Kids Camp came in smaller numbers but we all had super time singing, and learning about why God created us and our world. We were so surprised to hear that God and Jesus were their personal heroes! A small group specifically prayed to double the numbers for the next day and we went from eight to twenty! I have been really enjoying Miss Lula’s wonderful cooking, I wanted to experience some true Belizean food and she hasn’t disappointed! I have certainly learned that God is no different with us in America than He is here in Belize, and to find that we have in common the same things that God shares with us all, and works the same way.

Catie Stema: This morning started with plenty more bug bites all around, another amazing breakfast made by Miss Lula, and a great spiritual conversation around the table after a handful of us had finished our daily devotions. It’s interesting to see how so many people can read the same passage from the Bible and all come out with something different to say about it. After breakfast, we broke into teams to paint, dig trenches, and do a small construction project. I was happy to join the painting crew right off the bat, but was excited when Pastor Ramsey requested me for the construction team. Along with Patrick and Susan, we made two tables for the Sunday School classrooms here at the church, and got to work in Pastor Ramsey’s impressive woodshop. I was proud to be able to use some of the skills that my dad taught me to make building these tables as efficient as possible. In between tables, we took a short break, during which Pastor Ramsey shared his plan to create a trade school in the community as a way to not only help younger members of Mango Creek learn to support themselves, but as a way to minister to even more people. I was able to share this with the rest of our group after we came together again for our nightly meeting, and talked about how we don’t have to learn a new skill to find ways to bring people to Jesus – He gave us the gifts we have for a reason. Of course, just like God never stops working for us, the work never stops in Mango Creek. As I write this, I’m keeping Annie and Cora company as they work under the moonlight to finish painting the name on the front of the church. I’m so excited to continue our work here and to venture up to Caye Caulker at the end of week, and to share more about what God is doing in all of our lives while we’re away.

Nathan Schleh: Wednesday is the time during a missions week when stresses really start to flare up, and that was certainly the case for me today. It’s amazing how the devil truly knows when you’re the most susceptible to doubt and distraction, and wastes no time pouncing on that opportunity. The hardest part of a missions trip that I have encountered has definitely been when it just feels like you can’t quite do enough. The one person you can’t reach, the help you can’t afford to give, the prayer you just can’t find the words to say; when you find yourself trying to reach beyond your limits and abilities to give to your heart’s content, but our God doesn’t work in the ways we think. When we feel like we need to give more, he shows us where we are limited. However, he constantly reveals to us through that struggle just why we need to rely upon him for this life, for we can never truly overcome every obstacle and trial without him. How great is it that he, ever bountiful, gives us blessings from his plenty so that we can be a part of his beautiful work? And not only that, but he shows to us just how much we need to rely upon our brothers and sisters in Christ to fully bring a plan to fruition. No man is an island, they say, and today I felt just that; my own physical capabilities failing before the monumental task at hand. But when I fell into that despair, my family here was able to raise me up and show just how much we need to rely upon each other, as well as our God, for us to complete his great work. I learned today to overcome that obstacle, that all of us here have willing hearts, and that God provides his gifts to us that each of us may fill our specific place and purpose in his plan. "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” (Psalm 43:5)

Cora Alber: Our last full day in Mango Creek was bittersweet. We began the day with delicious journey cakes, eggs and beans and immediately, Annie and I got to painting the new church mural on the front of the building. We began on Wednesday, sketching the entire thing out and then did as much painting as we could, anticipating rain all day Thursday. Since we were pressed for time we thought we’d try and finish Wednesday night after dinner (also after dark here) so we had some of the crew sitting beneath us with flashlights and actually finagled one of them in a mic-stand we found to hold it up at the wall like a spotlight while we painted as much as we could. We were not able to finish before the bugs became unbearable so Thursday morning, we had a challenge to accomplish: painting an outdoor cement wall in the rain. Well leave it to the guys on our team to create a roof for us out of tarp, string and poles. We brought one of the industrial fans out and dried the wall before setting out to (what turned out to be) another full day of painting to finish up the mural. It was worth it though, enjoyable work to be able to do with one of my students (Annie is in my 9^th grade girls group in our youth group) and exciting that it was going to be a new symbol for a church we love so dearly! We ended the night saying our thanks to Mt. Zion for hosting us, feeding us so well, and were able to share with them the highlights of our week, all of which were exciting for me to hear as one of our (kind-of-not-really-assistant) group leaders. Andy and I will miss our friends in Mango Creek but are excited that we’ll get to work a visit to them into our family vacation to Belize next March. Today has been a long day of travel but it feels great to be sitting on the island typing this in the breeze. I am looking forward to our day with the kids here tomorrow! 

Missy Robinson: Today was a good mixture of ministering, adventure, and fun! Some of us woke up early to get some coffee and a breakfast snack, then the whole group walked to a cute restaurant where those who hadn’t had breakfast yet had a stuffed fry jack with whatever ingredients you wanted in it. Pastor Delgado sent some golf carts our way to transport us from the restaurant to the gathering place we were going to minister to the kids on the island. About 40ish children arrived and we had such a great time with all of them! We sang songs, taught them about Creation and the Gospel, and played multiple games with them. The biggest hit being the game “Water/Land”. So much fun! From there we walked back to our hostel and prepared to head out to go snorkeling for the day! What a blessing that was! The weather was beautiful, not too hot, and the breeze made everything better! We swam with sting rays, sharks, and multiple other incredible fish. God’s creation never ceases to amaze us! After docking the boat, we all headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner. Showers and aloe vera were a must! Went to The Rainbow Grill for dinner and watched some small children playing a percussion quartet for everyone at the restaurant! They were pretty good. Afterwards, we all went our own ways and picked up some last minute souvenirs. Headed back to the hostel and are all mentally preparing for a long travel day tomorrow. I think it’s safe to say we are all excited to be home and share our adventures with everyone! God has done some great things for all of us and the people of Belize this past week!