Yeah man!

We are already coming to the end of our time in the beautiful country of Belize.  The vegetation, scenery, people and food are all lush and we will be sad to leave.  Belize really is quite a contrast to Mexico and I had not expected this former British colony (celebrating 30 years independence this year) to be so Caribbean in culture and have such a laid back approach to life!

We have stayed in both the towns of Corozal and Dangriga and have been made to feel so welcome.  We felt that we were to search out God’s ‘diamonds’ and while we were in Corozal, guys on our team came across Godfrey who had decided to give up drink and drugs two days previous.  Godfrey said that he had been praying for people to help him stay sober and so was very excited to meet us.  He has been with the team for 5 days now (we asked him to join us for our journey in Belize as part of his discipleship) and has been a real blessing (our cars are very clean – Godfrey said he wanted to stay busy!) as well as very helpful in terms of understanding  the local culture.

We are currently in the process of trying to link Godfrey up with locals who can continue to walk the journey with him when the team leaves Belize (please pray about this).  Those of us with professional backgrounds in nursing and social work have been able to put our skills to the test in helping to care for Godfrey (mine involved lots of questions and observations!)  It was therefore a massive privilege yesterday when Godfrey asked to be baptised in the sea as a sign that he was leaving his old life behind and now wants to follow Jesus clean and sober.  Kevin and Lisa, a couple travelling through Belize and staying in the same place as us also came to watch as they had never seen a baptism before and were curious.  The presence of so many ‘gringos’ in one place certainly draws attention!

We’ve also visited a local community hospital and the housebound elderly to pray and offer some friendly company.  It sure made me very grateful for the NHS and social care!  We’ve also run an event in the park in Dangriga with the Mayor’s permission.

Our work in Belize has certainly been more ‘laid back’ than in Mexico as we have not had any definite contacts.  This has certainly been a challenge for me at times as I like to be busy but I’m learning a lot about myself, God and others in the process…which I guess is all part of the experience.  Maybe you won’t recognise me when I return!  Next stop: Guatemala!

Miss you and God bless you Lizx

Mexico: Last Stop

    Greetings from Mexico!

Our last official stop in Mexico was in and around Oaxaca in the south of Mexico.  We split into two teams and my team spent time in two Maixteco villages in the mountains encouraging two small local churches.  One church had 5 families and for years they have been shunned by their local community for following Jesus so I felt very humbled to be able to spend time with them, sharing with them and helping teach their children English.

It was amazing to see a lady who was blind in one eye be completely able to see and a man who had been deaf in one ear be able to hear as we prayed for them!  The joy on their faces was so humbling and exciting.  We also had a few hours in Oaxaca city which was beautiful and I very much enjoyed a delicacy of Oaxaca- hot chocolate!

On the road leaving Oaxaca state, one of our vehicles’ transmission went at a petrol station (thankfully not on the road) and also thankfully there was a local mechanic who said he could fix it over the weekend and even allowed us to park our pop up trailers next to his garage!  There are definitely angels watching over us!  However as we were up in the mountains and some of us had been so cold previous nights (yes really!), about half of us stayed in a cheap hotel (about £6 a night!).  It was SO nice to have a proper bed for a couple of nights, be warm, eat chocolate, drink wine and watch some girly films (rather like my Friday nights used to be after a long week at work!).  Thank you to friends and family who made my hotel stay possible. 

The long drive to Belize continues…….

Its a dog eat dog world.....

Had a brilliant weekend in Mexico city (once we found our initial camp ground very late at night!).  Had our day off sightseeing so I got to check out the Metropolitan Cathedral and the park which were ornate and relaxing.  I always love being able to visit the capital city of any country you go to – it helps you understand a people and its country so much more.

 Then the next day we visited two rubbish dumps outside the centre where families live and try and make ends meet.  The second dump in particular smelled pretty bad and we literally saw dogs eating other dead dogs for food.  It really was a dog eat dog world.

My heart broke when I saw one family of three young children literally picking their way through the rubbish to see what they could ‘recycle’.  It felt like a very small thing to be able to play with them, give them food and pray for them but we are encouraged that the church will continue this work and build on it as this was their first visit.  My prayer for this family was simply that the parents would get a new job away from the dump as the little girl was clearly unwell.  I was trying hard not to come up with a strategic 10 point plan which would lift all the people living and working there out of poverty…Mexico City is the first place we’ve visited which I could live in.  Don’t worry, I didn’t and the journey has continued!

Since then we’ve visited and worked in three other towns/villages near Veracruz on the east of Mexico and have been blessed by the church we’ve partnered with.  They fed us so well and understandably made sure that we worked hard! 

We have just had a weekend off in a little town called Chachacalas on the Gulf Coast so I’ve been swimming in the sea and visiting a local pyramid relic.  This has also involved the local pigs coming to visit whilst I was on the toilet (they are my favourite animals!) and the local young people having a rave through the night where we are staying!

To be honest I could have kept going without a break for a lot longer but maybe that’s because I’m used to a slightly busier pace of life than some of my team mates!  I’m sure its good for me to rest though but I’m definitely ready to go again.  Will update again soon.  Thanks for reading and God bless you all lots x

Vital sleeping statistics (I will have to sleep in a tent at some point I know!)

Bed (of various descriptions):  10 nights

Trailer tent:  19 nights            Concrete floor: 5 nights                 Tent: 0 nights (hurrah!)