The PPM staff is waiting at the airport for Mt. Bethel, an awesome group returning to Western Belize.

The Mt. Bethel team has arrived! We enjoyed a nice lunch by the seaside followed by a visit to a local orphanage. We will be traveling to western Belize this afternoon for Supper and a team meeting in preparation for the week of ministry ahead.

After we got to Belize we went to a park and ate some pizza, played some frisbee and then we were able to go to an orphanage and spend the afternoon with the little children.  All of us were able to share the love of Jesus Christ with them and they poured their love back to us.  Tonight we got to our camp site and were able to meet the leaders from Praying Pelican. Then we had a worship service outside under the stars and Justin reminded us, like in Luke 24, to not miss out on what Jesus was doing.  To not be so blinded by what we are focusing on that we would miss Jesus himself. After being awake for twenty hours, we were all excited to get some sleep...after hunting tarantulas. 

On Monday after breakfast our group split up into two smaller groups. One group painted a local school the others went into town and advertised VBS. Both were very successful. After we were done with those projects we all went to a retirement home and talked to the elderly. We shared music and stories with all the residents #good. At VBS there were many kids and they all had a great time. Many of them were scared of Nick. That was Monday.

Tuesday was an awesome day! Yesterday morning we split into two groups again – one group got the chance to walk through Succotz and meet some families and talk and pray with them… and make tortillas. One of the ladies that we met had a hurt foot, and her granddaughter was staying with her trying to care for her. She didn’t know what more she could do to make her foot better, so Meredith took a look at it and talked with her about how to treat it. It was so awesome to see her caring for her! The second group returned to the middle school that we painted earlier this week. They added a second coat to the classroom (It is brown and yellow…like the amazing chocolate covered pineapple we have eaten all week) and they poured a concrete sidewalk. It looks fantastic! After lunch, we all headed down to San Ignasio, a larger town east of Succotz, to attempt having an impromptu VBS with the kids playing in the Macal River. Instead, most of us ended up having the best shower of the week and swam with the kids and watched them jump off of the bridge into the water. Then we headed to have VBS at church and at our camp. 110 kids came to the church and about 25 came to hang out at camp. The few of us who were here last year have LOVED seeing all the kids again and so many bonds are being formed between the kids and our whole team. One little girl even told her mom that she wanted to go home with Parker after VBS instead. We wrapped up the day with dinner, student devo, and worship.
The food here is so, so, so good and this morning a few of us got up at 5:30 to “help” Gloria and the other ladies make breakfast. They taught us how to make Fryja (or fry-jacks?). Be prepared USA, Fryja will be the new big thing when we get home!

The team shot, edited, and posted videos to capture how God has moved this week.

Sunday / Monday's Video: http://vimeo.com/39799006

Tuesday's Video: http://vimeo.com/39799708

As we sit on Caye Caulker, we can't help but reflect on all the amazing things that God did this week. Wednesday was filled with recreation in the morning as we went to see Mayan Temples in Succotz. In the afternoon, the team went either swimming or played frisbee golf! What an experience.

Thursday the men woke up early to finish the construction projects while the women stayed up late on Wednesday night writing encouraging notes to them. We were so encouraged while we worked in the Thursday heat.

Both afternoons were filled with VBS and some outstanding worship services! Praise God for the relationships formed, the ways He moved, and His encouragement to us this week.

Tonight at our closing meeting, God showed off with a picturesque sunset! I imagine it is Him saying to us "well done good and faithful servant."