Here in Belize, instead of saying "Good Evening" the phrase "Good Night" is used. So, Good Night Sarasota! I thought it was confusing at first too.

Anyway, welcome back to Belize! Today was our last full day of work here in Orange Walk. Today was the final day of VBS and our entire construction project needed to be completed by 2PM. I am happy to tell you, "Mission Complete!"

First off, I have never seen a group pull together and work as hard as our team has and still maintain a positive attitude throughout the week like I have on this trip. Parents, you should be proud of your kids!

We woke up bright and early this morning, even though it took us a while to be completely coherent. Exhaustion really set in after yesterday's busy day. But we were committed to getting everything done so as soon as we got to church we went straight to work. Today we needed to finish painting the building and do touch ups wherever needed. We also needed to finish the fence project by installing four rows of barbed wire all the way across the fence. We also had a list of extra things to do, like pick up trash in the park and along the roads. Paint the exterior of the small Sunday school building, and prepare for an Easter egg hunt for the VBS finale if we had time. Today was the hottest day yet and we had a lot to do, but by the grace of God we managed to check every project off the list (including the extras)!

After all our projects were done, we had a relaxing lunch which consisted of fried rice and fish and coconut ice-cream. We prepared for VBS and ran though our skit a couple of times before the children began to show up.

As soon as the kids arrived (early of course) there was no more time to relax. It was time to put our game faces on and play futbol. As always, the little kids showed us up. The kids came in droves. I never got an official count, but I am pretty sure we broke the century mark. The coolest thing about today was that all the “big kids” who stood back on the fringe really got involved and proved that what we were doing was worth while for the community.  We wrapped up VBS with an Egg hunt; we even had three golden eggs and gave away soccer balls to those who found them. Of course, the kids had a hard time leaving and some of the Pelicans even had a hard time saying “adios.”

Once the kids went home we had an opportunity to express our gratitude to Pastor Ric and his family. We presented them with cards, gave them resources to help the church, shared scripture and prayer with them, and gave lots of hugs. It was a bitter-sweet moment for everyone, but we encouraged each other knowing this wasn’t the end of a mission trip but the beginning of a lifetime relationship. Pastor Ric said it best, “We are no longer strangers. We are family.”

Following our good-byes, the Pelicans went to eat dinner and celebrate what the Lord has done this week through our efforts. Later, we returned to the hotel where we debriefed, planned for tomorrow, sang and shared in a devotional thought.

Right now we are enjoying a little free time as we pack up to go to Caye Caulker early in the morning. Tomorrow we get to go be tourist and go snorkeling and do a little souvenir shopping.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers, this week would not have been possible without you. Praise God for what he has begun here in Belize and what he will continue to do in all of our live. Love from all your Pelicans and God bless.

Don’t forget to post your replies!! Until tomorrow…”Good Night!”

Hey Everyone! Welcome back!

Today was the day that we have been looking forward to...The Mayan Ruins! This was a well timed reprieve from our hard work. We woke up early and went to Lamanai, which is Mayan for Submerged Crocodiles. You will have to see the pictures to get an idea of how amazing this place was. The ruins were from 300 BC. It was so cool to climb to the tops of the temples and look around. For the most part the landscape was completely flat, as we were right on the Belize River's bank, with the exception of the temples which only a few were excavated. Many of them still remain captive to the thick jungle. It felt as if we were in the middle of an Indiana Jones movie, with the exception of the gigantic ants. Despite not having gigantic ants we did get to see some pretty cool wild life. There were a few families of howler monkeys. The monkeys were hard to take pictures of because they were so high up and kept "monkeying" around; the make the coolest sound that can be heard from a mile away. I even wandered off a little into the jungle and saw a jaguar. Actually the jaguar saw me first! I was too busy watching the monkeys in the trees and trying to get a closer look because they were making so much noise when I saw him jump into the bushes from the corner of my eye. Needless to say it scared me just a little bit. It makes sense that one of the first temples we saw was called the Jaguar Temple and had what used to be jaguar faces on the front.

We saw three temples in all: the Jaguar Temple, the High Temple, and the Mask Temple. Of the three, the High Temple was the tallest was quite a work out to get to the top. We even got to see one of the ancient ball courts. Interestingly enough we learned that when competitions were held, it was highly ceremonial and considered to be a high honor to compete. In fact, competitors were bred; they were removed from their families at a young age and received the best training, education, and discipline. They were the best of the best. We also learned, contrary to popular belief, that after the competition the captain of the losing team would sacrifice the winners to god. This was their way of giving their best to their god. There is an interesting sermon illustration in there somewhere.

After touring the ruins we had a picnic lunch near the river then returned to the town for VBS. VBS went very well. It is so neat to see the excitement of the children. Their favorite song to sing is “I’m Trading My Sorrows,” they especially like the chorus and the motions. Our teens have so many great things to share about the projects that we did and about the children. There are so many cool little stories and testimonies that you will just have to sit and talk to them about when we get home.

After VBS we went back to the hotel to freshen up and rest a little bit before we returned to the church for a prayer night. Personally, the prayer night was the highlight of the week. Pastor Ric and the congregation are very prayerful. We spent the majority of the night singing hymns and then we divided up into small groups to pray for one another. Pastor Ric also shared his vision and passion for the church and for Orange Walk. They dream of one day having an elementary school where they can teach more children about Jesus Christ. He truly is a kind and gentle-hearted man, with a huge burden for the lost. I wish you could meet him.

Following our prayer service we returned to the hotel where we met as a group, worshiped, reflected on the day and planned for our last day in Orange Walk. Today was a fun and fruitful day. We saw and experienced things at the ruins that we may never see again.  We ministered to children and impacted the community. We finished the day praising God and edifying others with prayer. It was interesting to begin the day exploring the religious beliefs and temples of an ancient civilization from before Jesus was born to concluding our day with teaching and celebrating our relationship with our Holy God and Savior. After comparison, there was one thing in common between the ancient Mayan civilization and our mission trip here in Belize; we both offered our best as a sacrifice to the Lord.

Thanks for your prayers. We all love you and hope all is well. Until next time…good night and God bless.

Hello Sarasota! Welcome back to Belize! Days 4 and 5 have been incredible. Thanks for coming back to check our blogs and photos. Be sure to check all the photos because I have been adding a lot more from our last couple days.

There has been a lot of stuff going on for the past couple days and I have lots to tell you about…ok, so here it goes.

First off, this if for all you moms out there: everyone is doing fine. There have been no illnesses, no grouchy attitudes, and no injuries. Well, sorta…Cami did intercept a futbol (soccer ball) with her face but she is ok. After a few tears, she laughed it off, iced it down, and jumped right back into all the action.

Monday was our first full day of construction and VBS and we got so much accomplished. You would all be very proud of our kids. They have worked very hard and have not grumbled or complained in the slightest. Despite the heat and hard labor, they keep on trucking along with smiles on their faces and are ready and willing to jump in at a moments notice to work.

Once at church, we began Day 4 with prayer and divided into four groups to canvass the village to invite families to church for VBS at 2PM. Armed only with soccer balls and our willingness to pray for people the Pelicans began our Paul Revere efforts and went door to door seeking out anyone willing to listen to us. I was amazed how open people were to us. It seemed within a few minutes of all these Americans walking down the dirt streets people started to come out of their houses to see what we were up to. You could feel the energy and excitement build in the village as children followed us down the street on their bikes. We probably gave out about 50 soccer balls and prayed with about a dozen people. After about and hour of our campaign we reconvened at the church and began to work on our construction projects.

Half of the Pelicans painted the building while the other half began tearing out a dilapidated fence around the property. The painters worked meticulously and efficiently as they painted the church (and in some cases themselves). They strived to make the humble one-room church building look its absolute best while Pastor Ric and his family were just thrilled to see a new and fresh coat of paint. The fence crew hacked away at the old fence and barbed wire. Despite having access to a few modern tools that we often take for granted we managed to remove a large section of fencing and pull out old post that were worn down or rotten.

This might be a good time to interject that I finally earned a bean. Remember how a few days ago I lost (badly) at a game of dominos and was bean-less? Well, Jim hasn’t forgotten, in fact he has reminded me on many occasions that I had not earned a bean for anything yet. Jim told me I could earn a bean if I was able to get one of the posts out. Well that was all I needed to hear. I was determined to earn a bean and I finally got one…well, almost. Jim didn’t have a bean to give me so he gave me a coconut instead. But that was fine with me. Ok…so enough about beans and coconuts.

By 1pm our team had managed to have a whole line of fencing torn down, reposted and hung new fencing while the painters had finished cleaning the whole building and painting one whole side. After all that hard work and sweat we were able to take a break in the shade, drink lots of cold water, and sample some sugar cane. We even cracked open my hard-earned coconut and passed it around so people could taste fresh coconut. Alice and some other church members made us another favorite Belizean dish, rice and beans with chicken.

Once 2pm came we were ready for the kids to show up for VBS, but we were blown away when 84 children came with their parents. We didn’t see that one coming. Pastor Ric said they normally have around a dozen to fifteen kids come for VBS. God came through on that one! The children had a great time. We sang, played games, did arts and crafts, acted out a drama for the Bible lesson, had snacks and of course played futbol. It was cool to see the kids latch on and instantly trust us and soak in the lessons.

We finished around 4pm and had tacos at the church for dinner. All in all, Day 4 was an awesome day! God stretched us and did some amazing things. We managed to get a ton of work done. We made significant in-roads into the community. A huge group of children and families came to VBS and some relationships were strengthened. All these things happened thanks to God and all glory is due to him!

With Day 4 under our belts and riding on a high we were excited to see what Day 5 was going to bring.

Today was not too much unlike Day 4. We woke up early, prayed, ate breakfast and got to church as quickly as we could to work some more on our projects. We accomplished a lot on Day 4, but we had a lot more to do. Once at church, the Pelicans divided up into teams again and got to work painting and fencing. The work was a lot harder today and we had more time to get it done. Everyone worked as hard as they could. The team work and cooperation was one of the day’s highlights. It was unbelievable how much we were able to accomplish. Three of the four walls on the church were painted. More fences were ripped out. New posts and fencing were installed. Tons of yard debris was cut down, raked and bagged. And the church was cleaned. In fact, the fence was completely installed before lunch!

It was stated today that our groups no longer resembles three different groups from three different states coming to Belize for a service project. Instead, we have become one united team that has completely merged together to minister to others for one purpose, to honor God. This is what mission trips are all about!! Every sacrifice that was made and every penny that was paid is well worth our students learning that lesson and having this experience.

God continued to bless our efforts as we had just shy of a 100 children come to VBS today. But the best part was when the kids didn’t want to go home and hung around playing futbol and singing song that they had learned in VBS.

After the long day today, PPM took us to a great Chinese restaurant for dinner. After dinner all the Pelicans gathered around the pool at the hotel where I shared a devotional thought, we worshiped and reflected on our trip thus far and discussed our plans for tomorrow. TODAY WAS GREAT DAY!

Tomorrow morning we get to go see the Mayan Ruins. We can’t wait. I will be sure to post lots of pictures for you. In the mean time, thank you for your prayers and keep praying. I whole heartedly believe that is part of the reason for our successful trip thus far. “Also Too”, don’t forget to post your comments. We read them together every night. By the way, Josh has been smiling a lot lately. I will try to get a picture of it though. And Cami is really curious who bought here pig.

Thanks again for everything. We love you and miss you! Adios!

Hello Sarasota! I hope all is well back at home. Things are going very well here in Belize. Day 3 was a long day, but it was a huge blessing for us as well as the Belizians we have be working with.

Today began with Sunday morning service. We met at the church for worship. The congregation was small, however, what they lacked in numbers they more than made up for in hospitality and spirit. Alice, the pastor's wife led the music while Pastor Ric and another member, joe, accompanied her with a guitar and small keyboard. We sang in English and in Spanish, and then she threw us for a loop when she said she was going to sing some songs in Chinese. Thank goodness she was only joking.

Everyone had an opportunity to request a favorite from the hymn to be sung and then she opened the stage to our musicians if they wanted to share some "rock n' roll" with them. Erik and some other members from the Seattle team did a great job as the led us in a few of our favorite worship songs. We then greeted each other with hugs while we sang "God loves you and I love you. That's the way is should be!" Just before we were seated we turned to each other and said "I love you and there is nothing you can do about it." Pastor Ric then preached from Phillipians 3 about the strongholds of sin and the importance of having God create a new life in you. He then shared his testimony and praised God for changing his life.

The people here are very gracious and strive to be a blessing to us. Their love and hospitality shines through every word they speak, every action, and every meal the prepare. Following service the Pastor and his family were so excited to share one of their favorite Mayn meals with us, tamales. They were very delicious. Although, it was kid of funny seeing some of the kids trying to eat through the banana leaf because they didn't know to unwrap their tamale. 

After lunch we returned to the hotel and we were able to rest for a little bit before we returned for evening service.

Evening service was a lot like morning service and the congregation was even more excited to hear from us. We sang some more of their favorite hymns and but they mainly wanted to hear the teens sing their songs. Megan shared her testimony and expressed her desire to become a missionary. One of our team leaders, Kassy, sang an amazing song and I preached from Philippians 2 about the importance of being united in love and in Christ, despite our different backgrounds and nationalities.

Once we returned to our hotel we met as a whole group of Pelicans (an adopted term for our whole team since we are traveling with Praying Pelican Missions) and re-capped the whole day, sang, prayed, and discussed some details for the next day.

All in all, Day 3 was a great day. We were welcomed by a congregation with hospitality and love. We grew closer as a team. we were able to honor God by sharing in our gifts and abilities. And we began to make some life-long friendships.

Tomorrow is the first day of construction and VBS. It is going to be a long and hot one tomorrow, but we are excited with anticipation to work with the children from Orange Walk Town. Please keep praying for our mission and for God to stretch us and use us to further His Kingdom. And don't forget to keep posting messages; the teens look forward to me reading your posts to them and are curious how things are back in the US. Karen is especially anxious to hear how the Sunday morning service went at SCC.

We love you all. We miss you all. And we are all so grateful for your support and sacrifices to make this adventure possible for us. Even though you might not be here physically, your prayers and support are what have allowed us to be able to do what we are doing. You all have played a major role.

Until tomorrow, God Bless and enjoy the pictures.

Hello everyone! Today was a great day in Belize. We started out the morning by gathering together in the hotel lobby for prayer and breakfast, fried egg sandwiches and of course coffee.

Following breakfast we met the rest of the Pelican Staff, Kassy and Eustus. Eustus, is a Belizian partner and an knows the country like the back of his hand, which is great because he is also our bus driver. By the way, driving a school bus in Belize City is like threading a needle. It makes Sarasota's snowbird traffic look like a leisurely Sunday drive.

Eustus is quite the driver and took us for a scenic drive around Belize City. Belize City is the former capital of Belize and is by far the largest city in the nation. It never ceases to amaze me of the poverty that is often just across the street from tourist facade in vacation destinations like Belize.

After driving through town this morning we had an opportunity to visit Sister Cecelia's Nursing Home to visit with some of the elderly. Belize has a very family oriented culture, so the people we visited this morning were mostly without family or unable to be cared for by their family. Our presence was very welcome and the residents of Sister Cecelia's were delighted just to have some interaction with someone. All of us visited with one or two residents and got to swap stories.

Erik had the opportunity to play the guitar while the rest of us sang a few worship songs. I also was able to pray for everyone. After worship we attempted to say our good-byes but we had a hard time separating from our conversations. One gentleman in particular, Walter, started sharing with me about the passage of the prodigal son and how he loved that story. Before I knew it we were all huddled around a table playing dominoes. Actually, the others were playing and I was losing badly. We kept score with beans...needles to say I was bean-less.

After we left the nursing home we went to the shore and took some group photos and the went back to the hotel for lunch to rest before picking up the other groups from the airport.

Around 3 (Belize time) we met up with the other teams and drove about an hour to get to Orange Walk, where we will be spending the majority of the week. Once we got to our hotel, D'Victoria's, we all ate pizza from the guy who started Pizza Hut (really...true story) and went to the church for youth night.

Youth night was a blast. We got to meet the pastor and a few of the people from the church. We worshiped, got to know each other and played a few crazy games. While we were mingling we met a lady and her two sons who just moved back to Belize from Sarasota. What a small world!

God is already doing some great things and we have just started to form some great relationships. Tomorrow we will go to church and Sunday school. I can't wait to tell you more about it.

Everyone is doing great and getting along wonderfully. Yes, even Cami. In fact Cami has quickly found a friend from Chicago named Hannah. Everyone says hi and is excited to read your replies.

I apologize for not uploading any videos yet. I have encountered some crazy technical difficulties. I am bound and determined to figure it out though. Tomorrow, I will post some photos for sure since the video thing has been a bust so far.

Thanks again for everything. Keep praying. And we love you all!

Leah, I love you and miss you. Logan and Seth, be good for mommy.

Until tomorrow, Good Night.

Well we are here safely and are enjoying the trip thus far. Both of our flights went very smooth and we arrived in Belize City around noon (FL time).

I know we have all been excited about the summer weather in Sarasota, but it seems we have jumped ahead a couple months as soon as the plane doors opened. The temps were in the mid to high 80's and very muggy...we are all very excited about working outdoors.

Once we got to the hotel we all crashed for a couple hours. We ate dinner at our hotel and it was awesome. The hotel manager's wife runs the kitchen and cooked some excellent chinese food. Not only was it delicious but the portions were huge.

After dinner we walked around for a little bit. We met up with our team leader from Praying Pelican, Jennie. She seems really cool. The other teams wont join us until tomorrow afternoon; tomorrow morning we are going into Belize City to visit with some elderly people in a nursing home. Erik was immidiately recruited to play the guitar and lead a few songs. It's a good thing Jennie had a guitar. I was asked to preach on Sunday Night. They said I can go as long as I want, at least 30 mins. I figured Lee would be jealous ;-).

Everyone says "HI!", except Gabby, she says it with hand motions.

We have a lot of video to upload but the connection isn't the greatest...I will try to upload the videos over night or tomorrow morning.

Thanks again to everyone who helped get us here and who has been praying for us. We love you all.

I should probably go. Jim just burped his bag near me and I need to walk away for a little while. Feel free to leave lots of replies. I will update you more as we go.

May I have your attention, please. Stop what you are doing and join the crowd of 100 MILLION people worldwide who have been inspired, moved, and/or encouraged by this video:

Susan Boyle - Singer – Britain's Got Talent 2009

Of course most of you have probably already seen this viral phenomenon that chronicles a moment on Britain's Got Talent that has captured worldwide attention.

But if you are really honest with yourself, I would guess that you had the same initial reaction to Susan Boyle that the audience, judges, and probably everyone else in the known universe had - which would be:

"Are you serious? A 47 year old classic example of a 'cat lady' who has never been kissed and thinks she has a shot at competing on this show???"

Then, at the 1:56 mark, Susan belts out the first notes of "I Dreamed a Dream" and dropped a talent BOMB on the judges that blew away any previous doubt.

And did you see that Simon Cowell actually smiled??? Now you know that miracles are possible!

And so now Susan skyrockets from unemployed church volunteer to a worldwide hope for achieving her dream and becoming a singing sensation.

When I think about this whole Susan Boyle juggernaut, one word keeps coming to mind-

Judgment

There are judges on Britain's Got Talent. There were judging looks from the audience, and there were judging thoughts inside of you and me.

And they were obviously wrong. People judged Susan from the outside in, but that judgment turned from rolling eyes and ridicule to smiles and praise in less than 2 minutes when her angelic voice crashed through the stereotypes and created a very cool moment for the world to enjoy.

So, teenagers...what can we learn from all this Boyle-Mania? Well for me, I saw an ugly side of my heart that goes directly against God's simple guide for how we should look at and treat each other:

Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults- unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor (Matthew 7:1-5 The Message).

It really didn't take any time at all after I first clicked the play button to judge Susan by outward appearances and guessing how big of a train wreck her audition would probably turn out to be.

Why is it that we have this awful tendency to judge people by appearances, stereotypes, and uninformed opinions? Because we all have an element to us that we'd rather not admit to owning. Out of insecurity and lack of self confidence, we use others less 'attractive' and 'talented' to artificially boost our weak egos. That's why Jesus gives us a plain and simple warning:

The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged (Matthew 7:2).

In other words, what goes around, comes around. And when we let the judgmental voices sing superior songs in our heads, you can bet there will be judgment coming back our way.

What kind of world would it be if we took this simple principle from Jesus and made it a daily habit not to judge others by appearance or in a hypocritical way? Well, it would be a world without hatred, fear, racism, and prejudices.

It would be a world that feels like the Susan Boyle video - when everyone realized they were wrong to judge and found joy in the fact that they were sharing in a moment of beauty that has nothing to do with outward appearances.

So the next time you hear the name Susan Boyle, remember that there is pure value and magnificence inside each and every person, because we are made in God's image, and truly we are all the same on the inside.

And that's a dream worth dreaming!