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!

As teenagers, we are one of the most stereotyped groups out there. Adults expect nothing but trouble from teenagers. This really aggravated me last week in Spanish class. I had just finished a test, and my good friend Death Ray texted me, saying that he was too sick to lead worship that night. The teacher saw the phone, confiscated it, and said I would get a zero on the test, because the official school policy is that if you have a phone out, you’re cheating. I understand that texting in class is against the rules, but it is aggravating that their first assumption is that I am cheating. Unfortunately, this is only one of many examples of teenager stereotyping, from my experience alone. I could spend all day telling stories about the many times our youth group has been kicked out of the mall for an innocent scavenger hunt, or the “no groups of 3 or more” rule (which only applies to teenagers), and many, many others. And whenever teenagers do prove adults wrong and do something special, the reward we get is, “that’s such a great thing they did…….for kids their age.” Why can’t it just be a great thing, period, end of story. Why does “for kids their age” or something to that affect always have to be attached.

            So that leaves us with the question, what do we do about it? Complain? Sulk? Write an angry blog? I believe that the main problem of stereotyping is that today’s teenagers are victims of low expectations. After all, a hundred years ago, you went from kid to adult, with a family, job, and everything, and society still functioned. Today nothing is expected from teenagers, and many of us have sank to meet those low expectations. So what we have to do is surpass adults’ expectations. Jesus said in Matthew 5:41 “If someone makes you go one mile, go with him two miles.” This may sound like self-torture at first, but with a little background knowledge it makes more sense.

            There was a law in ancient Rome that if a Roman soldier was traveling, he was allowed to force a citizen of an occupied territory (in this case, a Jew) to carry his things, and the maximum distance was one mile. The purpose of this law was not just to make things easier on the soldiers, but to dehumanize the Jews. The maximum distance of one mile was to not make them too mad and start a rebellion. If a Jew in this circumstance was to surpass the one mile limit and choose to go a second mile, then they reassert their humanity and force the Romans to respect them.

            This same concept applies to us today. If we do more than we are asked of adults, we can leave a lasting impact, and change their opinion of our generation.

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”

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!

Do you ever wish you could go back in time? Where would you go? What would you do?

Some would go back and attempt to change history. You know, make sure Adolph Hitler never gets to purchase that 'how to be an evil dictator kit.' Or the folks that doubted that Mt. Vesuvius was going to blow would make it out of Pompeii in time to avoid the lava bath.

Others would go back in time to make easy money. Simple plan, just head back to the 1970's and put some serious bank in the little known company called Microsoft, and you're pretty much set for life. Or you could really impress your friends by knowing every Super Bowl and World Series champion year after year after year.

But then there are the people like me who would go back for a very different reason...which would be this:

Change

We look back in time and see all the forks in the road of life where we took the wrong turn, and permanent damage was done. All the unkind things we said, all the bad choices that we now regret, all the amazing opportunities that were given, but wasted.

That's kinda the premise of the film 17 Again starring 'I'm not just the High School Musical star' Zac Efron (Vanessa Hudgens not included). Zac plays a character that regrets missed opportunities from High School and is transformed into a 17 year old and given a second chance to be a basketball rock star.

Of course, this is just a movie, right? But in real life, we can't go back and change our mistakes. Maybe that's what makes this film intriguing to so many...because it's captivating to think that there is a way we could unload guilt and regret from the past.

I have some great news for you. There actually is a way to change your past. It doesn't involve a time machine or an age transformation; it is actually much more radical change. What I'm talking about is a deeply personal experience that is a complete renovation of your soul and perspective on your past.

Are you in? If so, read through the promises listed below that come from God Himself:

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9).

For his unfailing love toward those who fear Him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:11-12).

Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean! (Micah 7:19).

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

These passages from the Bible are more than just words. They are pledges from the God of the universe who does not lie and who does not change. When you trust Jesus as your only hope of salvation, your past is dissolved like a drop of ink in a sea of pure water.

And now, here's the best part. Not only is your past forgiven, but even the things that haunt you in quiet moments can be used by God for your ultimate good:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28).

Isn't this amazing? The stupid things we've done, the hurts we've caused, even the opportunities we missed are dark colors that God takes and transforms into a beautiful and bright picture when we leave it in His hands.

Bottom line: we can't go back and physically change the things that have happened, and we can't be transformed into a kid...but...we can gather all the sadness and remorse from our past and give it to the God who truly makes all things new.

So are you ready to be forgiven...again?