Monday - A Day in Review

Today was a busy day that included construction projects at the church

in the morning, VBS in the afternoon and sports in the evening. We 

started in the morning by dividing into work groups; some started 

painting the interior of the church; another group cut grass and 

started clearing off an overgrown area of the property with machetes; 

and others mixed concrete and made volleyball stands for a net that we 

had brought with us. After another delicious lunch at Pastor Ermilio 

and Consuelo's home, we had a fun afternoon with almost 100 kids 

joining us for VBS where we played games, sang songs, shared a Bible 

story about Noah and did a fun craft. We were also able to go to 

Guadeloupe School twice today, once in the morning and once in the 

afternoon, where we played with the kids during recess. After dinner, 

we played basketball and volleyball "under the lights" against some of 

our Belizean friends, and then we finished the day on the roof top 

terrace with Cokes and PB&J sandwiches. As you can see, it was a busy 

day and I bet we all sleep tonight like this little guy (see the first picture below)....

Sunday - An Overview in Pictures

Sunday was our first full day in Corozal.  We started with a service at the Church of the Nazarene where Pastor Alex Goodsell preached a great sermon about "Taming the Tongue" (James 3:1-12). After church we had a chance to do a prayer walk through Altamira and Chula Vista, the two neighborhoods that surround the church, passing out VBS invitations.  The afternoon was filled with soccer, games and fellowship.  We ended the day with a service where we had the privilege of hearing Pastor Ermilio preach on Revelations 3:20 - "I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me."  We are thankful for a wonderful start to our week in Belize and would appreciate your continued prayers!

Our Home Away From Home - The Mirador Hotel

Thought we would share where we are staying in Corozal.  The Mirador Hotel is located on the Bay of Corozal and has a great roof-top terrace.  This is our home for the next several days.  Hope you enjoy the pictures!

The Bonds of Brotherhood

If you have ever participated in a foreign mission trip, you probably understand the bond that exists with other servants that you meet along your journey, a bond that is centered in a calling to serve others in the name of our Savior.  These relationships are easiest to recognize when one or the other mission team is wearing matching team shirts.  That was certainly our experience as we traveled to Belize today.  

Our 31-person team left Birmingham early this morning, each wearing matching Thirst Mission t-shirts.  Along our journey we met many teams that were traveling to other foreign countries, living out the Great Commission.  It began when we arrived at the airport in Birmingham and recognized another local team from Helena that was departing for Costa Rica; and, it continued with two more teams that we met at the airport in Atlanta, one of which was a medical mission team from South Carolina that was also traveling to Belize.  There was even yet another team that we met on the flight to Belize; that team was from North Alabama and was on their 18th consecutive trip.  

There were also countless other individuals along the way, ranging from those that just asked questions to those that provided words of encouragement.  There was even one couple that are members of another local PCA church in Birmingham, that not only asked questions and provided encouragement but also contributed two $20 bills to the group for us to treat ourselves to a little something special, maybe ice cream on a hot and humid day.....that is a fairly common weather forecast for Corozal this week.

We Arrived Safely! (Updated With Arrival Picture)

Just as God led His chosen people to the Promised Land, He safely delivered us to our destination in Belize.  Our day began as our group met at the church at 3:15 this morning (some 18 hours ago).  While it has been a long day, our travels were thankfully without issue.  We were met at the airport in Belize City by Angel Castillo, Erin Summers, Jacob Wade and Liz Weber, all of whom work with our partner organization, Thirst Missions, and will spend the week with us.  The day ended with a welcoming service at The Church of the Nazarene in Altamira, the same church that we have worked with for the past several years.  It was great to reunite with Pastor Ermilio, his family, and so many other brothers and sisters at the church.  We look forward to working together this week to expand His kingdom in Belize!

2015 Belize Church Trip Prayer Cards

An EPiC Adventure!

It is hard to believe but another EPiC Adventure began earlier this year when God called a team of 31 individuals from Evangel Presbyterian Church [http://www.evangelchurchpca.org] in Alabaster, Alabama. Since that time, we have been preparing for a week of ministry in Belize this summer that will include VBS, visiting a local school, construction, sports, home visits, music, and worship.

Our scheduled departure is June 6th and our destination is Corozal, Belize. Corozal is a small, coastal town in northern Belize, less than 10 miles south of the country's border with Mexico. Our group will be flying into Belize City, the originating point of an 85+ mile bus ride to the north and our home for that following week, the Mirador Hotel [http://mirador.bz] in Corozal. The Northern Highway is one of the better roads in the country but it is loaded with "troopers" (speed bumps). It normally takes 2 ½ hours to complete the journey…..“Will somebody please let down the windows in the bus and cut on the A/C??” 

We will be partnering with Thirst Missions [http://www.thirstmissions.org] and will again be working with the Church of the Nazarene in Altamira, a “suburb” of Corozal. This is the same church that we served at in 2012 and 2014. During the week, we are also planning to spend some time with our brothers and sisters at Prince of Peace Church in Corozal and with Garry and Anita Chambers, MTW missionaries to Belize; just an interesting fact, Garry and Anita are some of the first missionaries that our church began supporting, shortly after our formation in the early 1980s.

In the weeks ahead, we hope to use this blog to keep you informed about “our” adventure and updated as to how God is working through us (and in us). God has assembled a gifted and diverse group of individuals and it is our prayer that God will draw us closer together as a team and closer to Him, individually, as we look to serve others in fulfilling the Great Commission.

We are grateful that you are partnering with us on this journey. Now, let's put the windows down ("cut on the A/C"), knowing that the long ride ahead will give us plenty of opportunities to see God at work. May we each be changed through this EPiC adventure!!

"And He said to them, 

'Go into all the world and proclaim 

the gospel to the whole creation.'"

~Mark 16:15 ESV