Periodically we'll post stories or updates from some of the missionaries we support, or we'll feature stories about some of the many ministries of our church.  This month, Elizabeth Bofferding reports on the Youth Workcamp mission trip to Belize.

Belize 09

Waiting in the airport, sitting in a cluster waiting to check our bags and gather our tickets all nineteen of us were filled with excitement as we kept telling each other “its happening, were going to Belize.” Almost a year ago it didn’t seem like it would really happen. We had to overcome obstacles to get to this point and it felt so good to finally be there. Just standing in the airport felt like a huge success for all of us. Being in Belize was an amazing experience for everyone in our group. We all took something separate away from the experience.

Coming to Belize gave all of us a new look at the country that has a reputation for being paradise, we were sent to areas where “the living standards were so low…[to] the poorest parts of Belize. [People] who had been surveyed to find the most needy.” Where we were working was far from paradise. The only thing that made it a paradise was the people in Belize who welcomed us. Seeing how these people lived everyday was an eye opener, their daily lives included things many of us never even imagined could exists next to a home. They had to worry about major flooding, crocodile attacks, bites from snakes, excessive unsanitary conditions. All of us were amazed everyday at the conditions the people of Belize were living in. Everything was so different from Washington that it took many of us a few days to adjust. When we all got over the initial shock of the cultural difference we were able to see the beauty in the country and the people.

Every day at youth group devotions people shared amazing stories of their host families' hospitality. From the kids’ eagerness every day to see them, or the things the adults would say to them in gratitude for the small projects we did for them. Even though to many of us it seemed as if the people of Belize had no material objects, they had very strong relationships with each other and many had very strong faith. One night a girl from our group shared that she had been talking with some children during devotions her vision of hope. She said the kids couldn’t even define hope, but when they shared their future plans and dreams they had more hope then any of us do the future. Another family one day surprised the group by bringing fruits and seeds for them at lunchtime. The group shared how they all sat around and enjoyed each others’ company over the food the host family had provided for all of them. Another group shared one night about the overpowering willingness of the children to help in their projects and how it amazed them. All of us developed strong relationships with our families.

On the last night when we all invited our families to the nightly service; it was overwhelming to see that almost everyone came. The church that was usually filled with space was crowded with the families and work campers. Even neighbors of the worksites had come to the service. Because this service was at the end of the week, everyone felt very close to their host families. We were all given a chance to share what someone had meant to them throughout the week. It was touching to hear all the ways people had affected each other throughout the week. Saying goodbye to the families was very difficult for everyone. Mainly because the children kept asking when we would all be returning to Belize, and the realization sunk in that we would probably never return. Our mission trip to Belize was a once in a lifetime experience that none of us will ever be able to forget.