Belize was an amazing experience for me. As my third international mission trip, I knew it was going to be incredible, but I never could have imagined just how great it would end up being! Despite the difficulties that were faced throughout the week, it was very rewarding, and I firmly believe that lives were changed.
My journey began with being denied boarding the flight with the rest of my team, so I had to wait an extra day to make it down to Belize, but at least I wasn't alone! I had my student ministry director's wife with me, and we had a great time turning a rough situation into a good one!
Once making it to Belize, my team and I spent time at some of the pre-schools in the villages and also one of the schools. We did backyard Bible club type ministry with the kids, and it was so great to spend time with them! We also got to spend time in one of the villages passing out Operation Christmas Child boxes. That was definitely my favorite part of the trip. Just seeing the faces of the children when they received their boxes was priceless, but accompanying that with their squeals of joy...well there really was not anything more incredible than that.
Some of the fun things we got to do was swimming at a place called "Blue Hole" where the water was literally blue, and so beautiful. We explored the cave there a little as well! We also visited some Mayan ruins, and they were absolutely incredible! The last day in Belize, my team and I went out off the coast of Belize City to go snorkeling along the reef. We swam with sea turtles, sting rays, nurse sharks, lobsters, eels, barracuda, and so many different types of fish! It was definitely one of the most incredible sites I have ever seen!
Overall, I am so glad that God blessed me with the opportunity to take part in this trip, and I know that I will never be the same because of the experiences that I had.
God Bless!
Hannah
