A Day of Rest

Today was another beautiful day in Belize, and it was full of adventure. Today was our day of rest and reflection. We take one day at the end of every Mission Experience in Belize to relax and spend a day on the Caye.

We woke up bright and early for breakfast on the rooftop. We had fry jacks, eggs, sausage, fruit, and juice before heading out for the day. While we ate our breakfast, we saw hummingbirds, parrots, and monkeys all around us. It’s so cool to look around and experience so much wildlife in every direction. 

Once we finished breakfast and loaded up the van, we were off to Dangriga to meet Mr. Logan for our day trip to the Caye. Mr. Logan and his family always take us out to the Caye, and we love spending the day with them every year! We met Mr. Logan and his family on the riverside in Dangriga. We hopped on the boat and had a 45 minute boat ride to Bread and Butter Caye. This was a different Caye than we normally go to, so we were excited for a new experience! The views on the way to and from the Caye are some of my favorite in all of Belize — water for miles and mountains in the distance.

When we pulled up to the dock, we arrived to colorful huts, beautiful hammocks, and the island dog named Rudy. From the moment we got off the boat, we felt relaxed. Getting to experience this isn’t something we take for granted. We’re so thankful for this opportunity to see and experience the country we get to serve in. We all got settled on the island and started off by taking some pictures together before getting in the water. We went up on the porch of a hut that overlooked the water — GORGEOUS! On our way up, we met the resident parrot, Bam Bam. He was green and posed perfectly on the tree. While Taylor was taking some photos on the dock, Bam Bam flew up and landed right behind her. Madison came up and let Bam Bam walk into her hand. After a few minutes of biting her fingers, he was ready to pose for some pictures. We took turns posing with Bam Bam before getting in the water. For the rest of the day, Bam Bam would fly up to wherever we were; landing on our bags, nearby trees, or even our heads. He was a fast friend for sure! 

The water was the perfect temperature and was so refreshing after a week in the heat and humidity. While we were in the water, Mr. Logan hand delivered watermelon slices and bananas to us. We were in paradise! We were served so well all day long! Mr. Logan offered to take out anyone who wanted to snorkel or go fishing. Kelley and Mr. Logan went out on a kayak to search for fishing bait. James went on a kayaking expedition around the island and saw some barracudas. One of the sweetest moments of the day was watching Dolisca learn how to swim. She worked so hard and overcame her fear and SHE DID IT! We cheered and clapped and are so excited for her.

After our snack and a little more swimming, anyone who wanted to go snorkeling got fitted for their gear before going out on the boat. While they were practicing their breathing in the water close to the Caye, they saw a starfish. It was so cool to see one up close and personal! Before lunch, the snorkeling crew went out and saw a sea urchin, sea cucumber, lots of fish, and so many types of coral. When they got back, it was time for lunch! Darnette, Mr. Logan’s wife, made us a delicious lunch! We had bbq chicken, rice and beans, salad, pound cake cupcakes, and juice. It doesn’t get better than that!! We all had lunch around a big family-style table like every other meal — it was relaxing and so perfect. After lunch, some swam and some took naps in the hammocks and on the chairs. Everywhere you turned looked like a postcard — unBELIZEable! 

Later in the afternoon it was time for the fishing expedition. The team members that wanted to fish hopped on the boat and were gone for a couple hours. They each caught 2 fish, but Mr. Logan caught closer to 15. He was so gracious to help us bag them up so we could have them for dinner back at the Macaroni. While the fishing team was gone, the rest of us saw lots of wildlife! We saw a massive sting ray that circled around the island for the rest of the afternoon. Every once in a while we saw its baby following behind. Kristell loved swimming right over the baby ray — it followed her everywhere she went. A few minutes later we saw a nurse shark! It was so fun to look at them from the dock — not so much fun wondering where they were when we were in the water with them. Hahaha! A little while later, Taylor and Amy were walking on the other side of the island when they heard a voice all of a sudden. They looked around and saw no one. They looked up in the tree to see Bam Bam. The parrot was talking!!! He said “Hi, how are you?” and “Hello!” over and over. SO cool!

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing until the fishing crew got back. Once they did, we hopped on the boat to head back to Dangriga. The boat ride back was so beautiful, but most of the team fell asleep. Once the boat was docked, we got off and jumped into the van. We drove back to the Macaroni and changed clothes so we could head out into the village. This day is always so hard. We had to say “see you soon” to our sweet friends and it breaks our hearts. We cannot wait to get back to Belize, but we really can’t wait to see all of the seeds that will grow over the next year. God is so good and faithful.

After saying all of our “see you laters”, we went to the rooftop for our final meal. We had lobster, grilled fish (caught by our team today), fried snapper, chicken tenders, stew chicken, and fried rice. That’s a FEAST! It was so cool to eat the fish that our team worked so hard to catch today! Then we came downstairs to have devo time and get some packing done. Part of our devo time on the last night in Belize is reading cards that were written to us by every member of the team about where they saw God in us this week. Once devotion time was over, it was time to finish packing everything for our travel day home tomorrow. Personal suitcases are packed, checked bins are taped up, and we’re all set! 

Please say a prayer for safe travels tomorrow. While we’re sad to be leaving, we can’t wait to tell friends and family back home about all that God has done this week. His faithfulness abounds. *Travel updates will be posted tomorrow as I’m able to share*