All for His Glory

Wow. How are we here already? Today was our last day of programming here in Belize and it’s mind blowing how quickly this week flew by. We’ve seen women take steps of faith. We’ve seen boys learn what it means to stand together and learn what it means to follow Jesus. We’ve seen girls discover their purpose and find sisterhood. We’ve seen kids discover God as their King, Shepherd, Defender, and Provider. We’ve seen lives changed. And we’re not finished yet. Tomorrow we have our Night of Worship. We’ll return to holy ground once again and expect God to move. Will you pray that the Spirit of God will rest in that place? Will you pray that lives will be changed? 

Today started like every other day with breakfast on the rooftop. We had Johnny cakes, eggs, sausage, beans, watermelon, cantaloupe, and juice. We enjoyed sweet fellowship over breakfast before separating for quiet time. After quiet time, we gathered the bins and loaded the bus. Since today was our last day of camp, we had a few extra bins with us today that were full of surprises. On our way out, we saw a giant lizard in front of the hotel. We all stopped to admire him before jumping on to the bus. When we got to the school, there were already kids waiting for us, and we were an hour early! Their excitement to be there brings us so much joy.

As soon as we got everything set up for the last day of camp, Estellyn was back with a bus full of kids! We welcomed them with open arms, played volleyball in the school yard, and took photos together. A few of our team members found the tiniest little cat that was very malnourished. We named her “Macaroni” after the Macaroni Hills that surround us here in Pomona. James and Samantha were able to get some water and soften some goldfish to feed her. She followed us around all day long — even during the afternoon programs. We love her and she loves us. 🙂

Our last day of camp flew by. As we were dancing and singing during the opening today, tears filled my eyes. I’m in awe of the God we serve. That He would call us to this place and give us these beautiful relationships. Hearing the kids sing the songs at the top of their lungs was such a beautiful reminder of the impact we have here. God is at work in Pomona, and He has been for years. 28:19 Ministries was founded in 2019, but we’ve been in Belize since 2012. The work we get to do is built on the foundation of years and years of investment and care. 

Today’s Bible point was “God is my Provider. He keeps His promises.” the Bible point was reinforced in every station throughout the morning. In the Exploration Station, the squads split into groups of 2-3 and read a Bible story and had to draw the story in chalk on the sidewalk. By the end of the day, the sidewalk was filled with colorful chalk drawings that showcased God’s faithfulness. In Fun and Games, they had a relay race where the kids had to fill buckets of water by soaking a sponge and squeezing it out. As I watched them run back and forth, I couldn’t help but notice the most beautiful fluffy clouds that filled the sky. After a week of dark and cloudy days, seeing the sunshine on the last day of camp felt like such a gift. In Hydration Station, we had a special surprise for all of the kids. They each got their own t-shirt with the camp logo on it. This gift to them was only possible because of an incredible donation from World Help in Lynchburg, Virginia. They donated all of the t-shirts, and we’re so grateful.

At the end of camp, we couldn’t just let the kids run onto the bus, so we decided to invite all of them back into the big room for one last time to worship together. We gathered and sang “Ask Seek Knock” which was easily the favorite amongst the team. As I was walking around camp today, I heard the little girls singing it to themselves. Even I’ve had it stuck in my head the last few days! After the song, we had some hidden confetti poppers go off. It was a sweet celebration. Before heading outside for a group photo, we handed out drawstring bags with little toys and treats to every kid. These bags were so kindly donated by a team member’s coworker just days before we left Virginia. Once every kid had a backpack, we walked outside for a big group photo before saying “See You Later”. This week at camp has surpassed our expectations. We’re so in awe of how this team stepped up and stepped in to every role with joy and confidence. This week wouldn’t have been possible without their “yes”. 

Before we knew it, the kids were getting on the bus to head home. Camp is officially over. We spent a little bit of time getting the school back in order. We removed all of our decorations, swept, and moved all of the desks back into place. St. Matthew’s has been such a gift to our ministry, especially on weeks like this. 

We went back to the hotel for lunch and had delicious chicken fajita burritos, salad, and cinnamon rolls. The cinnamon rolls were SUCH a hit amongst our team that they requested to have them again. Haha! 

After lunch, we headed out for our last afternoon of programming with the women, teen boys, and teen girls. 

In Sister Squad, the girls learned “I am Loved”. They did their devo and read a testimony from a girl in the States. They also had the opportunity to write notes to one another and put them in their “mailbox” on the wall. Each girl walked away from today with a few encouraging notes to hold onto. After all of this, they got to have a big party together! Imagine purple, heart shaped sunglasses, and a ton of candy! They also got a t-shirt that says “Sister Squad” that they all put on.

In Warriors, they learned to “Stand Out”. They had a lot of great time letting out some of their energy with multiple rounds of capture the flag. They spent time in their devos, reading them and talking through the questions. I love that we have intentional programming in place for these boys. They have shown up with every ounce they have left every single day. They’re poured out in order for these guys to experience Jesus. They got a new dog tag to add to their necklace and a fire pin to remind them of all they learned this week. 

At Activate Conference, the women focused on “I can have life”. The last day of the conference was back up at the rooftop of the hotel. We had some of the boys on our team help us hang our beautiful banners up so it would feel extra special for them. The women have been encouraged all week to take a step. To activate. To move. To follow Jesus. Today, we saw women praying together and responding with action. The women received a necklace with a mustard seed in it to remind them that all they need is faith the size of a mustard seed.

This day FLEW by! Our afternoon programs were overflowing with people. God is so good. 

We cleaned up all of our spaces and put things back how we found them. We worked as a team and got everything done so quickly! When we got back to the hotel, we freshened up and grabbed a bin of slippers (sandals, flip flops) to take back to the village. Something that’s so unique about our Mission Experience is that we stay in the community we serve in. We don’t retreat to a hotel miles and miles away or a tucked away place, we stay right here in the village. The families in this village have known us since 2012. The kids we seeing at camp now? We had their parents at camp all those years ago. There’s a legacy here. There’s trust built here. 

The bin of slippers we took back was limited in quantity and sizes because they were all donations. But we had the cutest flip flops, sandals, and crocs. We let everyone try on shoes that looked like their size, and they got to keep them if they fit! We also had a box full of chips to hand out, and the kids loved it. We played and had precious conversations with our friends. We spent about 30 minutes back in the village before needing to head back for dinner. 

Our dinner was so delicious — white rice, split peas and noodles, fried plantain, pork, salad, chocolate chip muffins, and strawberry juice. It filled us and fueled us before we headed into team worship.

Team worship was so sweet tonight. We had a few additional guests — Hez, Diana, Izzy, Kim, Edgar, and Annamay. When we first arrived, Chase got up and shared about a gift he organized for Amy. He had the idea to get every kid at camp to sign a poster for Amy. She teared up seeing the names of so many kids we know and love in one place. We took time to worship and hear from Amy. Then, every member of our team took a turn to testify. We shared what we’re leaving behind (insecurity, worry, being comfortable, etc.) and what we’re taking home (trust, being uncomfortable, etc.) It was a great time of opening up to one another, and it gave us an opportunity to step up and support one another. We ended our time together in prayer, giving thanks to God and lifting up the worship night tomorrow night.

We had a jam packed day filled with with incredible opportunities to glorify God. It’s all for His glory.