Reflection

What a week! What a day! At the end of every Mission Experience, we take our team away for a day of reflection. It’s really important that we give team members the time and space to process all that they witnessed this week. We saw God do miracles. We saw lives transformed. We saw His hand at work.

Before we left on our adventure, we had breakfast on the rooftop. Gathered around the table in our bathing suits and coverups, we enjoyed banana pancakes, creole bread, bacon, sausage, hard boiled eggs with salsa, fruit, and papaya juice. We ate fairly quickly so we could get on the road! The only thing the team knew going into today was that we’d be going to the beach and that there would be a pool. This morning at breakfast, we revealed that we’d be going south to Placencia. Beyond that, everything was a surprise!

We loaded into the van and took off towards Placencia around 8am. We had about an hour and a half in the car before we reached the point in Placencia. We enjoyed conversation and all of the beautiful view on the way down. When we reached Placencia, we met a man (the self declared Reggae King) who wanted to sing us his song about Belize. We stood around and listened for a few minutes before making our way to the boardwalk for some souvenir shopping. We walked just about half a mile down the boardwalk to visit a few shops. We enjoyed looking at all of the beautiful buildings and flowers with the occasional peek through to the sea! Our team really enjoyed this time to shop and explore a new area. We got back in the van to head to Placencia Beach Club for the day, and it was just perfect!

When we arrived at Placencia Beach Club, we started with group photos before putting on sunscreen and enjoying the beach and pool. We got there right at 11am, so the team was ready to start ordering lunch almost immediately. We took turns swimming up to the bar to order lunch. We each had an allotted amount to spend throughout the day. Everyone really enjoyed getting to order smoothies, sodas, and food! The nachos were a pretty popular item along with the fish burger. Everything was so good! Placencia Beach Club is right next door to one of our favorite coffee shops in Belize, Chillpoint. It was so nice to be able to walk over and get coffee, ice cream, and treats throughout the day. 

About halfway through our day at PBC, we stopped to have “church” in the pool. We gathered in a circle, sang Amazing Grace, and went around to share about how this week has impacted us. We also took a moment to speak the names of the people we served out loud so we could pray for them collectively. At the end of our time in the water, we opened it up for anyone who might be feeling called to get baptized. Chase, Kat, and Shelby all decided to publicly proclaim the transformation they’ve experienced through baptism. It was such a time of celebration and joy. We were so excited to stand with them in the water and be a part of this next step of faith for them. 

After baptisms, we had more time to swim, order food, and visit the coffee shop. We really enjoyed the time we got to spend together as a team today. We ended the day at PBC with cornhole and a few last minute group photos. Around 5pm, we got back on the bus and started making our way back towards Pomona. Our team knew we were stopping for dinner but had no clue what it would be like. We arrived at Maya Heights and switched into their bus to be driven to the top of the mountain. When  we walked in, they had a table set up with 24 seats just for us. 

At Maya Heights, it’s impossible to ignore the beautiful view that being at 500 feet in elevation gives you. We walked out and immediately started taking group photos and photos with friends. Once the sun went down, we came inside to sit down for dinner. We had previously arranged this beautiful dinner. We had stew chicken, vegetable rice, mashed potatoes, and garden salad. We were also allowed to choose any soda or lime juice to drink AND everyone got a slice of cheesecake for dessert. We felt like royalty and had the best service! It was so nice to sit together for one last meal at the dinner table. There was so much laughter and joy as we reminisced on the memories we shared this week. 

We took the bus back down the mountain to our van so we could head back to the hotel. Once we got back, we met in the lobby for a few housekeeping things before packing all of our bags for an early departure tomorrow morning.

As the evening came to a close, we’re reminded why this day matters so much. Reflection Day isn’t just a fun way to end the week, it’s sacred space. It’s a pause, a breath, a chance to soak in all that God has done before we re-enter our everyday lives. Today wasn’t about a beach club or a nice dinner. It was about marking the moment — the transformation, the unity, the joy, and the calling we each carry home with us. We’re leaving with full hearts, changed lives, and a deeper understanding of what it means to live on mission. And we’re so grateful.

Thank you, Jesus, for the most amazing week with the most incredible team. Please pray for safety as we travel tomorrow. We’ll keep the blog updated throughout the day as we are able.