Sabbath Day

An important day — a day of rest and reflection. So much planning, fundraising, and effort goes into preparing for The Mission Experience. There are so many things that have to line up, forms that need to be filled out, curriculum to write, fundraising to do, heart preparation, and so much more. As soon as our feet hit the ground in Belize each year, time flies by so quickly. This week has been a whirlwind — an incredible, life-giving, joyful whirlwind of a week. It so important to take time to process our week and all that God has done.

We woke up this morning at our usual time and had breakfast on the rooftop. Pastor Lord and his team stayed at the hotel last night, so we got to have one more meal with them before they left to head home. We had tortillas, fry jacks, beans, eggs, sausage, watermelon, and orange juice. We ate a little more quickly than usual because we had to meet our boat captain by the creek at 8:30AM. We gathered our bags and loaded up the bus. We stopped at The Crossing on our way to Dangriga to pick up our lunch for the day. Miss Lavern made quesadillas and burritos for us and packed chips and cookies for us to enjoy.

When we got to Dangriga, we unloaded the bus and met Mr. Logan and his crew on the creekside. We got instructions on how to load into the boat, put on life jackets, and then we were on our way! The water was a little more choppy than normal today, so our boat ride was longer than usual. It took us about 50 minutes to get from Dangriga to Bread and Butter Caye. By the time we got there, most of us were soaking wet from how much water flew onto the boat. Let’s just say we had enough salt on our faces that we could have easily seasoned our lunch with it.

When we unloaded the boat, we got a few ground rules for the day. We had the entire island to ourselves, which was such a treat! Before we let the team loose to swim and play, Mr. Logan shared his testimony with us. Afterwards, we had two people who decided this week to get baptized! Daniela met us in 2019 when she was visiting her aunt and uncle, Annamay and Rodwell, and we were fast friends. In the past, she has worked for the hotel. This year, she joined our team and her life has transformed over the past week. She told our team today, “If you’ve doubted your purpose on this team even for a moment, I’m that purpose.” Daniela surrendered her life to Jesus this week and has taken bold steps towards growing a relationship with Him. Today, she confidently and joyfully took her next step to be baptized. Last night at the Night of Worship, the worship leader went up to her at the end of the night and said, “The Lord told me to tell you that you’ll experience great amounts of joy tomorrow.” She was blown away! This worship leader came from northern Belize and had no idea about any part of her story. God is in the details; He’s so good! After Daniela proclaimed her faith and shared her story, Megan decided that she wanted to be baptized too. She shared that this week has brought freedom she never knew she needed. Both of these ladies took a bold step today and we are so proud of them! They were each baptized in the Caribbean Sea surrounded by our team. We had a time of worship and sang “Nothing But the Blood of Jesus” and “Amazing Grace”. God is so faithful to His promises.

After baptisms, our team members were free to do whatever they wanted! Some went out snorkeling with Mr. Logan’s crew and got to see so many beautiful things! Other team members took naps, chatted in the hammocks, or swam in the water. It was the perfect day – full of sunshine and joy. We took a break for lunch around 1PM and then were right back in the water or napping. A nap in a hammock in Belize just feels different — highly recommend.

We left the caye around 3:15PM to head back to Dangriga. Once we arrived in Dangriga, we hopped off the boat into the water and walked to our van. We drove back to the hotel and saw the most beautiful scenery. Belize is so full of beauty. God’s creation here is so incredible — the hills, the clouds, the breeze.

When we arrived back at the hotel, we changed clothes and spent some time with the kids from the village. This day is always so emotional. It’s the day we have to say “See You Later” to the people we know and love. Then, before we knew it, it was time for dinner. We ate like kings tonight with lobster from Placencia, stew chicken, salad, and bread pudding. The lobster was an absolute hit amongst team members, and it was prepared so beautifully.

Since dinner, we’ve spent the evening packing our bags to prepare for our early wake up call in the morning. Tomorrow we’ll go home, but we’ll never forget what God did here this week. We saw lives transformed, people saved, sick people healed, girls find their identity in Jesus, boys learn what it looks like to be a man of God, and so much more. God is on the move here in Belize. God is on the move here in Pomona. God is on the move. This is just the beginning.

Please pray for our team tomorrow as we travel back to the States. We are sad to leave this place — God has done so much in each of us, too. 

We’ll post travel updates as we’re able tomorrow!