Final Blog 2018

My heart is full since our group returned from Belize early Easter Sunday morning!  This year seventeen grade 11 and 12 students, along with 6 chaperones served on our school’s thirteenth trip to Belize.  It’s amazing how God has used Youth With A Mission (YWAM) Roaring Creek to teach us part of what it means to serve him in other parts of the world and grow us all as Jesus’ disciples.  Mr. Bonk does an incredible job preparing the kids to serve and inviting students into Jesus way.  This is not a missions trip , yet we also prepare students by introducing them to the ideas in Helping Without Hurting in Short-Term Missions.  Access to this short video series by emailing Pastor Layne.

The trip may be summed up best by Jesus words:
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:26-28
 
We had lots of fun in Belize zip lining, cave tubing, swimming with nurse sharks and stingrays.  Yet the main purpose of our trip is to help students learn by supporting local missionaries.  We partnered on three projects:  
Started building some additional bathrooms at YWAM Roaring Creek
Facilitated a fun day for the students at Raymond Shepherd Nazarene School (Grade K - 8) in Roaring Creek
Lead a Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Persevering Grace Church in Georgeville

Projects 2 and 3 were lead primarily by our amazing students!

At the close of each day, a group of students take turns leading prepared devotions on a particular type of poverty.  After singing and discussion, students given time to journal about the devotion and their day.  The journal reflects the value of their learning.  Below is a list highlighting some of the students learning.  Some entries have been adjusted to give more clarity and no names are given to maintain anonymity.  Enjoy reading some of what God is doing in our students through this service trip to Belize!
The Belizian kids  may be materially poor but they are rich in is making the most of what they have - I’d like to be better at that!
I think as much as we have been a blessing to Belize, they have been a blessing to us as well. Belize has helped me strengthen my relationship with God and overcome the pain in my life.
We gave the kids dental floss and they wanted to share with me - I want to be more selfless and giving when I get home!
I learned a lot more about others in our group - when I get home I want to learn more about people’s stories before I make harsh judgments about them.
Sometimes things run completely different in another country but things still work well and get done.
After the emotional poverty devotional I learned that my problems are a lot easier to go through if I talk about them with others, I’d like to open up more
When this trip began I felt like an outsider in our group but realized I’m not.
At first I was not comfortable leading devotions and being the person in charge, however, being with this group from over the past number of days has allowed me to get to know some of people better and take away some of my introvertedness.
The staff and boys at YWAM brought out the best in the team and I’m glad I got to see that more than anything!
Because my family isn’t that open and doesn’t seem to talk that much, It was a challenge to be open with those in my cabin and during devotions. I did it though and I think that will help me be more open to others when I get back to school
Belizians don’t seem to plan as much as we do back home.  I learned that it’s okay not to know what’s going to happen and hope for the best. If I work through it with God I’ll end up where I’m supposed to be.
The Belizian kids were amazing to be around because I know that lots of them do not have much at home but they still live with joy and happiness and it’s really motivating to see.
The devotions on the trip as well as the singing helped me get closer to God and it’s just an amazing feeling!
I went thinking I’d focus on what we have and what the Belizians don’t. What I discovered is that in many ways we are we the same, we share the inner longing and need to be loved.
I think the purpose of this trip for me was to remember how much of a blessing we can be to others and how much others around you can bless you!
Students: Ethan Bomhof, Madison Breadner, Liam Brouwer, Meredith denEngelsen, kevin Eklund, Elias Grasmeyer, Lauren Grasmeyer, Lincoln Harder, Kate Laughland, Ben Niven, Keziah Nongo, Luke Oostenbrink, Nathaniel Pawlowski, Melissa Rainbow, Madison Souster, Mason Unrau, Chantel Vanderveen
Chaperones: Mr. Bonk, Mrs. Bonk, Mr. Barthel, Ms. Monson, Bruce Brown and Pastor Layne

Day 10

Last night we had our final devotions together and closed with a very special and genuine time of sharing about our week working together. At 7:00am we packed up and headed out to Belize City on the old bus to spend a day at Caye Caulker swimming with the sharks and stingrays. What an awesome and amazing experience to spend together. The team is very tired tonight and ready for a much deserved night of rest. Tomorrow we head home! I know that the team is excited to come home but also a little sad as they would like to stay longer. When you get a chance please ask your child about their experience on this trip. Hopefully they have learned something new about themselves and what it means to serve and be a blessing to others. Tonight at supper we were blessed by a couple who saw our team interacting together around the table and were so impressed by them that they paid half of our total bill! What an amazing group of kids and chaperones living out Gods grace in Belize.

Day 9

Today we had our last day serving at YWAM on the building project and at the church with David and Dupe. Watching our tired students serve the children at the church with a smile and with energy today was a blessing. Seeing Ben wield the bubble machine as kids ran after him laughing and giggling was something to witness. Face paint, colouring, football, story time and seeing the church kids get ice cream cones and their backpacks was also a real highlight. The church and children were so grateful and happy that we spent time with them and our kids displayed Jesus love as they served. Back at the YWAM Base, the remaining boys worked hard and YWAM is hoping to get the bathrooms completed for the mini Discipleship Training School in July.  As chaperones, we are so thankful for this group of students and can’t wait to hear how they grew is love for God, neighbour and themselves tonight and in the weeks to come!

Day 8

The group at the church had another amazing day of running VBS with the group of students doubling in size to almost 80 children! The team did an outstanding job of welcoming the new faces into the group and including everyone in the activities. Seeing all the happy faces of the kids was a highlight for me and one that I will remember for awhile. Children who are so excited just to colour and draw, something we just take for granted at home but is a special activity for them. The rest of the team worked on the building project and have been able to get all the walls up about halfway.
Today we also celebrated Luke, Keven and Nathanial's birthdays with cake, ice cream and a live Reggae Band called Ripple Effect played for us during supper also during that celebration Santie & Lilliana thanked our team for coming this year as well as recognized all the years of service from the teams that have been coming from CCS over the years. It is such a blessing for us to be able to continue building this partnership with the people here in Belize and with Santie & Lilliana.
Tomorrow is our last day at the church and Lauren has all of the backpacks ready and packed for us to take with us tomorrow for the children at the church. Please continue to pray that our students continue to serve and to understand a little more about Gods amazing grace for each of us.

Preserving Grace Church 

Birthday Celebrations

Preserving Grace Church

The Wall

The Football Boys at YWAM

Day 7

Day seven has come and almost gone and it was another doozy.  Our ladies started the day by awaking at a most ridiculous hour to make their way to the local market.  They joined some resident YWAM ladies (who are reaching celebrity status with their patience and gourmet cooking) and got to see where the locals buy produce and fresh fruit.  When I got out of bed, the ladies had already returned with deliciousness all over with the highlight being a sour sop to share - can anyone tell me where to get one of these fruits in Canada?

After breakfast, our crew once again split into two groups with group one heading to Preserving Grace Church and group two staying behind to sling mortar and concrete in between big rocks.  Group one continued to work alongside groups of children as they sang songs, performed skits, and made pinwheels all in an effort to learn the story of Gideon and Rahab - stories that remind us that God is with us and always for us.

God was definitely with group two as the mortar, concrete, and big rocks began to form actual vertical walls.  Straight ones.  The crew worked hard to mix concrete and mortar by hand to keep up with the growing walls.  Overall it was a great day of progress as walls for both the male and female washrooms are starting to take shape.

Currently, our students are sorting through the massive amounts of generous donations to create over 50 backpacks for the children here in Belize.  We also purchased all the fuzzy fleece blankets from the local store alongside many other items to create 17 first aid kits for the classrooms at the Nazarene school.  

We will finish tonight with student-led devotions, worship, and journaling.  Belize continues to provide challenges in all sorts of areas but the students are tackling them head on.  They continue to impress as we move into Day 8.

Subbing in for Mr. Bonk,

Mr. Barthel

Day 6

Awesome day for our students!  We upgraded the swings at Raymond Shepherd Nazarene School; started on the bathrooms at YWAM Roaring Creek kitchen; and began a Vacation Bible School at Preserving Grace Church in Georgeville, led by Madison B, for her Senior Project.  Our group has also been enjoying the boys at YWAM and God is encouraging us to be content and have joy without some of the comforts of home.  Please keep praying that we can serve well and have eyes to see and ears to hear what God is teaching us here!

Day 5

Sunday already! Today we were able to go to church in the morning and experience church in a little different way then most of us do in our churches at home. We then were of to Xunantunich to spend some time exploring the ruins.The team really enjoyed this and Liam was even able to make it to the top of the ruins with help from his friends. After the ruins the team had a chance to buy some souvenirs and check out the little road side shops by the ruins. We then went out for supper at a local restaurant and everyone enjoyed a great meal. Tonight's devotions we had Madison, Keziah and Lincoln led us and they did such an excellent job.
Tomorrow half of our team is off to Preserving Grace Church to run Vacation Bible School. Please pray for Madison and the team as she leads in this as her Senior Project. We are expecting around 60 children and have been informed that they have never had anything run like this in their community before, so they are extremely excited about our teams arrival.
The rest of the team will begin the construction project here at the base. Please pray that all of our materials arrive. Please also pray for safety for the team as they drive back and forth each day to the church and for safety on our job site. Thanks again for all of your support and everyone on the team says a big hello.

On Our Way To Church

Xunantunich 

Day 4

Today we experienced cave tubing and zip lining in the Belizean jungle!What an amazing experience we were able to participate in together. On are way home today we were able to go and watch the youngest YWAM boys football team play a game and they won 7-0.
 Our team is doing great and are playing card games at the moment and if you were here you would here lots of laughter. We are looking forward to what Meredith, Kevin and Ethan have to share with us during our devotion time tonight. Tomorrow we will be going to church and then out to Xunanitich to see the ruins and go out for supper at a local restaurant. Continue to keep us all in your prayers.

Day 3

Today was our fun day at the school which went extremely well with everyone involved having a blast. We played baseball, volleyball, soccer, wide games, face painting, colouring and of course everyone's favorite the slip & slide. We also provided lunch for everyone which was a hearty meal of hot dogs, chips, cookie, candy and a drink. The team has been amazing and has been working and playing hard. It is so much fun watching them start to come together as a group. They are about to play a wide game tonight and then we have devotions and journal writing time. Tomorrow we are off to do some cave tubing and zipline action in the jungle. Thanks for your prayers and support.

Day 2

The morning started with fried jacks, eggs and fresh fruit and continued on with plenty of new adventures for everyone. The group spent the morning at the school with the students building relationships and learning that not everything goes according to the plans that we go in with. The afternoon was spent organizing the donations that we brought down with us, playing basketball with the boys around the YWAM base and also meeting with the Adegbami's and working out the details of next week's VBS at the church. We also ordered and picked up the supplies that we need to get started on the building project here at YWAM which will be building bathrooms on the new kitchen. We had an amazing devotion time tonight joining together with the other group that is down here at the same time as us working with the Catholic school. They are all from Salmon Arm. We spent a time singing praise songs and listening to Santie & Lilian's story of God working in their lives and their total commitment to trust in God in all things. Tomorrow is the fun day at the school which everyone is really looking forward to. 

 Good night and Blessings from all of us in  Belize.    

Day 1

Just a quick note to let you all know that we have all arrived safe and sound. We have all settled into our cabins and have had a great afternoon and evening familiarizing ourselves with where we are staying and enjoying the heat and lush green vegetation. We had a great time at devotions tonight with Madison, Chantel and  Meredith leading us. Everyone has gone back to the cabins to get some shut eye as tomorrow will bring some new adventures. Thanks for your prayers and please continue to pray for us as we work at the school and around the base tomorrow. 

Two More Sleeps

Two more sleeps to go and we are off on our twelfth school service trip to Belize! Looking forward to continuing our relationships with our friends in Belize as well as working alongside our 2018 team of students & chaperones. Remember your extra suitcase of supplies and that we need to meet at the Domestic WestJet Kiosk at 10:00 pm on Tuesday, March 20th. Stay posted for day to day Blogs about our adventures in Belize.