Mission

To go on a mission trip is to give yourself away. To let God take you and show you what he wants and let that change you as he wills. No one’s experiences, explanations, or ideas will ever prepare you for what you will encounter. People will tell you the trip is life changing; believe it. To spend an extended period of time focused on God, his will for you in that time and that place, and making Him the purpose for all you do 24/7 is what a mission trip is all about.

The astounding part of the trip for me was to just lose all the baggage – the job, the family, the stuff, the bills, the news, the responsibilities and obligations, the phone, the e-mail, all the socio-economic-political burdens. Just to be able to focus on here and now and be plain me. To be nothing more than a fellow follower of Christ on a journey to share love and service with anyone I encounter. To have the chance to get down to the common denominator of the human spirit. To abide in the place where all that matters is love and caring and fellowship. Sounds fruity, I know, but Jesus lived it and I believe He calls us to follow.

What makes this important and is how you will feel when you return. You will have accomplished more meaningful living in a few days than you have in all your years of striving through school and work. You will find that success and contentment is in your heart. Everything outside of you will have less meaning. You start to look at what’s on the inside of people. You will feel compassion for others. You will want to share yourself with others in their joy and in their sorrow. You will be delighted to give yourself away and recognize the opportunities and enjoy them.

The best part of a mission trip experience is to see God work through people and opportunities you would never expect. God is just waiting for the chance if we will give it to him. That is number one reason I would tell you to take a mission trip. Just give God the chance to use you. Step out into whatever it is that you are afraid, unsure, and unqualified to do. Watch God handle it. And again. You will never be the same.

Taking a mission trip is putting your faith where your religion is.

There is only one way to describe my experience in Belize… UNBELIZEABLE! It was the best week of my life. I went to Belize in 2008 having never been abroad, and was a young single adult a few years out of college trying to find my place in the world. I came back from this trip forever changed. I always believed in God but it was on this trip that I decided to truly dedicate and live each and everyday of my life for Jesus. The exciting part about being on this trip is that for the 8 days we are serving in Belize, we are doing EXACTLY what God wants us to be doing. Think about it, how amazing is that!

Seeing the different lifestyle and culture outside of the United States gave me a new appreciation for everything that we are blessed with and take for granted. I found out that I love interacting with children on this trip and ever since then, I have served locally and volunteered in many children’s programs and events. I loved singing the VBS songs with the children, so try to image it – we are in a small church room, with no air conditioning, the heat and humidity coming in from outside, sweat dripping off of our faces and clothes, completely exhausted, in desperate need of water, and hearing 150+ little kids screaming “Jesus You Are My Best Friend” at the top of there lungs as we are all jumping up and down and dancing. Afterwards, I never felt so TIRED and HAPPY. My heart literally felt like it weighed 50 pounds, one of the best feelings of my life.

My most memorable experience was a relationship that I built with a young girl named Kevia (8 year old). Kevia told me stories from the Bible and how she read from it everyday (To that point in time I had never really picked up the Bible outside of church). Hearing the passion and enthusiasm she had for Jesus in her voice astounded me! Her smile left a permanent mark on my heart. I kept in contact with her throughout the next year and returned to Belize in 2009 to see her. Seeing her and her family again was simply amazing. We were able to fix up her house and spend a lot of personal time with them. I originally felt like she was put in my life to motivate me to become a better person but I have realized over the past year that I am just as important, if not more to her and her family. She has said “ I am so glad that I can talk to you sometimes because you mean so much to me and my family”. I can’t wait to return to see her again on the trip in 2010!

What can I say about Belize other than it was the most moving experience God has ever allowed me to be a part of. Arriving there and heading straight to the orphanage and seeing how the children lived broke my heart, but being able to show them some love was such a great and wonderful feeling. I had too much fun playing with those kids and being to just love on them for just a little while. I was broken by the fact that God had shown me how much I cared about myself up till that point and the week had just begun.

When we finally got to Sand Hill church and met the kids, I knew I God has placed me in heaven on earth. Meeting the children for the first time I could see their excitement, which I think was not as much as mine. We played some fantastic games and I had at least 3 kids hanging on me all the time. I would not have changed a thing! There is nothing like the unconditional love a child will show you and that week I was in such need of this kind of love, once again God knew what I needed and came through in his usual quite but awesome fashion…

During the week I met one girl in particular, her name is Demetria. She clung on to me like I had never had a child do before and it was great. Then after a few days she called me her “American dad” during the after VBS sports ministry and well I nearly broke and I certainly could not keep back the tears when I told everyone about it. Even now while I write this my eyes are tearing up. That little girl and her brother needed love, I needed love and God put us together like peanut butter and jelly…

We did some fantastic stuff through Christ and had an amazing time. There are some many memories I could share and probably write a 100 page testimony, but for and each every one, it all comes back to how selfish I was in my thinking before and how when I returned that feeling has changed quite a bit. God has really touched my heart for the kids, I love them and could not think of a better way to spread his love than reaching out to the kids of my own community and you can bet no matter what my circumstances I will be in Belize come next August, showing or rather I should truly say receiving God’s love from those kids…. God has been just too good to me, he really has.

Hands down, the Belize missions trip was the most incredible thing I have ever done. When I think of the trip my thoughts drift back to time in a septic pit. At one point, I was ankle deep in muck, shoveling out the remains of new septic pit we dug just a few days before. Heavy rains caused the pit walls to cave-in. The pit would provide indoor plumbing in a brand new home we refurbished for a Belizian family living in an old, rotting, plywood shack just ten feet away. The shack looked like someone could knock it over with a swift kick yet it supported a family of five. The Father of that family got into the pit first so our construction leader and I joined him: One Belizian Dad and two American missionaries. The work was so backbreaking we had to rotate a man out every few minutes as we lifted chunks of mud out of the slimy pit with a shovel in 90 degree humidity. It was tough but what kept us going were two thoughts:

1. This family would have an indoor toilet for the first time ever – something we just expect.

2. Maybe the Belizian Dad in the pit with us would wonder why two crazy Americans would get into that muck with him and somehow cause him to consider Jesus.

This trip energized and changed me in a powerful way. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Its cliché, but Belize was a LIFE CHANGING experience for me! The work that we did for months ahead of time & the work that we did while we were there for 8 days forever changed me.

I really enjoyed the prep work that we were expected to do. I enjoy organizing events and for me, raising money and getting others involved really made our efforts worth while. You get to see first hand how your hard work ahead of time really changes other people’s lives. Seeing a family move from a run-down, almost dilapidated shack into a new home was the best experience ever. I felt like I was on the show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It was awesome to see how grateful these families were. I’ll never forget their smiles when they saw their new living conditions with indoor plumbing- things American take for granted.

The favorite story from the trip was that of the paintbrush. We were in the middle of nowhere trying to paint someone’s house and there were no paintbrushes. We were a bit unprepared and I thought our day at construction would be wasted. We did not have cell phones to call anyone and were miles away from our church base. I didn’t know how we were going to paint that day without paintbrushes. When I asked our team lead what we were going to do, his response was simply “God will provide”. My immediate thought was “yea right! God will provide a paintbrush in the middle of nowhere? It’s not like we’re next to a Lowe’s or Home Depot”. So I prayed about it and it literally felt like 2 paintbrushes fell from the sky. One of the girls walked a few miles down the road and came back an hour later with 2 paintbrushes and I could hear God saying to me “Told you I would provide!” I’ve never been in a situation where God literally dropped things from the sky and provided something from nothing.

I had 30 new family members when the trip was over. It’s amazing the sense of family you experience with your teammates. These people are the only people who can truly understand your experience and you’ll be forever bonded.

Belize changed me in many ways but it made me realize how far a dollar can go. I’m like most Americans that never realized how blessed I am. I had never experienced or seen poverty like I saw in Belize. I heard about the poverty and living conditions of 3rd world countries but never really saw it with my own two eyes. Our Belize trip gave us a truly unique experience where we were able to go into families’ homes and actually see how they live everyday life. It wasn’t a trip where we just went and did 4 days of VBS at a church and then left. We embraced the community, went into homes and made a difference in people’s lives. Therefore it was truly a life changing trip for not only me and our team members but also for the village of Sandhill, Belize. I have made the commitment that I will go back every year that I am able because I believe that God has just started his work there for Hope Community Church of Cary and that He will be doing mighty things there in the years to come.

To sum up Belize in one sentence is tough but I think Acts 1:8 sums it up: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth.” You will never experience the power of the Holy Spirit more than doing something that looks impossible (with human strength) for God. That’s what a trip to Belize is like: Doing the impossible for God and seeing Him show up, provide through miracles and therefore only Him getting the glory!

I’ve considered myself a Christian for at least thirty years of my life and believed I was listening to God and leading a life that showed it. This year I really listened to God and understood the meaning of being “born again.”

Last Christmas my daughter returned from trying to “make it” in New York City, she was very dejected and also broken hearted. Even though she was very broken, she had a list of things that she wanted to accomplish during 2009 this really struck me. The first on the list was to find a home church (we had been looking for a long time) read the Bible more and become part of something bigger than herself. I had heard of Hope Community Church and so, on Christmas Eve 2009 our family went to services, we new immediately this was where we belonged. A couple of months later, after church, Nicolette was going to a meeting for a mission trip to Belize and as we were riding together, I went along. We listened to the presentation and when we left I turned to my daughter and said “I’d love to do that!” she replied “then do it!” So my life was forever changed.

I had never been part of a team and the twenty nine people who were on the Belize crew soon became my second family. We put so much preparation into getting ready for Belize and I felt I really was getting to know these guys, I could never imagine how humbled I would be working with such dedicated group of people. Everyone worked so hard, never complained and gave God all the glory.

I have never become part of any group at the churches I’ve attended in the past, the reason being, I didn’t think I would be good enough. I didn’t have it all together and I certainly did not know the Bible, but our pastor made it clear one Sunday we are all screwed up and God loves us any way. I joined a small group Bible study in February of this year and started to read the Bible daily and learned that the Holy Spirit would be with me always, when I called on Him. Even though I’d been a Christian for a long time, I never new the power of the Holy Spirit until this year. I started calling on Him all the time and my life was changed immediately. This was such a revelation to me as I had spent my whole life struggling and never calling on the Holy Spirits wisdom.

I found myself excited about going to church for the first time and my mind was full of thoughts of God ALL the time. I was so looking forward to see how He would use me in Belize I had no idea what would happen and my total trust was in the Lord. I was worried how I would raise the money to go, but I watched God work His magic through the generosity of people, my faith was growing and my trust in God was building.

Having the opportunity to go to Belize was truly the best thing to happen to me. I met such amazing people there, the faith of the Belizean people was remarkable. Even though they were living in such poverty their faith was strong. This humbled me so much, as we have everything and more in our country and do not always have that true faith.

As I shared God’s love and the Bible stories with the children in VBS it helped me to understand how much God loves me and has my best interests at heart all the time. To see the faces of the little children as they listened and sang about God was amazing.

When the members of our team gave their testimony I was so moved. These were people who I thought I new and then they got up and spilled everything to all of us and talked about how God had transformed their lives. I instantly felt closeness to each and every one of them that only God can make happen, I knew so many of the congregation of Sand Hill could relate to these stories from us. The braveness of our team to share, I know helped the people of Belize see that we from America are like them with the same problems.

We shared a meal with a family and for me that was the event that found a place in my heart forever. This family had six beautiful children who have been through so much, however they were the most polite, sweet, children I have ever met. They lived in a tiny house with none of the basics, running water, electricity, toilets or food. We shared a meal and sang hymns to the light of a gas lantern. I had to keep reminding myself to take it all in as it seemed so far from my reality. After realizing this family had no food or water we pumped the children, full of water during VBS .One day I found some leftover food and took the six children in a room in the back of the church and they sat on a bench as I got a spoon and fed them like little birds. I pray for this family everyday and for the parents to turn to the Lord. We are communicating to them, sending them clothes and encouraging them to turn to the church community of Sandhill. We send them words from God and remind them He is the only way and that we love them.

Going to Belize changed everything in my life, I know that I was put on this earth to serve and tell people of God’s love by my example. A group of us are reading the Bible in one year, so by the time we go back next year, we will have completed this study. I have gone from never reading the Bible to reading the whole Bible in a year and loving every minute. I have learned that God is in control and when I trust and obey He provides.

Anyone who has been thinking about going on a mission trip, stop thinking and do it! Belize is a great choice as we go every year and therefore have an opportunity to build relationships with the people of Sand Hill. God is love, lets spread the love.

Hello, my name is Nicolette Moinet and I am a Developmental Therapist here in Raleigh. I joined Hope in January 2009 and felt like God was calling me to be part of something bigger than myself this year! So I decided to go on a mission trip to Belize to deepen my walk with the Lord and serve the community of Sand Hill. It was better than I could have ever imagined and absolutely life changing! Seeing God work through the families in Belize and through our team was just so raw and honest! It shed a whole new light on the idea of worship. The kids over there were so beautiful and wanted nothing more than to feel God’s love, and we got a chance to pour it out on them. I completely fell in love with so many of those gorgeous children, and hearing 150 kids yell “Jesus you are my best friend” is so humbling. Looking into the eyes of those children really helped me to experience God in an undeniable way. With our team of 29 people I always felt supported and loved and the ability to be myself, flaws and all, because they accepting me anyway. Which also taught me more about the love of Jesus. We all got really close, and have been starting up some ministries here in the States to make sure we are serving the Lord in our own community. And daily, even hourly, I find myself being humbled as to how truly blessed I am. I have found that helping any child in need, special needs or just in need of love, is the absolute reason why God put me on this earth!

Belize is a place full God’s beauty from the landscape to the lovely people. Last year I was ready to make a impact for Jesus but I was totally caught off guard by the Lord using the people especially the kids to make a strong impact on me and my life.

Last year was my first time on a missions trip, my first time taking my faith and my walk with the Lord deeper. If you have ever gone on a missions trip before you understand what I am talking about and if you haven’t gone on a missions trip it is the single best moment you can experience in your life. On a mission trip you are drawn closer to God, you are called to stand on your faith despite how long you have been walking with the Lord and you get to experience a small glimpse of heaven as you fellowship and share life with other brothers and sisters in Christ. It is funny I would never imagine myself taking such a big step but one thing I have realized about life with Jesus it is those steps or moments that strengthen and deepen your walk and your faith. Trust me if you asked me two years ago if I would ever go on a missions trip I would probably tell you the Christian answer I will pray about it knowing that I would just walk away forgetting about your crazy question. That is how I always lived my life and I think we all start out our walk with Christ blind because as a non-Christian you are blind you don’t see what God wants you to see. But if you are like me the Christian life/ Jesus keeps calling you so you check out a church service or camp or something like that. I still remember the day I went to Christian camp it really was by accident that is because I went only to work with my Gramps who as a young man he was my hero and still is. So I just wanted to work with him and do what he did so that summer my Gramps was working in the maintenance department at this camp called Word of Life. His job was cutting grass with a big tractor and my job was cutting the grass where he couldn’t get with a push mower and a weed eater. All during that summer as I worked I watched truck loads of kids come in to this camp and come out different, right there is when I heard Jesus the loudest in my life call me to check out what these kids were experiencing. So the next summer I came back but this time on staff meaning I still worked with my Gramps but I stayed on the grounds with other staffers as well as take part in all of the activities the campers experienced. I still remember that year we had so many campers that we had to have our regular evening and morning service with the campers in this big white tent. One night the evening service was different it seem like it was designed to speak right to me from the music to right down to the sermon. The moment came that the pastor did an alter call at that very moment it was like someone was carrying me to the alter there I broke down. Just like in Luke 18 with the story of the blind man Jesus reached out and open my eyes for the first time and how I would love to say that my story ends there. My eyes might have been open for the first time but I was still blind because unlike the blind man in Luke 18 my faith, my trust in Jesus didn’t come first before my healing. I was wanting to be healed first and then afterwards I would maybe develop my faith and my trust in Jesus later. So the opening my eyes was temporary because my faith, my trust in Jesus needed to come first before I experience true healing. So that all happened in the summer of 1998 the next twelve years were full of character building, faith making, and trust in Jesus strengthening moments. Sure there were great victories of Jesus conquering more of my life and my faith was becoming strong as well as my trust in Jesus but I was still blind. Once again one of those moments I can’t forget happened when I was listening and watching my dear friend Steve tell me about his time on a mission trip to Belize. I remember walking away saying God I want to experience that, I want to experience what it is like to truly live for you. In that moment God saw that my faith came first and that I wasn’t asking to be healed first but I was asking to experience him in real tangible way. So just like the blind man in Luke 18 I truly received my sight and what was the first thing I saw it was Jesus. I saw a relationship with him like I had never knew and the months that followed from that moment was just like the summers with my Gramps. Meaning what Jesus was doing, I was doing and where Jesus went I went which led me to that decision that like I said truly changed everything from my walk, my faith and how I lived life. So the day came when I would step out and go to Belize, I still remember all the thoughts, fears that consume me from I don’t have anything to offer to I just started really living for Jesus everyone is going see that etc. These thoughts, the fears stayed with me until the moment I got on the plane the only thing driving me was this new found faith and my new found trust in Jesus. And how our God is so faithful because just in the first couple of hours I was so reassured that this was all God’s plan and I started to see that God had something for me not only to offer but to learn. God showed me in Belize that I had two major things to offer a big heart and a love for kids, he showed me this at the orphanage the first place we served and went to with in hours of landing in Belize. The orphanage was the saddest place I have been to and God broke my heart as I watch the number of kids that lived in this small orphanage pour out as we showed up. Then to see the conditions where they lived and played you would think these kids would be sad but that wasn’t the case they were the happiest kids I have seen. Oh how these kids loved on us, it was infectious it was then when God show me through these kids a picture of our relationship with Him. We live in a broken, sinful world and we are just like one of those kids we are happy, overjoyed, would love to have someone come to love on us, spend time with us etc. So throughout that week in Belize I was not only loved on by our great God and the people of Sandhill but my faith was deepen and my relationship with Jesus was forever changed. So if you get nothing else out of my story please get this that there is a God and He is calling you, waiting for you so turn to him and follow Him no matter if that means serving in your local church, reaching out to someone in community or going on a missions trip. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as you are following Jesus because God has a awesome plan for us all. That plan may or may not include a missions trip but just get out there become like the blind man in Luke 18 and follow Jesus no matter what the cost.

I am a 42 year old husband, father of 3 and district sales manager. I have been a Christian for 18 years but I really never stepped out of my comfort zone to experience serving God and his children.

After attending Hope Community Church for 4 years, I kept hearing about all these different mission trips but I really didn’t know if that was for me. There was something on my heart that told me to investigate closer. I met with the group going to Belize and realized they were regular people just like me who felt called to help others. I made the commitment to go and it has forever changed my life. I didn’t know what to expect but I decided to let God lead me and use me for His glory. We spent a week in Belize in a number of different ministries but the ones that impacted me the most were the vacation bible school we held and the visits to the orphanage. By the last day of the VBS, there were over 140 local Belizean children in attendance. These beautiful children just wanted to have someone to play with and care about them. We played games, sang songs, danced around like maniacs and just loved on those incredible kids. One of the coolest things to see is the change going on within the people who go on the trip. All of the faces seem nervous and unsure what to expect on the first day but by the end are absolutely lit up with joy and a desire to do more. I got more out of it than I ever thought possible. It really opened my heart to be a better man and a better servant to those around me, whether in Belize or here.

I now find myself constantly thinking about our next trip when I can renew and grow the relationships that have developed with the people there. I will be bringing my 13 year old daughter with me for her first experience on a mission trip. I believe it will change her outlook on life and the things that are really important as it did mine.

I have now been on 2 mission trips to Belize and have started to serve in other areas of our church. I have made some incredible, life long friends that I may have never otherwise met. This experience has led me to a small group of men that I meet with regularly to study more about my faith and walk with God. There are no words to express what these trips have meant to me but my heart has been opened and my drive to serve others has increased greatly.

If you are considering a mission trip, step out on faith and know that God will accomplish great things through your willing heart. I hope to see you on the next trip.

What happens in Belize does NOT stay in Belize! It stays with YOU wherever you go! You wear it inwardly on your heart and outwardly on your sleeve. And everybody knows something is different about you so you can’t help but share!

I am a 50 year old ‘girly girl’ from Boston, Massachusetts who likes her mani’s and pedi’s, spa treatments, massages and bubble baths not to mention the jewelry, makeup, clothes, shoes and purses!! I didn’t think I could sacrifice any of this for anybody but little did I know my life was soon to change in a huge way! I was probably the ‘least likely’ to have gone outside my comfort zone on a missions trip to anywhere! including Sandhills, Belize Central America.

A dear friend of mine went on the Belize trip shortly after I introducted her to Hope in 2009. It was her first mission trip. Her & her daughter took the trip together. Leading up to the trip itself I saw the excitement in her eyes and in her heart. She kept asking me to go and I kept telling her there was no way I could do something like that. Besides, I’m not cut out to “camp”! I just met Jesus recently. I just started reading the bible. I don’t even know all the basic bible stories. I’ve never prayed out loud. What could I possibly offer? I am not ‘missionary’ material! So, I supported her financially and prayerfully and sent her on her way! (This was GOD planting seeds)

When she returned safe and healthy from the trip you could SEE the positive change in her. She was gleaming! It was in her eyes, in her voice but mostly in her spirit. God transformed her. She was a changed woman forever!

Now I was intrigued….Needless to say, I went on the trip last year, August 2010 (and btw, she and her daughter went back too!)

When you go on this mission trip to Belize it will change your life, as it has mine. The people in the village of Sandhills will impact your life more than you impact theirs! I know because it happened to me. I bonded particularly with the woman of the village. Remember when I was wondering what I could offer? Well, after all, I am an artsy/crafty type person so I felt called to lead a woman’s craft ministry! Atleast I could do that, right! I can not tell you the special bonds I made with these ladies. Everyday brought a special memory but my most favorite was the day we literally washed the woman’s feet (JOHN 13). What a humbling experience! Then we painted their toenails and decorated them with polka dots! Fun stuff! My new BFF, Stephanie, wouldn’t let anybody else wash her feet. She waited, very patiently, for over an hour for me to do it! That meant more to me than it did to her, I am sure!

A life changing event for me was when Jennifer, a Mother of 6, accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior because I listened to her story. That’s all I did. I did NOT quote scripture. GOD put me in her path. I listened to her story. I did not judge. We bonded. She trusted me. She accepted! Please ask me about Jennifer’s story sometime! I love to share it with others.

In Belize I built some of the most precious & meaningful relationships with, not only the woman of Sandhills, but with the team members!

I’ve worked with a lot of so called ‘teams’ in my career but I’ve never worked with or felt a part of a team of people so heartfelt, so dedicated, so warm and passionate about serving and doing for others. This team works for his kingdom and it SHOWS!

I learned that missions is about relationships and you certainty don’t have to be PERFECT to have a relationship. I truly believe that the fact I am not and don’t pretend to be is the reason I bonded so well with these woman of little confidence.

How did Belize change my life? I am still that ‘girly girl’ I talked about earlier but on a much different level these days. God gave me the confidence to go outside my comfort zone and help others who, by the way, are so grateful with so little. They taught me so much about living with less and loving Jesus unconditionally just as he loves us!

I feel GOD pulling my heart strings to lead a bible study in Belize this year. I feel led to help these women feel accepted in the church and life in general. I am so excited to be going this year (2011)! If you feel a ‘tug’ please join us! You will not regret it!

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

This trip was a response to the charge for us as Christians to carry the message of salvation and hope to the ends of the earth, in this case Belize. Hope is one of the three main essentials of Christian character. It is united with faith and love and is essential to our walk with God. Our God is a God of hope, and He is alive and well in Belize.

A trip of a lifetime would be an understatement. It was a trip that changed me for a lifetime, and for that opportunity I am forever grateful. I had been feeling the call on my heart to go on a mission trip, and I knew it was in God’s plan for me. There were several opportunities available through our church, but Belize was where God wanted me to go. It was a sheer testament to me that if your desires are in alignment with His will, amazing things will happen.

There was an outpouring of love and a strange sense of home from the moment we arrived in Belize. The faces of the children at the orphanage to the faces of the Sandhill community, looked at us with such expectation and love as soon as they greeted us. It was obvious to me that they knew amazing things were going to happen during our trip. They had seen the fruits of God’s labor in prior years with the Hope team, and they new our team would do it again. God certainly delivered! It was week of walking in faith and complete dependence on our Creator that I have never experienced in any other situation in my life.

The wonderful experiences of working to provide the Sandhill community with vacation bible school, a new home, an updated home, a home-cooked meal, a carnival and provisions, changed lives forever. Through those acts of service we were able to show God’s abundant and merciful love to all those that experienced His bounty. I can tell you that I received far more from the people we served than they did from us. They provided us the opportunity to lean on our God for everything we did. In a world that does not have the amenities that we are accustomed, we learned truly that everything is a gift from Above. Only with Him did the impossible seem possible, where there was no way He made a way, each and every time. This was not once or twice, but every hour of everyday. Our God was so faithful and gracious in His provisions, that He enabled us to carry-out His mission and charge.

I would leave tomorrow if there was an opportunity. My teammates on the trip will always be special friends of mine with a tremendous love for one another rooted in Christ. The experience of seeing children with no shoes, families with no food or running water, still finding hope in Jesus Christ brought me to my knees. It was amazing to me that in a life of poverty and a lack of opportunity these people still had hope. That is truly an inspiration. The veil was lifted from my eyes, during that week I could see the work and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit louder and stronger than I ever had before. In every situation, I could feel His sweet presence of nurture and love.

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Our God truly is an awesome God and He created us for His divine purpose. I cannot imagine any better opportunity than to serve Him in Belize. There is no greater experience than to disconnect from life as you know it and serve God openly and abundantly.

Belize, Central America. I had never heard of it until last October during global hope. It’s a country that is both breathtakingly beautiful and sadly forlorn and poor. But the people we met were warm, hospitable, with an unshakeable love for their family, country and God.

I’ve always heard that a mission trip is life changing. Those words are so very true. We spent two days visiting and loving the orphans, wanting to just tuck them away in our suitcases. Seeing their smiles just melted my heart. How can you not be affected by their plight.

Four days we taught VBS. This was one of the highlights of my trip. VBS was the biggest and best thing in the village. The children clamored on the bus three and four to a seat to come learn about The Super Hero’s and sing at the top of their/our lungs. I had a little nine year old girl timidly come in on Monday and cling to me for four days. She never talked, just held onto me and watch. I honestly didn’t think she could talk. Our last day of VBS we were dancing and singing as loud as we could, but Michelle not a word. I took her hands and did the hand signals with her saying “Jesus is my best friend”. She then reached up for me and repeated those exact words. THAT WAS LIFE CHANGING!!!! That moment is stamped within me forever. What a powerful testimony and to know that a group of 29 zany people really could and did impact the tender young. I can’t wait to see what God has for us next year.

Twenty nine people started this mission trip as strangers and ended it as family. The trip to Belize was awe inspiring and so hard to put into words. Hearing testimonies from the Belizeans and my fellow teammates was humbling. Being part of a team to show and teach others of God’s love for each of us is priceless.

Please come join us next. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

The idea that someone who has no possessions whatsoever, but can be spiritually richer than someone who has every luxury known to mankind is an idea that fascinates me. Before traveling to Belize for a mission trip, I expected to help all of the Belizeans in need and to have sympathy for them because of their extreme poverty. I also thought that I would feel guilty for how much I have in comparison to how little they have. However, after a few days of building relationships with the Belizeans, I realized that they are more content with their lives than the majority of Americans are. I found this fascinating because it is the polar opposite of what I had expected. This principle allowed me to come to the conclusion that unfortunately, Americans are completely wrapped up in the aspects of life that are not important and the aspects that are essential to life are continually overlooked or downplayed such as family, friends, church, and the peace of mind.