Day 1- Getting in the Groove

Hello all!

Just wanted to say a quick thank you for the comments that people left... we really appreciate all of the support and prayer that we are getting!

7:30 a.m. came quickly this morning but everyone, although tired after our long (3 hour) bus ride yesterday from the airport to the beautiful hotel, arrived on the dock where the tables were set for breakfast and the smell of coffee began to wake everyone up. After breakfast, everyone loaded up onto the buses that took us on a 30 minute ride to the village and school where we worked. Once we arrived, the medical, construction and children's teams took some team pictures and then split up to begin their days.

The medical team set up their supplies in the clinic while lines of patients began to form outside while the childrens team got their supplies ready to use and the construction team got to work building.

It was a busy day- basically as soon as we stepped off the bus we were surrounded by a sea of children, hugging us, asking us to take their picture, and hanging on our arms. It's funny because as the mission team, I feel like we see ourselves as the "love-bearers" to these kids, but to be honest, I think they showed us just as much love (if not more) as we showed them. I don't think I saw a single kid frown the entire day, or a single one (unlike some us us, myself included) complain about the heat. They were just happy to see us, happy that we were here to see them. They kept running around saying "Miss, miss!" with the biggest smiles you'd ever seen.

As the day came to an end and the children began to get on the buses to go home, swarms of children ran up to us and asked us if they would see us tomorrow. With a smile, we were able to reply "yes" and as a result got to see their faces light up once again. Never have we seen so much joy in children who have so little-- a true indicator of how the love of Christ can truly make someone genuinly happy.

We are anxious to see what all God has in store for this trip, as much as we have to teach them as they have to show us. We'll blog again as soon as we can to keep all of you updated on God's work here in Belize.