Belize / Fall 2023

Belize Outreach Thursday, November 23rd

Happy Thanksgiving from Belize. The 2023 Belize Team acknowledges the many prayers and encouragement from the fellowship of believers, before, during, and as we return home. Thank you for partnering in mission to the Glory of God.

Lives have been helped physically through the dental clinic. More importantly, our hope is that lives, including ours, have been forever changed by the goodness of God (Romans 2:4).

We praised God for many specific prayer requests that were answered this week. One in particular was answered today. We had been wanting to meet up with a certain boy to pray over him but had not been in contact yet. Today, as we were driving through town for something else, we bumped into someone who knew him and were directed to his house. We prayed over him then and there and he also joined us for evening worship! We praise God for being attentive to the prayers of His people.

On behalf of the 2023 Belize Team, it has been an honor to serve the King.

"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

By Martin

Belize Outreach Wednesday November 22nd

We were challenged at morning devotions to remain connected to the vine. Without Jesus we can do nothing! And with Him, the branches are extensive.

The community team spent the day doing school presentations on nutrition, dental health and the gospel. We enjoyed meeting the kids and chatting during their snack break as well as interacting during the presentations. Each teacher was prayed for. At the end of the presentation, we passed out Bibles to everyone and they thought this was the best part! We did, too.

Building relationships is the most important part of what we do as we hope and trust it will have eternal effects. So later that afternoon the newer members of the community team spent time with a local boy building relationship with him as he is new to the “VBC family of Belizean kids.” Jill, Steve and Kim, the longtime veterans of our team, have been hearing requests from their Belize “kids” (now adults!) and have been praying about how to meet those requests in a way that isn’t enabling them or causing them to praise man, but rather empowers them and points them to God. It’s a big task to do in only two weeks especially when you have a full schedule at the clinic and community outreach. So today, Jill, Kim, and Steve freed up their schedules to meet with a local pastor to discuss the Belizean needs that have been brought to their attention. They also took time the past few days to sit down one on one with many of these “kids” guiding and counseling them; pouring into them and reminding them that they have a good Father and Savior who wants to help them.

The clinic once again had a full house today! While the dental team is doing incredible work, it is not easy. Today, we’re going to share some of the harder parts of their job. Halfway through the day, the electricity went out at the clinic. At home you might just shut down operations and reschedule your patients, but when you’re only here for two weeks, you want to be able see everyone you can. So the dental team stayed at the clinic in the stifling heat waiting for the power to come back. Two hours later it did, and the team worked until 6:30pm seeing patients. In the course of the day, a child needed a tooth procedure that required a bit of work- while the dentist knew this is what was needed for the health of the patient, the child was screaming. It is really hard to sit right next to a screaming child - knowing you are helping but seeing the hurt/fear they are experiencing in the moment. Another difficulty they experience on a regular basis is having to turn people away. We wish we could help everyone. Today they had to turn away an entire group of individuals that arrived by bus.

God is doing amazing things here in the local church and in the lives of our Belizean friends. Join us in praying big prayers for them- that they we see God and seek God and experience His power, love and grace in their lives.

By Meghan

Belize Outreach Tuesday, November 21st

For the adventurous members of team VBC, kayaking at sunrise kickstarted the day.

A verse quoted by our youngest team member gave us our charge for the day. Proverbs 3:5-6 encouraged us to trust the Lord wherever He may lead us. After breakfast, we were treated to a Mayan experience tour. It was nice spending time bonding with our team.

This evening we shared in food and fellowship at a local pastor’s home. I get the feeling that relationships matter to God.

Yesterday, the VBC Community Outreach team partnered with a local church and their homeless ministry. It was humbling to serve alongside our Belizean brothers and sisters. Songs and scripture, spiritual food, were provided along with breakfast and lunch meals. Lennox, who grew up in Belize, shared his experience of leaving Belize at the age of 17. This drew interest as to his faith and how he could trust God at that time. One of the men who had talked with Lennox was walking by our hotel near worship time and joined us. I think our individual stories, although unique, point us to God.

The dental clinic ran steadily from around 9-5:30p. Dental cleanings, oral hygiene instruction, restorations, and palliative care such as extractions were provided. It was a team effort and Dr. Chew acknowledged the effort of the youth.

The evening concluded with an answer to prayer in seeing many of our Belizean friends joining us in worship and games.

By Meghan and Marty

Belize Outreach Sunday, November 19th

Our day started before dawn with the celebration of the Garifuna holiday. The town did a reenactment of when the Garifuna people first came to Belize from Africa, complete with a parade and lots of lovely drums.

Our team then went to church at The Full Gospel Church of God. It was an outdoor service where the pastor spoke about forward vision - don’t look back when God calls you to something. Move forward in full obedience! The worship leader closed us in prayer saying, “Thank you for life. May we use it for your glory.” Amen!

The community service team spent the afternoon with a couple members of the church delivering meals to impoverished families in the community. Our Belizian brothers and sisters make and deliver 20 meals every Sunday! The thing that struck us most was that the lady making the food for distribution was impoverished by American standards. And yet out of her own money, she bought and cooked food to give to those even less fortunate. We prayed with every family we delivered food to and passed out 20 Bibles as well.

Steve Chew, who has gone on several international missions, including 15 trips to Belize, said these very inclusive words: “In many of the places I’ve served, it’s more of an “us serving them.” Here in Belize it’s like helping our brothers and sisters.” That tied into what Andrew shared in our evening devotion where he reflected on Exodus 4, where God answered the Israelites cry for rescue by sending Moses. Please continue to pray that we would listen to God with humility and fear of the Lord.

By Kim Chew

Belize Outreach Saturday, November 18th

Today was the first day of service with our second week team! Although we were still awaiting arrival of 8 more team members, we got a lot accomplished. Our sunny day started with Steve’s devotion where he challenged us with the words of Matthew 28 - Jesus’ Great Commission.

The community team started their work at a local church helping their youth clean the building. Every Saturday the youth group spends about 4 hours cleaning their place of worship. It was a blessing to see their willingness to serve their faith family in this way. A younger boy who attends the church and lives nextdoor to our hotel asked if we could give him a ride to the church so he could participate, too. He worked hard and as jobs finished continued to ask what do we do now? If no one gave him a quick response he just picked up the nearest cleaning tool and got to work. It was a blessing and challenge to see the work ethic of the youth.

The dental clinic ran steadily from 9am to 5pm and hopefully we were able to help some individuals. Part of our first day experience which made it special was that our assistant Josephine has been associated with VBC for 15 years. She was recently asked to help at the clinic and when asked why, she relayed that when she was 5 years old she spent time with the VBC team. She fondly remembers going to the sea and having ice cream. She said that the VBC family loved kids. She recalled Melinda wanting to hold her as a 5 year old child. Next year she plans to enter a nursing program at UB.

And Jesus said to the, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-29

Belize Outreach Wednesday, November 15th

This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it! We woke up to a beautiful morning, ate yet another wonderful breakfast, Jeff and Shawna shared a devo from the Word, and we set out for a Mayan Experience to learn more about the indigenous people of Belize. The location was about 45 minutes from town and when Steve asked directions and asked how to find the place they simply told him it’s down the main highway and they will keep an eye out for us. With those precise directions, we made it and were greeted by our friendly Mayan hosts! They explained how they only use things that come from the earth and don’t let anything go to waste. Then, we go to help prepare out traditional Mayan lunch together. They explained all of the spices and ingredients used, then let Dana and Alina get their hands in there to help put everything together. They prepared chicken with onions, ginger, cilantro, culantro, garlic and other spices and herbs. Next, we learned about the difference in Mopan and Kekchi attire. You can tell what cultural group someone belongs to based on how they dress. The Mopan Mayan men & women wear solid colored (traditionally white) shirts with black embroidered trim around the neck and sleeves, which they weave themselves.  Their skirts consist of a variety of solid colors, with several layers of gathered cloth, decorated with lace trim at each gathered seam. The Kekchi Mayan women wear embroidered clothing which they weave themselves.  They decorate their blouses and skirts with colorful embroidery in geometric designs. We learned a lot of new things about their culture that we had never heard or experienced before! Next, we got to partake in making chocolate and corn tortillas using a grinding stone to grind the cacao and corn (see pictures above)! It was hard work. The Mayan ladies typically would wake up at about 3am to get started on breakfast making homemade corn tortillas every morning. They are a very hard working people group! They showed us instruments and explained how every instrument had a purpose. For example, they would use drums to communicate to each other (when cell phones didn’t yet exist) and shells were used as an alarm (usually if someone had passed away or if something bad happened). Next, we got to partake in our efforts— we shared an amazing meal of chicken, plantains, yampi (similar to a yam or potato), and callaloo along with a chocolate drink made from the ground cacao we made into a paste (see pictures). As we were preparing to leave, the rain started coming down in bucket fulls so we spent time with our hosts and their family and waited out the rain. On our way home, we stopped by the distillery that Ian Richards works at. He was excited to give us a tour and show us what he does on a daily basis. It was so great to get a glimpse of his everyday life. It was a great day learning more about and experiencing Belize’s rich culture!

That evening, we invited our PG friends to our hotel for devos and another round (or five) of UNO. It was another wonderful night with our friends. We shared in worshipping through songs, sharing from our hearts and the Word, fellowship, and games before we dropped everyone off at their homes. We are so encouraged that they keep coming back, are engaged in our devo time, and continue to bring new people for us to meet. The most exciting thing by far is that we are learning that some of them have genuine relationships with the Lord, are seeking him and developing healthy relationships.

Please pray for our kids to desire to find a church community. Praise that a couple of our PG friends are not only going to church on Sundays, but serving and attending mid-week Bible studies as well! However, although some of them have made professions of faith and have been baptized, many of them are not currently attending a church and not being spiritually fed or poured into. Pray for us as we interact with a local pastor, Brian Soto, tomorrow who pastors a church in town and is connected loosely with some of our kids. Pray for the dental team as they have a long day working in the clinic tomorrow as well. We are so grateful for your prayers!

Belize Outreach Tuesday, November 14th

Greetings from Punta Gorda, Belize. We greeted the day that God made with joy. It was not raining! Every day has been beautiful, rain or not.

Today has been a full day for both teams. The dental team was off early to open the clinic. We thank God for receiving the paperwork needed and today was their first full day in the clinic. Patients came when the doors opened and the dentist’s chair and hygienist’s chair have not been empty. They have been able to treat and pray for their patients. Every person that came in was prayed for by the intake staff as well.

The community team was off early also. Our first stop was at the open vegetable market to pick up props for the nutrition portion of our presentation at the schools. We visited two schools and did six presentations in classrooms. The schools were very welcoming and the students were wonderful. Our presentation included information on nutrition, dental hygiene and a presentation of the gospel. The students sang for us, gave us hugs and we were blessed!

Both teams gathered back at the Inn for dinner, feeling tired but blessed because of the day and all that God did. And once again we were joined by our Belizian friends for worship and fellowship. We sang songs of worship and Kim and Alina shared their stories. Then two of our Belizian friends shared their stories. We were also able to celebrate the birthday of one of our PG friends. It was a joyful evening.

Continue to keep us in your prayers as we serve God. Pray for safe travels (it is raining again!). Pray for good rest for all. We give thanks for our friends here and the beautiful land around us.

Belize Outreach- Monday, November 13th

Today we woke up to lots of rain! It has been raining on and off all week. We ate a beautiful breakfast of eggs, fry jacks, beans, fresh fruit and coffee before setting out for the day.

The dental team (Dr. Chew, Kim, Jeff, Dana, Dave, Melinda, Alina) headed to the dental clinic to do final preparations and to open for the week. Unfortunately, we had a rough start and lost a day of work because the Belizean minister of health didn’t approve our work permit and somehow the paperwork got lost. Thanks to the personal appeal of Mc. Chancy and Pastor Gideon, we received an approval Monday afternoon. We were able to help a few patients that day and we even hired our local friend, Josephine (20), to assist in the clinic. She is doing great!  

Our other team members  (Jill, Kristi, Shawna, Daniel, Becki) set out for the Hillside Clinic to see if our RN’s (Daniel and Becki) could be of any assistance. Although, they weren’t allowed to practice since the dental team hadn’t been approved yet, we got a tour of the clinic and were impressed with how the clinic is run and made some great connections for future visits. It is a teaching clinic, so many students from the States come to learn and practice there. Next, we headed back to town to partner with a ministry that delivers hot food and groceries to the elderly. After a short road chase (ask Daniel about this) with Gideon, we arrived at Help Aid and helped organize their store, met with the volunteers, and deliver the meals and groceries. The rain did not let up so we were soaked from head to toe when we finished but it was so worth it. We were invited into homes, and were able to pray with each person as we delivered the food. Many of the elderly had physical ailments, some who were bed/hammock bound. It was such a privilege going into their homes and pray with them. We were joyfully greeted and they were so grateful. 

Both teams met up in the afternoon to take a tour of the town. Many things haven’t changed in the past 15 years, but there have been a few additions. We are happy to report that the chocolate factory is still in business, so naturally we supported them with our business. On the way home, we met a neighbor who loves Jesus. His name is Jayden, he’s about 10 years old and he lives with his dad. They built a beautiful sign that spells out HOPE to combat the violence in PG. We invited him to join us for devos and games and was such a great addition to our night!

Many kids came back for devos, led by Kristi & Dave. There were about 24 adults and 4 infants, and 5 kids from PG who join us! A long time friend, Jamilla, came and brought her boyfriend Ben and baby, Ben jr., Shadeen brought her mom, Raquel and Raylene brought her mom and sister as well as many more. We love that these kids want to share their families and friends with us. Daniel introduced us to a new song “Ha Ha Hallelujah” and the kids loved it. It was another great night of fellowship, singing, hearing from the word, and playing lots and lots of uno before we called it a night and took the kids home in the van. 

Please continue to pray for the kids to know and experience the love of Christ. Many of them are so desperate for affection. Please pray for strength and encouragement for the dental team as their days in the coming weeks will be long and exhausting. Pray for meaningful moments with all we interact with. Pray for encouragement for the local churches and pastors! Pray for our team to remain united and encouraged as well. Thank you!

Belize Outreach - Sunday, November 12th

Today we woke up and ate a beautiful breakfast of eggs and pancakes! We then packed up and headed out to Christian Life Center for church where we worshipped together with the Richards and another missionary family who lives in Belize.

Next, we headed to the dental clinic to clean and prep for the weeks ahead. There was a group that came earlier in the year and installed a new roof, ceiling, ceiling fans and fixed some termite damage. The clinic looked great when we arrived! The dental team had a soft opening and worked on the Richards family’s teeth and a few of us headed back to town to pick up some supplies and prepare for our school presentations. We were surprised by some of our “kids”, Shadeen and Jamika! We have known these girls since they were little, and they are now in their twenties and each has a baby. They also brought Jamika’s littlest sister Destiny. She reminds us a lot of Jamika when she was a child, it was such a sweet reunion and needless to say, we didn’t get much work done!

In the evening, we had dinner followed by dinner, games and shared dessert (Ms. Kim bought pastries to hand out) with our PG friends—they love playing UNO so that was the game of choice. We had around 15 kids who came to listen to Dr. Chew and Ms. Becki’s devo, worship together, catch up and play games together. It was so beautiful to see some of our most difficult kids in the past, worship our Savior so beautifully and sing their hearts out. We really believe many of them have genuine relationships with Jesus which is an answer to our prayers for many years. Most of our kids have very traumatic upbringings but have grown up to be such beautiful people who love the Lord. Praise God! After a few rounds of UNO, it was time to take the kids home and call it a night.

The Lord has been so kind and so good to us. Please continue to pray for our time with our PG friends, it is so encouraging to see some of them with sincere relationships with the Lord but others aren't connected with other believers and some know about God but aren't yet saved. We learned that one of our kids, who is about 20, has brain damage due to some bad drugs he took one time and will likely never be the same. It is difficult to speak to him as he can't think clearly anymore. Please also be praying for strengthened relationship with the department of health for future visits. The department of health can be very difficult and political, so good relationship with them is vital to us continuing to practice. Pray that we are a light and reflection of God's love wherever we go. 


Belize Outreach- Saturday, November 11th

The adventure has begun! Today, many of our week 1 team members travelled all over the globe to finally come together as a team in Belize City. Some of us had very long travel days through Salt Lake City, Atlanta, South Carolina and some had short jaunts coming from visiting family Texas or from visiting the beautiful sights of San Pedro. We are looking forward to the day when airlines open up a direct flight to Belize! However, it was so fun reuniting and hearing about each persons unique travel experience— from swimming with sharks to being able to engage with a Mayan experience — including learning to make tortillas and chocolate! It was also neat to see what has stayed the same in the airport over the years and what expansions have taken place. Today was the busiest some of us have ever seen the Belize City Airport, there was barely any room to walk at times!

After we reunited in the airport, 10 of us boarded our 13 passenger plane (with a few additional new friends) and took off for Punta Gorda. Steve Chew and Dave Peterson sacrificially volunteered to drive a van that is being lent to us to use, down to Punta Gorda. It took them 4 hours on a dark road, but they made it safely to us by 7:00.

The Richards family (Pastor Gideon, Maylin, Ian, Gian, Caleb, Hannah) brought us dinner and we got to spend time catching up with them before we called it a night.

We are excited for the week ahead and what the Lord has prepared for us. One prayer request we have is that the paperwork for the dental clinic to be cleared. We still haven’t heard anything & wont be able to open without it :) We trust the Lord is sovereign and may have other plans for the dental team this week, so pray for wisdom and guidance in how to pivot if needed