Thursday Construction Update

It was cloudy and much cooler today so working on fences and the barn was much more comfortable.  There are just a few things to finish tomorrow morning and the barn and fence project is complete.

The medical team had a very busy day at the village of Armenia.  They saw over 200 patients; lots of mamas with several children.  They worked overtime today, returning to the BTC at 7:00 for a late supper.  Tonight was burrito night with Jane's homage salsa.  Steve Little was ecstatic!

Here are a few pictures from the barn and the Lower Forty.

Putting the fence on the posts.

Students from the Agriculture class helped with the project.

The chain link fence along the property line near the Belize River.

This sheep run connects the barn with the pasture.

Building the ramp for the sheep to get in and out of the barn.

Megan, Steve Young, Justin, and Scott at the barn entrance.

Front and side of the barn.

 The Culinary and Hospitality Class at the high school prepared and served lunch to the Ag-Construction team today at the school.  They set the tables, prepared chicken, rice and beans, and plantains plus dessert and fresh fruit.  Before lunch, Principal Jerry Roberts thanked the team for their work and helping get the livestock education project underway.

Principal Jerry Roberts thanks the team for the work at the school this week.

Wednesday Evening

Another hot day in Belize with some relief in the form of a hard rain at the construction site at the end of the day.  Good progress was made on the barn and pasture fence.  The medical team had a clinic at the village of La Gracia followed by a "house call" to the Kings Children's Home.

Here a few pictures from the construction site today.

Roof joists going up.

Half the metal on the roof.

The roofers pitting up the metal roof.

Roof done - and just in time for the rain.

One line of fence posts.

The "sheep alley" that connects the barn and the pasture.

Bush hogging the pasture for a fence line.

Tomorrow is our day to try to get the barn and pasture completed.  The forecast is for cooler temperatures (mid 80s).  The medical team will be in Armenia village tomorrow.

Tuesday Evening

Today was a hot one in Belize.  The high hit mid-90s by noon and stayed hot all afternoon.  The medical team was in Benque today, a town very close to the Belize's western border with Guatemala about a one-hour drive from the BTC.  The church was not available, so the clinic was held in a home.  This in itself was a challenge, and the heat only made it more difficult.  Despite these challenges, the team saw over 100 patients.  After a long day they arrived back after dark for a late dinner.

The construction team made more progress on the sheep barn.  The floor is complete and four roof trusses are up.  Walls and the roof are next.  Materials for the pasture fence were bought and delivered.  Several of the corner posts were cemented in by late afternoon.  Tomorrow more posts will be set and some fencing may be started.

Pictures will have to wait until tomorrow.  Jim Burgin has been documenting the clinics and the construction progress, but they have yet to be downloaded for the blog.

After dinner we had our nightly devotion and teams reported their day's work.  We enjoy sharing our day with each other.  Now, after a long hot day we are ready to get clean and have a good restful night.

Until tomorrow.

Monday Evening

Here are some pictures form the medial clinic held today at Camalote Baptist Church. Our doctors, nurses, optometrist, pharmacy and support staff saw many people over the course of the day.  During sharing time after devotions they shared that Jayme, our sonogram technician and Dr. Burton performed a cardio sonogram and diagnosed a heart valve problem that a young woman would not have known about without the procedure at the clinic.  We pray that she will be able to follow up with surgery.  This lady along with many other adults and children received treatment and medicine through the clinic.

A pharmacy is set up at each clinic to dispense meds prescribed by the doctors.

Dr. Luke Burton with a patient. What a joy to have Luke and Kelsea Burton serve alongside Mark and Vicki in the clinics .

Dr. Melanie Orange with a patient.

Vicki Burton assists with vision screening.

Dr. Mark Burton with a patient and Rachael Whittemore translating Spanish.

Dr. Jennifer Smith examining a young boy's eyes, and . . . 

Trying out his new glasses!

Hendrick Suarez serves as a translator, here helping Mary Jane Stahle with instructions for meds.

In addition to meeting the medical needs of individuals, our support staff talks with and gets to know the people.  The lady talking with Carolyn Young in the photo below is a teacher at a nearby school.  She told Carolyn about a high school student she has who has endured the loss of both her parents and a brother within a year.  She has no family or other relatives and is very depressed.  The teacher has a deep concern for her student.  At our devotion time Carolyn told of this encounter and added the student and this teacher to our prayer list.  Please pray for this student and for the teacher.

After dinner, we celebrated Pastor Scott Hagaman's birthday with a cake prepared by Jane and Laticia.  Happy Birthday. Scott!!

And so ends our first day of mission work.  We look forward to an new day tomorrow and the opportunities God will give us here in Belize.

Monday Afternoon

This is our own Mayor Steve Little greeting the day this morning.  Looks like he is ready to make an impression on Belmopan.  It reminded me of a "Tropical  Blues Brother."  

Both teams hit the ground running today. The medical team has not returned from Camelot Baptist Church yet, so their report will come later.  The Ag-Construction team got started on the sheep barn at Belmopan Baptist High School.  Four sticks in the ground marking the four corners of the barn were there when we arrived.  Twelve holes were dug and a truckload of lumber was delivered.  12 posts were set and squared and cemented in place.  The joists were nailed in place and an 8 x 10 ft. floor was put down.  Not bad for a days work.  Additionally the perimeter of the pasture area for the sheep was walked and measured.  A large area will be fenced in this week as well.

Pictures of the progress follow.

One post hole digger and two supervisors.

Jeff and Henry working.

Joists in place.

8 x 10 floor in place.

End of the day.

We look forward to a good day of work tomorrow.  It was sunny all day and quite warm with a little breeze. Dinner prepared by Jane and Laticia is almost ready and the medical team just rolled in.  More later.

Saturday and Sunday

We arrived safely in Belize Saturday afternoon and are settled in at the Baptist Training Center (BTC). Until Sunday evening we did not have Internet access, but now it seems to be working. Fingers crossed for continued access.

2016 Belize Mission Team Saturday, February 20, 2016

Sunday we worshipped at Camalote Baptist Church, had a quick lunch at the BTC, then took off for an afternoon adventure. Our first stop was at Green Hill Butterfly Farm.  They raise butterflies from egg, to caterpillar, to pupae, to chrysalis and butterfly.  In the butterfly house we walked among 2,000 butterflies of many colors.  We then drove further into the jungle to a trail that led to Big Rock Falls, a 100-foot waterfall with two pools at the base.  Many made the steep hike down to the falls and several brave should jumped from the large rocks into the water.

Green Hill Butterfly Farm

Green Hill Butterfly Farm

Big Rock Falls, Pine Mountain National Park, Cayo District, Belize

We ate dinner at the Orange Restaurant; a traditional Belizean meal of stewed chicken, rice and beans, and potato salad.  Several enjoyed one of three delicious desserts.  We ended the evening with devotions at the BTC and headed to our rooms for a good night's sleep.

Monday, the medical team will be at Camalote Baptist Church for an all day clinic, and the construction team will begin work on the sheep barn at the Belmopan Baptist High School. We are praying for a good day tomorrow as we begin our mission work.

Belize Team Commissioning and Final Preparations

During the worship service today the Belize Team was commissioned by the congregation.  The highlight of the commissioning was the laying on of hands by the congregation and a commissioning prayer by Debbie Baughn, chairperson of the Missions Committee.

Laying on of hands during the commissioning service. Photo: Jim Burgin

The anthem sung by the choir was Jesus, Send Us On Your Mission.  A blessing and a challenge to us as a team and to all Christians who seek to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus.  The words of the anthem are below.  Thanks to Ruth Wakefield and the Sanctuary Choir for this moving anthem. It is a comfort to know that our church family has blessed us.

Anthem - Jesus Send Us on Your Mission.  Photo: Jim Burgin

This afternoon at 2:00 the team assembled to make final plans and pack totes with supplies for the medical clinics.  Many types of prescription and OTC medicines and all the other supplies to carry out a week of medical clinics were packed in totes and weighed to be within the 50 lb. limit for the airlines.  Other totes were loaded with reading and eyeglasses that will be distributed by team members at the clinics.

Unpacking boxes of meds to be put on totes.  Photo: Jim Burgin

Jennifer Smith sorting eyeglasses.  Photo: Jim Burgin

Justin and Megan Jornigan packing a tote.  Photo: Jim Burgin

Mark Burton packing a tote.  Photo: Jim Burgin

Weighing totes.  Photo: Jim Burgin

We are looking forward to a great week in Belize. We value your prayer support. This blog will be updated as Internet connections allow. Bookmark this site and check back often.

Making Preparations

In less than a month 28 short-term missionaries will be leaving for Belize on mission.  Over the past few months the mission team was formed and plans for our work were begun.  The 28 going are listed at the top of this blog page.  Many are members of FBC Marion, but several are members of other churches.  Over the years our mission teams have been made up of our home church and many from sister churches in McDowell County and beyond.

First Baptist Church of Marion's first Belize mission trip was in 2005. A medical team and a construction team spent a week working at a medical clinic in Roaring Creek and a construction project at a small church in Belmopan.  After that trip we knew we wanted to return and we committed to a five-year partnership with the Baptist Association of Belize.  From 2006 to the present we have organized an annual medical and construction adult mission trip, as well as two youth mission trips and two college mission trips.  Our Belize partnership has run well past its original five year commitment.

Our home while in Belize is the Baptist Training Center located in the village of Camelote, a few miles west of Belmopan, the capital of Belize.  The BTC is directed by Eric and Julie Maas, missionaries from North Carolina.  The facilities are neat and clean with a lodge, kitchen and dining hall, a chapel and spacious grounds.  Our meals are prepared by Jane and Laticia, dear friends we have known since the first trip in 2005.  We are blessed to have the BTC as home while in Belize.

The Chapel at the BTC

The Green Lodge at the BTC

Every year a dedicated group of doctors, nurses and support staff plans a week of daily medical clinics.  Funds for medicines are raised and medical equipment is packed and readied for transit to Belize.  Clinics are held in villages in the surrounding area, usually set up in a church.  We have held clinics in the same villages from year to year, and we have added new villages to the rotation.  Often our doctors and medical staff see 100 or more people in a day.  A pharmacy is set up at each clinic to dispense prescription medicines.  Some years people are fitted with reading glasses.

Patients waiting at a medical clinic

A family visit with Dr. Burton

Our construction teams have worked in churches, rehabbed or built houses, and worked in orphanages at at a school.  The last project was building the foundation and floor of a building that will serve a new ministry to provide shelter for women rescued from human trafficking.  Money is raised before each trip to pay for construction materials used.

A exterior wall before rehab by the construction team 

Exterior wall after rehab

More recently an agricultural ministry has been added.  Our first project was working with the Ministry of Agriculture at the Central Farm to improve the genetics of the cattle herd on the farm.  We also distributed vegetable seeds to people who came to the medical clinics.  The latest effort is the establishment of a livestock program at a high school in Belmopan.  We are working with the agriculture teacher at the school to provide small livestock - sheep and chickens - for students to learn to raise and care for.  Our goal is to establish a self-sustaining program that will give students animal husbandry skills and potentially a future food source.

In preparing for the 2016 trip, the team has raised the funds it needs for medicine and supplies for the clinics, construction materials for a barn and fencing for the livestock project at the high school, and funds for livestock at the school.  We thank all those who have supported this year's trip through donations and buying wreaths and supporting our soup lunch last November.  All money raised fund the ministry areas of the trip.  Each participant pays for his or her own individual travel expenses including air fare, lodging, and food.

There are a few important dates prior to the trip:

1. A team meeting on Sunday, January 31 at 2:00 PM in the Lower Room of the church.  Medical, construction, and agricultural teams will meet and make final preparations for their work in Belize.
2. Mission Team Commissioning will be part of our worship service at 11:00 AM Sunday, February 14 at FBC Marion.  All team members are invited to attend.
3. A final team meeting will be at 2:00 PM on Sunday, February 14 in the Lower Room of the church.
4. Departure for Belize will be in the early morning hours (time to be announced) on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at church.

This blog will be updated in the days before the trip and, internet willing, daily during our time in Belize.  Please keep the mission team in your pryers as were prepare for this year's trip.