Day 7 - Thursday (Feb. 16) - Departure

For most of the team, it is our last day here. Some of the group already returned to the States, others already left for San Pedro Island, some will leave for San Pedro later today. But the majority of us are leaving today for the USA. We leave behind good memories, new friends, and the continuous music of Carrie Underwood & Adele at Tony's bar. It is amazing how many wonderful friendships were formed, how many new skills were developed, how many fears overcome, and how much fun was had with dancing, learning & playing new games and laughing together. Many have already expressed their interest in returning next year. Many have talked about plans on how they can help the Belize mission and the people here. I think everyone would say it was a wonderful experience where we gained as much, if not more, than we gave.

As we look back on the week, it is wonderful to see all that the Lord has accomplished through us.

And now it is time to pass the torch to the next church that is coming in to server the people of Belize.

Day 6 - Wednesday (Feb. 15) - Fun Day

Well… you guessed it… it was another gorgeous morning in Belize: beautiful sunrise, cool breeze, sunshine and warmth. Everyone got up just a little bit later than usual. And then we prepared for our "fun day". One group went to San Pedro Island, one group went on a river boat cruise/Mayan ruins trip, another group went on a cave tubing/zip line tour, and the final group went on a sugar cane factory tour.

The San Pedro Island group enjoyed a variety of activities including: shopping, sunning on the beach, snorkeling, snuba diving, and scuba diving. They had great food at a local restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed relaxing.

The river boat cruise/Mayan ruins group started out on the boat, enjoying the sun and river sites. We saw a variety of birds (including a flock of green parrots), symbiotic and parasitic plants growing out of plants (including devil's guts or snake plant), and a crocodile. After landing, our guide took us through several Mayan ruins including the Mask Temple, the Jaguar Temple, the Ball Court, Royal Quarters, and the High Temple. The High Temple was especially impressive as it is one of the tallest Mayan structures, especially for as early as it was built (around 100 BC). In fact, it could sort of be called one of the first skyscrapers as you can see far above the jungle canopy.

The cave tubing/zip line tour had an incredible time. Getting started proved to be enormously fun as one of the group members ended up accidentally pulling in the tour guide into the river. (He was helping her get into her tube and she kind of forgot to let go of him.) They floated in and out of caves, seeing many different (and unique) stalactite and stalagmite formations. After drying off, they traveled to the zip line adventure. After taking a trial run, they began zipping through the forest holding on by a wire. One of the crew was able to demonstrate great courage. Sharon was uncomfortable with heights and did not really want to do the zip line. However, she was able to overcome her fear. What an appropriate metaphor for the week.

A couple of the group went on a sugar cane factory tour. This was the first time we were able to do this. They donned hard hats and began the tour. They learned how efficient the factory is, literally every part of the cane is used, even the leftover waste is transformed into fertilizer for the fields.

Afterwards, all of the teams returned to Tony's for a hot meal and the final slide show. I have had a lot of fun gathering all of the pictures together and creating slide shows each night. In fact, that is what I post for each day's slideshow on the blog. I hope all of you have enjoyed it as well.

Day 5 - Tuesday (Feb. 14) - Surgical Team

The surgical team had fewer cases today but they also had two fewer operating rooms. The hospital was only able to provide two OR rooms. As a result, they were able to let a few of their team members join the Village Medical Clinic.

There were a total of 9 cases treated today that included: tattoo removal, bullet removal, jaw repair, tubes for ears, tonsillectomies, cleft palate repairs, fixing noses so that people can breath, removal of skin lesion and repairing a hole that formed from the nose to the palate. A more unusual case was excising an infection from a girl's thumb whose brother had bitten her. I'm sure there is an interesting story there along with some words for a sister to her brother.

Day 5 - Tuesday (Feb. 14) – Construction UPDATE

The construction crew had a phenomenal week. With such a large, experienced crew they were able to do far more than was initially planned. By the end of the week they had completed the following projects in San Victor:

1. Finished house #1 (windows, doors, and walls) for the Oba family of 4 (they were able to move out of a small hut with 12 people)


2. Finished house #2 (windows, doors, walls, stucco, and poured floor) for Awan family of 3 (they were able to move out of a small hut with 10 people)


3. Finished a new kitchen for the school (windows, doors) so that children who live too far away to walk home are able to get a good, healthy meal from village mothers who volunteer to cook. (Next year we plan on adding a second story for the computers the church purchased.)


4. Built a gate on the church to keep the dogs out during services (The doors have to be left open to maintain a breeze in the stifling heat and the dogs were running in and disturbing church activities.)


5. Added a lever handle to Ishmel's front door to make it easier for him


6. Repaired the plumbing at the local medical building


7. Replaced some rotted siding on a house/hut for the school principal


8. Replaced two front doors in the village that were rotten and where water came in during the rain. One of the doors was for Howard Storm's home (which is also used to house people who have no place to stay).


9. Fixed a leak in the school roof where water came in during the rain


10. Painted a church in Orangewalk and repaired leak at the church, as well.


11. Repaired windows and doors at a Pentecostal church in San Victor


12. Re-laid tile in the church and re-grouted the entire floor


13. Distributed 600 pounds of food (some of the recipients were literally starving)


14. Bought new cloths and furniture for a number of the poor families


15. Provided guitar lessons for two boys that wanted to learn


16. Spent endless hours with the many wonderful children of the village

In addition to these projects, a few of the team members purchased (out of their own pockets) materials for a concrete floor for a man whose need was apparent but he did not even ask for assistance.

Day 5 - Tuesday (Feb. 14) – Construction

The construction crew had a phenomenal week. With such a large, experienced crew they were able to do far more than was initially planned. By the end of the week they had built a home for the Oba family. This family of 4 had been living with 12 people in a small wooden hut. They also built a home for the Awan family. This family of 3 had been living with their parents, also a total of 12 people, in a small hut. They built a kitchen for the school so that children who live too far away to walk home can get a good, healthy meal. They replaced the door on Howard Storm's home (which is also used to house people who have no place to stay). They put siding on another man's home. They purchased (out of their own pockets) materials for a concrete floor. And other stuff... that I will tell when I get back to Cincinnati. We are now leaving for the airport and they are yelling at me. So good bye.

Day 5 - Tuesday (Feb. 14) – Village Medical Clinic

The VMC traveled to San Victor today along with the construction crew. A few of the surgical team were able to join us for a field experience. San Victor is the village that Howard Storm introduced us to many years ago and Horizon has been investing in these peoples lives for years. It is exciting to see the fruit of our efforts (through the power of Jesus) impacting their lives. There was a time when this village was considered one of the poorest, most desperate villages in the region. However, through the building of a church, school rooms, homes and now even a school kitchen God has encouraged these people and many have attended high school, college, and even traveled to the USA and Europe. It is especially exciting to meet those who return and are giving back to their village. Howard introduced us to one young man Monday evening after dinner, who attended college and is now a high school teacher and supporting his brothers and sisters to further their education, as well.

The VMC worked hard to transform the church into nursing stations, doctor offices and a pharmacy. We treated 210 people. Over 500 pharmaceutical scripts were filled for antibiotics, blood pressure, diabetes, GI, vitamins, pain killers, and other medicines. The very first person to be helped today was one of the school teachers who was experiencing eye issues. There were many familiar faces for those who have come to this village year after year and we saw many warm hugs and greetings.

The Ear Wash station was very busy and helped over 90 people even though Kim did not feel well and had to leave early.

The eye wear station was swamped with children and everyone had lots of fun. They were able to give away many reading glasses, sunglasses and 24 Spanish Bibles.

Day 5 - Tuesday (Feb. 14)

Happy Valentine's Day! We had one team member score some big points when Bill had a Valentine's Day gift ready to present to Chelsey in the morning at breakfast. I think some of the husbands who have wives on the team might have been scrambling after that.

We had another gorgeous morning (yes, it does seem to be the theme of this week's weather). And we enjoyed eggs, pancakes and bananas for breakfast. Every breakfast has been wonderful here, especially since we can sit out on the porch and relax in the morning sun with a light breeze while we eat. Sure we have long, hard days but what a great way to get started!

After morning devotions the teams left to go to our respective sites: Orange Walk/Northern Regional Hospital for the surgical team and San Victor for both the construction crew and the Village Medical Clinic. Several of the surgical team members were able to join the VMC to get an experience out in the field. Later today, we hope the medical team will be able to join everyone else at San Victor where we will dedicate our newly built homes.

Day 4 - Monday (Feb. 13) – Surgical Team

The surgical team was able to help two victims from car accidents where they inserted tissue expanders to help with scar repairs, repaired brow lines, repaired noses to help with breathing, and performed skin grafts.

There were a total of 17 cases treated today that included: tubes for ears, tonsillectomies, scar revisions, cleft palate & cleft lip repairs, fixing noses so that people can breath, eyelid repair (for an 11 year old who suffered from a gunshot wound), removal of masses, mole & cyst removal and other procedures.

Day 4 - Monday (Feb. 13) – Construction

The construction crew had made enough progress with their project that they were able to split into two groups to work on a new project. The first group stayed in San Victor to complete the work they had started.

The other group went to the Good Shepard church where they painted the building and re-routed some water downspouts to keep the moisture away from the walls. The pastor here was a man who had been rescued from addiction to alcohol. Now he gives back to his community through the power of Christ. He has had many experiences where families needed food (as they literally were starving) and the Lord would miraculously provide the funds to feed them. And he shared many other stories of God's provision in his life and his community that powerfully touched the construction crew.

Updated Previous Posts

I wanted to make you aware that as I receive additional stories and pictures, I update both the posts and the daily slideshows. So you may want to scan over earlier posts and slideshows to see if any changes have been made.

Hope you are enjoying the blog!

Bret

Day 4 - Monday (Feb. 13) – Village Medical Clinic

The VMC traveled to Patchakan today. The trip started out in a most interesting way... We were going to pick up the translators at the local church. Being guided by our fearless leader, we confidently drove a "special way" to get there. After having several people honk and wave to us (we thought they were so very friendly) we realized we were going the wrong way on a one way street. Nothing like three large vans going down the wrong way to garner some attention. And, sure enough, a policeman very quickly approached our vans. We thought we might have to bail John out of prison, but the policeman helped us out of this hazardous situation. It certainly was an interesting way to start the day!

Once we made it safely to Patchakan, we treated 215 people. Over 400? pharmaceutical scripts were filled for antibiotics, blood pressure, diabetes, GI, vitamins, pain killers, and other medicines. The very first person to be helped today was a 98 year old woman who had served as the mid-wife for the village for most of her life.

The Ear Wash station was very busy and helped over 90? people. In order to get things started off, John Kirby volunteered to have his ears cleaned out. When the children saw that John was okay after his experience, they joined in to get their ears cleaned, as well.

Once again, we were able to give away 78 reading glasses, 147 sunglasses and 22 Spanish Bibles.

For lunch, we were served galnachos (similar to a tostado) which is a flat corn tortilla with black beans, chicken, cheese, cabbage, and a tomato. After digesting lunch, a couple of us went out to play "monkey in the middle" with the kids in the village. It's a good thing the weather was so nice or I think the doctors might have had to resuscitate us "old guys".

Day 4 - Monday (Feb. 13)

Well it was another gorgeous morning in Belize. I certainly don't want to rub anything in to our fellow Cincinnatians, but the weather here has been outstanding. In fact, I am hearing from some of the team members who have been here multiple years, that this is the best weather this mission trip has ever experienced. Temperatures have been in the mid 70's and low 80's with a cool breeze. And on top of that, we understand that we avoided snow and freezing temperatures in Cincinnati while we were here. And that when we return it should be back in the 40's in Cincinnati. Well, I guess we are living the good life down here. ;-)

This morning (at 6:30am for some, a little later for others) we enjoyed french toast, bananas and papaya for breakfast. After our hearty breakfast, we had our "Talking Sabbath" devotions, which were adhered to reasonably well. And afterwards, we gathered in the vans and took off for our respective sites: Orange Walk/Northern Regional Hospital for the surgical team, San Victor for the construction crew, and Patchakan for the Village Medical Clinic.

Day 3 - Sunday (Feb. 12) – Surgical Team

The surgical team was able to help a woman who was attacked by machetes and left for dead. They were able to perform numerous scar revisions and repair her ear. However, her chief complaint related to the pain she felt in her jaw and her mismatched bite. Unfortunately, we did not have the equipment (or time) to resolve this. But when she returned on Monday for follow-up, she informed the doctors that after the surgery her pain was gone and she now had a proper bite. The doctors shared with her that they did not do it. It was the Great Physician who healed her, using the intubation process & opening her jaw so wide along with whatever else Christ did.

There were a total of 22 cases treated today that included: tubes for ears; ear lobe repair; tongue repair; tonsillectomies; scar revisions; cleft palate & cleft lip repairs; fixing noses so that people can breath; tumor, cyst & breast mass removal; excision of a lip lesion; and a tear duct repair.

Also, the surgery team arrived at the hospital and enjoyed hearing the children in the school yard across the street singing in both English and Spanish.

Day 3 - Sunday (Feb. 12) – Construction

The Construction crew did a variety of things in addition to the construction work. They had purchased a variety of soft drinks. And when they passed by some field workers who were harvesting the sugar cane, they stopped and offered them a refreshing drink. The workers were grateful and even allowed some of the guys to try out their machetes. (That was probably a frightening experience for most of the field workers!)

In addition to installing more doors and windows, they also got to play some "duck-duck-goose". Although I think they may have renamed it "duct-duct-monkey wrench" or something like that... You will definitely want to check out the picture slideshow to see the construction crew's pictures!

Day 3 - Sunday (Feb. 12) – Village Medical Clinic

The VMC traveled to San José where they treated 198 patients. Once again, Dr. Fry provided OB/GYN services. There were over 375 pharmaceutical scripts filled for antibiotics, blood pressure, diabetes, GI, vitamins, pain killers, and other medicines.

The Ear Wash station helped 105 people and not only got a couple of bugs out of people’s ears, including a tick, they even got a rock out of someone’s ear!

Additionally, we gave away 75 reading glasses, 195 sunglasses and 24 Spanish Bibles. The team got a little sunburned but that did not dampen their spirits. They had a lot of fun with the children who were singing and dancing for candy.

Day 3 - Sunday (Feb. 12)

We started the morning out at 6:30am again -- although admittedly several are wandering in a little later each day.

Breakfast was eggs, bacon and toast again which was thoroughly enjoyable after a "not long enough" night's sleep.

John challenged us to enjoy the Sabbath by holding a sabbath from talking during our devotions. And, quite frankly, the group did a pretty good job of actually doing that. I might add, that was a real challenge and accomplishment for some of the team members.

After morning devotions, we all gathered to the vans to begin our mission work. The surgical team headed off to the Orange Walk/Northern Regional Hospital. The construction crew headed off to San Victor. And the village medical team headed to San José.

Day 2 - Saturday (Feb. 11) – Surgical Team

The surgical team treated 24 cases today that included a variety of procedures, including: tubes for ears, tonsilectomies, scar revisions, cleft palate repairs, fixing noses so that people can breath, keloid removal, removal of masses, wart removal and other procedures.







In addition to all of these surgeries and procedures, they had a little surprise in the OR when a lizard scuttled in.

Day 2 - Saturday (Feb. 11) – Construction

The construction crew had an extremely productive day. They completely painted 3 homes. They assembled all of the windows for 3 homes. They completely installed the door and windows for one home. They completed the stucco for one home. In addition to all of that, they fixed a truck that broke down and they taught 2 children how to play the guitar. (One of the boys received a guitar from a missionary three years ago but never learned how to play.)

Day 2 - Saturday (Feb. 11) – Village Medical Clinic

The VMC traveled to Trial Farm area where they treated 238 patients. In addition to the standard medical screening Dr. Fry provided OB/GYN services. Many women benefited from this service. There were over 480 pharmaceutical scripts filled for antibiotics, blood pressure, diabetes, GI, vitamins, pain killers, and other medicines. One unique situation reminded us of a magic trick. Dr. Moody pulled a flower button out of a little girl's ear. While the button was not as valuable as a coin, the girl benefited far more than she would have from a quarter. Additionally, we were were able to refer one young lady, who had a cyst, to the doctors at the Orange Walk/Northern Regional Hospital and we were able to drive her there to be seen by Dr. Mangat that same day.

The Ear Wash station helped over 125 people and even got a bug out of someone’s ear.

Additionally, we gave away 100 reading glasses and 135 sunglasses. In order to do this, the team had to stand for 4.5 hours.

Day 2 - Saturday (Feb. 11)

We started the morning out at 6:30am again -- a little earlier for those who jog, ride bikes or other crazy stuff like that. Breakfast was eggs, bacon and toast; a little lighter than those pancakes from yesterday.

After morning devotions, we all gathered for a group picture. Everytime I was ready to snap the shot, someone else came. Finally, all were gathered and we took two pictures. We broke up and started loading the vans when the last two wandered in... oh well, we almost had the whole team in the picture.

The surgical team loaded up to head to the Orange Walk/Northern Regional Hospital. The village medical team loaded up to head to Trial Farm which is very near the hospital. The construction crew loaded up to head off to San Victor. And the logistics team joined all of the groups (kind of like the Levites).

Day 1 - Friday (Feb. 10) - Assessment Team

The Assessment team had a very productive day. Not only did they screen 160 people today, they also did follow-up care from surgeries that another church medical mission trip completed last week.

At this point, they have Saturday and Sunday completely booked for surgeries. However, they have openings for Monday and Tuesday at this point.

Also, during the assessment, they saw several patients returning from previous years.

In addition to the assessments, we were able to give away 91 pairs of reading glasses, 85 sunglasses, and an entire box of Spanish Bibles.

God Sighting - Thursday

I mentioned in the post yesterday that we had an incident with a key being broken off in the lock of one of the vans. However, I failed to point out the serendipitous blessing associated with that mishap...

After the key was broken off, we were going to have to wait quite a long time to get a replacement key from the rental car company. However, it just so happened that the owner of the cave river tour group that we use for the fun day was there. He knew of a local locksmith that might be able to use the broken key to create a new one. He drove the key parts himself and returned shortly after with a key that unlocked and started the van!

While not a huge miracle, it was certainly a nice blessing.

Day 1 - Friday (Feb. 10) - Morning Activity

We started out early this morning with breakfast at 6:30am. After filling our bellies on pancakes, we went out in the heat to enjoy a morning quiet time. Afterwards, the medical team loaded up the vans and headed out to the Orange Walk/Northern Regional Hospital.

We were greeted by lines of people waiting to be evaluated. Some were there to have stitches removed from the medical mission team that was here last week from a different church. Others were here to be evaluated for the first time. While working in the waiting room you get to hear many different languages. Of course, you expect to hear Spanish and English but what is surprising is that you also hear German! There are many Mennonites farmers in the area whose heritage is from Germany.

While the medical team was working at the hospital, the pharmacy team was busy repackaging vitamins and medicines in smaller packages for distribution at the village medical clinics.

And the construction crew was out reviewing the construction sites and obtaining required materials. This year the goal is to complete 2 houses and recreen many windows.

And while everyone else was busy doing this important work, the logistics team was getting the air conditioning working in the vans. Given the heat and humidity down here, that is a critical task!! :-) Additionally, the logistics team went out to the airport to pick up the rest of the team who should be arriving shortly.

Day 0 - Thursday (Feb. 9) - Arrival

The Advance Team arrived today. Our travel was uneventful, which is the way you want travel to go.

The day started early with the team arriving at the airport at 5:15am. As a result, several team members slept during the flight.

Once we arrived in Belize, several team members realized their mistake of wearing a heavy shirt under their Belize t-shirt. We were welcomed with the heat and humidity of Belize. Quite a change from the chilly Cincinnati weather.

After grabbing a quick sandwich, the team loaded up in the vans and drove to the hospital for a quick look around. The surgical team was excited to learn that the operating wing has been remodeled. And there is other construction work going on in the hospital compound. Our departure from the hospital was delayed a little as one of the keys to the one of the vans was broken off in the lock. Now I won't name any names, but let's just say one guy has been getting a lot of grief for his herculean grip! ;-)

From the hospital, we drove to Tony's to unload the medical supplies and many of the team members. However, this year the group is so large that we are spread out in three different hotels. In fact, this year we have 72 team members that include 11 doctors, 16 nurses and 3 pharmacists. We have 28 people on the village medical clinic team, 24 on the surgical team, and 14 on the construction team. As you can imagine, we are expecting great things from these large teams.

Well, it is 9:10pm here in Belize. Everyone else has wandered off to bed -- between the long travel day and the heat and humidity, everyone was pretty tired. The day starts at 6:30am tomorrow so I better wander off as well.

I have added some pictures from the day. As I get pictures from other team members I will add them to the albums. So take a look at the picture albums for regular additions. Buenas noches!