FINAL DAY :(

Today was bittersweet to say the least. The whole team was able to be at the school after lunch for an assembly. The assembly was incredibly special for each one of the team members because the kids shared their appreciation for our visit by giving us letters and cards. We have been working in the El Progresso Community School all week by reading stories, creating crafts, and MANY GAMES OF CHASE! We did not expect to be rewarded, but it was nice to know that each one of us made a difference in these kids'lives. All of the letters were so sweet and not surprising after spending a week with these precious children and experiencing their love. Tears from all sides of the school grounds were shed as we said goodbye. We ended the day in El Progresso with half the team enjoying the river after a hot day. The rest were guided on a jungle tour by one of the villagers, Julio. We actually got to see Mayan artifacts still in caves where they were placed 1,000 years ago. Tomorrow we will be at the island debriefing the wonderful week we have just experinced.

Day 5

The team has finished working in the village for the third day. We couldn't be having more fun painting, playing with kids and cooking. Our system worked much like yesterday with three groups in different places, but we had new and great experiences. The school crew did puppet shows for every grade and then allowed the kids to make their make up their own puppet show. At the end of the night, despite our warn out selves, we gather for a couple hours to discuss the day, but to start the meeting, Mac and Peyton play guitar while the team sounds like a beautiful choir. (Man… too bad American Idol is ending because we have some contenders) It is a great time to reflect on the day, provide perspective in the work we are doing and realize the things God has showed us. Tomorrow we are excited because some of our team might work in the potato fields. The villagers wouldn't let us work the bean fields…apparently it is too difficult.

Day 4

Blog Today we split up into different teams. My group went to Julios and Janets house to cook up some grub for the rest of the groups. Chicken soup was on the menu for the day, containing 14 chickens along with veggies and rice. At first Janet was a little apprehensive about having four newbies in her kitchen but she quickly found it pretty comical when we couldn’t form a simple tortilla (she had to get this dusty tortilla press for us to use). After a couple hours of cooking we completed the soup and it smelt like heaven in a cast-iron pot. So we hauled it to the Church where the rest of the team was painting and they were pumped for the delicious food! -Kendall, Patrice, Shelly, and Savannah

Mia, Caroline, Olivia, Ferrell, Raymond, Ann Marie, Ashlyn, Maddie, and Abby Cain (which is most of the kids), Theresa Cain, Chrissie Mee, and Mac went to the school and did crafts, art work and music in the classrooms. We had so much fun creating deeper relationships with the kids. Caroline, John, and Raymond's birthday is Thursday!!! and a sweet little girl named Edith figured this out yesterday and brought Caroline earrings for her birthday along with a card that talked about Caroline and the team's impact in her life just in the past couple of days. Instances such as these give us a remind us of the purpose that God has for us in Belize. The third and final group of our team gave many sacrifices in working in the church all day. They painted primer on the inside of the church in preperation for the paint tomorrow. Tomorrow we will be in the school and church doing similar work. Please continue to pray for the team as we travel to El Progresso and pray for the members of the community as they were struck by a tragic death by one of their community members.

Day 3

Today was a National holiday in Belize called Barren Bliss Day. Because the children are out of school, our team had the opportunity to spend all day bonding and playing with them. Some of the activities we helped run were face painting, a water slide, and MANY games of tag. Ann Marie especially participated in chasing the children. Every time we looked out into the field, Ann Marie was chasing another kid!! Shelby Blanchard also had some fun playing with the kids today; he accidentally knocked a boy with the HUGE, HEAVY Earth ball and we are surprised he is ok even though the little boy is still very terrified of ANY big balls that might crush him. THE FACE PAINT WAS A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!! You wouldn't even believe(Belize) the smiles around this field. It was a really great day all around. The whole day was filled with laughter SOOOOOO I am going to show the people what they want... pictures. big Earth ball

face paint

The kids are very creative and love anything. Everything brings these beautiful kids joy. We brought a tarp and soap to the school grounds and watched kids have the best time of their life. They played on it from morning til wehad to go. Patrice Blanchard was on rowdy boy patrol for the slip in slide.

Day 2

Today was great!! We went to El Progresso for the first time as a team and met the people that we will be working and spending time with all week. Sunday church was a bit different from the “hour” of worship we are familiar with. Pastor Victor delivered a sermon about the impact they are feeling with the team being present. Pastor Philip (the church planter) asked the team to stand at the front of the church with the congregation standing behind us as they blessed us for our efforts we are doing in Belize. These prayers were impactful and a great way to start our week. After hearing a sermon from Walter about blessings, we shared meals with the 40 church member and the 31 team members. We had delicious chicken, rice and tortillas which is a common meal in Belize, so this will not be the end of chicken, rice, and tortillas. Duck duck goose and baseball were among the many activities that we shared together just after lunch on church grounds.

The country was beautiful before one o’clock today, but after one o’clock is was even better! With about 20 kids from El Progresso, we hiked down to a stunning waterfall where we swam and (sorry mom) jumped off some high cliffs. The weather started out rainy, but, again, God is great and gave us sunlight to enjoy the rest of the great day

After about three hours of swimming, we headed back to the jungle at Banana Boat Lodge. We ate some chicken fried steak and some moist potatoes paired with some MORE CAKE!! The team debriefed our eventful and God graced day in a meeting with songs and talking! GREAT DAY AND MORE TO COME! KEEP POSTED! LIKE IF YOU WANT A VLOG! WE ARE STILL SLEEP DEPRIVED BUT WE WOULD BE SO UP FOR IT!!!!!!!

Day 1

Well, we are here!!!!! The whole team made it to Belize and we are very excited. A part of our team, the Cain family, almost didn't make the plane, but thanks to the grace go God, they made it to Belize. Since our early morning, our long day of travel has consisted of driving to our hotel with a few stops to a grocery store and a souvenir shop. Belize is rainy but beautiful. It is humid and hot, but we love the weather! God surprised us with a CRAIZEY rainbow that stunned our eyes to end the day with a sky full of sun…AND RAINBOWS. When we arrived at our beautiful hotel and saw a Jaguar. NO, not the car, but a real live, really fast, probably hungry (because you cannot stick your fingers in the cage) Jaguar, but we are safe. We ended our long day with a more than tasty meal. Peyton secretly desired a chicken and cheese enchilada and a chicken and cheese enchilada is what we ate (God works in mysterious ways HUH?). They congratulated our visit with a cake that was delicious. With the team all together for once, we shared the moments we saw God working in our lives. It was in this that we saw God already working in our lives and relationships that were forming among the team. Rainbows and God’s grace on the Cain family’s arrival were among the many God moments today with many more to come. A long day…but we are grateful to be here. Please pray for our team as we make our first visit to El Progresso tomorrow where we will attend their church service then take some villagers to a “secret, non-touristy” waterfall and cave. Thanks to all that have supported us to get here! We appreciate your prayers and financial support in our efforts to build relationships and fulfill the purpose that God has set before us in Belize. p.s. We have been up since three in the morning so we are delirious p.s.s. The adults have turned the responsibility of the blog to the teenagers, so if you have further questions about our confusing yet informative posts, please comment and we will be happy to respond!!

WAW Wednesday: Hopeful News

"The Word at Work is a ministry that mobilizes churches and individuals to answer God's call to minister to those in need," writes Rev. Tim Tam, Director of the Amarillo, Texas-based ministry. "Through our relationships, God reveals needs and opportunities for service. As we come along side the poor, new friendships develop and doors for ministry open. As we serve, God provides the resources to supply for the needs he reveals."

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Hopeful News

We have been praying and waiting on finding help for Dallan, a young man with a serious jaw problem.

Many doctors have offered their services, hospitals have offered their facilities, the trick has been to find a doctor and a hospital at the same location.

Our hope has been that the procedure can be done at Covenant Hospital in Lubbock Texas…..the first to respond to our appeal. I just received a call that was very encouraging. It seems all the necessary parties are aware of the situation but the approval process is complicated.

I was told that things are looking in our favor but that I still need to allow two more days for necessary communications to take place and approval to be confirmed.

Please help me pray this one to completion.

A Lighter Moment

EDITOR'S NOTE: Not sure what Kenny and Tim are up to here ... feel free to add your own caption.

Tim Tam
The Word at Work

ps: Our Ministry Associate team gathers school supplies, toys, and stuffed animals through out the year ... we've discovered blankets are an ongoing need as well, so please be saving them, too. Click here to learn more about becoming a TW@W Ministry Associate, or get in touch with Tim Hagen for more information!

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EDITOR'S NOTE: Speaking from my own first-hand experience - working side-by-side with Tim, Kenny and our brothers and sisters in Belize - won't you give thoughtful, prayerful consideration to supporting the efforts of Tim, the Word At Work staff and their partners? Please please fill out this Commitment Card and return it to their office!

Also, remember that you can follow The Word At Work on their Facebook page !