All 36 of us were greeted by a banner that said “Welcome Home” as we arrived at Trial Farm Pentecostal Church. This was our third consecutive year of serving in the small village, but for some, this was their first visit to the church. As they stepped off the bus and looked up at the banner while Pastor Felipe and his wife Adelita greeted us with hugs, they weren’t sure what to make of the experience. Of course, by our final night in Belize, our newest team members were sharing how they now felt as if they also had a second home in Trial Farm, Belize.

This one week in Belize takes nearly a year’s worth of planning and it’s a week that I look forward to throughout the year. This was our third consecutive spring break serving with Pastor Felipe and his church. Our team consisted of twenty-six high school students and ten adults and university students. It was our largest group yet for this mission trip. From our initial trip in 2018, our two churches made an instant connection, and each year it grows deeper. Seldom a week goes by where I do not have some form of communication with one of our Belizean friends. While our church has been meeting online, I notice most weeks that one of their church members is watching our services, and many weeks I have noticed that people from our church are keeping up with their church through their online service.

On our first trip to Belize, we provided a VBS type outreach to help the church reach more children and helped provide groceries and household necessities to widows in the community. But as the trust between our team and the church developed, so did more opportunities. This year we were able to lead chapel services for a high school and an elementary school. Our teens were able to share their testimonies, sing, perform skits, and visit classrooms to share the Gospel in each of the schools. Amanda and I were especially honored by having the elementary school principal invite us to lead a professional development with her teachers. I was able to encourage the teachers from God’s Word and Amanda was able to use her years of teaching and experience in school administration to sharpen the skills of the people that teach many of the students we have developed relationships with over the years.

On Sunday and each afternoon after school, we led a Vacation Bible School. By the end of the week, we had over 100 children and middle school students attending. Our 9th-12th graders led the Bible stories, crafts, music, and games in order to connect the Gospel with the kids and teens in the community.

An area of exciting growth the past two years has been the increase in the number of teenagers that are coming each day. Going from one teenager our first year to the dozen who now attend has been very significant for the church. Our two youth interns, Anna Hayden Taylor and Luke Comfort led the youth Bible studies and a few of our high school seniors led the small groups for the teens.

Pastor Felipe and Mrs. Adelita live on the same property as the church building. From the moment we arrive until we depart we are in their space. This leads to lengthy conversations on their back porch and in their kitchen. Pastor Felipe speaks excellent English while Mrs. Adelita speaks minimal English. But over the years she and I have learned to communicate through her broken English and my very limited Spanish. They have become like family to me and Amanda. We have brought several of her recipes home with us and regularly attempt to make authentic Belizean food in our home.

The church has a dedicated team of eight cooks who prepare three meals per day for our team. If we are not in the middle of a ministry project, you’ll find most of our group, particularly the adult leaders, huddled around their outdoor kitchen. As we share stories, recipes, and cooking techniques we have also taught each a lot about the unity we share in Christ.

As a part of the trip each year we make a visit to Altun Ha, an ancient Mayan village, and then spend our final day snorkeling and relaxing on the island of Caye Caulker. These “fun” activities are typically what attracts many of our teenagers to go on this trip. However, by the last night of the trip as teens share their highlights from the week the two “fun” parts of the trip are almost never mentioned. They share about how they have learned about being content, the joy of tirelessly serving others, overcoming their fear of leading a Bible study, or the boldness they experienced from singing or sharing their testimony in front of a few hundred Belizean teenagers.

This trip is not without its challenges, of course. A week of no air conditioning, cold showers, sleeping on an air mattress, no phones, and eating meals you are not accustomed to, as delicious as they are, is certainly a challenge. Each year I witness our group adjust to the challenges and actually begin to enjoy the much more relaxed culture of Belize. The challenges provide an environment where teens can discover that joy and happiness can be found outside a life of comfort.

Parents, if you would like to set an expectation for your child or younger teen to go on an international mission trip here is a suggestion: give them a passport when they turn thirteen (or whatever birthday you choose) and set a goal that they will serve beyond our nation’s borders. We can and must teach junior high and high school students from God’s Word on a weekly basis, but a week serving in a different context does more to teach them about the love of God, missions, and selfless service does more for their development than a year’s worth of Bible studies.

This trip would not be possible if so many in our church family did not give to our church budget, place a generous donation in the envelope you pick from the Missions Wall, or purchase a plate of fried catfish. Thank you for giving financially to help make this annual trip possible. It’s rare that a church can provide this type of yearly experience for high school students and I am grateful to be able to serve such a generous congregation.

Mission in Trial Farm, Belize