Day 6: Saturday - Workday

I think everyone was ready for a good night's sleep after our adventure yesterday.  We  will be up and going this morning to Belmopan Baptist High School.  Our plan is to paint the front of the two-story main building.  Each floor has a balcony, so only step ladders will be needed.  Since we have painted so much, specialties have emerged.  Some are good with rollers, others doing trim painting; some are can easily work from a ladder, others like to keep their feet on the ground. The mural that will be finished today is a testament to the artistic abilities that some have.  Our devotions have touched on this theme as well.  We all have gifts.  Time and experience teaches us what these gifts are, and a mission trip such as this one gives us an opportunity to use those gifts.  Our gifts are not limited to jobs like painting.  Our youth have shown the gift of love and compassion through interaction with the children at the two homes.  Several have played here at the camp with Jane's daughter Hannah.

Another area where giftedness shows is how the youth relate to one another.  On the work site they help one another; holding a ladder, a can of paint, handing a brush or roller, any number of ways.  At the camp, they spend down time talking in a large group or exploring the grounds.  The gift of unity has  been evident all week.

Finally, there is the gift of leadership.  A successful mission trip comes from advance planning.  Matt has planned an excellent mission trip.  Untold details have been worked out and taken care of. He prepared a wonderful devotion booklet and keeps the youth informed on what is coming next and what they need for that event.  Scott knows so many people here that any question is usually answered with a phone call to the right person. Steve Little has taken care of logistics and keeping us fed.  He picks up Jane and Laticia in the mornings between 5:30 and 6:00, takes them shopping (in Belize shopping is an hours-long process), gets them back to the BTC in the afternoon to cook dinner, and takes them home between 7:30 and 8:00 at night.  Melanie Orange has been our official doctor (only minor things so far) and is directing the work on the mural at Marla's.  Hanna Hagaman and Dan Smith have organized the painting at Marla's; and Patrick Ellis and Steve Pierce organized the work at the King's home.  The chaperones also have their families who are responsible for leading nightly devotions and kitchen duty after each meal.

Breakfast is cooking, the youth are stirring, and we will be off to the worksite soon.  Prayers for safety, good weather, and God's good grace today.

Maybe a couple pictures of earlier work will upload this morning.

Taner is one of our steady hands for detail work

Filipe and Grace beginning the mural at Marla's

Erika doing trim work at Marla's