So I recently got back from a mission trip to Belize and while I want to blog about the whole trip I realized I'm going to have to do it in many post as different things come to me. With that being said, here's the first post…
Two days of our trip were spent working in an inner city neighborhood of Belize painting houses and interacting with the kids in the neighborhood. The streets were burdened by gangs and run-down houses so it was pretty different compared to what we were used to seeing in our comfortable MA towns. In the midst of this brokenness, however, you can still see God's light shinning through.
We met a group of kids playing in an area by what looked like a half-built building. There was a tipped over oil can, broken glass, and other pollution all around this area. I noticed on the walls of the building were drawings of crosses and Jesus fishes (probably drawn by previous mission teams like us) and it reminded me that no matter how broken an area can be God still loves each and every person there. When we were coloring with the kids (we found some coloring books with Bible stories), the kids would look at the pages and they could tell you the Bible story. I thought we'd be going into these parts of the city and meeting kids who have never even heard of God, never mind know all sorts of Bible stories. It really opened my eyes to see that even though it may not have looked it on the outside, God was certainly taking care of the people of this neighborhood.
When I think about how small I am compared to how BIG God is and how much of the world he really looks after I find it hard to believe that God still remembers me. To see His light shinning in an area so broken is the biggest reminder for me that God doesn't forget about anyone.
So I leave you with this: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." - Deuteronomy 31:6
