Final Moments From Misty

So, being that we are going to pack up in a few hours, this is my last blog from Belize! I will try to keep this one brief...did I hear a sigh of relief?! :)

Wednesday was a busy day around the compound! We got the dining area prepared and ready for our Ladies Event. The ladies of the village were so excited that they came an hour before it was to start! We went ahead and got started early with washing feet and hands and painted nails. The ladies came and came and came and we pampered these wonderful women for three hours! Each lady I washed and painted had their own story of life and I could truly write an entire blog just on them. It was a treat for me to pamper these ladies because they were so appreciative of what we were doing for them. I actually learned how to put those decal things on, too! Funny enough, though, I saw some of them "fixing" their nails after the event! :) Two of the girls I pampered came back later that night for our VBS and church service, and their nails were still like I did them! Yay!! :)

After the ladies event, we ate lunch and prepared for the VBS here on the compound. We ate an early lunch and the kids started coming! We gave them ice cream and let them do all the fun crafts we've been doing this week. I worked the bead table again and my favorite person was this little girl who was no more than 2 years old. She amazed me with how well she was threading those beads!:) After VBS, we went into the church for a puppet show service. I got to sit with one of the gals I met earlier, which was fun. I'm hooping she comes back tonigh for the teen event! After church, it was showers and bedtime.

Thursday was our free day and we went snorkeling around Caulker's Cay. I was so glad that Hailey did so well on the boat ride! Thanks so much for my friends who were praying specifically for that! She also did great while we snorkeled! I loved the time we spent together holding hands and swimming by the reefs. I did learn the hard way that the reefs are not made for us to touch them...something about poisonous darts or something on the coral?! All I know is that one of those reefs jumped up and touched my knee and they weren't joking about it hurting! No worries, though, I'm good! Several of our team members got little (some big) cuts on their feet and legs from swimming yesterday, but it was worth it! Nice, relaxing day for us all! To top off the day, we stopped at the Art Box and SHOPPED!! Oh, yes, what a way to end my day! :)

And finally, for today, we were busy again. We went to a squatter village to give out the rest of our supplies and do VBS. I believe this had to be the hottest day yet. If anyone wants to look up the temperature and heat index for today in Belize, please let me know! We came back and ate lunch and prepared for the teen night. We are about to eat dinner and have fun with the teens!

For final thoughts, I am pleasantly surprised by how well our team works together, even in this heat and hard work. I can hardly believe how differently the people here live than we do at home. I take so much for granted at home, like warm water, air conditioning, and my Select Comfort bed. I would gladly come back here to serve again, if God calls me to do it again. And my shock at how well Hailey has handled the heat and hard work here. When I say she hasn't complained once about doing the work down here, I mean not once. In fact, she has had such a wonderful and happy spirit here, and it's been such a pleasure to serve beside her this week. I can't even describe in words the feeling I have about being here with her this week, (sob, sniff, sniff). I'm so completely proud of her work this week. Especially yesterday when she faced her boat fears. On our way back to the mainland on the boat, I told her how proud I was of her for snorkeling and all. She said, "well, I figure we are on a mission trip and God will keep me safe." My prayer for her is to hold on to her boldness she found here and let God continue to lead her at home. As for me, I am still processing all that I've encountered here and may be able to share more of what I learned later. It has been such a blessing to serve and share God's love with the people here. It's been an "unbeliezable" week! Thank you God for allowing Hailey and me to be your hands and feet this week!

Miss everyone and we come home tomorrow! :)
Misty