Mission Trip to Belize

Because I love Jesus, I love serving Him and people! Jesus said, “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). I desire to encourage others in their faith and to show them the love of Christ through my love and service. I was hoping to give my daughter, Jocelyn a desire to serve in the church and overseas. The first couple of years that I mentioned serving overseas, she was reluctant. So, I just continued praying and last year she was ready. At that time, we began searching for a team and location where we could be the hands and feet of Jesus.

After an extensive search, God opened the doors for us to serve in Belize with Faithpoint Church and Praying Pelican Missions. I knew this would be a great trip because four of eight team members had already served in Belize, with PPM, at Orange Walk Baptist.

When serving on a mission trip to Belize, physical and spiritual preparation are essential. Here are six ways to prepare for a mission trip to Belize.

1. Pray over every aspect of the mission. Prayer is vital as you prepare to share God’s love with others. Pray that God would go before you and equip you for the work that you will be doing. Pray for those you will meet and serve to have hearts ready to receive God’s love and message. Pray over the trip leaders and participants. Pray for physical and spiritual health and strength and unity among the mission team members and pray for smooth flights and travel. Pray, over the church and missionaries you’re partnering with. Pray for God to reveal Himself and for Him to be glorified through your service. In order to partner with God on your trip, pray over everything!
2. Prepare your heart to humbly serve. As you prepare to enter another culture, it’s important to remember that while we’re visitors, we’re the ones who are there to serve. Your hosts will be hospitable and will desire to welcome you, so be a good guest; be thankful for whatever food and service you receive. But, remember that you’re not on vacation. Offer to help with whatever you can and clean up after yourself. You came to serve, not to be served.
3. Remember your role as a visitor. When serving in overseas missions, it’s important to remember that we’re visitors. We must be open to the best way to serve and help in the community where we are serving. We need to listen to those who know the area and culture and follow their lead. We aren’t there to change things. We’re there to serve. I believe it’s best to serve through a partner church. This service strengthens the relationships between the church and the community and helps introduce the community to the love of Jesus.
4. Apply for your passport. If you don’t have a passport or it’s expired, apply for your passport. When you travel to Belize, keep your passport with you at all times. There are many types of passport wallets to help you to keep your passport with you. Get information about how to obtain your passport here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports.html
5. Prepare to serve with a missionary team. In preparation for the trip, we filled out applications regarding our physical health and spiritual growth. We attended team meetings and worked to raise funds. We shared devotions and worked with the team to strengthen our unity and plan a VBS that consisted of singing songs, teaching Bible lessons, creating crafts and playing games. This preparation was ongoing for about six months prior to the trip.
6. Prepare physically for your mission to Belize. Belize is hot! Exactly how hot depends on the season. We went in June and it was very hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Obviously, light weight clothing is a must as well as sunscreen. Check with your mission organization to see if there are specific clothing requirements for your service project or church service. (We wore dresses and tops with sleeves to church.) Invest in an insulated water bottle and plan to keep it with you all of the time. The heat makes dehydration a threat. Also, bring a couple of pairs of good walking shoes and at least one looser pair. My feet swelled, so much that I could only wear one pair of shoes. (Did I say it was hot?!?) You will also want a small battery-operated fan to cool you down at night and plenty of bug spray. (I sprayed my clothes and bedding prior to the trip, which seemed to help. You may want a mosquito net to use when you’re sleeping. Check with your team leader about sleeping accommodations. We brought air mattresses to sleep on and a few in our group put their mattresses inside a mosquito tent. Lastly, bring your devotion and Bible so you can readily participate in church services and group devotions…as well as your regular quiet time.

After six months of preparation and fundraising, we were ready to serve in Belize. If you’re planning to serve in Belize, I hope these tips help you to prepare. If you’re looking for a mission organization to serve with, check out PPM here: https://www.prayingpelicanmissions.org/mission-trip-dates?location=international         I can’t say enough good things about this organization! The trip was amazing and the leaders were awesome!

In my next post I will share more about the mission trip. What would you add to help others prepare for a mission trip to Belize? What questions could I answer about our trip in the next post?