Mission Trips
The youth group does a mission trip every summer. Summer of Service at Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio is our basic. Here students learn the fundamentals of sharing Christ’s love & experience incredible worship & solid biblical teaching on what it means to follow Christ in the world today.
Every third summer we take a group of high school students to Belize to work with kids & do a construction project on the island of Caye Caulker with missionary George Ferrar. The 2005 trip to Belize was primarily an adult trip focused on erecting an auxiliary building for missionary George Ferrar's Caye Caulker High School.
Our 2008 Mission team is on the island of Caye Caulker right now! Check out what's happening below:
Belize Mission Trip 2008 Updates:
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June, 2005 |
May. 2008 |
June, 2008 |
June 17, 4:00pm
Hello from Caye Caulker.
The fourteen team members who departed Traverse City early yesterday morning arrived safely on Caye Caulker last night at about 6:30 PM (CST). We are two hours behind you. Rex Rudolph is on his way back to Belize City as I type (2 PM CST) to pick up Daiva White, our fifteenth team member. Thanks so much to all of you who have been in prayer for Daiva as she sought to clear up the issues surrounding her passport. When all is said and done, she will have missed just one day of the trip! Her ordeal has added some expense to our trip, however, as additional cab and water taxi fares will have to be paid. If God lays it on your heart to contribute financially in some way, contact Ruth Stow at the church office.
George Ferrar gave us a tour of the island this morning, and gave the team the latest information on the high school. This afternoon, we are getting the tools moved to the work site for the construction project, and the students are going over their plans for children's ministry and then will be headed down to the school site to do some work in preparation for one of their work projects - spreading sand on the back of the school lot.
We are certainly getting a good dose of hot, Belizean summer weather. The breeze is minimal at best and it is HOT! The kids are doing well in spite of the heat, though. Keep team member Michelle Mitchell in your prayers. She's had a headache and nausea since yesterday. She was fine as we began the boat trip from Belize City to Caye Caulker, and was sick by the time we got here. Keep her in your prayers. Pray also for sunny weather and a good, dry breeze.
We'll include a picture or two in tomorrow's update, and then more as work progresses.
Blessings, Pastor Jeff
The team goofing off before dinner.
June 19th, 11:45am
Hello everyone! I apologize for not sending an e-mail yesterday. Things were quite busy around the work site as George kept putting pressure on the Village Council chairman and truck driver to get loads of sand delivered to the school for the kids to place on the rear of the lot. And we had a few problems with the school house roof that needed to be thought through before we could get started. But all projects are moving forward now. The construction team is finishing up the wood beams and sill plates that rafters will attach to, and we will soon be cutting rafters and getting them into place. Mariano, our Belizean contractor, is a pleasure to work with. He has a lot of experience and a wonderful sense of humor. Jared and Alex are working with Mariano's assistant building a tool shed. Everyone else is spreading sand.
Thankfully, Michelle Mitchell is back on her feet and feeling good. She was able to join the team on the work site yesterday and is at it again today. And Daiva White finally arrived yesterday late afternoon. She had been held up one additional day in Dallas because weather in Dallas kept her flight from Chicago from landing for a couple of hours. They actually had to divert to Houston to refuel! By the time she was on the ground in Dallas, the flight to Belize City was long gone. It was good to see her smiling face yesterday.
The weather down here has been brutal. The last two days were two of the hottest I've experienced down here. Even Mariano was complaining about the heat. But everyone has made it through OK. Today the sky is overcast, the breeze is stronger, and it's not quite as hot. I'm still sweating just typing this e-mail though.
I' sorry I still don't have any pictures to share. I did not bring my own camera, so I have to rely on others for shots of the team at work. They've been taking some good pictures, and I'll be able to share some of them with you tomorrow.
Continue to keep us in your prayers!
Blessings, Pastor Jeff
Besty Rudolph moving sand
Betsy Palisin spreading sand
Jared and Jack spreading sand
Jack is working hard
Spreading sand
The construction team getting started
"Man, it's hot!"
Lunch break!
Rex and Mariano building a beam.
June 20, 1:30pm
Hi everyone! Greetings from Caye Caulker. After two days of incredibly hot temperatures with direct sunlight beating down on us all day long, the last two days have been a little cooler with a stronger breeze and at least partially overcast skies. It's still hot, but not nearly as bad as it was. Jared and Alex are working with two Belizeans on a tool shed for the school site, and the rest of the kids are cutting the weeds out of the yard at Tree of Life (George's outreach center) in preparation for planting plugs of carpet grass, which they will cut from the high school site. You may remember that it was our team in 2003 that originally planted the carpet grass at the high school site that will give us the plugs for Tree of Life. All of the kids will be visiting the island elementary school this afternoon at 1 PM local time (3 PM in Traverse City) to let the kids know about our children's ministry coming up this Sunday - Tuesday.
Construction of the high school roof is moving along nicely. We have all of the sill plates and beams up, and the ridge beam and five rafters on each side are up. Getting the ridge beam and the first two rafters up was a bit of a chore and things got a little crazy for a while, but things are moving along nicely now. We've had a few hang ups with the supply of lumber that was ordered for us. The ceiling joists, which are important in keeping the roof sturdy and in the proper shape, were left out of the order. They left them out because they didn't think we had enough time to install them, but if we don't put in the ceiling joists, we can't really walk around on the top of the roof without pushing the rafters down, squashing the roof out of proper alignment. George ordered the lumber this morning, and is hoping it'll be here by tonight (a small miracle in Belize).
Keep that lumber order, as well as our presentation at the elementary school in your prayers today!
I've included some pictures today, I hope you enjoy them. (See above)
Tomorrow (Saturday, 6/21) is our day off. We'll be out snorkeling from 10 AM - about 2:30, and then we'll have some free time for the rest of the day. I likely won't send an update again until Sunday morning.
Until then, take care, Pastor Jeff
June 21 (Snorkling)
June 22, 12:30pm
Greetings from Caye Caulker.
Yesterday was our day off. We spent the day snorkeling the Hol Chan marine reserve, and ate our sandwich lunch on the beaches of San Pedro, on Ambergris Caye, the next island to the north. We had the opportunity to see a Loggerhead Turtle, a Green Turtle, and many beautiful fish and corals. Everyone had the chance to pet a Nurse Shark and a Sting Ray out in the ocean. Michelle Mitchel wasn't feeling very good yesterday, so she opted not to snorkel. But it seems she had a wonderful day chatting with islanders as she walked the streets of Caye Caulker. She spent the day interacting with locals, telling them about our team and our mission here on the island. She is healthy again today.
Today, we're back to work. The construction team continues to put rafters up. Our goal is to have the rest of the rafters up by the end of the day. We won't be able to completely finish the roof. It is simply too large. But we will have it completely framed and ready for the galvanized aluminum sheeting.
The ministry team is spreading sand this morning, and then will be working with children at Tree of Life this afternoon from 2 PM until they are done. Wow! You need to be proud of these kids. They are working very hard and doing whatever is asked of them.
Until tomorrow, Pastor Jeff
Ashley Dumps some sand (L) while Daiva and Carolyn hack weeds at Tree of Life (R)
The Ministry Team
The construction team (L-R); Rex Rudolph, Jeff Goodwin, Jan Vlach, David Goodwin, and our Belizean contractor Mariano (front and barefoot)
The new school house roof as seen from the street
Carolyn Vlach does a little reading early in the morning.
June 23, 4:15pm
Hello from Caye Caulker,
It's another hot one today! But the team is doing great. The construction team has all of the rafters up, and we are now beginning work on the joists. We're only going to do half the joists, enough to hold the roof firmly, and then use the rest of the lumber for support underneath. That will support the roof until interior walls can be built.
The kids had a wonderful first day of children's ministry. Sure, they had two or three children who gave them a run for their money (they are the same girls who have given the last two teams a run for their money), but all in all it went really well. They are dividing their time during the day between free time, preparing for children's ministry, and spreading sand. Today and tomorrow the children's ministry itself will happen at night. Elizabeth Palisin is really doing a great job. She's a really hard worker. And Jack Noble is great at building relationships with the young boys in the children's ministry. I have a great video of Jack singing the verses of "Awesome God" during the children's ministry time yesterday. You will enjoy seeing it when we get back.
Tomorrow will be our final update prior to our return. We leave on the water taxi on Wednesday at noon, which should have us at the terminal in Belize City at about 1 PM (local time). Mark, the Christian pastor and taxi driver, will pick us up (with a few of his coworkers) and take us to the airport. We should be at the airport a little before 2 PM, just in time to get through security and catch our 4 PM flight to Dallas. We're overnighting at Creekwood Christian Church in Dallas, and depart for Chicago at 6 AM on Thursday. We'll be back in Traverse City slightly before noon on Thursday.
Until tomorrow, Pastor Jeff
Construction team members work on the roof (L) and enjoy lunch (R)
Rex Rudolpoh helps place a rafter
Children's ministry at Tree of Life
June 24, 3:15pm
Hello again. We had some pretty heavy rain showers come through this morning, which slowed things down a bit as we got as much work done as we could between downpours. The cooler breeze and overcast skies that came with the rain were a welcome relief, though. We now have all of the rafters up, and just over half of the joists, which is all of the joists we are going to do. We'll spend the afternoon installing metal hurricane ties between the rafters and the beams that support them. We might also get some of the facia board installed ... it depends on the weather.
The kids had a really frustrating morning and afternoon yesterday as they waited for sand deliveries that never came. A few of them used the free time to share Christ's love and story with Arsenio, one of the young men assisting us at the high school, so it was not time wasted. The conversation lasted throughout the afternoon. The evening children's ministry went wonderfully, and they anticipate another great night tonight. They covered the fruit of the Spirit last night, and tonight is lifesaver night, and will include a gospel presentation, so keep the children's ministry in your prayers this evening. It kicks off at 7 PM here, which will be 9 PM in Traverse City. Goodbye from Caye Caulker ... we miss you all and look forward to seeing our families when we land in Traverse City on Thursday at 11:40 AM.
Until then, Pastor Jeff
Tiger dumps more sand, which needs to be spread over the back of the lot
This was the progress made as of the end of our trip.
September 3, 2008.
It seems to me that we often wish God worked through events, but so often God works through a process. We like nice, neat, tidy beginnings and endings. But God's work doesn't have beginnings and endings. We join in His story somewhere in the middle, and our roles end there too. This trip was sort of like that. We picked up projects that had already been started, and took them a little farther, trusting God to complete them in His time. And He will! Actually, at the time of this final update, all of the work projects we contributed to have been completed. Mariano and his workers have finished the roof and shed, and the remaining sand has been layed over the back of the school lot. But even with the completion of these work projects, God's work on Caye Caulker continues. The second story of the school house needs to be completed on the inside, and the school needs to be filled with high school students eager to learn. These students will become the men and women God raises up to continue His work on Caye Caulker, in Belize, throughout Central America, and to the ends of the earth. But rest assured - God will complete what He has started. In Belize, in America, and yes, in YOU to! Enjoy these pictures of some completed projects in Belize, and our journey home.
Until next time,
Pastor Jeff
The completed roof and storage shed.
Sprinklers water the grass seed planted on the back of the lot, now filled with sand.
Children's Ministry at Tree of Life Ministry Center
Pastor Jeff with Missionary George Ferrar
The FCC team boards the water taxi to begin the long journey back to the US
The FCC Team in front of Tree of Life Ministry Center
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Belize Mission Trip 2005
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Building a solid foundation for the auxiliary building, Caye Caulker High School |
Working with the children on the Belizean Island of Caye Caulker |
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Raising an auxiliary building wall |
Painting the existing school building |
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Heather and three children from Caye Caulker |
The whole team! |
