Castle Valley Academy

Belize: An Opportunity for Service
By Isadora S.
Our mission trip to Belize was an absolute success. I have to admit though, I was nervous about going on a mission trip to a country I wasn’t familiar with. First of all, I don’t speak Spanish, and I knew that even though most of Belize’s population speaks English, Spanish is their native tongue. Also, I'm an American, and sometimes it’s harder to connect with people when you’re not from the same culture. Lastly, being from the United States, even though I have traveled internationally, I was used to high standards in everyday life.
When I landed in Belize on Friday, February 9, 2024, I immediately experienced culture shock. Whether it was stepping off the plane directly onto the tarmac into the oppressive and humid Belizean heat,  riding along in a bus on extremely bumpy roads, or passing old homes made out of rusting metal, rotting wood, and plastic, I realized that Belize was not like home. I also realized that the reason I came to Belize was not just to have a good time or to live in luxury, but simply to serve. Those ten days that I would spend in Belize with Castle Valley Academy would help me to appreciate even more the joy of service to others.
We didn’t have much time to get settled into our sleeping quarters before we were notified that we would be performing the church services the very next day as well as having a concert. Not only that, but on Sunday, we would be getting groceries for people, and the rest of the week, besides a day off to visit an amazing place called Lamanai, we would be busy with Vacation Bible School, visiting families and refurbishing a church. To a young person who generally doesn’t have a lot of free time, feels somewhat awkward interacting with strangers from a different country, and is definitely NOT the best with kids, looking at my tight schedule for that week made me feel slightly overwhelmed. I decided that no matter what, I would make the most of it, and face my week with a positive attitude.
For three days and four nights that week, we were either working on repainting and patching up the Santa Marta SDA Church or doing VBS with the kids of that church’s community at night. The Santa Marta Church definitely needed a lot of help, and we had to do some much-needed but dirty jobs.
Some of my teammates, on 30-foot ladders, had to clean bat guano from some ledges where the roof met the walls, as well as patch up those holes so that the bats couldn’t attend church anymore. Others including myself prepped the walls for painting, which included sweeping 20-year-old cobwebs from the walls, (OK, I might be slightly exaggerating) wiping down grimy hand prints and bug juice from the walls. Then we painted all the inside walls of the church as well as the window blinds. There were also those of us who washed all the sticky paintbrushes outside and cleaned up the paint spills on the floor. I was privileged to be a part of this group as well, and I quickly learned that you make do with the resources you have.
For example, when you don’t have paint thinner, you use gasoline to clean off all of the trays and brushes. When you do have paint thinner though, try not to get it into your eye, because that’s not ideal for your eye, as I was about to find out one fateful day while I was trying to clean off a paint roller. Thankfully, I was able to rinse it all out, and my eye is perfectly fine now.
While in Belize, I learned that instead of looking at everything that overwhelms you, and instead of letting your fears take over, be confident and don’t be afraid to try new things. While a member of the registration group at VBS, I realized that I actually enjoyed my connections with the kids there, and I made a lot of precious memories that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. I realized that I didn’t need to be fluent in Spanish to make connections and friendships, and even if the person I was interacting with didn’t speak a stitch of English, I realized that sometimes you don’t need words to express what you’re feeling. Something as simple as a smile can break the barriers of language and culture and totally make someone’s day.  
To sum up, I would say Belize was totally worth it. Yes, there were cold showers, chilly nights without blankets, mosquitos and scorpions, dust that filled the bus as soon as you got on the road, and humidity that made you feel like you were living under an enclosed glass bowl filled with steam and no ventilation. Even all that though, I realized was a minor sacrifice. We were on a mission to serve others, not to go on a luxury vacation. When you are involved in service, you’ll find things won’t be easy or glamorous. You’re not in some romanticized movie or novel. You’re in real life, dealing with real people and real problems. You are going to have to practice team building and proper communication, and you’re going to have to resolve conflicts and solve problems, many times, on your own.
The most important thing about service, though, is that service requires self-sacrifice. To truly serve others, you must first be willing to get out of your own comfort zone and put yourself in other’s shoes. It might be hard at first, but you’ll find that when you do, you’ll find the greatest joy in serving others, because as Jesus once said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35