More Photos

If you would like to see all of the photos from the trip, visit the following albums!

Album 1

Album 2

Warm Day at Yo Creek

We finished off our week of service in the village of "Yo Creek." The day of village medical was much like the previous three: hot, busy, and full of blessings. We saw over 120 patients and wrote over 200 scripts. The interesting part of the ministry team's day was the opportunity to visit students at school! This was the first village medical day that took place during the week, so instead of having the children come and find us we went and found them!


We went classroom to classroom distributing gifts and treat bags made of toothpaste, toothbrush, crayons, books outlining the life of Jesus, and a necklace with their pictures in them. We played with each grade individually which gave us the opportunity to talk with many of the students. It was a very rewarding last day. Both the students and the patients were greatly appreciative that we had traveled so far to help them. I couldn't help thanking them in return for everything that they had taught me along the way.

The trip has now come to a close and we have all arrived home safely. A second missions group was arriving on flights as we were leaving. I know that there are at least 3 teams going to Belize from the Cincinnati area this year, and they are planning on continuing with the missions next year as well. Please, if you are interested in joining us, let me know. I can get you in contact with the organizers! We would love to have you on our team.

The most frustrating part of the week was the fact that as I take a step back from our trip now, I see that the work that we did was simply a drop of water in a bucket. The more people and the more groups that we are able to send each year to Belize will greatly increase our influence and touch on their country. We have been blessed with so much. There is no excuse that we can use against taking a step out of our comfort zones and making a difference in their lives.

Mennonite Monday

We traveled to the Mennonite community of “Little Belize” yesterday, which proved to be a very enlightening trip. The Mennonites, who are an extremely self-sufficient and conservative people, live with such a different world-view from ours that it was great to experience their point of view for a day. Prior to arriving, we were not sure exactly what activities we would be allowed to do with the children and we were cautious with using cameras throughout the day. We were proud that we truly respected their boundaries, and by the end of the day I think they understood that we were there to learn from them and help them in any way that we could.

Both our group and their community could be seen tip-toeing around each other upon first arrival, but, as you can see from the photos below, our departure at the end of the day was full of relief from being able to break through the cultural barriers.

Below are the pictures outlining our travels over the rivers and through the woods and the progression of our visit at Little Belize.

A group shot before crossing our first river ferry

The hand-cranked river ferry.

We finally got to try some sugar cane!

Our foreign presence was approached with caution...

...and so were our foreign toys (bubbles).

But by the end of our stay, everyone was able to smile.

Many even had a lot of fun!

Village Medical Day 2

Yesterday we visited the village of “Carmelita” for another day of village medical and ministry. We were able to see over 200 patients and write over 400 scripts. Yet again, the children were everywhere and their energy was overflowing. Although it began raining halfway through the day, the soccer and basketball games never stopped.

The patients were offered prayers after their visits to the doctor. No matter what level of faith, everyone was glad to have encouragement and a smile on their way out the door. The surgery team spent another long day in the hospital, operating on 16 patients total. Having already adjusted to the equipment the previous day, the team was very comfortable in their foreign surroundings.

The picture on the right shows the homemade swings that were at the village. I have seen tires used in many different ways, but this was the first time that I had seen them transformed into swings!

On our trip home to Corozal, we passed by the sugar cane processing plant. You know when you are getting close to the plant, because the sugar cane trucks line the roads for miles. The workers are paid by the ton when delivering their cane, and sometimes they have to wait in line for days before they are finally able to unload their trucks. Our translator told us that if the sugar cane sits in the trucks too long before it is processed, it can lose its quality and be worth close to nothing. Needless to say it is a very difficult industry.

The trip to Belize has been a beautiful experience. We have met hundreds of amazing people and been able to help just as many. It is so interesting to learn about their lifestyles and their culture. We have two more days of service before we enjoy a day to act as a true "tourist"!

Tomorrow we head to "Little Belize", one of the five Mennonite villages in Belize.

*Internet was working against me this evening. Pictures to come soon.

17 Surgeries later....

There was no doubt that we were in Central America yesterday morning as we began the day…it was about 80 degrees with 100% humidity at 7 a.m.! But I guess I would rather be enjoying the heat than the snow that’s hitting our neck of the woods. The heat didn’t stop us, and it surely did not stop the villagers at “Trial Farms” from coming to see the medical team and our ministry team!

The medical and ministry groups that traveled to close-by “Trial Farms” village yesterday packed up crafts, toys, pharmacy equipment, and other medical equipment. Over the course of the day they gave out 500 scripts and saw over 350 patients. They wrote about 2/3 the amount of scripts in one day that past mission trips have written in one whole week!



The ministry team worked hard in the heat entertaining hundreds of kids. The village children seem to have an endless supply of energy and without the 10 teenage members of our team, we would have fallen behind quickly. We provided bags for the children to color and fill with candy, bubbles and other gifts that brought smiles to every face.


The surgical team spent their day in the Orange Walk Hospital. We arrived at 9 a.m. and did not leave until 9:30 p.m. It was a full day of surgeries ranging from Tonsilectomy to partial Thyroidectomy. Most of the surgeries that are scheduled throughout the week are for the tonsils. The tonsils that have been seen here tend to be much larger than the ones that the doctors have seen in the US. This is probably due to the fact that when in the US, doctors do not allow children to keep their tonsils as long if they are too large. This is only one of health differences that we have seen between life in Belize and life at home; we have learned that the health problems in Belize are not necessarily worse than in the States, there are simply different means to approaching and dealing with them.

There are two more related mission teams that are coming to Belize over the next two weeks. A group with two plastic surgeons and one ENT will be working from February 4-11. The third group will be staying from February 18-25, which will be performing village medical and will be building homes. We have run into a few government officials along our journey and they continue asking if we can send more groups. They are so grateful for the work that we have done for their people and would love to have more groups visit. If you are in any way interested, even if you just want to know when other trips are coming next year, please contact the church. They would love to send more groups each year. It is an amazing experience.

Busy in Belize

The HCC group has made it safely to Belize! After a day of travel we all converged at Tony’s Inn and Resort in the town of Corozal. This morning, following our much-needed night of rest, we awoke to the gorgeous view of the ocean and palm trees and got ready for breakfast and worship, which proved to be the best way to start our day!

Today we all traveled to the hospital in Orange Walk Town to perform patient screenings for the days of surgery that lie ahead. The medical team saw more than 250 patients over the course of the day and scheduled over 35 surgeries. The most amazing part of the day, from the medical standpoint, was the fact that these hundreds of patients arrived at the hospital before 9 a.m. and waited patiently the entire day to have the opportunity to visit with a doctor. It is very difficult for most Belizians to obtain healthcare, so mission visits are often the only time they will travel to see a doctor concerning their maladies. They’re gratefulness and willingness to wait for attention was astounding. Can you imagine any American waiting more than 30 minutes, happily, to see their doctor?

While the medical team was busy cycling patients, the ministry team was working hard in the sun playing with children and teens and praying with patients and families that wanted an extra prayer for their healing. With the daily motto of “Equipo de Oracion” (Equipt to Pray) we look forward to reaching out to those in need and giving them a hopeful word whenever it is needed.

We gave Bibles, painted faces, decorated flip-flops, played soccer, and painted nails! There were children everywhere who were excited to play with the “new kids” in town.

Tomorrow the group splits for our day of service. The surgical team will head back to the hospital to begin their first full day of surgeries. The ministry team will travel for their first village visit. The nurses and physicians will perform check-ups with villagers and the rest of the team will meet, worship, teach, and play with more new friends.

Please keep our travels and activities in your prayers. We are so excited to touch the lives of those that we meet, and there is no denial that they are already touching ours!

2 Days and Counting

Welcome to the official blog for the 2010 Dwelling Place mission to Belize. Myself and 46 others are taking off Thursday morning and landing Thursday evening in the beautiful country of Belize.

The Dwelling Place in Cincinnati, OH has been traveling to northern Belize for the past 3 years lending a medical, physical, and spiritual hand to Belizeans of the "Orange Walk" district, also known as the Sugar District.

A bit of history:
Sugar production makes up the bulk of agricultural growth in Belize. The production began shaping the history of, what is now, Belize as early as the mid-19th century, and although sugar cane is produced throughout Belize, it is all collected and processed in the Orange Walk District.

In addition to sugar cane, Belize is home to the world's second largest barrier reef (second to Australia's Great Barrier Reef) and beautiful, lush jungles.

I hope to bring photos, fun-facts and stories from the trip to our friends and family at home. Feel free to pass our blog along to your friends. Maybe our stories will inspire others to join the mission next year!