TEAMworks Returns to Belize 

Bright and early at 4:30am to unload all the materials we had packed 6 months ago. It’s always a gamble on whether or not the airline attendants will let us bring it all, but through experience, our veteran TEAMworks participants have found out all we can do is pray and smile… and have a detailed letter explaining what we are doing and the population the equipment will be benefiting. 

After the ladies at baggage check radioed back and forth with other airline attendants, not only did they allow us to check all 13 giant bags filled with therapy materials (and all weighing right at 50lbs), but they also let us check all 6 wheelchairs stacked and plastic wrapped with activity chairs, feeder seats, gait trainers, forearm crutches, walkers, and wheelchair equipment… AND waived the fee for each wheelchair! Praise God!! 

With sleepy eyes and joyful hearts we made it onto our first flight, through the Houston Airport onto the next, and all the way to Belize City. We then divided and conquered to get through airport customs with all the supplies (not to mention our 17 personal carryons) where God showed up again to get it all through and get fees waived once again. From there, we piled everything onto a school bus, ate a wonderful traditional Belize lunch, and began a little over a 3 hour ride to the training center where we will be spending the week. Once we got there, we unloaded, explored the campus a bit, ate a delicious homemade dinner, and began unpacking-sorting-and repacking materials for the next day. Once we had everything prepared for our early morning, we spent some time worshiping the Lord and then went to bed. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the week, and serve this community in all ways we can!

After home visits, we got on the bus and went back to the Training Center for a quick lunch before heading to a local orphanage. This orphanage is structured in a nontraditional way, where the children each get placed and live with various workers to create a foster family environment all within the property. The orphanage provides home schooling for the younger kids, and real-life learning experiences for their older kids. They also have a program within the campus as the kids get older to be able to get a job, learn to budget, and rent their own homes on the property in preparation to one day leave the orphanage. Rather than having to leave as soon as they turn 18, the kids stay as long as they need to be prepared to leave and enter the world. 

After walking the property and getting to hear all about what the orphanage does, we got to go into the main building to spend time with the children. Julie Marvin had prepped tons of braille materials to help a little girl there who is blind, and we brought toys, therapy materials, and coloring books. Best of all, we just got to spend time making each child feel the love of God and know how truly valued they are. 

After the orphanage, the bus took us back to the Training Center where we were able to all come together to discuss the day and hear about what each group had experienced at the various home visits. We talked about the many highs, like the children wanting hugs, their sweet laughs, the way they played so joyfully, the families being so incredibly welcoming, and caregivers being so eager for parent education. And we talked about the lows, like seeing the exhaustion in some families faces, and not being able to fix everything right away. But despite their hardships, each family radiated the heart of the Lord in how well they loved and served their children, and the highest joy of the day was that we got to pray for each of them by name, and take rest in knowing that God sees them, knows them, and has a plan for them.  

Day three began with a slower morning. Breakfast wasn’t until 8, which allowed for devotional time, runs around the training center, and hot coffee with a beautiful view. After breakfast, we walked over to the school they have at the training center that they have opened for children with special needs. It is the only school in Belize that serves this population. They were out for summer break, so we split into teams to conquer pulling up old flooring to prepare for tile to be laid, organizing school materials, repairing door knobs and sewing machines, cleaning wheelchair and mobility equipment and switching out parts to ensure everything was accessible and ready for the new school year. 

We began brainstorming and making materials for the children we had met at a home the day before, such as, communication boards, behavior plans, token boards, first-then visuals, sensory and regulation plans… anything that we could prep and provide them when we see them again at Vacation Bible School in a couple of days, and for them to use during the upcoming school year. 

We took a break from working at the school to eat a quick lunch and hop on the bus to go to a local farm planted with incredible fruits, vegetables, and various plants from the region. Everything on the farm was planted by a man and his family who have lived there since the 70’s. His son gave us a tour, walking us all through the farm. As we walked, he explained the different plants and their uses, and even opened various native fruits and vegetables for us to try as we walked. The farm was so beautiful and green! After the tour, his mom had prepared 7 different fruits from their farm for us to try. The hospitality, warm welcome, and acknowledgement of God’s presence and love from the people here continues to leave us in awe! After the farm, we went into a nearby town on the coast and walked around the square a bit before driving back to the training center. A group of us walked back down to the school to finish the materials we were making for the kids before dinner. We ended the night with worship and prepared for church the next day. 

Day 4 started with coffee, a delicious pancake breakfast, and so much fresh fruit! The training center not only has a school for special needs children, a radio center, a plumbing school for locals, a ministry college, and lodging, but they also have a church for all the local people to come to Sunday morning. It was such an amazing experience to be able to share a Sunday church service with the local people.

A group of us even got to lead Bible school for all the local children. Watching how this culture worships the Lord and getting to share in that was such a blessing. After church we had yet another amazing homemade lunch before prepping and planning for the next two days began. 

The TEAM group set up a room to use as a “pop up clinic”, separating Occupational, Physical, and Speech therapy materials into different suit cases to easily pull from as we bring kids in to treat. Meanwhile, the others from the mission team set up tables and organized materials for the Vacation Bible School for children with special needs that we will be hosting on the upcoming days. 

After we finished setting up, we had a bit of down time to be able to call our families back home, play a couple rounds of “spoons”, and just fellowship together to talk about and pray for the upcoming days. We ate dinner, had amazing “Sunday Sundaes”, and ended the night by gathering in small groups to discuss our anxieties, such as not really knowing who will be coming to VBS and just hoping what therapy materials we packed back in January fit their needs, and excitements, such as anticipating seeing the kiddos and getting to be the hands, feet, and heart for God as we serve them and their families. We spent time praying that God equips us to meet their needs while also sharing the Gospel.

The day we have been preparing for… for so long!! Breakfast was at 7am this morning so that we could be leaving in the buses by 7:30am to go pick up families from various villages to bring to VBS and our “pop up therapy clinic”. We divided therapists so 2 could be on the first bus, 2 on the second, and 2 finishing up the therapy room and greeting families coming on public transportation. The group from the church also stayed behind to greet and finish setting up VBS. 

One of the coolest things about Belizean culture is how they know everyone from their village, and often neighboring villages too. They know each other’s family, where they live, and hardships they might face. They truly share such a sense of community. 

We first picked up a local, Sister Casalina, who is her village’s ambassador. She was able to direct us through the mountains and villages to every house or pick up location for the families we knew were coming to camp. She ensured we didn’t miss anyone on the way! Each time we would pull up to a stop it was such a joyful feeling being able to greet the children and families with big smiles and open arms. You could truly feel the excitement and love radiating from everyone on the bus! 

Once we got back to camp, activities were set out and ready for the kids to start. We played with the kids and met the families before singing some fun songs together and listening to the Bible story of the day. A couple of us, Julie Marvin and Kristen Keene were pulled to chat with the teachers from the school on site. We got to show them the materials we made for two of their higher needs students (who we had made house visits to in the days prior) and explain to them how to use the communication boards, token boards, and various visuals in class, as well as give them some ideas to try to regulate their sensory needs while at school. 

We all began pulling kids into the room set up with treatment materials. Anna Sanders worked with a 7 year old little girl practicing sitting in a large group of people, completing a task, sensory regulation with heavy work and vestibular rhythmic movement, sensory feeding and pacing, IDL task demands, and parent education of how to get non-preferred activities completed at home. 

Babe Herlein worked on handwriting and tracing and brainstormed handouts to provide the next day for a 20 year old to take back to the orphanage to continue practicing. She worked on passive range of motion, tummy time, visual tracking, grasp, and stretching with a 3 month old  baby, and parent education and emotional regulation with a 9 year old boy. 

Kristen Keen provided parents with articulation handouts and explained how to teach various speech sounds. She introduced one 7 year old girl to a first-then visual for them to use in school to help her understand verbal instructions and expectations, and make transitions smoother. Kristen was also able to provide parent education and hand out the token and communication boards made days prior. She performed the Beckman Oral Motor assessment on a little girl with Cerebral Palsy, and taught her mom how to use a Honey Bear cup at home to work on lip strength, sucking pattern, and oral coordination. 

Haley Denney and Julie Marvin worked with a 21 year old young man with a seizure disorder and Cerebral Palsy. They got him fitted with a new pair of shoes and a walker. The light in his face as he realized he was walking across the room without the help of another person holding onto him was such a joy to see. Haley ensured the walker was the right height and helped him practice learning to use it. 

We worked with a young 10 year old boy with Spina bifida in desperate need of braces and supportive shoes. Cas worked and worked on fitting a pair of braces for the boy. Finally, his modifications seemed to really work well. However, none of the shoes we brought fit. This is when members of our therapy team all began taking off our own shoes and trying them… yet to no avail! Chloe, a member from Fellowship had tagged along on our visit and seemed to wear close to the same size. She took off her shoes to give to him right then and there. It was such an amazing moment to witness, and such a testament of the good work here and how the Lord moves spontaneously and perfectly.

When packing for Belize, we didn’t know what all the needs were that we would encounter while over here, so sizing was all a guessing game. We packed as much equipment as possible, and prayed we would find a use for it all. 

Lori Hannon was able to see a little 5 year old girl she had met four years before and has seen every year since. She got the sweetest reunion cuddles, and began planning with Cas on what needed to be added and fixed on her chair. Lori, Haley, and Julie got her fitted with new shoes and braces, provided home exercise programs and parent education, and got her fitted for a new wheelchair and bath seat. Lori and Cas began brainstorming ways to modify her new wheelchair. 

At the end of VBS, we all fellowshipped together over a meal before hopping back on the buses to take the families back home. After dropping off the families, we made three home visits. We visited a little 5 year old girl whose wheelchair was given to her the year before. Lori and Cas made adjustments on the chair. They also visited the house of a 10 year old boy with spina bifida to fix his wheelchair given years prior. 

Finally Lori and Cas visited a little two year old girl’s home who we had heard was in the area and had feeding difficulties. It was a hike up to her house. Once there, we were able to meet the family, provide suggestions for an upcoming doctor appointment in the City, and invite them to camp the next day. 

When we arrived back at the training center, we prepared materials and handouts for when the kids came back the next day, ate dinner, gathered in our small groups, and went to bed with hearts excited to do it again the next day.

What a day!! We started the same way as the day before: up early, a quick breakfast, Anna braiding everyone’s hair, and then splitting onto the buses to pick up families or staying back to set up VBS. 

The only difference was that it was POURING RAIN…

This created a lot of tension in the air because, after completing several home visits, we knew how treacherous some of the paths were from the families’ houses down the mountains to the road where the bus would pick them up, making it extremely difficult and dangerous for some families to get there. We prayed that God would stop the rain so everyone could arrive safely.

Along the way, the heavy downpour turned to a sprinkle, and bus stop after bus stop, we picked up our smiling families. One mother shared that she had been praying for the rain to lighten up so they could come safely, and as her foot touched the doorstep, the rain stopped. Then it became an obvious answered prayer when the rain began pouring again as soon as everyone was at camp and safely under the roof. It was incredible that it had lightened up just long enough!

From there, the therapists and Fellowship crew jumped into action, pulling kids, pivoting VBS activities because of the loud storm, and providing headphones, weighted blankets, and earplugs to children affected by the very loud thunder. Among many, many other things, Julie helped two blind girls with Braille, Babe helped families with toileting, Anna helped children with dyslexia, Lori helped families with equipment needs, Haley helped families with home exercise programs, and Kristen helped families with low-tech communication boards. This was just a small snippet of the needs that were met, but each therapist worked quickly and effectively to ensure every family with needs was seen and every child felt prioritized.

After camp, we hopped back on the buses to take the families home and completed two home visits to drop off more equipment. We got back to the Training Center, showered the mud and seeds off our legs and feet from the home visits, and immediately began cleaning up camp and packing materials for our 5:00 a.m. departure the next morning.

We donated many of the materials we had left to the special needs school on campus, a local medical clinic, and the orphanage down the road. We took time to reflect on how, although we may never see what God does with the donated equipment, we can rest in knowing He will use it for good.

We gathered with the entire team to debrief about the day and what God had shown us throughout the week. We shared laughter, tears, and prayer. Anna summed it up well by saying:

“One of the major themes of this trip was ‘For the One.’ Just as Jesus taught in the parable of the lost sheep, He leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one who is lost. Throughout this trip, we saw many examples of what it means to care for ‘the one.’ For example, we brought a large collection of puzzles without truly knowing why we were packing so many, but there was one young girl who absolutely loved puzzles and often depended on them during camp to reduce elopement. She happily completed every puzzle we had. She was the one. Along with that, we brought six wheelchairs, and a little girl was fitted for one of them. As we reflected, we realized that her wheelchair might have been the one left behind if we had only brought five. God reminded us that the effort, the travel, the preparation, and the time are all worth it—for the one.”