Wonder Voyage 2009 Summer Blog

We had a wonderful first day on the ground in this tropical paradise. The heat and humidity greeted us warmly and we new from that point forward – water was going to be our best friend.

An unexpected surprise – WV and St. Marks made it on the same plane from Miami so there was an immediate connection. We planned and prayed on the airplane – developing an instant friendship.

After the long day of travel we ate at Bird Isle which overlooks the ocean. After lunch we began our week long pilgrimage at historic St. Johns Cathedral. Built with bricks from Europe in 1812 it was a fascinating building with an interesting history. Its early Bishops were in charge of the entire Central American district. We had a team encounter time there, prayed together for our week, and headed to YWAM Belize – where we are staying.

As soon as we arrived we were asked to walk across a suspension bridge built by the British Military in order to get to our compound. Once across we found our cabins and headed to the dining hall .

After orientation and dinner we showered up, discussed the days events, looked forward to the rest of the week and participated in Compline – where we specifically thought about and prayed for Lucy!

After 19 hours we were ready for bed. Tomorrow – our focus will be on the topic of Sacrifice and what is means..

Wen, the students, of the St.Martins youth group in order to form a more perfect pilgrimage, have accepted the responsibility to complete our mission of viewing the Caribbean. When we were on a boat, we looked out and saw the vast blue Caribbean Ocean.

We ended our boat ride on a small island, where we got off and learned how to snorkel. While diving in the clear blue waters, we saw God’s underwater creations and learned about many different types of fish and coral. While out in 15 foot water, we were able to dive and get up close to the coral and the fish.
Sunburns, sand in our pants, and the smell of dead fish is what we came back with, but the memories of the clear blue ocean touching the hazy blue sky will be imprinted in our minds forever.

Sun kissed skin glimmering just above the surface of the ocean , while our eyes scan the cities laid out beneath us. The barracudas, yellow sting rays, plum worms, and grunt fish play hide and seek with their camouflage scales. In order to witness gods greatest creations we had to do so by learning to snorkel. First time out was a learning process, second we were getting the hang of the equipment, then a few of us really got the full blast of the exploration.
Today was by far the best day we have experienced.
Back at base aloe is a burns best friend, and POWER! solitaire is a nightly ritual among the boys. Tonight everyone is sure to get the best rest of a life time. To be continued….

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary to relieve oneself, a bathroom with running water is the preferred location to do so. In the Thompsons’ case, an outhouse was the only option, that is, until the Pilgrims of the Caribbean arrived.

Equipped with power tools, lumber, and PVC piping, to enhance our constructive prowess and steady hands, we pilgrims were ready for action. This family would have a bathroom! Throughout the day, nails were hammered, sawdust flew , and we grew weary with the passing hours. Graham’s comprehensive knowledge of table saws proved indispensable, as he shortened the boards to a perfect length with an ease that would have made his father proud.

As we were leaving, we were rewarded with locally grown mangoes (garnished with pepper and salt!).

After our successful venture into the field of sanitation, we assisted with the “Kids Club”. Singing wholeheartedly, dancing expressively, and coloring in between the lines, we enjoyed mingling with the young’ns.

Today didn’t start as early as the first, but we still had to wake up at a comfortable 7:00. We ate a good breakfast containing French toast and dragon fruit (awesome!!!).

We started out going to the Belizean Zoo. We saw animals found in Belize, including something called a “Tapir” that looked a lot like Greedo the Bounty Hunter from “Star Wars.” That was cool…but then there was CAVE TUBING!!!!!!

There are no words that do justice to describe CAVE TUBING, but we’ll do our best. It started out like something out of “Rambo” re-enacted by high-school kids as we hiked through the jungle with our shirts off (seriously). On the way, we stopped off in the jungle for a little snack. I won’t tell you what it was, but I’ll give you a hint: it was TERMITES. They tasted like mint candy (seriously). The hike was all worth it once we reached the water. We jumped off a small cliff overlooking the clear blue water to get started. We then got in our tubes and turned our head lights on as we entered the first caves. It was awesome to just float through the cave and hang out together. There was a bunch of splashing that kept everyone laughing. In the second cave we walked on the shore and climbed up a rock ledge and crawled through a cramped space. It was all worth it because we got to see crystals that were forming for years.
After the second cave, we linked up into chains and rode the rapids down to the end. I(Austin) crashed and wrapped around a tree with Arianna. Graham got a face full of tree before getting whipped around it. We finished off jumping off a couple of rocks and screaming our heads off.

On the way back we stopped and got ice cream at a Mennonite village (it was a lot better than Dairy Queen). It was a good day.              

Eventhough the girls got up at 3:30 am because we accidentally set the alarms by OUR time it was all okay.

Today we took a trip across the border to Guatemala where we saw ancient Mayan ruins. After 3 hours in the vans we arrived in Tikal where we were all able to explore and climb the many temples while learning about the Mayan culture including their sacrificial traditions. From the top we could see all the temples and over all the trees. The steepest ruin was at the end so only the brave and the people who still had some energy climbed it.

While walking back to the entrance of the park, four of us got separated while the others ran ahead. But thankfully we found them at the restaurant…eating without us. We also got to see lots of wildlife like super spider monkeys, a keel bill toucan, pigs, and LOTS and LOTS of cows. Even though it felt like 1000 degrees, we had lots of fun and learned a lot.

The team from St. Martins arrived today and they hit the ground running.  After the team went through customs and grabbed there luggage, we did some brief introductions and then headed of to a great little sea-side resturant.  We had a great view of the ocean and then took a final glance of it as we won’t see it for the next few days. 

We then went and had a brief meeting with the Bishop of Belize, it was brief because there happen to be a funeral going on at the Cathedral. That afternoon we arrived at our amazing little base in the jungle. The team had been awake since 4am and were ready to hit the sack but before we did, we had a quick orientation, a great Belizean dinner and then headed off to bed. 

Tomorrow we wake up early to head to the ruins of Tikal where you will get to hear about it from one of the youth’s perspective.