I have just returned from a week long trip visiting my pops
in Belize. My dad and stepmother are serving as missionaries for young men that
attend their school, Belize Vo-Tech. The schools mission is to train the high
school aged students in technical skill in a Christian environment. The 28 boys
live on campus and visit their families once every three weeks. Essentially, my
parents are raising, teaching, and leading the boys of Belize Vo-Tech.
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| Dad teaching |
I told my dad that he should plan whatever he wanted for my
trip. I would leave it completely in his hands. I had assumed that my trip
would be filled with pristine beaches, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, and maybe
a resort or two.
I was traveling with a Hemelstrand, I should have known better.
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| Ceviche! Yum! |
I landed in Belize City after 24 hours of travel from
Ecuador. Stepping off the plane and onto the tarmac felt like stepping into a Satan’s
sauna. I live high in the Andes where the temperature never gets above 75 and
Belize promised to be a bit of a change. After making it through customs I was
reunited with my dad and stepmom. The first thing they said was how lucky I was
that it was so cool that day. To me it felt about 120 degrees. I never truly
cooled off until I got back on the plane the following week. I was starting to understand why so few volunteers travel from their post to another developing country.
We spent a few hours driving around Belize City where I ate
the best ceviche of my life! For being a major tourism port I was surprised to
see the level of poverty that exists there. Nothing in that city suggested that
tourism was the major industry of the country. I had expected to arrive in a
posh city that would not compare to Ecuador but I was surprised to see the opposite.
Later that afternoon we drove a few hours into the jungle to the campus of
Belize Vo-Tech where my parents work and live.
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| Saw this little guy in Belize City |
The campus itself is beautiful. The surrounding jungle is
full of life and very lush. My dad showed me around the school. We went to the
wood shop where the boys and an instructor make very nice mahogany furniture
that helps pay the bills of the school. Then we went to the mechanics shop
where the boys learn how to work on cars. The boys also learn to work on different
things that break around campus. For example the boys were re-roofing one of the
dorms while I was there.
That night I took a cold shower hoping to cool off a bit and
it helped to an extent. My parents do not have air conditioning in their house
but have an absurd yet necessary amount of fans in the house. I slept with 3
going full blast and this allowed me to sleep in relative comfort. Around 4:30
in the morning the jungle comes alive with the call of birds, monkeys, and
assorted other creatures. They are a rather pleasing alarm clock.
The next day I was able to meet the boys before breakfast. Though
the national language is English in Belize, most of the boys spoke Spanish as
their first language. This certainly helped me get through to the kids and get
to know them quickly. Before breakfast is their daily devotional time and my
dad asked me to lead it. I had a tough time deciding what to talk about but
eventually decided to talk about my life in Ecuador. I wanted the boys to see
that there are poor people all over the world and Christianity doesn’t just
exist in the States and Belize. I think I got through to them. My PowerPoint
over Ecuador helped too. I don’t know how many times the boys asked me through
the week what guinea pig and worms taste like.
My dad took me on his daily errands to every hardware store
in a 20 mile radius to buy tools and implements for the school. The first store
we went into the people lit up and say “Hello Mr. Neil!” with a big smile. Dad
would respond with their name and ask how they were doing. This did not just
happen at one store, seemingly everyone my dad saw would know him and ask how “Mr.
Neil” was doing. My dad has never met a stranger. It is funny seeing how my dad
has adapted to Belize and made it just like home. In the States my dad would be
on a first name basis with everyone and was liked by all. Though he is living
in a developing country that doesn’t share his native language he still has
made it just like home. To me, this means it is all about one’s personality and
demeanor rather than location that determines happiness and comfort.
One interesting side story has to do with the Mennonites in
Belize. In the 1950s they arrived in Belize from Mexico and now have lead quiet
farming lives in the jungle of Belize. At large intersections in the jungle it
is common to see a few Mennonites with their horse and buggy selling
watermelons or other produce. My father
has befriended a few through the sale of a cow and I was able to meet them and
see a bit of how they live. They were all very nice people and see their
culture and language in contrast to that of Belize was very surreal. It takes
all kinds…
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| In a Mennonite community, read closely |
One afternoon I taught class on knot tying to the students.
Seeing how the kids work with their hands, my pops thought it would be a good
idea to teach a few basic knots. I think dad may also have wanted to learn a
few himself and the boys were a good cover. By the end of the class we were
having races and the boys consistently would beat me and Mr. Neil.
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| Knot class |
That weekend the boys went home and dad and I were headed on
a few adventures. The first was to go to Mayan cave that was used 1100 years
ago for human sacrifices and bloodletting ceremonies. You are required to swim upstream
through the cave with a helmet and headlamp. After driving an hour of bumpy
dirt roads in the jungle we were made aware that we needed a guide as well. Dad
thought we could save some money by just showing up at the gate and getting a
guide there. We were turned around and told to come back the next day with a
guide. The “Hemelstrand Shortcut”, as well called it as kids, still exists...
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| Friendly critter dad caught |
We instead went to a Mayan ruin that was very impressive. We
climbed up and down the ancient pyramids and read about the history. The following
day we returned to the cave with a guide and hiked to the cave entrance. We
went about 2 miles into the cave half swimming and half wading. It was a wild experience.
At a set point we started climbing up one of the walls and arrived in a large
chamber where the Mayan people had made human sacrifices. There are 14
skeletons in total in the chamber. One of the skeletons is covered in calcium
deposits and in the light of the headlamps it looks crystalized. It was amazing.
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| Mayan Ruin |
The last adventure we had came the next day. We hired
another guide and drove to another cave system. There we were provided
lifejackets, headlamps, and inner tubes. Before we started the float I jumped
off a small cliff into the river which I eventually convinced dad to do too. Shortly
thereafter we got in the cold water and started paddling downstream. Soon we
entered a cave and turned on the headlamps. It was very dark, very quiet, and
kind of eerie. Every half hour or so the river would emerge into the sunlight
and then quickly go back into the cave.
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| Jumping into the river |
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| Cave Tubing |
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| Inside the cave |
The following day I had dad take me back to the airport and
in true Hemelstrand style we showed up about an hour before my international
flight. But I got on the plane just fine. My trip was full of fun but much too
short. The boys and employees at Belize Vo-Tech told me I had to come back next
year and stay for a longer period. I think I will but maybe not in the hot
season…
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| Roadside Pupusas (El Salvadorian Food) |
A short note to my dad and stepmom:
First, dad, I am impressed that your childlike humor has not
matured a bit since you have been there. It was nice to still be able to roll
my eyes at your moronic jokes. Also, I am glad you still want to be adventurous
and have fun. You still have one good hip, keep living it up!
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| Family friends |
On a serious note, I could not be more proud of what you
guys are doing in Belize. To do what you are doing requires so much faith and
perseverance. I knew we were going through similar experiences but didn't
realize we share almost the exact same trials and tribulations. I hope I don’t
burst your bubbles, but you two aren't spring chickens and to be willing to make
such a change in your lives shows true devotion to the Lord’s work. A son
getting to see his parents working in such a way was a blessing. I am in awe of
you two and only hope that I can one day measure up to my pops and stepma. Dedicating
one’s life to the Lord’s work may not be the easiest path but it is the path
you were called to and I am proud to call you guys my parents.
See ya in a year!
