Mass at Sunday Wood

We had a surprise at the airport when a bus pulled up and it was not our usual blue school bus we expected, but a true charter bus with comfy seats and AC and a bathroom! The new team members now think we have been stretching the truth about how we rough it in Belize. Spent Sunday morning, our first day in Belize, by attending Mass in the village of Sunday Wood. This is a village where past team members have spent time working. Here are a few pictures to enjoy!

-Posted by Anita Dutrow

Arrived in Punta Gorda

Just got word that the Belize team finally made it to the convent in Punta Gorda, Belize. They will for sure sleep well tonight. The convent is a lovely place to stay, very simple rooms, a community bathroom (one for men and one for women) and very good food, and the sisters are very hospitable. Here is a picture of the convent.

-Posted by Jaime Powers Ludwig

Safe & Sound

Just got a message that they have landed in Belize and all is well. Stay tuned for more on their amazing adventure!

And, they are off...

We have our first update from the Belize team. They made it to Lambert and through security, after a slight delay for de-icing of the plane (have to love St. Louis in January!), they boarded the plane to Atlanta. Now, they are waiting for a new gate assignment, since thier original gate ramp was broke. They have an hour before their flight leaves for Belize. Keep them in your prayers, this is a long travel day for them. After arriving in Belize, they have a 5 hour bus ride to the convent where they stay. And the roads are nothing like Highway 70, but gravel and very bumpy! Good luck team!

-Posted by Jaime Powers Ludwig

2011-The Mission Continues!

On behalf of the 2011 All Saints Belize Mission Team, I would like to thank everyone whose prayers, encouragement and donations will travel with us to Belize in a few days. Since 2005, our annual mission trips continue to build life-changing connections between volunteers from throughout the United States and friends in Belize.

We are looking forward to attending Mass in a church we helped to build in 2008 at Sunday Wood village. Because men spend the rest of the week farming and hunting, Sundays provide a rare opportunity to visit with families.

As trust and friendship with the people of Toledo District grow, so do their requests for assistance. Our construction crew will help to build a concrete-block school library in the village of San Benito Poite and complete a wooden library in the village of Corazon. We also hope to find time and equipment needed to address repairs needed in six elementary schools!

Three nurses traveling with us this year will assist in the hospital in Punta Gorda Town, a clinic in San Antonio, and a few elementary schools. They will also see home-bound patients as needed.

Those working with Socio-Economic Outreach will visit small business owners who have received loans through the micro-loan program at All Saints Parish. Others will document the process of jipijapa basket-making for Socio-Economic Outreach presentations. We will deliver backpacks filled with school supplies to ten high school students sponsored by the All Saints Scholarship Fund.

Our education curriculum continues to grow and serve more students every year. This year we will visit nearly 600 elementary school students in San Marcos, Blue Creek, Santa Teresa, San Lucas, Corazon and Otoxha! Our curriculum includes lessons in math, science, religion, language arts, health and hygiene, art, P.E., and music. We will deliver health and school supplies, plus items requested by principals. Imagine a classroom of children jumping and cheering when you walk in carrying a box of crayons for each one of them!

Our mission team realizes that we are the lucky ones because we get to experience hugs and smiles firsthand, wishing that by some miracle, everyone we know back home could do the same. We feel blessed to represent hundreds of generous friends who reach so many needy people in Southern Belize. As always, we will return having received much more than we delivered. Thanks again for all of your support and prayers!

Ann Lacker

All Saints Belize Mission Team Leader

Map of Villages in Belize

Please enjoy this map of southern Belize's Toledo District. This year the team will visit the following villages:

Sunday Wood
San Benito Poite
Corazon
Punta Gorda Town
San Antonio
San Marcos
Blue Creek
Santa Teresa
San Lucas
Otoxha

Thanks To Our Many Donors

Each member of our mission team brings two suitcases full of supplies when we travel to Belize...that is 40 suitcases full of hygiene items, arts, crafts, school supplies, flip flops, teaching materials, sporting equipment...just to name a few items! We have so many generous donors who contribute to our work in Belize throughout the year. We appreciate all that each and everyone of you do to help us gather supplies. A special thanks to the following who have helped support our 2011 trip:

All Saints School
All Saints Parish "Shopping As Jesus Would" Program
All Saints Rosary Club
Friends and Family of All Saints Belize Mission Team
Marsh USA
St. Joseph School, Cottleville
St. Katharine Drexel School