It is hard to believe it was a month ago today that the Bunten Family was embarking on its first family mission trip.
While a few weeks have passed, the impact of this trip will continue to penetrate our hearts for years to come. Believe it or not we are still trying to get back to reality. Like a vacation you understand we have to get caught up on the day to say stuff. But unlike a vacation, processing all that we experienced takes time.
First of all we want to say thank you! Without your support it would have been very difficult for us to make this trip a reality.
Whether you have been on a mission trip or not, the impact of the trip is just as much for those going as it is for those who we mission to. And all for the greater glory of God.
We visited an orphanage, conducted a church service (including a Sunday school, Sunday service, and evening service) and all participated in a VBS. We also delivered food to families in need and each family visited another family (called breaking bread) where we brought homemade lasagna to the family and shared it with them in their homes.
The church we visited (and community itself) was in dire need of accepting God's grace. So that was the theme we carried out throughout the week.
As far as our family goes, we were certainly taken beyond our comfort zones. Each day we endured the heat (drinking 3 plus gallons of water per day) lathering ourselves with sunscreen and bug spray through out the day and kept antibacterial rub on our hands at all times. Which in the heat kept an annoying film on your hands that never seemed to go away! Only then to go to sleep in on an air mattress in an old elementary school, where we where piled in like sardines with no air conditioning. At night we would sweat ourselves to sleep!
Throughout all of this we got to witness Bennett and Luke being exposed to living conditions I am sure were unimaginable previously. However they were troopers and did not complain (for the most part:)) but adapted to each situation and embraced the people of Belize with love that made us proud as parents.
Seeing people that have so little is disheartening. However they struggled with the same worries we have in the absolute comfort of our lives. Like us, they worry about money, their children's education, relationships and their faith. Like us there were many who had tremendous faith and happiness despite their dire external circumstances, While others were lost and resigned to a dismal existence. Making us wonder do all the things around us make us happy? And one big take away is NO! While it is so easy to get caught up in thinking the next thing we acquire will make us happy, the reality is the people we met who were most happy seemed to have a faith that God will provide for their needs and not plaque themselves with worry about subsistence. Could we be happy if nothing else in our lives changed? If our external circumstances stayed the same could we not just be content but truly happy?
Lastly we were most impacted by the relationships we built, both with the people there and the people we went with. We were with a group of Christians, great people, great families yet each morning when we would pray or those chance moments (which were many) when we could talk, we all face the same challenges of life. We weren't alone in the struggles we face. And in getting away to another country, as a family we were reinforced with the idea that we must keep our faith paramount in our family.
Thank you again for your support. Whether it was financially or in prayers or hopefully both we appreciate you supporting us. Below is a blog put together of our trip which we hope you enjoy.
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