Nearing the end. And tarantulas.

Yes, we have just finished going on the 10th annual tarantula hunt. And yes, it was a huge success. You thought your kids were scared of spiders? Nope! Fear conquered. It was super fun (and scream filled), but successful!

Yesterday was a little taste of the end. It was the last day at the work site and we began to say good bye to some of the kids at the Children's Home. It was for sure the first time that some of us have faced the reality that the end is near. I can't explain how fast this trip has gone. It honestly feels like we arrived a day an a half ago. I remember the conversations on the bus on day one, that we were so happy we were just starting because there was so much left to come. And now here with sit with only a trip out to the Cayes, and a weekend to debrief together until we're home with all of you. How is that even possible??? It feels like a blink, and it'll be done. Pray for us in the next few days, that we can truly process why we were each chosen to be a part of this unique experience. And that we can be ok with letting go of it, and trading it in for our lives back home. It's a tough concept to grasp .... just this morning some girls were commenting on how weird it is that they own cell phones. How being reconnected will seem strange after such a quiet and peaceful life in the jungle.

Last night during debrief we concentrated on being thankful for the families we're so blessed to have back home. Spending this much time with kids who do not come from a traditional or functional family can really open your eyes to how incredible blessed we are to be born into the country and families that we have been. I heard one of our guys on the bus ride home today talk about how he doesn't show his mom how thankful he is for her, and how much he loves her. I don't think those are typical comments coming from a teenage boy. But to be immersed in an orphanage where kids are living because their parents are gone or not able to take care of them, makes us feel like we've won the lottery when it comes to families. You guys are amazing, and I can collectively apologize for all of us for ever taking any of you for granted. One big lesson that we will all walk away with is that we are very blessed to have the love in our lives that we do. And to celebrate that we presented each team with a surprise video message and a package of secret mail collected from home. To be honest, almost everyone FREAKED out. Just saying the words "we have messages from home" evoked many tears that didn't stop flowing until a couple of hours later. It was an emotional but fantastic night. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to send a letter or video message. They were all incredibly well received.

Today we got to head to the village of Unitedville to lead a kids club at In His Will Ministries. I've been taking teams there for a few years now, and they have a really great thing going on. The kids in that community are great. They have a ton of energy, and makes friends very easily. Spending a couple of hours with them is enough to feel like a good friend. Enjoy some pics from today as I sign off for tonight. Tomorrow we are snorkelling all day, and Friday we leave! There may not be another blog post until we reach California.

God bless and thanks so much for your kind words and support.

Much love...

PS Belize 2013

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Corwin Thiessen5 Comments