Final Post

We have officially made it home from our trip in Belize, and we wanted to update you on our last day, as well as leave with some parting words about how the trip has impacted us. Our last day was spent in San Marcos. We only spent half a day there, but we saw 55 patients, bringing our grand total for the week to nearly 600!!! 

After our last clinic, we had the opportunity to visit the Mayan Ruins!

The site where University of Texas is doing archeological studies at the ruins.

It was a steep walk up!

The view was spectacular though! We could see into Guatemala.

View from the top!

The Shepherd's on top of the Mayan Temple

Nursing group on top of the temple!

The Mayan courtyard was designed so that the people at the bottom could hear people talking in regular voices at the top of the temple. Dr. Scott stayed at the bottom to test the theory and it worked!!! He said he could hear everything we said perfectly.

The entire group at the base of the temple!

Howler monkey swinging through the trees!

Another monkey! Our tour guide said it was the first time he had ever seen them on the ground!

To sum up our trip, each student has written a little bit about how the trip has impacted their lives. Thank you for your continued prayers and support! We had an amazing time and saw God working everywhere around us! We are so very blessed.

-The Belize Team

During this incredible experience, I have continuously felt God’s presence guiding my actions. Sharing His love to the villagers of Belize has been one of the greatest opportunities I have ever been apart of. I witnessed firsthand what an amazing impact Christ’s love has—not only on the people we served but also on myself.

–Craig Couey

Growing up, the more I prayed about my future, the more I realize that God was calling me to choose a career path that I could use in missions—wherever and whenever that may be. God called me to be a nurse. As a nurse, I love knowing that after meeting people’s physical needs there will be opportunities to meet their spiritual need as well. This trip to Belize was my first opportunity to combine foreign missions and nursing. In Belize, as the health care team members met the physical needs of the people, other team members played with the kids and looked for opportunities to witness along the way.  As a result of the body of Christ functioning as God orchestrated so perfectly (we had an awesome team), twelve people accepted Christ as their Savior! How astounding it was to see the fruits of our labor and to know that we will see those sweet Belizean faces again in Heaven one day. Not to mention all of the unseen seeds that were planted along the way, as we shared Christ’s love unconditionally and selflessly. I am so thankful to have been given the incredible opportunity to follow my calling to use the medical gifts that God has given me to minister to God’s children in another country. I was so blessed to see hearts and lives changed as a result of our ministry. My own heart will never be the same. Thank you, College of the Ozarks, for sending me on my first (but not certainly not last!) medical missions trip and giving me the chance to make an eternal difference in the lives of the people of Belize.

-Haylee Miller

I never imagined the impact that this one-week missions trip to Belize would have on me. It is difficult for me to explain how amazing it was to be able to serve God and His people in Belize. I not only learned so much about the culture and the prevalent illnesses that affect this country, but I got to work alongside an amazing group of people to offer medical help to the ill and take part in shining the Lord’s light to each of them. The thing that I took away most from this trip was how people with nothing could be so proud and thankful for the little bit that they have. It is such a humbling and rather convicting experience and it opened my eyes to how unimportant material things of this world are. It just goes to confirm that Jesus Christ is the only thing that one needs to truly be happy. So many of these people rely on prayer and faith that God will provide. Their joy is rooted in the security of knowing that God holds the plans of their lives in His hands and He will carry them through. This serves as such a great example to each of us and is a constant reminder of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Jesus Christ.” I am so touched by all of the people I was able to meet throughout the different villages and throughout the trip I have gained an even deeper desire to serve God’s wonderful children. I am so thankful that College of the Ozarks provided me with this opportunity, and I will never forget the people and their smiling faces. May God bless them all and continue to work in their lives.

–Marisa Crotty

What a great trip that God blessed us with! We had a great team, which made it so enjoyable to minister to those who needed it so much. Everyone displayed incredible selflessness, which made us able to reach as many people as we did. I think I can say that for the student nurses as a whole, we thoroughly enjoyed serving the people, building our confidence in our nursing skills, and being mentored by two incredible doctors. By the things that I experienced and through our nightly devotion time together, God impressed on me two main things: to be content no matter what I have or don’t have (Phil 4:11-13) and to trust the Lord with my future. “Your Word is a lamp unto my feet.” The Lord leads one step at a time; therefore we only need a lamp and not a spotlight (Dave Robinson). I am very grateful for this experience in so many ways and encouraged by the lives we were able to touch. I want to say thank-you to everyone who made this trip possible. You have helped impact so many lives for eternity. Thank you!

-Abbie Reed

This trip has impacted my life more deeply that I ever thought possible. I will never forget the memories that were made, relationships that were formed, and lives that were touched by our group. Working with the people of Belize has had the greatest impact on me. Their display of unconditional joy, hope, kindness, and love in spite of overwhelming poverty has given me a greater understanding and deeper gratitude for all that God has blessed me with. During the trip, I also formed a newly found interest in mission work, and I hope to return to Belize for more mission work in the future.

-Joel Harrington

"Always be joyful. never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. This verse was lived out beautifully by the people we served in Belize. Though they had little, they gave thanks to God for His goodness and provision. The children that came through the clinic were the ones that captured my heart. Their joy was contagious! When I smiled at them, their faces would light up and a smile ten times as big as my own would be returned. I would ask each child to open their mouth and say, "ahh" as I shined my light to look inside their mouth. As they mimicked my silly example, giggles would escape like this was the funniest thing they have ever done. I couldn't help but giggle with them. We gave check ups and handed out medicine in the villages of Belize for five days, but that doesn't even compare to what we were given in return. The children shared their sweet joy through their smiles and laughter, and each day was filled with the thankfulness of each village. We thought we came to meet their medical needs, yet I found that they gave to us with such sincere generosity. "Now all glory to God who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think." Ephesians 3:20

This trip has helped me to realize that to find happiness you don’t need a lot of money or material possessions. You just need good company and the right attitude.

-Ethan Murray

Our trip to Belize was for sure one of the most impactful weeks of my life! I felt like God used the entire week to bring loads of joy into my heart while teaching me some very important things. It was a blessing to be part of such a great group of people who cared about meeting people's physical and spiritual needs. I made so many great memories on this trip! More importantly, the relationships I made with the students and staff at C of O, the great people from South Carolina, and the people of Belize have changed my life and will forever live in my heart! I just want to thank College of the Ozarks for sending me on the trip of a lifetime!

-Nathan Simniok