Home Page - "Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me. Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:34-36, 40 NSRV)

I can think of no more satisfying way to serve the Lord than by participating in a mission to Belize, Central America. The people of Northern Belize living in the villages of San Victor and San Narciso are members of the Lord's family who benefit greatly from our projects mission component. The projects mission strives to improve the living conditions of these Belizeans through the building of new houses, painting of existing houses, making improvements in community buildings or other projects.

Before	After

These villagers or their ancestors have been oppressed and exploited for centuries and are grateful for our meager gifts. As you can see in the "Before" photos, some of the existing houses can barely be called shelter. A new house, however small, or a fresh coat of paint can bring a new spirit of being to their lives. Your gifts of time and energy will be returned ten-fold; not in material goods, but in the LOVE expressed by the villagers. You may only go to Belize expecting to improve the lives of the Belizeans but you will be surprised by the unexpected impact on your own life.

Please consider participating in a future mission to Belize. There is information on this site for TRIP PLANNING and more information ABOUT US. There are also extensive photo galleries showing prior mission teams at work, worship, play and relationship building.

If you cannot go to Belize in person, consider providing financial support for one of the next mission trips by sending a donation marked "Belize Mission" to Lewisburg United Methodist Church, PO Box 7, Lewisburg, OH 45338. For more information about Lewisburg United Methodist Church, please visit our web site.

Mission Projects - The purpose of the mission projects is to improve the living conditions of these Belizeans through the painting of existing houses or classrooms or making improvements in the school or other community buildings. Other projects will be determined each year with the goal of improvement conditions in our mission area.

A coat of paint on a house that has never been painted or a fresh coat on a badly weathered house not only brightens the appearance of the village but also brightens the spirit of the occupants. This spirit has turned out to be contagious. Many villagers who could afford some paint have joined in the effort to brighten the village by painting their own house.

The mission projects photo galleries show prior missions teams at work.

Evangelism Mission - The purpose of the evangelism mission is to be a Christ look-alike in the conduct of the mission team and to build relationships with the Belizean people. Daily devotions are an integral part of the evangelism mission for those team members wishing to participate. It is difficult in words to describe the evangelism component. In its simplest form, it is talking to the children and taking their picture. However, the evangelistic efforts extend to more organized activities with the children and to building of long-term relationships and friendships with the villagers.

The evangelism picture albums show our mission team worshiping or relationship building through a variety of activities with the Belizeans.

Medical Mission - The medical mission prior to 2008 was an integral part of the annual missions trips with the team traveling daily to different villages to conduct health screening clinics. The main medical mission now operates independently under the leadership of Saint Elizabeth Medical Center of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Beginning in 2008 as part of the Lewisburg United Methodist Church mission trip, team member Ellen Hayes conducted one-on-one diabetes sessions with those Belizeans who were concerned about their health. Their blood sugar was tested and some were relieved to learn their sugar levels were OK. Those with high sugar levels were given test meters and were trained in their use.

Following the example set by Ellen, the mission began in 2009 showing health videos to school children and adults.  Diabetes literature was also distributed to as many families as could be reached in our short trip.

The Medical Mission photo galleries show the team at work.

Oral History Project - The oral history project was undertaken to document the changing lifestyle and cultural aspects of the Maya-Mestizo inhabitants. They are descendants of the Yucatec Maya Indians of the Yucatan peninsula. For many centuries they have lived in harmony with nature and their environment. The introduction of sugar cane as a farm crop in the mid-20th century started a transformation from self-sufficient farming to dependence on job income to purchase food and livelihood requirements. With independence from England in 1981, lifestyle and cultural changes accelerated with the introduction of electricity. Older citizens who had grown up in the self-sufficient style began seeing the younger generation preferring a lifestyle of NikeTM tennis shoes, Reggaeton music and television. The oral history project was undertaken to record the disappearing knowledge of the older lifestyle. Video and audio versions of the unedited interviews are found in the oral history section along with supplemental research information related to the interviews.

Photography Mission - The photography mission is a natural product of the mission as the team members capture memories of the people, village life and the mission team itself through pictures taken while living and working in Belize. The result shows many memorable moments to share after the team returns to the States.

Playtime Mission - The playtime mission gives the mission team an opportunity to visit various sites of interest around Belize. Playtime may be as simple as spending some leisure time at a beach or swimming in the Hondo River to visiting some of the extensive Mayan ruins. These picture galleries show our team at play.