It shouldn't suprise me that there is a large number of churches and demoninations present in the country of Belize, but I guess there is more than my research led me to believe. It all makes sense though because this is the "uttermost parts of the earth" and we were called to these places, and on top of that for probably the same reasons we chose Belize it is the geographical "cornerstone" to central america, and also a peaceful country, that is multicultural and english speaking. I think statistically catholism is the largest demonination, but we have seen influences from the menonite, seventh day adventist, LDS, baptist, nazarene, methodist, and some bible churches as well. But as Paul rejoiced so should we and despite Christ being preached we should press on and fulfill our calling and rejoice.
Our aim when we arrived to Belize was to seek two things: a peaceful and hospitable place that would receive us and a larger city that was multicultural, where God could raise up leaders and send them back to the countries and villages that tthey originated from to mulitply the ministry. We also aimed to check out five of Belize's bigger cities (pop. 9000-15000), and those were Corozal, Orange Walk, Belmopan, Dangriga, and Punta Gorda. Corozal is the town we are living in now, it is in the northern part along the ocean bay and has a strong mexican influence. The people we have met are friendly, but also quiet and reserved to their own things and business. Orange Walk is the second largest town in Belize and located in the northern district along a river. It is close to one of the most popular mayan ruins and offers more of a city feel. The city is busy, some what cramped, but offers better shopping and resources. Belmopan is the capital of Belize and located in the center of the country. It became the capital back in 1982 when Belize received its independence from Britain. Although it has been established for thirty years, developement is slow and it felted kind of broken, distant, and almost in a stage of rebuilding. Dangriga is towards the southern part of Belize and is an ocean city along the Gulf of Mexico. Unfortunately ocean life is non existant in Belize until you venture out to the adjacent islands, so Dangriga didn't offer much when it came to the ocean. It was a town similiar to Corozal, but wasn't as multicultural and was definitely dirtier and streets were cluttered. All these things said we did realize that we were moving to a third world country and the wealth and abundance of America was not going to be found, but I guess given the short time we visited these places our first impressions were as described. We chose not to visit Punta Gorda because it was just to much driving, and althogh many said it was beautiful, they said it was more of a sleepy town without much life and culture.
Enter God's providence. Our three day tour of Belize started in the north, then to the central, then to the south, and back again. In all of this we needed a place to stay. Our camping book only had two locations both outside of the city of San Ignacio, one to the east and one to the west. These sites were centrally located and offered the perfect location to venture out from. When we entered the San Ignacio area from the east it was our plan to stay at the first place on our map, but by God's providence it had been sold and the new owners changed the business plan and they no longer accepted RV's. So being this close San Ignacio we could either turn back to a sign we saw advertising RV parking or pass through town and try the other site on our map. We chose to go into town check it out and stay on the west side. Our trip into town was a little missed guided into some one way streets, but when we finally got our bearings we drove through to our destination to get settled in. Our campsite, although empty, was inviting, open, and perfect for the dogs and family. With only a few hours of daylight available we decided to walk into town to check out real estate, schools, and businesses. It was amazing. The town was located in the mountains/hills of Belize along side a major river. The downtown area, actually felt like a downtown, and it had life and culture, and tourism. Everyone was greeting us and had a willing hospitality to talk and guide us around. The hilly nature of it reminded Tiff of the town of manitou springs in Colorado. The real estate agent showed us rentals for $200-$1500 USD, business was growing, and the school system was similiar to that of Corozal. For what I think was the first time, we really felt like we were home, praise Jesus. This was our third town and we kind of didn't even want to check out the other towns or for that matter even leave, but we did anyway the next day. The town was awesome, it offered mountain adventures, river swims, waterfalls, a golf course, mayan ruins, the temperature was much more moderate and nights were even cool, and it is 30 minutes from Guatemala and the Capitol Belmopan, and it is also 15 minutes from Spanish Lookout which is the mennonite town, which offers better shopping and work. Although we had a few more cities to visit, we knew God has spoken and revealed His place for us.
So anyway it is our goal and desire to finish out our month lease in Corozal and then move to San Ignacio, Belize, probably for what will be the long term. Thank you for all your prayers and God's guidance. Please be praying for us, mo, work, a place to live, and most importantly that God would be preparing peoples' hearts to come into a saving knowledge of an eternal relationship with His Son, Jesus.
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