Wow! What an incredible day! We began the day with pastries for breakfast and a quick visit to the Belize sign for a picture. Today was a national holiday in Belize called "National Heroes and Benefactors Day." The holiday used to have the name "Baron Bliss Day."  This day celebrates Baron Bliss and others who are national heroes or who have benefited Belize. Henry Edward Ernest Victor Bliss, 4th Baron Bliss, commonly known as Baron Bliss (16 February 1869 - 9 March 1926), was a British-born traveler who willed nearly two million Belize dollars to a trust fund for the benefit of the citizens of what was then the colony of British Honduras, now Belize. We met some Belizean's who were celebrating and taking time to teach their children about the wonderful benefactor - Baron Bliss.

Here is the group at the Belize sign:

After breakfast, we traveled north to Corozal to visit with Moises and his family. We were all moved by the passion and excitement of seeing God show up in so many places today.  We had originally planned to visit Moises on Friday, but due to the fact that today was a national holiday in Belize, we could not go to work at YES. We arranged to visit with Moises and his family and set about planning to travel to Corozal. God worked so that we could find an individual, who owned a restaurant and was willing to open today to serve lunch to our team and Moises's family. How wonderful that this person and his staff were willing to work on the holiday!!  Imagine if someone called you the morning of Memorial Day and asked you to come and work over lunch?  Would you willingly go and serve?

Many of us were able to reconnect and enjoyed hearing Moises share about how much he was looking forward to graduating high school this June with the hopes to continue his education in the United States at a university in the fall.

A picture of Moises and Suzie and another of Moises and his mother, Magdalena.

A group picture - our team and Moises's family:

After lunch, we all traveled over some very rough roads and a hand-operated ferry to arrive at the Cerros Mayan ruins. While traveling on the ferry we spotted a manatee in the river - see the lighter color in the water in the picture below! In 10 years of going to Belize, this is the first time we have seen a manatee.

Here is the ferry:

 Here are Jonathan and Manuel turning the crank for the ferry, while Moises looks on:

 Pictures at the Mayan ruins...next to the ocean...

 Samuel enjoys some coconut....

Moises with brothers - Minor, Jonathan, Moises, and Manuel

Inside of a coconut - after we drank the coconut water, then we ate the meat of the fruit:

 
A picture of part of the Mayan Ruins:

 Caroline and Judy enjoying the beach with Elisa...more of the family in the background

Jane pauses by a palm tree...

Magdalena (Moises's mom) had prepared several sets of fresh produce for us to take to the ruins...we had fresh oranges with salt and pepper on them (interesting), sugar cane, coconut, and a fruit called Star Apple.

Here is the Star Apple Fruit:

Magdalena also sent us home with fresh mango and apple custard (another exotic fruit - see picture). Such a blessing for the family to share their fresh fruit from their own fruit trees!

Here is the apple custard fruit:

Tomorrow we are looking forward to a day with the students and staff at Youth Enhancement Services (YES)...more to come.

Also, yesterday we visited a work site at 8-mile or Western Paradise. Some of our groups from the past worked on the foundation and the pillars for this community building. It is currently serving as the location for the First Stone Church.

Second story - two walls are up and the beginning of the roof....