2019 Belize Blog: Beautiful Things

Today we visited Ontario. A community 30 miles east of San Ignacio. The community had a lot of similarities to Arenal, but had differences too. There were two churches in the community, many people weren’t home because they were out working, there was sewer, and no one cooked with fire inside the home. The people in this community had more opportunities for work with Belmopan and San Ignacio nearby. We offered 40 appointments to the community in a short amount of time proving that even though this was a more established community, the need for health care was evident.

During our community visits we went to one house where the family had very little; however, when we arrived, a 78 year-old man took the time to pull out chairs for each of us to sit down while we talked. This kind gesture was a true testament to the beauty and kindness of the people of Belize.

Dorothy, a 98 year-old woman.

After community visits we had some fun zip lining and cave tubing (something the students had been anxiously awaiting all week). It was during this time, in the calm darkness of the cave and the exciting view from a cable 50 feet in the air, that we had time to reflect on the beauty around us. Whether it was the jungle canopy, the clear crisp river water, the cave ceilings dotted with glistening crystals, the exciting stories about the Mayan underworld, or the 98 year old woman in Ontario that welcomed us with open arms, there was beauty everywhere.