Belize stands out from her Central American neighbors in several exceptional ways. Belize is the only Central American country whose national language is English. This territory was once the center of a vast Mayan kingdom but its modern roots were set by English pirates. Though extremely poor, Belize has the highest literary rate in Central America and is home to some of the most beautiful reefs in the world. This is a place of extremes.
A missions trip or pilgrimage to Belize promises to be an experience unlike any other. Our partnerships with passionate and poignant outreach organizations give our participants the unique opportunity to intimately serve the people of Belize. Imagine climbing ancient Mayan ruins or spending 3 days camping on islands in the Caribbean Sea. You don’t even have to learn a new language! Belize is waiting. Do you hear her calling?
Overview
- Take communion in the oldest Anglican church in Central America.
- Ponder the gift of creation while searching for the Hearth of the Universe.
- Spend three days camping on private island in the Caribbean.
- Go on the most exciting tubing trip of your life through an extensive cave system.
- Fix up a local school bringing new life into a community.
Itinerary
Every Wonder Voyage itinerary (mission trip and/or pilgrimage) is personalized to the desires, direction and personality of each group. This itinerary is only a description of the kind of journey we can create for your unique team.
- Day 1 – Caribbean Pilgrims
Our pilgrims from North Carolina will arrive Tuesday morning and head out to a traditional lunch in the heart of Belize City. Our spiritual journey will begin with a Pilgrimʼs Eucharist led by the Bishop of Belize at the oldest Anglican Church in Central America. We will learn about the history of the Anglican Church in Belize and what our week entails. We then journey inland to our jungle home for the week, a mission base outside of the capital, Belmopan. - Day 2 – Sacrifice
What does sacrifice look like? This will be our primary question of the day as we first travel to the ancient Mayan kingdom of Xunantunich to explore the ruins and learn about ancient Mayan sacrifice and society. We then head into San Ignacio, a pleasant town with a busy marketplace. The afternoon will be spent with an onsite work project in a local town. This will allow us, as visitors to Belize, to give something back. - Day 3 – The Inner Sanctum and Cave Tubing
Those who join the road of pilgrimage have to be willing to deal with the dark and hidden areas of their lives. Today we have a unique opportunity found only in Belize – a cave tubing adventure. A tubing trip down a lazy river is fun, but tubing through a series of caves is thrilling! We will focus our encounter times on the inner sanctuary of our hearts, and on allowing God into the dark and hidden places of our lives. - Day 4 – Giving Back
We start the day by exploring a passage in the Gospels: Matthew 25. What did it mean when Jesus said what you do for the least of these you do for me? We will not only ponder scripture, but we will put our faith to the test with a series of activities throughout the course of the day. Weʼll start our morning with a Water Day Celebration for the small children of the village and throw a neighborhood picnic for lunch. - Day 5 – An Island Unto Thyself
Today will be one of those once-in-a-lifetime days. We will head out to the coast early to catch our private boat for our Caribbean adventure on one of the most beautiful coastal expanses in Central America. Imagine snorkeling in crystal clear water, frolicking on our own private island, exploring paradise, and sailing in the ocean breezes. - Day 6 – A Pilgrimʼs Reflection
After a great night of sleep, the team will head into St. Ignacio to join in the pigeon English service at a local church. After the service the team will have an hour of free time in San Ignacio before we head out to the 20-Foot Falls, an idyllic spot for swimming. Youʼll spend a couple of hours in the afternoon showering, packing, and cleaning up so your evening will be free. Tonight we will have a Celebration Feast and recall our adventures and moments of wonder throughout our pilgrimage. - Day 7 – Departure
After a final Belizean breakfast the team will depart our jungle home. We will have stories galore to share of their travels to the only English-speaking country in Central America. We hope that their real pilgrimage has just begun.
Legacy Location
Legacy in Belize
Belize stands out from her Central American neighbors in several exceptional ways. Belize is the only Central American country whose national language is English. Though extremely poor, Belize has the highest literacy rate in Central America and is home to some of the most beautiful reefs in the world. A legacy voyage to Belize promises to be an experience unlike any other. A decade of partnerships with passionate Belizean-run outreach organizations give our participants the unique opportunity to intimately serve the people of Belize face to face. There is significant need amongst the population of Belize and you may be a team that can help meet those needs and leave a lasting legacy.
Past Projects:
- Massive renovations on local schools. The work has included adding new walkways, interior and exterior painting, installing toilets, soccer field improvement, fencing in the school property, and providing new educational materials for teachers and students, such as books and art supplies.
- Weeklong sports camps where we provided coaching and sports equipment for the community.
- Improvement projects of the YWAM base and local homes, including reroofing, installing toilets, pouring concrete floors, cleaning, and enhancing overall standard of living.
- Built a staircase for locals to safely get to the river.
- *This is the base cost of the trip. Your cost may differ depending on housing, activities, etc.
