Belize and Family

My trip to Belize is nearing its end. During my time here I've met with and given conferences to a wide variety of groups from around the diocese. I have had an opportunity to hear the stories from the people who are the church of Belize. I have been privileged to have been exposed to the people, culture and country in meaningful ways.

Bishop Phillip and his diocese have been very warm and welcoming of me. They have really made me feel at home and as part of their diocesan family. I am thankful to them for this hospitality. They have given me a real flavour of what it is to be Belizian, and in their context, Anglican.

My visit culminated today with presiding at liturgy in the small Anglican parish of St.Paul's by the sea in Corozol. It was a spiritual joy to be with the small congregation and to celebrate our shared life and faith. After the liturgy the lay ministers took me to do some some visiting and home communions.

One of the people I visited was very elderly, blind and incapacitated. She was living with her granddaughter  in very poor and squalid conditions. Initially, I had a sense of pity for the situation. But as I spoke to the lay minister about it afterwards, he reminded me that in Belize, families care for their own. They don't have the option to send the elderly off to a nursing home, and he said he won't want to. This lady that we visited today, although in poor conditions, had family members around to be present to her in the best ways they know how. She wasn't alone or abandoned.

Even when I was at the Bishop's house for breakfast with his staff, his mother was happily caught up in the gathering.

Being yet a developing country, Belize may not have a lot of wealth, but for many there is a strong sense of family that others of us can be encouraged by.

My visit to the diocese and country has been rich in many ways, and I am thankful for the experiences and the hospitality.

It is my prayer and hope that we will continue to find ways to partner with the people of Belize that will be mutually beneficial to all parties.