Get Out! by Carson

April 13, 2023

Get Out! by Carson

I love nature! I love foraging, camping, hiking, backpacking, hammocking, biking, floating, bushcrafting, and just being outside in nature. In past blog posts, my siblings have talked about our love for God's creation. Today, I just want to talk a little about how we were able to get out in nature in Belize.

Life is crazy. That goes for everyone, unless you're a hermit. I feel that missionary life is crazy to another level, though. It's a very blessed crazy, but it can be a bit tiring (actually, more than a bit) when there's so many needs to fill!

Back in Missouri, we would somewhat bi-weekly get out the of craziness and get into nature. This was usually going hiking on a weekend, or doing a desert day on a warm day. This was always refreshing for me, and it was a good system.

In Belize it was a different story. In Belize City, the nature is a bit lacking. Belize may be known for it's beautiful beaches somewhere else, but Belize City isn't really like that. I learned quickly that in some places, you can't just get out in nature whenever you want!

Still, we made it a priority to get out in nature, even if it wasn't as often as we wanted it to be. This happened twice. First, on our way to go to a city west of Belize City called Benque Viejo, we got the chance to visit a little retreat center with lots of nature. Here we got to see some cool horses and climb some trees.

Benque itself was pretty much the opposite of Belize City, a small town with lots and lots of nature, including a beautiful river running right beside the town! Here we went to Mass and drove to a nature place that had a rope swing into the river and some really fun rapids to float down.

The next chance was when the youth group decided to have a field trip to a national park type deal in the middle of Belize. We went to a natural cave first. Here we journeyed with lights and one of the Benque missionaries gave a talk while we switched off the lights. The talk was about how God brought her out of the dark and into the light, like us coming out of the cave. Next, we went to some pretty natural swimming holes, where we played chicken and other games.

So, that's how we connected with God's creation, even when it wasn't quite convienient! When life gets crazy for you, I would very very very strongly suggest just getting out for a bit. Being outside not only calms us physically, but also refreshes our souls, allowing us to do our work for God even better than before.