Our story begins at LifeHouse Church, Hagerstown, when Rick Harshman invited Ron to come along on a mission trip to Belize. The plan was to travel to Belize, stay at the Here's Hope Ministry Mission House, demolish a deteriorating house, and build a new house for a local family. Here's the story of Ron's first trip to Belize.
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EVENT #1
RON's first trip to belize - FebruarY 2016
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EVENT #2
Ron's Second Trip to belize - February 2017
Bud, Rick, Eddie, Megan, Michelle, Larry, and Ron joined Blue and Ramiro from Belize to build a home for an older woman living by herself in Homestead Village, Belize. During the building project, people were constantly stopping to ask for help rebuilding their homes or suggesting others who needed homes repaired or rebuilt.
One night while the mission team sat talking in the lodge, they questioned whether paying for all the materials and doing all of the work was really helping the people of this community. They felt as though flying down for a week, building one house, and then leaving was only putting a Bandaid on the situation. They concluded that it was not as helpful as they would like it to be, but solutions were nonexistent. They were doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. They wondered what they could do to make a lasting difference for the people of Belize. It was after this trip that God planted the idea of an ongoing mission in Belize.
One night while the mission team sat talking in the lodge, they questioned whether paying for all the materials and doing all of the work was really helping the people of this community. They felt as though flying down for a week, building one house, and then leaving was only putting a Bandaid on the situation. They concluded that it was not as helpful as they would like it to be, but solutions were nonexistent. They were doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. They wondered what they could do to make a lasting difference for the people of Belize. It was after this trip that God planted the idea of an ongoing mission in Belize.
One day after returning home, Ron had an epiphany in the think tank - otherwise known as the shower (naked and unable to flee -- Ron likes to say), God planted the seed of an idea in Ron's mind. He thought of a way to do things differently that just might reap different results. All of the metal lying around Belize could be recycled for money, and the money could be used to build more homes. Plus, the recycling facility could employ some community members; others could learn to construct the homes; and all of the money would come from Belize and go back into the country. Brilliant!
Interestingly though, Ron knows nothing about recycling, but, as it turned out, that didn't matter. God had it all figured out. Each piece of the puzzle that would become Resurrection Recycling just fell into place.
Interestingly though, Ron knows nothing about recycling, but, as it turned out, that didn't matter. God had it all figured out. Each piece of the puzzle that would become Resurrection Recycling just fell into place.
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EVENT #3
The Thousand Dollar Gift
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The first big puzzle piece that fell into place helped us realize that God was definitely in this venture. Not long after God planted the idea for the recycling company in Ron's head, we received a letter from one of our 24-year-old son's friends, Jordan Ladzinski. He explained that he had moved to Illinois to live with his dad for awhile, but that he had felt led to send us this gift. We looked deeper into the envelope to find a check for $1000. From a 24-year-old to two adults! He had no idea about the recycling idea! He just followed God's lead! That was our very clear sign!
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EVENT #4
sharing the vision
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The next big event occurred when LifeHouse was given notice that a donor had provided the money for a second trip to Belize this year -- in June! Since this mission trip was scheduled for June, Beth and Lauren would both be out of school and could tag along on this trip with Ron! What a blessing to see the same vision Ron had been given! |
What an amazing trip we had!
What an amazing trip we had!
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The Journey
The night before the journey, Lauren, Ron, and I packed the car and lay down for a little nap. We awoke at 1:00 a.m. ate a bowl of cereal, and headed to the airport. Traffic was light and we arrived smoothly two hours before our 6:00 a.m. flight. The flight, though, was not as smooth. As we flew out of Baltimore, the sun was shining and the flight was smooth. As we neared Miami, the pilot announced that he'd been directed to hover over Malvern for awhile because of turbulence, weather, and lack of visibility. After about twenty minutes, he announced that if we weren't allowed to land in Miami soon, we would have to land at an alternate location to refuel. Shortly after, he must have received the go-ahead because he explained we'd be arriving in Miami about an hour late, but to remain seated because of the severe turbulence. And severe it was! The young man across the aisle was being fanned by his wife and held his vomit bag close by at all times! After many bumps and shakes, we landed safely in Miami and, once we found our gate, relaxed for a couple of hours until our connecting flight. After boarding our next plane, we found ourselves sitting on the runway for an extra twenty minutes because of the weather, but after the delay, this flight was smooth. We landed in Belize City to 95 degree weather -- even the Belizeans were complaining about the heat. Our first taste of Belize was beautiful - beautiful vegetation, many zipping hummingbirds, delicious barbecued chicken, and pleasant people. The highlight of the day came when we arrived at Hosanna House. The children ran out with open arms hugging, not just Ron - who they knew - but all of us. Young girls who'd been abused in their homes ran to us, welcoming us with bashful smiles and big hugs. Miss Estellyn, director of Hosanna House, smiled and introduced herself, as did Miss Ritchie, another house mom. Nine-year-old Luis was by our side immediately and never stopped talking. Kevin, four-year-old son of Mauricia, pretended to be afraid of us, but trailed us everywhere we went. We met the lovely and brilliant Blanca, who struggles with a feeling of rejection, especially after her last adoption opportunity fell through. We met Lexi, whose greatest wish is that her uncle will stop hurting her. And we met Carnelli, whose teenaged mom was working to meet the criteria required to gain custody of her daughter. Our hearts dropped at the sight of a young girl swollen with the baby she carried. What a beautiful ministry these ladies offered! After this incredibly long 21-hour day, we headed to bed in the mission house at about 8:00 and slept straight through, except when I was awakened by a loud chirping noise under my bed -- a big furry animal? a very large bird? Just lie still. In the morning, Ron explained that geckos running up and down the walls and, apparently, stationed under my bed, make loud chirping noises. Ahhh - back to a sound sleep! |
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While we walked along the beach, we knew this was the property for us. We called and put in an offer right away. We couldn't wait to own our piece of paradise!
After a few more stops and a little more sight-seeing, we headed back toward Hosanna House and the mission house. The sun sets early in Belize (about 6:30), and nightfall was coming swiftly. Because Ron has trouble seeing when driving at night, and because I have trouble seeing all of the time, Lauren volunteered to drive home. Little did she know it would be the most harrowing drive of her life. |
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With no street lights at all and with a cloudy night hiding all the stars, the road before us was pitch black. In the states, we could just focus on the white and yellow lines on the road to stay steady, and we'd be fine, but Belize has no lines and many more obstacles to overcome on a nighttime journey. First of all, we were on the lookout for the rumble strips, pedestrian ramps (about a foot high), and Dylons (the word painted on one sign by a speed bump). Second, we had to look out for one-lane bridges and nighttime work crews. Most importantly and most stressful, we had to look out for the cyclists and pedestrians walking along the side of the road. Often times these people blended into the night and the vegetation. We found ourselves upon them before we ever saw them. With white knuckles, tight shoulders, intense, forward-leaning posture, and eyes glued to the road, Lauren successfully maneuvered the hour and a half drive back to the orphanage. Once our feet were on solid ground, we vowed to be home before dark from this day forth.
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EVENT #5
The shipping piece
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Meeting the Shipping Master
After breakfast the next morning, we headed back down south to Big Creek to check out the port and to Independence to check out "our" land and the town. Outside of the port, we saw a large, modern building. We decided to explore and went inside where we found the shipping master. He was very helpful and gave us his card and said he would be glad to help us with our plans. We drove back to Independence for lunch and wandered around a bit. The town is like that of a third world country. The roads are slightly paved; there are shacks along with some stores and restaurants. Most are rather dirty and stink. We also stopped to talk with Diana, the owner of the development where we found "our" land. She explained that the restaurant on the property had been hit by the hurricane a few years back and had not been operating since. She had the roofless building for rent or sale. Another idea popped up in our minds. Perhaps, down the road, we could lease the restaurant and use that as a training facility to teach the children growing up in group homes and orphanages job and life skills. The opportunities in Belize are endless. |
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EVENT #6
THE NEEDS OF BELIZE
The House Demolition
The next day began early -- about 5:00 a.m. -- when Ron and I began working on breakfast for the troop. We made bacon, eggs, and toast, then headed to the job site to begin demolition.
We turned left in Steadfast and drove back the bumpy dirt road, through the creek, and up the very steep hill . . . almost. We ended up stuck in the mud on the hill. When Lauren and I jumped out to push, Yolanda and Isadora, who lived in the wooden home at the base of the hill, ran out to push too.
When we finally got ourselves unstuck, we settled on parking at the bottom of the hill and hiking to the top. We had no idea how many times we'd be trekking up and down that hill just today.
At the top we snapped some before pictures, then met Lydia, baby Sierra, Siria, and little Catalea. The we met Maritza who lives there with her common law husband Felix, who was working. Before we even began our work, a woman stopped by to ask the pastor for assistance building a house for her too. The need is great. The money and workers are few.
The first job of the day was tearing down the old house. First, Ron disconnected the water and electric. Then we all began hammering . Afraid that it would collapse on us all, the men decided to tie a rope to one side and pull it over. As the men argued about which spot would be the best place to tie the rope, Ramiro -- the Belizean hired helper -- tied the rope to the center beam and pulled. The house collapsed.
Lauren had been trying to move the family and children back before the collapse, but with the suddenness of the collapse, she ended up shielding them with her body. Debris rained down all over her back.
Lauren had been trying to move the family and children back before the collapse, but with the suddenness of the collapse, she ended up shielding them with her body. Debris rained down all over her back.
After the demolition, we broke up the wood and tin and put it in piles to use again or for firewood. Then the girls were sent to the road to wait for the Lumber Yard truck. The were operating on Belizean time. Their scheduled 8:30-9::00 became 10:10.
Because the lumber was so heavy and because the hill to the house was so steep, we had to go see a man about a tractor. He was willing to pull the lumber us to the top. We hand loaded half the wood from the truck to the tractor, but the tractor, no matter how much it though it could, could not make it up the steep hill. So we unloaded half the wood from the tractor, took the remaining half to the top, went back for more and repeated the process five or six more times.
Because the lumber was so heavy and because the hill to the house was so steep, we had to go see a man about a tractor. He was willing to pull the lumber us to the top. We hand loaded half the wood from the truck to the tractor, but the tractor, no matter how much it though it could, could not make it up the steep hill. So we unloaded half the wood from the tractor, took the remaining half to the top, went back for more and repeated the process five or six more times.
The Finished Home
After a few more days of hard work, we finished the house for this family. They were so grateful!
After a few more days of hard work, we finished the house for this family. They were so grateful!
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EVENT #6
From a mission trip to a mission
Watch Ron describe the miracles God has been working.
