3 Months Belize Baby Every single thing was absolute fire. Literally everything was unbelievably incredible and I'd give anything to live it all over again for the very first time. I absolutely love my host families, I love my Belizian friends, I love my astounding IMMERSION team, I genuinely couldn't say anything bad about this experience. Was there days where I wanted to absolutely nothing, but sit in bed and cry, yes there was, was there times I just wished I could be comfortable like I'm comfortable in my house back home, of course, there were many a time I didn't wanna see or hear anyone or anything, but those experiences are not unique to IMMERSION, we literally feel those things in our 'normal' lives all the time, maybe on a less prominent level so we don't realize it, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's literally so normal, so yes there'll be days you question your sanity for going on this trip, but every. single. day. you will love and you will cherish every single memory, character growth, relationship, etc. for the rest of your life, and don't you want that opportunity, so why not go for it and you might just have the best time of your literal life ever

Trust in the Lord, Lean not on your own understanding From my experience, EM leaves a lot of the responsibility up to the participants, so the trip is kind of what you make of it. If you are a person that needs structure this could be a challenge for you. If you are free flowing and looking for adventure you might enjoy it more. I believe if you are willing and able to turn every day over to the Lord and let him work through you and around you this trip can have a great impact for the communities you visit and your own life—just don’t expect that impact to come through EM or their resources.

People Over Projects When we arrived at La Iglesia Familia, we were greeted by Diane and Ed, who gave us a great overview of what our week might be like. From the very first meeting with them, we knew that God was guiding us in our work for the week. Our group really wanted to be able to make connections within the community. We had been praying for this before and during our trip, and our prayers were answered ten-fold. We had so many opportunities to talk with, pray with, and learn from people in the community. Every day was a different experience and we really got to live out the "people over projects" approach of mission. This, to me, is so important and I'm glad we were able to take part in this mission experience.

Experience Mission is AWESOME Finding a missions organization online that truly fit how I believe missions should be done left me skeptical. But going with EM to Cuba was one of the best decisions I ever made. They are a well run authentic organization that cares for people and the places they serve deeply. Like I did, you could be wondering if its all worth the hype but if your looking for a place that does missions through a culturally competent lens this is your place. EM has amazing values, take care of each trips every detail, and I do not know one person other person who went on a trip at the same time as me who felt any other way.

Count the Cost. It’s Still Worth It. The Lord used this time to point out areas of my life that needed to change. Being surrounded by imperfect but committed believers in a new environment is a bigger blessing than you can imagine. I hope that if you read this, that you choose to set aside time to break from the rush of American life. It’s worth it. I promise.