Members of Landmark Church returned from their mission trip in Belize this past week after two weeks of work where they helped build a new church for local villagers.

“Our church actually took two different teams, so each team was there for a week at a little village called Maya Mopan in Belize where they started building a church,” said the Rev. Justin Blankenship.

“The first week they laid the foundation and the second week we went in and started laying the blocks for the walls,” he explained.

During the afternoons, church members held a kid’s crusade where children from the village could visit different stations with games, music and friendly competitions, allowing them to have fun while learning about the gospel.

“We also did a spa thing with the ladies of the village where they painted their nails and that kind of stuff,” Blankenship added.

However, the main focus of the trip was constructing a church for the village.

“We are connected to a fellowship of churches as a non-denomination. We worked through them and met with our missionary in Belize and asked her what we could do to make a difference down there.

“She told us a church needed to be built there because they’ve outgrown the church they’re in now. It was just a little church with a thatch roof and wooden walls,” Blankenship said.

The church needed $30,000 for the materials to begin construction in Belize. After raising half the required total, the Heartland Conference donated the remaining $15,000.

“Together, we raised the money to build this church. And the missionary set everything up for us. So when we got there, we were able to spend those two weeks working.

“We got about a third of the way up on three walls, and they came in behind us after we left. We had people working there helping us, and we left material and everything for them to finish, so they’re finishing the church now,” he explained.

With three walls already finished, workers hope to complete the framework by July. However, they must wait until it cools down to finish construction.

“They don’t put roofs on buildings in Belize until the fall because it gets extremely hot out there and the roof is tin, so they have to be careful. I mean, one day, I think the heat index was like 120 while we were there,” Blankenship said.

Despite the heat and hard work, Blankenship hopes that all 34 volunteers left with a revamped perspective on life back home.

“A lot of times we get so consumed with the stuff in our lives here in America. But being in a place like that, you’re so grateful for all the things you have in your life.

“For instance, they don’t have running water or air conditioning. But just the way that they live life gratefully, the simplicity of their lives, how much they enjoy relationships and others because they’re not consumed with materialistic things.

“And seeing people from another country worship the Lord and all the ministry they do, you just kind of get a bigger understanding of what it means to be a part of God’s Kingdom,” Blankenship stated.

Although they did not complete construction on the church this time around, Blankenship hopes to send members of the church back to Belize to help put the roof on the completed frame.

​​“We’re hoping to continue to help them with this new relationship that has formed. Because honestly, I feel like we learn from them too. So just a partnership after this, that’s the plan,” Blankenship concluded.