Brighter than the Sun

Spring Break for the LC Canterburians (Episcopal Students) was equal parts of service, spiritual exploration, and Caribbean fun. At Holy Cross Anglican School on the island of Ambergris Caye, our group of 12 painted the dental clinic and scrubbed the exterior of a classroom building in preparation for painting. We ate beans and rice and rice and beans (truly, these are two separate dishes.) We explored the island and snorkeled along the reef.  We shared LC t-shirts with new friends all over the island. Time for spiritual reflection was at the heart of our journey as we gathered each evening to talk about our day and to seek awareness of God in our midst.

We recognized God’s presence in our lives and in the lives of the people of San Mateo, a village–off the glamorous stretch of island paradise–that has multiple high risk factors: poverty; disease; vulnerability to high winds and sea storms. The community is built on marshland, where trash is the common method of filling in land.  Sewage systems are unstable and drinking water is not easily available. Holy Cross Anglican School serves this impoverished community. The people have little, but they have their families (often sharing one room for living space) and they have the school. Our group observed the happy smiles of the beautiful children and noted that their happiness comes not from things but from the gifts of this life.

At the end of our week on Ambergris Caye in the villages of San Pedro and San Mateo, we returned to Belize City where we visited the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha.  Sunday morning, we attended the service at the cathedral before heading to the airport for our return flight.

At Sunday’s service, the dean of the cathedral welcomed our group and invited the Rev. Mark Furlow to preach the sermon. Mark spoke of relationships with God and with one another in community as central to our life in Christ. He addressed the families of the five babies who were to be baptized, commenting on the community that surrounded them and the relationships that began with God and with the church family. Mark’s homiletical offering crossed cultures and spoke to multiple audiences in a meaningful way that grounded each of us in a richer understanding of the love of God and of our neighbor as a way to live out God’s call to us.

Spending Spring Break on an island in the Caribbean was nice, but it’s not the sand, the sun, the sea or the many, many Facebook pictures that I’ll hold onto as cherished memories of my time in Belize. What I take away is far more lasting—I have a richer understanding of my relationship with God, of relationships with wonderful fellow travelers, of relationships with the people of San Mateo and Holy Cross Anglican School. Those will endure far longer than the sand in my suitcase or the tan lines from our snorkeling trip.

Nina Salmon