Our second day started off with an early 7:30 am morning.  We headed off to Belize Central Prison with boxes of Bibles as well as the hygiene packs (that we prepared ahead of time) for women.   This area felt a little different from yesterday which felt more populated.  This isn’t completely remote.  There is a road, as you can see, that I noticed other cars using not just those heading to the prison.  The cars may be few and far between but its is not a private road.  The Kolbe foundation took over the ailing prison in  2002.  Since the Kolbe foundation is the one running this prison they are able to play scripture readings over their radio system throughout the entire prison.  They also offer a sort of 12 step program there for the inmates as well.  For the time being ( until Netflix changes again) you can watch Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons  and search through the episodes to find Belize Central Prison- the prison that found God.

There were no cameras or phones allowed in the prison but these are a few photos outside the prison.  You can see in this photo there are men ( inmates in orange) working at many different trades.

Driving down the road to the prison you see the field speckled with orange.  As we get closer we can see the male inmates are wielding large machetes cutting the grass.  I noted one guard standing along the road monitoring them.  My husband asked if I noticed what type of weapon he had on him and honestly I didn’t even see a gun, perhaps just one in a hip holster and the extra machete he was holding.

I added this photo so you can see how close to the two-way (unlined) road the inmates really are.

When we got into the prison Robbie (our driver and guide during our time on the mainland) as well as Lance, our Pastor, got to go meet with the director of the prison.  They presented him with one of the study Bibles we had taken there as well.  The door to the directors office was a beautiful intricately hand carved mahogany door.  I was surprised to find out that this was done by the inmates in the prison.  You can also buy these doors for your home as well!

This is the only prison in Belize.  It houses men, women and youth all in their own respective areas.  When we got there the men went to meet with the men for a time to get into the Word.  My husband was given the amazing opportunity to preach truth to these men (with Robbie translating).

While the men were gathering with the men…the women in our group as well as two men from our group went into the women’s area to share the gospel with them.  I was again given the opportunity to share my testimony and scripture with these women.  Bill was given the opportunity to preach here also.  After our time in the word we moved some of the benches around and gathered into three separate smaller groups to be able to talk, share truth, and hear their testimonies.

It’s interesting to hear how the groups were all different.  The one group was the Spanish only speaking group, thankfully we have Barbara who was able to pull her knowledge of the language and an English/Spanish speaker in the group.  Each group seemed to have different stories… with the group I was in having a variety of offenses that brought them there.  Murder, marijuana, non violent crimes etc.

At moments during our discussion time we would hear a group start to sing.  Each group sang, at different times, at least one song together just to worship God!  Hearing their stories was heartbreaking,  but the ability to share truth with them was amazing.  I could go on and on with their stories but that’s for another time.

Our group was sitting near the back door which looked out through the fence to the men cutting the grass and at one point they had stumbled upon a crocodile and picked it up holding it by the tail.  We could see it from our seats but it was just a baby.  One of the inmates also pointed out a little 3″ scorpion by her chair that she then stepped on to kill.  Just another average day in Belize prison.

Our time there felt all too short as we were leaving.  I hope for opportunities to return in the future to share Gods word and pray with these women.

Even though our time was short…we could remember it with a memento by stopping in the Prison Gift Shop located at the entrance of the prison!  I know this sounds funny as it did to all of us the first time we heard it.

But inside the gift shop is item after item that has been made by the inmates.  That’s right.  The items in the shop were crafted by the inmates and the sale profits go back into the prison.  We came home with a beautiful little turtle from the prison.

We went the opposite way out which gave us a view of the greenest part of Belize that we saw up to that point.  We also got to see this lovely toilet that only costs 1.00BZ to use!  Fun fact, you do not flush your toilet paper in Belize.  Nope, they have a little trash can sitting beside the toilet for you to place all toilet paper in.  I learned this while on the Island of Ambergris Caye but noted it in the international airport too on the mainland when we were returning to travel home. 

We stopped back by the hotel to change and grab a quick bite to eat at the Belizean buffet and grab some other items before we headed to Marla’s House of Hope in Belmopan.  Before we get to the house though we stop to get some fruit for a snack and light bulbs to replace some in the home.

Again you will notice the blacked out faces and this is for the girl’s safety.  Marla’s House of Hope is a home for girls.  Currently there are 16 girls in the home ranging in age from 3-17.  These girls have been placed here because of some sort of neglect/abusive situation.  Most (if not all) of the girls are here because of some sort of sexual abuse. This was the hardest place for me that we visited.  We first got to meet them and sing some songs and the teen girls led in a Bible lesson again.  Then we got to break off and spend time playing or talking with them.  Hearing some of their stories is so heartbreaking.  It’s a sad reality that I don’t think hits you that hard until you are staring it right in the face and realizing these girls are the ages of our daughters. They are only 8 years old or 14 years old telling you these horrible situations they have been exposed to or a part of.  These girls aren’t necessarily orphans but are brought here by the Department of Human Resources and each child has a social worker.  These girls are here until other family members or someone else can be located to take them in.  Some have only been here a short time while others that I talked to have been here for years and will likely age out of the house.  These girls as well as the children in the other home we visited attend the local school during the school year. It was so eye-opening to see and hear the harsh reality of the problems especially with how women/ girls are treated in this country.

The girls here are amazing.  They have a love for one another and share their personal stories with each other and form a bond.  I know there were a few in our team who formed the same bond with these girls during our visit.  It was a great opportunity for the men to be a part of as well to show these girls what a Godly man is like.  All but one of the girls spoke English.  Most of the girls here as well as the children at Liberty speak two languages and sometimes three.  They truly enjoy when people ( like our team) comes to visit them and show them we actually do love them and care about them.  I had an amazing opportunity to pray with one young teen before we left.  I pray God continues to water the seeds that were plants there that day.

After Marla’s we stopped back at the hotel again just long enough to drop off and pick up and then back off to the church we were at yesterday for another special evening service. This time Lance was able to preach.

By the time we reached the hotel this night we were all beat.  It was another packed full day and we were still recovering from our sleep deprivation the evening before.  We arrived back to the hotel between 9 and 10pm but this time we weren’t skipping dinner.  So Pizza from Moe’s Pizza Grill across the street it was.  We are still uncertain if this is the BEST pizza in the world that we have all ever eaten….. or if we were just that hungry lol.

I really enjoyed this time getting to talk to Robbie (the man in the purple shirt) and get to hear his testimony.  He previously served time in Belize Central Prison.  We got to ask him questions about his time in prison there.  He shared the harsh realities of prison as well as becoming a believer there.  He now is a Pastor and returns to the prison to share his testimony with others there!  It is remarkable to hear his story of his time there.  It is so far from the prison system we have in the states that it seems only something that you would see in a movie, not happening currently.  This man has a fire that I pray God will use in a mighty way and I pray for men who are strong in the Word to come alongside him to disciple him in truth and his ministry. Today was our last day on the mainland and with Robbie.  Tomorrow we head for the Caye (pronounced KEY).