Cibolo Creek students’ service projects aid Belize vill
FAIR OAKS RANCH — For high school students from Cibolo Creek Community Church, a summer mission trip to Belize was about much more than travel. It also meant an opportunity to serve others, build relationships and leave a lasting impact on a small village they said they have come to know well. This summer marked the third consecutive year students from the church traveled to Chunox Village through a partnership with Thirst Missions.
Located on the eastern side of Belize near the Mexican border, the village has become a familiar destination for many of the young advocates who return year after year.
“We have been working with Thirst with the student trip for the last three years,” said Kristin Burford, adult ministries pastor at the church. “By the end of this year, we will have been to Chunox Village five times between our student and adult mission teams.”
The church partners with Springs of Living Water Church in Chunox Village. Through this partnership, students have developed meaningful relationships with local families while participating in service projects and outreach programs, organizers said.
A primary focus of the trip is vacation Bible school, which draws dozens of children from the community. During the first year of the partnership, more than 100 children attended the program.
“The students have built relationships with the families of Chunox Village through conducting a vacation Bible school for them each year,” Burford said. “It’s really been wonderful.”
In addition to leading activities for children, students hosted a teen outreach night featuring a bonfire, s’mores and opportunities to share personal testimonies. They also organized a community event where families gathered for games and fellowship.
This years’ service projects focused on improving public spaces in the village. The delegates cleaned up a community park, painted playground equipment and benches, and restored signs at the entrance and exit of the village.
“It was a real honor for the students to be able to paint those signs,” Burford said.
For many of the pupils, the experience was defined by the relationships they formed with the villagers.
“I loved serving in Belize because I got to see the willingness of the Lord’s people there; the adults were so welcoming and the kids were so willing and happy to help us serve in whatever we were doing that day,” said Audrey Henderson, a student who participated in the trip.
Beyond the visible improvements, the high schoolers also delivered blessing bags to elderly residents, shut-ins and individuals facing medical challenges. The bags contained essential food items such as beans, rice and peanut butter.
The young missionaries visited homes, spent time with residents and prayed with them.
“They really get to know the village,” Burford said. “A lot of those students who are returners get to know some of these grandparents that are shut in, as well as the kids.”
Participation in the Belize mission trip requires preparation.
Students must first complete a domestic mission experience in the Rio Grande Valley, where they help build homes and assist families through the Buckner Family Hope Center in Peñitas.
The church views the progression as part of its global mission strategy, known as “crawl, walk, run and fly,” which gradually introduces students to increasingly immersive mission experiences.
For returning students, one of the most rewarding aspects of the mission is reconnecting with the people they have come to know over many years.
“The best part about going three years is the wholesomeness in being able to build connections with the kids year after year,” said Timothy Burford, who assists with the mission effort.
“The students have built relationships with the families of Chunox Village.”
— Kristin Burford, Cibolo Creek Community Church
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