Get to know the real team

*read to students on bus ride home*

The following dad jokes, are specifically for Mr. Summers and Mr. Van Woerden:

-          Can you BELIZE the trip is finished?

-          It was so good it was almost make-BELIZE.

-          We had an unBELIZEable time and can’t wait to share all our photos with you.

-          BELIZE it or not… we are returning the kids back to you…babysitting duty ends now.

-          Don’t stop BELIZING we’ll keep making these jokes for weeks to come.

We know there are so many more jokes and puns that were told to us as we rushed off to classes in the hallway prior to the trip…if only we had written them all down, you wouldn’t BELIZE the amount.

Mrs. Bomhof and I couldn’t resist having a little fun of our own for the last blog. Every night we sat and watched you think out, write, and edit (well, sort of edit…) your blog posts and then we uploaded them and added the finishing touches (mostly just comas). So to give you all a much deserved break from blog post writing (although one post really shouldn’t be that exhausting if you have Mr. DeJong as a teacher…. or so we are told), we decided to take one for the team (literally), and write you a post of our own. We have spent all week brain storming our funniest moment from the trip and our most appreciated attribute for each student. We hope you enjoy. There are many more stories than these that we shouldn’t publically share, but know those are still in our top for sure.

FM- funniest moment                                 MAA- most appreciated attribute

Cole

FM: Dear Cole.  Did you think you would get away with us not brining up your ocean holes one last time? We will never forget when a group of us were chatting in the water at Orchid Bay and we turned to see you grinning away. When we asked you what you were smiling about, you just replied with “I’m in my hole.” That’s when we realized you weren’t kneeling but had dug yourself a hole in the sand/clay so that your shoulders were at water height. You were so proud and were really passionate about sharing your holes with other teammates so they could have the same experience.

MAA: At the beginning of the week, we noticed you being a little bit more of an observer. But you quickly decided to step out of your comfort zone and dive into the action. What stood out to us most was your willingness to do things on your own. You would start playing with the students on your own, or walk up and start a conversation with the high school students from Corner Stone without needing one of your own teammates with you. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Sarah (aka Mini-Sarah or Crispy Sarah or Sar-bear)

FM: We have never seen someone get SO excited over mashed potatoes. Words truly cannot describe your facial expression. We both hope that you will get to enjoy many mashed potatoes in your future. Also the way you so easily go from a straight face to a full belly laugh will be missed.

MAA: You clearly have the gift of music, and leading people in worship, however, that seemed like an obvious to us. What truly stood out was your willingness to share these gifts with our team and others. Multiple nights in a row you would lead the team in worship and then still lead a small peer group in worship. You also did not hesitate to use this gift at the church and the rehab centre. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Evan

FM: Every time you disappeared under the water, we were never sure what you would re-surface with. It was either a rock (and a different rock every time), or a random bottle, or some other things we probably didn’t even notice. You would randomly duck under, then swim around under the water, and pop up beside someone and just smile. This always bought laughter to us….and a mini-heart attack every single time wondering when you would come up for air. Please don’t do that again.

MAA: One thing we observed this trip was your genuine interest in getting to know people. You are so intentional with every conversation you have and are not afraid to discuss deep topics. We challenge you to never top asking questions and getting to know people in multi-generations. There is so much wisdom around you and we pray that you continue to seek that out. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Makenna

FM: You are probably laughing before we have even read anything. We’ll just give you a moment to wipe your tears. Are you ready? Okay.

We love your laugh. Literally our favourite memory of you this trip is just you laughing at EVERYTHING.  I (Mrs. Bomhof) tried this whole trip to make you laugh because it was so entertaining. I would purposefully say or do something to crack you up and I succeeded every time.

MAA: We love your sensitive spirit. You have such a fresh outlook on everything, and so many of the small moments on this trip moved you. You were challenged, stretched, and filled with joy this trip and it was a pleasure to watch each moment. We pray that you never loose this quality and don’t ever let people tell your soft or you need to toughen up. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Johannah

FM: Watching your facial expressions this whole trip was a highlight. Back on Friday, when we first came around the corner and you saw the beach for the first time, it was hilarious. If you are curious what it looked like, please find either of us in the hallway at school and we will gladly re-enact it for you. (Head turning back and forth… “Is this for real?!”)

MAA: One of the things we both loved learning about you this trip is how stable you are. You were always there for your friends when they wanted to chat. You knew when to approach someone, or when to leave them alone. Whatever activity we did; you would always take it fully in. You dove all in into everything that was available for you. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Sabrina

FM: You probably saw this one coming. But, our funniest memory of you this trip is your ability to literally fall asleep anywhere. On the bus. In the van. Head down on a desk. Sitting at the lunch table. Sitting at the dinner table. You could probably do it at the breakfast table too. If you are unsure of why your neck is sore, please come see us for photo evidence. We captured many sleeping positions that looked extremely uncomfortable.  

MAA: We know that a lot of this trip was very outside your comfort zone. It required a lot more energy and sweat that you are maybe used to. But, despite Blake not having the ability to deliver you Starbucks at lunch every day, you still rolled with every activity we did. We are thankful for you just being willing to try new things and not complain when it wasn’t your preference. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Cassie

FM: I can’t think of anyone else off the top of my head who is SO proud of their fast showering abilities. Every time we would see you, you would have a new record for us. Sharing top place for funniest moment, is when you crashed right into Mr. Van Eerden while swimming with Milan on your back. Oh, and thank you for coming to our room for daily activities ;)

MAA: We both loved witnessing your enthusiasm for every activity and new relationship on this trip. You were so genuinely interested in connecting with each person on our team but also every student you met. You have such a unique way of finding something in common with people and using that to bond quickly with them. It was so apparent how much you invested in each conversation and we were touched by how sad you were to say goodbye.  Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Steven

FM: So neither of us have been given the privilege of having you in class, so the day when you sat in in the standard 5 & 6 class was an honour. Our funniest memory of you this trip was just observing you in that class. It started with you sitting in the tiny desk in the corner. Then it was topped by you being called out and having to spit out your gum. THEN that was topped by you “falling asleep” or as you like to call it….. “resting your eyes”. We still both think you fell asleep. We wrote this in advance so after today we will also be praying that you never “lose” your checked carry on in an airport again.

MAA: You have been given the gift of compassion. Whenever a teammate expressed any sadness or discomfort you were there to check in on them and be a listening ear. You also have a beautiful way of expressing yourself through prayer. It is clear that this is an important part of your relationship with Christ and we were blessed by many of the words you prayed aloud. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Erin

FM: To be completely honest, your funniest moment totally caught us both off guard. When our group went swimming for the first time, we were all taken by surprise at how slippery the cement ramp was. But then. All the sudden. Out of nowhere. Comes Erin from behind launching herself down the ramp and into the water. We did not expect that from you but we found it hilarious. And this is how the penguin algae dive first began.

MAA: Your connection with the kids was amazing. We appreciated how you would take a step back and would look at the kids who weren’t necessarily extraverted, athletic or jumping on our team’s backs and that’s who you pursued. Whether intentional or not, you have an incredible way of connecting with those who may not always be included. For example, starting a game of stella-stella-hola with girls sitting on the sidelines of the soccer game. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Darius

FM: Where do we even begin?! Darius, you are hilarious. We have a secret page (and by page we mean multiple pages) of funny things/quotes from this trip. I think you would be proud to know that over 70% of these moments include you. We first thought your reaction to the chicken that resembled you was the funniest moment. BUT then we looked at each and both remembered… the charging chord belt. No more needs to be said.

MAA: You so perfectly balance having a blast and laughing with your peer group (and taking the shots that us leaders gave you- and yes, we know that there were many), but then switching to being so caring and passionate for truly helping people. We loved when we heard that you felt your heart strings tugged when the one student, Angel, didn’t have headphones to listen to music. We both pray that you continue to learn to hold both these qualities in tandem and don’t let one of them go. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Isabelle

FM: Only you would go all the way to Belize to buy a huge box of Lucky Charms. We both found it so funny whenever you would be found walking around with the box, giving out handfuls. We especially loved how protective you were over the marshmallows, even calling out Mr. Van Eerden for “just taking marshmallows.”

MAA: Even on days when the activities weren’t your preference, or there were lots of food you couldn’t eat, we never once heard a complaint leave your lips. You are so adaptable. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate this!!!! You were also always committed to being present with whoever you were with, always there for the laughter and conversations. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Blake

FM: We always had to chuckle at how you addressed us both so differently. Although we both gave you the okay to use our first names, Mrs. Bomhof was always called Sarah… or even “kiddo/kidlet” by the end while Ms. Krieg was only called Alexis once in the airport to get her attention. We find this even funnier because you clearly respect Ms. Krieg more even though Mrs. Bomhof is older.

MAA: It feels cliché to mention your photography skills but it truly was such an appreciated quality. And not only because you are amazing at taking photos, but because you did so selflessly because you knew it would bless others. You know that others love to have those memories captured so you gave up your afternoon at the elementary school to ensure those relationships were being saved on camera. Can’t wait to see all of the pictures!! Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Rick

FM: It funny watching how quietly judgemental the little kiddlets were of your fruit cutting skills. You were doing fantastic with the little exacto-knife, but it was hilarious for us to observe some of the little facial expressions when the orange was not 100% cut evenly in half. You rocked that job!

MAA: We really appreciated how inquisitive you were throughout the trip. Even though we didn’t always have the answer, you still continued to ask us questions. This is a fantastic way to learn not only about a new culture, but even the environment we live in back home. We also both loved watching you interact with the primary students. Neither of us have seen you in this capacity before, and just truly enjoyed watching how much fun you had with those students. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Maria

FM: You would come into our rooms and ask about the most random things. Either it was using the facilities (because you were worried about your legs being jacked from all the stairs you have been doing…insert calf jiggle), coming in to just enjoy the A/C, needing a piece of gum (it was literally never more than just one stick of gum), chapstick, a drink from our fridge, or really just about anything. We also had a lot of good laughs any time we could make you feel uncomfortable. Thank you for sharing certain experiences with us (holes).

MAA: First off, I (Ms. Krieg) just wanted to say thank you for letting me adopt you as my fake little sister for the week. I love that our office chats didn’t stop even though we were in Belize. We both loved when you would come sit in our room or sit with us at Blue’s and we could laugh and chat about random things. We both see a lot of ourselves in you, which makes watching you experience new things that much more meaningful. Thank you for being so adaptable and bouncing around to different friends all trip long. I (Sarah) hope you didn’t mind too much having your sister as a leader because I sure loved sharing this experience with you. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Jae-Lynn

FM: Every trip….and by every trip we mean every time we went into the white vans, there were plenty of seat options. This also included 15 wonderful seats in the A/C van. But no. Every time (from the very first trip home from the airport) Jae opted for the very uncomfortable looking front middle seat in the dusty, beat up, open, no A/C white van. We still don’t understand how that seat was comfortable, or why one would keep choosing it. But, nevertheless, we also giggled as we drove by in the A/C van and we saw you propped up, hair bun touching the roof, and smiling away in that front middle seat.

MAA: Something we both appreciated this trip was your willingness to be sweaty this trip. Yes, this may sound odd. But each time there was a sport or running/moving activity option, you were always more than willing to hop right on in. Whether it was playing chicken fly with the high school students, being very passionate about rock-paper-scissors, or running around with the preschool kids, you did it all. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip. 

Milan

FM: Please explain to us how someone can swim for over an hour in waist deep water and not touch the ground? We know that you aren’t the tallest person on the team…but this is still a very impressive skill. Our funniest memory was when we realized why you hadn’t touched the ground. How did you describe it? Soggy mashed potatoes? So of course, being the caring team that we are, we pulled your little toes down to the sand and “assisted” you in having the true Belize ocean experience. Squishy toes and all.

MAA: Milan, you showed maturity beyond your years this trip. You probably get that a lot, especially being the older sibling. But we can’t tell you enough how much we valued this quality. Not just your maturity, but your processing and awareness is superb. You demonstrate a high level of thinking, not just in your actions, but in your questioning. We pray that you continue to seek individuals who will continue to challenge you and grow you in this area. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Toby & Josh

FM: Well. Where do I even begin with my sister wives?! It only makes sense to do your funniest moment together as the iconic duo that you are. I will never get over how in a day you went from finding me annoying (Toby), to escalating jokes so much that we became sister wives. There are many pages in my journal dedicated to your comments. And I can’t wait to share them with OUR husband Eric. Also, Ms. Krieg looks forward to when she can become sister wives with you too.

MAA: How much you love Eric and are willing to share him with me …. but for realz….

Josh- You obviously have the gift of humour. But what we really found fascinating was your unique way of using it to bring unlikely people together. You use your humour so well to relate to people and it makes people comfortable to be around you. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Toby- We really admired your ability to fill random spaces with conversation. It was often that we would hear….”Mrs. Bomhof….or Ms. Krieg…did you know (fill in the blank)”. No Toby, we did not know that. But we appreciated you giving us random tidbits about life. This quality is much loved by fellow introverts as we can always rely on you to carry on a conversation. Thanks for giving us something to laugh about (with you of course) and admire on this trip.

Roy: Don’t think you got away without a story because you’re not a student!

FM: Even as we wrote this, we both couldn’t stop laughing about your punctuation pronunciations. That was so unexpected and you had the whole team laughing. It got even better the next night when your lips were too frozen to do it properly. And that was the night where you couldn’t control your laughter about the Brandsmas’ comment snuck in to make you do as many “!!!” sounds as possible.

We also loved laughing until we all three were crying about the timing of you knocking on our door… but today you timed it really well so thank you (no more explanation needed).

MAA: We were both so amazed by your ability to connect with anyone. You are so intentional about getting to know people and their life story which is a characteristic we both greatly admire. We enjoyed our evening chats and belly laughter with your glasses off, head back, crying with laughter as we caught you up on all of the funny stories of the day. It was a pleasure to lead this team with you. Thanks for always looking like the only leader on this trip. Love students #19 and #20.

 

That’s all for us! Signing off for one last time.

-          Love your team moms

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