Special Edition
I’m back from my mission trip to Belize, and I’m happy to report that it was a phenomenal trip.
It was a great experience for myself, my wife and our three kids. We experienced many new things, and learned a lot about the local culture.
Thanks in part to many of you who contributed to our online fundraiser, we were able to donate over $10,000 to the ministry, and I will tell you that it was a huge blessing to them. So thank you for your help.
We were working with Laugh Out Loud Ministries, and it was awesome to see what they are doing in southern Belize.
While there, I helped with the construction of the first building on their property. The jungle is amazing, and it’s a very challenging place to build something.
We experienced some flooding from the massive rains that occurred nightly (it’s rainy season), and learned to sleep through loud thunderstorms while nestled under mosquito nets.
We saw tarantulas, scorpions, and snakes. Our son went down there with a cast on his broken arm, but we had to cut if off early after he swam through some jungle streams and it became rotten 🙂
On our final day, we were privileged to eat dinner in the one room home of a native Mayan family, in which the father of nine children was celebrating his 39th birthday. The meal was simple, but you’ve never had corn tortillas like the ones they made.
Here’s a few snapshots from the trip:
My wife and I in front of a waterfall.
The building foundation I was working on.
Some Mayan children we became friends with.
I also shot some video and made a promotional video for their ministry:
A special thanks goes out to the following sponsors who donated extra during the fundraiser:
Mission Champions:
Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, Spiritual Solutions for You
Organics by Design, Organics by Design
Gabriel, beach, air, fishing, sun
Impact Partners:
Carl A. Goodnight, Build web based business
Sherif Elsisi, Affordable webhosting and WordPress Support
Kevin Koop, Article Marketing Strategies
Paul Counts, Make Money Online
Thanks again for your support and prayers!
I’ll be back to posting more lessons starting tomorrow.
Have a great day!
Hey Eric,
Glad to hear the Missions Trip was a resounding success and that you and your family are now home safe and sound!
Be Blessed,
Kevin
Hi Eric:-)
Nice trip. You look different in the new cut. Look younger. Wish you luck for the fundraiser.
the trip looks like it could have been a great learning experience and much fun, with some much needed time away from a computer. the hair is no longer rock’n roll but it work, i’m a musician and cut 12 inches of my hair as well but still rock. Glad the lessons are going to start back up for i am ready to start my internet freedom journey and be able to spend more time with my 11 month old Jaden Zane Sansom and my beautiful wife Natalie, bring on the lessons brother bring on the lessons
thank you very much for the time you put in to your work to help people to get to a better place in there life.
Mark Sansom
Hi Eric
What a blessing to have done something like that. It must have been a wonderful experience. This is more or less what I’m trying to do after I lost my job. I just want to do something for children and the aged in Africa through an internet business. I have some grandiose ideas but if I can succeed why not.
God bless.
Jac
Hi Eric,
I had no idea you did missionary work. I grew up in a missionary family. My dad was a school teacher in Papua New Guinea back in the 1960’s when cannibalism was still a favourite passtim in many villages 🙂 5 kids in our family and we all survived the mosquito coast.
You just gained instant kinship with me. Funny how that works hey. My Uncle Errol and his wife are currently working as missionaries in Cambodia. He’s a builder and your foundation shots reminded me of some he sent me.
Proud of you. Looks like a beautiful family too.
Thanks for sharing.
Richard.
You add a splendid page in your life together with your lovely family, especially for your 3 kids who enrich their life with such a good experience they will never forget in their whole life.
Good Job well done!
Hi Eric,
Great! You have done a good deed,Keep it up!
God Bless you.
onlinedatingcode.com
Love your work, brother! 🙂
my name is ravi kiran i am working cad engineer i want extra income
Hi Eric,
Welcome back. What you’ve been doing in Belize is wonderful in itself but raising awareness of such grinding poverty is just as important. It’s great that you are prepared to do that. My wife has been sponsoring an education project in Ecuador for many years now, so we know what a huge difference these projects can make to the lives of some of the poorest people and their communities. You’re an inspiration. You don’t just talk the talk – you walk the walk! God Bless.
Hey Eric,
That is beautiful. What a great experience for your family. It is something I have been considering for my young family. If you dont mind me asking how old are your children and did they enjoy it.
Regards
Rich
http://companiesnow.com.au/
Making registering your new company easy
Hi Eric,
My husband donated for your trip. I was hesitant to do that, not until I have seen the website of the ministry you are connected with.
You got my attention how you raise funds for your mission trip. I’m a fundraiser too here in the Philippines.
I like the way you present yourself on the lessons. You come across like a man of integrity which is hard to find.
I thank God for you, you are a encouragement.
Jill and Michael Smith
Hi Eric
Wow that hair cut does you much justice, brings out the jungle man in you, I bet your wife/girl friend loves it. So where is lesson 10?
Hi Eric,
This is the first time I post a comment here. You look great with the new cut; change is good especially if we live in a typical community.
I am sure it was a nice trip, experience, and adventure too. Glad you enjoyed and thanks for putting me and all readers in the adventure with you.
Send my greeting to your beautiful wife and kids,
Georgy
Hey, U seems had a great time!!!
So good to hear you are back home safely..Eric and family, hope your sons arm is going to be ok as well. Certainly understand about the weather being from calif here and days over 100 using swamp coolers daily. 😉 cant say i miss the creepy crawlers thou lol so much fun to be with the family where pull closer, making memories I think thats what its all about and when they are good memories can anything be better.
Missing the lessons but i have been thinking about them and all the things you must do to have your own online business. Pulling on my own real life memories. Welcome home!!
and just where did the ‘old’ Eric disappear to?! Glad it all went well, hopefully the standard you are setting will be followed by many others, myself included, who are aspiring to become financially free. Life is just not about taking is it? Giving helps to free the inner you..
It always good to be back to nature and see how the native live especially for children. they will learn not to take things those daily consumable things for granted.
Hi Eric…
Great work you are doing…
It reminds me when i was working with Raleigh International i was the site builder while building a School that would withstand a Huracane for the Vilagers in San Roman Reohondo (Orange Walk Districk) neer Corazel 🙂
My Regards
Louis Eckersall
http://www.mymembersvault.com
http://www.1kings.net
Hi Eric
Is that really you in the photo!! – the haircut will take a bit of getting used to but it suits you.
What a wonderful trip and a wonderful opportunity for you and your family. I will be interested to hear in the future how the Missionary project develops.
I think its great that you are able to support this project in this way. My one burning passion in continuing in online marketing is to provide funds for a Mission in South America that seeks to bring physical help now and eternal hope in the future to street children in Brazil.
I am not in your league yet but I keep going anyway!!
Thanks for sharing your life experiences with us
Eric,
The haircut was a good decision. also, I was happy to read about your families experiences on your trip.
Keep up the good work.
Mike
Hi Eric I am glad you enjoyed your trip,and thanks for showing off your photos I really like seen photos,any way I am glad you are back, it was a good venture out into Belize.
Hello Eric,
Glad to hear things went prosperous for you on your Missions Trip and that you and your family are back home. We need more people like you in this world!
Nice hair cut I like it.
Thanks for letting us share your world with you and your family.
Hey Eric,
What a great Ministry! If you think a link on my blog would be beneficial to your fund raising efforts for this Ministry, just let m eknow.
Mick
Glad you’re not just all about making money. Good luck with your ministry work.
Nice haircut Eric! That’s really cool that you are doing mission work. Bet your glad to come back to Colorado and the cool, dry air.
Hello! Eric
You do amazing thinks, your desire to help is inspiring, I cannot recognize you with your hair cut, but I recognize you by your actions. A big BRAVO for you for Belize Mission.
Now back to our little problems here. I follow your free course, I need it as water and bread, (to correct my finances, they are disaster at this point), from the 8 lessons, I have only 7, lesson number 7 is missing, I don’t know why. Probably I deleted by mistake. (I get 50-60 emails per day and I delete the majority of them, probably by mistake I delete lesson 7. There is any way you can send me lesson 7 one more time?
Sorry for inconvenience, I know you are working with autoresponders, and this is an extra effort on your part.
Thanks and keep up the good work, you will inspire others for sure.
Regards
Michaela
Hi Erick
I discover lesson 7 in the right column, you don’t need to send me again.
Regards
Michaela
Eric
You actually look better with the new hair style.
May God bless you in yur ventures.
Hi Eric
Go to see you back.Hope it was a good trip for you and your family.Wishing the best for you.
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Eric,
Welcome home to you and your family from your mission trip.
You have emphasized the saying,” I had rather SEE as sermon all the time, over just HEARING one.
God Bless!
Jim
Eric –
May the Lord richly bless you for your willingness to do this.
Glad to see your return
Dave
keep up the good work
Eric,
I enjoyed buying the Ebooks to help with your fundraiser. Even though it was not close to my marketing niche I looked at it as an offering. I see that you definitley put the money to very good use and look forward to seeing more from this project. Look forward to seeing more Tips! Keep up the awesome work!
Shane at binaryburn.com
Eric-
Thanks for the update. Was praying for you and the family. Glad to hear it was a success.
-Travis
Hey Eric,
Thanks for sharing your pictures…diffently looks like a humbling, life enriching experience. I have a lot of admiration for you as it seems like you’ve accomplished many great things…looking forward to seeing the video you mentioned above.
PS- I took a look at your prayway website…keep the good work up!
Best Wishes,
Gary
Eric, I just wanted to say: “That is what the money is for”. I mean, if you have been blessed with all sort of things you own a little help to the less lucky people around you.
Personally I love Mayan people, they are very noble culture.
Talk to you on the next lesson.
Hey Eric,
Welcome Back! I hadn’t thought about Maya corn tortillas in years. I lived in the Yucatan in my early twenties and had the pleasure of having hand rolled corn tortillas cooked over a flat stone with a fire underneath…YUM! You’re right, they were truly were awesome.
“Co-osh!” (Maya for “Let’s Go.”) Eric, I believe taking your family on a missions trip was a God-given divine appointment. We haven’t done anything like that yet -mostly because this mama hasn’t been open to it.
I keep thinking “Once we have no kids in diapers, or when I’m not pregnant,” or some other excuse. But your family and your trip to Belize illuminates the fact that my excuses really don’t hold water. I’ve probably denied my family a few Kingdom experiences of a lifetime…
So we’ll be praying and watching for God’s leading for our family of seven. Thanks for sharing your journey with us…God still continues to use it.
In His Service,
Sabrina
Wonderful experience…and great job you are doing over there.
God Bless you
Hi Eric,
You and your family are a blessing and inspiration to many. The importance of life is not in our financial successes but how we use those successes to glorify God through helping others. Money will come and go but salvation is for eternity.
God bless You & Your Family
Love ya’ll my brothers & sisters in Christ
God Bless you for your work. I have been getting your tips for about a year and using them to help me with my online business that builds orphanages and promotes helping one child at a time. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, younger is good 😉
Hi Eric!
Wonderfull to hear that you and your family had a good mission trip. It is a blessing for me to hear that you have raised so much money for a mission, Bless you, you have blessed a lot of people.
Me and my family are missionary in Ecuador, working with the indians in the mountain. There is a lot of needs here in South America. I am working online business to raise funds for water filter and help children to have a hot meal every day.
May God bless you so much, I enjoy your teaching!
Merryann
Richard, that’s awesome 🙂
Father Dave you need to upload a gravatar so we can see your boxer face 😉
Our children are 7, 5, and 2 (the first two are closer to 8 and 6 yrs old). The two older children enjoyed it a lot! The missionaries we were working with had children of similar ages, so they all played together.
Our son (the eldest), grew up in many ways on the trip. I think it was a big confidence booster as he trekked through the jungle, and helped a bit around the work site, even wielding a machete at one point.
Our 2 yr old had a harder time with heat, humidity, and lack or her normal food, so she was lethargic and clung to mommy for most of the trip. But she was back to normal the moment we got home.
A good thing about children is they are very flexible, so as long as they have room to play they should be fine.
Thank you very much. I think I got the attention of the missionaries too… a few of them were like, you raised this ONLINE? I’m actually going to be helping them with their website too.
haha thanks, my wife likes it. Lesson 10 will be up later today.