Thanksgiving...Belizean style

Thanksgiving is such a delightful time of year, and I am blessed to be able to take part in the thanksgiving celebrations of two cultures, and I love them both! I wish I could combine the two into one wonderful package!

I was able to attend a couple of different “harvest services,” as they are called down in Belize, before I left for the States, but missed quite a few more that took place after my departure. In years past I think I have described a harvest service for you, but for those who are newer to our reader list, allow me to indulge in a fresh description.

On Saturday before harvest, the church members gather together to work on preparing the food for the feast. Often they kill a pig or two, but sometimes it is a cow, or they purchase chickens. The animal(s) are cleaned, the meat cut up and seasoned, and the skin is fried and eaten by the workers that evening (as well as some other parts). While them men deal with the meat, the women are busy wrapping poch, which is kind of like a meatless tamale, and eaten with the stewed meat.

At some point during the day, the church is decorated with fruits, vegetables, and sugar cane, giving a very festive "harvest setting for the big day.

Sunday morning finds everyone up early, finishing last minute details on their harvest gifts, and getting dressed in their nicest, sometimes even new, clothing. Most church members carry some gift for the church that will be sold after service to raise money for the church. The gifts are as varied as the givers: 100lb sacks of dry corn from their fields, pumpkins, sacks of oranges, cocoa beans, chickens (live), papaya, cassava, cakes, and host of other local produce that you would not recognize. Usually adults will bring their gifts in before the service, but the children present their during the service.

Often, a church will invite Nazarene churches from other villages to come, and perhaps some of the local congregations of other denominations.

At the beginning of the service the children make their presentations, hair carefully greased and combed, gifts adorned with hibiscus or other flowers, marching in an orderly row to the an appropriate thanksgiving tune, “Bringing in the Sheaves,” and “We’re Marching to Zion” being the most common. Once at the front, after the typical shuffling to get in the correct order, the whole group recites a scripture, sings a song, and shares what they are thankful for. “Thank you God for oranges!” “Thank you God for pineapple!” “Thank you God for my parents!”

After their presentation, they give their gifts, and march back, ready for the next group to come up. Depending on the host church, they may have several groups of presentations, sometimes going all the way up to the young people. I think these presentations are the highlight of harvest for most people, I know they are for me!

Usually each church in attendance is given an opportunity to participate in the service. This usually entails the adult members going up and singing a few songs and sharing testimonies. This can make for a very looooooong service (long = 4+ hours), but is encouraging, I am sure.

After all the preaching, any baby dedications, and whatever else might be included in the service is over, everyone eats together before the visitors travel back to their homes.

Somehow I come away from those services with a true sense of gratitude, as I have watched people who have so little bringing of their harvest to the Lord. It reminds me of the Christmas poem which says, “What can I give Him as poor as I am, If I were a shepherd, I'd give him a lamb. If I were a wise man, I'd do my part, What would I give Him? I'd give Him my heart." It seems an appropriate thought for thanksgiving time as well.

God is good!

Hi everyone! Hopefully you all received the current email newsletter. If you did not, and would like to receive our updates, send us an email at teamtoledobelize@gmail.com.

Things continue to go well with the workshops. We just recently had one young man return who we had not seen for quite some time. He was excited to be back, and said his bicycle had broken, making him unable to come. It is always neat to see people so interested in learning.

The Bible studies in the villages are still bringing all of us great joy. Two girls from the workshops go with us regularly, and we hope they will start Bible studies on their own some day. We have challenged everyone to memorize verses, and it is neat to see them giving all their effort to

hiding God's word in their hearts! One young girl is our best memorizer, but everyone is giving a try.

We were sooo blessed by the provision of a pickup! Thank you to those who gave and made it possible! It is so nice to be able to travel to the Bible studies without having to walk from one to the other. We are so blessed and thankful!

I have started teaching a class for some of the youth in Columbia (the closest village) who are interested in being baptized. Their ideas about salvation and a relationship with God are quickly changing - please pray that they will gain a clear understanding, and have their lives transformed by the power of God!

Rejoicing in His love,

Rebecca

For the T.E.A.M.

Whew... It's been a long time!

It has been a looooong time since an update! Lots has been happening, and we are blessed indeed!

The workshops have been going well, and I continually thank God for Elvina and Clifford's hard work to make it possible every Saturday morning. What a commitment!

The main reason for my blog post, though, is because of my excitement about village Bible studies. GOD IS DOING GREAT THINGS, AND WE BLESS HIS NAME!!!!!

We have started taking our Bible study lessons, and holding weekly Bible studies in the villages of San Jose and Pueblo Viejo. These are both Maya villages, so the classes are taught in Maya, and Clifford is doing an outstanding job doing most of the teaching! It is a joy to see God working through him.

Most of the people attending the classes have never read in their own language before, and some of them cannot read at all. However, in just a few short sessions, most of them are now reading the Scripture in their own language! I cannot adequately express to you the thrill it is to sit and watch people in their 40's and 50's reading God's Word for the first time, and literally seeing their faces come aglow with delight and understanding.

Several of the attendees have commented on how wonderful it is to read and discuss in their own language, it takes away any doubt about the meaning, and makes things very clear. I would suppose they are more excited than we are, but that is hard to imagine!

You might ask why teach them to read in Maya, isn't that going backward? Perhaps for technology it is a step backward, but for the spiritual growth and maturity of precious souls for eternity, it is giant leap forward! You see, Maya is their heart language, the language that they truly understand, and it is terribly difficult for anyone to grasp deep spiritual truths in a language they struggle to communicate in.

A few weeks back, I listened to an elderly man share his testimony in Maya. It was a beautiful testimony, but what made it precious to me was his statement that he believes God, he believes the Word of God... even though he has never read a verse for himself. He cannot read, but he believes based on what he has heard preached. What faith!!! What confidence! I am humbled by his faith, and yet motivated to enable him to study God's word on his own, whether by reading, or by hearing on a recording. And thus... the motivation to travel for Bible studies, even though right now it requires walking 3.5 miles every week to do so. It is worth it!

Remember the audio recording of the Maya New Testament we did early this year? It is finished!!!! The editing is complete, and it is ready to be sent to us! We are soooo excited!!! Pray it gets here quickly!

I better get ready for workshops tomorrow, Elvina and Clifford will be here bright and early... and so will the students.

Rejoicing in His everlasting, never-failing, totally matchless Love,

Rebecca

(For all of us :)

Recording of a different sort... tomorrow

Greetings once again! Things have continued to go well with workshops and activities here. We have found a village to begin holding Bible studies in, so we are making plans to get started with that.

English with the pastors has been a little challenged by the amount of homework they have been having with their pastoral classes. We certainly do not want to interfere with that, so we have a couple of ideas brewing in our heads for alternative plans... please pray for this!

Tomorrow we will start on some recordings of audio discussions of our Bible study lessons. There is a local radio station that was established to reach out to the Maya and Kekchi population, but so far they have no programming in Maya and Kekchi. They have asked us to help out. We are doing our first recordings in English, since the three ofus can all do that. The next step will be to find some others to help in the other languages, using the English version as an example.

So pray for us tomorrow, as we get started. Sore throats and colds seem to be knocking on our doors, so pray for health to speak well and get it done!

Rainy days!

Greetings everyone!

I made a quick trip to the States for a speaking engagement and was blessed by fellowship along the way. Now, we are all busily getting ready for another Saturday of workshops. In our Bible study this week, we will be discussing God's purposes for allowing Joseph to be sold as a slave in Egypt. As we prepare, I am again overwhelmed with the amazing sovereignty of God in orchestrating circumstances to accomplish His purposes! What trials Joseph went through, never dreaming the way that God would use them! Oh, to trust God in the midst of the storms, and know that He is having His way!

Pray for our preparation for Saturday, and for Elvina's safety as she travels from Belize City tomorrow.

July 31, 2009

Greetings everyone! Tomorrow is Saturday already! We are busy today getting ready for workshops. Please pray for wisdom as we complete final preparations. Tomorrow in the advanced Bible study class we will be looking at the life of Joseph. Did you know that the Bible says that God gave Joseph success in all he did? That is an amazing thought to ponder, especially when you consider that Joseph wound up in prison. Is that success? What does God call success? How can we have God's success in our lives? Interesting thoughts to consider as we prepare to share with the attendees tomorrow.

May the Lord grant each of us success in our lives today!

July 25, 2009

Greetings everyone! Workshops are back in full swing here in Belize! We started new classes on the 15th to accommodate other people who wanted to join in. This has been a refreshing recharge, and has brought in a number of people from the community! We are excited about that, since they come from unchurched homes, and this will be a good opportunity to share Christ with them.

We are praying about where to start doing discipleship groups using the Bible studies we are writing. We would like to start going someplace on a semi-regular basis to help them establish a Bible study group, learn how to do Bible studies, and use the Scripture in their own language. I am going to check out one possibility at a church tomorrow. Please pray for direction! One village may not be a big start, but if we can establish it with a few serious people, then they can spread it to others.

Back to normal...

Greetings once again from Belize! I had an uneventful trip back, and we jumped right back into work. We had workshops on Saturday, and were blessed by the turnout and interaction. Several new students attended, in addition to the normal group we have been having.

Today I am taking care of some passport/residency issues in Belmopan, then we will be working again tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers, we serve a mighty God!

Heading South...

Tomorrow I am traveling back to Belize. Please pray for safe travels, both for me as I fly, and for Elvina and Clifford as they travel to pick me up.

End of June

Greetings one and all!! This blog has been sorely neglected, but I will try to keep it up to date in the future. I am currently in the States, heading back to Belize on the 8th of July. Elvina and Clifford did an excellent job keeping the workshops going while I was gone, and we are going to take one Saturday off this Saturday, due to a youth camp taking place at the facility. Please be in prayer for everyone involved with the camp!

I recently sent out a couple of updates which had stories from the past few months. If you did not receive and update and would like one, please let me know by posting a comment on this post.

Keep us in your prayers! We are planning on resuming the workshops on July 11th, three days after I get back. Please pray for my safety in traveling, Elvina and Clifford's health (there has been a lot of flu going around), and our planning for that next workshop!

Storm!!!!

Greetings everyone! Just a quick update to let you know the workshops are still going well, and we are still working on Bible studies and translation.

Saturday night I saw the hand of God displayed in a mighty way: Lightning!!! I have always loved watching lightning, but I got to see it up close and personal that night.

It started with rain around 11:00, then the wind started to pick up. Pretty soon it was the heaviest drencher I have ever heard, and the wind was whipping so strong, that every where in my room was getting dampened. My puppy began to cry, and I ran out to rescue the bunny from certain death by drowning... It was amazing how quickly the yard was flooding!

Sometime shortly after 12:00, I had gotten up again to see if I had unplugged something, but just as I came out of my door, I was stopped in my tracks by an incredible flash and a tremendous crash of thunder. I watched, thunderstruck, as the lightning (that hit my phone antenna) travelled down the wire, burst the phone apart, then leapt across the table to fry the satellite modem. Finally, it sent a burst a flame out of the outlet in my room. I was rather startled, but was soon curled up in bed, sleeping for the few hours left of the night.

The next morning, I was surprised to discover it had rained five inches in about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. My phone was obviously dead, as well as the internet, but everything else was okay. I am thankful that it was not the new internet system but the old modem that had been repaired many times anyway.

I am blessed by God's protection and the display of His mighty power! Please be praying for the local farmers. We are having a lot of rain when it should be dry, so they are having trouble preparing their fields to plant vital food to meet the needs of their families.

Also, please be in prayer as we are working on getting the new (used but new to us) satellite dish installed. We are having some difficulties with getting all the parts working. We bought a really inexpensive one at first, but it didn't work at all. After finding another used system, we discovered that part of it is not functioning, so we are trying to figure out what to do next.

God is good!

It is done!

Thanks be to God for His great mercy and love which He has poured down upon us! In the last seven weeks, the entire New Testament was read from beginning to end, then replayed from beginning to end. Last Wednesday at noon, we finished up the last of the recording, finishing by recording two chapters over because of the cricket noise! It was quite a challenge to accomplish a professional quality recording in the middle of the jungle! The parrots and other birds gave us trouble by day, and crickets, geckos, and locusts gave trouble by night. Those things, along with numerous power outages, readers with sore throats, language barriers (the technicians spoke Spanish), seminars, and teams made the whole project a challenge. Add to that the fact that most of the readers had not read in their own language before, and you begin to catch a glimpse of the obstacles that the enemy placed in our path, but the Lord was, of course, greater than all of those things!

We are so blessed by each one that gave their best efforts to help make the recording possible, from the readers, to the monitors, to the cooks, to the technicians that came from Guatemala, to the people in Guatemala that worked in the office, to the people we may never meet in the States who typed the text, raised the funds, and took care of many other details!

Elvina, Clifford, and I are now getting things back together and pressing on with workshops, Bible study writing, and translating, all of which we kept up during the recording, but not as effectively as we would have liked. Please pray for us as we continue on and walk the path that God has placed before us!

Almost finished!!!!

Greetings everyone! Last night at 11:00 we hit the halfway point of reviewing the entire recording. We are soooo close! We hope to be completed by Wednesday night. Please keep us in your prayers, we are very tired and working hard to push on. God is so good! We are looking forward to the blessing this work will be to others. Pray for deliverance from all the things the enemy will try to bring in the next few days to stop the work.

The smell of rain…

Don't you love it? It is a fragrance like no other. Fresh, refreshing, indefinable. Sometimes it hits you when you least expect it. I was riding on the bus this afternoon, reading a book on prayer, and not paying attention to the outside world, w Closhen suddenly the intoxicating fragrance of rain filled my nose. It has been so hot and dry lately that the scent startled me. Turning my eyes from the pages that held my attention, I was surprised to see the sky covered with clouds. It was then that I noticed the scorching heat had given way to a refreshing cool edge on the air. Soon, light rain began to fall, settling the dust and changing the mood to a peaceful lull. The bus rumbled on, bouncing and jerking on the rough road, and I settled back to continue reading. Others raised their windows, but I left mine open, relishing the scent of fresh rain, and the brightness of the breeze. My reading was once again interrupted, this time by loud cracks as thunder followed lightning flashing through the air. I closed my book and settled in to watch the welcome dry season storm, and as I did, I thought…

Life is often like that sudden dry season storm. Just when the heat of life is bearing down on us, and we toil along, wondering when relief will come, God sends a bit of refreshment; a word of encouragement, an answered prayer, something to manifest His presence, just like the refreshing whiff of fresh rain. Often in our distress over the hard circumstances that are consuming us, we fail to recognize the gift. Next, rain drops come, more blessings from the Lord along our path, but perhaps we close the windows to them and keep on. Finally, with a loud crash, God orchestrates circumstances to call our attention to His bountiful goodness in our lives. Then, just as quickly as a passing storm, life settles back and we are left with refreshed spirits, and a reminder to look for His glory in the glaring heat of the sun, as well as the refreshing breeze of the rain, in the hard times and in the easier, He is always there.

God brought some refreshing rain in the past week or so. We had a little over a week long break from the recording, so that gave us some rest. During this time we worked on organizing the office, filing papers, and revising the translations of the first Bible study lessons. It was great to be able to catch up on some of this neglected business!

A team from Kansas came for 12 days, doing some work on churches in Big Falls and Hicatee. We are always blessed when others come and encourage us through their care for the people of Toledo! Rev. John Wright has brought a team down here four years in a row, and they are always a blessing, especially to the pastors and their families, bringing care packs and encouragement for them.

This year, they wanted to provide the pastors with a lasting source of income, so they decided to buy young pigs to get the pastors started raising and selling pigs. 18 pastors x 3 pigs each = 54 pigs. I gained a new title: pig hunter. I had hoped to have all the pigs here for the team to give out, but unfortunately, I was unable to locate that many pigs in time, but we did have fun collecting at least some of them and taking care of them overnight before sending them home with pastors the next day. The fence around the satellite dish became a pig pen for the night, but we were somewhat concerned about the fact that a jaguar has been prowling around our premises. Two young guys from Big Falls came armed with machetes and spent the night on the roof of the shed, guarding the piglets from becoming jaguar snacks. Now for the task of getting the rest of the pigs…

Recording started back today. Please pray for Andres, Mark, and Lauren as they work hard to finish reading their parts. Pray for all of us, as we will be pushing hard to get the recording completed this week, so we can spend next week doing the final review.

His truth is marching on!

Greetings! It has been a busy week, but the recording of God's word in Mopan Maya continues! The parts for Paul were a major portion of the New Testament, and Clifford finished reading those on Sunday. We are down to a couple small parts and the final longer parts: narration of Luke & Acts, narration of John & Revelation, as well as all of Jesus' words. Please keep Lauren, Mark, and Andres in your prayers as they read these important words of truth.

A team from the States arrived here Wednesday night, so that has presented a challenge with the recording, because of the noise level, but we are all working to make things work for everyone.

Next week we will not be recording, as Carlos and Isidro (the technicians) will head back to Guatemala for the Holy Week. Please pray for their safe travels tomorrow. Those of us on T.E.A.M. are greatly looking forward to a week without recording!!!

We are grateful for the team from Kansas that is here to help with one of the churches. Please pray for their safety as they work.

We greatly appreciate your prayers!

Recording continues...

Greetings everyone! Your prayers are so appreciated! It seems the enemy has been doing his best to stop the recording with sickness, power outages, lots of rain (tin roof + rain = too much noise to record), struggling readers, etc. But that does not surprise us, because it is God's Word we are recording and the enemy does not like that! We are so blessed by those who have come and read their parts: Emeterio, Juan, Sandra, Profilio, Fermin, Rosaria, Bernaldino, Alberto... Please pray that the Lord would bless them for their service to Him!

This week we are short on monitors, so that keeps Clifford and I tied up with the monitoring. Plus, Clifford has been reading some of his parts (he has the 13 Pauline epistles). We had to find a replacement for the person reading the parts for Jesus (another MAJOR reader part), so that slowed things down a little. However, we are pressing on and thankful for the strength God gives day by day. Please pray for our technicians from Guatemala, one of them was sick yesterday.

We are still working to get ready for workshops each Saturday. Dear Elvina, who speaks Kekchi, not Maya, has not been part of the recording much, but she is faithfully working to prepare her lessons and translate the Bible study.

We would especially request your prayers for the next few days as we are having trouble with the reader schedules...

Birthday Blessings

Yesterday was my birthday, and I was reminded of all of God's blessings through out my life! He has blessed me with a wonderful family, wonderful friends, wonderful co-workers, but most of all, the precious gift of salvation!!!

Elvina, Clifford, and I were able to take a half day off to catch a little R & R at a river, so that was another wonderful blessing!!!

The recording continues to go well. Three people completely finished their parts last week: Pedro, Fernando, and Mark. Juan did not quite finish his, so he'll have to work on it again. Yesterday and this morning, Alberto recorded the book of James, as well as some other small parts. Bro. Bernaldino (Clifford's father) was supposed to start recording the Gospel of John, 1,2, & 3 John, and Revelation yesterday, but he is sick with a cough. In the meantime, Clifford did some of his parts today (he is Paul and has to read all 13 of Paul's epistles, plus small parts for Paul in the book of Acts), but tomorrow, Bro. Fermin will come and read some of his parts, as well as Bro. Canti.

Please keep the technicians, monitors, and readers in your prayers!

March 13, 2009

Recording continues, day by day. Pedro and Fernando finished their parts late Wednesday night (10 minutes until 11:00!), and now Mark and Juan are here. They have to narrate the books of Mark and Matthew, so they have a lot of work to do! Please keep them in your prayers!

We will have our Saturday workshop tomorrow, so pray that we'll be able to finish preparation for that, and that God will prepare the hearts of those who come.

And it is underway!

We had a good recording meeting yesterday. Due to it being a holiday, not all of the readers were able to attend, however the ones who came were excited about getting started.

After the meeting, two of the readers stayed and began recording, the person reading for Peter, and the person reading angel parts and the book of Hebrews. It was hard to get going, but once they started into it, they began to do better and better. Regardless, it is never easy, because of some difference in local word usage and that of the text, as well as just getting the pronunciation correct. Most of the readers have not read in their own language much, as it is not taught in the schools, so it is a daunting task before them! I am so inspired by their willingness to try and give it their best effort!

Please pray for Fernando and Pedro as they continue to read through Wednesday, and pray for Clifford, Elvina, and I, that we would still be able to get our other work done, in spite of our involvement in the recording work.

Recording starts… tomorrow!!!

I am lying here in my hammock, enjoy a few moments respite before the next six weeks begin, I think it is going to be busy!!

Friday afternoon Carlos and Isidro arrived from Guatemala to set up for the dramatized audio recording of the Maya New Testament. They speak no English, Maya, or Kekchi, and we speak very limited Spanish, so we have a small challenge on our hands! However, one of our recording monitors is fluent in Spanish, so that should help us.

Tomorrow is the big day. We will have a meeting with all the readers, then two of them will begin recording. Please, please pray for all of us during this time, as I am sure the enemy will do his best to oppose the recording of God's Word. One concern is the noisiness of our surroundings. We do not have a completely enclosed building, so all the sounds from the outside come right inside. They were doing some test recording yesterday, and the microphones were picking up all the outside noise. Please pray that God will work mightily in this area, He can calm seas, so is it too hard for Him to block out noises? Also, no one here really reads their own language fluently, they were never taught to, so reading at a level suitable for a recording is challenging! Please pray for blessings on their reading skills. We are still lacking a second monitor. Clifford and I could fill in, but that would really tax our abilities to fulfill other responsibilities like the Bible study work and workshop preparations. Please pray for God's clear direction there. We are excited about what God is going to do.

We had no workshops this Saturday, as it was time for the annual Belize District Church of the Nazarene District Assembly. I had the privilege of attending the Assembly, and hearing the reports of what God has been doing in the churches throughout the country. We serve a mighty God, and it was a blessing to see many people who I usually have the opportunity to see only once a year. Several people from here in Toledo were elected to important boards, so we trust that God will accomplish His purposes through these appointments.

I travelled home on a bus full of the pastors and church members from Toledo. I wish you could have been there for the triumphant service we had on the long drive home. No message was preached, but we lifted our voices in praise to our Lord in four different languages and for at least four hours. It was truly a delight, but it did come to end. I stepped off the bus at home with a chorus of farewells and blessings ringing in my ears. I live among precious people of God, and one day our worship services will never end!

As we travelled that evening, we passed through one of my favorite scenic areas of Belize, a fertile valley along the Hummingbird Highway. The hills rise and fall to the horizon, and are covered with rich green citrus groves on both sides of the road. The drive is delightful at any time of the day, but in the evening, just as the sun is getting ready to set, the beauty exceeds my ability to describe it. Of course, it also makes it very difficult to drive with the sun in your eyes, but if one is allowed to simply ride and soak in the splendor; one is reminded of the greatness of his Creator. There is a certain tree here in Belize which, when barren of leaves, covers itself with flowers of a mixture of buttery, lemony yellow. Saturday evening, besides the rich green of the citrus groves, the hills were dotted with the glow of these trees. As the sun settled low on the horizon, its gentle brightness touched these trees and transformed them to specks of gold across the hills as far as the eye could see.

Sing to the LORD a new song;
       sing to the LORD, all the earth.

 ² Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
       proclaim his salvation day after day.

 ³ Declare his glory among the nations,
       his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

 ⁴ For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
       he is to be feared above all gods.

 ⁵ For all the gods of the nations are idols,
       but the LORD made the heavens.

 ⁶ Splendor and majesty are before him;
       strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

 ⁷ Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations,
       ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

 ⁸ Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
       bring an offering and come into his courts.

 ⁹ Worship the LORD in the splendor of his ^[a] holiness;
       tremble before him, all the earth.

 ¹⁰ Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
       The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
       he will judge the peoples with equity.

 ¹¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
       let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

 ¹² let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
       Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

 ¹³ they will sing before the LORD, for he comes,
       he comes to judge the earth.
       He will judge the world in righteousness
       and the peoples in his truth.

Psalm 96 (NIV)

T.E.A.M. Deployment

For the second time now, all three of us from T.E.A.M. made a trip into a village to help implement the materials we are developing. A village “deployment” usually requires a Saturday – Monday morning commitment, due to transportation issues.
Saturday morning, as soon as our workshops were over, we gathered up our things and prepared to leave. After a mile walk to the junction at noon, we caught the bus going to San Jose. We planned to minister at the church in Na Luum Ca, which is just a couple miles from San Jose. Clifford lives in San Jose, so we went there first to prepare a few things we needed for the weekend.
We had the opportunity to enjoy a special treat with Clifford’s parents, as they had just harvested the last of the green corn (the rest of the corn they will allow to grow until it is mature and dry, so it can be cooked and used for tortillas). Sister Justina ground some of the tender kernels and cooked them, creating a corn porridge, a delightful delicacy. The rest of the corn she ground, rolled into the fresh husks, placed them in a pot, and boiled, making a tender, meatless sort of tamales. I was glad that we had timed our trip just right, I love sa' and tzit!
Later that evening, we walked toward Na Luum Ca, stopping by the pastors’ house, where Elvina and I spent the night. After chatting with the pastor’s family, and discussing plans for the next day, we settled in for a night of rest.
Sunday morning began with a meal and a pleasant walk to the village, where we were able to enjoy the service with the believers there. Immediately following the service, we were given the opportunity to share with the people. I gave a brief introduction to the work of T.E.A.M. and the purpose of the Bible study materials. Elvina shared a testimony, and Clifford taught the first lesson of the Bible study. He did an outstanding job! I was blessed as I sat and listened to him sharing truth with the people in a way I could not, because of my limited fluency in Maya. It is a delight to have the opportunity to see Elvina and Clifford taking the tools we are developing and presenting them to their people so effectively.
The people responded well to the Bible study, and interacted with thoughts of their own; giving us encouragement that it was meeting a need. The pastor spoke at length with me afterward of the limitations of understanding spiritual things in English, expressing his appreciation for the work we are doing.
Na Luum Ca Church of the Nazarene is facing a time of transition as their pastor is being called elsewhere. Please pray for a new pastor, and also pray that they will be able to continue the Bible study and that it would bring forth fruit in their lives.
After eating and visiting with the pastor’s family, Elvina and I walked back to San Jose, chatting with a few people along the way, before making our way back to the home of Clifford’s parents. His dad is the pastor of the church in San Jose, so we participated in the evening service there before getting some rest and catching the bus back home early Monday morning.
Praise God for His protection as we travelled and for His hand upon us as we shared the things He has given to us! We are blessed to be able to give a little of all the blessings He has given to us.

She taught me to make tortillas…

On Thursday, February 12, Na'chin Teck went to be with her Savior. Na'chin means grandmother, and Na'chin Teck was my Belizean grandmother. She welcomed me, not only into her home, but into her family as well. It was at her comal (a thick iron griddle placed over a fire hearth built on the floor) that I learned the art of making corn tortillas. In her home I made tamales for the first time, and learned to squeeze the juice from some small fruits called Black Marble, in English. Na'chin laughed when I squeezed the Black Marble, as it stained my "pretty white hands" a funny mixture of black and purple. But Na'chin never laughed at my broken Maya, she always patiently talked to me (she spoke no English), and somehow always understood what I was saying, even at the beginning when my Maya was so limited.

Na'chin had been sick with tuberculosis for several years now. I remember lying in bed at night and hearing her coughing repeatedly through the night, yet I hardly ever heard her complain. She was a woman who cared for others without giving much thought to herself.

I remember Na'chin's care for me, especially one scorching hot day in dry season when I walked to Na'chin's house from the junction. The sun was blazing down, the road was dusty, and it was more than a two mile walk. When I arrived, my face was flushed a brilliant shade of red from the heat, and my clothes were drenched with sweat. Na'chin became a flurry of activity, despite my protests that I would be fine. She sent one granddaughter to buy ice and juice, while insisting I lie down. She then removed my shoes and began to wipe my face with a damp cloth. When the ice and juice came, she had me drink glass after glass, while cooling me off with ice packs. That is just the way Na'chin was, always caring for others.

Na'chin was not a tall woman, the top of her head barely reached above my waist. In fact, I had a floor length Maya skirt like Na'chin always wore. When she tried mine on for size, she had to tie it above her head in order to keep it from dragging on the floor.

Despite her small stature and quiet spirit, Na'chin was a woman who impacted many around her. She had nine sons and two daughters, as well as many grandchildren. All of them loved her, and knew she loved them. Most importantly, Na'chin was a woman who loved God. She trusted Him, and often prayed for her children and grandchildren.

Na'chin's funeral was on a Saturday, but I was unable to attend because of the workshops. Even though I did not see her earthly remains lowered into the ground, I know where Na'chin is, and it isn't in that box. Wednesday night, before she died, I was there with Na'chin. She had been asking for me, and I was able to spend some precious hours with her and her family. He frail body was tired, her arms looked like thin spindles, but she whispered in my ear that she still trusted God and she would see me again someday. Her last words still sing in my ears, "Dios ca yi'lech, Rebecca." God will look after you, Rebecca.

And He will.

Wow, a week has passed, and what a week! God is at work and we are hanging on, trying to keep up with Him!

Monday was a usual work day, full of writing lessons, comparing notes, and making plans. Tuesday was not so "usual." That day we all went to town (Punta Gorda) met up with the pastor from Big Falls (Bro. Andres, who went to Bible school in Guatemala and knows the turf), and got on a boat headed to Guatemala. The trip across the sea is in a skiff with an outboard motor. It takes one hour and twenty minutes, and provides a delightful opportunity to experience stomach falling experiences when the skiff comes down from the top of a wave. Thankfully the Caribbean is pretty sheltered and the sea was fairly calm the day we went so it was not too bad. When we arrived in Guatemala and went through immigration, we boarded a bus headed toward Guatemala City. After several hours of travel, we switched to a bus headed toward Coban. Another couple of hours passed before we reached Rancho, where we got off the bus and switched to a van taxi. Elvina and I did not fair too badly as we were in the front seat, but Bro. Andres and Clifford experienced the sardine effect: Guatemalans have a wonderful talent for turning a 18 passenger van into a 30+ passenger van! We changed vehicles one more time before finally arriving at our destination: Coban.

I have been to Coban two other times to pick up Bibles, but this was Clifford and Elvina’s first time. Guatemala has such a different climate and terrain than Belize, and the people are live quite differently than Belize, so it was fascinating watching Clifford and Elvina’s responses to all of it. One major climatic difference was that it was drizzly the whole time and cold (well, for us wimpy warm weather Belizeans)!

We stayed with some gracious relatives of Bro. Andres and had a lovely visit. They lived halfway up a hill, producing quite the hike up the long flight of steps! The next morning was still cold and drizzly, so a bath with frigid water was an energizing experience!

The day went well, although the Bibles cost twice as much as we had been told on the phone, so we bought fewer. We couldn’t make it back the same day, but we retraced our steps to the port city, where we spent the night and travelled back to Belize on Thursday.

Today was our first workshop day! We had 70 people show up, and we only had 40 registered, so we had to scramble a little. We were so blessed by the turnout and the excitement about the classes. Several of the pastors came and took classes, while others were there just to observe. One young man came all the way from Guatemala to attend the workshops! We didn’t expect to go international so quickly (actually wasn’t in the plans at all). God is good to stretch us. Clifford taught music, Elvina taught computer, and I taught, English, Bible, and New Testament History. Clifford and Elvina will teach Bible next week, but we had to tweak the schedule a little this week. It was a slight challenge teaching English Grammar, since most of the people spoke some English, and were ready for grammar, while two of the people spoke no English at all, I will have to work on a better plan.

This next week we will have a team here and will have to juggle hosting a couple of meetings, preparing for the team, and doing our regular work with Bible study writing/translation, preparing for the workshop next Saturday (which promises to be even bigger than this week), and continuing to prepare for the Maya recording. We covet your prayers for wisdom, strength, and financial provision.

We are so blessed to be in the service of our King!

Reader meeting

Today was an exciting day for us! Almost everyone who will be reading for the recording of the Maya New Testament was here for a meeting. We had a blessed time, and it was wonderful to see the excitement that people had for the project. Getting feedback from others is important so that we know that it isn't just "our" idea. Seeing the excitement others have is an encouragement to us that we are on the right track. The readers seem excited for several reasons:
1. It will help them learn to read in their own language
2. It will help inspire others to start reading in Maya
3. Hopefully it will get more people involved in reading/hearing God's Word on a regular basis
4. It will help preserve the language (they discovered today in one short practice, at least one
Maya word they do not use much anymore.
I am praying that the Lord will use it to bless those who are doing the reading, especially those that might not normally read the Bible much on their own. Also, the potential for the recording ministering God's truth to many people is exciting!

There was some nervousness about their ability to read well enough for a recording, since many of them have not read their language before, but we have several weeks before the recording begins, so they should have time to practice. Also, those doing the recording have assured us there will be plenty of opportunities to re-record after any mistakes.

We are excited about the group that the Lord has brought together to accomplish this work. The support and help of others is a blessing as we work together to accomplish God's work.

Clifford, Elvina, and I were able to get a lot accomplished this week in preparation for the workshops that will begin next Saturday. We will have classes on Bible study, New Testament History, computer basics, music, and English Grammar. Clifford and Elvina are a little nervous about teaching, but I am confident that the Lord will bless their willingness and give abundant grace.

Please pray for us this next week as we continue preparations. We are in great need of some Kekchi and Maya Bibles, and Elvina really needs a Kekchi dictionary before next Saturday. However, this would require a trip to Guatemala. We are considering going this next week, depending on the finances to purchase the items and the availability of one the pastors to go with us (he speaks Spanish...).

I am so blessed to be able to work with Elvina and Clifford, they are wonderful co-laborers!

T.E.A.M. swings back into action

Greetings once again!
I arrived back in Toledo Saturday, and we started back to work today. Part of our work was setting up a new printer that we were blessed with and I was able to bring down with me (thank you Hsu family!).

We are receiving quite a few applications for the workshops, with a new person signing up today (the man gave Clifford a ride from the junction, asked a few questions, then stopped in to sign up for the Bible classes). So, even though Clifford and Elvina won't be back here until Wednesday due to transportation issues, we all have our work assignments cut out for us.

This morning I read from the book of Mark about the parable of the sower and the different places the seeds. I thought it was appropriate for the work we are doing, we hope to cultivate good soil for the truth of God's word to grow in. Of course not all of the seed sown will bear abundant fruit, but we hope to save some from the devouring of the enemy, the shallow, rocky soil, and the choking thorns of the world. Would you pray for us as we work this week?