Catching up…

Greetings to one and all and my sincere apologies for not keeping up on my blog! I went back to Belize on the 14^th of September, and just arrived back in the States again. I had a wonderful fall season in Belize and look forward to sharing the stories of God's work with you! I plan on updating the blog over the next few days with posts about events that took place over the last few months. The Lord has continued to be so faithful, and it is a joy to step back and look at what He has accomplished.
Thank you for your continued prayers and support, they mean so very much to me!

One of my favorite flowering trees/bushes in Belize. Only blooms around Christmas time.

Returning...

After a busy summer of being with my family, lots of free-lance writing to generate some income, and speaking at some churches, the day is approaching for me to return to Belize. I leave Friday. I am currently awash in the sea of emotions that fill my last few days... I am excited to be headed back to Belize, but leaving my wonderful family here in the States never seems to get easier. And so, the tug of war is hard at work inside me, adding to the stress of last minute preparations.

Besides the emotions, I am busy checking things off my list... did I remember what so and so asked me to bring? Did I get this? Yikes. I'll be glad when all of that is over, even if it does herald the time to say goodbye once again...

I have a couple prayer requests I'd like to share with you in this post, if you don't mind:

• Safety in travels, and grace for all the emotions that will come in the next few days.
• Rally - on the 29th, TNYE (Toledo Nazarene Youth Empowerment) has planned another youth rally, this time in San Jose. Clifford is in the midst of a bunch of preparation for that event, since it is in his home village, and his youth group is hosting it. Finances for feeding a crowd are needed, as well as wisdom in all the particulars. His theme for the rally is a great one: “Solemn Gathering for God's Vision and Victory for Young People,” highlighting the verses from Joel 1:14 and 2:28. He and the rest of the team are praying for an awakening among the young people, a realization of the need of a true relationship with Jesus Christ, and a turning to the Lord for a change in the nation of Belize. Would you join all of us in prayer for this event?

The Work of a Few or the Work of God through a Few

I don't know about where you live, but in Belize, one of the ways Satan tries to destroy the church is through the spreading of malicious gossip. Sound familiar? The sad thing is that often the gossip originates and spreads within those who claim to be part of the body of Christ, even leaders, such as pastors and evangelists. What a contrast to what Jesus says those who follow Him should look like: "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).”

Sometime in May, a pastor asked me if it was true that a certain church in Toledo was "dead." I had heard this rumor going around about this particular church, so I asked him what he meant by dead, figuring that after all, only God truly knows the state of being of His church. True to what I had heard, he said that he heard the church is closed and the pastor is no longer active. I smiled and invited him to attend the rally being held by this "dead" church the next month. He and his church did attend, and I trust he found his answers.

It is true that the Pueblo Viejo church congregation is not large, but there is a small nucleus of church members there that pull together to accomplish large feats. This was again demonstrated on June 8th -10th. They invited a guest speaker and music group from Guatemala and then began to invite a host of churches to attend the series of three services. Their pastor, Honoratus Choc, is the same man who nearly missed ordination last year due to surgery near his eye right before District Assembly. He is a man of dedication and commitment. Together with a core group of church members, he trusted God to give them the strength and ability to bless a large number of people through this event.

Preparation was extensive, including building a thatch building for a kitchen, cutting (with machete) a massive quantity of firewood for cooking, and coordinating the group coming from Guatemala. By the time that whole event was finished, they were all exhausted and spent, but still wearing smiles. I had the privilege of watching them bless the lives of many as they tirelessly prepared meals (Sunday's meal included a whole beef and a large quantity of chicken), hauled water (no running water in Pueblo), and facilitated the large crowd that gathered. I don't think any of them were able to sit in the service and be ministered to by the guest speaker, but they allowed many others to do so, and it brought them great joy.

I heard several comments afterward about the sacrifice they made, wondering what benefit the church received for all that work, effort, and expense. I don't think that the benefits can be measured in physical terms. The church probably won't suddenly be filled with more people, they didn't gain wealth, and their hard work will quickly be forgotten. However, God's work is not ultimately measured in physical things, and I trust their reward will be eternal. And what a privilege they had to be ministers of God's love to others through that special event. I heard that the day after it was over, they had gathered again, working together to finish all the clean up and eating a meal of beans and tortillas together. I am sure that the fellowship was sweet. While others spoke of deadness, these people were willingly giving of themselves to bless others. I pray their efforts were a testimony to others!

Servant Leadership

One of my greatest joys as I work in Belize is seeing God working through the lives of those around me. I wish I had the time to relate more incidents in this blog, but an instance several weeks ago was a particular blessing.

In January of this year, Clifford and a young married man from Big Falls, Julio Chub, were responsible for hosting a remarkable youth rally at Big Falls. As a result of this event, a number of young men in San Jose, Clifford’s home village, became interested in attending church. The next month, Clifford became the host of the Wednesday night services in San Jose, which the church board designated as a special service for young people. Of course, the adults are still present and active in the services, but it provides a special opportunity for the young people to participate in leading songs and sharing verses, while the messages are usually geared to encouraging the young people to follow God with their lives. 

The influence of Clifford’s life has quickly become evident as the young guys look up to him and rally around the services and other events. A recent outreach was a great example of Clifford’s leadership. He has been involved in a project to finish up the construction of the new church building in San Benito Poite, and it needed just a little more work on the plastering of the walls and sealing the windows. He invited the young men from his church to join him in this effort one morning. He set out early Wednesday morning in the pickup to meet the guys (who were travelling on the public transportation bus) at 5:15 by the junction. 

I travelled to Poite a little later on the motorcycle and was blessed by what I saw. 13 young men and the pastor (Clifford’s father) had come, at their own expense) to help Clifford with the project. These guys ranged in age from 13 to 20, and were all busy working. It was an impressive sight. Joyful laughter accompanied their diligent labors, all under the watchful eye of Clifford, who alternately lead by example and walked around encouraging the others in their labors. No one complained when he gave direction or made corrections. God has truly blessed him with an amazing set of leadership skills and integrity of character that has made him an inspiring leader for the younger guys. I came away that day with a sense of hope that God will raise up a new generation to seek and serve Him. My prayer is that they would take up the torch of truth and grow to know the Lord in greater ways than the generation before them.

A few pictures of the guys:

The Boss Man himself :)

The "German" work & witness team :)

 

Since much of the church building work here in Belize is done by Work and Witness teams, I was informed that this team was from Germany. They had great fun playing up the part, asking me questions as if they were newcomers to the area. The joyful spirits and diligent work was a delightful mix. 

Email Update

I just sent out a very overdue update about the work in Belize. If you didn't get a copy and would like one, please let me know!

Some things are just hard

I'll be going to a service this evening, and then a funeral tomorrow for a man who took his own life by hanging last week. I much prefer funerals that celebrate the life of someone who faithfully served the Lord with their life. However, we rarely get to choose the circumstances that are pleasant for us. The man's father is a long-time member of the San Jose church, so we will be going to support him in this difficult time.

The verses I read in Isaiah this morning are timely:
"He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of His people He will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, that He might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'" Isaiah 25:8,9

While nothing can be done for the soul of the man who took his own life, my prayer is that many will come to know the Lord and learn to wait for Him. One day the sorrow and weeping will be over. Those who hold fast to the Lord in the midst of their trials on this earth will one day be able to repeat those words found in Isaiah. I want to be one of those who wait for the Lord. I want to be able to look into my Savior's face and say, "See, here is my God, my Savior. I waited for Him, and He faithfully kept me."

I know there are those that will be at the service tonight, and at the funeral tomorrow who haven't given their lives to God. They are not waiting on His return. Please pray for them. I don't know who will be giving the message at either service, but please pray for anointing on their words. Pray that God will speak through them to the hearts of those in attendance.

Because the man was a member of the Belize Defense Force (the Belizean military), there will be an official BDF delegation in attendance. Many of these men have heard the truth, but turned their backs on it. Many are hopelessly lost and have given their lives to the bondage of alcohol and sin. Please pray that this tragic loss of life will speak to their hearts.They need to learn the blessing of waiting in the presence of God day by day.

Pray for the family as well, the widow and the children.

A Father's Love

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory.

This past week I got an up close and personal view of the compelling love a father. A love that consumes and drives. A love that is desperate. A small boy, four years old was missing in San Benito Poite, the remote village where we go to teach Bible study. I was not in the village at the time, but my co-worker, Clifford, was, as well as my other co-worker’s husband, Rick. The whole village joined the search, combing the bushes around the village, searching each home, running up jungle paths. Even young people dove into the river which runs along the village, searching the depths. A year or so ago, two children from another village disappeared and have not been seen since. This family knew this. They were desperate to find that boy. I received a call, telling me of the situation. The boy had already been missing five hours. I shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. The jungle is so close, the river… right there. I prayed and cried out to God. I spread the word and others joined in prayer.

A police report had to be made by the father, which required leaving the village and travelling more than two hours to the police station in town. I can’t imagine the pain he felt when he tore himself away from the search and left to make the report. Why did he go? Because he felt it was best for his son. Maybe it would help him be found. He was desperate. Even though he would have rather kept searching, he went. My pickup was used to take him. After he went to town, they arrived briefly at my house. I saw an anguished father. Only one thought filled his mind as he twisted his ball cap in his hands: his son. I got in the pickup to join the trip back to the village, crying out to God for this man’s son as darkness closed in around the land. It gets darker sooner in the jungle. 

Before we had traveled far, we received a call: the boy had been found! I watched the waves of emotion rush through that man, that father. I watched as his shoulders shook. The look of anguish gave way, but it was not sheer joy that filled his face, instead it was desperation… a desperate wish that he was there with his child right then, he wanted to see him, touch him, know that he was okay. He wanted to keep him safe; hold him tight and never let him face such fear again. We finally arrived in the village and went inside to see the boy sleeping in the arms of his mother. Relief and joy swept across the father’s face then. We stayed only long enough to make sure all was well, then slipped away to let the family rejoice together.

We were fairly quiet as we traveled back, each absorbed in the thoughts and emotions of the situation. It wasn’t until the next day that Clifford voiced what had been tugging the edges of my thoughts: that father’s desperate love showed us a little glimpse of our heavenly Father’s desperate love for His children, and the anguish He must feel when one goes astray. Oh, He never has to wonder where they are, and He knows the outcome, but that desperate willingness to do anything to bring His children back is the same. After all, His love drove Him to give His Son to bring us back to Him. What amazing love!

Which brings me to 2 Corinthians 5:14: “For the love of Christ controls us…” Depending on the version you read, you will find that the love of Christ constrains, compels, and controls us. It is to be the driving force of our life, that thing that constrains us from doing certain things, but compels us to do others. Controlled by the love of Christ. I thought of this as I sat in the home of a pastor. He was speaking of the difficulties another church was facing, and said he wished he could help, but he had tried before and it seemed they didn’t want help. “I think,” he said, “it is better I just stay to myself and let them see what they will do.” My heart cringed inside. I could feel where he was coming from, I could understand the feeling of trying to help and having that help rejected… but God… Oh, how God loves us. He never gives up because we rejected His help. He woos us when we refuse to be wooed. He loves us when we are unlovely. And it is His love that is to control us. How then, Lord, am I to love those that don’t seem to want it? Teach me Your love. 

Friday as we traveled along the highway, we came across a man passed out on the road, clearly very drunk and beyond ability to move around. Knowing how vehicles fly along that highway, we realized he could be run over there on the road, we have heard of it happening. We stopped and as I watched Clifford help the man off the road, dirty, smelly, and stuff coming out of his mouth, I thought of people who are in a condition like that spiritually. It is hard to love them. Maybe they are clean and nice on the outside, but spiritually they are as repulsive to us as that man was on the outside. Whether through their judgmental pride, their rejection of us, or hurtful things they have said, they have become hard for us to love. How Lord? How can I love them? I want to be controlled by Your love, fill me. Help me.

So very thankful

I know this is not a post about Belize, but I just had to share the thankfulness that has been running through my heart since yesterday. I woke up this morning with the same thoughts and just had to share.

Somehow, I have come across several blogs by people adopting children with Down's Syndrome from other countries. Yesterday another one came into my path, and I sat and read through the old posts with a mixture of emotions and thoughts. Terrible pain and sorrow for children in the conditions I saw described, and thankfulness and joy for the family who was opening their home up to one of these children.

The blog is here, and I linked to a post with a little information about children in a similar state. This precious girl was born with Down's Syndrome and place in a government home in Bulgaria immediately after birth. At nine years of age she looked like this:

She weighed a little over 10 pounds and measured 29 inches long. Her upper thigh was a mere 5 inches around.





She reacted to being touched or held, because she had never known that. She had spent the nine years of her life in a crib.


There are many Down's Syndrome children like her. It breaks my heart, and at the same time makes me sooooo thankful that God put my sister Rachel in our family. 26 years ago she was born with Down's Syndrome. She weighed 8 pounds. She was 21 inches long. This 9 year old child was only slightly larger than that. Rachel thrived and grew. She loved being touched and held. She still loves to give hugs. She has always brought great joy to our lives. I have had many reasons to be thankful for her life, but today I add this bit of thankfulness, the fact that she had the opportunity to thrive in an atmosphere of love and kindness, and not spend her life as the child above. Thank you Lord!


Rachel and I this past Christmas:













 I am also thankful the sweet little girl pictured above finally has a loving family to grow and thrive in. Here she is not long after her adoption:

Thanks for bearing with this deviation from news about Belize, I just had to share how thankful I am for the opportunity to love on and be blessed by my sweet Rachel, as well as give thanks for those who are giving the opportunity of love to sweet children around the world.

Thoughts from a Wednesday service

Yesterday evening, after I called a halt to my work for the day, I sank into my hammock to relax a little, trying to ease the pain of a raging headache. It being Wednesday, I thought of church service in less than two hours, and considered how the rather loud Caribbean beat often accompanying church singing would effect my head. The thought was not a pleasant one, and tempted me to stay at home instead. However, I asked the Lord for strength and drove off, having chosen to go to a church a little further than the one across my backyard.

I arrived at the church only to discover the musician not present, and the entire sound system left covered for the night. Ah, God cares for little details like pounding headaches and booming rhythms! :) The pastor stepped up and called one of the church members to come and lead the service. I smiled as the designated service leader took his place behind the podium. I have known the man for most of my years here in Belize, and have always appreciated his exuberant attitude, he is not a halfway sort of person. Neither is he a man  in need of a PA system, having been blessed with a wonderful set of lungs, and the ability to project his voice quite well, so well in fact, that even without the sound system, his was the only voice I could hear singing last night besides my own. I have always wondered how his powerful voice would sound with a little bit of training. As it is, he has not been blessed with the ability to stay in the same key as the musicians, another reason to be thankful for the lack of musicians last night.

As I watched this man joyfully bounce to an unheard rhythm as he sang, I thought of the tales I have heard through the rumor mill of his struggle to remain in the ways of the Lord. I really cannot remember the details, and I have no need to, but I know that things have changed in his life as a result. I have heard that he has left his former profession (humble as it was) because of the constant temptation he found there. He now chops yards to make a living. I suspect he does so by swinging a machete rather than running a lawn mower. He mentioned how singing songs to the Lord in his mind helps a discouragingly long job fly past in no time. He talked of wanting to please Jesus. Simple and slightly uneducated, his words began to pierce through the foggy pain in my brain and speak to my heart. Here is a man with incredible zeal. He desperately wants to live for the Lord. He does not want to go back to his former way of life. And yet... he has been handed a tough course to follow, for sadly, he has been handed religion without relationship. He has zeal without knowledge. Crying out desperately for God's mercy, he hasn't been taught the path to victory in a moment by moment relationship with Jesus Christ. Am I making wrong assumptions? I sincerely hope so, yet hearing his words, knowing some background, and interacting with the same scenario on a regular basis, I think I am not mistaken.

And thus my heart is burdened today. How to help people like him see the truth and experience the delight of Christ in us, the hope of glory? How to get them to understand that salvation is not just a hope of making it to heaven some day, but is the reality of being saved from ourselves today and living a new life in Christ? That is the challenge on my mind this morning, and I ask you to join me in praying for God's truth to be revealed, not just to people like the man last night, but to the people around you and I each and every day. May our lives be useable as instruments of truth to those God places around us, and may He receive all the glory.