Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

This verse stood out to me this Sunday, and I thought about it as I bounced along the dusty road in the back of my pickup. I don't usually ride in the back of my truck, but I decided to after church on Sunday. Looking up at the beautiful blue sky contrasted with the brilliant green of the lush greenery on either side of the road gave me a perfect chance to meditate on the truths of Scripture for a while.

Paul understood that people, by nature, are imitators. Oh, they may say they like to be unique, but ultimately, most of the time, people end up doing the same things that others have done. Obviously there are exceptions, but I am speaking in broad, general terms here.

You have heard the saying, "monkey see, monkey do," right? Well, I am not saying us humans are descendants of monkeys, but I do propose that we often practice the same habit! And by the way, photographed this guy last week. Isn't he... ummm... cute? :)

In fact, Sunday night, in church, I brought up this idea of "monkey see, monkey do," because I was in a K'ekchi church. I can communicate in Maya, but not K'ekchi, so when everyone was laughing at what the speaker was saying, I had the choice of keeping a serious face because I had no idea what he was saying, or I could "monkey see, monkey do," and laugh because everyone else was! You see, opportunities to imitate others abound everywhere!

Anyway, Paul understood that we act like monkeys. Oops, I mean that Paul understood human nature tends to imitate, to follow those who somehow we deem worthy of imitating. Often it is not a result of purposeful meditation on who best to follow, but it is a bent in our nature, whether purposeful or subconscious. Paul suggested a model to follow, prompting the minds and spirits of his readers to make a purposeful choice about who they were going to follow, rather than making random, unconscious decisions which could lead them astray.

And this is what struck me... Paul didn't just tell people to imitate Christ, no, he told them to imitate or follow him... as he imitated or followed Christ. Paul was confident of his example to others, confident that if they followed him, they would ultimately be following Christ. As I thought upon this, I realized that Paul was not confident of himself, rather he was confident of Christ at work in Him. He was confident of the priceless treasure held in the earthen vessel of his life: "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

We were all given the charge to make disciples... to call others to follow us as we follow Christ. Rather than wasting our time and energies imitating things of no value, may each of us press on toward the prize of the high calling we have in Jesus Christ, and as we do so, may we draw others to follow us in our quest.

What a challenge! What motivation to be, as God commands us to be, holy, as He is holy! Lord, purify our lives so that we might be faithful stewards of the treasure You have placed in our lives!

All in a days work...

A team from the States came down yesterday. I was supposed to go meet them in Belize City with my pickup to carry their luggage...

We headed out at 4:30 in the morning so I could take care of some errands before heading to the airport... got a little ways up the road... and...putter put. The fuel pump went out.

It had been slowly dying, and the team was bringing me a new one, but wouldn't you know it would choose yesterday to go out? So... traveled up on the bus, and was blessed by the District Superintendent loaning us his pickup to get the luggage in. The rest of the day was uneventful :)

I am thankful that God allowed the fuel pump to quit while we were still not far from home! It made towing it to the mechanic so much simpler today than if it had been halfway to Belize City or something! Thank you Lord for your perfect timing!

Giving honor where honor is due.

The day after the thatching event, I had the privilege of seeing a beautiful expression of appreciation. Even though we are to serve the Lord and not men, it is an encouragement to God's weary servants when someone recognizes their labors and shows sincere gratitude!

Bro. Bernaldino, Clifford's father, has been the pastor of the church in San Jose for many years, probably more than 20, although we are still trying to confirm the length. He has often been unwell, especially in the last few years, but he still faithfully goes to hold services. He is a quiet humble man who has won the respect of many.

Bro. Bernaldino has seven sons and one daughter ranging in age from 34 to 12. Clifford got his older brothers together and suggest the idea of a appreciation service for their dad. They all jumped on board the idea and set the date for the 22nd of January, hoping to completely surprise their dad. Bro. Bernaldino ended up inviting several of his sons and some others to help thatch a house on the 22nd, which pushed the service until the 23rd, but actually aided their secrecy: now they all had an excuse to be in the village that weekend.

They each contributed to make the day special, purchasing groceries to feed the entire congregation. I got to help with the work a little, and the whole process was a delight. All the brothers and sisters-in-law worked together to accomplish the task, fixing over 200 plates of food. They even secretly "stole" one of their mom's dresses to use as a pattern for a new dress for the occasion.

In spite of the great difficulty to keep a secret in a village, especially since many invitations were sent out, and in spite of Bro. Bernaldino and his wife wondering why all their kids kept disappearing, and in spite of their grandma almost giving it away, they managed to completely surprise them! It was so fun to see!

The family completely ran the service, sharing testimonies of thanks, singing songs, and inviting others to join as well. Clifford preached his first sermon in honor of the occasion. The joy on their parents' faces was heartwarming. The congregation brought gifts and shared testimonies as well, and everyone went home well fed.

For me, the most touching part was after the service at Bro. Bernaldino's house... hearing the two of them express their surprise and delight over and over, and the sons and daughter excitedly share how they kept the secret, was priceless. So was the excitement of Bro. Bernaldino and his wife over their gifts. They acted like newly weds! They were married before traditions had changed much here, so they didn't have the outpouring of gifts at their wedding that is common now. They really live very humbly with very little. And really, they weren't given LOTS of gifts, but the ones they did receive brought them great joy.

I came away that evening blessed from witnessing the expression of love and the resulting joy. I wish every day could be like that! But... we will have eternity to rejoice in the love of our Savior and rejoice in His presence! I think that will be more than enough to make up for the trials on this earth!

Wouldn't it be nice if something like that could be done for each pastor who has been serving for many years?

Ever Thatched a House?

Saturday Clifford and his brother William (William and his wife and two sweet boys are living next to me) were going to help their dad in San Jose thatch a house, so I tagged along. We left Friday evening, arriving in time for Clifford and William to help cut up the meat from the pig that had just been butchered to feed everyone the next day.

The next morning, invited friends and family started arriving to help: the men to thatch, and the women to cook. Thatching, although undoubtedly hard work, is a fun social time as well. With men on both sides of the roof at once, it goes pretty quickly, and a steady stream of banter and laughter fills the air along with the "swishing" of cohune leaves being handed up and positioned, and the stomping down of the leaves into place. Inside, the women gather around a low table deftly forming corn tortillas and placing them on the comal (round iron griddle over an open fire) to bake. Less banter and laughter occur inside, instead more of a subdued discussion of the latest happenings, current illnesses, etc.

Unfortunately, I had to leave to run some errands before all was said and done, but I did snap a few pictures before I left.

Two things I love about a thatch house: it is sooooo much cooler than a house with a metal or cement roof, and rain sounds lovely falling on the thatch! Mmmmmm nice sleeping! :)

Adventures in Poite

Bible studies in Poite continue to go well. God is so faithful! At the most recent one, we noticed more participation by the attendees, so that was an answer to prayer! We still have much more progress to make in that area, but little by little I trust that more will feel free to participate in the discussions.

Making the trip to Poite each week is always an adventure. It isn't a short trip... We leave around four in the evening, and return around 11:30 p.m. We usually have a crowd that goes along, which provides good fellowship in our travels. One night we saw an ocelot on the way home!

No, we didn't get a picture of it, but I found this picture to give you an idea.

A couple of Fridays ago, we came across some not so interesting creatures... Fleas! Roaming "local" pigs that are kept by villagers tend to spread fleas in dusty areas. Evidently Clifford walked through an area with a bunch of them, and he spent the ending of the Bible study trying to get rid of them. After Bible study ended a group of children joined his efforts, while the rest of us watched. These fleas quickly dig into the skin, where they will eventually lay eggs. And I mean quickly! Within minutes of walking through them, there were already digging into Clifford's toes and ankles. A few days later, both Magdalena's little daughter and Clifford had "treasures" to dig out of their feet - fleas that had been missed in the initial search. Ah well, the "joys" of ministering to others. We have to be willing to sacrifice and be uncomfortable in order to reach out to those who need it the most.

The next Sunday, Big Falls Church of the Nazarene planned a trip to Poite. We all decided to jump on the bus they chartered and go along, since it IS the closest to me! Wow... I realized again how blessed we are to be able to travel with the pickup. The bus was loaded, and the trip was slooooooowww!!! I know it takes us a long time to get there, but the bus went slower, and had to make more stops for "rest breaks."

Nonetheless, we finally made it and had a wonderful service! I should have snapped some pictures for you. The children sitting on a bench along the wall were adorable, and I wish you could have seen them. Pastor Andres gave Bro. Martin (the lay pastor in Poite) a local minister's license, there was much singing, testimonies, and a good sermon. What wonderful fellowship! To top it all off, the members at Poite had prepared a meal for all of us. Delicious chicken, turkey, and pork caldo (all separate, of course) was served along with poch (a sort of meatless tamale, kind of :) or fresh corn tortillas. In true Poite fashion, the food contained plenty of spicy pepper! It was a blessed day!

I have several more stories I want to share, but I will space them out over the next few days... I think I will even try to include a video in a post coming up soon. So stay tuned! Most of all, we covet your continued prayers for the work.

"New" year, but the same faithful God

"For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54:10)

How good it is to know, that although the years may come and go, times may seem more uncertain, people may fail us, and even mountains may be crushed, God's faithfulness never fails, His kindness, mercy, and peace are always there there, never changing. None of us here on this earth know what this year holds - whether it will be full of joy, or filled with difficulties and sorrow. However, one thing we can know and be confident of, that God's mercy will still endure, He will always be faithful.

After spending three weeks with my wonderful family in the States, I arrived back in Belize a week ago. We have jumped right back into Bible studies, starting with Poite on Friday night. We were treated to a delicious meal upon our arrival, and had a good time of study. It seems that slowly the people are becoming more willing to participate in the discussion, instead of just listening. It is a challenge for them, especially for the women, to get over the custom of just sitting and listening, rather than actively participating. Many still struggle with reading, so we are using a combined method of oral teaching/discussion as well as reading with the goal of immediate learning in the oral teaching, but preparing for the long term by enabling them to read God's word for themselves.

Please pray for God's continued wisdom in conducting the Bible studies, as well as provision for travel as gas prices are up to 10.50 Bze per gallon.

Praising God for His faithfulness!

Property hunt...

As many of you know, we are hoping to put up a processing plant for the pig project. Of course it will need land to be built on. This involves a process of finding land we like, getting it approved for our use by the Ministry of Environment, then finally, raising the funds to purchase it! So... we have been looking as we find time.

Yesterday, Magdalena's son was sick so she needed some time off. I decided to take advantage of the moment by going out to look at a piece of land I had heard about. Clifford and I tromped to the back border of the property, and it was perfect weather... not to hot and not raining. The place looks good, and has a reasonable price. One more piece to check out, then we will have three places to get the environment check on before we decide and start trying to raise the funds for it. Please pray for the Lord's direction!

On the property.

And some pretty ferns along the way :)