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 :)

Everyday Life :)

A couple of years ago a girl came up to me after I finished speaking at a church. With a look of great wonder, she cautiously touched my arm. Delight spread over her face afterwards as she exclaimed, "Wow, I got to touch a real live missionary!" I smiled to myself, and think of that at the oddest moments... usually when I am doing the most mundane every day tasks... the kind of tasks that people such as that girl don't envision missionaries doing. After all, don't missionaries just go around preaching the gospel, getting people saved, and building churches? :) So... to prove that real live missionaries (aren't all Christians supposed to be missionaries?) do everyday mundane tasks... let me tell you about my day Saturday.

We had several days of chilly, drizzly weather, and Saturday morning dawned cool and crisp. However, the morning bore the promise of sun... so it was a good day for laundry: things would actually dry! So, I set the machine up on the porch and started off, using the rinse water from one load to wash the next load, then keeping the water to be used the third time to scrub down the floors of the house. I washed clothes, towels, sheets, blankets, and rugs... it was time for a good cleaning! In between loads of laundry I took the recycled water, poured it onto the cement floors, and got on my hands and knees with a brush to scrub out the dirt. Sandra helped me finish up, and by 11:30 laundry was finished, floor was clean, beds re-made, and the last of the laundry was basking in the warm sun. I even used some of the recycled water to wash the shower curtain and scrub down the bathroom. Wow, did the place smell and look sparkling clean! And did I ever feel exhausted!

The early afternoon was spent catching up on some paperwork, then we headed outside at four to get some yard work done. The lawnmower buzzed, the rake moved, and the machete whacked, until 6:00 when it was time for a well-deserved dinner. It was a good day of work!

So... besides everyday cleaning, cooking, and laundry, real live missionaries take some time for days of deeper cleaning as well. After all, we are just real people like everyone else!

I know you already knew that, but it is good to throw a reality post in every once in a while, lest anyone think we teach and write Bible studies every waking hour. :)