You've heard it before... It took several tries and spanned a number hours but I managed to have a great conversation with Alex yesterday. For those that receive Alex's email updates there may be a little repetition in my update.
A lot has happened since the last time I could speak to Alex in person so I got to hear first hand about a couple weeks of programs. Again the camps in Duck Run went really well and Alex shared with me the encouragement he takes from the young leaders there. It will be exciting to see what the future brings in these communities.
Last weekend the team took part in a 1-day camp in Carmelita. While the pastors may have been skeptical about a program like this the children certainly were not. Marisol (Alex's sister who was overseeing the camp) had prepared for 40 children (a pretty optimistic target) and the Lord openned the doors to more than 60 kids. While is was somewhat overwhelming for the team at first the day turned out well. Isn't that the picture all around the world? I believe children are just waiting for us to reach out to them...
Alex also shared that the camps in Shipyard (a conservative Mennonite community) went well. While the numbers were quite low (only 12 children) it's a place to start from. The leaders there have some great ideas for building on this program in the future. Unfortunately the children in Shipyard start back to school very shortly (I think at the beginning of August) so there won't be time to give it another whirl this summer but it sounds like there's a possibility to do something around Christmas time... we'll see how that continues to unfold because it is certainly a community that needs to be introduced to the love of Christ.
Alex continues to keep very busy and it sounded like another busy weekend with a camp in San Phillipe and some meetings for Alex in San Pedro. Remember to keep him and the team in your prayers.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Monday, July 23, 2007
It Just Gets Better
This past weekend I had the opportunity to make a whirl-wind trip to Minneapolis to pick up one team member (Kandace) from the airport and drop off two others (Kyle and Chris) to head down to Belize. It was a good time... I love road trips...
The road trip was especially good because it gave me opportunity to hear someone else's take on the Belizean project and hear a little bit about the camps from another insider. Primarily between the wee hours of 2:00 & 4:30 a.m. I was excited to get the low down from Kandace (which was particularly appreciated by me as it made driving that last stretch a lot easier). I, myself, have not had a lot of opportunity to see many of the camps first hand as my time in Belize is usually spent with training and meetings but Kandace stayed a couple weeks after the training and could tell me a little about her perspectives on the camping programs. I'll highlight some of the things she shared:
Reception - One of the things Kandace remarked on was the positive reception the camping programs received. Following the camps in Duck Run 1 & 3 they held a short service for the parents of the children who attended. At this program the children had an opportunity to share about their experience at camp and what they had learned. Kandace told me the response of the parents was overwhelmingly positive. I get real excited about this because again we see a door open to a much broader and now receptive mission field because of the simple kindness that's shown to children. Maybe Jesus was on to something when he welcomed and blessed the little children... maybe that's the effective way to a parent's heart!
Excitement - Kandace also told me about the incredible excitement of the counselors as they saw and then shared the fruit of their efforts. I can vouch for these young people (just like our young people who are working at camp) they are working HARD. What's so neat to see is how excited they are to serve God and to share that with others. Kandace told me about an evening service that they had in Spanish Lookout where the counselors had opportunity to share with the community how they saw God at work in the previous week. She said the excitement was contagious.
Leadership - My prayer is that these young people are realizing the incredible influence they are having on the future of Belize. One thing that is so encouraging is to see young people take leadership and initiative to reach out to their community. We're seeing a number of very ordinary people do extraordinary things as they are obedient to God... I really hope they are seeing it. The one problem with us as people is that we often under-estimate how God can really use us. We think, "Oh, that was no big deal..." or, "Someone else could have done it..." I want to yell in some people's ear, "IT IS A BIG DEAL!" "YOU DID AWESOME!" or "LOOK AROUND, YEAH MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE COULD HAVE DONE IT BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THEY'RE NOT AND YOU ARE!" We work so hard not to be boastful and really we're just letting Satan get a strong hold in our lives. What we think is "humility" is very cleverly disguised insecurity. We think that what we did was nothing special but obedience to God IS SPECIAL. It's special because that's when we see miracles! I hope these young leaders see the miracles happening all around them (like dozens of kids coming to know Christ) and that they recognize that a lot of this is happening because they were obedience to respond to God's calling and He is rewarding them with fruit!
My next prayer is that when these young leaders see their potential they will keep using it in Belize. It seems anyone on the way up in Belize is also on the way out. I've shared it before that one of the things I admire most about Alex is that he chose to run counter to his culture. He had achieved what most Belizeans dream of... leaving Belize for a more prosperous life in North America. In fact many of those he looked up to as spiritual mentors and guides told him to not return but to make a comfortable life for himself in Canada. Alex couldn't do that though... he was called to return as a "missionary" to his home country of Belize. My prayer is that as these young people realize their potential they will see it as a tool to change Belize and not just a tool to leave Belize.
I've got a talk date with Alex for Thursday. Hopefully this one will work out with the whole technological situation down there. So check back later for updates on the last couple weeks of camps.
The road trip was especially good because it gave me opportunity to hear someone else's take on the Belizean project and hear a little bit about the camps from another insider. Primarily between the wee hours of 2:00 & 4:30 a.m. I was excited to get the low down from Kandace (which was particularly appreciated by me as it made driving that last stretch a lot easier). I, myself, have not had a lot of opportunity to see many of the camps first hand as my time in Belize is usually spent with training and meetings but Kandace stayed a couple weeks after the training and could tell me a little about her perspectives on the camping programs. I'll highlight some of the things she shared:
Reception - One of the things Kandace remarked on was the positive reception the camping programs received. Following the camps in Duck Run 1 & 3 they held a short service for the parents of the children who attended. At this program the children had an opportunity to share about their experience at camp and what they had learned. Kandace told me the response of the parents was overwhelmingly positive. I get real excited about this because again we see a door open to a much broader and now receptive mission field because of the simple kindness that's shown to children. Maybe Jesus was on to something when he welcomed and blessed the little children... maybe that's the effective way to a parent's heart!
Excitement - Kandace also told me about the incredible excitement of the counselors as they saw and then shared the fruit of their efforts. I can vouch for these young people (just like our young people who are working at camp) they are working HARD. What's so neat to see is how excited they are to serve God and to share that with others. Kandace told me about an evening service that they had in Spanish Lookout where the counselors had opportunity to share with the community how they saw God at work in the previous week. She said the excitement was contagious.
Leadership - My prayer is that these young people are realizing the incredible influence they are having on the future of Belize. One thing that is so encouraging is to see young people take leadership and initiative to reach out to their community. We're seeing a number of very ordinary people do extraordinary things as they are obedient to God... I really hope they are seeing it. The one problem with us as people is that we often under-estimate how God can really use us. We think, "Oh, that was no big deal..." or, "Someone else could have done it..." I want to yell in some people's ear, "IT IS A BIG DEAL!" "YOU DID AWESOME!" or "LOOK AROUND, YEAH MAYBE SOMEONE ELSE COULD HAVE DONE IT BUT THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THEY'RE NOT AND YOU ARE!" We work so hard not to be boastful and really we're just letting Satan get a strong hold in our lives. What we think is "humility" is very cleverly disguised insecurity. We think that what we did was nothing special but obedience to God IS SPECIAL. It's special because that's when we see miracles! I hope these young leaders see the miracles happening all around them (like dozens of kids coming to know Christ) and that they recognize that a lot of this is happening because they were obedience to respond to God's calling and He is rewarding them with fruit!
My next prayer is that when these young leaders see their potential they will keep using it in Belize. It seems anyone on the way up in Belize is also on the way out. I've shared it before that one of the things I admire most about Alex is that he chose to run counter to his culture. He had achieved what most Belizeans dream of... leaving Belize for a more prosperous life in North America. In fact many of those he looked up to as spiritual mentors and guides told him to not return but to make a comfortable life for himself in Canada. Alex couldn't do that though... he was called to return as a "missionary" to his home country of Belize. My prayer is that as these young people realize their potential they will see it as a tool to change Belize and not just a tool to leave Belize.
I've got a talk date with Alex for Thursday. Hopefully this one will work out with the whole technological situation down there. So check back later for updates on the last couple weeks of camps.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Belizean Technology - Gotta Love It?
I came this close to talking with Alex yesterday but as it would seem Belizean technology struck again. If only someone could come up with a working communication system in Belize!
I did however, receive an email from Alex later in the day that briefly outlined the successes of last week's camps in Duck Run 1 & 3. Altogether there were 45 children attending between the 2 communities and the fruit was very good. Alex remarked at how well the youth from these communities are taking leadership (a huge, huge blessing as young leaders are certainly in short supply - I believe this means a very bright future for the Belizean ministry.) And the greatest blessing of all... kids are coming to know the Lord.
Today Alex and his team expect 40 children for a 1-day day camp in Carmelita (Alex's hometown). This camp is a bit of a test run for some of the churches there who are skeptical about reaching out to children in this way (that's why it's so short).
Right now I am in Minneapolis again dropping off reinforcements for Alex's ministry at the airport and picking up one team member who has spent the last 3 weeks in Belize. We'll be driving home late tonight so your prayers for alertness and safety would be awesome (I'll buy a great big bottle of coke and a great big bag of pretzels... that will keep me alert and entertained for hours!)
I did however, receive an email from Alex later in the day that briefly outlined the successes of last week's camps in Duck Run 1 & 3. Altogether there were 45 children attending between the 2 communities and the fruit was very good. Alex remarked at how well the youth from these communities are taking leadership (a huge, huge blessing as young leaders are certainly in short supply - I believe this means a very bright future for the Belizean ministry.) And the greatest blessing of all... kids are coming to know the Lord.
Today Alex and his team expect 40 children for a 1-day day camp in Carmelita (Alex's hometown). This camp is a bit of a test run for some of the churches there who are skeptical about reaching out to children in this way (that's why it's so short).
Right now I am in Minneapolis again dropping off reinforcements for Alex's ministry at the airport and picking up one team member who has spent the last 3 weeks in Belize. We'll be driving home late tonight so your prayers for alertness and safety would be awesome (I'll buy a great big bottle of coke and a great big bag of pretzels... that will keep me alert and entertained for hours!)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
A couple additions to the last update
I just received a brief update via email from Alex and I wanted to pass along some of neat details of the camp in Belize City last week (I hope to update you later today with details from the camp that wrapped up yesterday - it'll depend on whether I can connect with Alex today.) This is what Alex wrote (more or less... I edited it just a little):
"Last week God gave us the privileged to head the first camp in Belize City. These campers came from the south side of the city. This is the poorest part of Belize City.
We had 23 children at the camp. The boys were a little bit challenging to handle. The counsellors really worked hard to get the gospel across to these Children. The stories of these children touched the deepest part of our Christian hearts.
George was one of these campers. His brother was killed 6 months ago. George is 8 year old. The little bit he knew about death and life, he said he preferred death. He climbed a tree and said he wanted to jump and kill himself.
As this took place, I saw how heavy the heart of George was because of his brother's death.
George really started to do better after the first day. George was not the only kid who was going through tough issues. There are many stories about these campers.
The coolest things is that they all accepted Christ. And Pastor Bethson (the pastor of the church hosting this camp) who was the one who gather these camper. He has already started a disciplining program for these children. Pastor Bethson has big heart for the south side of Belize City.
After the camp was finished these children started calling the counsellor 'father.' Two of the counsellors express how they wished they could adopt a child because the realized how blessed they have been to have grown up in a Christian home. Friends I can go on and on..."
What a neat update and I know that it is so true. There are so many stories just like these ones. Please remember to pray for Alex and his crew as they prepare for a 1 day camp in the village of Carmelita (Alex's hometown) on Saturday.
"Last week God gave us the privileged to head the first camp in Belize City. These campers came from the south side of the city. This is the poorest part of Belize City.
We had 23 children at the camp. The boys were a little bit challenging to handle. The counsellors really worked hard to get the gospel across to these Children. The stories of these children touched the deepest part of our Christian hearts.
George was one of these campers. His brother was killed 6 months ago. George is 8 year old. The little bit he knew about death and life, he said he preferred death. He climbed a tree and said he wanted to jump and kill himself.
As this took place, I saw how heavy the heart of George was because of his brother's death.
George really started to do better after the first day. George was not the only kid who was going through tough issues. There are many stories about these campers.
The coolest things is that they all accepted Christ. And Pastor Bethson (the pastor of the church hosting this camp) who was the one who gather these camper. He has already started a disciplining program for these children. Pastor Bethson has big heart for the south side of Belize City.
After the camp was finished these children started calling the counsellor 'father.' Two of the counsellors express how they wished they could adopt a child because the realized how blessed they have been to have grown up in a Christian home. Friends I can go on and on..."
What a neat update and I know that it is so true. There are so many stories just like these ones. Please remember to pray for Alex and his crew as they prepare for a 1 day camp in the village of Carmelita (Alex's hometown) on Saturday.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Update From Alex
I spoke to Alex this afternoon and would like to pass on to you some of what he shared...
The team certainly had their work cut out for them this week. The crew spent 3 days and 2 nights reaching out to some of the toughest kids in Belize City. While Alex shared the girls where angels he mentioned the boys made up for the rest. Needless to say the team was tired but deeply satisfied. As it seems, often when the work is the hardest the fruit is the best. Alex was thrilled to share that all of these children chose to give their lives to Christ. I guess it wasn't hard for the kids to see the drastic contrast between life without Christ (as they experience in the tough existence of life in Belize City) and life with Christ (as modelled by their counselors).
Alex mentioned the health of the team was improving but they did suffer some casualties to the mosquitoes during the past camp. As I spoke to Alex the team was enjoying some much deserved R & R and were preparing to head out to Spanish Lookout for the upcoming camps in Duck Run 1 and Duck Run 3 (guess they had a tough time coming up with fresh names for these villages). Camps there will run next week from Monday - Wednesday.
I'll keep you posted as I hear more from the team!
The team certainly had their work cut out for them this week. The crew spent 3 days and 2 nights reaching out to some of the toughest kids in Belize City. While Alex shared the girls where angels he mentioned the boys made up for the rest. Needless to say the team was tired but deeply satisfied. As it seems, often when the work is the hardest the fruit is the best. Alex was thrilled to share that all of these children chose to give their lives to Christ. I guess it wasn't hard for the kids to see the drastic contrast between life without Christ (as they experience in the tough existence of life in Belize City) and life with Christ (as modelled by their counselors).
Alex mentioned the health of the team was improving but they did suffer some casualties to the mosquitoes during the past camp. As I spoke to Alex the team was enjoying some much deserved R & R and were preparing to head out to Spanish Lookout for the upcoming camps in Duck Run 1 and Duck Run 3 (guess they had a tough time coming up with fresh names for these villages). Camps there will run next week from Monday - Wednesday.
I'll keep you posted as I hear more from the team!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Home Safe & Sound
Well, the Belizean adventure has come to an end and I want to thank you all for your interest and prayers. They were certainly appreciated over the past couple weeks. Here's a few quick highlights and pictures from my time in Belize for you to enjoy.
Working together with Alex has been a real privilege. His dedication and sacrifice for his ministry certainly challenge and spur me on in what I do. Please continue to pray for him and his team throughout the summer (camps are going on till mid August) that God would give them strength (and good health), wisdom and guidance as they work diligently to serve Him.
Another highlight was meeting with our Belizean board members (from left to right) Henry Brown, Bedson Ornes, Fernando Magana and Walter Thiessen. Pray that God would also guide them as they seek Him in this ministry. Pray also for unity in vision and focus.
After a week of meetings and preparation we were joined by a team of God sent servants to help us in our work. (From left to right) Abe Friesen and Priscilla Teichrob have been Alex's allies and an incredible support in the community of Shipyard, Belize. Then there's Alex and the "sparkle" in his eyes Leah Wettlaufer (a special friend from SBC). Also Dianne Reimer (Steinbach, MB) and Kandace Lepp (Rivers, MB) friends of Alex's from SBC joined us. You can continue to pray for this team throughout the summer. Kandace will be with the team for just 1 more week while Leah and Dianne with stay till the camps are done in August. Abe and Priscilla both live in Belize and plan to stick around and help Alex wherever they can in the coming year. Next week I will drop off a couple Winkler boys at the airport to join Alex and his crew. Chris Giesbrecht and Kyle Dyck will travel down to Belize to lend a hand for 3 weeks.
Training times are always a highlight and I was so grateful to have the opportunity to share words of challenge and encouragement at our training sessions in Belmopan and San Phillipe.
The crew of training session #1 at Belmopan. What a great bunch! Check out a few more shots from this training session...
Cooling off in the river!
Looking back from the jungle!
Training Session #2 - San Philippe
Team development activities
Alex the "sermonator"
So I have a picture or two more but it seems I'm really having trouble with technology. I've added and deleted many of them several times. It seems I'll have to show you all in person! However, this should give you a little look at the ministry in Belize.
I hope to speak with Alex shortly... check back for an update on the past week's camp in Belize City.
Monday, July 09, 2007
On the way home
Hi Everyone,
Well, the last week wasn't filled with as many updates as I would have liked. It didn't seem the Mennonite village of Shipyard was what you would describe as "Techno"ville. In fact it was quite entertaining entering the "time warp" know as Shipyard. I've got a few moments at the computer here in Belize City just before I head off. I hope to arrive in Minneapolis late tonight where I will meet Terri along with the Grace Youth group.
Another great training time came to an end in San Phillipe yesterday. We had just over 30 participants (which was a real encouragement... we were somewhat expecting that we would have less than what had registered but we actually had a few extra come). This particular training time did have a couple curve balls that I think the team fielded real well. A few of the youth that attended this session had a very limited knowledge of the English language... something we didn't expect as the public schools are all in English. However, it didn't take much to shift gears a little to accommodate everyone.
I had the opportunity to preach in church in Blue Creek on Sunday which was a real blessing. Then it was back to Pete and Judy Krahn's place for kilkje (yum, yum). The hospitality we've received in the Mennonite communities has just been amazing.
I hope to update this blog with some photos and details later this week. I hope to be home late on Wednesday so feel free to come back and check the blog some time after then.
Well, the last week wasn't filled with as many updates as I would have liked. It didn't seem the Mennonite village of Shipyard was what you would describe as "Techno"ville. In fact it was quite entertaining entering the "time warp" know as Shipyard. I've got a few moments at the computer here in Belize City just before I head off. I hope to arrive in Minneapolis late tonight where I will meet Terri along with the Grace Youth group.
Another great training time came to an end in San Phillipe yesterday. We had just over 30 participants (which was a real encouragement... we were somewhat expecting that we would have less than what had registered but we actually had a few extra come). This particular training time did have a couple curve balls that I think the team fielded real well. A few of the youth that attended this session had a very limited knowledge of the English language... something we didn't expect as the public schools are all in English. However, it didn't take much to shift gears a little to accommodate everyone.
I had the opportunity to preach in church in Blue Creek on Sunday which was a real blessing. Then it was back to Pete and Judy Krahn's place for kilkje (yum, yum). The hospitality we've received in the Mennonite communities has just been amazing.
I hope to update this blog with some photos and details later this week. I hope to be home late on Wednesday so feel free to come back and check the blog some time after then.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
A little more detail
Yesterday we where in transit when I made my last update and I didn't want to hold up the team. Today we're trying to make an important connection so we have a little time to kill in Orange Walk. So we've settled into a little internet place and will get a little bit of work done.
About the weekend... Church in Spanish Lookout was a really, really good. I'm always blown away how God provides strength in times of need. I really didn't feel like I could stand for much more than a minute or two much less an entire sermon but they got a full length feature! I was great to connect with a number of people following the service. It's amazing how supportive this church is becoming of this ministry. Walter Thiessen, a lay pastor in the church and one of our board members here in Belize, has been a great connection in this church and a huge blessing to us both as a ministry and to us personally. Several other people approached me after the service to share their support of the ministry. It was a very encouraging and fruitful time.
Monday the team spend some time together preparing for the training program (on Tuesday and Wednesday). They also took advantage of a local "blue hole"(a beautiful swimming spot) and finished the day off well cooling of in the swimming hole (a much deserved break for them, they worked hard cleaning and preparing). I had some time to prepare my sessions but stayed in Belmopan... my system just wasn't getting the "get better" message.
That evening I figured this wasn't just going to blow over so Alex and I zipped down to the clinic to check out some Belize health care and it was pretty good. They gave me a boost on a recovery and I bounced back very nicely! Best part was it was free!
Tuesday brought a great turnout for the training time. We were hoping for around 20 (which can quickly turn into 10 it seems in Belize) and 24 showed up! And 3 more came for the next day. It was such a blessing to share with them because you could see they were just soaking it all up. The next big task I believe is to keep these youth connecting as many of them are the "lone" youth in their church and it would be easy to get swallowed up. Like I said yesterday, when the opportunity was given to sign up for the weeks of the summer people swarmed Alex... He's well set for many of the camps.
After cleaning and packing up we travelled to Shipyard (a very conservative Mennonite community). We made a quick stop to repack, eat and email in Belize city and then made our way down the bumpy country roads. Alex was obviously tired so I offered to drive. The highway stuff is pretty straight forward so it's no big deal but when we got to the back roads I was glad to have Alex to navagate again. But then he said, "Oh, oh, I don't know this corner... Steve, did you take a wrong turn?" What could I say? I thought I did what I was told. Then someone pipes up, "I think I saw a fork in the road, maybe we went the wrong way." Oh, boy where was that? It was already late and very dark and we were in the middle of no where. Well, I guess we're sleeping here! Imagine our laughter when we turned around to discover we where there!
So we saw and awful lot of horse and buggies as we continued about connecting with pastors and making out way to San Phillipe and then to Orange Walk. Though we didn't have as much "success" as we would hoped it gave Alex and I time just the two of us to discuss the blessings of the past training and look ahead to the future.
Tomorrow we will prepare for the training (getting the church set up and prepare other aspects of the program). Saturday it will all begin. We're not sure what the turnout will be (it seems to be really hard to get confirmation of details like that!) So you could pray that the Lord would bless us once again that would be great!
About the weekend... Church in Spanish Lookout was a really, really good. I'm always blown away how God provides strength in times of need. I really didn't feel like I could stand for much more than a minute or two much less an entire sermon but they got a full length feature! I was great to connect with a number of people following the service. It's amazing how supportive this church is becoming of this ministry. Walter Thiessen, a lay pastor in the church and one of our board members here in Belize, has been a great connection in this church and a huge blessing to us both as a ministry and to us personally. Several other people approached me after the service to share their support of the ministry. It was a very encouraging and fruitful time.
Monday the team spend some time together preparing for the training program (on Tuesday and Wednesday). They also took advantage of a local "blue hole"(a beautiful swimming spot) and finished the day off well cooling of in the swimming hole (a much deserved break for them, they worked hard cleaning and preparing). I had some time to prepare my sessions but stayed in Belmopan... my system just wasn't getting the "get better" message.
That evening I figured this wasn't just going to blow over so Alex and I zipped down to the clinic to check out some Belize health care and it was pretty good. They gave me a boost on a recovery and I bounced back very nicely! Best part was it was free!
Tuesday brought a great turnout for the training time. We were hoping for around 20 (which can quickly turn into 10 it seems in Belize) and 24 showed up! And 3 more came for the next day. It was such a blessing to share with them because you could see they were just soaking it all up. The next big task I believe is to keep these youth connecting as many of them are the "lone" youth in their church and it would be easy to get swallowed up. Like I said yesterday, when the opportunity was given to sign up for the weeks of the summer people swarmed Alex... He's well set for many of the camps.
After cleaning and packing up we travelled to Shipyard (a very conservative Mennonite community). We made a quick stop to repack, eat and email in Belize city and then made our way down the bumpy country roads. Alex was obviously tired so I offered to drive. The highway stuff is pretty straight forward so it's no big deal but when we got to the back roads I was glad to have Alex to navagate again. But then he said, "Oh, oh, I don't know this corner... Steve, did you take a wrong turn?" What could I say? I thought I did what I was told. Then someone pipes up, "I think I saw a fork in the road, maybe we went the wrong way." Oh, boy where was that? It was already late and very dark and we were in the middle of no where. Well, I guess we're sleeping here! Imagine our laughter when we turned around to discover we where there!
So we saw and awful lot of horse and buggies as we continued about connecting with pastors and making out way to San Phillipe and then to Orange Walk. Though we didn't have as much "success" as we would hoped it gave Alex and I time just the two of us to discuss the blessings of the past training and look ahead to the future.
Tomorrow we will prepare for the training (getting the church set up and prepare other aspects of the program). Saturday it will all begin. We're not sure what the turnout will be (it seems to be really hard to get confirmation of details like that!) So you could pray that the Lord would bless us once again that would be great!
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Finally Internet!
Hello Everyone,
This is my first contact with internet access since Saturday hence the sparse updates. Sorry...
Saturday night we arrived at the campsite where we would do our first training (just outside Belmopan). It's a beautiful location and facility with a shortage of leaders and vision for programming there. Unfortunately my first night there wasn't so great. Getting cozy with some frogs was funny but running a pretty decent fever wasn't as much fun. I thought it was just the Belizean heat but then things suddenly spun to shivering I thought it somewhat odd.
Bright and early we zipped out to Spanish Lookout where Alex spoke in a small Spanish village church and I spoke at the EMMC church. (I had a chance to pop in the other church as well but couldn't stay long) Things in Spanish Lookout went amazing and the people there are very excited to get involved with the ministry. Already we've received such blessing from the church and youth there.
My energy started to peter out a little and when got back to Belmopan I asked Alex to take me into town where I checked into a place there (and then spent most of the night in the bathroom). Seems I'm a bit of a magnet this trip. It was a tough couple days... Praise the Lord He provided just enough strength to be at the training but by Monday night I got pretty dehydrated (I just couldn't seem to keep much down). Thankfully after a quick AND FREE!!! IV treatment on Monday evening I've begun a good recovery... no need to be alarmed I feel a TON better. However, I haven't been able to eat much and it seems fried chicken is the favorite here which is a hard on to muster.
Training went AMAZING. There was a great turnout and they were falling over themselves to volunteer for camp service... real progress.
Now it's off to Shipyard, San Phillipe and Blue Creek. Oh no, gotta go. Hope to update again soon but unsure when. Please pray for continued health and effectiveness. I'll be speaking in Blue Creek on Sunday and training on Saturday and Sunday. Meetings with contacts other days.
Love you all...
This is my first contact with internet access since Saturday hence the sparse updates. Sorry...
Saturday night we arrived at the campsite where we would do our first training (just outside Belmopan). It's a beautiful location and facility with a shortage of leaders and vision for programming there. Unfortunately my first night there wasn't so great. Getting cozy with some frogs was funny but running a pretty decent fever wasn't as much fun. I thought it was just the Belizean heat but then things suddenly spun to shivering I thought it somewhat odd.
Bright and early we zipped out to Spanish Lookout where Alex spoke in a small Spanish village church and I spoke at the EMMC church. (I had a chance to pop in the other church as well but couldn't stay long) Things in Spanish Lookout went amazing and the people there are very excited to get involved with the ministry. Already we've received such blessing from the church and youth there.
My energy started to peter out a little and when got back to Belmopan I asked Alex to take me into town where I checked into a place there (and then spent most of the night in the bathroom). Seems I'm a bit of a magnet this trip. It was a tough couple days... Praise the Lord He provided just enough strength to be at the training but by Monday night I got pretty dehydrated (I just couldn't seem to keep much down). Thankfully after a quick AND FREE!!! IV treatment on Monday evening I've begun a good recovery... no need to be alarmed I feel a TON better. However, I haven't been able to eat much and it seems fried chicken is the favorite here which is a hard on to muster.
Training went AMAZING. There was a great turnout and they were falling over themselves to volunteer for camp service... real progress.
Now it's off to Shipyard, San Phillipe and Blue Creek. Oh no, gotta go. Hope to update again soon but unsure when. Please pray for continued health and effectiveness. I'll be speaking in Blue Creek on Sunday and training on Saturday and Sunday. Meetings with contacts other days.
Love you all...
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