Zacharias Ministry Update

Adopt A Village

2008-07-11T20:25:00.002-05:00

This is the story of a small village that I visited this past spring in India

Home and happy

2008-04-13T05:57:00.002-05:00

It's been a good trip but also great to be home. We got back on Friday evening and were happy to do it without event.

To wrap up our time in India we spent our final day visiting families whose life has been touched by the ministry of IBCM. We visited several homes that certainly leave a lasting impression (one on the top of my head... blast those Indian made door ways!) Many of these homes were smaller than the average bedroom in Canada and yet there seemed to be nothing missing. However, we made a quick stop at the "sleeping god temple" (emphasis on quick) in the afternoon and there we found tremendous hollowness. I was hoping to catch some last video to show the tragedy of parents introducing their children to the fear-driven, dedication of idol worship... it's hard not to feel absolutely torn to pieces when you see countless children with heads shaved praying to silent statues of stone. The heaviness is over whelming! But the camera was rebelling in the 40+ degree heat after being in the air conditioned vehicle and I couldn't get it to de-fog so I simply showed Dad a few of the quick notable sights and we made a quick exit (we really had the overwhelming feeling of not belonging there.)

What a contrast when we arrived back at the IBCM office to spend a few last moments praying and visiting with our friends there. It's amazing to be on the opposite side of the globe and feel so at home. It was hard to leave this place... and we had a little confusion doing so! Now we are truly prepared for the amazing race! Time was quickly passing and it had come time to make our way to the train station to catch our train back to Chennai. We arrived 20 minutes early only to have the attendant tell us the train that was pulling away was our train. Naturally we made the diving save getting on to a random car on what we later discovered to be the WRONG TRAIN! It was somewhat frustrating as our Indian accomplice quickly disappeared, trying to figure out the mess (I think we would have liked to help as there was a lot of logic in the process... but it's India... everything works out in the end and we knew this deep down!) Next we were jumping out at a random, tiny station without a soul around. In trying to sort out the mess Thomas called our buddies who have dropped us off to pick us up again at this station so we could try again. It was amazing how fast they made the 10 km round trip! And though we got in the vehicle with only 5 minutes to spare our train was there waiting (and left about 20 minutes late... now THAT's the India I know... the 20 minute early departure really didn't make a lot of sense to me!) So with pastors lining the path pointing us to the correct car we ran to our places and made an efficient entry. On the way home!

We arrived in Chennai bright an early the next morning to catch a couple Z's, shower and organize for our trip home. We had a couple hours to kill and a few rupees (Indian currency) to unload so we went for pizza and hit a couple key shopping locations. It was a lot of fun buy some last minute gifts for some very deserving people... and while they thought we were purchasing for us it was so much fun to surprise them by giving them to our awesome hosts.

After a tearful good-bye at the airport we were off and on our way back to Bangkok. We travelled through the night and arrived just after 5 am. Just enough time to take a quick shower and nap and then make a quick tour of the city. We had a great day with "Song" the mysterious herbal drug toting, karaoke singing, Thai taxi driver. He was something else... we had a lot of fun! While he continually offered his strange, Vick's vapo-rub smelling energy drug we thought it best to just head back to the hotel to get some sleep. So we sang some Elvis classics together and made our way back to our room near the airport. After sleeping away the rest of the afternoon we enjoyed some amazing Thai food. While not all the sea creatures were identifiable in my stir-fry it sure was good (and surprisingly enough it kicked my sweat threshold into a whole new level... I didn't know there was one beyond "surviving 45 degree C heat" level.)

Bright and early we reached the airport to what we thought was a delayed flight... which would mean we would miss all our connections and likely be home a day later. However, we were thrilled to discover (but very disappointed for those who were on that flight) the flight that was delayed was the identical flight from the day before (I'm so glad now that I screwed up my flights and had to change that one... we were originally supposed to fly out on that flight that was delayed 26 hours!) So we were ushered to the check-in desk where we said good-bye to our bags and embarked on the long trip home. And it's good to be home!

On Monday I'm going to do my best to fill in the gaps with some pictures (though I sense there's a mountain waiting for me at the office.) Come back again to check it out or you can check out these links to a few of the pictures I've posted on Facebook.

India - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=48030&l=c828b&id=521527164
Cambodia - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47169&l=d96d8&id=521527164
Bangkok - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47167&l=bea85&id=521527164

Well I guess the rest of the world is going to wake up any moment! See you...

Wrapping Up

2008-04-07T19:56:00.001-05:00

Our time here in India is quickly coming to a close which is certainly bitter sweet. Yesterday was such a fantastic day that I wish I could send for you all and we could just stay here. We spent a better part of the day with one of IBCM’s newest full time staff members - Pastor Ebenezer. What an amazing story Eby has. He once was a successful professor teaching computer science at a college nearby. However, the when Lord called him into ministry and he did not hesitate to sacrifice his job and security. If only I could describe to you the joy in his eyes I think you could feel his story with me. We laughed and laughed together… and as with many of the staff here in India we quickly felt, “of one heart.”
Eby took us to visit a gypsy village just outside Trichy and what an experience that was. What a contrast in atmosphere. The village was made up of dozens of little 12’ x 18’ (as we reflected we tried to guess their size and they were probably much smaller) that were built many years ago by the Indian government. In order to qualify to live in one you needed a family of at least 7. Eby told us that many contained up to 11 people in them. I’ve got tons of video to show you of both hopelessness of their situation (many are trapped in superstition and oppressive false religion) and tremendous hopefulness. The follow up program there was more of a spontaneous dance party… and had I not felt obligated to do my job of collecting resources to tell this story I would have certainly joined in (Mennonite or not the Spirit in this place was undeniable and very difficult to resist!)
We wrapped up the day by spending time with Pastor Prassad (one of our most key senior staff) and his family. Again it’s like we’ve travelled 10,000 miles only to find ourselves at home. We shared many laughs and heart felt moments. The children of the follow up program that he leads had also waited a couple hours for our arrival (as is typical for India we were very late… we just go when and where we’re told.) We listened to songs, memory verses and testimonies of how God is transforming lives and answering prayers. Pastor Prassad’s daughter shared about the work the youth she and the other youth of the church were doing in a neighboring village. She share how the Lord was watching over them as they were confronted by Hindu fundamentalists with large stones in hand (one of which was the father of one of the children in the program). Their intention was to beat them but immediately this little boy ran to his father and asked him to stop. He shared with him what these youth were doing in his life and the father put down his rock and came to listen. Needless to say the father shortly after was transformed and is now a member of that church! If only I could tell you each story… they are really countless.
Today we have just one more program to visit. I hope to capture some video at one of the local Hindu temples and then we’ll load up and take a night train to Chennai. From there we’ll fly on to Bangkok where we have a 23 ½ hour layover before making the trip home. I don’t think I’ll have opportunity to update you again till I get home on Friday. May God bless you all till then.

Next Update From India

2008-04-07T04:21:00.000-05:00

It was sure good to get a good night’s sleep last night! The past couple days we’ve certainly been on the go. We spent Friday and Saturday seeing the ministry in Chennai and it’s hard to imagine that we really only started in this city a couple years ago. The momentum is tremendous.
Our time began on Friday with a youth event. And as is typical, the house packed out. I think they were expecting about 100 young people but 277 showed up by the time the program got into full swing. What a blessing to hear their testimonies and share with them in a time of worship.
On Saturday we began the day by attending a pastors meeting. Dad took the opportunity to get behind the mic and shared a neat illustration that really connected with the pastors. He asked them to imagine that they were a vehicle. What vehicle would they be? A motorcycle, rickshaw, car… He shared how he had a license to drive a motorcycle. It is a good, convenient and easy vehicle to navigate the busy Indian streets. However, it will only carry a few passengers (2 in Canada and 5 or so in India). Because the pastors chose a Mercedes Benz to be the vehicle that Dad would represent he spent some time imagining with them that he would go for a drive. A car like this would be prefect capacity for his family. When he asked the family where would we drive to we replied heaven. As he shared he noted what he imagined Jesus would say if he arrived at heaven’s gate with his car load. He imagined Jesus taking his license and saying, “I see you have a license to drive a bus, why did you come with only a car.” At this the pastors became very excited and said that then they would like to drive a train instead. What vision!
We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting follow-up programs and met some of the most precious children. While we have visited countless follow-up programs already it really doesn’t get old. Even though at times we’ve been very hot and very tired our hearts are always filled with joy when we see what is happening among the children of India (I had to pick up some more video tape because I can’t resist filming every moment!)
Bright and early on Sunday morning we jumped into the vehicle to head to the Thanjure area to speak at a church there as well as visit the village of Budalur (the birthplace of the ministry.) However, word got out about our travels and I think we visited nearly every conceivable church along the way! It was really good for a laugh… but by the end of the day we were VERY tired but still VERY blessed.
It was really great to introduce my Dad to some of my best friends: Pastor Paul Perinbaum, Pastor Antony Muthu and their families. It felt like home to be in their small church in Budalur again. I really love these people. Words can’t describe the enthusiasm of the children there either. What a great evening!
After we were thoroughly blessed we drove on to Trichy to spend the night there. The newly weds (Antony and Emery) joined us on the ride. They sure are a cute couple… perhaps it was the sub-zero temperature we kept the vehicle at or else they were just very happy to cuddle… I had fun teasing Emery a little about where they’d sleep and what we’d feed them when they came to Canada (her family has insisted that we stay in very nice hotels while we are here and so far they have been paying for everything… very awkward… but we have our ways of getting even!)
So that brings us till this morning. On the agenda is a Trichy pastor’s fellowship meeting as well as some follow-up programs. I’m also hoping to get done some of the critical things I came for and document some of the incredible stories of the people impacted by this ministry.
Hope to share again soon!

Pictures of Bankok and Cambodia

2008-04-06T12:26:00.002-05:00

Hi - Terri here. If you're looking for pictures, Steve had some trouble uploading them to the blog, but was able to post them in facebook. The following links should (no promises!) take you to two albums - one for Bankok and one for Cambodia. Click on the first picture to get a better look. Enjoy :)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47169&l=d96d8&id=521527164

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=47167&l=bea85&id=521527164

Arrived In India

2008-04-04T12:36:00.003-05:00

It was exactly the reception I had anticipated and hoped for. Thomas (one of the IBCM staff) ran out and lifted me off the ground... what a guy. It's so good to be among these special friends and now to share them with my Dad.

I guess it's been a couple days (and all quite full) so I've got some updating to do. Wednesday evening we said goodbye to the Crosscurrent team and our Cambodian staff. It was so good to spend time together with them. We decided to head back to Bangkok via Phnom Phen. Both Ray and I had some connections that we wanted to make while we were here in Cambodia so we took advantage of the couple extra hours we had in Phnom Phen before our flights took off. I had the opportunity of getting together with a missionary family through an obscure connection (they were children of a friend of Terri's, parent's, neighbors... did you follow that?) John & Sheryl Roberts have been serving primary in a teaching capacity at a Christian school in Phnom Phen over the past 5 or so years. While the connection seemed obscure it's amazing how connected you can feel to people you don't know. I really wish we could have spent more than a couple hours with them... what a great family (their 10th child is due in just 2 weeks?)

We took in a sobering sight in PP as we visited a high school that the Khmer Rouge turned into a prison/torture facility during their time in power. While they've done a lot to make it less intense there a still physical remnants of the legacy of the facility. What a dark time in history.

We finally had an opportunity to eat some authentic Khmer food too... I think Kalyan was afraid to deviate from pretty tame, Americanized food. We stared at the menu and then let the waiter choose our meals and they were awesome. Dad took better notes than I but I remember a Cambodian Red Curry soup and a Stir Fry in a curry/peanut sauce... fantastic!!!

Then it was back to Bangkok and in the morning to India. However... it's getting late and tomorrow's another full day... more updates in the morning (or evening to you!)

Wednesday's News

2008-04-01T18:28:00.002-05:00

We slept a lot later today. I guess our late night chat put on schedule to wake up at just before 5. I excitedly when downstairs in hopes that I would get a good, fast internet connection but today, nothing. That’s a bit of a disappointment but I guess that means you’ll get a two for one day soon.
Yesterday was another really good day. We started off the day by heading out of Battambong into the rural areas where a training program for approximately 100 young people was taking place. CCI here in Cambodia has a really great working relationship and partnership with an organization called Child Evangelism Fellowship. When we arrive the staff from CEF were doing an awesome job of teach these young people how to communicate the gospel to children through songs and dances and other things. Apparently they too were excited about working together and they asked if we could help them get camping programs started in the Phnom Phen (capital city/province) area.
Immediately you could see something great was going on the in room as there were huge smiles on everyone’s faces and they attentively listened to what the leaders had to say. We also got an opportunity to share some brief words of encouragement with them. That was good for a laugh as I think a couple of the things I shared kind of got lost in translation… but we all had a good laugh.
Along the way (about a 45 minute drive) we had a great opportunity to speak with Kalyan and ask her many of the questions that we have about the country and it’s history. She also shared with us bits and pieces of the family’s testimony and how they came to faith. As it turns out Kalyan’s dad, when he was much younger and before he came to know Christ, served in the Cambodian military. That meant when the Khmer Rouge came into power he was forced into carrying out many of the atrocities of the holocaust here in Cambodia in the 1970’s. I asked if he ever shares his story (guessing that it probably carries a lot of weight) and she said no. She mentioned that she only came to learn of this fact just a couple years ago and she said that it is obviously a difficult topic to discuss. I guess it explains some of the heaviness that you can see in his eyes… you know how difficult it is at times to live with the mistakes we make. I couldn’t imagine carrying that burden even though we know through Christ we can find forgiveness forgiving ourselves can be a long and painful process. I guess another challenge within the Cambodian culture is that many of these things are dealt with by pushing them deep, never talking about them, in essence the strategy is to just forget about it.
After a good morning and a beautiful drive through fields of lotus flowers we returned to Battambong to make a quick stop in the market place and spend some time with the Crosscurrent students. Today we will go to the training program here in Battambong and perhaps go looking for the local remenant of the Killing Fields. We also need to relocate hotels (ours has no vacancy) and maybe, just maybe the next one will have a good internet connection. I’ll cross my fingers.

Tuesday's Entry

2008-04-01T18:28:00.001-05:00

It’s amazing how refreshing sleeping till 3 am can be. What is it about travelling that does this to me. Perhaps someday throughout my travels I will achieve super-human ability to simply not need to sleep. In brief, we are having a fantastic and productive time here in Cambodia. It’s great to love and feel so intimately connected what you “do.” I’ve felt very alive and productive over the past few days… if only I could figure out the way to have a keener sense of this back home.
Yesterday we had the opportunity to share words of encouragement with most of the pastors presently involved in the ministry here in Cambodia and a number of others who will be involved in the season to come. I spend some special time with Samoeun, a pastor that my small group at youth is partnering with to do ministry among children here in Cambodia. I asked him to share with me some of the burdens he carries as a pastor in this country. I sense he was certainly one, who much like us, wants to desperately to see change in his country but feels somewhat helpless to accomplish something of significance. In our hearts we know there is great wisdom in investing in children but yet it is so hard to see these children continually wounded and their futures slowly stolen from them. He shared how the people of his village were very poor and often had to travel some distance to find work to feed their families. Often parents would take there children away from the things that would give hope for their future. Things like school, community and most importantly spiritual guidance because of the necessity to search for work (it doesn’t seem to me like many of the people in the villages have regular jobs but rather bounce from odd job to odd job). This pastor wishes he could offer more that would permit the children to stay at home to receive education and discipleship. But for now he strives to teach the children to love and support their parents (which has been a real challenge). He is seeing promising change in his village. And we know that as spiritual change comes to many of these communities we will also see change to the physical circumstances. It was a blessing to close our time together in prayer for the challenges he faces.
It’s been really great to share this adventure with my Dad and I feel so cool cruising through the crowded Asian streets on the back of a moto taxi with him. We had some fun snapping pictures of each other and only wish we could have better captured the scene. I also love the little victories of travel like flagging down your own moto taxi and successfully getting to where you want to go without the help of a local (and then only paying double fare instead of quadruple - you often get charged a little more for being a “big guy.”)
Today we will take part in the counsellor training sessions and I’d bet by the time I get this posted I’ll have a few short details about that event. Sorry again that there is no pictures… the internet connection we have here is very slow and somewhat unreliable. But there will be pictures. Perhaps we can upload a bunch once we get to India and have better internet access (although Antony informed us of our itinerary last night and it looks like we will keep “on the move.”)

Sorry no pictures yet

2008-03-31T05:25:00.002-05:00

This is good for a laugh… Right now, it’s just after 4 in the morning and Dad and I are ready for the day. Already we’ve probably been up for a couple hours and figured we’d get productive! (Got to take advantage of every moment right? Especially when you‘ve travelled this far and you don‘t have to many of them). Unfortunately I wasted a bunch of time trying to connect to the internet. Yesterday we had a strong signal for wireless internet (which we were blown away by) but today it seems to have faded. Instead I’ll type out a little bit to upload at a late time.
The past couple days have been a real blessing. We very had a smooth trip - although we were a little nervous in Minneapolis when we heard rumour that the flight was over booked by 33 seats. When we checked in at Grand Forks they told us that they couldn’t give us our seat assignments for that flight but we would get them when we got to Minneapolis. I guess what they really meant was that they needed a little more time to figure out how to get everyone on the plane. With just a few minutes to spare they finally called our name to board the plane (after pretty much all the other 400 passengers got on… I couldn’t believe there were still seats left… and I was very grateful for who ever opted for the $750 travel voucher that they were offering for those who were willing to be bumped.)
After spending the night in a hotel in Bangkok we jumped in a taxi and made our way to the border. It seemed that our driver was too familiar with the route or area because I think we were kind of lost a couple times. However, when we arrived there were lots of people willing to help… but you got the faint impression that the info was not going to be free… and it wasn’t. While I had been told you didn’t need the help of an “agent” we reluctantly accepted the help of some very friendly guys who help us get our details in order to cross the border. It’d would be kind of nice to figure out what the real story behind these guys was. We did appreciate their help… and it might have even been worth what it cost… but I know that not everyone’s story aligned. Luckily I didn’t get us in too much trouble by trying to figure out the process (the solution seems to be give everyone money and they go away.) I was very glad to have Kalyan’s (our Cambodian director) phone number and she was able to translate via some guys cell phone and clarify why I owed each person what I did… it seems there was many hard working people behind the scenes making our border crossing simple and safe. It certainly is good for a laugh now… but I know someone out there is making VERY good money off Joes like us and unfortunately I don’t even think it was any of the guys who were helping us.
How to describe what we’ve seen so far… I know Dad has mentioned many times he wishes that he could take some video with his eyes to share with everyone back home. But then we realize it’s the sounds and smells and every that really paints the picture. It’s been so good to see it in person. As we drove I couldn’t help but imagine people walking down the road to “retreat locations” under the Khmer Rouge in the 70’s. Seeing the landscape really brings the stories alive. Certainly you can see the effects of the atrocity all around in the culture and in the eyes of people. You wonder how a beautiful country like this could be so far behind but when you think of a whole generation of intellectuals and business people being wiped out it sort of makes sense.
There’s some light in the midst of this darkness and it was certainly present at the 5 follow-up programs we visited on Sunday. How incredible! On our way home Ray simply said, “I so glad I came.” Me too! I also remember him leaning over and saying this is what we’ve worked so hard for and immediately I got a little sweaty in the eye balls. Sometimes it’s kind of discouraging to do behind the scenes work for what you know is a very effective effort but WHAT A BLESSING to see what your team members are doing on the front lines. It’s so refreshing to see first hand what so many of you have invested in. God is truly blessing and multiplying it.
The day a little adventure, which I really love! A flat tire! Of course in the mid of no where on a dusty village road. Dad, the crazy joker, pulls out his CAA card and offers it to Kalyan in case they have need. While a flat tire isn’t a big deal… not being able to get it off became a bit of a bigger deal. But while we were in the middle of nowhere we weren’t half a kilometer from the nearest tire repair shop. God always provides… and that was good for a laugh.
But what can I say about the follow-up programs. Words can’t really express… they were fantastic!!! We really had a great time (but wished we could have stayed a bit longer). Some we small gatherings beside a house or church while other’s we huge gatherings under the palm trees. But to see hope being given to those most willing to accept it was indescribable. It was a good day!
I spent some of my time interviewing pastors and getting their stories on video tape so that we can share them more effectively with everyone back home. I’m looking forward to putting some of these projects together… maybe it will help you all share in some of the blessing.
Well, I should probably get prepped for the day (or take a nap).
It's 12 hours later and I finally got a working internet connection. Today's pastor's meeting went great and I even got to meet the pastor that my small group at youth is sponsoring. So it was a great day... I'll write more about it tomorrow at 4 am. ha ha

Baking in the Cambodian Cooker

2008-03-29T09:25:00.003-05:00

Hi Everyone,

We have arrived in Cambodia today and settled in. We've had supper with Kalyan Tith (our Cambodian director), her family and the Cross Current students and had a wonderful evening. We've got a full day ahead with church and several visits to follow-up programs.

This morning we woke up in Bangkok to find ourselves surrounded by some beautiful Thai architecture. My dad and I went exploring (since we couldn't sleep anyway) and found a neat Buddhist temple just across a small canal from our hotel. The trip from Bangkok was semi-adventurous and pretty non eventful. As to be expected everything cost us probably twice what it should and the "police" were satisfied with a $4 "service charge"... what a joke!

I just noticed that there's a easy access slot for a usb key on this computer and I'll do my best to update you with some pictures tomorrow. However, for now, I think I'll hit the hay (I've been working hard to get on to a "local sleep schedule" and am very ready to crash!)

More Adventure On The Way

2008-03-25T07:35:00.002-05:00

In just a couple days I will be "On The Road Again?" One of the many highlights is that I'll be travelling with my dad... call it training for the next amazing race. The itinerary includes a bit of Cambodia, India and a brief stay in Thailand. Many of which will be done amazing race style - meaning, we're not exactly sure how to get to each point along the way... but we've got some good info and... how hard could it be?

Hurray... the blog shall have news once again.

Home Safe and Sound

2008-02-05T16:49:00.000-06:00

Everyone's back, happy and healthy... I'll see if Terri will brave the blog technology and update you herself with pictures and stories.

A brief phone call from India

2008-02-01T14:58:00.000-06:00

Around noon Terri gave me a quick call (she found a 2rps/minute phone... about $1 CDN for 20 min). It was good to hear from her and all is well. Alexander (our staff from Belize) did have an infection in his foot that needed some medical attention (the real reason Ter found the phone... just confirming the treatment was sufficient with a doc back home). Nothing serious, but every once in a while you get a feeling like you'd like a second opinion.

Apparently the Antony Samy wedding was quite interesting. Ter described it as somewhat choatic with lots of videographers running around. She said it would have been enough to send a Canadian bride off in tears but apparently all the Indians were thrilled... go figure... what a different world. I'm looking forward to seeing all this footage.

The team has returned to Chennai and is preparing to come home. I guess it's less than 24 hrs and they'll get on the plane (YIPEE). Sounded like most were going to stop by an IBCM pastor's prayer meeting and then make a stop in the market place to gather some Indian memories. Hmmm less than 24 hrs (fly safe pilots... don't have any nervous breakdowns... maybe it's not good to stay caught up with airline news!)

As for the Zacharias' back home... we have still only eaten Kraft Dinner once and have not eaten out at all... The house may look a little like a bomb went off but that will be remedied tonight before I spend Saturday in the city (Missionsfest) and then pick up Ter from the airport on Sunday night (YIPEE x2).

They must be keeping busy

2008-01-26T21:04:00.000-06:00

I spoke to Terri briefly this morning and things are going very well. Unfortunately there's not a lot of info yet... Terri mentioned that she was going to have to tell us when she gets home. It's all going very well. It sounds like everyone is healthy, happy and keeping very busy.

Again, I'll do my best to pass on info as it comes.

Safe and Sound

2008-01-24T08:43:00.001-06:00

Hello All!

Just to let you know the team all has arrived in India safe and sound. I had a short phone conversation with Terri late last night and they had a big day ahead with a large pastor's meeting in the plans. She was hoping that the team would have opportunity to do some emailing the next day (which would be tonight... or later). I'll do my best to keep you up to date.

Mr Mom?

2008-01-19T20:29:00.000-06:00

Surprise!!! Something new today!!!

What a great Christmas we had (yeah, I'm late for even that). But it was good. As the kids get older it just gets more and more fun.

I'll be brief... lest I start and not finish yet another post.

Upcoming...

Terri's heading to India... so hopefully you can expect pictures over the next weeks (I know I am). That means I get to play the role of Mr. Mom (now you all know what you can pray for... me or the kids???) I'm so excited that Ter will have the opportunity to return to India and enjoy the fruit of the ministry as well as contribute to the many events and programs on the itinerary.

Looking back...

Over the past weeks we've been so blessed... Personally and as a ministry. Some highlights have been reconnecting with my friend and co-worker Alex Perez from Belize Camping Experience. And just this past week getting to connect once again with Reaksa Himm - survivor of the Cambodian killing fields. I'd encourage everyone to read his story... it really puts the subject of forgiveness into new perspective.

Define Good?

2007-12-05T09:11:00.000-06:00

It's holiday time and I had to share this picture... "Define good" This "Santa" will take a crack at it:

1. A child who has parents with full heads of naturally colored hair.

2. Hey is that a glass jar in your hands? What you do next my factor into the definition.

3. That grin... while it's very, very cute is there "good" behind it or are you planning something?

4. No... just being you is good buddy!

Every kid should have one of these t-shirts don't you think? It's so neat to share the excitement of Christmas with the kids. Janae asks very regularly, "is it Christmas daddy?" They're so impressed by the trees and the lights. And while the also are excited to celebrate "Jesus' birthday" (mostly because that probably means cake) I can hardly wait for them to understand the meaning of the rest of the season.

We're excited that thousands of families in Southeast Asia will hear the Christmas message over the next weeks. I'm looking forward to sharing the stories of the season real soon. Actually Terri may be able to give better account. Her ticket is booked and she's heading out to help lead the team that will travel out to India in January. We're both very excited that she gets to be involved in this event (and I'm pretty excited to spend a little extra time with the kids. Like taking Janae to dance class... is there anything cuter than a dozen kids hopping around the room waving garland and glitter filled wands. It's a wonder a guy doesn't melt into a helpless pile of goo.

Long Time?

2007-11-26T09:39:00.000-06:00

Yes, it's true... enough said...

Just to give a quick update. It's pretty simple... The first half of the month was a blur and the second was relatively uneventful. That's the short and sweet.

CCI Update...

For a graphically appealing/magazine type update I suggest checking out our online newsletter at http://www.childrenscampsinternational.com/images/hopeupdatemagazine.pdf. There's some neat stories and updates in there and we look forward to putting a publication like this out more often (as there's been a real positive response).

In the office (and overseas) we're still pushing toward some lofty goals for year end and it's exciting to see God constantly accomplish the impossible. Over the past couple weeks we've seen exciting answers to prayer... just when it seemed that what we felt God called us to do this year was way out of reach (and we were ready to resign ourselves to the "next year") then God pours out His provision and puts those goals... just beyond our finger tips. So they're not quite in reach yet... does that mean we pray harder or work harder... The Sunday School answer is obviously pray, while the human nature says work... That makes me laugh... I wonder if God finds us as funny as I do? This day by day, trusting God thing... balanced with faithfully working with all your strength... is it a balance we ever figure out? (That's when I laugh and think... sure... then you die!)

So life is good... Lots and lots of laughs!

THE FAMILY

I should really post a picture of our cute little dancer. Janae just started dance lessons and it was quite fun to watch. She truly is a dancer at heart... but seemed to dance to a difference beat then the rest of the class... don't give in to peer pressure sweetheart! Be your own person!

What to do with a restless night...

2007-10-23T14:06:00.000-05:00

I think a good place to start with any hurdle or "problem" is a little bit of humour. Sometimes I think, "How can I not laugh? If I don't laugh I might cry, or be angry, etc." Laughing is a lot more fun than the other responses. So what's making me laugh these days? Just some silly restless nights. But there's good news! There's something purposeful to do with a restless night and it all began with laughing for me.

It was 2 or 3 or 4 am, I've lost track, and I asked, "God why am I awake, again!?!" While the obvious reason that was Jace crying in the next room I thought there might be more to this question than what was on the surface. As I was rocking Jace in his room I got my laugh in and then I was reminded of the story of Samuel. You might remember Samuel as a little boy hearing what he thought was the voice of Eli calling out in the night. Only it wasn't Eli's voice... it was actually God. So to figure out my own dilemma of a now restless night I thought why not read the story again? Here's a couple of my thoughts so far.

The book of 1 Samuel begins saying that it was a time when people didn't hear from the Lord. God seemed to be "silent." That's easy to identify with right? I must admit God seems pretty silent most of the time to me. When God spoke Samuel didn't recognize the voice (or he rather "mis-recognized" the voice). I wonder how often does that not describe me? I think God is silent, then when He does speak I think it's something else (like Eli's voice... or Jace...) There was purpose for Jace waking me up. God simply wanted to spend time together. So often I've resisted the late night calling. Mostly for the obvious reason that at night we sleep. It's funny how I strive to hoard as much sleep at night as possible thinking that if I don't succeed tomorrow I will be tired. The funniest thing is, and perhaps you've noticed this for yourself, whether I get just a couple hours of sleep or 10+ I'm always tired. So my thought is night time is actually not for sleep but rather for rest. How are those different you might ask... Simple... if sleep doesn't leave me feeling rested, as you think it should, maybe rest can be found in another place as well. Now I'm sounding ridiculous aren't I? I'm not proposing that I'll give up sleeping (I love to sleep... and to defend my Sunday afternoon habit... lazyboy snoozes in front of a football game are the most restful!) My thought is that maybe sleep is not the only way to combat my tiredness. That night that I was describing before... when Jace woke me up... I had some incredible prayer time and in the morning I felt more rested than I had in a long time.

The other day someone stopped by the office advocating a greater level of "self-care"... spending more time on ourselves... watching TV, sleeping, on vacation, etc. He said that even Jesus himself did... however, he didn't really ever mention where in the Bible this is recorded. In fact I've heard this same argument over and over (from some of the most tired people I know) that rest is found in places of recreation and "self-care." I just want to share that I've found a better place of rest... toiling in prayer (had just written prayer but needed to add toiling because sometimes prayer can be a lot of work - more than passively leaving messages and requests on God's "answering machine").

So, Jace's late night alarms are now a little bit more welcome... not a lot... but a little. I encourage everyone to consider their late night alarms. Maybe it's not the voice of "Eli"... children... stresses... etc. God could just be trying to speak to us in this "silent" age and we're too distracted by our sleep.

When God Speaks

2007-09-29T08:46:00.000-05:00

At times it's so cool to have confirmation of the "speaking" you hear in your devotion time. However, the last reflection I shared revolved around what I heard God speaking about tragedy and I sensed Him saying, "This is going to be important this week." That night I received a phone call that one of the members of my small group had taken his own life. That was a moment that I wished that message had "just been something in my head." So my apologies for not updating more regularly over the past 2 weeks. Every time I came to write I found myself so distracted by the obvious thoughts that revolve around an event like this.

It was a dark week that had many glimmers of light along the way. I had many great, late-night MSN conversations with some of the other members of my small group. We also had some great times of sharing, reflection and worship together. However, you always wish that it could have been under different circumstances.

When I think about the book of Acts I see a bit of a theme of "Satan tries to do something bad to the church and God turns it into something good." For example, the persecution of the church. It seems to be pretty bad in the life of the church but when you look again it seems to be the catalyst that begins a huge missionary movement as persecuted people flee to different areas. I think the events of the past weeks will have the same effect. It seems when there is tragedy there's heightened spiritual awareness. Please pray for us as a group that God would steer the "momentum" of the situation that many youth would come to a deeper relationship with him (already the youth room was packed with 100 sweaty youth this week!)

The coming week promises to be equally busy with our CCI fundraising banquets coming up. We'll hold on and wait for Tuesday!

Remember your first love...

2007-09-14T09:34:00.000-05:00

Well at least the weather is updated on this blog everyday... So if for nothing else I hope you come for that. Over the last days I haven't updated much because though it was busy I didn't think the tasks of the week were of particular interest. However, during these busy/uninteresting times I think I will share a little about my times of reflect and devotions - it seems the past week or so have been really good.

As some may know, because you see me hobbling around most mornings, I make a habit of going for a nice long run at least 3 times a week. I find these times to be great times of prayer and reflection (chances are I'm praying for you during these times so if you'd like more specific prayer let me know). Over the past weeks I've been reading the book of Revelation (something I typically avoid because I'd really prefer to understand just a little bit of what I'm reading.) Something that has been rolling around in my head is this passage from Revelation 2:

1"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: 2I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

The simple phrase, "Remember your first love," seems to repeat in my mind during my prayer time. As I thought about this and as I prayed for you I thought of the stresses and tragedies that we face on a regular basis. Then I remembered, "what assurance we have in our first love." Even if everything on earth was lost nothing can take away our first love. We were born into a lost and often cruel world but we've been given an amazing "first love." So I'll continue to pray that Christ will be your first love, as I also pray for myself. May you be encouraged each day with the assurance you have in the security of His love!

The Belizean Summer Is Complete

2007-08-22T14:32:00.000-05:00

Mission Accomplished!

Thanks to all who have been coming to this site for updates from Belize. It certainly has been a pleasure to be the middle man in relaying all that God is doing in Belize. In the coming weeks I will create a special spot for updates from Belize where you can quickly find out what's new with Alex and the Belizean ministry. If you're interested you can also stick around for personal updates from the CCI office and Zacharias family.

I talked again briefly with Alex yesterday afternoon to get a general sense of the summer. All in all things went very, very well. Of course your mind always drifts toward the things that could improve but when you consider the culture and all the curve balls that fields things when miraculously well. I'm quite optimistic with time ahead of us next year will make huge steps on the strong foundations laid after this summer.

Unfortunately the past 2 camps didn't go as well as we hoped. The last camp in Belize City offered a few challenges in staff and camper attendance. As per the culture it is easy to say "yes" to things that need to be done and then not actually follow through on your commitments. Lesson learned and things will improve in the future!

For much of the same reason the final camp in San Pedro needed to be cancelled altogether. While there is still a lot of potential for the future this year was somewhat disappointing... But again we move forward!

The cancellation meant that Alex had some time for reconnecting with previous staff which will surely go a long way in building the future of the ministry. It's not often that youth have someone show genuine interest in them like Alex does and I'm certain it speaks volumes to them.

Also, Alex finally had a little time to take a breather... hopefully there will be a little more in the future! Well done Alex! And did I hear congratulations are in order?!?

Contact!

2007-08-21T10:46:00.000-05:00

I finally spoke with Alex (very briefly) this morning just to confirm he was safe and well. He mentioned that contact has been difficult with much of the internet service being down and many of the other internet service locations being closed due to the hurricane.

I plan to speak with him later today to get more details of the past couple weeks. We're hoping the internet will be back in service (which is much more economical than phoning) but if need be I will give him a call again - so, I should have an update posted later today or tomorrow.

Sorry, No Info

2007-08-16T20:46:00.000-05:00

For those coming for info regarding camps in Belize... I have not been able to get a hold of Alex for a while. He's sent me a brief email that camps have wrapped up for the season and he's just seeing off the rest of the team. I hope to have some info for you all early next week.

Thursday's Skype Call

2007-07-27T10:26:00.000-05:00

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.

It Just Gets Better

2007-07-23T09:19:00.000-05:00

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.

Belizean Technology - Gotta Love It?

2007-07-21T07:29:00.000-05:00

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!)

A couple additions to the last update

2007-07-18T09:11:00.000-05:00

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.

Update From Alex

2007-07-14T21:53:00.000-05:00

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!

Home Safe & Sound

2007-07-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

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.

On the way home

2007-07-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

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.

A little more detail

2007-07-05T16:22:00.000-05:00

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!

Finally Internet!

2007-07-04T20:36:00.000-05:00

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...

Gooooood Morning

2007-06-30T08:13:00.000-05:00

Well it looks like another full day ahead. Alex just stopped by to give me the low down... it was a nice sized list. Today we'll connect with the rest of the team... we're expecting somewhere around noon or so. (Three friends of Alex's are coming to lend us a hand)

Yesterday was a great day of prayer, preparation and rest. It was a very spiritually focusing day and I feel better equipped for the week ahead - I must admit I was a little anxious (and maybe still am a little) about some of the items of agenda. I also had an opportunity to spend the afternoon with a pastor friend I met last year.

When we met Pastor Marlon last year he was very discouraged. As a missionary from Costa Rica, Marlon was finding the Belizean culture hard to break through. I always chuckle a little when guys like that ask me for advice... I think I'll make a t-shirt that says this white guy's not the brightest crayon in the box (in fact does anyone ever really use the white crayon?) It seems the struggle continues as it is still a hard culture to reach. He shared his struggles dealing with the witchcraft and other demonic practices his church families are dealing with. It's a heavy burden he bears and all I could do is help him carry it in prayer... so we shared a time of prayer together. I believe Pastor Marlon is still somewhat discouraged, or heavy burdened, so if you feel led you might help him (and the many others) carry this burden in prayer.

So the need is apparent here in Belize... let's go see what doors open today!

Really great evening

2007-06-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I've mentioned it but I've been reading a book about prayer that's been really challenging. It's entitled "Can You Hear Me?" by Brad Jersak. It hear challenges the idea of leaving messages on God's "answering machine" in passive hope that He may hear them. Instead Jersak challenges to enter into communion with Christ and really hear from Him. While I wish I could give you a better description about the prayer time I've been blessed with over the past few days I really don't know how to explain it. I think the best explanation is to tell you about the fruit... it hasn't bothered me one bit to be up at 5 (4 am Canada time) for prayer. It's been really good to commune with Christ (sometimes I wonder why we need to go so far away from our everyday lives to experience these things).

So how does that relate to an update about Belize? Well last night I had the opportunity to visit/speak in a Spanish Church here in Orange Walk. Being a Spanish church I obviously didn't understand the things that were being said/sung. Usually I just sit with my hands in my pocket and endure till it's "my turn." However, last night I felt the Spirit calling me into a place of intimate worship and join with the people around me. I began to list the reasons why I would want to hold on to my spirit and keep in conversed within me. However, God kept nudging me to free myself to worship with the people around me. As I finally let go it's as though I could understand the things going on around me. While I still didn't understand the words being said I could understand the connection we shared in spirit. I know it sounds elementary or maybe trivial but for me it was quite overwhelming because I sensed God speaking to me very clearly. It's something I tend to avoid in my fear that I will either A. misunderstand Him or B. be challenged with something I don't want to do. When I spoke in Spanish Lookout I challenged the "B" response (the one I am often most guilty of... and I don't usually get far enough past "B" to get to "A"). I had a nice, neat message prepared (that as I held on to my notes they seemed to make less and less sense) but God seemed to challenging me to give a different message. No problem I figured there's probably only 2 or 3 people here (it was a mid-week service after all) I'll only make a fool of myself in front of a couple people. But no, the church had filled considerably as I battled with my flesh (eyes closed).

So I left it at that... I could maybe blame it on translation if it was disaster but I needed to follow what seemed to me to be the "obedient" route. It was a pretty overwhelming experience and God was certainly faithful to His promise. It was great... strangely exhausting but refreshing at the same time. It's so much easier to have predictable messages!

After the service we shared some great fellowship with the believers there and even a meal with Pastor Phillipe and his family. So it was a good day. We had a safe trip from Spanish Lookout. Some good connection with Joseph (a volunteer, young leader who has been a tremendous asset to Alex) and then an awesome worship experience at a church in Orange Walk.

Today Alex had some personal business to attend to in Belize City. I chose to stay here in Orange Walk for a time of prayer and fasting. I'm hoping to connect with a pastor friend here later on today (if I can find him... how hard could it be really?) Train begins next week and I speak in church Spanish Lookout on Sunday so I'll take some time to prepare. After last night I think I should spend some more time praying rather than reviewing my notes! Ahhh, but notes are easier!

Feeling at home?

2007-06-28T09:07:00.000-05:00

My morning routine today wasn't much unlike my usual home routine. While in Spanish Lookout I've been staying with the Hein family. They have a beautiful family including 3 sons and 3 daughters (the youngest being just 1 day older than Janae). So this morning Angie (the youngest) and I read a "Franklin" book together. Now that resolution is made and Franklin has discovered how to conquer his fear of the dark it's time for another quick update.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to visit a few of the surrounding communities around Spanish Lookout. There we meet with a couple Spanish pastors that we will be working with and a couple of the youth from one of the churches (the other has no youth at all). It was so encouraging to see the initiative these youth were taking in their effort to reach out to the children of their community. Youth like this seem to be a rare commodity here in Belize but perhaps we'll see that change in the coming years.

The evening had a couple laughs as I had opportunity to speak to the youth at Spanish Lookout. Spanish Lookout is a lot like Winkler with palm trees and the laughs came when we had a time of worship together. I felt that same awkwardness I feel at home, should I clap when we sing or not clap. However, the two young ladies from the Spanish churches that I was mentioning came to join us at the Mennonite church and they sat with me. Without hesitation they began clapping away. I eagerly joined in and we may have stuck out a little. I warned them that we could go as far as clapping so long as it didn't lead to dancing... we had a good laugh.

Today we're off to Belmopan and Orange Walk. We'll connect with Priscilla Teichrob (another blast from the past from WBC days) who will be giving leadership to the camps in Shipyard (another mennonite community). Later tonight I'll have the opportunity to speak in one of the churches we worked with last year (in Trial Farm - just outside Orange Walk).

On to Spanish Lookout

2007-06-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

Greetings again friends... We had a productive day in Belize City. The task of the day was to get some of the legistical things in order and prepare for a meeting with the Belizean board of directors (shown here - starting at the left and going around the circle is Henry Brown, Bedson Ornes, Fernando Magana, Alexander Perez and Walter Thiessen). It was a real encouragement to hear them speak of their passions and ministry. It's clear the Lord is raising up leaders to make a significant difference here in Belize.

One of the great blessings was that most of these men had not met before the day began but there was a clear unity despite the diversity of the group. As they shared common concerns for the country and passions for ministry it was not hard to catch their enthusiasm.

After the meeting we drove out to Spanish Lookout to reconnect with some leaders there and speak to the youth (that's tonight). The trip brought a battle with my Salbutes to a close (they tasted good but I knew I probably shouldn't have eaten them). It seems that I got a touch of food poisioning along the way but found the system reset and I'm feeling much better. Actually I feel real good... I think I could take on the world... And that's what I shall do!!!

Crikey! Ga-day Bloke!

2007-06-26T11:46:00.000-05:00

No I didn't get on the plane and land up in Australia. But we're sea side in Belize City and Alex mentioned he spotted a croc just down the street. Don't worry, though I bear the name "Steve" I'm not getting any "Crocodile Hunter" ideas.

Oh... I was going to take a picture of where I slept so I could post it... That would have been good for a laugh. We arrived at the hotel to discover that it was overrun by American Missionaries... no room in the inn. We had a great conversation with them and many sounded very interested in joining us in India real soon. So I gathered info and we'll see what that amounts too...

So I spent the night with Alex in his place... It's always humbling to come to a place like this and see the sacrifices people like Alex make for ministry. He's living in a "friendly", safe but extremely small room (you can ask me later what "friendly" means but it was the thing to laugh about!)

The two of us had a good time of reconnecting and exploring what God wants for this ministry. While we discussed many encouraging things there are still many challenges ahead. Tonight we meet with potential board members and we'll see where God leads from there. According to our conversation Alex feels that Belize may be a spring board to neighboring countries like El Salvador where the harvest seems to be ripe. We'll see where that leads over the next year but for now we have our work cut out for us in Belize.

Already I have some Salbutes in my tummy and raring to go. Tomorrow it's off to Spanish Lookout to connect with and challenge the youth out there. I'll keep you posted.

Arrived in Belize

2007-06-25T22:32:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! This is Terri. Steve just called from Belize to say that he arrived safe and sound but doesn't have internet access to update you all. He's hoping he will tomorrow. Everything went relatively smoothly for the journey down besides a few glitches at customs over the Bible Break material and craft supplies that he brought down. Charitable status in Belize will fix that for the future, but until then, duty to bring things into Belize to leave is ridiculous! Luckily they didn't ask about the laptop that Steve took down for Alex - I can only imagine what they would have charged him for that! Check back soon for more updates.

Will My Facebook Friends Join Me?

2007-06-22T15:43:00.001-05:00

The itinerary just gets more and more exciting... There's a couple more speaking opportunities - even one in a Spanish church. Anyone know where I can learn Spanish in 30 minutes or less? Actually I think I've got a couple days.

Just a reminder you can keep track of the steamy climate of Belize right here with the handy dandy weather link.

I'll be landing in Belize on Monday at about 3:50 our time... So don't waste any prayers on me yet.

Quick overview of my itinerary

2007-06-19T22:45:00.000-05:00

This is the week of last minute wrap ups and scrambling to get the details in order. We truly covet your prayers at the CCI office over the next couple weeks. Our year end rolls closed at the end of June and we officially begin as our own organization separate of the camp July 1st which means a lot of paper work for Terri as she sets up new bank accounts and the sort (all while I'm away which is a lot of extra work). There's a couple other critical details and you know how it goes... you always feel like you must be forgetting something...

I just spoke to Alex and he forwarded me a tentative itinerary and I figured I'd pass it along for those who are curious what we'll be up to.

June 24 - Depart for Minneapolis to catch my flight on the 25th (it's crazy to think that a silly little flight from Winnipeg to Minneapolis pretty much doubles the price... have no worries this Mennonite refuses to overpay!!!) So it's some good quality time with Mom & Dad who have graciously offered to drive me down.

June 25 - Arrive in Belize City and make an overnight there. Reconnect with Alex and spend some important time in prayer and encouragement and some of the other personal things in helping Alex get settled in the ministry.

June 26 - Meeting with staff/board members in Belize City to go over some of the organization details... hopefully there's some saveeche too! (How do you spell that?... It's food if you're wondering)

June 27 - Youth meeting in Spanish Lookout and meeting with church leaders - Looks like I get the opportunity to speak in Belizean Mennoville. Oba yo! Ack kon nicht pluet diescht?!?

June 28 - Travel cross country to Orange Walk (don't worry it's a small country... but kinda slow on bus) to speak at a church there... O/W is Alex's home town. I'm looking forward to connecting with some friends from last year and of course... the food!

June 29 - Reinforcements arrive - A team of 3 additional recruits will join us. These are friends of Alex's from SBC coming out to lend a hand this summer. Hopefully they're not to beat from the trip because FUN is on the way!

June 30- July 1 - Off to Blue Creek (Mennoville part 2) to meet with church leaders and report in church on Sunday. I wonder if they'll have Wereneki?

July 2-4 - LET'S GO! Our first training in Belmopan. I'm obviously looking forward to that. It's the kind of stuff the makes you sing in the shower... I love seeing youth "get it" and respond to a call for ministry. As it stands it should be a nice blend of Spanish and Menno youth.

July 5-6 - Couldn't figure those ones out... My schedule was in "Spanglish." God bless you Alex... I tried to read it with a Spanish accent but I couldn't make it out... I'll catch you tomorrow and you'll set me straight. It think there's a visit to Ship Yard and/or San Philippe and Blue Creek in there?

July 7-8 - Staff training, the second edition, in San Philippe. Again looking forward to that... and again it looks like a nice blend of cultures will be in attendance.

July 9-11 - Back to Minneapolis to connect with Grace Youth. It's a bit of a grad celebration (Cory's first 4 year group). It should be some good, meaningful and memorable times... Youth sleep at those things right??? Hey, I've got years of camp conditioning... I can easy out last them!

A major blessing is Alex should have a computer in Belize. I hope this means frequent updates. However, as I've discovered in attempting to communicate with Alex over the past couple months, quality Internet connections are hard to find at times. I'll do my best to keep you posted.

The Countdown Is On

2007-06-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

Before I get too deep into updates and that sort of thing I want to thank you for coming to my blog. It means so much to me. That's why I'm trying to include a few functional tools for you right here like... the weather - you'll even be able to check up on the weather in Belize while I'm there. Look for more exciting features in the future.

Once again the count down is on for my international departure. On June 24 I will be off again to work with my good friend and co-worker Alexander Perez in Belize (now, considering the picture on the right I wonder if I could negotiate changing the camping season to January - then you could all come too right!?!) While Belize is marked with incredible beauty, as shown here, there is certainly some big tasks ahead and some deep ugliness to overcome (things that I've shared before like drugs, sex, crime, brokenness, suicide, etc., etc.) Again, it is our calling to bring hope to children and in doing so we pray the future of Belize will be as beautiful as the landscape.

My Tasks and Objectives

I am certain that God is using Alex in tremendous ways to impact Belize (you really have to meet him if you haven't already). My primary task is to encourage and support him in developing this ministry. As many of you know from experience it is so hard to take those first steps (in developing a new ministry or any other task for that matter) and it's so much easier when you can take them walking with someone else. Alex has had to make a lot of hard decisions on his own and I hope that I can give him that support and encouragement he needs to make it through a difficult summer.

Some other tasks on the agenda... It sounds like I've got a lot of meetings and speaking engagements planned. Everything from meeting with potential board members to meeting with future ministry partners. Though it may not be the major content of my reporting when I return it's still a very important to the proper organization of the ministry.

Probably the task I am most excited for is leadership training. During the first week of July I will be a part of 2 leadership development retreats. I wish I could give you more details about this particular task but that will have to wait (it's been a little hard communicating with Alex in Belize as the technology there is leaving some things to be desired).

That should fill up the 2 weeks pretty good... I'll do my best to keep this blog updated with details of these tasks as they unfold.

How you can pray

While it may seem cliche and somewhat routine to pray for safety I'll ask anyway. You certainly hear a number of stories of the things that could and do happen in some of the communities we will spend time in. Fortunately we didn't experience any really situations where we felt our safety was in jeopardy. However, I don't think that was so much because of the absence of danger but more because of God's protection and the answers to your prayers. Please keep our safety in mind and in your prayers.

Please pray for good connections. Certainly our goal is for Belize to find some level of self-sufficiency so that the ministry can spill over the boarders into neighboring countries like Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico and beyond. To do this we need the people and the resources for the task. We hope to find as much of this in Belize as possible.

Certainly pray for Alex and that I can be an encouragement to him. What a big task he has. And when you walk alone for the first while it means you often have to do a lot of the task you do not like or you may not be gifted to do. I know these things really drain a person of their energy. Please pray that I can strengthen him and also pray that the people he needs would come to walk with him.

Please pray for the leaders we will train - that they would catch a vision for this ministry and that they would contribute faithfully and sacrificially to the ministry of their churches.

You can also pray for our team. There will be 5 others that will plug in during the course of the summer. Many of these are friends of Alex from college and other places. Pray that they will be effective in what they do and that they will be unified for the task ahead.

I encourage you to also pray for Terri as I'm away. It seems there's a good reason why God invented moms and dads - because kids always get into trouble at the same time... We're so blessed to have awesome support all around us in raising our kids but you know how it is - it's nice when you can tell your kids to go to daddy when they have the distinct aroma of... ha, ha, ha

And whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to pray for...

I hope to update one more time before I leave so don't be a stranger!

Quick update

2007-06-06T13:32:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone,

Here's a little update from life here at CCI. To put it simply I've compiled a list of pros and cons:

Pros:
There are too many pros to list

Cons:
We can't keep up with the pros

So with that I'm asking you to please pray for this ministry. Each day I sit and look at all that God is doing and I wonder, "How come people aren't pounding down the door begging to get involved with this?" I guess to many when we share of the things that are happening it's just faceless numbers that they hear about - for us they are our friends and "family."

With that we're working on a couple new campaigns for fundraising. #1 The adopt a village program. We're hoping to break down the project in thousands of little pieces putting faces to numbers and invite people to sponsor a little piece of the project. It's going to be a TON of work but hopefully people can get excited about a $35/month project like this. The short and sweet of it is each village project will partner with a church to train 5 leaders, host camps for 50 campers, sponsor follow-up programs, outreach programs to the families of campers at Easter and Christmas as well as support the churches efforts to replicate this program in the neighboring village. The way the project is unfolding we're pretty confident that churches should reproduce themselves once every 6 or so years. There I go again, a faceless statistic - but just imagine what if our church doubled in size every 6 or 7 years... that would make a real difference to Winkler. Imagine this, there's thousands of vibrant churches just waiting to put this into action. GIVE ME A LOUD SPEAKER MORE PEOPLE NEED TO HEAR ABOUT THIS. But alas, I preach to the choir - all you wonderful people who already care for and support this ministry... Please pray for us... it's so incredibly discouraging to see these opportunities slip by on a daily basis.

Project #2 - it's not big potatoes but it's potatoes none the less... The Kids 4 Kids project. I visited another church this Sunday to get the project rolling there. Basically Sunday Schools are collecting to send kids to camp. We provide them with cool little change collection boxes and they set out a period of time to collect for and kids send kids to camp. It's been really neat to see the excitement this project has been received with. To date about 600-700 campers have been sponsored to go to camp. It's a good start - please pray that we can reach our goal to have 20 churches doing this project by year end.

Well it's still weekly...

2007-05-29T09:25:00.000-05:00

Important news just in...

Better than the weekly update from me why don't I share a little bit from the update I just received from Steve Bock - and friend and staff member at WBC who recently hosted a group of Cross Current Students in India.

Steve shared about the staff training times they attended. The pastors he connected with there conveyed the disappointment many young leaders faced when they could not attend our training programs. Now I've been to these programs and it's not like the programs you may imagine. There's no parties and movie nights, go-kart racing or special events designed to maintain the interest of the youth. While these things are necessary to engage our culture it is not the case in a place like India. Instead these are intensive training sessions, prayer times (which by the way they had to limit to not begin before 4 or 5 in the morning because many of the youth were getting up too early to pray) and worship. I wish every young person who wanted to come to these programs could. Instead we only accept 4 from each church. That put in on the pastors to tell tearful youth they could not attend these sessions. It gives me some new drive to tell people that it only costs $10 to remedy this problem!!!

One of the neat things is the Steve B went with Terri and me to India for the first camps in 2003 and hasn't returned since. At one of the training programs they asked how many of the attendees of the program had been campers at that original camp and Steve shared how dozens of hands went up. It's neat to see the students become the teachers!!!

Here's a MONSTROUSLY ENCOURAGING UPDATE FACT. Currently they are tallying the number of campers that attended in May. Between 65,000-70,000 campers will be counted. How do we not know you might ask? What kind of ministry are we running that we don't know the simple stats like camper numbers. The answer is simple. In one case we sponsored 50 campers at one church however, after several visits to our office in Trichy the church had collected enough material for 250 campers! Talk about 5 loaves and 2 fish! While it is true it cost approximately $5 to send a child to camp in India the churches we sponsor always seem to find ways to extend the influence and reach more and more children. I hope that can finally put to rest the criticism we constantly are confronted with that contributing to projects like this creates a dependency on North American dollars. Those who make these accusations obviously have not met our partners in India. These churches are not asking for handout - they want tools to reach more people. And this money sent does not make life easier for them. Instead they work harder and longer, stretch further and bear more fruit.

I like this... Steve B shared a little about my friend Thomas. Thomas is one of the 15 full time staff in India. He is a wonderfully gifted song writer (you should see and hear him - the kids just love him). One of his songs is the story of the David and Goliath. Steve B started to draw the connections between David and Thomas and suddenly I could see why Thomas connected so deeply with this song (and sang it all the time). Like David Thomas is the youngest in his family. While growing up he felt he was too weak to do anything (did I mention he grew up in an orphanage because his parents - who were pastors - could not afford to feed him). However, God used David to do incredible things. And that's what Thomas has done - he has personally influenced thousands of children.

I could go on and on but there's work to be done. Please pray for us as we try to spread the word and raise the necessary funds to see this move ahead. I wonder if the window of opportunity is nearing a close. Already we are hearing rumbling of coming persecution. Now is the time!!! Gotta go!

An Encouraging Chat

2007-05-22T15:12:00.000-05:00

I had the opportunity to talk with Alex in Belize today and it was so encouraging to hear how the Lord is continuing to open doors for the ministry out there.

One thing that I'm sure will be of interest to some of you is the potential for a camp program in the community of Shipyard. For those of you who are not familiar with Shipyard it is a old colony Mennonite community in Belize. While our initial thought was to work in the Spanish communities in Belize the Lord seems to have opened some doors for us in this difficult to reach community. I'll keep you posted with details as they come.

Oh, before I forget... PRAISE THE LORD our own charitable status is finally through. The paper is in our hands and we are officially permitted to carry on the work we are doing apart from the Winkler Bible Camp. This will certainly save both the camp and us a lot of work and it means full steam ahead. Gone are the long explanations of how we're part of Winkler Bible Camp but not really part of WBC. I know a number of people where a little confused when they wrote a cheque to India Bible Camps then receive a thank you from Children's Camps International and then their receipt from Winkler Bible Camp. It doesn't mean a lot to the camps and the work we're doing but rather it means things will get a little easier for us in the office and a little less confusion when we're presenting.

If you wouldn't mind praying for me a little I've got a big task that I've been kind of dreading that I need to make some head way on. I'm working at connecting Sunday Schools with the opportunity to sponsor campers. It means a lot of phone calls and feeling a little like a telemarketer. Why is it that a guy like me who you can hardly get to shut up finds it so hard to talk on the phone??? It's a mystery to me!

Have a great day!

Did I Miss A Monday?

2007-05-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

I almost had it. The routine was in my hands and then it happened. The busy day struck! Sorry to all those who had become accustomed to my 3 weeks of consistency.

It's always a bit of a relief to have your plane ticket in your hand and some details come together. My flight is booked and I will be off to Belize on June 25 and will return on July 9. I spoke to Alex (our leader in Belize) on Monday night on the phone and it seems things are really coming together but I do want to pass on some of the prayer requests that arose from our conversation.

A big praise item is that Alex found a place to stay! Now I would have been a little on the anxious side but Alex always demonstrates such faith in God's provision. And God truly blessed him with a well located, inexpensive place to live for the next 3 months. What a blessing. It's nice that he has that taken care of and can spend some time finding a permanent place without the pressure of making a quick decision. I'm going to make sure that I have a lunch or evening thing where you can come and meet Alex because this guy is truly a character to meet. The following requests are some things that he would deny needing and is willing to sacrifice for the sake of his ministry but some of them would help him be more fruitful.

Alex needs a mode of transportation. The most economical would be a motorcycle and the most practical (for Belizean roads and some of the other purposes for ministry) would be a small truck. If anyone is looking for a one time giving idea that would really make a big difference in a person like Alex's ministry this is a good one.

Granted items like these are pretty big ticket items. A motorcycle purchased in Belize is about $1000 CDN. A truck, well... it would be cheaper to get one here and drive it down. So if you know someone who's got one laying around and wants to send it to Belize I've got someone willing to drive and someone willing to fix it up if necessary.

Please continue to pray for Alex as he continues to pursue the many details of beginning a new ministry in Belize.

Happy Birthday!

2007-05-07T14:49:00.000-05:00

So, for those of you who have stuck it out with me I'm trying to be more disciplined with keeping you up to date with what we are up to on a weekly basis (and I'm doing my best to log a new post every Monday). It's getting there and I'm pleased to say that I've been on track for the last few weeks (they say it takes 6 weeks to start a new habit - so does each entry count as a week or just a day in a week).

On 04/05/06 our son Jace entered the world and so this week we celebrated the big first birthday! The caterpillar cake that Terri carefully crafted remained relatively intact but there was a lot of green icing around.

It was a good time of celebrating the blessing of our son and reconnecting with family who had returned from afar for the occasion.

Keeping us hopping and on our toes in the office are keeping connected with exciting things going on with the camps in India and for me preparations for camps in Belize. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as regular curve balls come our way but it's amazing how God hits home runs off curve balls and that is certainly what we've been seeing.

For example I have to share with you about my friend and co-labourer in Belize Alex Perez. For whatever reason he was not allowed on his flight to return home from Canada (they said he was too late but apparently he came to check in with 1.5-2 hours to spare). So he missed his flight, then got another flight into Mexico. Then he got sent back to Canada for "unexplained visa trouble." Then he got routed through El Salvador where he was delayed for some time. Where some people may see the opportunity to lay low and relax a little Alex had the "craving to share the ministry with a church there." Along the way it seems he meets every prodigal out there restoring their connection to the church. There's quite a story behind all that but the bottom line is this Alex guy is "gung-ho for Jesus!"

Evanga-kid and an Amazing Weekend

2007-04-30T09:14:00.000-05:00

God blesses me on a regular basis through our kids. I'm finding more and more if I take the time to listen you can almost hear the voice of God speaking through them. The little observations, the off-the-cuff comments, and spontaneous songs.

We were out and about enjoying a beautiful day yesterday (I hope you all got that opportunity). After supper we decided to take a little bike ride and finish off with a little ice cream. While we sat enjoying our treat Janae says - out of the blue - "we got to make some new Christians." Terri and I discussed where she might have heard this phrase and we couldn't say that we had ever discussed evangelism so specifically with our 2 year old. Terri had explained that when I was in India I was helping to tell other people about Jesus but never talked about "making new Christians."

It's pretty motivating when your toddler expresses this kind of desire. It kind of makes you say, "Yeah, you're right sweetheart. We do need to make some new Christians." Coupled with studying the gospel of Luke, God has been encouraging and nudging me to take more courage, push on with more enthusiasm and really make the most of the days ahead. I pray He's doing that for you as well. If not, maybe you need to spend an afternoon or two with Janae the "evanga-kid."

This weekend had many other blessings as well. I know I've said it on many occasions but I'm not sure if I've ever included it on my blog - it's also been pretty awesome to see how God is working in the lives of the youth Terri and I are privileged to work with in our church. If you guys haven't taken the opportunity recently I encourage you to ask them what God is doing in their lives.

About the weekend... After their experience on the spring break missions trip a couple of the guys from my small group really wanted to share the challenge and blessing of giving roses to prostitutes with the rest of the group. I was blown away at the reception the idea got. Usually when it comes time to plan our small group times the guys want to do things like go-kart racing, eating, watching movies and that sort of thing. Last time when we sat down to plan one of them blurted out, "let's do something mission-ie or something." That's youth talk for doing something with some lasting significance. The idea of giving roses to prostitutes was one they really wanted to do as they knew many of them would need to embrace fears and preconceptions and do something to encourage some of the most discouraged people in our society.

Yet again it was quite an evening. We were greeted by a man with no pants saying, "they like it when you don't wear pants." Nearing met with a metal pipe (I guess some of the larger members of the group can be a little intimidating). Evaded and sworn at but thoroughly blessed by those who allowed us to get close enough to share the love of Christ with them. Obviously there's a story behind all these incidents and I assure you we were in no immediate danger as the stories may imply - just they all turned out to be the nearly humorously sad examples of how an invisible barrier of a couple blocks can keep you so sheltered (humorously sad - it's like when you are so grieve that you let out a little laugh because it's so sad that things can be a certain way that you really expect someone to jump out and say, "just kidding, the world's not actually like this).

The greatest blessing for me was to hear the conversations in the van before, during and following our evening. These guys are getting it! There beginning to see that there's more to life than cars, cell phones, ipods and video games. If you haven't also done so I encourage you to stop by and encourage Cory as he's given AMAZING leadership to this group. I guarantee you'll be blessed when he shares a little more about some of the other youth and how they are beginning to get it.

Prayer Request

2007-04-23T14:32:00.000-05:00

Hello again friends!

I want to tell you about a friend of mine and fellow co-labourer with CCI in India. His name is Paul. Many of you have heard Ter and I share at length about Pastor Paul dedication and commitment to ministry and certainly the work of CCI in India. At first this news frustrated me then as God soften my heart I began to see that it wasn't so clear who needed the prayer more Pastor Paul or us.

The news is that Pastor Paul has been experiencing some difficulty with high blood pressure. His systolic pressure was edging 240 (that's about twice what it should be which is really quite serious). Antony insisted that he take some time off and relax. Pastor Paul assured him the sure way to kill him was to make him sit on the sidelines. If he took time off he said his blood pressure would go even higher.

When I first heard these things I was a little aggravated at how stubborn some people could be. Then I really began to think about it. These guys really meant it when they told God that they wanted to give their whole lives to Him. This is who they are. It seems when you ask someone to stop being who they (ministers of the Gospel) are you really are doing something worse than killing them - you take away the meaning to life. I realize most people will disagree with me and I probably would too if hadn't met someone like Pastor Paul. I see what guys like these accomplish in one week and it's a lot more then people like me do in a lifetime. Is that what God does with people who are willing to really surrender their lives? So is what he is doing really that foolish? It certainly would be if his life was his own but what if he is already "dead" in his own mind.

So that's where the great dilemma of the prayer request lies. I want Pastor Paul to be happy and healthy but I know the happy part comes more from being who God called him to be and I don't know what to think about the healthy part. That always seems to be in God's hands doesn't it either way doesn't it. I know a lot of people who "take better care of themselves" that have more health issues than a guy like Pastor Paul.

I must say I admire Pastor Paul. I think of the legacy he'll leave someday (and I think God's got a few more tasks for him yet) and I must admit I'd rather have a story like this... coming to the end going full speed, doing something that means something, totally spent and exhausted but still struggling to do more. The last place I want to go is while I'm asleep (isn't that what most North Americans really wnat) or in a hospital bed.

Lord, make me more committed like Pastor Paul. Let my life mean something just like his does. Let me live in a way that those who stand on the side line call me a fool for running at the pace I do and the people who run with me turn to you looking for the strength to run like Pastor Paul does. I ask You to have Your hand on Paul for the sake of his family, friends and church but take his life and use it for the sake of Your kingdom. Amen.

Again - A Long Time

2007-04-23T13:39:00.000-05:00

So every once in a while I check the site meter on our blog to see if anyone still has faith and/or patience with me. Thank you so much to the handful of people who haven't given up on this blog.

It wasn't too long ago that I had started a blog entry. I had some wonderful news about how the Lord blessed us with some new wheels. Unfortunately I live in a PC world and my computer froze and I lost the entry before I was able to publish it. So here's the 3 week old version.

Our mazda has been a wonderful car for us over the past number of years. It's taken us pretty well where ever we went. I can't say I can ever remember it complaining about the distance we asked it to take us. Faithfully it just went. However, several months ago it did let us know that we had been served with numerous trouble free kilometers and that we owed some serious payback. At that time I consulted a trusty car doctor to assess the situation. Unfortunately the projected bill had a few too many digits and we decided to beg a few more kilometers from our trusted mazda friend. As faithfully as ever the mazda agreed.

So began the hunt of a suitable rrrrreplacement. The word is hard to say because the mazda has been with us for a good number of years and it has taken us on many adventures. But alas, it's still just a hunk of metal and we knew there were many more out there.

Not wanting to rush it a major purchase Terri and I drove several dealers crazy with ridiculous offers and several more kilometers of test driving. I just couldn't understand, doesn't scripture say that we're to ask God for our daily bread? So why did they always remind us that their family needed to eat?

Now there is a very long and somewhat funny story how the vehicle we are now driving came to us. Do you believe your children could speak something to you that might be directed from God? He used a donkey in the Bible on one occasion. Why not a cute little girl? Well, the short of it is I think God's got a pretty good sense of humor because Janae "chose" this van and got us a really good deal. After looking at it (certainly driving yet another dealer crazy) we decided to go and have lunch and pray. Again we wanted to be sure that God was providing this van and that we were not just wanting something newer and nicer so we decided on a number that we felt was responsible and economical and then we made a "God is this a You thing" deduction to that number.

So with our figure in mind we returned to the the dealer. I felt pretty silly even before I opened my mouth - it really was a ridiculous offer. Well I felt even silly after I opened my mouth. We got the "are you serious or are you heavily medicated look" from the dealer. He began to write it up as before taxes and fees. We assured him that that was the amount, the TOTAL amount. And with that we began to pack up. Obviously we have been selfish and God was telling us to trust Him to carry our car a little (or a lot) further.

Reluctantly he wrote up the offer and shook his head a lot. After a long process of negotiation we drove away with our new van (and for $200 under the ridiculous number - don't tell the dealer he could have squeezed us for it!) Now, everyone says don't shop after you've bought but I just needed to know how God blessed us so I did a little research and I can confidently say God blessed us!

More to come...

Anyone Interested?

2007-03-16T08:53:00.000-05:00

It's really encouraging to see things gain momentum with this ministry. In so many ways things have just grown beyond what we could have ever imagined. However, if you or someone you know is looking for a place where you can help out there's a variety of ways we could really use some help.

GOT SCISSORS? - So, it's kind of goofy but I know there's a lot of people out there that would like a completely mindless task to take your mind off the business your life has brought. In the next week or two we'd like to test a project that we would need about 1,000 change boxes cut out of some heavier paper. A little hole for dropping change in is the most important (the rest kids could do themselves). I'm sure there's good tools out there to do the job but I'd need some help finding them. Till then if there's anyone willing to help that would be great.

ARE YOU CREATIVE? - We're in constant need of all kinds of graphic design "stuff." Brochures, web sites, posters, ads, etc. Having these things designed often costs BIG $$$. However, the great tools for making these projects are made cheap for charities we just need the people now. If you'd like to give it a try let me know.

ARE YOU CREATIVE - MAYBE NOT IN THE ARTISTIC SENSE BUT YOU CAN WRITE? - One of the things we're pretty miserable at is keeping people informed about the AMAZING things that are going on in the ministry. We need someone who could take care of a quarterly newsletter to keep our supporters informed about what's going on.

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE? - Our biggest task... PROMOTION! You know the reality of the fact that you can only do what there's money in the bank to do and people don't give to organizations they've never heard of. If you know of people that are A) eager to hear about this incredibly fruitful ministry or B) eager to promote the ministry in the broader community we could really use your help.

WANT TO SEE IT YOURSELF? - You can actually do a lot just by coming with us to see what is going on overseas. First, in many countries like India, people are so encouraged that people in North America would take an interest in what they are doing. A simple visit can do a lot to motivate a discouraged individual to do some pretty amazing things. Dates have not been finalized but we typically travel to India in October and January. Sometimes we arrange trips in May or August (typically has been for college students but we could certainly shift gears if there was interest) if there's interest. I'll be heading (Lord willing) to Belize in late June to help out with some more ground work and staff training if anyone wants to check up on me and what I do.

So if you've come to the end of this list and you haven't found anything that fits you and you'd still like to help out remember your prayers are vital! Please pray for these needs and that God would place it on someone's heart to fill these needs.

What's New?

2007-03-13T15:37:00.000-05:00

Well it's been another couple weeks since the last time I updated my blog and I'm starting to get that guilty feeling. So often there's either so much or too little to tell and those become my feeble excuses. No more excuses here's an update...

Business first

New at the CCI office (within the past month or two) are two new staff. Shirley (husband Abe) Banman has come on board to help us with the PR effort for this ministry. It's obvious that God has gifted her for exactly this kind of job and she has represented us well and the Missionfest conferences in Vancouver and Winnipeg and is currently putting together a Hymn Sing event for March 25. Come on out at 7 p.m. at the concert hall for a good time of singing and a little update.
Gerald Thiessen has also rejoined us from the glory days of WBC. Gerald is going to see the "Build it for kids" projects through to completion. What is "Build it for kids" you might ask. We've been working at coming up with creative ways to raise funds for the ministry and this is one. It started with an idea from a church member and has turned into approximately $100,000 for the ministry. A bunch of local trades people and suppliers have offered us goods and services at or below cost for building a house. The house was sold and the profits will go to send kids to camp. It's been a pretty amazing blessing as it took little effort from us in the office and has had a huge impact on the ministry. Gerald is working toward arranging similar projects in other communities.

As for Ray and me... Now we put our feet up and watch everything get done. JUST KIDDING! It's amazing how when you get a little momentum going how wild things can go. Right now I have a couple great big projects on the go. Kids 4 Kids is something that I'm working at promoting. A number of parents stopped by our booth at the Missionfest conferences asking how their kids could get involved in this ministry. Already I've been connecting with Sunday schools to present a fundraising effort where kids can collect their change in a cool little box and in doing so send kids just like themselves to camp. Want a box for your kids - give me a shout. Know someone who can connect us to a group of kids that might be interested - give us a dingle. Moreover I think this will be an awesome opportunity to build relationships with churches and individuals beyond the places we've connected already.

Ray is of course doing well and busy raising funds for the exciting spring that we have ahead. We're still shooting for 100,000 campers. It's a big goal but we have an even bigger God!

Yesterday I had the most encouraging time connecting with our Belize guy Alex at SBC (Steinbach Bible College). Together we had the opportunity to present to a number of students who are interested in helping out in Belize this summer. I see some really great potential on the horizon and I'm really confident that the Belize project will really take off in the next couple years.

During this time I also had the opportunity to meet with a church leader from one of the Mennonite communities in Belize. It was so great to hear his perspectives and reports as many of the youth from his church helped us out with some of the camping programs in Belize last summer.

As it looks right now I'll be preparing to spend some time in Belize again this summer so you can place your hot sauce orders now (I'll take an extra bag to accommodate this time).

Personally...

People often ask how things are going and if only I could fully relay the tremendous blessings and some of the real challenges we face in doing what we do. Many of them are just so hard to describe. So many times I just want to dance for joy (that might be an interesting video to link to my blog) and other times I find my self in tears because I just want to escape some of hard things God has called us to do. Surprisingly, many times this happens (several times) on the very same day.

So am I crazy? Maybe that's not the question to ask. Am I on quite an adventure? Most certainly - I'm just not terribly thrilled with all of the landscape. An incredible place of refuge I've been finding the past couple weeks is in a much revitalized prayer time. The Lord is certainly using our son Jace to rejuvenate my prayer times in the early hours of the day - it seems God is a morning person and He best speaks before 6 but the past couple days He's waited till around 7 which has been nice. Anyway, it's been good to hear His voice a little more clearly and He's been sustaining me (us - Terri's really been travelling this journey with me as she's been teaching me a bunch of what she's learned over the past weeks). I must say it's required a little more faith action on my part but God's really been faithful. I'd love to tell you more but this is where one on one comes in a little more handy. But please keep upholding us in your prayers as we certainly, fervently and regularly pray for you!

If pictures are worth a thousand words what's a video worth?

2007-02-27T10:23:00.000-06:00

Want to see a short video of our recent trip to India? Check this out...

http://picasaweb.google.com/stzach/Video02/photo#5036248065963570498

For explanation of the events shown be sure to check my entries from Feb 1-9

Introducing Alex

2007-02-20T06:55:00.000-06:00

For those who have been following my blog (and haven't given up on me) you might remember my summer adventure in Belize. At that time I was so excited to share with you all the amazing potential and encounters we had in Belize that I don't think I took adequate time to introduce a good friend that I have been working with over the past year to develop the ministry of CCI in Belize and Latin America.

Like many of the amazing leaders we work with world wide Alex has got a pretty incredible story. After considering the twists, turns and hardships people like Alex face I wonder how do people like this rise to the top while so many who endure so much less do not. The answer I believe demonstrates God's amazing plan for amazing individuals like this who are courageous enough to choose it (and I wonder if I'm courageous enough to choose all that God has for me).

Alex was born in Guatemala in the early 80's. As many of you may remember this was a time of war and unrest in this Central America country. The day Alex was born his town was in the center of the action. He shares the story his birth mother told him about the difficult labor - it seems Alex was not anxious to be born into such conditions. When Alex was born and his family fled they discovered the building he was born in was only one of three left standing in the entire town. Alex a little more of the war torn scene but you can probably fill in the picture of what is left of a town when it's been bombed.

There are details that I have yet to learn about Alex like if he ever knew his birth father - whom I know still lives in Guatemala. I do know that Alex, his older brother and his birth mother ended up in Belize where they shared a few years together. However, when he was very young (I think he was around 6) Alex's mother left to make a life in the United States. There she met a man and joined the Jehovah's Witnesses. She never returned or sent for Alex. Alex was now an orphan. The friend of the family that Alex had been staying with graciously took him in. Though he refers to her as his mother Alex didn't grow up with the kind of love a support many of us did. But he had a roof over his head and food in his stomach that carried him till he could experience the love of Christ which would fill some of the big holes in his life.

It was in his teenage years that God called Him into his current family - the family of believers. We haven't so specifically talked about the events leading up to Alex coming to know Christ (the conversation hasn't often made it past how much Alex is in love with Christ and his family - and I haven't filled in a lot of the details mostly because Alex has got his eyes so firmly set on the future that the past isn't much the topic of discussion). Alex's faith and his home life did present some challenges as his foster mother was heavily involved in the occult (when we went to visit her this summer she had apparently been quite anxious as she had clients stopping by to have their fortunes told while we were there - we didn't stay too long as some of these tensions where pretty obvious). So needless to say Alex's faith was his own while all around him he faced the battles of growing up. (There's countless more stories to tell of his family that were involved in the drug trade, murders and that sort of thing but it might be best to wait for the movie. However, I will say that a lot of the stories revolve around his foster sister, whom Alex is now quite close to. After some time in hiding, as a result of being surrounded by the drama listed above, she came to know Christ and is also serving Him faithfully.)

Alex did have the opportunity to attend a Christian high-school an opportunity and blessing he speaks of often. There he grew in his faith and became aware of the calling he had to reach the people of Belize. In fact, he jokingly told me of the trouble he got into when he would leave the campus. Did he go out to party like other teens? No, instead he frequently put together ministry teams to go out into surrounding villages to share his faith with the people there - what a wild child! I've heard from some of his old teachers who said they were moved to tears by the dedication of this young man.

The Lord continued to bless Alex in his studies and he had the opportunity to come to Canada and study at Steinbach Bible College. It was in the summer of Alex's first year that I met him at Winkler Bible Camp. Alex served that summer as a camp counselor and that's when he sensed God calling him to reach out to Belize children and youth through camping ministry. During the summer between his 2nd and 3rd years at SBC I travelled with Alex to explore the potential of this ministry in Belize. I can assure you, as it is obvious right from his birth story, that God's hand is on this young man and you can expect some more great stories about him in the future.

Next Installment

2007-02-09T10:31:00.000-06:00

Day 5 - District Coordinators and Supervisors Meeting

What an encouraging event for me. These are our team members. You can't see them all but there's a lot of them (and not all of them could be at this meeting as they were preparing for an outreach event in Nagercoil that I'll tell you about later). About 60 of our volunteer and full-time staff were at this meeting to share with each other and us what God is doing in their districts of Tamil Nadu, India. The level of commitment in this ministry is amazing. A lot of these guys receive nothing in terms of finances from us but God is pouring out the most incredible blessings on their ministries. The testimonies of growing churches are simply to numerous to retell. But each of these guys had dozens of stories to tell. The solution is really quite simple - you need to meet them yourself!

What I was so impressed with, and I don't know why it surprised me so much, was the level of organization and accountability there was to this ministry. As the ministry grew I really thought that there would be a few details that would fall through the cracks but the people shown in this room have certainly filled the cracks. Every single church (and there's well over 800 already) that we work with is visited regularly by a network of supervisor like you see hear. They encourage the churches in their work, provide materials for youth council programs and follow up the various ministry goals set by the church. Then these supervisors report all that God is doing in these churches to the district coordinator in their area who reports to Antony and the IBCM leadership team.

Prayerfully with this information the leadership team decides where funding goes for children's camps. So we all can be confident that every dollar is wisely invested only in churches that are passionately and are committed to reaching out to their communities (and they run a pretty tight ship).

Day 6 & 7 - Visits to Trichy and Tanjure

That's when we saw these inner workings of the ship. We travelled south to our home base city of Trichy. Here we visited the office and saw just how thorough the team out there is. It's obvious they spend a lot of time doing what they do - maybe that's why many of the staff live right there at the office! Antony's bedroom was behind curtain #1 in his office! Imagine if I were to move into the office. I think people who tell me that my work owns me. In India the attitude is, "this is not a job, this is who we are!"

In the evening we had the opportunity to visit Pastor Pandian's church and a couple follow up programs.

I need to say a little about Pastor Pandian... If there was a person in life that I could be more like, Pastor Pandian is certainly one of them. I guess it's really up to me because the things I admired about him the most revolve around his character. I don't know that he had specific talents but just meeting him you were overwhelmed by his deep humility and obvious connection with Christ.

Unfortunately Pastor Pandian passed away suddenly less than 2 weeks before we could see him again. In the picture here you see him standing at the Jan 3rd prayer and planning meeting. Perhaps the picture is too small but he's got the biggest smile on and you can see everyone is laughing. The next day he went to be with the Lord after he suffered a heart attack.

Though it was a pretty big blow to the ministry and to Antony personally (as he played a very significant role) he left an amazing legacy. He told Antony just a little more than 2 weeks prior, "When I die don't cry for me - I'm a soldier of Christ. Just bury me in a military uniform with the IBCM flag over me." It's the cause he fought for and I wonder if that's how I'll see him next time I see him. He certainly fought well and gained a lot of ground for Christ's Kingdom. We went to his church to remember him, say our goodbyes and spend a few tender moments with his wife and church. He certainly deserves a better tribute than a short entry on my blog but maybe honor his memory better by living like he did.

That night we met some of the most precious children and heard some of the most amazing singing. It was truly incredible to take in a couple of the most incredible follow up programs. It's hard to get the magnitude of what's going on but this picture can be multiplied by about 800. That's how many of these programs there are. It was something else to see the eagerness of these kids to share the bible passages (sometimes entire chapters) they had memorized. Probably one of the most moving things is to listen to them pray. I know God love to hear this kind of thing. How they pray for their churches and families and friends really puts me to shame. And to think, till a few short months ago their only option was to pray to a stone idol that neither heard nor cared about them.

Day 8 - Youth Event in Nagercoil

Are your eyes sore yet - mine are. Probably more from writing about Pastor Pandian than anything but I'll try to pick up the pace a little.

At this event in Nagercoil about 4,000 young people came together to hear the message of the gospel and be challenged through a variety of speakers, skits, dances and songs. It was really

an amazing event and again we really saw God at work. But His work is not without opposition. By mid afternoon of this day long event about 200 students had to be asked to leave the event as they became extremely disruptive of the program and openly mocked the message. The ironic thing was I think the illustrated every point that had be made that day and for the remaining 3,800 people I think the reality of the message shared was that much greater. So again God uses what was intended for harm to build His kingdom again.

Day 9& 10 - Back To Tirunelveli For A Youth Training Event

It was the last event to take in on our agenda for this trip. And again it's amazing to see what God is doing in the lives of the youth that are working with this ministry. It was so neat to hear the testimonies of the many youth who shared that they had experience God at this program and heard Him calling them to ministry among their peers. Does this sound repetitive? It sure is!

In 2007, Lord willing, each of the young people will be multiplied by 21,000. Those trained by 10,000. Campers by 100,000. So we covet your prayers and support. We've got a lot of work to do! Perhaps you want to join this team.

Then it was the long trip home...

Still On India Time?

2007-02-05T04:45:00.000-06:00

They say it takes about a day to adjust to each hour of time change. So by next week I hope these entries will be made a little more descent hour. Till then I think I'll just enjoy the quietness of the night. It really is a productive time of the day!

Again I'd like to be a big thank you to all who attended our little lunch at church. It certainly was a lot of fun for us and we hope it was a blessing for you. For those who were not able to attend we'd still love to connect with you to tell you all about the exciting things going on in our lives and ministry. It could even include some Indian food!

But if you're burning a little "midnite oil" with me and just catching up on our blog I'll continue telling you a little about my time in India...

Day 2 & 3 (Saturday - Sunday)

Youth Counsel Training

In my last post I introduced you to the idea of the youth counsels. Each church we are working with has developed these groups to mobilize their youth to be active in the ministry of the church. It's really amazing what some of these groups are accomplishing. Pastors are just thrilled. For so long their only method to accomplish more was to work harder and longer and now they are excited to have the help and support of the youth of their church. One pastor noted that the youth were once just spectators in the church but now they are active participants. He went on to share how much he appreciated having more time for personal prayer and study.

On the weekend we had the opportunity to take part in a training session for youth counsel leaders. It was so neat to see these 80 young people coming together from 80 different churches to focus on a common goal - to reach their communities and peers with the good news of Christ. Many of them had never met before but by the end of the event they had a new passion for ministry and shared contact information and ideas on how they could work together to proclaim the gospel in the city on Chennai.

It's really big to see churches coming together to work in partnership to reach this city which is certainly in great need. I spoke with another pastor from Chennai who was blown away by what he saw. He said that churches have never come together like this before and he was excited for the revival that was going to come in this city and state through this ministry because they were finally working together.

Day 4

Pastor's meeting

Continuing on that thought. Churches are coming together in an amazing way throughout the state of Tamil Nadu. Until this year we haven't had much opportunity to work in the city of Chennai (the capital of Tamil Nadu) so it was a good time to gather with many of the pastors in that city to share a vision for revival. Again many pastors shared that it would be unlikely that anyone would stay past lunch to hear about this ministry. However, around 1,300 pastor attended and stayed till after 5 or 6 pm (I lost track of the time it was at least 6 before we left and there were still many pastors at the venue). Many said that they had never felt so encouraged from a meeting before and began to share the vision with those who had not attended (many of whom later called to express their regrets that they hadn't either heard about the meeting or were not able to attend).

Well there's another morsel to chew on. Plenty more update is on the way but in the coming days I have the opportunity to teach the book of Acts at the Cross Current Discipleship Program at WBC this week and I should use a few of these fruitful hours for that.

Home Again

2007-02-01T19:45:00.000-06:00

Well it may take me a series of posts to catch up with all that has happened over the past couple weeks. Again I apologize for the lack of updates while I was in India. Each day we hoped to pop in to an internet cafe but all kinds of opportunities kept popping up. The result we only got in touch with technology once while we were overseas.

Let me start at the beginning...

We arrived in Delhi on late on Thursday the 18th (actually it was Friday by the time we got to our hotel) and were extremely grateful to have a hotel shuttle waiting for us when we arrived (a luxery that is often advertized but not actuallized - and it wasn't ever again). We were grateful to have a clean bed as it had been a long tiring trip.

We all (Tania & Mike - my sister and brother-in-law and Jocelyn one of their friends who also joined us) woke up at the crack of dawn as our bodies began to adjust to the 11 1/2 hour difference. We enjoyed an Indian breakfast and a quick connection with a fellow Winklerite who had been in Delhi since late 2006. Nicole Enns stopped by the hotel to pick up a package that hitched a ride with us and shared a little about her ministry in Delhi as we ate breakfast. I encourage you to check out her blog at http://nicoleenns.blogspot.com

Then it was off to Chennai to begin reconnecting with the India Bible Camp Ministry team. And what a great beginning it was. Immediately it felt as though I had come home to my home away from home. The sites, sound and smells were a lot how I had remembered them and it was so great to share that with Tania, Mike and Jocelyn (it was especially fun to watch them as they experienced the many "close calls" of Indian traffic).

It was great to see Antony again after nearly 2 years. There was so much to catch up on and we did till the wee hours of the night.

We didn't plunge too deep into Indian culture just yet as Domino's Pizza was across the street from our hotel. I think Antony did that on purpose to make us feel a little more at home. We were all eager to get into some butter chicken and brota (one of my favorites) but there was plenty of time for that coming so we graciously enjoyed some really good pizza.

Tired from the journey and time change we orginally planned to unwind and relax at the hotel or maybe venture out to see some of the nearby notable sites (not that Chennai is a real tourist location but everyone was interested to experience traffic and just look at how Indians live). However there was a much better option for us to take in. One youth counsel was holding an outreach program in the Northern part of Chennai (where their church is located) in the slums of the city. The pastor was very eager to have us visit - and we discovered later that he had actually even hired a care to drive the hour long trip through the city to pick us up. Already having our own vehicle we drove out and met the pastor who showed us some of his community and told us about his ministry.

What amazing people and amazing churches we are privileged to work with. I can not describe the singing - the thundering singing - we heard as we pulled up to the youth counsel program.

Perhaps before I get to far into telling you about this program I should tell you a little bit about what it's about first.

The Christian Youth Fellowship of India (CYFI) was started after many of young people who worked with the camping programs were eager to continue ministering to their communities. Since September over 700 groups have been established in different churches. We offer materials, training and accountability to these groups and they go nuts!

Each group is asked to once a year reach out to their non-churched friends and host an evening of singing, skits and encouragement. The group that we visited was holding their program that week (every week there's at least one of these programs going in India). The youth counsel of about 30 members had brought in 300 of their friends. The had planned, fundraised and initiated this program on their own. Antony shared that this group had also spent the last 7 day-times in prayer and fasting asking the Lord to use this event to bring about change in the lives of their friends and community. That passion was certainly reflected in the program.

As we were greeted at the door by this youth counsel we could hear amazing praises coming from inside. God's presence there was so overwhelming that many of us were immediately moved to tears. I can't tell you how many responded to the gospel message that night as we don't generally encourage alter calls (which in India people typically just respond to out of respect for their hosts). Instead each attender was personally invited and followed up by the youth counsel. The result is simply amazing. The church is growing! It's not about us and our programs and stats but it's about helping these churches reach their communities and it's working!

I have so much more to say about this event but I really missed the family so I'm going to pull myself away from the computer now. But you can join us this Sunday after church for Indian food and more updates from my time in India. We just ask that you let us know you're coming so we can make sure we prepare enough food. Hope to see you then. And if we don't come back here and I'll tell you about day #2.

Dropped of the face of the earth?

2007-01-26T10:14:00.000-06:00

I'm so sorry to all those who have eagerly been awaiting update from India.

It truly is all beyond description.

Unfortunately we've been moving around so much that this is the first time I've had opportunity to get on to the blog.

And unfortunately everyone is waiting for me and so I need to run.

I don't think I'll get the chance to update again till I'm home on the 31st. But then expect stories!

Finally moved in

2006-12-03T06:51:00.000-06:00

As some may know our office has been "transition" mode over the past few months. Since the fire in our neighbor's office in July we've been working out of boxes - looking forward to finding a permanent home. Now we've got it! We're back to the original building but a slightly larger and nicer location. Come and visit us next door to our old location at 100-571 Main St (and see how the Lord has blessed us by moving us 75 feet closer to Tim Hortons! Maybe once He chooses to move us the additional 3 blocks we'll start drinking coffee.)

Year end will soon be upon us and so comes the exciting time of reflecting on the year past and putting the finishing touches on the plans for 2007. This Saturday we had an encouraging meeting with a group of church leaders from the Bergfeld Mennonite Church (the church that initiated the Belize project) to discuss the future of the camping programs in Belize and Latin America. I'm looking forward to spending a week or two - here in our new office - in late December/early January together with Alex Perez (the indigenous leader from Belize) putting together a plan for this year and a strategy for the future when plans to return home to Belize. If you're interested in meeting Alex I'd love to introduce you to him. I'm hoping to host him for a couple days at our house sometime in early January. Photo: Alex and me on the ferry in Belize.

On the home front - the past week has been the week of the flu in the Zacharias household. 3 Zacharias members fell to the sinister plot and were victim to illness. The last man standing (myself) vows never to join the "dark side" of the flu and requests all further sick days come with 1 week's notice. All seem to be recovering nicely.

Long Winded?

2006-11-13T16:37:00.000-06:00

It's good that I'm not alone in the "oops, I ran over time" club. In fact I do believe I delicately came in just a touch over my time - but what can you do when God pours out so much blessing you have to share it. One of my favorite stories in scripture is in Acts 20 when Paul is sharing in Troas. He went so long that they ran passed midnight and people fell out of windows because they were falling asleep. I didn't hear any snoring and it may be a good thing too because that guy died (although Paul raised him back up - but I'm not sure I would like to be put on the spot like that while speaking).

The Story I Couldn't Share

There's always all kinds of surprises in every trip overseas. This baptism experience certainly was among them. On many occasions we had graciously declined the opportunity to baptize new believers because we didn't want to take this privilege from the pastors who disciple them. Antony shared with us that culturally it is customary for visitors to do this sort of thing and by refusing we were more likely to hurt feelings then to accept this honor.

So the time came were pastor Pandian (on the left) whispered (no actually he hollered - it was during a "sing with all your might" worship time) in my ear that he would like me to baptize two individuals that morning. Not hearing (or understanding for that matter) a word he said I gracious replied whatever you want pastor I will do for you. A few moments later I was whisked away into a back room where the pastor opened a suit case to find me suitable baptism clothes. I figured being of some "substance" I would soon be let off the hook and I could wear my own clothes (I was likely already quite damp from the 40 degree heat). Then low and behold he found a white lugee (basically a sheet) and a shirt just my size (okay maybe a little snug).

I began to wonder if the Lord was about to humble me. No pins, belts or velcro just a sheet in a tub of water. I could hear the snickers of my students. They could sense the disaster ahead. I felt pretty unspiritual climbing into the tank to share this experience with two vibrant young believers with only the prayer, "Oh, Lord don't let my skirt fall off." Fortunately the night before some of my Indian friends were razing me about my lugee tying ability. So I challenged them to teach me a better way. I guess that's not much of a challenge for guys that wear "skirts" (lugees) on a daily basis. My new skill was put to the test that day and I am pleased to say I passed - but it was still a white sheet and I knew I should have packed gym shorts.

How would you like to have a story like this all of your own? Why not join me from January 16-28 for an experience that will shape your future. You can always contact me at steve@ccicamps.com.

Today's News

2006-10-23T11:57:00.000-05:00

Once again the long overdue update arrives!

After a great big sigh of relief I look back on the past month of fundraising banquets and preparations and say, "Wow". We were somewhat uncertain what the outcome of such events would be as there are many similar events in the community. But what a blessing to experience the excitement of our community about what God is doing through the work of camping ministry overseas. It would be a close estimate that 900 people attended our banquets in Winkler and Morden and over $40,000 were raised to send kids to camp in the coming months. Praise the Lord! That means a life changing difference in the lives of thousands of youth!

Here's the latest on what's been going on overseas:

Antony (who oversees the camping ministry in Southeast Asia) sent me this photo yesterday. Though the date on it would appear that it is a New Year's party in 2004 it is actually taken at a youth event that was held in India on October 2, 2006 (just a couple weeks ago). The story behind events like these are really something else.

Looking back I can't believe I was skeptical at first. I remember tossing out a challenge in a training time to a couple dozen Indian youth, "who of you will make a weekly effort to follow up the children you reach out to with the gospel." All of them raised their hands. I figured something got lost in translation because no one explained their schedule restraints or that they needed time to pray about it. They knew they were called for a purpose and this was it. And I can joyfully tell you they are following through on this commitment.

But the story doesn't stop there. Eager to do more they begged Antony, "Can you help us reach out to our friends and peers at our schools and colleges?" And so Antony proposed a series of youth events where those who had served as counselors at camps would invite their non-Christian friends to a day of speaking, skits, singing, etc. And we would have never imagined just how fruitful an event like this could be. The original plan was to host an event for 2,000 but by the time the day arrived over 4,000 showed up. Approximately 1/3 were from the local church and the other 2/3 those they hoped to reach with the gospel.

This event did draw some attention from the authorities who challenged Antony by questioning his intentions for the day. Was this to be a mass conversion event? They were not too favorable in this matter. However, God was working long before this event to prepare for a harvest. The youth I told you about earlier had already been organized on the campuses of the colleges and schools these youth were invited from. In the days following the event each attender would be followed up by these groups and invited into fellowship with Christ and the church. So I don't have a number for you as to how many came to know Christ but what I can tell you is that the church is growing by leaps and bounds.

In the coming year we're hoping to reach out to schools and colleges to reach 21,000 youth. There is certainly potential for more (and you can bet there will be more - as I said before 4,000 attended - those were just the ones we have registered - a number of others found ways to sneak in to satisfy their spiritual hunger!)

Where do I stop? Then there's Nepal. Antony spent the past 6 months training a missionary from India to help with the work in Nepal. Again the Lord continues to open doors for children and youth.

In Cambodia the Lord has poured out blessing as well. A friend of mine, Davis Wieler just returned to share of all God is doing there. I encourage you to check out his blog at http://daviswieler.blogspot.com for more about his experience. I hope to update you soon with pictures and stories from Cambodia.

Till then we continually covet your prayers and support. It's an amazing work God has called us all to and we are so grateful to work together with you to "make disciples of all the nations."

Another "monthly?" update

2006-09-13T09:16:00.000-05:00

My sincere apologies for any faithful visitors to this site that have come for recent updates an found none. It certainly hasn't been due to the lack of God's blessing to be shared but rather that sometimes God pours His blessing out so ABUNDANTLY that you find yourself somewhat swamped in it. I'm sure many of you can identify.

Today God has blessed me through the slow response of some of the detail type "stuff" for my next project - this allows me a little time to update you (that's a good way to put a positive spin on the fact that you're waiting for key people to return your constant phone calls so you can get your own work done, right?)

I feel I really need to share with you the blessing of the World Harvest For Kids Event. My heart is flooded with all kinds of thoughts and reflections - most are too hard to describe but I'll do my best.

First I think I should share with you the purpose of the World Harvest event. Over the past couple years we've worked real hard to get the word out about how God is blessing camping ministry in Southeast Asia. At times it can be discouraging when even in your home community people haven't heard about these rich blessings. Unfortunately advertising is hugely expensive and we have such a burning burden to send every dollar possible to the mission field where is effectively brings the gospel to thousands of children. So what do you do? Plan a great big publicity stunt that can double as a fundraiser that the media will take interest in and broadcast your message across the continent. So we ran with Ray's brainchild the "World Harvest For Kids" and invested our energy into this idea that really accomplished more than we could have imagined.

Just to give you an idea as to what this event accomplished:

Before the event:
Number of visits to our webpage per month: around 30-50
After the event:
We had well over 10,000 visits to our site in August (which was a lot cheaper than sending out 10,000+ brochures)

Before the event:
No TV coverage
After the event:
CTV and Global both reported on the event
The "Earth" network out of the US picked up the story and ran it several times in the following week broadcasting to 30,000,000 (that's 30 million!) subscribers.

Before the event:
No other media coverage
After the event:
Countless newspaper and magazine articles from all over the world
Radio interviews from across North America
Tons of people linked to our website through all kinds of online chat forums

At the event:

Between 8,000-10,000 people saw God's provision for this ministry and took in a world record event. We were able to freely distribute information outlining the work of this ministry to many of these people.
Approximately 1000 campers were sponsored to attend camp through the sale of aerial photos of the event.
An incredible amount of goodwill was generated and we had the opportunity to personally connect with hundreds and hundreds of people and share how God has blessed this ministry.
God provided an outstanding crop - beyond the estimations of many. The sale of which will send many thousands of children to camp (the amount of the sale is yet to be confirmed but it will be more than $30,000 but how much more depends on what grain prices do).
Hundreds of volunteers gave sacrificially of their time and resources to help us accomplish this feat - some farmers drove up to 8 hours in their combines, and in the pouring rain, to be here (I'm guessing those things don't get real great fuel mileage).

And so much more...

A little bit about my day on August 5

I just wish you all could have seen what I saw and experience what I experienced that day.

I woke up around 4:00 am to get started on the day. It had become my routine over the past week as I was feeling pretty anxious as this huge opportunity drew near. Just a couple last minute details to work out and I'd be off to the site for 6:00. At 6:00 I turned the key in the truck I had borrowed for the weekend and nothing happened. No big deal, I'll just boost it with the car and be off. Finally after minutes of fiddling the truck starts and I'm off feeling a little behind where I'd like to be but conquered the first hurdle.

Pulling on to the field I got a good look at the weather system rolling in and it didn't look promising. However, there was a job to do and we had decided that we would continue to move in faith till we reached the point of no return. We had invested too much time to even think of rescheduling - a rain date simply wasn't a viable option - it was all or nothing.

The clouds weren't a surprise. They had be forecasted and the rain had already fallen on the field the day before. It's amazing how many people came out to the field the day before to let us know it wasn't going to work and that it was already too wet. Talk about the enemy's flaming arrows. We had decided that God knew what He was doing and would provide one way or another and we would simply do our part till He forcefully redirected us.

By 9:00 I really started to question how much further till it was an obvious redirection. A regular shower of lightening bolts were moving closer and closer. I wondered if this was the safest place to be - in the middle of an open field but resolved that surely my thick rubber soles would save me (right?) Maybe it wasn't quite that dramatic but after a couple good thunderclaps I did say to one of the volunteers helping me, "do you think that this was what the Israelites felt like when they came to the Red Sea?" I really felt like crying because it really appeared as though a year of planning and preparation was going to get rained on and ruined.

Then I was reminded that God parted the Red Sea - that became our little joke and then our earnest prayer. We know we didn't pray it alone. Hundreds of pastors and church members in India gathered for an all night prayer meeting. In addition we know countless prayer warriors were upholding us here (and then there was the matter of all the other farmers that were praying for the rain and so the competition began). Some one mentioned that we should pray that if it did rain it would just be on the other fields (ha, ha, what are the chances?) As it turns out the chances are pretty good when you've got a God like ours.

We did get a bit of a sprinkling at around 10:30 or 11:00. That was probably the low point of the day. People that were arriving were saying that the radio was announcing a likely rescheduling of the event.

Then the phone rang and it was my father-in-law. He started off with the phrase we all dread hearing on a day like this, "I've got some bad news." I didn't think things could really get all that much worse. I thought it would be a simple "we couldn't find the supplies you need" - I had called to see if Terri could pick up a couple things that I needed for the day. Instead he told me this (and only this), "Terri took a fall and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. We're pretty sure her knee was dislocated and we think Jace is okay." The "hospital by ambulance" part was kind of weighty for me since I knew Terri being a paramedic and all would probably think she could fix herself unless it was pretty serious - that I knew that she knew what it cost to call and ambulance and would do everything to avoid calling one (we like to call it "thriftiness"). So my mind began to race. Did she fall down the stairs with Jace? What did she fall from? This sounds like months of recuperation - how could we possibly juggle this with a new baby?

Now I really wanted to give up. I hung up and tried to continue on briefing my information team. That was tough for me. I really wanted to be the upbeat chipper guy these guys knew me to be but I shared with them the news and that I really felt like crying. Almost immediately the sun began to peek out and I sensed the Lord speaking to me, "I took care of the clouds now I'll take care of your wife. You've got a job to do." That had been Ter's one request as well that no one would call me. But they figured that since she was already late dropping off my stuff for the day that I would probably figure it out soon enough.

I the midst of getting my info team going I was Emceeing the program. Praise the Lord for good friend like Greg Wood. Over the last year he's been in and out of the office that we share with some local staff with Campus Crusade (he being one of them). Sensing something was wrong he asked how I was doing and I felt the tears coming. I really appreciated that he took the time and prayed with me right there because it's those little things that keep you going.

By this time the sky was bright blue over the field and pouring rain all around. And my confidence in God's provision was becoming stronger. People that were arriving were talking about the down pours all around Winkler. I called Ray, who was in a dignitary lunch that the sky was blue (even though less than a 1/2 mile away where he was it was raining).

Then the people started to come and the excitement began to build. The helicopter arrived (what a blessing - that's another amazing story about how God provided for us) , the news trucks began to roll in, a professional camera crew arrived - that's a story I have to share:
Just about a week and a half before the event Harry Siemens gave me a call - one of many bearing great news. One day it was that a major ag paper would run the story, then the Free Press, the Paul Harvey, then the Earth Network. Wait a second the Earth Network! They weren't going to send out a camera crew but said they would feature the event on some of their programming if we could courier them footage immediately following the event. I was suspicious that the half dozen camcorders we had gathered wasn't going to cut it for this. Someone in the office said, "well then call in the professionals." My response, "good one, we don't have money for professionals." Simple reply, "ask for it for free, what's the worse they can say, no?"

With that I looked for the biggest agency I could find. These guys had won all kinds of awards and done movies, documentaries and advertising for a number of very large companies. I figured I'd show everyone just what we couldn't afford and by how much. I'm not a big fan of these cold turkey phone calls where you are asking for something big. Reminding myself that the worst they could say was no I asked what it would take to get a camera crew out for the event... Next weekend. Quickly he responded, "what is your budget?" I laughed. Then I told him we were hovering around the $0 mark. He responded with an I'll see what I can do. You know what that means, I'll waste three days of your time and then tell you no. A day or two later he called back and said that the company would donate the use of the equipment but he was finding it hard to find videographers to donate their time. The price tag was going to be about $1000 for the day. At this point we didn't have many options and I said yes. Hopefully the product would be a return. The story continues later.

The moments past so fast that the next thing you knew the clock was running and the event was on. What an overwhelming feeling to see it all coming together - and I don't even have a background in agriculture. Ray has mentioned to me since the event that a number of farmers have spoken to him about the day with tears in their eyes. One 70+ year old farmer who was one of the operators had mentioned that this was one of the best days in his life.

It felt pretty good when the last combine came in and the previous record was broken by over 4 minutes. It was done.

The day before the event I drove out to the field just to have a little time alone with God and I just felt flooded with the thought of what this event was going to mean in the lives of children. To think thousands of kids would hear the gospel because of a silly publicity stunt (a good estimate is around 20,000 kids). At that moment I was so grateful that I'd been called to this ministry. You've all prayed for the salvation of an individual and felt that deep burden for his/her eternal destiny. Well here the eternal destiny of 20,000 individuals began to look a lot brighter.

So now we're in the thick of preparing for our fundraising banquet and update evening where we get to share all of this good news with everyone. One element that we hope to share is that professional video I talked about. A couple week ago Ray made a trip to Winnipeg to meet with the agency doing our video. We sat in a very intimidating board room and the guys that I had made arrangements joined us. I had since been informed what this agency usually charges $1800 per finished minute. I was waiting for the bomb - they talked about preferring to edit their own stuff and I expected them to offer a deal of half price or something. Then suddenly they said, "and we're prepared to donate it all."

Now I'm pretty sure these guys were not believers but I reminded them that what they were doing was accomplishing something much bigger than they realized. I also let them know that they were in my prayers with a great deal of gratitude. What they had just given had a value of over $10,000!

So needless to say Ray and I found it hard to wash the perma-grins off our faces that night.

On a personal note

Thanks so much to all of you who pray for us and partner with us in so many ways. I've told you of all these wonderful blessings we have received over the past month but only briefly shared some of the challenges of we've experienced. At many times we have really felt under attack. It's easy in times like these to feel overworked and "busy" but the fact of the matter is that the benefits have far outweighed the sacrifice (however, in the middle of the sacrifice you don't always see these things). To be honest I really felt like giving up some days. Praise the Lord Terri's knee healed very quickly because that really felt like too much. Many days I felt very hollow despite all these blessing all around me. Hard to believe isn't it. But over the past few weeks I've been stuck in Deuteronomy chapter 8 reflecting on the verses there. In summary it speaks of Israel's time in the desert was a test to see where their heart was and whether they would follow God's commands. And God humbled them to the point of hunger and then provided manna so that they would know just how dependent on God they actually were. I feel a little more aware of my dependency on God right now.

We really covet your prayers as we pray for you. Please pray that the Lord would continue to uphold us with encouragement. Please pray that God would continue to provide for us as well. It's so easy to become focused on tomorrow's bread that we forget to ask for today's. We still hover around 80% of being fully funded which is a huge blessing but is a concern as the year is nearing a close.

We just want God's hand to be upon us so that we would be a blessing to others. We want to live daily doing what God wants of us. Please pray for our protection and the protection of our family.

And thanks so much for reading this whole entry. Your patience through my ramblings is a real blessing

Did I Fall Asleep at the Wheel

2006-08-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

Well if you've been checking this update regularly my deepest gratitude goes out to you. Updates have been few and far between lately. Partially because the events of our immediate ministry haven't been all that thrilling to report on and it's just been that crazy in the office.

So I returned to a mountain of tasks to conquer and a tight time frame to complete them in. As many of you may know, this Saturday is pretty big getting the word out about what God is doing overseas through the work of Children's Camps International. Planning for the World Harvest For Kids Event is a task much bigger than I thought. Approximately 200 volunteers, over 100 combines, dozens of media organizations, hundreds of phone calls, last minute arrangements, fundraising and more and more has been the buzz of the office over the past month. I wonder what Monday will sound like - although I've got a long date with my computer coming up as a satellite network broadcasting to 30 million homes has requested video footage of the event and my task is to edit the dozens of camera angles.

Up until this morning I felt somewhat overwhelmed. But today during a noon hour prayer meeting an inner joy and excitement started stirring. God is going to use this event - great things are on the horizon. Despite the gliches of the past weeks we will soon have a platform that thousands maybe even millions (okay, thousands will do for now) of people will be exposed to how God is moving all over the world.

Please pray for this event and that we would be free to accomplish this goal to promote and raise funds for a very, very valuable ministry.

And please plan to be there on Saturday. Check out www.worldharvestforkids.com for more details.

They All Speak English!

2006-07-04T22:37:00.000-05:00

We made it back! Tonight I'll spend the night with Terri here in Minneapolis. It's really nice to be back. It was a really wonderful and blessed time but also very exhausting.

It's good to be where signs are in English and everyone understands what you are saying. Next time - Spanish lessons! Scott and I nearly got off our bus at the wrong stop but luckily the baggage guy stopped us as we were walking away. We thought we were in Cancun but we were a good 40 km (or so) walk away. All in all, we got the hang of the bus systems throughout Belize and Mexico - so if anyone's up for some econo-travel we'll make great guides.

On the trip back we met all kinds of interesting folks. From FBI agents to apprentice tour guides named "Prefecto" and every vacationer inbetween. Each one we tried to leave with a little encouragement and blessing. It's been good to be challenged to take every opportunity - Alex has been a real example to me in this.

Speaking of Alex, it was hard to leave him behind. Though he's got some good allies around him still a great deal remains to be done. We took a good look at his schedule and tried to set some realistic goals. It may be tricky to reach as many children as at first hoped but we will certainly have two more strong camping programs within the next couple of weeks.

I'm gunning to get some pictures loaded on this site soon so come back to see them.

Off At Sea

2006-06-30T21:42:00.000-05:00

We wrapped up our training camp at Spanish Lookout today and it was incredibly positive. We had just a tremendous response which should be very beneficial for the upcoming camping programs.

Today we hopped on a boat to a place called San Pedro. We hope to get a little rest and then head off to Carmaleta for one last church visit/service.

Hope to see you all soon!

Hello From Menno-ville

2006-06-29T18:43:00.000-05:00

Apart from the palm trees and heat it's like we're at home. Here in Spanish Lookout life it a lot like Southern Manitoba. Over the past couple days we've been connecting with the youth from the EMMC here in Spanish Lookout. Things have been going extremely well and there's a large group of quality youth that are willing to help us with the two days camps we'll run next week. Approximately 20 young people came out for training and they are like eager sponges. It's really been encouraging.

I am getting a little tired and am starting to get a little sick. But the Lord is good and faithful to carry us through. As I laid down for a few minutes this afternoon I thought, "wait a second, I haven't even asked God to restore my strength and health." Immediately my throat and head stopped hurting. However, I still feel like a good night's rest wouldn't hurt. Your prayers certainly wouldn't hurt either.

Tomorrow we wrap up and start heading back to Orange Walk. We'll take a one day scenic route back and then polish off some details. Please pray for Alex. There's still a lot left and if he's as tired as I am (which I suspect he is) he'll really need some strength to finish well.

Update Try #3

2006-06-27T16:51:00.000-05:00

It seems that Belizian computers have it out for me. I get a nice entry all really and then it seems to vanish into no where. So here it is again.
Yesterday we arrived in Belize City to meet a couple pastors - to build some relationships and just get some insight to Belize. There certainly is a wide response - some pastors are so eager to look for ways to reach the country - seeking partnerships and relationships. Other's as in the words of one pastor are, "very territorial and want nothing to do with other churches or organizations." It's sad to see that so many churches are really struggling to find unity.

Today we arrived in Belmapan, the nation's capital to meet with a man who is overseeing a camp here. As is the case in many situations this organization seems to find support for developing facilities but not a lot for the program. I'm scared that this beautiful facility may not be used to it's potential.

Tomorrow it's off to Spanish Lookout for our final training session. I'm looking forward to it although honestly, I'm a little tired. Please pray that God would strongly carry us through these final days.

Another Day In Paradise

2006-06-26T08:05:00.000-05:00

The neighbor horse looks happy and the chickens are out on the town so it look like it will be another beautiful day here in Belize.

Unfortunately we missed our fancy seafood dinner last night so it's back to real missionary status for us. Our chef, Alex's mom, had second thoughts about us visiting. Alex shared with us how she struggles spiritually when he is around and the prospect of having us around was probably a little overwhelming. So we will continue to pray for her and maybe just stop in for a brief hello on our way out today. You might offer a prayer on Alex's behalf, I think it's pretty hard to receive opposition like this from home. It's clearly a heavy burden on his heart.

Instead we treated a local man to supper yesterday. His name is Jamin. He too, feels the Lord is putting a burden on his heart for children's ministry so we plan to take him along on our next string of meetings and training session. After supper we went to meet with his parents (Juan & Alica Castillo) to ask their blessing and share with them some of the details of our invitation. They are wonderfully godly people who have guided Jamin well and they have also been a great encouragement to Alex.

It looks like things are set for our next set of meetings and training session. We hope to udate you with blessings along the way.

And the rain stopped...

2006-06-25T17:07:00.000-05:00

As we reached the church the cloud shut and the rain stopped. Praise the Lord. It was a little humorous because the moment we said, "Amen" after closing up for the day it started to rain.

Approximately 46 children (new children kept coming in throughout the day and this was the last official count though I know at least another 4 or 5 came in after) joined us today for camp. The age range was a little wider than we had planned but we adapted and the day came off relatively well. We certainly learned a lot to aid in the next preparation which was our goal for this one day, day camp.

Probably a highlight for my day at camp was the sub camp that I had the opportunity to be involved in just outside the doors of the church. A group of three boys stood outside the church looking in but were obviously uncomfortable coming into the church. I felt the Lord putting on my heart "if they won't come in to us I should really be going out to them." With a short prayer for courage I went out to meet them. Quickly our group grew to about 8 and we did crafts together, I shared a magic trick and story, we made up some songs about the tortilla sales man that drove by every 15 minutes and had a really good time. These new friends were a real blessing and I pray that the love of God will penitrate their precious hearts.

Eventually the guys joined me inside to watch the Jesus video for kids. And they ate my hotdog - no devoured my hotdog. They're special kids and I plan to stop by their houses next Sunday before we make preparations to leave.

Thanks for your prayers. Tomorrow we will start our trek. We plan to take a young man from the community with us. We strongly feel that Alex will need someone to walk alongside him to assist him in his work and we hope to offer this young man named Jamin some encouragement.

Hopefully I'll be able to update you again but I'm unsure what sort of access we'll have along the way.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

2006-06-25T07:21:00.000-05:00

If anyone should check this blog before you head to church you might want to remember us and ask that God would hold back the rain. Even if it would be long enough for the children to come to the church for the day camp program.

I've come to learn that rain is one of the bigger challenges to the church here. When it rains no one comes to church. The other day when we were asked to speak at Pastor Marlon's church it began to rain. There were only two others that had come to the service and I think they were the pastor's wife and an associate pastor. So on the way to church we made several stops and packed as many as we could in the small little van. For some pastors like Marlon this can be very discouraging. His heart grieves that his church is so loosely committed. Others feel obligated to lower their expectations.

So as it rains here (shortly after 6 am) we feel a little discouraged. I don't know if Satan is working hard to discourage us or if God is trying to redirect us. Already as we spent some time reflecting on the staff training time we realized there is a big task ahead. Though the program itself went very well and the youth shared that they had learned so much and had received encouraging challenge we see little translating to action. Of the 15 Belizian youth we trained only 4 have committed themselves to helping us for 1 day of camp. So we feel a little discouraged with the state of the Spanish church and these youth.

However, we know God will provide in other ways. The group for Blue Creek was excited to come serve and we're confident they will bring back their group of 10 plus a few extra. It's amazing how evident the difference between these churches is. We wish the Spanish pastors would see that if they only took a little time to invest in the lives of their youth that they too would become active like this in their faith.

Well, the bottom line is we are certainly learning. We have certainly leared a lot already and I'm so encouraged by Alex who everyday becomes more and more convinced that he is called to serve is people and the youth of Belize. It may take some time but God will begin to convince churches and bring about change in the lives of the youth. I'm completely confident that God is going to use Alex in a profound way to play a part in this change.

Well, the rain is still coming down hard. I may be fully showered by the time I reach the shower house. BONUS!

We covet your prayers today!

Trying Again

2006-06-24T14:48:00.000-05:00

So apparently my blog didn't update last time around. I guess that was the error message I got. It was in Spanish and since I didn't see smoke I figured everything was going to be okay.

Yesterday we trekked into the jungle once again to visit a couple of workers with TEAM Mission International. Not far from Orange Walk (where we are home-basing) they are developing a bootcamp site. God bless them. I feel like one big mosquito bite I can only imagine what the poor 20 American teenagers arriving on Sunday will look like.

There mission is to challenge and training teens to be active in service and evangelism. If they can break through to the youth of Belize I think this could be an awesome ministry but I think things have been slow going in that neighborhood. Some of the locals have mentioned that they think they're a little nuts living in the jungle - though it is beautiful is filled with many dangers for those who are not careful.

Our own program continues to go very well. When I wrote this morning we only had a few hours left in our training session and now we are done. So it's on to a trial day camp program tomorrow. Up until yesterday we were expecting 45 children that one of the pastors recruited from the community. However, a kind gesture of some unknown individual may bring out substantially more children. Alex's sister informed us that someone is advertising for us on the radio. Though it's pretty cool we don't have the facility to house more than 45. In fact housing 45 will already be a small miracle.

Prayerfully we'll do our best tomorrow. We're looking into a community recreation center that would be absolutely perfect for us. Alex pointed it out the other day as we were on the way to check out a Christian school that hoped to rent. For a small fraction of the price we can rent this facility complete with cooking facilities, meeting rooms, indoor play area (which is important since it is technically the rainy season here) and plenty of play space outside. The only thing we need is a sound system for chapel times. What a blessing! Alex asked what I figured it would cost to rent the place and I figured $100-200 per hour. They only wanted $100/week! (and I think that may be Belize dollars which would make it $50 CDN) Here's a secular organization that simply wants to bless us because they feel the community needs a program like this. Even the cheapest Christian school wanted 6 times the rents with half the facility.

After we complete the day camp tomorrow we'll head to Alex's house for supper (I hear lobster is on the menu - yeah missions in Belize is tough when you visit a fisherman's house - apparently lobster is extremely cheap out here). Please pray that we'll even be a light during this time. Though a wonderful woman (did you know that Alex was abandoned as a child and she took him in) she is involved with witchcraft among other things.

The next day we hope to travel south to Belize City making a couple of stops along the way (Spanish Lookout - another Mennonite community where we have some Manitoba connections, Belmapan - a beautiful camp facility with no leadership, and Belize City where we hope to meet some key pastors in the community). We've been told that Belize City has some not so great areas. Fortunately our transportation fell through so we will have to hire a driver to take us around the city. Otherwise I was going to drive, Alex to navigate, none of us knowing where the bad parts are. So already God is answering your prayers for our safety.

After we complete the loop we'll get ready to come home. My apologies is you don't hear from me after Monday but we're unsure when we'll have access to the internet between then and Friday.

Another Jungle Adventure

2006-06-24T07:17:00.000-05:00

What A Blessing

2006-06-22T17:09:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago I had some major apprehensions about how today (the first day of training) would unfold. I so glad to tell you it was a tremendous blessing and success. Though many challenges still remain many more blessings have been thoughout the day.

Approximately 10 youth from Blue Creek (a Mennonite community nearby) can to the training time. It might a pretty long ride down some pretty brutal roads but they came anyway. We weren't orginally planning to have them but I rescent revival broke out among the youth and they really want to reach out to the communities around them. It was so good to have them join us.

It was a bit of a motley crew of people. Three churches we represented and they were all very different. The Blue Creekers were just like having a group from Winkler. You could immediately tell they had a solid youth group because they were very eager. Pastor Philippe is the pastor who's church we are using. He too has a big heart for children and youth and it really shows in the youth that came. They too were very involved.

However, the last church is probably more typical to Belize. They don't really have a youth group and the youth were dis-interested and frequently excused themselves. Two were obviously a couple and were open in their display of affection. It's amazing just how much difference that little bit of nurturing makes. I wish their Pastor had come to see the difference it would make if he would engage his youth like the others. I wish many of the other Pastors would have simply brought their youth (or even have youth in their churches). It's a real crisis here in Belize.

A perfect example is what happened yesterday just down the road from us. A 12 year old girl was found by her mother very "involved" with her boyfriend. After a harsh repremand the girl ran off to find her father's (who is a local policeman) gun. The result was that she took her own life. That's the destiny for too many youth here in Belize. You see way too many teenage moms. The boys across the street regularly smoke drugs right outside their door. I'm so glad these two churches have a vision to reach the youth of the community but I am so grieved to see that so many churches simply don't even care.

I'm confident Alex will be God's instrument here in Belize. He's got such a big heart for his country and has already been a blessing to many churches and leaders. Please pray for him and the churches he connects with. Some of them are waking up to see that it is their responsibility to reach their youth but are severly under resourced. Pray that they would gain vision and ideas to engage their youth.

Two pastors have invited us to come to challenge their churches tonight. We will join Philippe's church on Sunday but tonight we will chose to serve Pastor Marlon's church. Presently he has no youth attending his church at all. However he has many children. He'd really like to change the pattern of children growing to youth and leaving the church by ministering to them early. He's got a big heart and a big task. Please pray that his church will be motivated to help him in his work.

Other than that we're loving the food, sweating a lot and surviving quite nice (you're going to laugh when you see where we're staying - we call it "economical" - it keeps us out of the rain).

Training Begins

2006-06-22T07:15:00.000-05:00

Today is the big day. There's little idea as to who will show up for training and how they'll respond. We've had such a wide response already - some who believe this will be a great success and those who believe it will be a great big flop.

We've certainly seen one thing that is consistant - in most churches youth have no way to serve and therefore they often end up getting into trouble and leaving the church. So we may have a bigger job ahead of us to help the churches re-engage their youth, prepare them for ministry and them give them opportunity to serve within the church. Maybe it's a little more than a 2 week project.

However, we visited a place called Blue Creek and connected with Darryl Dyck (a former pastor of the EMMC in Reinland, MB). He is now pastoring a church in a Mennonite community here in Belize and has a thriving youth group of over 50. He called last night to ask if his youth could be of help. So we may have a very broad spectrum of participants today. I praise the Lord that He knows what He's doing because I certainly do not. I'm confident that He will guide us and at the end of the day I will have many exciting things to share.

If you are sending email to me - for some reason I am unable to check my regular address (the site does not load all the way down here) so please send any messages to szacharias@rocketmail.com

Back from the jungle

2006-06-21T09:18:00.000-05:00

Along the road we could see ancient Mayan ruins peaking through the jungle landscape. However I was more interested in the dozens of make-shift shacks that lined the winding road. In door ways stood little children who looked as though they could really use the hope that the message of the gospel.

We're becoming very aware of the poor lifestyle choices that surround the community and even the church. There are many young single mothers and many more children with the need of hope. Please pray that we would be effective in developing leaders to bring this hope to these children. It is difficult to find those who are motivated and willing to live their faith out practically.

We just returned from meeting with a woman who is effectively reaching children through the ministry of CEF. We had a wonderful time of sharing and prayer and we hope that in the future we will be able to work together to reach the children of Belize.

The setting of meeting was quite beautiful. The sun was most gorgeous rising over the jungle this morning (the alarm sounded at five and we had a few moments to enjoy the scene before our bus arrived).

Got to go - fresh pineapple and cantalope await

Finally Here!

2006-06-20T07:21:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how one flat tire can change so much. When I arrived in Minneapolis I was informed that the airplane had blown a tire and our flight would be delayed at least 5 hrs. My immediate response was to laugh - the ticket agent then told me she doesn't joke (she wasn't much of a morning person). I must admit soon after I was a little anxious - the well planned trip didn't allow for this delay. Unless Alex was prepared to wait at the border for 17 hrs we were going to have to figure out how to find him (fortunately there is only 250,000 people in Belize so it didn't take us long).

Along the way God certainly provided for us. He sent many angels to quickly guide us and hold buses for us and find us reasonably priced taxis (I've never realized the angels commonly expect tips!) However one thing God withheld from us was a working phone so it kind of felt as though we were travelling in a fog. So we (Scott and I - Scott is a friend of Alex's that met me in Cancun to travel with me the rest of the way) prayed and put one foot in front of the other. After each step I know I was praying please Lord let Alex be at the next step. Orginally we were supposed to me at the Belize/Mexico border but since we had not been able to communicate Alex was not there to meet us. However we did meet two other Canadians who just "happen" to be travelling to the exact same town as we were. So we were able to split a taxi to Alex's hometown. The taxi dropped us off at the Town Hall where who should be waiting for us - ALEX! He had been led to wait for us there (though I wish he had been led to wait by the phone so that when we finally found a working phone the message wouldn't have been that he was out and wouldn't be back for a couple hours).

Already I've had the opportunity to meet with Pastor Philip, a pastor of a growing church here in Orange walk town. He shared with me about his church and community and some of the obstacles in evangelizing here. He has offered his church facility and young people for children's programs and training. I look forward to building a relationship with him and his church.

Today after meeting a couple pastors here in town, we are heading to King's College were a CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) training program is taking place. Yolanda, a vibrant woman from Belize, is training a dozen youth for children's ministry. We are hoping to work with and learn from her.

Our itenerary looks pretty packed over the next couple of days. We will be traveling to Blue Creek before returning to Orange Walk for training on Thursday. Alex is hoping to make it to Belize City sometime next week and we may even dip down to Honduras to meet with some pastors and visionaries there.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. I'm constantly aware of my insufficiency but know God's power is made perfect in weakness.

2006-06-17T08:01:00.000-05:00

Today's the day and in a few hours I'll be on the road to Minneapolis to catch my flight. I must admit I'm a little apprehensive. Perhaps a couple years ago I would have been thrilled by the adventure and opportunity but now I'm just a little nervous heading out.

I don't have a completely structured itenary as of yet. The major items are the training sessions June 21-23 and June 28-29. The rest of the time will be spend meeting with pastors and church leaders as well as visiting others who are working towards establishing camping ministries. There is infact a representative of Christian Camping International who has a training team for Latin America and is based next door in Honduras. If opportunity allows we may slip over to meet with him to explore how we might work together.

Thanks again for your interest and prayers. I look forward to reporting to you soon of what God is doing in Belize. Depending on our internet situation I may be updating this blog while I am away.

The Count Down Is On

2006-06-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

Thanks again for coming back to checkout our update.

The count down is on and things sound like they are shaping up well for camps in Belize. Alex (our partner in Belize) has made some great connections with some pastors in the Orange Walk area and is busy arranging the details for staff training (June 21-23). I'm looking forward to working with him in training staff for this camping season.

I plan to leave for Minneapolis on June 17th and fly from there early the next morning. I'll be returning on July 5th - I'm confident with many stories of God's work and blessing.

2006-05-09T14:28:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,

This is the first installment of our ministry update. Though we may see each other frequently we don't always have opportunity to share the lastest on what God is doing through this ministry. For this reason I've set up this blog so that when you have a moment you can check up on us. We hope it will be a blessing to you all!

Steve and Terri