Submitted by Jason;
Four days after my most recent post, my friend and Buena Vista ministry partner, Dale Loy passed away from an apparent heart attack. With all due respect to the Loys and their extended family, I'd like to preface this blog by offering my condolences to any and all of you who happen to read this blog. I'd also like to recognize that the challenges that I'm presented with regarding the future of our ministry pale in comparison to the challenges that the Loy family now face in Dale's absence.
Having said that, I'd like to share a bit about how Dale and I met and grew together as friends and eventually ministry partners.
In August of 2012, after several months of prayer regarding entering the missionary field, a woman from Belize who was selling 80+ acres of jungle offered to allow us and our friends, the Reeds, to host us in Belize and show us her property in hopes that we could reach an agreement on the possible purchase of her land. She also offered to introduce us to a few other like minded families that may be willing to rent us some land or work out an agreement that would provide us with a place to live for a season.
The Loys were one of these families. Our first visit to their home was very nice. We sat and talked about the vision that God had given us for the upcoming season in our lives and shared a meal with them. I sensed at that time that Dale really wanted to help us, but didn't know quite how to trust complete strangers. In the end, we reached an agreement with another family on a rental that we never wound up living in.
Once here, in Belize, Dale and I became friends. Dale was a tremendously educated man in the field of agriculture. He studied at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, United States. Our conversations would always revolve around the challenges that we, Americans, faced in gardening and farming in this tropical region. After many failed attempts to successfully grow food for his family, Dale decided to build a few greenhouses and grow inside. At this time, I had agreed to come out and help him with this project. We agreed that it would be beneficial to both of us. Dale was getting an extra hand on the farm and I was getting some, much needed, first hand experience in farming.
In September of 2013, Dale and David Nelson, of Buena Vista, had discussed the possibility of starting a youth ministry in Buena Vista. Dale approached my son Brendan, and I, about the possibility of our help with the music ministry side of this youth ministry. Brendan and I agreed to get involved and help out in whatever way we were needed.
The music part of this ministry was very short lived. The kids were better off just singing the songs without the leading of a guitar. Brendan's commitment to the ministry faded when he and his wife went to the US for an extended visit in November of 2013. My commitment remained with Dale and David in Buena Vista.
We met every Saturday night in Buena Vista for the first few months. Dale was consistent in his love and compassion for the children from this village. We quickly recognized that the target age that Dale and David had originally intended to reach was not becoming involved because there were too many young children attending. So, we decided to make Wednesdays youth night for ages 13 and up. Saturday nights became all ages night.
Dale, David and I continued to hold two meetings per week for the next 5 months, or so.
In May of 2014, David Nelson, informed Dale and I of his intentions to move back to the US in June. Since the ministry was taking place on his property, we knew that we would need some other facility to use for our growing ministry in the village. Some nights we would have over 70 kids in our original, temporary, make-shift sanctuary that consisted of a shipping container, some 2*3s, screen and a few tarps.
In June, with the support of two ministries in particular from the US, we were able to transition our ministry into a two story building that was formerly used as a church building. The ministry continued to grow. With the additional space and the addition of two billiards tables, and internet access, the ministry was continuing to grow in numbers.
Dale and his children, particularly Micah, Hope and Charity, were faithful in their service to the village for almost a year leading up his unexpected passing. Dale had discussed his vision for the village and how to offer hope to those who wanted to do better for themselves.
During the last few weeks of his life, Dale was driving into the village early on Saturday mornings and picking up a few of the teenagers. He would then, take them to the biggest marketplace in our part of Belize and set them up with a table and goods to sell. Dale was interested and committed to teaching these young men and women business principles that they were not otherwise afforded the opportunity to.
On Sunday, September 28th, 2014 Dale collapsed on the porch of his home. He was 56 years old.
I was in no way prepared for how his death would affect me in the following days. I somehow underestimated how much his friendship meant to me and how closely I was bonding to him as we ministered side by side for the better part of one year, mostly twice a week. I was previously unfamiliar with the bond that forms between people that minister together, but I can now identify with those who have experienced something similar.
Many critical decisions will be necessary for me to make regarding several areas of our lives in the coming weeks. I would like to postpone sharing this information until my next post out of respect for the Loy family.
To the friends and family of Dale Loy; I, along with the body of Christ, stand with you in celebrating a life devoted to the advancement of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Good News From A Far Country
Submitted by Jason;
Sometimes life presents moments or situations in which we, as individuals, are surprised by our own emotional responses to them. Sometimes they are landmarks in life that are obviously monumental, such as a birth, a death, a marriage, etc... Contrarily, sometimes they are unexpected moments that move us in ways that we could never anticipate.
A few of the more obvious moments, for me, have been; my wedding day, the day my Father passed away, the day(s) that I learned that Francie was pregnant, the moment that I was saying goodbye to my coworkers, the day that Francie miscarried, the day that we boarded the cruise ship in Galveston, Tx, the day(s) that I found out that I was going to be a grandfather, the days of my childrens' weddings, etc...
Yesterday, I had one of these moments that, in itself, may seem rather ordinary to most. However, to me, judging by my emotional response to it, was no less significant than the aforementioned.
Proverbs 25:25 says, "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country."
As I mentioned in our previous post, my daughter and son-in-law, Kayla and Darrell were scheduled to move from Belize to Canada for "a season". Well, they did exactly that.
Yesterday, I read a message that was posted on the computer by Kayla referencing a scripture that she came across that moved her enough to share. My emotional response to this actually surprised me at first. As I thought about it later, I realized that we can learn a lot about ourselves by the moments that move us in these ways.
This "good news from a far country" certainly was like "cold waters to a thirsty soul". It wasn't necessarily the particular scripture reference that impacted me. It was the moment that I, as a parent, realized that my children are moving into adulthood with continued commitments to Jesus Christ.
My point is not that I doubted in any way that this would take place. My point is that my surprisingly, emotional response to this realization confirmed in my heart what desires I have for my children.
Several weeks ago, our Buena Vista ministry was brought to a, hopefully, temporary halt. My partner in ministry there was approached by the village chairmen to notify us that we were illegally operating a church without a license. So, we agreed to postpone any further meetings until we have legal documentation.
I question the motives of a man who comes against a ministry designed to reach and disciple the very youth of the village that they have complained are smoking marijuana on our property. We'll let the Lord deal with this man. In the meantime, I have a few more nights per week to enjoy with my family.
We're still expecting an answer from the Immigration Department on the approval of our permanent residency application. We're hopeful that this approval answer will come any day now. this will be a major step towards a sustained presence in this country for our family. In the meantime, we're visitors on tourist visas, even though we've been here for two years now.
Also, since our last post, we have been notified that our rental "agreement" is scheduled to end at the end of November. Because of this, we're currently exploring all options as we seek the Lord on where he wants us move to. This will be our fourth move in two years.
Please join with us in prayer during this important time in our lives here in Belize. We appreciate you who will commit to praying for us as often as you remember. I believe that the purposes for which we have been called here are revealing themselves now as well as in the near future.
Thanks for taking the time to read a little bit about our lives here in Belize. Feel free to message or email us. We welcome interaction, especially from missionaries in other countries.
Sometimes life presents moments or situations in which we, as individuals, are surprised by our own emotional responses to them. Sometimes they are landmarks in life that are obviously monumental, such as a birth, a death, a marriage, etc... Contrarily, sometimes they are unexpected moments that move us in ways that we could never anticipate.
A few of the more obvious moments, for me, have been; my wedding day, the day my Father passed away, the day(s) that I learned that Francie was pregnant, the moment that I was saying goodbye to my coworkers, the day that Francie miscarried, the day that we boarded the cruise ship in Galveston, Tx, the day(s) that I found out that I was going to be a grandfather, the days of my childrens' weddings, etc...
Yesterday, I had one of these moments that, in itself, may seem rather ordinary to most. However, to me, judging by my emotional response to it, was no less significant than the aforementioned.
Proverbs 25:25 says, "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country."
As I mentioned in our previous post, my daughter and son-in-law, Kayla and Darrell were scheduled to move from Belize to Canada for "a season". Well, they did exactly that.
Yesterday, I read a message that was posted on the computer by Kayla referencing a scripture that she came across that moved her enough to share. My emotional response to this actually surprised me at first. As I thought about it later, I realized that we can learn a lot about ourselves by the moments that move us in these ways.
This "good news from a far country" certainly was like "cold waters to a thirsty soul". It wasn't necessarily the particular scripture reference that impacted me. It was the moment that I, as a parent, realized that my children are moving into adulthood with continued commitments to Jesus Christ.
My point is not that I doubted in any way that this would take place. My point is that my surprisingly, emotional response to this realization confirmed in my heart what desires I have for my children.
Several weeks ago, our Buena Vista ministry was brought to a, hopefully, temporary halt. My partner in ministry there was approached by the village chairmen to notify us that we were illegally operating a church without a license. So, we agreed to postpone any further meetings until we have legal documentation.
I question the motives of a man who comes against a ministry designed to reach and disciple the very youth of the village that they have complained are smoking marijuana on our property. We'll let the Lord deal with this man. In the meantime, I have a few more nights per week to enjoy with my family.
We're still expecting an answer from the Immigration Department on the approval of our permanent residency application. We're hopeful that this approval answer will come any day now. this will be a major step towards a sustained presence in this country for our family. In the meantime, we're visitors on tourist visas, even though we've been here for two years now.
Also, since our last post, we have been notified that our rental "agreement" is scheduled to end at the end of November. Because of this, we're currently exploring all options as we seek the Lord on where he wants us move to. This will be our fourth move in two years.
Please join with us in prayer during this important time in our lives here in Belize. We appreciate you who will commit to praying for us as often as you remember. I believe that the purposes for which we have been called here are revealing themselves now as well as in the near future.
Thanks for taking the time to read a little bit about our lives here in Belize. Feel free to message or email us. We welcome interaction, especially from missionaries in other countries.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Gaining Momentum
Submitted by Jason;
In March I posted about "The Need For A Base In The Village". Well, in June, we were able to begin leasing a building with the help of a few churches in the U.S. that have caught the vision. The building is two stories. It was, at one time, used as a church. My ministry partner, Pastor Dale Loy, donated two billiards tables which are used downstairs as a tool to bring in the young people that wouldn't otherwise step foot in a church. The upper room is a 30' x 40' open floor plan that we use as our sanctuary.
We're currently averaging 50-60 young people every Wednesday and Saturday night. We're identifying leaders and are in need of a plan to disciple those leaders in a way that pulls the potential out of them. In order to take a step such as this, we need more laborers who feel called and committed to giving themselves away to the people of Belize, primarily the young people of Buena Vista.
With our Buena Vista ministry gaining momentum, and many people expressing interest in following our progress in the village, we felt the need to name our ministry. We have settled on Grace Church Buena Vista. We're in the process of developing a website that allows friends and family to more easily follow what's happening here, in Belize.
Bill Craver of DCI Missions has also partnered with us this summer in bringing the missions teams that he hosts from Canada and the U.S. to our church on Wednesday nights. Last week, in fact, one of his short term missions teams supplied the paint and the manpower to paint the inside of our church, both upstairs and downstairs. The children in Buena Vista really enjoy the coloring books, face paint, nail polish, etc. that the teams bring with them. All things considered, the teams usually tell me at the end of the evening that they received more than they gave.
One member of a previous team from Canada has kept in touch and helped raise funds for us to be able to purchase a new toilet and bathroom sink for Grace Church Buena Vista. These types of relationships are essential for our forward progress with our growing vision. Our vision for the church will be shared in detail on our website, which should be up soon.
On a personal note, Francie and I recently found out that we're expecting our second grandchild. Brendan and Asia are expecting in February. My son, Andrew, has been in Belize City for the last few weeks as a volunteer counselor for Belize Camping Experience, a Christian youth camp program. He has a few more weeks to go. He's scheduled to return on Aug 16th. I expect him to post about his experience at camp when he returns. Also, Darrell & Kayla, my son-in-law and daughter are moving to Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada on Aug 7th. Darrell has a trucking job lined up and they're committed to it for "a season".
The Domata Bible School that I posted about previously has been postponed. It is now scheduled to begin Sept 1st. We have, however, taken part in some of the evening meetings of World Outreach Church which is somewhat of a partnering ministry to Domata Bible School. WOC is a church in San Ignacio that is slowly gaining ground on impacting the unchurched and calling those who have strayed from the faith to return to the kingdom.
The Men Of Honor program that I'm involved with continues to hold meetings every Friday evening. MOH Belize is a discipleship program for young men within the age range of 11-17 years of age. We focus on teaching these "men" valuable lessons on biblical manhood. We teach them that "Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous.", "Good is the enemy of best.", "Fear attracts attack.", "There is no greatness outside of God.", and "If there is no man, I will be the man.", to name a few.
On behalf of my whole family, I'd like to thank all of you who've committed to partnering with us in prayer and financially. Please continue to pray for us as often as you think of us. There's much ground to be gained for His kingdom here, in Belize and we covet your prayers.
Anyone desiring to visit or bring a team, feel free to contact us. We'd gladly assist you in making this possible. Thanks and God bless.
In March I posted about "The Need For A Base In The Village". Well, in June, we were able to begin leasing a building with the help of a few churches in the U.S. that have caught the vision. The building is two stories. It was, at one time, used as a church. My ministry partner, Pastor Dale Loy, donated two billiards tables which are used downstairs as a tool to bring in the young people that wouldn't otherwise step foot in a church. The upper room is a 30' x 40' open floor plan that we use as our sanctuary.
We're currently averaging 50-60 young people every Wednesday and Saturday night. We're identifying leaders and are in need of a plan to disciple those leaders in a way that pulls the potential out of them. In order to take a step such as this, we need more laborers who feel called and committed to giving themselves away to the people of Belize, primarily the young people of Buena Vista.
With our Buena Vista ministry gaining momentum, and many people expressing interest in following our progress in the village, we felt the need to name our ministry. We have settled on Grace Church Buena Vista. We're in the process of developing a website that allows friends and family to more easily follow what's happening here, in Belize.
Bill Craver of DCI Missions has also partnered with us this summer in bringing the missions teams that he hosts from Canada and the U.S. to our church on Wednesday nights. Last week, in fact, one of his short term missions teams supplied the paint and the manpower to paint the inside of our church, both upstairs and downstairs. The children in Buena Vista really enjoy the coloring books, face paint, nail polish, etc. that the teams bring with them. All things considered, the teams usually tell me at the end of the evening that they received more than they gave.
One member of a previous team from Canada has kept in touch and helped raise funds for us to be able to purchase a new toilet and bathroom sink for Grace Church Buena Vista. These types of relationships are essential for our forward progress with our growing vision. Our vision for the church will be shared in detail on our website, which should be up soon.
On a personal note, Francie and I recently found out that we're expecting our second grandchild. Brendan and Asia are expecting in February. My son, Andrew, has been in Belize City for the last few weeks as a volunteer counselor for Belize Camping Experience, a Christian youth camp program. He has a few more weeks to go. He's scheduled to return on Aug 16th. I expect him to post about his experience at camp when he returns. Also, Darrell & Kayla, my son-in-law and daughter are moving to Whitecourt, Alberta, Canada on Aug 7th. Darrell has a trucking job lined up and they're committed to it for "a season".
The Domata Bible School that I posted about previously has been postponed. It is now scheduled to begin Sept 1st. We have, however, taken part in some of the evening meetings of World Outreach Church which is somewhat of a partnering ministry to Domata Bible School. WOC is a church in San Ignacio that is slowly gaining ground on impacting the unchurched and calling those who have strayed from the faith to return to the kingdom.
The Men Of Honor program that I'm involved with continues to hold meetings every Friday evening. MOH Belize is a discipleship program for young men within the age range of 11-17 years of age. We focus on teaching these "men" valuable lessons on biblical manhood. We teach them that "Manhood and Christlikeness are synonymous.", "Good is the enemy of best.", "Fear attracts attack.", "There is no greatness outside of God.", and "If there is no man, I will be the man.", to name a few.
On behalf of my whole family, I'd like to thank all of you who've committed to partnering with us in prayer and financially. Please continue to pray for us as often as you think of us. There's much ground to be gained for His kingdom here, in Belize and we covet your prayers.
Anyone desiring to visit or bring a team, feel free to contact us. We'd gladly assist you in making this possible. Thanks and God bless.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Domata Discipleship School Of Ministry
Submitted by Jason;
It's always interesting to see how the Lord uses events, situations and circumstances to orchestrate his kingdom. Like a chess player, He is strategically positioning his people for advancement and victory all over the world. Here, in Belize, is no different. I 'd like to share some of the events, situations and circumstances that He has recently used to lead us into the next season of ministry here.
As you may or may not know, we've been ministering in Buena Vista, Bz, a small Spanish village, since Oct '13. Recently, with the financial help of some friends from the U.S. and Canada, I was able to take a young needy boy in the village shopping for some school uniforms and supplies.
While shopping, we stopped at a Hindu owned store in San Ignacio. I found some of the items that he needed and proceeded to purchase them. At the check out counter, the store owner began to randomly tell me about this unusual pain that he gets in his head that travels down into his neck and shoulder as he rang up the items. Although I knew that I was supposed to pray for him to be healed, I paid for my stuff and left.
I was convicted for not obeying what the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. When I got home, I was asking the Lord what had happened. What was behind my disobedience? How did I miss such an opportunity for the Lord to show himself strong on my behalf as well as the Hindu man's behalf? The Holy Spirit quickly pointed out that I was walking in the flesh, not in the Spirit.
We, Christians, have all been there, right? We pray for opportunities to minister as we go about our daily business and when they present themselves, sometimes we just fall short of accomplishing the very thing that we know that we are supposed to do. My failure was not walking in the Spirit in that moment. I was with a few friends, enjoying our shopping that day, paying little attention to spiritual matters. The bible says in Romans 8:8, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.", and Galatians 5:25 says, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.". If I had been walking in the Spirit, I would have been prepared to confront such a spiritual matter when it presented itself, but I was not. I repented to God for my disobedience and vowed to go back and visit the Hindu store owner.
A few days later, a friend of ours stopped by our house and I shared this experience with him. He, Francie and I decided to go to San Ignacio that day to see this man. When we arrived, I greeted the man and asked him how his head and neck condition was. He said that it comes and goes and that he remembered me being in his store. I told him that I came back to pray for him. He pulled out a few chairs and we sat and visited with him for about 15 minutes.
He told us how he grew up in India in a Hindu home, but when he came to Belize someone gave him a picture of Jesus and that every time that he looks at the picture it's as if Jesus is beckoning him. Those were his words. As we shared with him he seemed a bit uncomfortable, but he listened to us and allowed us to pray for him. I believe that, like many Hindus, he honors many gods and Jesus, to him, is just another god on his list. The pictures on the walls and statues in the store of Hindu gods is evidence enough that he has not fully placed his faith in Jesus Christ as the one true God.
Before we left, he introduced us to his employees. We asked one young lady if she had any needs that she'd like for us to pray with her about. She told us that her and her husband are separated and that she wants to be reconciled to him. So we agreed with her in prayer that this would take place in her life.
I shared these encounters with my church in Spanish Lookout and publicly asked the church to notify me of any strong Christian churches in the San Ignacio are that I could refer my new friends to so that they could have a church to attend and connect with. Unfortunately, the reports that I received were not favorable towards the churches there. This was such a surprise to me for a city the size of San Ignacio, which along with it's twin city of Santa Elena has the second highest population in Belize.
About a week later, I was introducing a friend of mine to a man that I met from North Carolina, USA who was in Belize to, ironically enough, look for a building in San Ignacio to start a bible school that he has been led to pioneer. The three of us agreed to take a ride to San Ignacio to see the building that he was in the process of negotiating a deal with the landlord on.
As we drove, we talked about this store owner and I told them that I'd like to pay him a visit to see how he is doing. When we arrived, we visited the man and again he gratefully pulled up some chairs and allowed us to visit with him. I asked him where his employee, that we prayed for, was. He said that after we prayed, she received a phone call from her husband asking her to move to Belize City to be with him again. Together, we rejoiced. He then introduced us to his other employees, one of which shared how the other young lady had told her about how we prayed for her and our prayer was answered. So, we asked her if we could pray for a need of hers as well. She agreed and, before we left, we prayed for alcoholism to be broken in the life of her father. After this, we visited the building which is visible from the Hindu store. We walked through it as our friend shared his vision for how the Lord was leading him to use the building.
In the following days, we spent some more time together sharing our lives and what the Lord has done and is doing. Francie and I were asked to pray about considering getting involved with the new bible school.
As we did, the Lord used the events of my experience with the Hindu store, the situation that has presented itself in the form of an opportunity to serve in what I believe is going to stir the hearts of many and the circumstances of a city in need of a strong ministry that powerfully demonstrates the love of Christ, among other things, to confirm in our hearts that this is, in fact, the direction that we are to go in for this next season of our lives. So, in mid-June, we will assist in the pioneering work of Domata Discipleship School Of Ministry.
We, as in times past, continue to walk in faith for provision. We are currently in need of sound equipment, musical instruments and other supplies. Anyone with a desire to plant a seed into this ministry would be greatly appreciated.
As always, thanks in advance to those who partner with us both financially and in prayer as we continue to give ourselves away for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to God be the glory.
It's always interesting to see how the Lord uses events, situations and circumstances to orchestrate his kingdom. Like a chess player, He is strategically positioning his people for advancement and victory all over the world. Here, in Belize, is no different. I 'd like to share some of the events, situations and circumstances that He has recently used to lead us into the next season of ministry here.
As you may or may not know, we've been ministering in Buena Vista, Bz, a small Spanish village, since Oct '13. Recently, with the financial help of some friends from the U.S. and Canada, I was able to take a young needy boy in the village shopping for some school uniforms and supplies.
While shopping, we stopped at a Hindu owned store in San Ignacio. I found some of the items that he needed and proceeded to purchase them. At the check out counter, the store owner began to randomly tell me about this unusual pain that he gets in his head that travels down into his neck and shoulder as he rang up the items. Although I knew that I was supposed to pray for him to be healed, I paid for my stuff and left.
I was convicted for not obeying what the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. When I got home, I was asking the Lord what had happened. What was behind my disobedience? How did I miss such an opportunity for the Lord to show himself strong on my behalf as well as the Hindu man's behalf? The Holy Spirit quickly pointed out that I was walking in the flesh, not in the Spirit.
We, Christians, have all been there, right? We pray for opportunities to minister as we go about our daily business and when they present themselves, sometimes we just fall short of accomplishing the very thing that we know that we are supposed to do. My failure was not walking in the Spirit in that moment. I was with a few friends, enjoying our shopping that day, paying little attention to spiritual matters. The bible says in Romans 8:8, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.", and Galatians 5:25 says, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.". If I had been walking in the Spirit, I would have been prepared to confront such a spiritual matter when it presented itself, but I was not. I repented to God for my disobedience and vowed to go back and visit the Hindu store owner.
A few days later, a friend of ours stopped by our house and I shared this experience with him. He, Francie and I decided to go to San Ignacio that day to see this man. When we arrived, I greeted the man and asked him how his head and neck condition was. He said that it comes and goes and that he remembered me being in his store. I told him that I came back to pray for him. He pulled out a few chairs and we sat and visited with him for about 15 minutes.
He told us how he grew up in India in a Hindu home, but when he came to Belize someone gave him a picture of Jesus and that every time that he looks at the picture it's as if Jesus is beckoning him. Those were his words. As we shared with him he seemed a bit uncomfortable, but he listened to us and allowed us to pray for him. I believe that, like many Hindus, he honors many gods and Jesus, to him, is just another god on his list. The pictures on the walls and statues in the store of Hindu gods is evidence enough that he has not fully placed his faith in Jesus Christ as the one true God.
Before we left, he introduced us to his employees. We asked one young lady if she had any needs that she'd like for us to pray with her about. She told us that her and her husband are separated and that she wants to be reconciled to him. So we agreed with her in prayer that this would take place in her life.
I shared these encounters with my church in Spanish Lookout and publicly asked the church to notify me of any strong Christian churches in the San Ignacio are that I could refer my new friends to so that they could have a church to attend and connect with. Unfortunately, the reports that I received were not favorable towards the churches there. This was such a surprise to me for a city the size of San Ignacio, which along with it's twin city of Santa Elena has the second highest population in Belize.
About a week later, I was introducing a friend of mine to a man that I met from North Carolina, USA who was in Belize to, ironically enough, look for a building in San Ignacio to start a bible school that he has been led to pioneer. The three of us agreed to take a ride to San Ignacio to see the building that he was in the process of negotiating a deal with the landlord on.
As we drove, we talked about this store owner and I told them that I'd like to pay him a visit to see how he is doing. When we arrived, we visited the man and again he gratefully pulled up some chairs and allowed us to visit with him. I asked him where his employee, that we prayed for, was. He said that after we prayed, she received a phone call from her husband asking her to move to Belize City to be with him again. Together, we rejoiced. He then introduced us to his other employees, one of which shared how the other young lady had told her about how we prayed for her and our prayer was answered. So, we asked her if we could pray for a need of hers as well. She agreed and, before we left, we prayed for alcoholism to be broken in the life of her father. After this, we visited the building which is visible from the Hindu store. We walked through it as our friend shared his vision for how the Lord was leading him to use the building.
In the following days, we spent some more time together sharing our lives and what the Lord has done and is doing. Francie and I were asked to pray about considering getting involved with the new bible school.
As we did, the Lord used the events of my experience with the Hindu store, the situation that has presented itself in the form of an opportunity to serve in what I believe is going to stir the hearts of many and the circumstances of a city in need of a strong ministry that powerfully demonstrates the love of Christ, among other things, to confirm in our hearts that this is, in fact, the direction that we are to go in for this next season of our lives. So, in mid-June, we will assist in the pioneering work of Domata Discipleship School Of Ministry.
We, as in times past, continue to walk in faith for provision. We are currently in need of sound equipment, musical instruments and other supplies. Anyone with a desire to plant a seed into this ministry would be greatly appreciated.
As always, thanks in advance to those who partner with us both financially and in prayer as we continue to give ourselves away for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ and to God be the glory.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
The Need For A Base In The Village
Submitted by Jason;
As we continue to work in Buena Vista, Bz and build relationships with the locals, we are becoming more and more aware of the needs of this village. We've known from the beginning that the real need here is for long term discipleship, people that commit to invest in the lives of the children, youth and adults. The affects of "gringos" (Americans) that have come and given financially to the poor in the name of Christ, love or basic good will and then left are evident to us as we visit the village and talk with the people.
The result is a welfare mentality that passes from generation to generation struggling from season to season awaiting for the next hand out. Many able-bodied men do not work. They seem to find a way to survive in poverty and in some cases have mastered the art of appearing hopelessly desperate for help from anyone whose love of Christ or heart to give is greater than their ability to see the reasons behind their poverty. Having said that, the truth of the matter is still that many children suffer as a result of this cycle.
Last Saturday, a 9 yr old boy, who is new to the village, attended our Sat night outreach for the first time. We've been told that he was given over to strangers to look after him by his extended family. We've since heard that this young boy told another girl that his father is in jail for murdering his mother by slitting her throat. He came to the village with the clothes on his back and a few belongings that he carried in a plastic store bag.
I posted some information on Facebook to see if any of my friends would be interested in helping this boy with some of his basic needs. Several people have contacted me with a desire to help. At this point it appears that, through these friends, I'll be able to facilitate the purchase of school uniforms, school supplies, socks, underwear, shoes, toiletries, a blanket, a pillow, a few toys and possibly even a bicycle. I'm thankful for the quick response of those committed to help.
At this time, I feel that it's important to inform our family and friends of the predicament that we're facing. While this particular boy's circumstances may be extraordinary in terms of immediate needs, the number of children in the village that we would consider having legitimate needs are overwhelming. Because of this, we're praying about a solution to determining which, and how many, needs we can help meet without enabling the above mentioned welfare mentality.
We've talked briefly with the principal of the school yesterday in an effort to gain insight into this matter. We have committed to meet with her next Tuesday to continue our conversation.
As we currently understand, most children in the village only attend school until the age of 11 or 12. For most, at this time, they're forced to make adult decisions regarding their future based upon whether or not they'll have enough money or sponsors to continue their education or will they need to try to find work? Many of the students fortunate enough to have sponsors are sponsored for one year. This leaves these kids uncertain if they'll attend school the following year or not. The ones that are unable to continue their education wind up wandering the village engaged in drinking, sex and drugs.
So, this is where we come in. We, as in, us and you.
Our desire is to have a permanent structure in Buena Vista from which we could minister to the needs of the community and have a long term discipleship program as well. We're praying that the right property and resources become available for us to continue this work that He's begun in us and in Buena Vista.
So, while we continue to selectively find ways to meet the outstanding individual needs of the village, I'm asking that you please understand that if you have a sincere desire to help these kids, the real long term solution is in supporting the need for a base in the village for us to operate from.
Thanks for taking the time to read this in it's entirety.
Please feel free to contact Francie, or me, with questions, concerns or a desire for more information. I struggled to keep this as brief as possible.
As always, thanks to all of you who support us, both financially and in prayer.
As we continue to work in Buena Vista, Bz and build relationships with the locals, we are becoming more and more aware of the needs of this village. We've known from the beginning that the real need here is for long term discipleship, people that commit to invest in the lives of the children, youth and adults. The affects of "gringos" (Americans) that have come and given financially to the poor in the name of Christ, love or basic good will and then left are evident to us as we visit the village and talk with the people.
The result is a welfare mentality that passes from generation to generation struggling from season to season awaiting for the next hand out. Many able-bodied men do not work. They seem to find a way to survive in poverty and in some cases have mastered the art of appearing hopelessly desperate for help from anyone whose love of Christ or heart to give is greater than their ability to see the reasons behind their poverty. Having said that, the truth of the matter is still that many children suffer as a result of this cycle.
Last Saturday, a 9 yr old boy, who is new to the village, attended our Sat night outreach for the first time. We've been told that he was given over to strangers to look after him by his extended family. We've since heard that this young boy told another girl that his father is in jail for murdering his mother by slitting her throat. He came to the village with the clothes on his back and a few belongings that he carried in a plastic store bag.
I posted some information on Facebook to see if any of my friends would be interested in helping this boy with some of his basic needs. Several people have contacted me with a desire to help. At this point it appears that, through these friends, I'll be able to facilitate the purchase of school uniforms, school supplies, socks, underwear, shoes, toiletries, a blanket, a pillow, a few toys and possibly even a bicycle. I'm thankful for the quick response of those committed to help.
At this time, I feel that it's important to inform our family and friends of the predicament that we're facing. While this particular boy's circumstances may be extraordinary in terms of immediate needs, the number of children in the village that we would consider having legitimate needs are overwhelming. Because of this, we're praying about a solution to determining which, and how many, needs we can help meet without enabling the above mentioned welfare mentality.
We've talked briefly with the principal of the school yesterday in an effort to gain insight into this matter. We have committed to meet with her next Tuesday to continue our conversation.
As we currently understand, most children in the village only attend school until the age of 11 or 12. For most, at this time, they're forced to make adult decisions regarding their future based upon whether or not they'll have enough money or sponsors to continue their education or will they need to try to find work? Many of the students fortunate enough to have sponsors are sponsored for one year. This leaves these kids uncertain if they'll attend school the following year or not. The ones that are unable to continue their education wind up wandering the village engaged in drinking, sex and drugs.
So, this is where we come in. We, as in, us and you.
Our desire is to have a permanent structure in Buena Vista from which we could minister to the needs of the community and have a long term discipleship program as well. We're praying that the right property and resources become available for us to continue this work that He's begun in us and in Buena Vista.
So, while we continue to selectively find ways to meet the outstanding individual needs of the village, I'm asking that you please understand that if you have a sincere desire to help these kids, the real long term solution is in supporting the need for a base in the village for us to operate from.
Thanks for taking the time to read this in it's entirety.
Please feel free to contact Francie, or me, with questions, concerns or a desire for more information. I struggled to keep this as brief as possible.
As always, thanks to all of you who support us, both financially and in prayer.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
No Cost Too Great
Submitted by Jason;
After 16 months of being in Belize, I can honestly say that I feel a strong move of The Spirit gaining momentum. Like any heavy thing, having the laws of physics applied to it, it's been moving and increasing in speed and force. I can feel it in my spirit. I can see it in our church. I can feel it when my wife and I discuss and pray about things pertaining to The Spirit. Without it, we're powerless as we go about the Father's business. Powerless Christianity leaves people wondering if change is really occurring, if healing has actually taken place and if restoration is even possible. However, when a believer, filled with The Holy Spirit, connects with Truth and a body of believers unifies and rallies around Him, there's little doubt left in even the most skeptical of hearts regarding whether true change is in the air.
While much of our existence here, in Belize, is still very much unsettled, we're secure in knowing that the Lord has our lives in His timing. Yes, we, from time to time, allow ourselves to get our eyes off of Him and onto the mountains that are before us, but His promises are unchanging. No matter what we see in the natural, our hope is in Him. He doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't miscommunicate with His children. He's not worried and He never gets distracted from what He's doing in our lives. These truths allow me to concentrate more effort towards building momentum for His kingdom.
Building momentum in His kingdom revolves around hearing and doing. It's more about listening for instruction before we step out in any work than it is actually working in the name of just doing work. Doing work that He's not instructed you to take part in will bear fruit for a season, but it's not sustainable. I'm learning in my own personal prayer time to become a better listener to what He's communicating to me. For far too long, I've prayed with much too many words and, in many cases, without even listening for His response to these words. If He doesn't go before me, I don't want to go. I want to be led by Him rather than having Him tag along behind me to remind me when I make a wrong turn.
This is just a little glimpse into where I'm at in my walk with Him. Francie and I are becoming more and more determined to see Him work in our lives with power. People have heard of Him. They've heard of His works and power. We believe that the Holy Spirit was the missing element in the lives of the twelve disciples. Before "the comforter" came, they were powerless, but as soon as Christ went to the Father and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples, their lives, as they knew them, were wrecked and they spent the remainder of their days being led by The Spirit as they proclaimed the good news of the gospel from city to city regardless of the cost. They found a place in their lives where there was no cost too great to keep them from obedience.
So can we.
As I mentioned previously, we have been privileged to take part in an outreach in Buena Vista. When we began this outreach in Oct on Saturday nights, we had hoped to reach the teens of the village. Instead, we started drawing kids from the ages of 14 and down. Our Saturday night meetings have peaked around 70 and average somewhere around 50 in an average meeting.
We noticed that there were some teens that were coming out, but were a bit reluctant to join in on the meetings that we've structured to reach the younger kids. So, we started meeting out there on Wednesday nights for those that are 13 and up. We set up a volleyball net as the draw and last Wednesday, on our first teen night, we had over 30 teens come out. We were encouraged by the number of teens drawn out on the first night. We played volleyball for about an hour and then shared a short message with them afterwards as they enjoyed a light snack and refreshments.
Please join us in prayer for these young people. It's our heart to disciple those that are hungry and in need, not just an increase in numbers of kids in attendance. I've yet to have anyone disagree with the fact that Buena Vista is the poorest, most violent, most needy village in our area. These kids are desperate for hope and peace in their lives. We believe that long term discipleship is the only hope for a village like this. So, I ask for you to join us in prayer for the laborers, the direction, the ears to hear what The Spirit is saying and the obedience to walk without fear into the places that Christ says to go.
I'm also working with a ministry to 10-17 year old "men" called Men Of Honor. This is a ministry from Texas that has partnered with Fountain Of Life Church in Spanish Lookout, Belize to transform the lives of the young men in Belize. I have heard a recent statistic that 80% of Belize's population is 25 years of age or younger. There's a real struggle here for young people to find their identity in Christ. Like many youth across the world, they look to the wrong influences for their identity if not discipled. Men Of Honor commits to show young men what it means to be a godly man. This is a pivotal time for this ministry. Your prayers for this ministry would be greatly appreciated as well.
In January, I had the joy of hosting my sister, mother, and father-in-law, who had visited to attend the wedding of my oldest daughter, Kayla. I was able to share with them the magnificence of Belize. We visited the Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech, went horseback riding at Banana Bank, visited the Belize Zoo and spent a few days in the beautiful, coastal Caribbean town of Maya Beach (Placencia) where Kayla's wedding took place on the beach.
Thanks you in advance to all of you who commit to support us in prayer and finances. Thank you to those who encourage us in time of need and a special "thank you" to my mother, Sue for all that you've done for us.
After 16 months of being in Belize, I can honestly say that I feel a strong move of The Spirit gaining momentum. Like any heavy thing, having the laws of physics applied to it, it's been moving and increasing in speed and force. I can feel it in my spirit. I can see it in our church. I can feel it when my wife and I discuss and pray about things pertaining to The Spirit. Without it, we're powerless as we go about the Father's business. Powerless Christianity leaves people wondering if change is really occurring, if healing has actually taken place and if restoration is even possible. However, when a believer, filled with The Holy Spirit, connects with Truth and a body of believers unifies and rallies around Him, there's little doubt left in even the most skeptical of hearts regarding whether true change is in the air.
While much of our existence here, in Belize, is still very much unsettled, we're secure in knowing that the Lord has our lives in His timing. Yes, we, from time to time, allow ourselves to get our eyes off of Him and onto the mountains that are before us, but His promises are unchanging. No matter what we see in the natural, our hope is in Him. He doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't miscommunicate with His children. He's not worried and He never gets distracted from what He's doing in our lives. These truths allow me to concentrate more effort towards building momentum for His kingdom.
Building momentum in His kingdom revolves around hearing and doing. It's more about listening for instruction before we step out in any work than it is actually working in the name of just doing work. Doing work that He's not instructed you to take part in will bear fruit for a season, but it's not sustainable. I'm learning in my own personal prayer time to become a better listener to what He's communicating to me. For far too long, I've prayed with much too many words and, in many cases, without even listening for His response to these words. If He doesn't go before me, I don't want to go. I want to be led by Him rather than having Him tag along behind me to remind me when I make a wrong turn.
This is just a little glimpse into where I'm at in my walk with Him. Francie and I are becoming more and more determined to see Him work in our lives with power. People have heard of Him. They've heard of His works and power. We believe that the Holy Spirit was the missing element in the lives of the twelve disciples. Before "the comforter" came, they were powerless, but as soon as Christ went to the Father and the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples, their lives, as they knew them, were wrecked and they spent the remainder of their days being led by The Spirit as they proclaimed the good news of the gospel from city to city regardless of the cost. They found a place in their lives where there was no cost too great to keep them from obedience.
So can we.
As I mentioned previously, we have been privileged to take part in an outreach in Buena Vista. When we began this outreach in Oct on Saturday nights, we had hoped to reach the teens of the village. Instead, we started drawing kids from the ages of 14 and down. Our Saturday night meetings have peaked around 70 and average somewhere around 50 in an average meeting.
We noticed that there were some teens that were coming out, but were a bit reluctant to join in on the meetings that we've structured to reach the younger kids. So, we started meeting out there on Wednesday nights for those that are 13 and up. We set up a volleyball net as the draw and last Wednesday, on our first teen night, we had over 30 teens come out. We were encouraged by the number of teens drawn out on the first night. We played volleyball for about an hour and then shared a short message with them afterwards as they enjoyed a light snack and refreshments.
Please join us in prayer for these young people. It's our heart to disciple those that are hungry and in need, not just an increase in numbers of kids in attendance. I've yet to have anyone disagree with the fact that Buena Vista is the poorest, most violent, most needy village in our area. These kids are desperate for hope and peace in their lives. We believe that long term discipleship is the only hope for a village like this. So, I ask for you to join us in prayer for the laborers, the direction, the ears to hear what The Spirit is saying and the obedience to walk without fear into the places that Christ says to go.
I'm also working with a ministry to 10-17 year old "men" called Men Of Honor. This is a ministry from Texas that has partnered with Fountain Of Life Church in Spanish Lookout, Belize to transform the lives of the young men in Belize. I have heard a recent statistic that 80% of Belize's population is 25 years of age or younger. There's a real struggle here for young people to find their identity in Christ. Like many youth across the world, they look to the wrong influences for their identity if not discipled. Men Of Honor commits to show young men what it means to be a godly man. This is a pivotal time for this ministry. Your prayers for this ministry would be greatly appreciated as well.
In January, I had the joy of hosting my sister, mother, and father-in-law, who had visited to attend the wedding of my oldest daughter, Kayla. I was able to share with them the magnificence of Belize. We visited the Mayan ruins of Cahal Pech, went horseback riding at Banana Bank, visited the Belize Zoo and spent a few days in the beautiful, coastal Caribbean town of Maya Beach (Placencia) where Kayla's wedding took place on the beach.
Thanks you in advance to all of you who commit to support us in prayer and finances. Thank you to those who encourage us in time of need and a special "thank you" to my mother, Sue for all that you've done for us.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Casa De Esperanza
Submitted by Jason:
It's been about 4 weeks since our last post. This period of time has undoubtedly been an interesting stretch of our time here in Belize. On a personal level, we celebrated the one year anniversary of our arrival in Belize, Francie & my 19th wedding anniversary, our son, Joey's 14th birthday, our daughter-in-law, Asia's 22nd birthday, our 16 yr old son, Andrew's completion of an intensive 3 week discipleship course called LCI (Life Change Institute), and our oldest daughter Kayla's wedding engagement. In this time, we were also introduced to the "not so glamorous" side of the mission field with whooping cough, high fevers, staph infection and the departure of our American friends, the Reeds, who after 10 months in Belize, returned to South Carolina to regroup.
While the details of all of these circumstances and events crammed into a 4 week period of time could certainly provide enough material for an entertaining and informative look into our lives here in Belize, I would prefer to focus your attention on the ministerial side of what is developing here.
I've been continuing to lead the Men Of Honor group for our Fountain Of Life Church here in Spanish Lookout in the absence of our pastor, who has been ministering in the states for the last 5 weeks or so. I'm encouraged by the commitment level that I've seen from the "men" that have been attending the meetings to date. I'm thankful to have an opportunity to be a part of what I believe will be a major movement among the young men in Belize, particularly the Cayo district.
There is another ministry work that we've been invited to take part in that has me equally excited. A couple of American friends here, one of which has lived in a small, needy, Spanish village called Buena Vista just on the outskirts of our current hometown of Spanish Lookout, for over 5 years as the hands and feet of Christ to that village, have invited us to join them in a Saturday night outreach to the youth of that village. These men approached us with on open invitation to join them as they prayed and planned the logistics of this ministry.
Our friend who lives in Buena Vista has been purchasing, storing and administering medical supplies to this village for several years now. With many of the villagers living without their own transportation, he often gives them rides to the local hospital at all hours of the day and night, whenever the need arises. He has told me of how he has driven people to the hospital after drunken machete fights and gunfights.
He has currently put several thousands of dollars of his own money to build a modest sized cement block building with a concrete foundation on a small parcel of land, which he recently acquired, adjacent to his property and calls Casa De Esperanza (House Of Hope). His vision for this building has multiple purposes. He would like to use this building as a more sterile, clinical environment from which he could continue to medically minister to the village. He has a passion to see the drug addicts recover and hold regular support meetings here for them. He would also like to use this building as a means to separate the wide age range of youth that have attended the Sat night meetings.
For now, as we await the necessary finances to complete Casa De Esperanza, we have erected a temporary structure consisting of a wooden framed room with a tarped ceiling, screened walls and a shipping container serving as the backdrop of the structure. In our first two meetings, we had over 40 youth in attendance on each night. The space in this temporary structure is already somewhat limited and we've only just begun to evangelize Buena Vista. There has been an older demographic of youth that has been a little reluctant to come in and join us. They stand back in the shadows of the night and watch from a distance just outside of the reach of the light. With more room to minister, we're confident that we could split the meeting into age appropriate groups that would encourage the growth of this work there.
We're working with interpreters as we gain a better understanding of the Spanish language. While English is the official language of Belize, there are many small Spanish villages that comprise of Guatamalans, Hondurans, El Salvadorans, etc. spread throughout Belize. Because of this, we are learning that most of the adults, who have not been through a Belizean school where English is taught, do not have a good understanding of the English language. So, for the most part, only those who have at least been in school for a few years have a fair understanding of English.
It's been a joy thus far as we build relationships with the children, as well as the adults, in this village. The joy on the faces of these people as we minister with the word, activities and snacks speaks volumes to us about the affect that we're already having on the community there. These people are looking for love, hope and joy in a village where these things come less frequently than in most places that I've ever been to.
On one occasion, one of our ministry leaders recounted something that he saw during one of the meetings that changed his perspective on what these people are dealing with in the village. He told our ministry team during a mid-week planning meeting of how he watched a couple of the children consume the wrappers of the candy that was given to them during a snack time. He said that he watched the candy and the wrapper go into their mouths and never come back out. He was personally humbled as this event put his "needs" into perspective.
On a separate evening, one of our leaders had planned an "ice breaker" game in which he blindfolded three kids and had them taste something and afterward predict what they were tasting. He made it a bit interesting by covering the items in Hershey's chocolate syrup. One of the items was a chocolate covered pickle. When it was the boy's turn to tell us what he was eating he said that it was a chile. After the meeting, I was discussing this with another leader and he told me that the kids in this village don't even know what a pickle is. They've never eaten one before. So, the boy guessed the closest thing that he thought resembled what he was chewing.
These are just small examples of the cultural differences that we have from these beautiful people that have come to our attention in our first two meetings. I'm sure that there will be many more that will arise in the upcoming weeks, but one thing remains the same. The same Holy Spirit that moves in and through us across the whole earth has no language barrier. He has no cultural barrier. There is no division among social classes when it comes to Him.
This is why we have given ourselves away. We're called out to abandon everything. The riches of this world have nothing to offer compared to the riches of walking in the purpose for which you've been designed for by your Creator. This is why every man or woman who has ever stepped out into a strange land in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ have sacrificed in different ways. The heart of every missionary is to be about the Father's business. It's in these moments that we are able to look into someone's eyes who is experiencing the freedom that can only come from the price that Christ paid on the cross and feel every bit of our being aligned with His purpose for our existence.
Thank you in advance for prayerfully consider partnering with us and Casa De Esperanza, the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to Buena Vista, Belize. We're looking for prayer partners, financial partners and missions minded laborers to join us for short term missionary trips.
It's been about 4 weeks since our last post. This period of time has undoubtedly been an interesting stretch of our time here in Belize. On a personal level, we celebrated the one year anniversary of our arrival in Belize, Francie & my 19th wedding anniversary, our son, Joey's 14th birthday, our daughter-in-law, Asia's 22nd birthday, our 16 yr old son, Andrew's completion of an intensive 3 week discipleship course called LCI (Life Change Institute), and our oldest daughter Kayla's wedding engagement. In this time, we were also introduced to the "not so glamorous" side of the mission field with whooping cough, high fevers, staph infection and the departure of our American friends, the Reeds, who after 10 months in Belize, returned to South Carolina to regroup.
While the details of all of these circumstances and events crammed into a 4 week period of time could certainly provide enough material for an entertaining and informative look into our lives here in Belize, I would prefer to focus your attention on the ministerial side of what is developing here.
I've been continuing to lead the Men Of Honor group for our Fountain Of Life Church here in Spanish Lookout in the absence of our pastor, who has been ministering in the states for the last 5 weeks or so. I'm encouraged by the commitment level that I've seen from the "men" that have been attending the meetings to date. I'm thankful to have an opportunity to be a part of what I believe will be a major movement among the young men in Belize, particularly the Cayo district.
There is another ministry work that we've been invited to take part in that has me equally excited. A couple of American friends here, one of which has lived in a small, needy, Spanish village called Buena Vista just on the outskirts of our current hometown of Spanish Lookout, for over 5 years as the hands and feet of Christ to that village, have invited us to join them in a Saturday night outreach to the youth of that village. These men approached us with on open invitation to join them as they prayed and planned the logistics of this ministry.
Our friend who lives in Buena Vista has been purchasing, storing and administering medical supplies to this village for several years now. With many of the villagers living without their own transportation, he often gives them rides to the local hospital at all hours of the day and night, whenever the need arises. He has told me of how he has driven people to the hospital after drunken machete fights and gunfights.
He has currently put several thousands of dollars of his own money to build a modest sized cement block building with a concrete foundation on a small parcel of land, which he recently acquired, adjacent to his property and calls Casa De Esperanza (House Of Hope). His vision for this building has multiple purposes. He would like to use this building as a more sterile, clinical environment from which he could continue to medically minister to the village. He has a passion to see the drug addicts recover and hold regular support meetings here for them. He would also like to use this building as a means to separate the wide age range of youth that have attended the Sat night meetings.
For now, as we await the necessary finances to complete Casa De Esperanza, we have erected a temporary structure consisting of a wooden framed room with a tarped ceiling, screened walls and a shipping container serving as the backdrop of the structure. In our first two meetings, we had over 40 youth in attendance on each night. The space in this temporary structure is already somewhat limited and we've only just begun to evangelize Buena Vista. There has been an older demographic of youth that has been a little reluctant to come in and join us. They stand back in the shadows of the night and watch from a distance just outside of the reach of the light. With more room to minister, we're confident that we could split the meeting into age appropriate groups that would encourage the growth of this work there.
We're working with interpreters as we gain a better understanding of the Spanish language. While English is the official language of Belize, there are many small Spanish villages that comprise of Guatamalans, Hondurans, El Salvadorans, etc. spread throughout Belize. Because of this, we are learning that most of the adults, who have not been through a Belizean school where English is taught, do not have a good understanding of the English language. So, for the most part, only those who have at least been in school for a few years have a fair understanding of English.
It's been a joy thus far as we build relationships with the children, as well as the adults, in this village. The joy on the faces of these people as we minister with the word, activities and snacks speaks volumes to us about the affect that we're already having on the community there. These people are looking for love, hope and joy in a village where these things come less frequently than in most places that I've ever been to.
On one occasion, one of our ministry leaders recounted something that he saw during one of the meetings that changed his perspective on what these people are dealing with in the village. He told our ministry team during a mid-week planning meeting of how he watched a couple of the children consume the wrappers of the candy that was given to them during a snack time. He said that he watched the candy and the wrapper go into their mouths and never come back out. He was personally humbled as this event put his "needs" into perspective.
On a separate evening, one of our leaders had planned an "ice breaker" game in which he blindfolded three kids and had them taste something and afterward predict what they were tasting. He made it a bit interesting by covering the items in Hershey's chocolate syrup. One of the items was a chocolate covered pickle. When it was the boy's turn to tell us what he was eating he said that it was a chile. After the meeting, I was discussing this with another leader and he told me that the kids in this village don't even know what a pickle is. They've never eaten one before. So, the boy guessed the closest thing that he thought resembled what he was chewing.
These are just small examples of the cultural differences that we have from these beautiful people that have come to our attention in our first two meetings. I'm sure that there will be many more that will arise in the upcoming weeks, but one thing remains the same. The same Holy Spirit that moves in and through us across the whole earth has no language barrier. He has no cultural barrier. There is no division among social classes when it comes to Him.
This is why we have given ourselves away. We're called out to abandon everything. The riches of this world have nothing to offer compared to the riches of walking in the purpose for which you've been designed for by your Creator. This is why every man or woman who has ever stepped out into a strange land in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ have sacrificed in different ways. The heart of every missionary is to be about the Father's business. It's in these moments that we are able to look into someone's eyes who is experiencing the freedom that can only come from the price that Christ paid on the cross and feel every bit of our being aligned with His purpose for our existence.
Thank you in advance for prayerfully consider partnering with us and Casa De Esperanza, the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to Buena Vista, Belize. We're looking for prayer partners, financial partners and missions minded laborers to join us for short term missionary trips.
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Men Of Honor
Submitted by Jason:
The pastor of our church here in Spanish Lookout, Fountain Of Life Church, has been connected with several Belizean men with a heart to change the spiritual climate of this country beginning with it's youth. These Belizean men were partnering with a ministry from Texas, Men Of Honor, to reach the "men" of Belize between the ages of 10-17. After much preparation, planning and prayer, this ministry came to Belize last weekend to launch what will be (and I emphasize prophetically, WILL BE) a move of God amongst the young men that provokes a nation to repentance.
I was privileged to be invited as a father and a leader to the three day camp. There were approximately 25 young men that took part in it, not including the other fathers and leaders that participated. The camp focused on the core values that should be the mark of a godly man such as; honesty, integrity, courage, leadership, etc... It was amazing to see how God moved in the lives of these "men" in 3 short days.
On the morning of Sunday, Sept. 8, at the camp's conclusive teaching time, there was a time of prayer in which several of the young men were filled with the Holy Spirit and all were touched by His sweet, powerful presence. The leaders and fathers prayed for each of these young men with the laying on of hands and prophetic affirmation that ended with most of these young men, and several of the adults, including myself, weeping on the concrete floor, either on their hands and knees or laying face down in reverence to God's unique, transforming presence.
The visible difference in these young men on the bus ride home compared to the spiritual climate on the bus ride to camp was priceless. No amount of money could have transformed the hearts of these young men the way that one moment in His glory had. That's the Kingdom. God put his stamp of approval on this weekend by sealing it with a fresh touch from Him that will live forever in the hearts and minds of these young men.
I believe that, with proper discipleship, the ministry of Men Of Honor has everything necessary to successfully restore godliness in manhood to Belize.
In other news, we've begun the process of fulfilling all of the governmental requirements necessary to apply for residency here. Sept 20th marks the one year anniversary of when we arrived in Belize. After this date, we can officially apply.
Please continue to pray for our safety and God's direction in our lives. Our intent is to be about the Father's business. We do not want to be distracted from giving ourselves to His perfect will for us.
As always, thanks to all who continue to stand with us in prayer as well as financially. You're greatly appreciated.
The pastor of our church here in Spanish Lookout, Fountain Of Life Church, has been connected with several Belizean men with a heart to change the spiritual climate of this country beginning with it's youth. These Belizean men were partnering with a ministry from Texas, Men Of Honor, to reach the "men" of Belize between the ages of 10-17. After much preparation, planning and prayer, this ministry came to Belize last weekend to launch what will be (and I emphasize prophetically, WILL BE) a move of God amongst the young men that provokes a nation to repentance.
I was privileged to be invited as a father and a leader to the three day camp. There were approximately 25 young men that took part in it, not including the other fathers and leaders that participated. The camp focused on the core values that should be the mark of a godly man such as; honesty, integrity, courage, leadership, etc... It was amazing to see how God moved in the lives of these "men" in 3 short days.
On the morning of Sunday, Sept. 8, at the camp's conclusive teaching time, there was a time of prayer in which several of the young men were filled with the Holy Spirit and all were touched by His sweet, powerful presence. The leaders and fathers prayed for each of these young men with the laying on of hands and prophetic affirmation that ended with most of these young men, and several of the adults, including myself, weeping on the concrete floor, either on their hands and knees or laying face down in reverence to God's unique, transforming presence.
The visible difference in these young men on the bus ride home compared to the spiritual climate on the bus ride to camp was priceless. No amount of money could have transformed the hearts of these young men the way that one moment in His glory had. That's the Kingdom. God put his stamp of approval on this weekend by sealing it with a fresh touch from Him that will live forever in the hearts and minds of these young men.
I believe that, with proper discipleship, the ministry of Men Of Honor has everything necessary to successfully restore godliness in manhood to Belize.
In other news, we've begun the process of fulfilling all of the governmental requirements necessary to apply for residency here. Sept 20th marks the one year anniversary of when we arrived in Belize. After this date, we can officially apply.
Please continue to pray for our safety and God's direction in our lives. Our intent is to be about the Father's business. We do not want to be distracted from giving ourselves to His perfect will for us.
As always, thanks to all who continue to stand with us in prayer as well as financially. You're greatly appreciated.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Attack To The Head
Submitted by Jason;
This morning at approximately 5 am I was awakened by a pain above my left ear that I initially thought was the sting of a wasp. My sudden movement as a reaction to this had awakened my wife as well. As she shined her bedside flashlight on the side of our bed, that was so quickly vacated by me, she spotted the culprit: a scorpion about 3 inches in length. Somewhat stunned by the incident, but powered by adrenaline, I turned on the light and proceeded to terminate it's mission with one of my shoes. Francie tended to me with some Benedryl and what I believe was Tea Tree Oil and we went back to sleep.
Our morning was like many other Sunday mornings for a family of our size with much scurrying in preparation for church. We attended church and returned home to a very normal post-church service routine of feeding the crew and retreating to our own down time for the following hour or two.
During this time, I was reading some missionary blogs as the reality of what was happening settled in. I began to think about all of the experiences that we've encountered here in Belize, all of the breaking, all of the shifting, all of the spiritual warfare culminating to a sting of the head.
No, I'm not only talking about the scorpion sting on my head, but a sting to the head. Paul spoke to the church of Corinth about the head in 1 Cor 11:3 when he said, "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of every woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.".
Clearly God's plan was for Him to be the head of Christ, Christ to be the head of man and man to be the head of every woman. This plan appears to be very clearly laid out by Paul with, in my opinion, very little room for misinterpretation.
It became clear to me that this wasn't simply a random scorpion sting, but a calculated attack to the head. An attack to the head of a man who is called to be the head of a woman and family that has been called to head a specific ministry to the body of Christ here in Belize.
I find it to be no coincidence that this attack came only hours after I posted this to Facebook, "Rev 12:17 (KJV) 17And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Followers of Christ would be glad to be considered a part of "the remnant" and having "the testimony of Jesus Christ". However, not many are signing up for warring with the dragon and keeping the commandments of God. Make a stand for Christ today and don't turn back."
The devil desires to ruin the plans that the Lord has for us. He comes at us from many angles. This time, a direct attack on the head.
Please pray for our protection and that we don't become distracted from the work for which we've been sent. We're overcoming battles and tearing down strongholds as we gain strength and momentum daily towards recognizing strategies for fulfilling His calling in our lives.
This morning at approximately 5 am I was awakened by a pain above my left ear that I initially thought was the sting of a wasp. My sudden movement as a reaction to this had awakened my wife as well. As she shined her bedside flashlight on the side of our bed, that was so quickly vacated by me, she spotted the culprit: a scorpion about 3 inches in length. Somewhat stunned by the incident, but powered by adrenaline, I turned on the light and proceeded to terminate it's mission with one of my shoes. Francie tended to me with some Benedryl and what I believe was Tea Tree Oil and we went back to sleep.
Our morning was like many other Sunday mornings for a family of our size with much scurrying in preparation for church. We attended church and returned home to a very normal post-church service routine of feeding the crew and retreating to our own down time for the following hour or two.
During this time, I was reading some missionary blogs as the reality of what was happening settled in. I began to think about all of the experiences that we've encountered here in Belize, all of the breaking, all of the shifting, all of the spiritual warfare culminating to a sting of the head.
No, I'm not only talking about the scorpion sting on my head, but a sting to the head. Paul spoke to the church of Corinth about the head in 1 Cor 11:3 when he said, "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of every woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.".
Clearly God's plan was for Him to be the head of Christ, Christ to be the head of man and man to be the head of every woman. This plan appears to be very clearly laid out by Paul with, in my opinion, very little room for misinterpretation.
It became clear to me that this wasn't simply a random scorpion sting, but a calculated attack to the head. An attack to the head of a man who is called to be the head of a woman and family that has been called to head a specific ministry to the body of Christ here in Belize.
I find it to be no coincidence that this attack came only hours after I posted this to Facebook, "Rev 12:17 (KJV) 17And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Followers of Christ would be glad to be considered a part of "the remnant" and having "the testimony of Jesus Christ". However, not many are signing up for warring with the dragon and keeping the commandments of God. Make a stand for Christ today and don't turn back."
The devil desires to ruin the plans that the Lord has for us. He comes at us from many angles. This time, a direct attack on the head.
Please pray for our protection and that we don't become distracted from the work for which we've been sent. We're overcoming battles and tearing down strongholds as we gain strength and momentum daily towards recognizing strategies for fulfilling His calling in our lives.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
In His Hands
Submitted by Jason
When we started blogging about our journey into the mission field, we had our own set of ideas about what this new season would, or should, look like. Stepping out of our comfortable lives and into an extremely uncertain and unpredictable future required a measure of faith that the Lord had provided us with.
From the beginning of this blog, my intent was to be as transparent as possible in documenting our lives and how we recognize the leading of the Lord and his hand upon our daily lives. However, I've quickly concluded that such transparency in a forum as public as this could be, in some areas, detrimental to the very cause for which we've been sent. I'm simply not at liberty to share all of the things that the Lord is doing in our lives at this time. Just know that there is much more going on in our lives and the lives of those around us than I'm able to share at this time.
In early June, my father-in-law came to visit us here in Belize for a total of 4 weeks. He currently lives in Arizona and, to my knowledge, this has been his first trip out of the US since he spent time in Germany as a member of the US military in the 60's, with the exception of the occasional day trip into Mexico via Nogales, Az.
He flew into Belize City on a full sized jet and connected onto a smaller plane destined for a small airstrip in Placencia, Bz. There, we picked him up and spent one week in the Caribbean coastal town of Placencia at Surfside Escapes. It was our joy to see him enjoying swimming in the Caribbean, sitting on the dock, trying Belizean cuisine and playing with his grandchildren, whom he had feared that he'd never see again when we left the states.
The other 3 weeks that he was visiting with us was spent in our current hometown of Spanish Lookout. Here, he met many of the Mennonite people that have embraced us so dearly. His life was forever changed by the fabric of the people here and the conversations that he was a part of.
With him, we visited the Belize Zoo, the capital city of Belmopan, the Springfield Fruit nursery and the Cayo marketplace, to name a few. He was humbled by the living conditions of some of the local Belizeans. On several occasions, as we were driving through some of the poorer sections of the country, he said that he only wished that he had a video camera to document what he was seeing so that he could take it back to the states with him. He was certain that if he shared such a video with the "poor" back home, that they would really see a new level of poverty that they've never known.
It's been about 4 weeks since he returned to the states. Just yesterday, Francie was skyping with him and he said that he was already saving his money for a return visit.
In late July, my 13 yr old son, Joey's appendix had ruptured and needed emergency surgery to remove it. The procedure was done by, from what we have heard, the best surgeon that Belize has to offer. It was told to us that this doctor had performed a surgery on an assistant to the Prime Minister of Belize. We're grateful that the surgery, which has significantly changed our financial position, was successful and without complications.
Currently, one of our main goals along the way to a sustained presence in Belize is in the Lord's hands. Before the surgery, we were on pace, financially, to apply for and, upon approval, pay the necessary fees to obtain residency here in Sept. which would allow me to seek employment without the need of a, difficult to obtain, temporary work permit.
From the very moment that Joey's condition was diagnosed, I'm sure that Francie and I both knew that such a surgical procedure would jeopardize our ability to accomplish this as planned. However, we never once doubted whether the Lord was able to provide us with the necessary means at the appropriate time.
Honestly, I wrestled with whether to share our financial position with anyone or just quietly trust the Lord for provision. As I sought the Lord regarding this during our 5 day stay in the hospital, I was reading my bible, I came across Paul's letter to the church at Phillipi. Paul found himself in a seemingly similar situation when he wrote this;
"How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know
you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or
little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of
living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I
can to everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. But even so, you
have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were
the only ones who gave me financial help when I brought you the Good News and then
traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you
sent me help more than once. I don't say this because I want a gift from you. What I want is for
you to receive a well-earned reward because of your kindness."
Phillippians 4:10-17 NLT
I came to this conclusion after reading this and studying the context surrounding these passages in particular;
God knows my heart. He knows that I would have just as obediently refrained from mentioning our needs as I would to share them. If Paul, the author of nearly two-thirds of the New Testament, inspired by the Holy Ghost, unashamedly prefaced his needs by stating his contentment in any and all situations, which is exactly where I find myself, so should I.
Paul obviously learned how to be content in all things. If he "learned" this, then I believe that it would be safe to assume that this "learning" was greatly aided by circumstances and events in his life that took him through seasons of "plenty" as well as seasons of "little". I believe that it would be equally safe to assume that his personal witness of "well-earned reward(s)" in the lives of those who contributed to his needs encouraged his belief that he desired their gifts more for their sakes than for his.
This is the current state that Francie and I find ourselves in. Our trust for provision is, and has been, completely in the Lord. We trust that the Lord will complete His work in us. We've placed our lives completely in His hands for a testimony of His goodness. So, whether He brings us through a season of little as He molds us, or whether He moves on the hearts of many to "receive a well-earned reward" by giving financially into the work for that which we were sent, our devotion and our hope is in Him alone.
For those whose hearts are stirred to give, information on how and where to give can be found on our home page. Thank you in advance and as always, thanks to those who continue to stand with us financially as well as in prayer.
When we started blogging about our journey into the mission field, we had our own set of ideas about what this new season would, or should, look like. Stepping out of our comfortable lives and into an extremely uncertain and unpredictable future required a measure of faith that the Lord had provided us with.
From the beginning of this blog, my intent was to be as transparent as possible in documenting our lives and how we recognize the leading of the Lord and his hand upon our daily lives. However, I've quickly concluded that such transparency in a forum as public as this could be, in some areas, detrimental to the very cause for which we've been sent. I'm simply not at liberty to share all of the things that the Lord is doing in our lives at this time. Just know that there is much more going on in our lives and the lives of those around us than I'm able to share at this time.
In early June, my father-in-law came to visit us here in Belize for a total of 4 weeks. He currently lives in Arizona and, to my knowledge, this has been his first trip out of the US since he spent time in Germany as a member of the US military in the 60's, with the exception of the occasional day trip into Mexico via Nogales, Az.
He flew into Belize City on a full sized jet and connected onto a smaller plane destined for a small airstrip in Placencia, Bz. There, we picked him up and spent one week in the Caribbean coastal town of Placencia at Surfside Escapes. It was our joy to see him enjoying swimming in the Caribbean, sitting on the dock, trying Belizean cuisine and playing with his grandchildren, whom he had feared that he'd never see again when we left the states.
The other 3 weeks that he was visiting with us was spent in our current hometown of Spanish Lookout. Here, he met many of the Mennonite people that have embraced us so dearly. His life was forever changed by the fabric of the people here and the conversations that he was a part of.
With him, we visited the Belize Zoo, the capital city of Belmopan, the Springfield Fruit nursery and the Cayo marketplace, to name a few. He was humbled by the living conditions of some of the local Belizeans. On several occasions, as we were driving through some of the poorer sections of the country, he said that he only wished that he had a video camera to document what he was seeing so that he could take it back to the states with him. He was certain that if he shared such a video with the "poor" back home, that they would really see a new level of poverty that they've never known.
It's been about 4 weeks since he returned to the states. Just yesterday, Francie was skyping with him and he said that he was already saving his money for a return visit.
In late July, my 13 yr old son, Joey's appendix had ruptured and needed emergency surgery to remove it. The procedure was done by, from what we have heard, the best surgeon that Belize has to offer. It was told to us that this doctor had performed a surgery on an assistant to the Prime Minister of Belize. We're grateful that the surgery, which has significantly changed our financial position, was successful and without complications.
Currently, one of our main goals along the way to a sustained presence in Belize is in the Lord's hands. Before the surgery, we were on pace, financially, to apply for and, upon approval, pay the necessary fees to obtain residency here in Sept. which would allow me to seek employment without the need of a, difficult to obtain, temporary work permit.
From the very moment that Joey's condition was diagnosed, I'm sure that Francie and I both knew that such a surgical procedure would jeopardize our ability to accomplish this as planned. However, we never once doubted whether the Lord was able to provide us with the necessary means at the appropriate time.
Honestly, I wrestled with whether to share our financial position with anyone or just quietly trust the Lord for provision. As I sought the Lord regarding this during our 5 day stay in the hospital, I was reading my bible, I came across Paul's letter to the church at Phillipi. Paul found himself in a seemingly similar situation when he wrote this;
"How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know
you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or
little. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of
living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I
can to everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. But even so, you
have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were
the only ones who gave me financial help when I brought you the Good News and then
traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you
sent me help more than once. I don't say this because I want a gift from you. What I want is for
you to receive a well-earned reward because of your kindness."
Phillippians 4:10-17 NLT
I came to this conclusion after reading this and studying the context surrounding these passages in particular;
God knows my heart. He knows that I would have just as obediently refrained from mentioning our needs as I would to share them. If Paul, the author of nearly two-thirds of the New Testament, inspired by the Holy Ghost, unashamedly prefaced his needs by stating his contentment in any and all situations, which is exactly where I find myself, so should I.
Paul obviously learned how to be content in all things. If he "learned" this, then I believe that it would be safe to assume that this "learning" was greatly aided by circumstances and events in his life that took him through seasons of "plenty" as well as seasons of "little". I believe that it would be equally safe to assume that his personal witness of "well-earned reward(s)" in the lives of those who contributed to his needs encouraged his belief that he desired their gifts more for their sakes than for his.
This is the current state that Francie and I find ourselves in. Our trust for provision is, and has been, completely in the Lord. We trust that the Lord will complete His work in us. We've placed our lives completely in His hands for a testimony of His goodness. So, whether He brings us through a season of little as He molds us, or whether He moves on the hearts of many to "receive a well-earned reward" by giving financially into the work for that which we were sent, our devotion and our hope is in Him alone.
For those whose hearts are stirred to give, information on how and where to give can be found on our home page. Thank you in advance and as always, thanks to those who continue to stand with us financially as well as in prayer.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Walk In The Spirit
Submitted by Jason:
It's been over 7 months now since we've arrived in Belize. We currently find ourselves in the middle of what would be called "the dry season" here. As the name suggests, this season lasts about 2 months in which there is little to no rainfall. The ground dries up so much that there are visible cracks in the earth just waiting to welcome "the rainy season".
As is with anyone who has walked with Christ for any considerable amount of time, there are seasons that we go through as the Lord shapes us, as much as we are willing, into what He desires for us to be. These seasons are many and various in nature. I believe that our willingness, and ability, to remain humble, loving and teachable throughout these seasons can provoke an acceleration from one season to another. Conversely, lack in these same areas can extend a season in your life longer than necessary.
In Galatians 5, Paul talks about walking in the Spirit to avoid fulfilling the lust of the flesh. He goes on to say how the flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. Well, that sounds easy enough, right? Just walk in the Spirit and everything will be fine. But, there is one problem. To my knowledge, Paul never teaches exactly how to walk in the Spirit. He does, however, list the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. If we are walking in the fruit of the Spirit, then we are walking in the Spirit.
For instance, if we show a consistent pattern of walking in love, then we are walking in the Spirit. If we show a consistent pattern of walking in joy, then we are walking in the Spirit. This can, and should be, said for any and all of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul spoke of.
I believe that this is a doctrinal truth pertaining to avoiding fulfilling the "lust of the flesh", which Paul refers to as "the works of the flesh", which are; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, etc...
While all of these "works of the flesh" exist here in Belize as much as in every other nation, I would presume, the two that seem to attract my attention more than the others, for this specific country, are idolatry and witchcraft.
The population of this land, which is now Belize, has previously been dominated by the Mayans. The Mayans were, and are, an incredibly interesting group of people that learned to survive off of, and thrive from, this land for centuries. These people are widely known for their temples and alters that they've built to attempt to get closer to their gods. These temples and alters, now referred to as "ruins", are scattered throughout the beautiful landscape of Belize. There are believed to be many more ruins that remain covered than there are that have been uncovered.
To my knowledge, these ruins, as they currently exist, are no longer being used for the various ceremonies that were once customary to the Mayans. While I'm not sure if these ruins are privately owned now or owned by the government of Belize, it's a well known fact here that it was not uncommon for the natives to sacrifice people or even cut their own genitals as a form of "blood letting".
These alters still stand today and remain a major tourist attraction. People from all over the world, from every religious denomination visit these grounds in awestruck wonder of what these people were able to accomplish in a time without modern machinery. I know, I was one of them. I visited Xunantanich is Aug of 2012 during our first visit to Belize.
However, after living here for 7 months, there is a very real spiritual stronghold over this land that I believe has something to do with the blood that was routinely poured out upon it. Blood that was sacrificed to idols.
We serve a jealous God. Throughout the bible, there are accounts of people going into a new territory or land and in several cases, the first thing that the Lord instructed them to do was to tear down the alters or idols in the land. Here, not only are they still standing, but they're still being worshiped. Whether knowingly, or unknowingly, as people visit and walk around these grounds, they're walking on cursed ground.
I've not been called to, or instructed to, in any way, tear down these ruins. But, I have received the revelation of what Paul taught: If you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. I can live in the very land where certain "works of the flesh" are dominant, but by walking in a way that resembles the fruit of the Spirit, I position myself to avoid these "works of the flesh".
I only hope that I was able to successfully translate what the Lord revealed to me through these scriptures to you.
In other exciting news, I'm happy to announce that on March 25th, my step-son and daughter-in-law, Brendan & Asia, became the proud parents of Emery Jane McGlinchey. She was born at a Mennonite clinic in the town in which we live, Spanish Lookout.
Also, we took a 3 day trip to San Pedro, Belize. There, we enjoyed snorkeling along the reef among the barracuda, eels, nurse sharks, rays, sea turtles, etc. We drove our rented golf carts around the downtown area of San Pedro, enjoying the shops and the dining.
Lastly, but not least, our daughter, Kayla, turned 18 a few weeks ago. For her birthday, we took a day trip to swim in the inland Blue Hole and spelunk in St. Herman's Cave.
Thanks to all of you who continue to support us with prayer and partner with us financially.
Francie and I are prayerfully considering hosting visitors in the near future. Please feel free to contact us if you're interested. For obvious reasons, we will be prayerfully selective concerning interested parties.
God bless.
It's been over 7 months now since we've arrived in Belize. We currently find ourselves in the middle of what would be called "the dry season" here. As the name suggests, this season lasts about 2 months in which there is little to no rainfall. The ground dries up so much that there are visible cracks in the earth just waiting to welcome "the rainy season".
As is with anyone who has walked with Christ for any considerable amount of time, there are seasons that we go through as the Lord shapes us, as much as we are willing, into what He desires for us to be. These seasons are many and various in nature. I believe that our willingness, and ability, to remain humble, loving and teachable throughout these seasons can provoke an acceleration from one season to another. Conversely, lack in these same areas can extend a season in your life longer than necessary.
In Galatians 5, Paul talks about walking in the Spirit to avoid fulfilling the lust of the flesh. He goes on to say how the flesh wars against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh. Well, that sounds easy enough, right? Just walk in the Spirit and everything will be fine. But, there is one problem. To my knowledge, Paul never teaches exactly how to walk in the Spirit. He does, however, list the fruit of the Spirit as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. If we are walking in the fruit of the Spirit, then we are walking in the Spirit.
For instance, if we show a consistent pattern of walking in love, then we are walking in the Spirit. If we show a consistent pattern of walking in joy, then we are walking in the Spirit. This can, and should be, said for any and all of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul spoke of.
I believe that this is a doctrinal truth pertaining to avoiding fulfilling the "lust of the flesh", which Paul refers to as "the works of the flesh", which are; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelings, etc...
While all of these "works of the flesh" exist here in Belize as much as in every other nation, I would presume, the two that seem to attract my attention more than the others, for this specific country, are idolatry and witchcraft.
The population of this land, which is now Belize, has previously been dominated by the Mayans. The Mayans were, and are, an incredibly interesting group of people that learned to survive off of, and thrive from, this land for centuries. These people are widely known for their temples and alters that they've built to attempt to get closer to their gods. These temples and alters, now referred to as "ruins", are scattered throughout the beautiful landscape of Belize. There are believed to be many more ruins that remain covered than there are that have been uncovered.
To my knowledge, these ruins, as they currently exist, are no longer being used for the various ceremonies that were once customary to the Mayans. While I'm not sure if these ruins are privately owned now or owned by the government of Belize, it's a well known fact here that it was not uncommon for the natives to sacrifice people or even cut their own genitals as a form of "blood letting".
These alters still stand today and remain a major tourist attraction. People from all over the world, from every religious denomination visit these grounds in awestruck wonder of what these people were able to accomplish in a time without modern machinery. I know, I was one of them. I visited Xunantanich is Aug of 2012 during our first visit to Belize.
However, after living here for 7 months, there is a very real spiritual stronghold over this land that I believe has something to do with the blood that was routinely poured out upon it. Blood that was sacrificed to idols.
We serve a jealous God. Throughout the bible, there are accounts of people going into a new territory or land and in several cases, the first thing that the Lord instructed them to do was to tear down the alters or idols in the land. Here, not only are they still standing, but they're still being worshiped. Whether knowingly, or unknowingly, as people visit and walk around these grounds, they're walking on cursed ground.
I've not been called to, or instructed to, in any way, tear down these ruins. But, I have received the revelation of what Paul taught: If you walk in the Spirit, you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. I can live in the very land where certain "works of the flesh" are dominant, but by walking in a way that resembles the fruit of the Spirit, I position myself to avoid these "works of the flesh".
I only hope that I was able to successfully translate what the Lord revealed to me through these scriptures to you.
In other exciting news, I'm happy to announce that on March 25th, my step-son and daughter-in-law, Brendan & Asia, became the proud parents of Emery Jane McGlinchey. She was born at a Mennonite clinic in the town in which we live, Spanish Lookout.
Also, we took a 3 day trip to San Pedro, Belize. There, we enjoyed snorkeling along the reef among the barracuda, eels, nurse sharks, rays, sea turtles, etc. We drove our rented golf carts around the downtown area of San Pedro, enjoying the shops and the dining.
Lastly, but not least, our daughter, Kayla, turned 18 a few weeks ago. For her birthday, we took a day trip to swim in the inland Blue Hole and spelunk in St. Herman's Cave.
Thanks to all of you who continue to support us with prayer and partner with us financially.
Francie and I are prayerfully considering hosting visitors in the near future. Please feel free to contact us if you're interested. For obvious reasons, we will be prayerfully selective concerning interested parties.
God bless.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Who holds the future
Submitted by Jason
Well, it's been quite a while since our last post. I believe that it was late November when I last posted. There have been some potentially significant events unfolding here in our lives in the past two months. Honestly, I've been waiting for the right time to share what the Lord is doing in and through us here, but the timing is still a bit premature. I look forward to sharing more with all of you soon. In the meantime, I've decided to not allow any more time to pass before posting what I can.
Our first December in Belize was very different than any December that I can remember in my life. It was actually quite refreshing to be removed from the bombardment of materialism that has so encompassed our previous Christmas seasons. This year we had very few decorations and lights on display, fewer presents under the tree, less hustle and bustle but a greater appreciation for the things that we do have. We received a very generous holiday care package from our home church, Abundant Hope Church, in the states that lifted everyone's spirits. We celebrated Christmas with a few friends that we've met here and some friends that we've known from South Carolina.
New Year's Day was equally downplayed here, like Christmas, compared to the states. January brought us cooler weather than we expected to see here in Central America. We've enjoyed the temperatures dipping into the high 50's at night.
The church here in Spanish Lookout, Fountain Of Life, that we've been attending regularly was gaining momentum in early December. It appeared to me that the congregation and the leadership were coming into unity regarding spiritual hunger and a desire to press in, positioning the church for revival. The church was challenged to maintain that momentum through the Christmas season. Often times the extra curricular holiday schedule consumes the body of Christ and, in my opinion, this year was no different. I'm looking forward to seeing the body come together again and pursue the Lord in a way that provokes a greater measure of His presence in the church in 2013.
The house that we are renting is scheduled to be auctioned off in mid-February. We will, most likely, be looking for another place to rent by March. There is a possibility that the new owner of the property will purchase it for a rental property. In that case, we'd be able to stay here longer. We're unsure about what the future holds, but we are secure in Who holds the future.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Francie and I were dedicating some time to concentrate on strengthening our marriage. We have recently taken some tremendous strides toward that goal. Recently, we received counsel from our pastor and his wife here in Belize that was extremely helpful. Our relationship is not in jeopardy, we simply realized that there were many things that needed improvement in order for us to move forward effectively in ministry together.
Thank you in advance to all of you who take the time to pray for us as often as you remember. We have many important decisions to make in the near future as well as some important things hanging in the balance at this time.
Thank you to those who continue to stand with us financially. We consider it a high honor to receive your support and we pray that your seed multiplies and returns to you.
Well, it's been quite a while since our last post. I believe that it was late November when I last posted. There have been some potentially significant events unfolding here in our lives in the past two months. Honestly, I've been waiting for the right time to share what the Lord is doing in and through us here, but the timing is still a bit premature. I look forward to sharing more with all of you soon. In the meantime, I've decided to not allow any more time to pass before posting what I can.
Our first December in Belize was very different than any December that I can remember in my life. It was actually quite refreshing to be removed from the bombardment of materialism that has so encompassed our previous Christmas seasons. This year we had very few decorations and lights on display, fewer presents under the tree, less hustle and bustle but a greater appreciation for the things that we do have. We received a very generous holiday care package from our home church, Abundant Hope Church, in the states that lifted everyone's spirits. We celebrated Christmas with a few friends that we've met here and some friends that we've known from South Carolina.
New Year's Day was equally downplayed here, like Christmas, compared to the states. January brought us cooler weather than we expected to see here in Central America. We've enjoyed the temperatures dipping into the high 50's at night.
The church here in Spanish Lookout, Fountain Of Life, that we've been attending regularly was gaining momentum in early December. It appeared to me that the congregation and the leadership were coming into unity regarding spiritual hunger and a desire to press in, positioning the church for revival. The church was challenged to maintain that momentum through the Christmas season. Often times the extra curricular holiday schedule consumes the body of Christ and, in my opinion, this year was no different. I'm looking forward to seeing the body come together again and pursue the Lord in a way that provokes a greater measure of His presence in the church in 2013.
The house that we are renting is scheduled to be auctioned off in mid-February. We will, most likely, be looking for another place to rent by March. There is a possibility that the new owner of the property will purchase it for a rental property. In that case, we'd be able to stay here longer. We're unsure about what the future holds, but we are secure in Who holds the future.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Francie and I were dedicating some time to concentrate on strengthening our marriage. We have recently taken some tremendous strides toward that goal. Recently, we received counsel from our pastor and his wife here in Belize that was extremely helpful. Our relationship is not in jeopardy, we simply realized that there were many things that needed improvement in order for us to move forward effectively in ministry together.
Thank you in advance to all of you who take the time to pray for us as often as you remember. We have many important decisions to make in the near future as well as some important things hanging in the balance at this time.
Thank you to those who continue to stand with us financially. We consider it a high honor to receive your support and we pray that your seed multiplies and returns to you.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Walk In Unity
Submitted by Jason
So, here we are. A little over two months have passed since we've entered this new territory called the mission field. We've quickly discovered that when you completely entrust your life into the hands of the one true living God, giving Him full permission to use your life in any way that He sees fit to further His kingdom, things will rarely go as planned. That's the reality of missions.
In our prayer time leading up to our departure, the Lord has shown me, what I believe to be, specific vision and callings for our ministry. However, the time frame of this vision remains undefined and I've concluded that I prefer it to be that way.
The Lord could have easily given us specific instructions of how to accomplish all of the things that He'd like to use us for. All of the details of where, when, who, what, how, why, etc. could have been made known to us before we ever stepped foot on the Carnival cruisliner in Galveston, Tx in September, but they were not. Only bits and pieces of information were made available to us. Apparently, just enough information for us to know that He was leading and that we were to obey.
If the Lord had given us such specific details of how to go about our days in Belize, our lives would be more about following a schedule instead of pursuing Him daily. While I believe that He is able to show the exact way to go, I believe that He is as much interested in our pursuance of Him as we are in finding intimacy with Him through relying on His presence to guide us.
I believe that the free will that God has given to man has the ability to either accelerate or decelerate the time frame of His vision and purpose in our lives. I believe that He so wants to use us to further His kingdom that He patiently guides us through our weaknesses empowering us to carry the weight of His work into the darkest of places.
In the past few days, Francie and I have had a couple of extremely tough days relationally. While I'm tempted to believe that the enemy is looking for a weakness to expose in us, I'm crediting the Lord for using situations and circumstances to force me to focus my attention on the weaknesses in our marriage pertaining to communication, honor, responsibility and respect, to name a few. It's as if He's showing me that we've come this far without me placing a priority on strengthening our marriage, but it's necessary for me to do so before He can take us to another level in ministry.
Please join with us in prayer as we take the month of December to focus on strengthening our marriage. We will continue to do the work that He's set before us with a renewed commitment to walk in unity before Him believing for an acceleration of His purposes in our lives.
As always, special thanks to those who continue to stand with us, both in prayer and financially.
So, here we are. A little over two months have passed since we've entered this new territory called the mission field. We've quickly discovered that when you completely entrust your life into the hands of the one true living God, giving Him full permission to use your life in any way that He sees fit to further His kingdom, things will rarely go as planned. That's the reality of missions.
In our prayer time leading up to our departure, the Lord has shown me, what I believe to be, specific vision and callings for our ministry. However, the time frame of this vision remains undefined and I've concluded that I prefer it to be that way.
The Lord could have easily given us specific instructions of how to accomplish all of the things that He'd like to use us for. All of the details of where, when, who, what, how, why, etc. could have been made known to us before we ever stepped foot on the Carnival cruisliner in Galveston, Tx in September, but they were not. Only bits and pieces of information were made available to us. Apparently, just enough information for us to know that He was leading and that we were to obey.
If the Lord had given us such specific details of how to go about our days in Belize, our lives would be more about following a schedule instead of pursuing Him daily. While I believe that He is able to show the exact way to go, I believe that He is as much interested in our pursuance of Him as we are in finding intimacy with Him through relying on His presence to guide us.
I believe that the free will that God has given to man has the ability to either accelerate or decelerate the time frame of His vision and purpose in our lives. I believe that He so wants to use us to further His kingdom that He patiently guides us through our weaknesses empowering us to carry the weight of His work into the darkest of places.
In the past few days, Francie and I have had a couple of extremely tough days relationally. While I'm tempted to believe that the enemy is looking for a weakness to expose in us, I'm crediting the Lord for using situations and circumstances to force me to focus my attention on the weaknesses in our marriage pertaining to communication, honor, responsibility and respect, to name a few. It's as if He's showing me that we've come this far without me placing a priority on strengthening our marriage, but it's necessary for me to do so before He can take us to another level in ministry.
Please join with us in prayer as we take the month of December to focus on strengthening our marriage. We will continue to do the work that He's set before us with a renewed commitment to walk in unity before Him believing for an acceleration of His purposes in our lives.
As always, special thanks to those who continue to stand with us, both in prayer and financially.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
A Key Ingredient
Submitted by Jason
It's been a few weeks since we've posted. A lot has happened in that time. No day seems to play out exactly as we draw it up and we find that time seems to be something that is just a little more difficult to manage here in Belize than we anticipated.
Up until Sept 13th, I was working for USFoods in Charlotte, NC as a delivery driver. For many years, everything that I did revolved around time. I had a very strict schedule. Being on time for my deliveries was an important part of my job. I had an unusual schedule even on my off days. I would generally go to bed around 5pm and awake for work before 1am. The only day that I was permitted to not live by the clock was Saturday, even then, my internal clock would often tell me it was time for bed well before what would be considered normal.
As far back as I can remember, I've always placed a high priority on being on time. To me, being late showed others that whatever you were attending was not important enough for you to be punctual. This has been something in my life that has often times created more tension in my family than fruit. I knew that the Lord wanted to do something about it. At times I would place unrealistic expectations on loved ones that were divisive.
Time here, in Belize, is just a little different. I can't quite put my finger on it, it just is. There's a saying here, "You're on Belize time.". This seems to be the general response from most when you're late for an appointment and apologetic for it. It's usually accompanied by a smile, a shrugging of the shoulders and a throwing up of the hands as if to say, "Don't worry about it, we understand.".
There's a small-town feel to the Spanish Lookout community that we've been living in and around for the last 7 weeks. The pace of life here is refreshingly slower than that of the American lifestyle, or at least the schedule that I kept there. Here, it's not unusual to go into a store and spend more time visiting with friends than shopping. You may go into a store and figure that you should be out of there in ten minutes and find yourself engaged in several conversations before you leave the store an hour later. People just seem to find it more acceptable here to stop and talk. I'm finding myself a little more accepting of this change with each passing week.
About 10 days ago, we received news from our friends from the US, who were originally committed to joining us in Belize as missionaries, but could not at the time that we left. The news was that they had successfully freed themselves of the final obligation that was delaying their departure from the US. These friends are a family of 7. We are a family of 12. We quickly did the math and the equation looked something like this; 12 people + 7 people + 1 house = STRESS.
We quickly realized that we would need to find a place for our friends to rent. We made the need known in the church that we've been attending and almost immediately we had a friend showing us a place in Spanish Lookout that was available for rent. After a few discussions, we were packing our stuff up and moving across town about 4 miles to this new rental. We decided to allow our friends to rent the house that we were originally in. It seemed to be a better fit for both families.
On Saturday Nov 10, I picked up our friends at the Belize City bus terminal, thus beginning their new journey here in Belize. It appears that they arrived at a significant time.
The Lord has been stirring His people here. The hearts of believers here are being awakened. He's awakening gifts and talents in people here that have been lying dormant for a season, or seasons, depending on the individual. In just the past few weeks, I could feel a move of the Spirit building at Fountain Of Life church. I could hear it in the voices of the people attending the weekly home group that Francie & I have been hosting. I can see it in the eyes of the leadership when I've shared our vision with them. It's been a hunger that's been gaining momentum for some time now and I feel fortunate to find myself in the midst of it.
On Sunday, Nov 11, Pastor David Moore followed the worship set by challenging people that were hungry for "something new" to come to the front. As the church responded to this challenge, he released everyone to minister to each other as they feel led. Prayer for healing, prophesy and encouragement began to flow through the body as the worship team continued to minister for almost 2 hours. The presence of the Lord was thick. There was laughter and smiling, tears of rejoicing and chains being broken all simultaneously. That's the Kingdom. When He comes around everything else fades into the background.
The Lord was speaking to me about humility during this time. I was reminded of 2 Chron 7:14 "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn form their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." (NLT). This verse was on my mind throughout part of the service.
Sunday afternoon, following the service, we had lunch with our friends from the US at our house. After lunch we invited a family to join us for fellowship. As they did, two other families coincidentally stopped by and before we knew it, we had a full Sunday afternoon fellowship with 5 families represented. It was beautiful. It wasn't before long that the topic of humility was brought up by one of the men. He confessed that the Lord has been challenging him to do some things that would appear to be very humbling to him.
Monday evening, at our house, we held our weekly home group. This particular evening consisted of 10 adults and approximately 25 children. We had a powerful time of fellowship. I shared with the group that the Lord had put humility on my heart during the Sunday service and the conversation centered around humility for a good portion of our discussion.
Yesterday, a Romanian friend of ours from North Carolina posted 2 Chron 7:14 as her Facebook status.
It's quite obvious to me that there's a key ingredient to a new move of God's Spirit amongst His people...humility.
As always, thanks to all of you who support us with prayer and finances. There are many prayer needs as well as financial needs. Your support is greatly appreciated.
It's been a few weeks since we've posted. A lot has happened in that time. No day seems to play out exactly as we draw it up and we find that time seems to be something that is just a little more difficult to manage here in Belize than we anticipated.
Up until Sept 13th, I was working for USFoods in Charlotte, NC as a delivery driver. For many years, everything that I did revolved around time. I had a very strict schedule. Being on time for my deliveries was an important part of my job. I had an unusual schedule even on my off days. I would generally go to bed around 5pm and awake for work before 1am. The only day that I was permitted to not live by the clock was Saturday, even then, my internal clock would often tell me it was time for bed well before what would be considered normal.
As far back as I can remember, I've always placed a high priority on being on time. To me, being late showed others that whatever you were attending was not important enough for you to be punctual. This has been something in my life that has often times created more tension in my family than fruit. I knew that the Lord wanted to do something about it. At times I would place unrealistic expectations on loved ones that were divisive.
Time here, in Belize, is just a little different. I can't quite put my finger on it, it just is. There's a saying here, "You're on Belize time.". This seems to be the general response from most when you're late for an appointment and apologetic for it. It's usually accompanied by a smile, a shrugging of the shoulders and a throwing up of the hands as if to say, "Don't worry about it, we understand.".
There's a small-town feel to the Spanish Lookout community that we've been living in and around for the last 7 weeks. The pace of life here is refreshingly slower than that of the American lifestyle, or at least the schedule that I kept there. Here, it's not unusual to go into a store and spend more time visiting with friends than shopping. You may go into a store and figure that you should be out of there in ten minutes and find yourself engaged in several conversations before you leave the store an hour later. People just seem to find it more acceptable here to stop and talk. I'm finding myself a little more accepting of this change with each passing week.
About 10 days ago, we received news from our friends from the US, who were originally committed to joining us in Belize as missionaries, but could not at the time that we left. The news was that they had successfully freed themselves of the final obligation that was delaying their departure from the US. These friends are a family of 7. We are a family of 12. We quickly did the math and the equation looked something like this; 12 people + 7 people + 1 house = STRESS.
We quickly realized that we would need to find a place for our friends to rent. We made the need known in the church that we've been attending and almost immediately we had a friend showing us a place in Spanish Lookout that was available for rent. After a few discussions, we were packing our stuff up and moving across town about 4 miles to this new rental. We decided to allow our friends to rent the house that we were originally in. It seemed to be a better fit for both families.
On Saturday Nov 10, I picked up our friends at the Belize City bus terminal, thus beginning their new journey here in Belize. It appears that they arrived at a significant time.
The Lord has been stirring His people here. The hearts of believers here are being awakened. He's awakening gifts and talents in people here that have been lying dormant for a season, or seasons, depending on the individual. In just the past few weeks, I could feel a move of the Spirit building at Fountain Of Life church. I could hear it in the voices of the people attending the weekly home group that Francie & I have been hosting. I can see it in the eyes of the leadership when I've shared our vision with them. It's been a hunger that's been gaining momentum for some time now and I feel fortunate to find myself in the midst of it.
On Sunday, Nov 11, Pastor David Moore followed the worship set by challenging people that were hungry for "something new" to come to the front. As the church responded to this challenge, he released everyone to minister to each other as they feel led. Prayer for healing, prophesy and encouragement began to flow through the body as the worship team continued to minister for almost 2 hours. The presence of the Lord was thick. There was laughter and smiling, tears of rejoicing and chains being broken all simultaneously. That's the Kingdom. When He comes around everything else fades into the background.
The Lord was speaking to me about humility during this time. I was reminded of 2 Chron 7:14 "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn form their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." (NLT). This verse was on my mind throughout part of the service.
Sunday afternoon, following the service, we had lunch with our friends from the US at our house. After lunch we invited a family to join us for fellowship. As they did, two other families coincidentally stopped by and before we knew it, we had a full Sunday afternoon fellowship with 5 families represented. It was beautiful. It wasn't before long that the topic of humility was brought up by one of the men. He confessed that the Lord has been challenging him to do some things that would appear to be very humbling to him.
Monday evening, at our house, we held our weekly home group. This particular evening consisted of 10 adults and approximately 25 children. We had a powerful time of fellowship. I shared with the group that the Lord had put humility on my heart during the Sunday service and the conversation centered around humility for a good portion of our discussion.
Yesterday, a Romanian friend of ours from North Carolina posted 2 Chron 7:14 as her Facebook status.
It's quite obvious to me that there's a key ingredient to a new move of God's Spirit amongst His people...humility.
As always, thanks to all of you who support us with prayer and finances. There are many prayer needs as well as financial needs. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
The Love Of A Father
Submitted by Jason
It's always interesting to me how the Lord uses the relationship that I had with my father and the relationships that I currently have, as a father, with my children to teach me how He leads, provides for and protects His children.
I've been fortunate to have had what I would consider an extremely healthy relationship with my earthly father, who lost his battle with cancer in Nov of 2009. While, at times, my heart still grieves from his passing, the real grief that I've discovered through his death is the grief of one who lives a life without knowing the love of a father. My intention through mentioning this is not to reopen the wounds in ones life, but solely for the purpose of breathing life into the places of ones being that have been void of life through the power of my testimony and the revelation of God's nature to me.
Some of my earliest memories of my father were of me falling asleep on his chest as he lay on his back on the couch watching sports. He was a man full of compassion and warmth. Although he worked long hours and kept a busy schedule, I never felt like he didn't have time for me. I always felt safer when he was around and his sense of humor was always uplifting, except for those awkward teen years when it was more embarrassing than uplifting.
The Lord often shows me through His word, presence, and revelation how the love of my earthly father mirrors His love toward me. At the same time, He shows me how my relationships with, and how I deal with, my children are an extension of His love toward them.
For instance, if I had something that was precious or valuable to me, I wouldn't ask my 3 yr old to look after it and care for it. I would look for the most responsible and most capable of all my children to look after such an item. If I had a particular task that was extremely important to me that needs to be done correctly, again, I wouldn't ask my 3 yr old. I'd look to the one who I felt was most capable of carrying out that task thoroughly and efficiently. In every father there's an unwritten list of criteria that he uses to judge each of his children that determines which level or category of trust he/she falls into.
I believe that the Lord treats us in the same manner. If you're a believer in, and follower of, Jesus Christ, then you are his child. We, as his children, have developed different levels of maturity and accountability with Him through our conduct.
Sometimes, as a father, you need your child to display immediate obedience without knowing why they are being given a particular task to accomplish. The expectation from a father would be; obey first and ask questions after. This type of interaction is the very thing that develops the trust necessary to show yourself worthy of a greater task in the future. If I had a task that I needed to be accomplished in the future, but none of my children were ready to handle the task yet, I could tell a particular child that he/she will be given this task in the near future and in the meantime I would purpose to equip that child with everything that they need to successfully accomplish it, or I could equip them without revealing the task until I felt that they were ready for it.
Either way would seem logical and acceptable to me.
At this point, I believe that the Lord has spoken to me regarding a particular task that He has in mind for my family and I, but the time is not right for us to step into it. In the meantime, we can confidently approach each day knowing that the very tools that we'll need to successfully carry out this task are being developed in us daily as we tune our ears to His commands and obey first and ask questions after.
There's no greater joy, no greater peace, no greater feeling than placing your complete security in the ever powerful hands of the one that conquered death, hell and the grave. These same ever powerful hands are always ready to embrace a child that doesn't know the love of a father.
If you're feeling a void or unfulfillment in an area of your life, please, call a church in your area or contact us. All information will be kept confidential.
Greater levels of freedom await those who are hungry enough to pursue them.
It's always interesting to me how the Lord uses the relationship that I had with my father and the relationships that I currently have, as a father, with my children to teach me how He leads, provides for and protects His children.
I've been fortunate to have had what I would consider an extremely healthy relationship with my earthly father, who lost his battle with cancer in Nov of 2009. While, at times, my heart still grieves from his passing, the real grief that I've discovered through his death is the grief of one who lives a life without knowing the love of a father. My intention through mentioning this is not to reopen the wounds in ones life, but solely for the purpose of breathing life into the places of ones being that have been void of life through the power of my testimony and the revelation of God's nature to me.
Some of my earliest memories of my father were of me falling asleep on his chest as he lay on his back on the couch watching sports. He was a man full of compassion and warmth. Although he worked long hours and kept a busy schedule, I never felt like he didn't have time for me. I always felt safer when he was around and his sense of humor was always uplifting, except for those awkward teen years when it was more embarrassing than uplifting.
The Lord often shows me through His word, presence, and revelation how the love of my earthly father mirrors His love toward me. At the same time, He shows me how my relationships with, and how I deal with, my children are an extension of His love toward them.
For instance, if I had something that was precious or valuable to me, I wouldn't ask my 3 yr old to look after it and care for it. I would look for the most responsible and most capable of all my children to look after such an item. If I had a particular task that was extremely important to me that needs to be done correctly, again, I wouldn't ask my 3 yr old. I'd look to the one who I felt was most capable of carrying out that task thoroughly and efficiently. In every father there's an unwritten list of criteria that he uses to judge each of his children that determines which level or category of trust he/she falls into.
I believe that the Lord treats us in the same manner. If you're a believer in, and follower of, Jesus Christ, then you are his child. We, as his children, have developed different levels of maturity and accountability with Him through our conduct.
Sometimes, as a father, you need your child to display immediate obedience without knowing why they are being given a particular task to accomplish. The expectation from a father would be; obey first and ask questions after. This type of interaction is the very thing that develops the trust necessary to show yourself worthy of a greater task in the future. If I had a task that I needed to be accomplished in the future, but none of my children were ready to handle the task yet, I could tell a particular child that he/she will be given this task in the near future and in the meantime I would purpose to equip that child with everything that they need to successfully accomplish it, or I could equip them without revealing the task until I felt that they were ready for it.
Either way would seem logical and acceptable to me.
At this point, I believe that the Lord has spoken to me regarding a particular task that He has in mind for my family and I, but the time is not right for us to step into it. In the meantime, we can confidently approach each day knowing that the very tools that we'll need to successfully carry out this task are being developed in us daily as we tune our ears to His commands and obey first and ask questions after.
There's no greater joy, no greater peace, no greater feeling than placing your complete security in the ever powerful hands of the one that conquered death, hell and the grave. These same ever powerful hands are always ready to embrace a child that doesn't know the love of a father.
If you're feeling a void or unfulfillment in an area of your life, please, call a church in your area or contact us. All information will be kept confidential.
Greater levels of freedom await those who are hungry enough to pursue them.
Friday, October 19, 2012
One True Desire
Submitted by Jason
Lately, the hardest thing for me is to be patient. The bible has much to say about patience and the virtue that comes with it and the blessings to be bestowed upon one who displays it. I could list several verses that contain the word patience to prove my point, but yesterday, the Lord used a verse that many Christians, including myself, know very well, to teach me about patience without that word being a part of the verse.
That verse is Ps 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give you the desires of thine heart.". Before I explain how the Lord used this verse to minister to me, I'd like to share the first personal experience that I had with this verse as a young believer.
In 1994 Francie & I left our home state of New Jersey and moved to Arizona. She was 21, I was 20, and we were engaged to be married. In that same year, she conceived Kayla, I learned how to drive a truck, we got married and I gave my life to Jesus all in that year. Arizona was good to us. We lived there for over 8 yrs.
When I became a Christian and started going to church and reading my bible, I would stumble upon scripture that I simply couldn't understand. I would bring these scriptures to the pastor and he'd help me as much as he could. Ps 37:4 was one of these scriptures.
After about 7 years of living in Az, I was ready to move back to NJ. Francie on the other hand was not. In fact she vowed to never move back to NJ. In light of Ps 37:4, I brought the desires of my heart to the Lord. I asked him to speak to her about moving back to NJ and decided that I would not talk with her about this again. I trusted that he would fulfill his word. The only question was, "What does it mean to delight thyself in the Lord?".
At that point, I'd been a Christian for about 7 years. I had a sincere desire to align my life with the scriptures. Somewhere along this journey, I came to realize that I had to decide whether God's word was true or not. Once I had decided that it was true, then I had to realize that it's either all true or none of it is true. Either Jesus is who he said he is and has done what he said he did or it's a fictional book. Everything that it said that was contrary to how I lived my life had to be confronted. Something had to change. The sooner I realized that it was my life that needed to change, because God's word never changes, the better off I was.
So, I wrestled with trying to figure out how to delight myself in the Lord, but moved forward in my Christian walk stumbling over and over. Each time I stumbled, Jesus picked me up, brushed me off and sent me on my way with a loving hand guiding me forward.
I clung to that verse for about a year, wondering if the Lord actually cared about fulfilling his word. I felt that I was doing everything that I could to delight myself in him, but this desire of mine was being ignored.
Sometime in 2002, Francie visited NJ to attend the wedding of one of her closest childhood friends. When she returned to Az she told me of how the Lord had spoken to her about moving back to NJ as she drove down the Atlantic City Expressway. I think I ran out of the room and started packing! So, we did just that. We moved back to NJ and spent the next 5 yrs of our lives there. I can remember thanking God for performing his word in my life by speaking to Francie about my desires, but I couldn't pinpoint where, exactly, I'd delighted myself in him.
This brings me back to my original point of patience.
Yesterday, I was thinking again of this verse. We find ourselves in a place where we wait patiently for the Lord's direction in our lives when all we want to do is get up and sprint towards his presence. Some days are easier than others. Often, I'm tempted to be discouraged on days where it seems like nothing is being accomplished.
I've concluded that Ps 37:4 is much more about delighting yourself in the Lord than it is about receiving the desires of our hearts. As time goes on and you grow in your walk with Christ, you're desires will definitely change. The delighting part never does. Your understanding of how to delight yourself may change, but the command does not.
For me, it has been in this continual process of delighting myself in him that I can now trust that the way that God has for me is better than any desire of mine.
When God's will for our lives becomes our one true desire, delighting yourself in the Lord becomes an act without need of reciprocation.
Lately, the hardest thing for me is to be patient. The bible has much to say about patience and the virtue that comes with it and the blessings to be bestowed upon one who displays it. I could list several verses that contain the word patience to prove my point, but yesterday, the Lord used a verse that many Christians, including myself, know very well, to teach me about patience without that word being a part of the verse.
That verse is Ps 37:4, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give you the desires of thine heart.". Before I explain how the Lord used this verse to minister to me, I'd like to share the first personal experience that I had with this verse as a young believer.
In 1994 Francie & I left our home state of New Jersey and moved to Arizona. She was 21, I was 20, and we were engaged to be married. In that same year, she conceived Kayla, I learned how to drive a truck, we got married and I gave my life to Jesus all in that year. Arizona was good to us. We lived there for over 8 yrs.
When I became a Christian and started going to church and reading my bible, I would stumble upon scripture that I simply couldn't understand. I would bring these scriptures to the pastor and he'd help me as much as he could. Ps 37:4 was one of these scriptures.
After about 7 years of living in Az, I was ready to move back to NJ. Francie on the other hand was not. In fact she vowed to never move back to NJ. In light of Ps 37:4, I brought the desires of my heart to the Lord. I asked him to speak to her about moving back to NJ and decided that I would not talk with her about this again. I trusted that he would fulfill his word. The only question was, "What does it mean to delight thyself in the Lord?".
At that point, I'd been a Christian for about 7 years. I had a sincere desire to align my life with the scriptures. Somewhere along this journey, I came to realize that I had to decide whether God's word was true or not. Once I had decided that it was true, then I had to realize that it's either all true or none of it is true. Either Jesus is who he said he is and has done what he said he did or it's a fictional book. Everything that it said that was contrary to how I lived my life had to be confronted. Something had to change. The sooner I realized that it was my life that needed to change, because God's word never changes, the better off I was.
So, I wrestled with trying to figure out how to delight myself in the Lord, but moved forward in my Christian walk stumbling over and over. Each time I stumbled, Jesus picked me up, brushed me off and sent me on my way with a loving hand guiding me forward.
I clung to that verse for about a year, wondering if the Lord actually cared about fulfilling his word. I felt that I was doing everything that I could to delight myself in him, but this desire of mine was being ignored.
Sometime in 2002, Francie visited NJ to attend the wedding of one of her closest childhood friends. When she returned to Az she told me of how the Lord had spoken to her about moving back to NJ as she drove down the Atlantic City Expressway. I think I ran out of the room and started packing! So, we did just that. We moved back to NJ and spent the next 5 yrs of our lives there. I can remember thanking God for performing his word in my life by speaking to Francie about my desires, but I couldn't pinpoint where, exactly, I'd delighted myself in him.
This brings me back to my original point of patience.
Yesterday, I was thinking again of this verse. We find ourselves in a place where we wait patiently for the Lord's direction in our lives when all we want to do is get up and sprint towards his presence. Some days are easier than others. Often, I'm tempted to be discouraged on days where it seems like nothing is being accomplished.
I've concluded that Ps 37:4 is much more about delighting yourself in the Lord than it is about receiving the desires of our hearts. As time goes on and you grow in your walk with Christ, you're desires will definitely change. The delighting part never does. Your understanding of how to delight yourself may change, but the command does not.
For me, it has been in this continual process of delighting myself in him that I can now trust that the way that God has for me is better than any desire of mine.
When God's will for our lives becomes our one true desire, delighting yourself in the Lord becomes an act without need of reciprocation.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Back To Square One
Submitted by Jason
Thursday night I visited the same small church that I mentioned in a previous post. Once again, I was delighted in, inspired by and convicted by their hunger and how a group of people that collectively have so little, (material possessions), give so much of themselves to the Lord in worship.
The pastor shared a powerful message in James 4 while graciously translating throughout it's entirety in recognition of my attendance. Seemingly, every one of the adults took the time to shake my hand and welcome me following the service. Some struggled in conversation with me in that place where you step out of your comfort zone, fearlessly risking the discomfort and potential embarrassment of trying to communicate with someone in a language which is secondary to you. Others just smiled and blessed me in Spanish.
Nothing blessed me more than the short conversation that I had with the pastor after the service. It was about 9:30 pm as the service ended. The pastor apologized for having to end our conversation abruptly because many of the congregation were climbing into the back of a box truck that he uses to drive them home. Gesturing in a general direction unfamiliar to me, he told me that some of them live up in those mountains and that he picks them up and drives them home. He also told me that the ones that live in the mountains have to walk a little over a mile from their homes to get to the point where he can pick them up. He told me with a smile that they walk through the mud in the dark to get to me. I'm still not sure whose sacrifice has impacted me more; the believers that go to great lengths just to assemble in His presence, or the pastor whose Thursday evening consists of picking up, preaching to and then dropping off the body.
There is a price to be paid for following Him. We knew that when we made our decision to leave everything that we have to follow His call on our lives. The price that believers pay worldwide vary in many ways. Obviously, some more extreme than others. I'd like to preface what I'm about to say by acknowledging that I fully understand that many believers worldwide experience torture, imprisonment and even death as their cost and my price pales in comparison to believers that have suffered in these ways for His name.
One of the prices that we have paid in the recent past is the price of friends, family and acquaintances not understanding how we make seemingly major decisions based on a word from the Lord without a clear understanding of what the next step is. We have learned, and continue to learn, to entrust our lives, the lives of our children and our welfare into the ever capable hands of an indescribable God.
Earlier this week I was "welcomed" into "the ministry" with the task of meeting with the facilitators of the property in which we had agreed to rent to inform them that the Lord has instructed us to go in a different direction and that we would not be renting the property from them. This was a difficult conversation to have with someone who has stepped out in faith, believed in and trusted us by working out our original agreement.
With no explanation other than the Lord's instruction to go in a different direction, I sat at a table before them with a heavy heart as I shared this word with them. My heart was heavy due to the love and trust that we received from this couple and the fact that I was there to break the agreement that we entered into, but at the same time, I understand that I have no business apologizing to any man for obeying what I believe to be the Lord's direction. The meeting went as well as can be expected for such a serious moment. I'm thankful to the Lord for the grace and understanding in which they conveyed toward me.
So, we're back to square one, waiting patiently for the Lord's instruction for the next step in our journey. We have complete confidence in Him that he'll make the way known to us. Until then, we'll live each day looking for opportunities to share the love of Christ with others in our pursuit of His will for us.
Today, I will be going to pick up our "stuff" which arrived yesterday from the states. I have to go to the location that the trucking company uses for pick up and investigate the duty that the customs officials have placed on it.
As always, thank you to those who continue to stand with us financially and in prayer. Please pray for us to have favor with the government here and honesty among the people handling this transaction.
Thursday night I visited the same small church that I mentioned in a previous post. Once again, I was delighted in, inspired by and convicted by their hunger and how a group of people that collectively have so little, (material possessions), give so much of themselves to the Lord in worship.
The pastor shared a powerful message in James 4 while graciously translating throughout it's entirety in recognition of my attendance. Seemingly, every one of the adults took the time to shake my hand and welcome me following the service. Some struggled in conversation with me in that place where you step out of your comfort zone, fearlessly risking the discomfort and potential embarrassment of trying to communicate with someone in a language which is secondary to you. Others just smiled and blessed me in Spanish.
Nothing blessed me more than the short conversation that I had with the pastor after the service. It was about 9:30 pm as the service ended. The pastor apologized for having to end our conversation abruptly because many of the congregation were climbing into the back of a box truck that he uses to drive them home. Gesturing in a general direction unfamiliar to me, he told me that some of them live up in those mountains and that he picks them up and drives them home. He also told me that the ones that live in the mountains have to walk a little over a mile from their homes to get to the point where he can pick them up. He told me with a smile that they walk through the mud in the dark to get to me. I'm still not sure whose sacrifice has impacted me more; the believers that go to great lengths just to assemble in His presence, or the pastor whose Thursday evening consists of picking up, preaching to and then dropping off the body.
There is a price to be paid for following Him. We knew that when we made our decision to leave everything that we have to follow His call on our lives. The price that believers pay worldwide vary in many ways. Obviously, some more extreme than others. I'd like to preface what I'm about to say by acknowledging that I fully understand that many believers worldwide experience torture, imprisonment and even death as their cost and my price pales in comparison to believers that have suffered in these ways for His name.
One of the prices that we have paid in the recent past is the price of friends, family and acquaintances not understanding how we make seemingly major decisions based on a word from the Lord without a clear understanding of what the next step is. We have learned, and continue to learn, to entrust our lives, the lives of our children and our welfare into the ever capable hands of an indescribable God.
Earlier this week I was "welcomed" into "the ministry" with the task of meeting with the facilitators of the property in which we had agreed to rent to inform them that the Lord has instructed us to go in a different direction and that we would not be renting the property from them. This was a difficult conversation to have with someone who has stepped out in faith, believed in and trusted us by working out our original agreement.
With no explanation other than the Lord's instruction to go in a different direction, I sat at a table before them with a heavy heart as I shared this word with them. My heart was heavy due to the love and trust that we received from this couple and the fact that I was there to break the agreement that we entered into, but at the same time, I understand that I have no business apologizing to any man for obeying what I believe to be the Lord's direction. The meeting went as well as can be expected for such a serious moment. I'm thankful to the Lord for the grace and understanding in which they conveyed toward me.
So, we're back to square one, waiting patiently for the Lord's instruction for the next step in our journey. We have complete confidence in Him that he'll make the way known to us. Until then, we'll live each day looking for opportunities to share the love of Christ with others in our pursuit of His will for us.
Today, I will be going to pick up our "stuff" which arrived yesterday from the states. I have to go to the location that the trucking company uses for pick up and investigate the duty that the customs officials have placed on it.
As always, thank you to those who continue to stand with us financially and in prayer. Please pray for us to have favor with the government here and honesty among the people handling this transaction.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
It's About Relationship
Submitted by Jason
Christianity is not about some formula or pattern that we follow to gain God's acceptance or favor in our lives. It's about relationship. As in human relationships, if you value someone or intend on knowing someone better, you make efforts to communicate and spend time with that person, often exposing the vulnerable side of you in faith that you'll not be rejected or hurt. It's the same with the Lord except He'll never reject or hurt you.
Every relationship has different levels of trust. I think that if you're honest in self-reflection, you can agree that you've been both hurt and hurtful in past relationships. They can grow, deteriorate or sometimes come to an abrupt end.
When we stepped out in faith a few months ago and began selling everything possible to *lose our lives, we knew that we were entering into a new season which would bring a new level to our personal relationships with the Lord. This is not a level that can only be achieved by entering the mission field. It's not something that is earned through works. I'm simply stating that for us, there was a relational growth that accompanied the decision that we made to answer the call of the Lord on our lives.
I've been particularly enjoying reading in the gospels about the interaction between Jesus and the disciples. More often than not, the truths that he was revealing to them were difficult for them to comprehend, to say the least. In John 14:11-12 Jesus tells them, "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.". He goes on to tell them in John 16:7, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.". Then in John 16:12-13 He says, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit), comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
In my opinion, God didn't need the disciples to reach the lost or show His might throughout the earth. He could have done it many different ways, but He chose to use people to spread the good news of the gospel throughout the nations. Jesus was an example to the disciples of how to minister effectively to further God's kingdom. Through Him going to the Father, He promised that the disciples would be sent the Holy Spirit to guide them in all truth and enable them to "do even greater things" than His own ministry of healing, deliverance and salvation. Access to that same promised Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and enable you to "do even greater things" is available to "anyone who has faith in me (Jesus)".
We experienced a minor setback a few days ago. The vehicle that we are borrowing while we await the arrival of ours from the states has been in the shop, due to transmission problems, since Tuesday. The Lord has turned this setback into good in more ways than one. Romans 8:28 says, "And in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.". We can have confidence that He's working good in our lives through all things.
It's only through death can we truly appreciate life. After sickness we can better appreciate health. Through lack we can celebrate provision in a greater way. Through hatred we can know love. Through rejection we can appreciate acceptance.
If there's one thing that I've learned this week, it's to know that God may use seemingly disadvantageous situations to lead us, protect us and display His love toward us.
I believe that the disciples experienced this revelation at some point. They were told that Jesus had to leave them so that the Holy Spirit would come to enable them to minister more effectively. The time between when Jesus told them of this truth and when the truth was actually revealed to them is unclear in scripture and debatable.
Be encouraged. It's my hope, and prayer, that if you're facing a seemingly disadvantageous situation in your life that you can trust in God and stand on His truths.
Please feel free to email us with testimonies, prayer requests or questions. We'd love to hear from you and as always, thanks for standing with us in prayer.
*Mark 8:35 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Christianity is not about some formula or pattern that we follow to gain God's acceptance or favor in our lives. It's about relationship. As in human relationships, if you value someone or intend on knowing someone better, you make efforts to communicate and spend time with that person, often exposing the vulnerable side of you in faith that you'll not be rejected or hurt. It's the same with the Lord except He'll never reject or hurt you.
Every relationship has different levels of trust. I think that if you're honest in self-reflection, you can agree that you've been both hurt and hurtful in past relationships. They can grow, deteriorate or sometimes come to an abrupt end.
When we stepped out in faith a few months ago and began selling everything possible to *lose our lives, we knew that we were entering into a new season which would bring a new level to our personal relationships with the Lord. This is not a level that can only be achieved by entering the mission field. It's not something that is earned through works. I'm simply stating that for us, there was a relational growth that accompanied the decision that we made to answer the call of the Lord on our lives.
I've been particularly enjoying reading in the gospels about the interaction between Jesus and the disciples. More often than not, the truths that he was revealing to them were difficult for them to comprehend, to say the least. In John 14:11-12 Jesus tells them, "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.". He goes on to tell them in John 16:7, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.". Then in John 16:12-13 He says, "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit), comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
In my opinion, God didn't need the disciples to reach the lost or show His might throughout the earth. He could have done it many different ways, but He chose to use people to spread the good news of the gospel throughout the nations. Jesus was an example to the disciples of how to minister effectively to further God's kingdom. Through Him going to the Father, He promised that the disciples would be sent the Holy Spirit to guide them in all truth and enable them to "do even greater things" than His own ministry of healing, deliverance and salvation. Access to that same promised Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and enable you to "do even greater things" is available to "anyone who has faith in me (Jesus)".
We experienced a minor setback a few days ago. The vehicle that we are borrowing while we await the arrival of ours from the states has been in the shop, due to transmission problems, since Tuesday. The Lord has turned this setback into good in more ways than one. Romans 8:28 says, "And in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.". We can have confidence that He's working good in our lives through all things.
It's only through death can we truly appreciate life. After sickness we can better appreciate health. Through lack we can celebrate provision in a greater way. Through hatred we can know love. Through rejection we can appreciate acceptance.
If there's one thing that I've learned this week, it's to know that God may use seemingly disadvantageous situations to lead us, protect us and display His love toward us.
I believe that the disciples experienced this revelation at some point. They were told that Jesus had to leave them so that the Holy Spirit would come to enable them to minister more effectively. The time between when Jesus told them of this truth and when the truth was actually revealed to them is unclear in scripture and debatable.
Be encouraged. It's my hope, and prayer, that if you're facing a seemingly disadvantageous situation in your life that you can trust in God and stand on His truths.
Please feel free to email us with testimonies, prayer requests or questions. We'd love to hear from you and as always, thanks for standing with us in prayer.
*Mark 8:35 "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
15 yr old Andrew
Submitted By Andrew (15 yrs old)
Well, when I first found out that my family was going to be moving to a different country. To be honest, I was pretty bummed and I didn't even know where Belize was! I began thinking about all the things I was going to lose. But I went through it all with the mindset of knowing that in order for me to follow God. Giving things up is a must and it's something that I was willing to do. Thank the Lord I didn't feel all that bad about it either.
During a couple of weeks of going through stuff in the house and everything, I came to thinking of all the positive things to moving, like traveling, starting somewhat a new life, meeting new people, and mostly learning. Of course I'm gonna miss all that I have had but everybody needs a change once in a while. The size of the change doesn't matter.
A lot of the time I would have to back up and notice some of the amazing things that have happened like, Being able to go on an crazy, awesome cruise, meet new people, see different places around the world, and spending more time with my family. Which I have to say had it's ups and downs. :)
When I came to Belize it was pretty interesting, I guess you could call it. It's really nice nature wise, compared to most of The United States. It's awesome seeing different people and wildlife. And surprisingly most of the people down here know or understand at least some English. The stores and shops are very different compared to the states, heck even most of the roads are paved! There's also an amazing place to get ice cream! That is a huge blessing!
On Sunday my family and I went to a church called Fountain Of Life. This church is fairly close to the ones in the States that we recently were attending. I met so many people my age that day, and after the service we all went to a park and played baseball, which was so fun!
Things here in Belize are much simpler and slower than in the States. But I can get used to that. That's mostly what I'm gonna have to do here a lot of times is just get used to it. And I'm OK with that. I hope that one day I'll be able to go back to the United States. But only if God allows it.
I think my main goal right now is to live life and try to follow Gods path for me.
Andrew Jeffers :)
(PS if you know me and would like to contact me. My Facebook name is Andrew Jeffers.)
Well, when I first found out that my family was going to be moving to a different country. To be honest, I was pretty bummed and I didn't even know where Belize was! I began thinking about all the things I was going to lose. But I went through it all with the mindset of knowing that in order for me to follow God. Giving things up is a must and it's something that I was willing to do. Thank the Lord I didn't feel all that bad about it either.
During a couple of weeks of going through stuff in the house and everything, I came to thinking of all the positive things to moving, like traveling, starting somewhat a new life, meeting new people, and mostly learning. Of course I'm gonna miss all that I have had but everybody needs a change once in a while. The size of the change doesn't matter.
A lot of the time I would have to back up and notice some of the amazing things that have happened like, Being able to go on an crazy, awesome cruise, meet new people, see different places around the world, and spending more time with my family. Which I have to say had it's ups and downs. :)
When I came to Belize it was pretty interesting, I guess you could call it. It's really nice nature wise, compared to most of The United States. It's awesome seeing different people and wildlife. And surprisingly most of the people down here know or understand at least some English. The stores and shops are very different compared to the states, heck even most of the roads are paved! There's also an amazing place to get ice cream! That is a huge blessing!
On Sunday my family and I went to a church called Fountain Of Life. This church is fairly close to the ones in the States that we recently were attending. I met so many people my age that day, and after the service we all went to a park and played baseball, which was so fun!
Things here in Belize are much simpler and slower than in the States. But I can get used to that. That's mostly what I'm gonna have to do here a lot of times is just get used to it. And I'm OK with that. I hope that one day I'll be able to go back to the United States. But only if God allows it.
I think my main goal right now is to live life and try to follow Gods path for me.
Andrew Jeffers :)
(PS if you know me and would like to contact me. My Facebook name is Andrew Jeffers.)
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Exactly What We Needed
Submitted by Jason
On Sunday we attended a church called Fountain Of Life. They were celebrating the completion of a 3 wk bible course offered by the church in which about 10 people completed. After the service, to celebrate, they had a pot luck lunch for the whole church. It was outstanding. The food rice & beans, chicken, slaw and desserts were delicious, but more importantly, the opportunity to fellowship with the congregation was exactly what we needed.
Everyone one of our kids disappeared to play with & hang out with new friends after their meal was finished. Francie and I had an opportunity to meet many people during this time. We met the pastor who is from Missouri and an elder who is from Elverson, Pa. (and yes, I had to ask...he is an Eagles fan.)
The pastor announced after the meal that they were meeting at a park down the road at 3pm to play baseball for anyone interested. We left for church around 9:30 am and returned home after 7pm only returning for a few minutes to change clothes to play ball. When we left the park the kids were alive with excitement over their new friends and look forward to tonight's youth group.
I had a nice time of discussion with the pastor about many things that day at the field including our vision and calling, local perception of missionaries, Belize history, government mindsets and ministry experiences and opportunities, to name a few.
Yesterday, we stopped by our friends and had a time of fellowship celebrating the Feast Of Tabernacles according to Lev 23:33-44. They built a sukkah (spelling ?) in which we ate, prayed, sang, learned about the feasts and fellowshiped. As I understand, the Feast Of Tabernacles is basically a time for people born of Israel, Jews, to remember when God brought them out of Egypt. They dwelt in booths made from sticks, branches, leaves, etc... It's an 8 day celebration in which the 1st and 8th day are Sabbaths. This feast is just one of the feasts that the Lord gave to the Israelites through Moses to keep throughout all generations. Christ's sacrifice paved the way for gentiles, non-Israelites, to partake in the blessings originally intended for this chosen people.
Today, Brendan & I will be spreading limestone in our garden plots as a soil additive. We are working on coordinating the purchase of organic compost from a friend of ours here that we intend on adding as well. After, we will begin hand digging one of our two small ponds that will be used as watering holes for our chickens and cow.
Thank you in advance to all of you who continue to stand with us in prayer. For anyone interested, our current prayer requests would be for you to pray for; our safety, our soil, relationships, discernment, provision, and a safe arrival of our stuff in transit from Tx with a low duty at customs.
On Sunday we attended a church called Fountain Of Life. They were celebrating the completion of a 3 wk bible course offered by the church in which about 10 people completed. After the service, to celebrate, they had a pot luck lunch for the whole church. It was outstanding. The food rice & beans, chicken, slaw and desserts were delicious, but more importantly, the opportunity to fellowship with the congregation was exactly what we needed.
Everyone one of our kids disappeared to play with & hang out with new friends after their meal was finished. Francie and I had an opportunity to meet many people during this time. We met the pastor who is from Missouri and an elder who is from Elverson, Pa. (and yes, I had to ask...he is an Eagles fan.)
The pastor announced after the meal that they were meeting at a park down the road at 3pm to play baseball for anyone interested. We left for church around 9:30 am and returned home after 7pm only returning for a few minutes to change clothes to play ball. When we left the park the kids were alive with excitement over their new friends and look forward to tonight's youth group.
I had a nice time of discussion with the pastor about many things that day at the field including our vision and calling, local perception of missionaries, Belize history, government mindsets and ministry experiences and opportunities, to name a few.
Yesterday, we stopped by our friends and had a time of fellowship celebrating the Feast Of Tabernacles according to Lev 23:33-44. They built a sukkah (spelling ?) in which we ate, prayed, sang, learned about the feasts and fellowshiped. As I understand, the Feast Of Tabernacles is basically a time for people born of Israel, Jews, to remember when God brought them out of Egypt. They dwelt in booths made from sticks, branches, leaves, etc... It's an 8 day celebration in which the 1st and 8th day are Sabbaths. This feast is just one of the feasts that the Lord gave to the Israelites through Moses to keep throughout all generations. Christ's sacrifice paved the way for gentiles, non-Israelites, to partake in the blessings originally intended for this chosen people.
Today, Brendan & I will be spreading limestone in our garden plots as a soil additive. We are working on coordinating the purchase of organic compost from a friend of ours here that we intend on adding as well. After, we will begin hand digging one of our two small ponds that will be used as watering holes for our chickens and cow.
Thank you in advance to all of you who continue to stand with us in prayer. For anyone interested, our current prayer requests would be for you to pray for; our safety, our soil, relationships, discernment, provision, and a safe arrival of our stuff in transit from Tx with a low duty at customs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)