This week has been amazingly awesome! We are both sad that we have to leave tomorrow morning, but also sorta happy to see home! When we get home, last thing that we want to eat is anything with rice, beans, chicken, or plain eggs, or burnt bacon, and banana’s (not that we ate any cause we didn’t) Building relationships was one of the best things that happened on this trip. We taught the kids at ‘San Pablo’ some things that we say and what we found out, they DIDN’T say or never have whatever you want to call it.
Faith’s buddy was Benjamin, and Tabi’s was Denise.
Faith taught them ‘rock on’ with the sign. Tabi taught them to say ‘peace out’ with the sign and ‘what’s up what’s up what’s up’ as well. The story was that I (Tabi) ask a shy child ‘what’s up’ then the little boy holding my hand repeated it. I was amazed and said it three times fast. All the children soon learned it, along with my name, that they thought was fun to say, so might as well say it a thousand times!
The story with the ‘rock on’ was I (Faith) started saying it after two days of Tabi saying weird things to the kids. I thought it was really funny, so funny we got Andrew and Tabi’s video cameras out and caught it on video to show everyone. It was so funny and amazing what they learned and said. We both think that they’ll never forget it.
Saturday was interesting…cause the\bus broke down….again…before we could even move an inch. On the boat ride out to the island, JB fell asleep and left his mouth open. Faith poured water into his mouth! He sat up and spat it out…it gave us all a good laugh.
Then the swimming with fish, sharks, sting rays, and sea turtles was amazing along with tons of coral that we saw. I (Tabi) didn’t like the water in my mouth. I (Faith) liked the tuna sandwich for lunch! (So me!) We both took a lot of pictures and videos.
God has worked in amazing ways, ways that we never would’ve imagined. He took me (Tabi) out of my little world and brought me to a new one, one that was one that He could use me in way better than I would’ve thought.
He made me (Faith) stronger in my faith and that we are so blessed with what we have. We shouldn’t complain about what we have, cause out here they use everything they have, even though they don’t have much to begin with. They are so content with it. Now we both know why we were called to come here to Belize.
-Love you guys! Rock on! – Faith :)
-Stay cool! Peace out! – Tabi BD
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
His Name is Adam
I am not the prayer warrior. I know some. I have some that I call on from time to time when I need help. I married a pray-er. But I really struggle to stay focused in prayer for long periods of time.
Sometimes I just don’t get it. Many times God has asked me to pray and I don’t understand the goal so I stop praying. Sometimes, I understand the goal, but cant figure out how God answering this prayer is going to get us to that end result…so I stop praying. Sometimes, I just cant see how important things are to God, and I give up. Sometimes, I really just need some medication to help me focus!
When we left San Pablo yesterday, we made a stop in one of the other villages…it was on the way (everything is “on the way” in Belize and it only takes about “25 minutes” to get there!).
We were asked to stop and pray for one of the children in the village. His name is Adam and he is not a child, he is 19 years old. His father is one of the leaders in the village. Adam has exhausted every avenue for healing. He has been to the Clinic. He has been to the Bush Doctor. He has had Pastors come and pray for him. Nothing has worked for the long term and he has no diagnosis. He has been in his bed for nearly three months.
Adam asked us to pray for him.
In the last 24 hours, God has opened my eyes to something that I am not sure I would have seen elsewhere. I think I understand His goal in this village…that the whole village would know Jesus as Savior. I understand that in praying for the healing of this one young man, a village could be saved….the others would see the power of the Lord God over sickness and disease and understand that He also has the power over live and death. I understand that these people are important to God…
…and so I pray for Adam.
I am praying that every infirmity and disease would leave his body. I am praying that God would move in such as mighty way that there is no question about how good and powerful He is. I am praying for Adam’s testimony to the rest of his village about how God has delivered him from the disease, and how he has received abundant life in the Lord Jesus.
Can you imagine the impact of this one answered prayer?
….why don’t you pray for Adam too.
And ask your friends to pray.
And ask your co-workers to pray.
And ask your family to pray.
And ask anyone who knows Jesus to pray for divine intervention in Adam’s life.
Oh, by the way, we will be in Adam’s village all next week sharing the Good News. Wouldn’t it be cool if Adam was out there with us?
Blessings.
Tim
Sometimes I just don’t get it. Many times God has asked me to pray and I don’t understand the goal so I stop praying. Sometimes, I understand the goal, but cant figure out how God answering this prayer is going to get us to that end result…so I stop praying. Sometimes, I just cant see how important things are to God, and I give up. Sometimes, I really just need some medication to help me focus!
When we left San Pablo yesterday, we made a stop in one of the other villages…it was on the way (everything is “on the way” in Belize and it only takes about “25 minutes” to get there!).
We were asked to stop and pray for one of the children in the village. His name is Adam and he is not a child, he is 19 years old. His father is one of the leaders in the village. Adam has exhausted every avenue for healing. He has been to the Clinic. He has been to the Bush Doctor. He has had Pastors come and pray for him. Nothing has worked for the long term and he has no diagnosis. He has been in his bed for nearly three months.
Adam asked us to pray for him.
In the last 24 hours, God has opened my eyes to something that I am not sure I would have seen elsewhere. I think I understand His goal in this village…that the whole village would know Jesus as Savior. I understand that in praying for the healing of this one young man, a village could be saved….the others would see the power of the Lord God over sickness and disease and understand that He also has the power over live and death. I understand that these people are important to God…
…and so I pray for Adam.
I am praying that every infirmity and disease would leave his body. I am praying that God would move in such as mighty way that there is no question about how good and powerful He is. I am praying for Adam’s testimony to the rest of his village about how God has delivered him from the disease, and how he has received abundant life in the Lord Jesus.
Can you imagine the impact of this one answered prayer?
….why don’t you pray for Adam too.
And ask your friends to pray.
And ask your co-workers to pray.
And ask your family to pray.
And ask anyone who knows Jesus to pray for divine intervention in Adam’s life.
Oh, by the way, we will be in Adam’s village all next week sharing the Good News. Wouldn’t it be cool if Adam was out there with us?
Blessings.
Tim
So Long, San Pablo
Today was a good day; one of those bitter-sweet experiences.
We finished our ministry work in San Pablo. It turned out to be a really good week in this village. As I understand things, after talking with Randy for some time tonight…
Before we left, we passed out “sweets” and said goodbye. We took some pictures, gave hugs and high-fives. I slipped Eduardo an extra piece of candy. Then we boarded the bus and left San Pablo.
- We were the first group (Working with Randy and the ministry here in Belize) to venture into this village. This was the maiden voyage into this village to do ministry work.
- The church that is being planted is called New Jerusalem. So far, there have been discussions with some of the church leaders, but until just recently, there has been no formal commitments or relationship. We had a chance this week to meet the church leaders and some of the village leaders.
- This village is virtually unreached, except for a handful of believers there does not appear to be much of a functioning church. Best guess is that 60 to 70 people identify with the Catholic, Baptist or New Jerusalem Fellowship. It is unclear when the Catholic and Baptist churches meet. They have a building, but there is no evidence of regular meetings in these congregations. The New Jerusalem fellowship seems to have 20-25 people who are committed to reaching the village of San Pablo.
- These men and women who love the Lord, have begun the process but are lacking leadership, support, training and resources.
There was something significant that happened in the last two days. I am not sure that I can tell you all of the details, but it is that “God is up to something” feeling that you get when God is up to something. There were some connections made that surprised us…they even surprised the missionary! Each of our students was able to make connections with different children in the village. For the last two days, we spent hours in relationship building. As our students walked the village meeting and inviting kids and parents and people and pets to come and hear a story about Jesus, they were able to share their own stories about Jesus. I heard our students talking about the difference that Jesus had made in their own lives. They were asking spiritual questions that lead to more in depth conversations about the Lord. We talked a lot about being “born again.”
For me, the young man was Eduardo. He is 14 years old. He and I connected. He walked with me through his whole village. He showed my the water falls, his house, the animals, and taught me about his language and culture. Today we talked about his relationship with the Lord. He has had some teaching. He knows about Jesus. He says he loves God, but does not know Jesus as his savior. It was a good talk. I pray that the Lord will continue to work on Eduardo and that he will accept Jesus.
Today when we left, it was tough. We had developed and cultivated relationships in just a couple of days. ALL of our students worked very hard. I was so impressed by their willingness to be used by God. I cannot express in words how proud I am of the team that has been here this week. Everyone of them served with their whole hearts!
We are scheduled to be in a different village next week. Please pray for the children and families of San Pablo.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Kekchi 101
I learned a few Kekchi words today. The first is pronounced "SHAT-troo". The word means “Champion” or “Winner.” When I would stand in front of the group of kids, they would say this. Apparently, my quick wit and athletic agility was very clear to the young men in the village. It was clear to them that I was in fact a winner….and until yesterday, it was the only Kekchi word that I had mastered.
The other phrase was a little different. One of the young men taught me a word that made all the boys laugh. If you know me, you know I like to have a good laugh, so I said the word often. After a half hour of me saying the two Kekchi words I knew, one of the boys came very close and said, “Teem, you should not say dis ward any mo. It is not polite.”
Apparently, the boys had taught me the slang word for male body parts. It is funny, somehow I think that is the one Kekchi word that I will remember….I wont ever use it again, but I will remember it.
The other phrase was a little different. One of the young men taught me a word that made all the boys laugh. If you know me, you know I like to have a good laugh, so I said the word often. After a half hour of me saying the two Kekchi words I knew, one of the boys came very close and said, “Teem, you should not say dis ward any mo. It is not polite.”
Apparently, the boys had taught me the slang word for male body parts. It is funny, somehow I think that is the one Kekchi word that I will remember….I wont ever use it again, but I will remember it.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
San Pablo -- From Confusion to Ministry
It was a good thing we didnt have internet access last night. Who knows how the blog would have read...
Yesterday we stopped in the village at San Pablo on our way to the Southern Compound for River of Life. Randy and his team have been involved with this village for some time, but we are the first team that they have taken to do ministry with the kids in the village. It was exciting for all of us....the first team to go in, the opportunity to share our faith, the chance to build some new relatiosnhips...
What happened was very frustrating. Our "Sports Camp" idea was a bust. We had children pushing each other down for Jolly Rancher candy. Our craft project ran short-- we planned for 40 and 70 children! We did not experience the euphoria of evangelism that we expected...instead, we felt a lot of heartburn.
We spent some time last night working on strategy for the rest of the week. I will be the first to admit that I was wrong....
I was a strong proponent for lots of structure and planning and organization. (I know that sound ridiculous, but it really happened!) I was out voted. Instead we relaxed the structure, dropped back to a very relational approach and prayed. W eparayed last night. We prayed when we got there, we prayed during the day...and God answered our prayer.
Every student was involved in ministry. Everyone of our adults was involved in ministry. We had a great lesson and lots of game time and all of us got to visit someone at their home! Today there was ministry taking place. Today the confusion was gone. Today God answered prayers!
I wish that I could convey how proud I am of our students....they have done great things for the King. He has used them in mighty ways!
Blessings.
Yesterday we stopped in the village at San Pablo on our way to the Southern Compound for River of Life. Randy and his team have been involved with this village for some time, but we are the first team that they have taken to do ministry with the kids in the village. It was exciting for all of us....the first team to go in, the opportunity to share our faith, the chance to build some new relatiosnhips...
What happened was very frustrating. Our "Sports Camp" idea was a bust. We had children pushing each other down for Jolly Rancher candy. Our craft project ran short-- we planned for 40 and 70 children! We did not experience the euphoria of evangelism that we expected...instead, we felt a lot of heartburn.
We spent some time last night working on strategy for the rest of the week. I will be the first to admit that I was wrong....
I was a strong proponent for lots of structure and planning and organization. (I know that sound ridiculous, but it really happened!) I was out voted. Instead we relaxed the structure, dropped back to a very relational approach and prayed. W eparayed last night. We prayed when we got there, we prayed during the day...and God answered our prayer.
Every student was involved in ministry. Everyone of our adults was involved in ministry. We had a great lesson and lots of game time and all of us got to visit someone at their home! Today there was ministry taking place. Today the confusion was gone. Today God answered prayers!
I wish that I could convey how proud I am of our students....they have done great things for the King. He has used them in mighty ways!
Blessings.
San Pablo --From a Students Perspective
August 4, 2010
Maddie Beasley
Hey everybody, it’s the third day and it’s all going by so fast. We went into the village of San Pablo today. It was so neat, and grassy, and the kids were so kind. We connected with the children, and played with them, and we learned about each other. They all speak Kekchi (pronounced k-e-ch-ee), and only the older kids speak English, so it’s pretty hard to communicate.
Now, some things that God is doing in the village, that speaks to me, is He like let the kids remember the lesson, so they get some good knowledge about the Bible. Another thing that I noticed, is a girl named Annalecha (anna- leek- a) she’s 12 and helps us out when we talk to the little kids, and she interprets for us. She asked me today for a Bible and I would have given her mine except, Randy said don’t give anything away. But I got excited when she asked. That’s things that I saw God do today.
Keep praying for strength and peace from God.
See ya
-Maddie
Maddie Beasley
Hey everybody, it’s the third day and it’s all going by so fast. We went into the village of San Pablo today. It was so neat, and grassy, and the kids were so kind. We connected with the children, and played with them, and we learned about each other. They all speak Kekchi (pronounced k-e-ch-ee), and only the older kids speak English, so it’s pretty hard to communicate.
Now, some things that God is doing in the village, that speaks to me, is He like let the kids remember the lesson, so they get some good knowledge about the Bible. Another thing that I noticed, is a girl named Annalecha (anna- leek- a) she’s 12 and helps us out when we talk to the little kids, and she interprets for us. She asked me today for a Bible and I would have given her mine except, Randy said don’t give anything away. But I got excited when she asked. That’s things that I saw God do today.
Keep praying for strength and peace from God.
See ya
-Maddie
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday in Belize -- Student's Perspectives
Perspective
By Tabi Bailey
Hey guys what’s up, it’s Tabi Bailey here. It’s day two on this mission trip and so far it’s been really amazing. Today we went to the village ‘More Tomorrow’ and the children there were so kind and sweet. The children are so amazing, kind, and just plain cute. After the lesson and craft, we just hung out with the children and just played cool. I was into chasing about three or four little kids at once. I had a little buddy. Her name was Lydia and she was four. She was always wanting me to either chase her, pick her up, tickle her, spin her around, make weird faces at her, go to her play prison, or just love on her. Lydia looked a little like my sister when she was little. It was so much fun if I could do it all day I would’ve. A lot of the kids look like my sister but have the unending energy like my younger brother! One of the boys came up and said ‘hi’ in Chinese and I was surprised! God is awesome! I didn’t imagine that Belize would be such a cool place, and oh man! It is so much cooler here than in Fort Smith! Cannot believe it! The stars here are so clear and they shine like…well…stars! Still haven’t seen the moon yet but still looking for it.
Maddie got to see her ‘fighting duck’ and was so happy. It was her goal of the trip. The sad part is…it ‘didn’t want to fight’ so none of us got to see the fighting duck…fight. The roads make you feel like you’re on a bumpy ride…not really feel, cause you are on a bumpy ride, but somehow I managed to sleep some on the bus. The food is really amazing and I was wondering if I’d be coming home 15 pounds lighter but that’s NOT gonna happen. The sun rises really early and so when we wake up at 6:30 it’s like waking up at 8 in the US.
It rained several times during today and so we walked through mud the whole day…yay!!!! This place where we’re staying looks like Camp Joshua only the showers are way nicer. It’s been a long day but a good one. I miss you all. Peace out!
Perspective
By Andrew McCollough
Hey all, Andrew here. havin a blast here in Belize…. Got to go to a village called “More Tomorrow” today, had some fun experiences. I got to help cart cement blocks to a concrete foundation, sift and carry sand, and cart heavy rocks. Not quite what I was expecting but it was a good experience and I also got to have fresh coconut juice (its not qualified as milk cuz the nut wasn’t old enough) and we also have FRESH PINAPPLE FOR BREAKFAST!!!!! IT LIKE HEAVEN!!!!!! And the food is incredibly authentic (surprise surprise) and is unbelievable. Which I still cant believe that im any where different because the culture is like America and i cant quite grasp the concept that Im south of Mexico. The only thing that has me convinced that I am is the jungle and the really cool massive iguanas, which are like two feet long. Im gunna catch one before the week is over…..
While in More Tomorrow I also got to play with a lot of kids which was really fun, and most of them were either chasing me around trying to tickle me or trying to get their lion (puppet) to eat me. The bus worked like a charm, PTL. Last night I thought I was gunna get to sleep at Cheers (which it would be cool to be able to say that my first night in a foreign country was spent in a restraint). Mentioning Cheers, I had the most incredible quesadillas there…. This is spoiling me. So we are having a blast here in Belize and im lookin forward to whatever tomorrow may hold. We will be seeing yall soon. Adios for now!
By Tabi Bailey
Hey guys what’s up, it’s Tabi Bailey here. It’s day two on this mission trip and so far it’s been really amazing. Today we went to the village ‘More Tomorrow’ and the children there were so kind and sweet. The children are so amazing, kind, and just plain cute. After the lesson and craft, we just hung out with the children and just played cool. I was into chasing about three or four little kids at once. I had a little buddy. Her name was Lydia and she was four. She was always wanting me to either chase her, pick her up, tickle her, spin her around, make weird faces at her, go to her play prison, or just love on her. Lydia looked a little like my sister when she was little. It was so much fun if I could do it all day I would’ve. A lot of the kids look like my sister but have the unending energy like my younger brother! One of the boys came up and said ‘hi’ in Chinese and I was surprised! God is awesome! I didn’t imagine that Belize would be such a cool place, and oh man! It is so much cooler here than in Fort Smith! Cannot believe it! The stars here are so clear and they shine like…well…stars! Still haven’t seen the moon yet but still looking for it.
Maddie got to see her ‘fighting duck’ and was so happy. It was her goal of the trip. The sad part is…it ‘didn’t want to fight’ so none of us got to see the fighting duck…fight. The roads make you feel like you’re on a bumpy ride…not really feel, cause you are on a bumpy ride, but somehow I managed to sleep some on the bus. The food is really amazing and I was wondering if I’d be coming home 15 pounds lighter but that’s NOT gonna happen. The sun rises really early and so when we wake up at 6:30 it’s like waking up at 8 in the US.
It rained several times during today and so we walked through mud the whole day…yay!!!! This place where we’re staying looks like Camp Joshua only the showers are way nicer. It’s been a long day but a good one. I miss you all. Peace out!
Perspective
By Andrew McCollough
Hey all, Andrew here. havin a blast here in Belize…. Got to go to a village called “More Tomorrow” today, had some fun experiences. I got to help cart cement blocks to a concrete foundation, sift and carry sand, and cart heavy rocks. Not quite what I was expecting but it was a good experience and I also got to have fresh coconut juice (its not qualified as milk cuz the nut wasn’t old enough) and we also have FRESH PINAPPLE FOR BREAKFAST!!!!! IT LIKE HEAVEN!!!!!! And the food is incredibly authentic (surprise surprise) and is unbelievable. Which I still cant believe that im any where different because the culture is like America and i cant quite grasp the concept that Im south of Mexico. The only thing that has me convinced that I am is the jungle and the really cool massive iguanas, which are like two feet long. Im gunna catch one before the week is over…..
While in More Tomorrow I also got to play with a lot of kids which was really fun, and most of them were either chasing me around trying to tickle me or trying to get their lion (puppet) to eat me. The bus worked like a charm, PTL. Last night I thought I was gunna get to sleep at Cheers (which it would be cool to be able to say that my first night in a foreign country was spent in a restraint). Mentioning Cheers, I had the most incredible quesadillas there…. This is spoiling me. So we are having a blast here in Belize and im lookin forward to whatever tomorrow may hold. We will be seeing yall soon. Adios for now!
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