FPCA Missions

My Apologies

2011-05-30T11:23:00.001-07:00

It seems as my email account sent out a spam message (something about an invitation to join a social network called Tubley). The only social network I'm a part of and normally send out emails about is Facebook. I'm sorry for the spam email and the inconvenience - please don't click on the link.

Sophie Marian

we are home

2011-03-20T21:34:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

The 2011 Belize Team

Made it through customs

2011-03-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

We are in Houston, we made it through customs safely. Please pray for a smooth last leg of our journey

The Belize Team

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

heading back to TX

2011-03-20T12:35:00.001-07:00

Thanks for your continued prayers. We had a wonderful, meaningful time of
debriefing, and can't wait to share more.

Loading up in the van and heading to the Belize airport now. We will go through
customs in Houston, and then will arrive at DFW at 10:18pm. Please pray for
safe and smooth travel.

Blessings and love, the Belize team

Thur Pictures

2011-03-18T15:51:00.001-07:00

Wed Pictures

2011-03-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

YES in progress from 2010 - 2011

2011-03-18T15:49:00.001-07:00

When we looked at the pictures, we were blown away at the changes to the
physical facilities to the YES campus over the last two years. We've also been
awed by the changes in the girls and how they have grown and changed.

update from Thur

2011-03-18T05:50:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was an amazing experience! A group took the girls out for a field
trip in Belmopan. Most of the girls went horseback riding, and then all of the
girls went swimming. For a day, they all had a chance to just be kids! For
many of them, their days start at 4am when they wake up to catch buses to
school, they live in houses that are barely standing, and they have their quite
a few adult responsibilities on their plate. And they had the chance to relax,
be kids, try something new. Actually, one of the best parts, was the van ride
up, as the girls wanted to share stories (alternating between them and the
FPCAers, sing praise songs, and dance.

The part of the group that stayed behind worked on getting the awning up on the
classroom building. Starting to look really good!

Prayer Requests for Today:
- we are going to do an extended devotion time this morning, and really spend
some time praying for the girls by name.
- we are going to wrap up the sewing classes for those who haven't finished
their projects and the computer classes for those who still have questions.
- Today is our final day of working with the girls. It's only been a week, but
there have some powerful bonds established. Pray for a sweet parting, and that
we may continue to spread His Word even in our final day at YES.

Thankful for each one of you,

The Belize Team

(we will send pictures soon for Wed and Thur)

Update from Wed

2011-03-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

We had another wonderful day at YES Wed. We once again started with a time of
devotion/worship with the girls. They have really opened up, and asked if they
could share some of their songs with us. We sang for awhile, and then Presley
led is in a time teaching. We did small small group discussions after that and
some ice breakers. But at this point the ice breakers are just mainly for the
girls to have fun - we're mixing up the groups each day so different people from
the FPCA group can get to know different girls better.

In the sewing room, the bag project was finished yesterday. So Jennifer stepped
in to teach them how to make decorative flowers. Michelle was her main helper.
The YES girls had a blast! Some of them were able to try a more complicated
stitch, and they were all able to complete a fun project. Judy and Stacy were
able to move over to the construction project and help with the painting. The
building is now green with pink trim (and doors). And Lew and his crew have
started building an awning for the building. By Friday it's going to look
amazing.

We glanced briefly at the pictures of what the YES campus looked like in 2010,
but neither building had been painted, and before the edition had been built on
the education classroom. It's amazing difference.

Suzie continues to do amazing things teaching in the computer classroom! She's
taught the students how to use word, email, excel, publisher (and all this with
them having little to know education about computers).

Later in the day, Sophie took Yolanda back to the open air market so she could
get more food for one of our dinners. Several of our group members who had
never been came so they could experience what an open air market was like.

Today our group is splitting up for the first time all week. Part of the group
is staying behind at YES to continue the awning project. The rest of the group
is taking the YES girls on a field trip, a true treat for them!

Appreciate your prayers and each one of you!

Blessings and love,

The Belize Team

More Tuesday Pictures

2011-03-15T20:51:00.003-07:00

Update from Belize and Tuesday Pictures

2011-03-15T20:51:00.001-07:00

What a day!

The team headed back to Belize this morning. Lew was busy leading the painting
crew. Pastor Ruth (who leads a couple of classes at the school) had picked the
colors for the building. Last year we had painted the office building pink with
green trim. Well she liked that so much she decided to paint the new classroom
building green with pink trim. Her face lit up when she saw the color go on the
building. The church where she is a pastor is the same color green, and
everyone knows her church as the "green church."

In addition to the painting project, Lew and the crew found a few projects to
work on, including replacing a few boards on the classroom building, and
replacing the door on one of their bathrooms. We're hoping to help with
whatever minor repairs need to be done along with the larger projects they have
given us to do.

Stacy and Judy continued spearheading the sewing project (they were teaching the
girls to make bags). By the end of the day, the girls had each made two bags
(and were very proud of their accomplishments). Some girls were able to add
their own flair to the bags and others were able to figure out how if they were
to do a sewing business after school they could market something similar. We'll
introduce a new sewing project tomorrow, led by Jennifer.

Suzie is continuing to do a great job with the computer classes. Sophie and
Michelle joined her today to help give a quick lesson in Publisher to a few
people, and Presley has shared her computer knowledge as well over the last
couple of days.

One of the highlights is our devotional/worship/sharing time in the mornings.
Emma led us as we got started today, and it's been amazing just to see the
girls open up. Presley will be leading the devotional time tomorrow.

Jim is pitching in the kitchen, helping to get the midday meal ready. The woman
in charge of cooking the meals at YES said this was the first day she had fun
while cooking. I guess having Jim as your sous-chef definitely makes life more
fun!

Another highlight of the day was our amazing dinner, homemade by Yolanda.
Yolanda and Oscar is a couple we have known since our first trip to Belize in
2009 when we worked in the Burial Grounds section of Belize City. Oscar makes
the word work (bowls, crosses, etc) that so many of our team members buy while
we're in Belize - and one actually hangs on the cross wall at FPCA. Often while
we're here in Belize, Yolanda will made dinner for us. It's a win for us,
because we get an amazing meal, with things like homemade tortillas, for a very
very reasonable price (and we get to see her, Oscar and her kids), and it's a
win for Yolanda because she gets more work.

It was another great day. We did have a lot of heavy rains tonight, so we are
praying it dries out so we can finish painting tomorrow.

Please pray for good weather, continued good relationships with the girls at
YES, opportunities to share God's love with them (there have already been some
open doors which is very excited), and for our hearts to be open to what God is
doing.

Thanks, blessings, and love,

Sophie

a few more Monday pictures

2011-03-15T05:50:00.001-07:00

Monday Pictures

2011-03-15T05:44:00.001-07:00

End of Day Monday

2011-03-14T20:12:00.001-07:00

What a day! We headed out to YES first thing Monday. We started of the day
with the students at YES with a time of singing a few worship songs and Sophie
leading a time of devotion/small group Bible Study (we're going to rotate who
leads the Devotion time all week. Tomorrow, Emma is taking the lead.). The
students and the FPCA quickly bonded. After awhile we divided up into groups.
Suzie took the lead on leading a computer class, Judy and Stacy took the lead
on leading a sewing class, and Lew took the lead on painting one of the
classroom buildings (the one we built last year). Everyone else filled in as
they were needed.
Later in the day, after the students had left, and the worsksite was being
cleaned up, part of the group had the chance to visit an open air market to get
fresh food for our meals. It was a wonderful and different experience for
everyone who got to go. That same group was also able to drive by the Burial
Grounds School/Church where we worked in 2009. The school was out for the day,
so we didn't get to see any of the teachers/students that we know. But, it was
great to at least see the progress on the building/grounds.

Pictures to come. It's been a non-stop day, and we haven't had a chance to
upload any to the computer.

We are excited to return to YES tomorrow and continue building relationships
with the girls their and continue our work on the school grounds.

We appreciate your prayers so much!

The Belize Team.

checking in from Belize

2011-03-14T05:55:00.001-07:00

Good morning prayer team!

After breakfast we're headed out to YES for the day. We'll start with a
devotional time with the girls (some singing, a devotion). We'll begin our
construction/painting projects, and we'll also start our sewing and computer
classes with the girls. Most of all we're praying for a good start to
relationships with the girls and the staff.

We had a great day yesterday. Since the school isn't open, we made the 2+ drive
up to Northern Belize to visit with Moises and his family (check the
fpca.missions.blogspot for former posts if you don't know the story of Moises
and his family). We had a great time. They live about 1-2 miles from the bay,
but they never see the way, much less get to put their feet in it. We ate a
hamburger restaurant (which they LOVED) right by the water and then explore
since Mayan ruins just a few miles away (which they had never been too). We
ended the day worshipping/praying/sharing together as a group, before we heading
to bed.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Blessings and love,

the Belize Team

Safely in Belize

2011-03-12T14:33:00.001-08:00

After a smooth day of travel, we made it safely to Belize. In about an hour
we'll head out in dinner with the leaders of Youth Enhancement Services (YES).
YES is the school where we'll be working this week. (this is same place we
worked last year, so it's exciting to have the chance to see everyone again and
for new members of the team to meet the leadership for the first time).

The picture is from the DFW airport early this morning - the first of many group
pictures.

Blessings and love, the Belize team

Ready to Go

2011-03-09T13:00:00.001-08:00

The 2011 Belize Team is making final preparations (packing our personal baggage) for our March trip to Belize! We leave this Saturday, March 12th on a 6:55 A.M. flight. We will have a brief lay over in Houston, and will arrive in Belize shortly after 2 P.M.

Please be in prayer for the 15 members of our team. Pray for safe, smooth travel. Pray that God continues to prepare our hearts during these last few days before our trip.

This blog will be updated on our regular basis during our stay in Belize.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

2010 FPCA Belize March Trip Pictures

2010-04-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since our Belize team returned from our week long mission trip, and we've finally been able to sort through the almost 2,000 pictures that were taken during out time there (don't worry we're not posting all 2,000!). We wanted to take a moment and share some of the pictures and stories with you, starting with early Saturday morning, March 13th when we left from DFW airport.

It was early for a Saturday morning when our trip began- we met at the airport at 6:15 am. But, we were excited and ready to go!

We had a short layover in Houston, just enough time to eat an early lunch, and then before we knew it we were in Belize!

Our work week didn't officially begin until Saturday. The church service we would be attending was not until Sunday evening, so we had Sunday morning free. There were several different choices of activities and part of our group went to go see Moises. For those of you who aren't familiar with the Moises story, he is truly a living and walking miracle. Last year in March when our team was in Belize, one night during dinner, Tim Tam of the Word at Work announced that there was a young boy named Moises who was in the hospital and asked if anyone wanted to go with him to meet and pray for him.

Sophie agreed and went with Tim, and what they saw was a little boy struggling to live. Moises had been injured in the early part of January. He had fallen out of his stepfather's logging truck, and had been crushed by one of the logs, leaving him with massive internal injuries. Pieces of his intestines were missing, what was of his intestines were no longer attached to his other major organs, and during his last operation, the surgeons hadn't been able to close him up, so his abdomen was completely exposed. His only hope of survival was to go to the States for medical treatment.

The team began to pray and make connect with doctors and hospitals in the States. And within two weeks Moises was being transported to Amarillo, TX for medical treatment. The short version of a very long story is that Moises is now back in Belize, a normal, healthy boy.

For those team members who had met him in 2009 and who visited him in Amarillo it was an amazing gift to be able to see him in Belize.

Scot captured him reciting Psalm 1 on video.

This is Beth of the Word at Work holding Lisa, Moises' newest little sister (she is named Lisa after Tim Tam's wife).

Moises showing off his scar.

Part of our team with Moises.

Moises, his mom, and all of his brothers and sisters.

We had taken the whole family to get ice cream. And when we got back, we had a few minutes to play. Scot and Jerry took out an American football and introduced Moises and his brothers to the sport.

That evening we went to worship at Trinity Church. It was the same church where we ate dinner every night. And Pastor Ruth, the only pastor at the church, is also on staff at Youth Enhancement Services, where we spent most of our time during the week.

Monday morning our work week began. The majority of us went to Youth Enhancement Services in Lord's Bank (right out side of Belize City). The Lord's Bank campus of Youth Enhancement Services is a school for 20-25 girls who for whatever reason can't keep up in traditional schools. Most of them come from broken homes. Some live in children's homes. Many come from abusive situations.

This first picture shows two of their classroom/office buildings. Our job was to paint the one of the left and double the size of the one on the right.

We also spent time with the girls of YES, working with them on their crafts, getting to know them.

The first thing we did everyone morning was open the day with a devotional.

And then it was time to get to work....

This is Pastor Ruth, the pastor of Trinity church. And she comes to work with the girls of YES every Monday and Thursday. But, because we were there, she was there every day. In this picture, Sophie is presenting her with a new capacitor for a sewing machine. The week before the capacitor in one of her sewing machines had burned out and she had been carrying the old one around in her purse hoping for a miracle and that she would be able to find a new one. Thanks to Bill and Sue Perry from FPCA, a new one was purchased in Texas and brought to Belize. Pastor Ruth was so excited to see it!

Monday afternoon, part of the group left YES to go help with several other projects - so we loaded into one of our 15 passenger vans to head out towards Belmopan.

We dropped off part of the group at Kings Children's Home (one of the only Christian orphanages in the country of Belize), so they could have time loving on the kids.

The rest of the group headed to unload a container. West Texas A&M had donated close to 400 desks to be used by the children of Belize. To see the story of the donation go here: http://www.newschannel10.com/Global/story.asp?S=12018673
We had the privilege of getting to unload the desks on this end. It was a tiring assignment, but actually a lot of fun!

As I was describing our Monday's activities I mentioned that most of us went to YES. Scot and Jerry, however, had gone to BERT (Belize Emergency Response Team). Monday they did a training for the people at BERT and Tuesday they were able to work alongside of the people of BERT and do a training for people in the community.

On Tuesday, the rest of us returned to YES for another day of construction and working with the girls.

The building had been primed so now it was time to start painting.

I was very impressed with Mackenzie and some of the girls from Lubbock. We were working on putting up the scaffolding. But, instead of waiting, they just created their own...

There are a lot of things to adjust to when you're in another culture. And one of the things that Mackenzie and Hannah found particularly surprising was that milk didn't always come in a cartoon but came in a box (and was right next to the cereal!).

That night, our group went off apart from the Lubbock group and had dinner on our own. Usually at night we debriefed and worshipped as a big group (Arlington and Lubbock together). But for one night we decided to just have some Arlington time - was good to connect and to relax for a bit together).

We did have one special guest come with us that night, Yvette, the person in charge of BERT. It was great to hear more about what Scot and Jerry were doing since we didn't get to see them during the day.

By Wednesday you could tell there was definitely progress being made on the education classroom!

And we were having a great time in our morning devotions with the girls!

We did something special that morning - we started the day by praying for the girls and the staff of YES.

And then we had a "field day." The girls had been given permission to wear pants instead of their traditional uniforms, and so we spent the morning playing soccer and softball, and just running around having fun.

Scot and Jerry spent their day at the hospital and out on calls with the people of BERT.

It was time for us to put up walls on the education classroom!

Wednesday afternoon we went in a few separate directions. Sophie headed to the prison to work out a few details about the sewing ministry. Kelly, Suzie, Tony, and Mackenzie, and Tony went to help unload another container.

Some of the students who would be receiving the desks came to help unload and were so excited to see their new desks!

After they finished unloading the container they stopped by the Valley of Peace on the way home. There was a group from Amarillo at the Valley of Peace, and so they stopped by to see what they were working on.

While the four of them were at the Valley and Sophie was at the prison, Scot, Jerry, Michelle, and Jennifer, headed to the Burial Grounds to see where we had worked last year and visit some of the kids we had developed relationships with.

Wednesday night Sophie and two of the other youth leaders (Seth director from Westminster Pres in Lubbock and Mick the Youth Pastor from Hobbs, NM) from the trip had a unique opportunity. They were invited to go lead a youth workers training. It was a very successful event, and it was decided they would come back on Friday night, and do a more in depth four hour training for anyone who was interested.

On Thursday, Scot and Jerry joined us at YES. And they were very needed as Thursday was the day we were putting on the roof!

It was also the day we were helping (and learning how to) the girls make paper).

Also on Wednesday, Kelly, Suzie, and Michelle had the opportunity to travel out to the prison to be a part of a worship service in the rehabilitation unit. Unlike last year, there was never a time we were allowed to bring camera in to the prison.

One thing I have failed to mention is that in addition to building relationships with the girls at YES, we also developed relationships with many of the young kids who lived around the YES campus (especially the two kids who lived next door).

This is a picture (though not a very good one) of some of the group waiting for our nightly debrief/worship time to start. We spent some time singing, and then sharing about how we had seen God at work that day and week.

Friday, we once again went in a few different directions. Jerry and Scot headed back to BERT to lead a mass casualty training and to go out on calls. Sophie and Michelle headed to the YES to help finish things up on the classroom building. In this next picture you will see tin being loaded into a trailer. It was material that was taken off the old building that was no longer needed. We were able to donate that material to a widow who lived in Belize City to use for her house.

The rest of the group had the opportunity to take the girls on a field trip to Lamani. Though Belize is not a large country, many of the girls never have an opportunity to travel within the country.

At the end of the day, the building was complete (fully wired and ready to use!). Kenny Logan, the construction manager for the Word at Work was all smiles!

That night to thank us for our time, the women of the church made us a turkey feast - a true celebration in their culture!

Sophie, Mick, and Seth had their second youth leader training, and twice as many people showed up as they had anticipated!

It was an amazing evening of teaching, worship, fellowship, and small group sharing.

Also in the same building that night (and actually each night that week) was a sewing co-op. The idea was to teach basic sewing skills to women. And it brought people to the church who would otherwise never step foot inside a church.

Saturday we had some free time to relax and debrief as a group. Tony spoiled us by making pizza for us (though it took a little bit of time to find the right ingredients that would work).

It was a great team and a great trip. It was humbling to be a part of what God is doing in Belize!

Belize prayer update 6

2010-03-20T11:48:00.000-07:00

Received the following letter from Sophie.

Praise God for Good News shared, for relationships that were built, for lives that were touched! Now let's pray our team home safely!

"...the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Romans 10: 12b-15 (NIV)

_________________________________________________________________________

Your prayers truly have carried us as we have traveled throughout Belize doing various acts of ministry (some of which we knew about before we got here and others which we didn't know about until we arrived in Belize. Regardless though, God equipped up and strengthened us for all the opportunities we faced and for that we are grateful).

Yesterday, as our email mentioned, our group went in several different directions. Scot and Jerry went to BERT. Their day started with a mass casualty training, and then they got to go out on calls and help with some hands on training. This included flying to a southern region of Belize to treat a gunshot victim and transporting a 106 year old man back to the hospital (after getting him stabilized and starting an IV). Scot and Jerry truly developed deep relationships with the people of BERT over the week and had a clear impact on them organization.

On the construction site, we finished the education building - the siding and roof was finished. The electrical wiring was done, lights were installed, and it all works!

Suzie, Kelly, Hannah, Jennifer, Mackenzie, and Tony spent the day taking the YES girls on a field trip to Lamani (an amazing site of ancient ruins in one of the northern districts of Belize). It took awhile to drive to the ruins, and it was another hour boat ride - and so there was plenty of time to continue sharing, laughing, praying, and just enjoying one another's company. It was a great time for everyone involved. It was clear to see the close knit relationships that had developed between our team members and theirs. It was a joy to watch Mackenzie and Hannah walking arm in arm with the students of YES throughout the ruins.

Last night they fixed us a feast, a turkey dinner (which for them is a big deal!). They gave a presentation, and gave us all gifts as an act of gratitude for sharing our time/love with them.

That evening a group of us returned to Centro Vision Ministero de Belize. Those in charge of the sewing ministry had the last night of the program, and at the end of the evening the women of the sewing co-op had a surpirse for them. They had made certificates for them as an act of gratitude and took time to pray over them. It was an extremely powerful and moving time of fellowship and prayer. It was clear that because of this sewing ministry lives had been changed.

Also at Centro Vision Ministero de Belize was the youth leadership training that Sophie and three others went over to be a part of. Twice as many people showed up as we had expected to be there, but it was truly a Spirit led time of worship, teaching, and prayer. They were eager to learn, and there is a clear need for people to reach the youth of Belize. It was exciting to see people with such a passion for it! We were able to give some of the Bibles we had brought to the youth workers, which they were VERY grateful for!

We have this afternoon free to debrief together just as an FPCA group and relax a little before we fly out tomorrow morning. We will land at DFW (after going through Houston) just after 6:30.

Please be praying for:

- our time today. Our hearts are full, and we have a lot to talk through as a group. Pray for our debrief/prayer time, that God may grow each of us and that we may grow even closer as a group

- for safe travel for tomorrow as we travel through customs at Houston and make our way back to DFW.

- continued prayers for the girls at YES, that they may continue to grow in their faith and be surrounded by people to love them

- for health and safety

With love and blessings,
The Belize Team

Belize prayer update 5

2010-03-19T21:00:00.001-07:00

Received the following from Sophie early this evening.

Praise God for His faithfulness in the midst of all that our team is encountering!

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." Psalm 62:1, 2 & 8 (NIV)

___________________________________________________________________________

Yesterday is hard to put into words, so we will do our best, but it might be a day we will just have to share more about when we get back to the States.

Everyone, with the exception of Sophie headed out to YES in the morning. Once again we had a time of worship with the students, and one of the youth from the Lubbock church led the devotion.

The construction crew had an incredibly productive day - they were able to get the trusses up, put in two doors, and get a majority of the siding done on the addition of the educational building.

Michelle, Suzie, and Kelly went out to the prison around lunchtime. The original plan was just to spend time in the women's wing, bringing them sewing supplies, spending time getting to know them, while other people from our larger group helped them with some of their current projects. They also had an opportunity to be a part of a worship service with 120 prisoners. People from our group led a time of praise and worship and gave a message/testimony. It was an amazing and moving experience for all involved, one that is hard to describe in an email.

Mackenzie has bonded with some of the little girls who live next door to the school. Chilema is one year old and Nana is three. They live in a tiny one room house. Throughout the week Mackenzie has done an amazing job of reaching out to them, loving on them. As an act of gratitude they gave her a homemade bracelet - they have very little but wanted to give something as an act of gratitude.

Sophie had her own adventure of the day. She had gone out with Beth, one of the missionaries from The Word at Work, and a few people from the Lubbock team to pick up supplies. Another car opened its door into their rental vehicle damaging both doors, but refused to take responsibility for what happened. A traffic officer had to get involved, and Sophie got to see first hand how the law enforcement system works in Belize. After straightening things out, and finishing their errands, she was able to rejoin the team at the work site.

Today, Scot and Jerry headed back to BERT to lead a "mass casualty" training for them.

The majority of our group, Tony, Mackenzie, Hannah, Jennifer, Kelly, and Suzie, are taking the girls of YES out on a field trip for the day. This is a real treat for them - they rarely get to leave the area of Belize they live in and see other parts of the country.

Michelle and Sophie headed to the work site for the morning to help finish the siding and the roof of the educational building at YES. This afternoon, Sophie will head back to finish up the planning for their youth leaders training which will happen tonight from 6-10.

Prayer requests:
- for good closure with the girls at YES and the staff there. Some tight bonds have been built in just the week we have had in Belize, and I know it will be hard to say good-bye

- for tonight's youth ministry leadership training, that it would be a great time of worship, fellowship, and training

- for tonight's sewing ministry at Centro Vision Ministero de Belize

- for our team. We have seen God do a lot in the lives of others, and have been humbled to know God has used us. We have also been blessed in a lot of ways. Our hearts are full and our bodies are tired, so pray for strength and energy

- that we may continue to draw closer as a team, and be open to what God is doing in our own lives

- for safety and health.

Grateful for each of you,

The Belize Team

Belize prayer update 4

2010-03-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Received the following this afternoon from Sophie. It sounds like they've been VERY busy but have seen God's Hand at work. Praise God for the way He has sustained our team as He uses them to minister to many!

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." I Corinthians 4:16

Connie, I've sent this to the Family Living class. If anyone is receiving duplicates please let me know and I'll edit the address list. If you'd like to be removed from this list or if you have an email address to add to the mailing list please let me know.

Standing with you in prayer,
Marla

____________________________________________________________________

Our morning started off with a little bit of excitement. We were just getting ready to load into the vans and head out for YES when we got word of an accident at a tire shop just next door to where are staying. A man was working underneath a car and it fell on him. Scot and Jerry grabbed some of their gear and ran over there just as BERT was getting there. They were able to get him stabilized and sent off to the hospital before heading off to the work site themselves (Scot and Jerry are going to head out to YES with us today. We needed their strength to help get the trusses up on the roof of the educational building, and do some training for the staff out there).

Yesterday was uncharacteristically cool with a few rain showers, but it couldn't cool down the amazing things God did yesterday.

Scot and Jerry started their morning out at BERT answering calls, and the other eight of us headed out to Lord's Bank to start our morning at YES. During our devotional/worship time, we took time to pray over the women on staff and all the students. It was a great way to start the morning.

Instead of jumping right into our typical morning activities with the girls we organized a "field day" for them. They wore pants instead of their uniforms and we had games of soccer and softball. The girls had so much fun just getting to be kids.

The construction crew got walls up and finished the floor.

The rest of the day we split up and went in a few separate directions. Tony, Mackenzie, Kelly, and Suzie headed out to Belmopan to help unload another container full of more teacher and student desks. Some of the students who were receiving desks were there to help unload, and the look of joy as they saw their desks can't be described in words!

Jennifer, Michelle, Scot, and Jerry spent part of the afternoon visiting the school at the Burial Grounds where we worked last year. The kids where so excited to see them!

Sophie and one of the women from Hobbs, NM, Pati (who came with the Lubbock group) headed out to the prison to iron out a few details about material and scheduling. What could have been a very awkward meeting went very well and things are set up for today (which is actually where Suzie, Michelle, and Kelly are right now).

The work day ended and we headed to dinner at church, but the day of ministry was for from over. There is a church named Centro Vision Ministero de Belize. One of the leaders of the church, Pedro, has a vision for equipping the women of Belize with the skill of sewing so they way to support themselves- he wants to get a sewing co-op going. Pati is leading a team from our group. Tuesday night there was 14 or 15 women, and last night 28 women showed up (some of whom had never set foot in a church last night but heard what our group was doing and decided to go).

At the same time there was another meeting at the same church. Sophie and two other youth pastors from our group had been asked to go to Centro Vision Ministero de Belize to lead a youth leader training. There were leaders from several different churches, speaking both English and Spanish. They described the desperate situation that is the youth culture in Belize, and the kind of training they feel they need. By the end of a few hours there was laughter all around. On Friday, we are going to return for a four hour more extensive training/worship time now that we know what their needs are.

We ended the day as a big group, praying together, celebrating the ways we have seen God at work. It truly is a joy to be here, wonderful to learn from the people here, and humbling to feel God working through us.

A few prayer requests for the next two days
- for a good final few days wih the YES girls. We are taking them on a field trip tomorrow, but also are planning on doing some more in depth Bible studies and worship times with them. There hasn't been a group that has come to spend time with the girls from YES in 7 years, so may we truly communicate Christ's love.
- pray for the details of the sewing ministry, at the prison and at Pedros
- pray for the youth ministry training we have organized for Friday, that we may teach the things they need/want to know. But that it may be a sweet time of fellowship and learning for all of us involved
- for good relationships within our group
- for safety and health
- and that we may come to know God in deeper ways

Standing with you in prayer,

The Belize Team

Re: Belize prayer update 3

2010-03-17T11:14:00.001-07:00

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 17, 2010, at 11:56 AM, "Brett & Marla Shideler" <brett-marla_shideler@sil.org> wrote:

We had another great day Tuesday!

Scot and Jerry went to do more training. Monday they had done training for the paramedics at Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT). Yesterday they worked with the people of BERT to do training for some of the health care workers of the people of Belize. Today they are actually going to have the chance to go out on calls with the paramedics of BERT, offering assistance and on the job training.

The other eight of us spent the day at YES. We started off the day again worshiping and doing devotionals with the girls. It was amazing how much they opened up on the second day. As we worked along side of them, we laughed, talked, and really had great opportunities to listen.

The construction crew made great progress on the educational building, laying the floor and is ready to start on the walls today. A team also painted their main office building (it had been peeling blue paint when we got there and now it has a bright coat a fresh new paint).

We had a great time as a team last night - we spent some time away from the big group so those of us from Arlington would have a chance to connect and pray together.

Continued prayer requests:

- for continued relationship building with the girls at YES, and opportunities to share God's grace and Christ's love with them

- for Scot and Jerry as they go out on calls that they may help people medically and also have the opportunity to share the love of Christ

-pray for Nancy Cifeuntes - she is one of the students at YES. She lives at a children's home with her siblings. She has one more year at the home before she ages out- and then the situation is "bad" (as the staff at YES has described it).

- part of our group is going to have an opportunity to go by the Burial Grounds district of Belize city where we worked last year and visit with the students and teachers we worked with last year. Pray for a sweet time of fellowship and reconnection

- Sophie is headed to the prison this afternoon with the head of the sewing project from our team to work through some scheduling conflict so we can go out there tomorrow and spend time with the women prisoners. Pray that everything works out well.

- Matt Mitchell (the Associate Pastor of the Lubbock team) and his daughter Loralei are flying out tomorrow for a weekend commitment back in the States. And pray for our big group as we adjust to not having Matt here

- and finally our group is bonding, well (the ten of us and as a big group), but continue to pray for those relationships.

Praying for you as well.

Blessings and love,

The Belize Team

Belize prayer update 3

2010-03-17T09:56:00.000-07:00

We had another great day Tuesday!

We had a great time as a team last night - we spent some time away from the big group so those of us from Arlington would have a chance to connect and pray together.

Continued prayer requests:

- for continued relationship building with the girls at YES, and opportunities to share God's grace and Christ's love with them

- for Scot and Jerry as they go out on calls that they may help people medically and also have the opportunity to share the love of Christ

- and finally our group is bonding, well (the ten of us and as a big group), but continue to pray for those relationships.

Praying for you as well.

Blessings and love,

The Belize Team

Belize prayer update 2

2010-03-16T07:09:00.001-07:00

Received the following from Sophie this morning.
What a privilege to have current, updated news of our team so we can know how to lift them up in prayer!

"How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights."
Psalm 36: 7 - 8

--- the forwarded message follows ---
From: "Sophie Draffin" <fpca_youth@yahoo.com>
To: "Brett & Marla Shideler" <brett-marla_shideler@sil.org>
Subj: Monday Belize Update
Received: 16 Mar, 10 12:32:35 AM

Our first three days in Belize have gone extremely well (and quickly)!

Sunday we worshiped at Trinity Church. The service was lively and full of energy, and we saw God at work in the lives of the congregation. We experienced some things in the service that some of us "frozen chosen" have only read about in the Bible, but we truly enjoyed experiencing a new culture, new ways of worshiping, learning new songs, and seeing God's Spirit at work.

We are eating dinner every night at the church instead of eating out. By paying them to provide meals we are helping to fund their church community and missions.

We had some free time Sunday and a group of us were able to go see Moises and his family during that time (if you aren't familiar with the Moises story you can read more about it on the FPCA missions blog, http://fpcamissions.blogspot.com/). It was great to see Moises and see how healthy he is. He showed us around his house and recited for us a Bible verse he had memorized. We also met all of his siblings, played soccer with them, and taught them how to throw an American football. We took all the kids for ice cream, brought the older girls Bibles and school supplies. We brought the younger kids toys and the newest member of the family (Lisa - 6 months) baby clothes.

Monday started our work week. Our main project is at Youth Enhancement Services (YES). YES is an alternative school for girls - some couldn't keep up in traditional schools for various reasons. Most of them come from broken homes, or have faced abuse of some kind whether physical, sexual, or emotional. Some of the girls are Christians, but others are still seeking.

The very first thing we did this morning was a time of worship/devotionals. This is how we are going to start each day with the YES students.

After our devotional time, we split up into different responsibilities. Some of the team worked with the girls on some of their projects. We had a group doing construction, working to double the size of their educational classroom building.

In the afternoon Tony (doing construction) and Mackenzie (working with the girls) stayed at YES in Lords Bank. A group of us headed out to Belompan for a task that came up that day. Sophie, Michelle, and Jennifer helped to unload a freight container that just arrived full of school desks. The desks were supplied by West Texas A&M (and the story of the donation of the desks is still on the Word at Work website). Suzie, Kelly, and Hannah headed out to Belmopan as well and had the chance to spend the afternoon at King's Children's Home, a Christian orphanage run by an amazing woman. Though they were only there for the afternoon, the kids LOVED having them there.

Scot and Jerry spent the day at Belize Emergency Response Team (BERT). BERT is the only ambulance service in the country of Belize. Scot and Jerry provided much needed training for them today and will continue to do so throughout the week.

The rest of us will return to YES tomorrow to continue work with the students and the construction work.

Prayer requests
- continued safey and health
- opportunities to share God's love with the students at YES
- opportunities to build relationships with those students, and with those who live in the community around YES
- our group has really come together and has connected well with the Lubbock group. Please pray for continued good relationsips, and for even deeper connections.
- later in the week we will have the opportunity to send some of our team members to work with the prisoners in Belize Central Prison and to help at the YES campus in Belize City. Pray for those opportunities and relationship building, and the chance to share and show God's love and grace.
- and please continue to pray that we too may be open to what God is doing in our own lives as we are ministering to others, but at the same time being ministered to as well.

Thank you for your prayers - they are a much needed covering for us.

- the Belize team

Belize prayer update 1

2010-03-13T21:40:00.001-08:00

Received the following at 4:57 PM Saturday...

"We made it to Belize safe and sound, and were met at the airport by the Word at Work missionary, Beth. We have checked into the hotel and are about to leave for dinner at Trinity Church (the church is fixing us diner). We are worshiping there tomorrow, and Pastor Ruth is someone Michelle and I met in Jan and we are looking forward to seeing her. Super excited to be here after our day of travel."

Praise God for safe arrival and for the warm welcome by fellow believers!
Pray for a good first night's sleep and that experience God in a new and significant way in worship tomorrow.
Pray God would be at work in the hearts of our team preparing them to serve and be served.

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our
God, his holy mountain... Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the
ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness... For this
God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
Psalm 48:1,10,14

IMG00024-20100313-1059.jpg

2010-03-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of our 2010 Belize ready for our trip.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Moises Update Feb 2010

2010-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Update from Tim Tam:

I got the chance to visit Moises and his family a few weeks back.
The photos show his new little sister, child number 10.
My wife finally got to meet her namesake in person, "Lisa Marie".
And I got to finish some unsettled business with Moises.
As he has promised God that he will become a pastor I felt I needed to
impress upon him the importance of getting God's word not only into his
head, but also into his heart. We went over the first Psalm together which
holds a promise of success to the one who meditates on God's Word day and
night.
So I gave him some homework, to have this Psalm memorized by the next time I
come to see him.

Moises is a picture of health and everything with the family seems fine.
His father still struggles to find regular work.

For those of you who continue to ask how you might help or continue to be
involved............

Only one need remains.
We hoped to have an education fund to keep his older sisters in school and
to have funds available for Moises to go to high school in a couple years.
We are still hoping someone responds to that need. Please contact me if you
are able and willing to help.

Cameroon Team Update

2010-02-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

The update from Saturday from our Cameroon team:

Praise God for the good beginning the team has had!

All their luggage arrived when they did last night and they cleared passport control without any difficulty upon arrival.
They were met at the airport by Wycliffe missionaries and taken to their home for dinner.
Before heading to the guesthouse they made contact with a woman who will prepare meals for them on Saturday and Monday evenings as well as shop for needed supplies for breakfast and lunch.
They have the use of a kitchen at the guesthouse and are pleased with how that’s working out.
Everyone slept well last night and is doing well. Rob and Bill are playing soccer (or “football” if you’re in Cameroon ) in the open grassy area at the center of the guest complex!
They’ve picked up the Toyota van they’ll use for their travels and have it parked at the guesthouse.

This afternoon they’ll tour the facilities of Rain Forest International School (where Brett and I worked during our years in Cameroon ). The school is nearing the end of building a new campus so they’ll tour both the current school site as well as the new one.

Tomorrow morning they’ll attend Bastos Presbyterian Church for worship. This is a large congregation in Yaounde .

By God’s good grace, everyone is doing well!

From the prayer calendar:

Pray for a healthy start as the team wakes up to begin their time in Cameroon .

Pray for Brett as he introduces the team to the work of Bible translation in Cameroon .

Pray for team members who will tour Ydé SIL/Wycliffe facilities, meet many new people, and begin their introduction to Cameroon .

Pray for good adjustment to the 7-hour time difference.

"Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain...Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness...For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."

Psalm 48:1,10,14

Moises is home in Belize!!!!

2009-08-31T10:37:00.001-07:00

Moises is home in Belize! What a cause for celebration! For more complete details see the story on the Word at Work webpage.

Moises released from the hospital!

2009-08-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, it finally happened. Today Moises walked out of the hospital. They gave his life back to him. He arrived in Amarillo inches from the deaths door. Today he is a happy and healthy boy again. For the next two weeks he will be at the Ronald McDonald House near the hospital. For the next two weeks his skin graft will be monitored. He will get to experience some of the fun things Texas has to offer while we fatten him up for his return to Belize. There were many touching moments today as he said goodbye to his doctors and nurses, watered the flowers and vegetables he planted in the courtyard, gave flowers which he had planted months ago to all of his nurses, and moved his belongings to his last temporary home here in Amarillo at the Ronald McDonald House.

He pulled up his shirt many times today to display the scar is on a stomach. He had been told that after the skin graft he would no longer have a belly button. Yet he was so excited to show off the fact that he still had a portion of a belly button.

Tomorrow I will be in Belize checking up on our building project at his home. I hate to leave them at this point but in a couple weeks I will get to come back and bring him and his mother to their new home in Belize, still a surprise.

His older sisters ages 14 and 15 started school today thanks to the gifts of you all. This is a summer school program to get them ready for high school in September. This was an exciting day for them too. More dreams coming true. So many good things are coming out of something painful, and I know this is just the beginning.

If you were wondering, we're still looking for more help with the house. If you can help please contact me. TT

Moises Update, July 29, 2009

2009-07-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Joy overflowed today.
The special bandage and suction device was taken off today.
Gauze and tape now cover the skin graft area on his abdomen. I didn't get
to see it as I hoped I would but Moises described it in great detail. He is
fascinated by all the medical things that happened to him.
But the really exciting part today was that they capped his IV line and he
was freed to move about without any medical machinery. And Lizzie, his
Child Care Specialist arranged for him to go outside today for over an hour.

As soon as he was disconnected from the medical machinery Moises put on his
new cowboy boots and hat grabbed his scooter and took off down the hall of
the pediatric ward.
I wish I had the capability to send video so you could see his amazing speed
and balance. Next we went to the park and fed the ducks, we played on the
slide at the playground, and we went to a new Mexican ice cream store where
they had lime juice and mango ice cream. The great joy is mixed with a
little sadness because everyone can see his time with us here in the states
is about to come to an end. There is talk about him moving out of the
hospital next week into the Ronald McDonald apartments as they begin the
transition back to normal family life.

Me, no sadness here. I'm about to go down to Belize and maybe be there to
greet them when they get off the plane.
Tomorrow our staff in Belize meet with Moises' father to finalize the plans
for the addition on their home, and then, we jump in and see how far we can
get before they arrive back in Belize.
Another $900 for the house came in today.
A local children's clothing store delivered three new outfits for each
member of the family.
And the local volunteers here prepare to go to Belize on August 9th to help
with construction on the house.
More volunteers are welcome. Give me a call.

Tim Tam

Moises Update

2009-07-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

More good news

I am happy to be able to report that Mo

ises is recovering well from the surgery and boy is he hungry!

The doctors say he can eat whatever he wants, though greasy and spicy foods might not agree with him at this time.

During his stay in the hospital he grew tomatoes and strawberries in the hospital courtyard.

Yesterday we went out to check on the tomatoe

s and they went right into his mouth.

His strawberry crop had already come and gone, but one of the hospital staff brought him a box of fresh strawberries and

he devoured half the box while I stood beside him.

Moises has become a fixture in the pediatric ward. It still may be a month or two before he

returns home but the staff are already feeling sad about the thoughts of Moises leaving. No such thoughts for me though.

With all the time I spend in Belize I assume our friendship will continue.

Now - Help is Needed

When Moises first cam

e to the states there was an outpouring of generosity far beyond what was needed.

We kept telling

people all their needs were met, just need prayers.

But now as we begin to think about Magdalena and Moises return there are

some needs that I would like to share.

Magdalena is expected to give birth to a new baby in November. There are some lab fees from the

obstetrician we need to take care of ($300).

At some point we will need to purchase plane tickets. And the other thing I have in mind is to surprise Magdalena with an add

ition onto her house.

Housing for the poor is a regular part of our ministry in Belize. In the past few years we have built nearly 20 houses. Often times the house's a

re for people we don't even know, they just happen to be the neediest in a given community. So it seems all the more appropriate for us to help with the housing of

one we know so well.

Currently the family abides in a space approximately 10 foot by 10 foot. It is a cemen

t slab with wooden walls and a metal roof. There is no running water, only a deep well with a ro

pe and bucket. Of the 9 children, seven sleep on the floor and the two smallest ones in a hammock. Once Magdalena gives birth to her fourth child in November, together with her husband's six childre

n from a previous marriage, this will mean 12 people total sharing this tiny 10 by 10 living space.

What I am proposing is to begin a fund for this building project. If we're able to supply the funds for building materials the hou

se can be built with volunteer labor from the local community in Belize and perhaps some

volunteers from the states as well.

In summary your help is needed for:

1. Obstetrician bill

2. Plane ticket expense

3. Donations for building fund

4. Volunteer labor between August 1-15

5. Keeping this a secret from Mois

es and Magdalena!

Keep in mind for

any donation you make to The Word at Work.

100% of your gift goes directly t

o the needs expressed.

All donations are tax deductible.

Tim Tam

The Word at Work

1400 Wolflin Ave

Amarillo, Tx 79109

Office: 806-342-3600

Cell: 806-671-9673

Visit website www.twaw.org

A Minor Complication

2009-06-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

These three emails came in last night from Tim Tam:

Email#1:
The first was titled "Moises is going back into surgery in 1 hour," and said the following

"Moises has a lot of swelling in his bowels which is not too abnormal after a major surgery.

Unfortunately this has put undo pressure on his lungs and kidneys.

Midday he had to be put on a ventilator to help him breathe.

They are going in to unstitch the stomach muscles to create more room and take the pressure off the other organs.

Instead they will now sew an adjustable mesh, something like Velcro that can be tightened down as the swelling drops over the next few days and eventually they will re-sew the muscles closed again.

This operation should take about an hour.

The doctor sees this as a small setback.

Magdalena keeps hanging in there. Lisa hanging with her."

Email #2:

The second was titled, "Surgery delayed till this moment," and said:

"It wasn’t until just now that an operating room opened to take Moses.

It is a little more complicated than I last reported.

Another part of the cause of his swelling is internal bleeding.

They have given him seven units of blood but very little has come out the drain which they put in during the last surgery.

Add to your prayers that they are able to find the leak and repair it."

Email #3:

Finally around midnight, Tim sent this final email of the evening titled, "cautiously optimistic:"

"Moises is now out of surgery

They found several places where blood was coming from any finished patching him up.

He is in much better shape now.

The doctor says he will be on the ventilator for 3-4 days until swelling drops and abdomen muscles resewn.

Magdalena and the small crowd sitting with her all all relieved now and will be able to sleep.

We spent the last 2 hours looking at photos and videos and retelling the story of Gods miraculous work and how his invisible hands have orchestrated an amazing chain of events that no one else could have planned or even imagined.

A Happy Magdalena sits behind me now giving the good news over the phone to her husband and children who have been keeping watch….waiting for this good word."

Surgery was a success!

2009-06-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

The surgery was a complete success.

The surgeon said it went as well or even better than expected.

It lasted less than 6 hours. We couldn’t get mom to walk or eat anything today but after a post-op visit from the surgeon she was smiling again and began to eat the food she had been carrying all day.

Now the intestines are connected, abdomen muscles sewn back, skin remains open till threat of internal infection passes. Over the next 10 days the bowels are expected to become active and then slowly introduced to food again.

From his TV viewing he has already decided on a local Mexican restaurant for his first meal.

In a month or so the skin over the abdomen will be stitched up and perhaps a return trip to Belize can be scheduled.

He will have a couple of rough days now as is normal for post-surgery. His mom has moved from their regular room to a chair beside his bed in the ICU.

She will have a rough night tonight as well but from exhaustion and not fear. Before the surgery Moises saw her sadness and told her not to worry because God was with him.

Thank you all for helping to carry him through this on your prayers.

Back Safely From Galveston

2009-06-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

25 FPCA members spent June 7-23 in Galveston working with EFCA Crisis Response to assist those who have been impacted by Hurricane Ike. It was a wonderful week. We divided into four teams. One team's primary responsibility was to put a new roof on a house and gut the inside of a house (so new sheet rock can be put up). Two teams worked on putting up and mudding sheetrock. Our fourth team worked in a house that was almost completed and did a lot of trim work, installed doorknobs, put up sheetrock, and helped get the house ready for the homeowner to move into.

In addition, our Agape singers/ringers performed on three separate occasions (once at a church, and twice at retirement homes). We have quite a few pictures to share, and many stories of how we saw God at work. For now though, we wanted to share three pictures of our team and various times throughout the week.

This is a picture of the majority of our team on Sunday morning (taken just before we loaded into our vans and headed down Galveston).

Wednesday night the Agapes sang/rang at St. Stephen's Presbyterian Church in Houston. The church treated us to a delicious dinner, and it was a wonderful night of fellowship with another church community.

This picture was taken Friday morning, our last day of work in Galveston. We stayed at Galveston Bible Church (the men slept on bunk beds in the Sanctuary and the women slept on bunk beds in the Sunday School class rooms).

It was a wonderful week, we saw God at work in amazing ways, and hopefully we will be able to make additional trips to Galveston in the 2009 year.

Moises Surgery is TODAY!

2009-06-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

This email was sent last night from Tim Tam regarding Moises surgery (which is going on this morning!):

Almost 6 months since the accident and tomorrow morning is the big surgery.

Lots of love, prayer, and incredible medical care has brought Moises from the edge of death to this point of health and strength to undergo this major surgery.

Today he received a blood transfusion to further strengthen him and to compensate for any blood loss associated with tomorrows procedure.

This afternoon I went over to play with him and asked if he was nervous about tomorrow. He just laughed. He was disappointed it wasn’t done last week and looks forward to getting it over with and back to his home in Belize.

Though he is still a little jaundiced, he was in great spirits and exploding with energy.

He has a good understanding of what to expect for tomorrow.

It was hysterical listening to his conversation today with one of the doctors.

In one of the attached photos he is instructing the doctor not to use tubes through the nose because they are uncomfortable and will only make it difficult for him to breathe.

We have a date tomorrow before surgery to go for a walk in the hospital courtyard and see how the tomatoes he planted are doing.

Perhaps these will be part of his first real meal after surgery which the doctor says may be 2 weeks after the surgery.

As for mom…………she too is very happy. She says she is without fear. We watched videos of her children and husband that made her cry. She really misses them and her home. Though her new baby isn’t kicking yet, its presence with us is plain to see.

PRAY………….is the reason for this email

Please pray with us through tomorrows surgery.

I will let you know how it goes.

Moises Surgery Update and Galveston Mission Send-off

2009-06-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

Moises Update from Tim Tam:

Over the last several weeks we have been privileged to see great improvements in Moises' health, physically and emotionally. As he approaches the end of this time of preparation for surgery there continues to be great need for prayer. He has been battling another infection and jaundice. To deal with the jaundice they had to disconnect the IV line that feeds his body nutrition for a time until he recovers.

Both he and his mother are wearied from the length of this ordeal. There is a spiritual phenomena that takes place around Moises. Even from the time of his struggle for life in the Belize hospital God has used this little guy to inspire others and strengthen their faith. As we might then expect, there is also a spiritual battle taking place. Moises and his mother both sense evil poised against them. They are currently having dreams that depict this battle for Moises.

For all these reasons I ask you to please be vigilant in your prayer support. If all goes well, the surgery it tentatively scheduled for June 16.

Galveston Music and Mission Trip:

This morning a group of 25 youth and adults were commissioned at the early worship service and packed up in vans for a music and mission trip in Galveston, Texas. The group will spend a week providing Hurricane Ike relief work on a home repair project. In the evening the Agape Youth Choir will give local musical performances.

Please keep these folks in prayer as they act out God's love by helping our coastal neighbors in need.

Happy Birthday to Moises!

2009-05-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

Moises turned eight years old Friday, May 22.

A birthday party was held for him in the playroom at the hospital in Amarillo Texas. I am so glad to see this day come. There was a time that no one thought this possible. Secretly, I myself had doubts. Moises shared a dream he had while we were still in Belize before the jet arrived. In his dream the angels were preparing to have a birthday party for him. Remember, during that time he was having lots of significant dreams and visitations by an angel, "the man in white who was helping him". I wondered whether this dream meant that he would be with the angels on his next birthday. So I decided not to mention it to anyone, and to hope and pray that angels would protect him and insure that he would live to have another birthday. And so they did. He still isn't allowed to have any food until the surgery when they reconnect his intestines. So there were lots of presents and for birthday cake they had snow Cones, a fancy substitute for
ice chips.

He is doing so well that they have planned to move up the date of the surgery to June 8th.
He's been in Texas for about two months now and yesterday for his birthday he finally got a cowboy hat.

Please continue to remember Moses in your prayers. It's not over yet.

Just a reminder of how incredible this journey has been....

2009-05-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

Moises is doing so well and has gained enough weight that the doctors are hoping to be able to operate soon!

Here is a before and after picture to show how incredible this journey has been,

Moises before:

Moises now:

Moises update: "Just when you thought things couldn't get crazier......."

2009-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

The most recent update on Moises from Tim Tam:

"I continue to be amazed by the favor God brings on this little guy. On Monday Moises was registered with Saint Andrews school in Amarillo. This is THE most prestigious private school in Northern Texas. Headmaster Ron Ferguson has travelled with me in Belize. His school has founded one library in Toledo District and is doing a book drive in the spring to establish another. A banner hangs in Moises' room from Saint Andrews children. Moises has stacks of get well letters from their students. Tutors will come from the school to the hospital. They will continue coming through the summer.

Paramount Baptist Church send "prayer quilts" to Moises and Magdalena. They first received prayer requests from mother and son and offered up prayers for each knot tied on the quilt.

Moises' favorite TV show? The Food Network...........for hours on end. If I wasn't able to eat for months I would avoid the channel. Moises makes his mom watch so she will learn to cook him everything when he gets back to Belize.

Hundreds of letters and get well cards continue to flow in from all over. Still no need for anymore toys, books, clothes, toiletries, games,...........only prayer

Yesterday Moises requested to phone his Favorite nurse from the Belize City hospital....very touching to watch them catch up....very encouraging for her to speak with "her little boy".

On Friday my wife and I return to Belize and plan to visit the family in Corozal Town. Moises has loaded us down with toys and stuffed animals for his 8 brothers and sisters. We also will be carrying video greetings and messages for the family and will return with the same."

Moises Update

2009-04-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

Thank you one and all for your prayers. Please continue to hold him up in prayer.
Moises has gained weight but has had an infection and twice had fevers that caused us great concern. Tonight he is feeling great and looking good. Tomorrow we meet to discuss his enrollment in school, which for him will be done with personal tutoring.
His education is about to take a huge leap. Moms days are no longer grief and hopelessness but continuous smiles.

An Update on Moises - Into the Arms of Stranges: Generosity Saves a Life

2009-04-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Since it has been over a week since we have posted any updates on Moises, we wanted to post the latest news. And this time, we have 3 sources of news. The first comes from two of our Belize team members.

Sophie and Michelle made the journey out to Amarillo on Friday to see Moises. Early last week Moises' central line had become infected, and he developed a 103 degree fever. They removed the central line, treated the infection, and his fever went down. Without a central line, however, Moises was receiving no nutrition last week and so by Friday he was fatigued and weary. But, while Michelle and Sophie were there, the doctor came to take Moises in order to install a new central line. And the latest report that has come in is that the procedure went well, he is receiving nutrition again, and is regaining strength.

On Monday, Tim Tam sent the following email with updates on Moises' condition

"'The fool says in his heart, there is no God'. Psalm 53:1

I am witness to an amazing phenomenon which is occurring around little Moises. Whether in Belize, here in the states, or across the Internet so many who meet him or hear about him are strengthened and encouraged in their faith. Over and over again I hear the affirmation that God is real and is working amongst us. While Moises was in the hospital his mother, Magdalena, was instructed in a dream to read Psalm 53. Not being literate, she got her mother to read it to her. The words of the chapter brought her to tears and she immediately shared it with her husband who also broke down in tears at its hearing. At that moment he was in a jail cell where he spent a few days while police were determining whether negligence contributed to the accident. With his stepson injured, separated from his family, stuck in jail, he was at the end of his rope doubting god's goodness and even his existence. He told Magdalena that the scripture from her dream was meant for him, yet both of them knew God was speaking to them and both of them were encouraged in their faith. The chapter goes on to say "God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God". God has given us a great gift in little Moises and is using him to provoke many to seek Him.

Shortly after Moises arrived in Amarillo an infection was detected in his central line. For several days we were concerned and Moises was again in pain. Now the infection has passed and again he is gaining strength and without as much pain. This morning Moises was mad because he was hungry. It had been an hour since his last popsicle and he wanted another. But he can only have a popsicle every 4 hours. I remembered how just a couple of weeks ago he was quiet, lifeless, and beyond hunger pangs. Oddly, even these new complaints about hunger were an encouragement to us all. Everything seems to be going so well now. The memories of former suffering and hopelessness are beginning to disappear under piles of smiles and laughter. Today Moises was up out of bed if to visit the hospital playroom to color, play board games, and drive the electric car down the hospital hallway.

What else is happening?????

He came to us at 15 kilos. Today he was at 19.2 kilos.

He gets visits from his new friend Sadie, the licensed therapy dog, who climbs up on his bed and lets him feed her snacks.

My wife and I are her new “mother and father”.

Mary Kay, the nurse from Accolade who secured the life-saving TPN, came to visit. Since Mom can’t read she brought her the entire Bible on CD. She brought Moises a children’s book of Bible stories with CD’s of bible songs which already he sings along.

Magdalena’s husband calls every day. She misses her other children badly but is content to stay at Moises’ side.

The Big surgery will be in June or July after he gains significant weight.

No financial needs at this time due to generosity of Belize, Canadian, and US. donors….God is Good!

What are we learning about God through Moises?

The same lesson we hear about in Hebrews 1:6

'And without faith it is impossible to please god. For the one that comes to god must believe that he existsand that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.'

The fool says in his heart, 'there is no God'.

Moises not only believed in God but he never stopped seeking him in prayer."

Also, Tim sent out a link to an article written in the Amarillo paper on Moises -
Into the Arms of Strangers: Generosity Saves a Life

Update on Moises

2009-03-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

The following e-mail just came from Belize with an update on Moises:

"Things are settling down here in Belize for me, so let me catch you up on Moises.
He made it into Amarillo Texas before the winter storm hit.
His mother had difficulty with her visa but he was able to travel with Dr. Eck, his Physician.
His mother was able to be reunited with him yesterday evening.
I will follow up this letter with some photos and short videos.
The doctors there are very encouraged about his condition.
Moises himself, is having a blast. See in the photos his first encounter with snow.
While Moises was making a snowball in his room, Dr. Eck was outside playing in the snow, a new experience for him also.
The current plan is to help Moises gain weight before surgery. This may take three months. He needs to be at least 70% of normal body weight. Currently he is less than 50%
Part of the plan is to introduce nutrition through his lower intestines.
He is getting regular visits from local schoolchildren and a big welcome banner from them hangs on his wall, see photos.
They tell me he charms everyone who enters his room. He gets out of bed quite a bit. My wife tells me the hospital has large electric cars which he enjoys driving down the hallways and a nurse runs along behind him holding his IV bag. I myself will be seeing him back in the US on Wednesday. Please continue with us in prayer, and again thanks for all your support for this miracle child."

Tim Tam in Belize.

A Recap of Our Last Day of Work in Belize

2009-03-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

The first few days we were told that breakfast would be ready at 7, so we were downstairs and waiting by 6:55am every morning. Well, by Thursday morning we had learned that when people said breakfast would be served at 7, that really meant 7:20-ish. So on Thursday the four of us ladies wandered up to the roof to enjoy the cool morning breeze and sunrise. All week long we had a "buddy system," so we decided to take buddy pictures while we had a few moments of free time.

Jennifer and Stacy:

Sophie and Michelle:
After a delicious breakfast (this was what our normal breakfast was everyday),

we all headed off to the Burial Grounds. The first task was to unload a truck load of cinder blocks to finish off the floor of the school addition.

And then, it was time to head our separate ways. Scot and Jerry headed to the market. Unlike in the States, where we can just go to Kroger on a weekly/monthly basis, people in Belize have to go to the market much more frequently to get fresh food as they need it. So, Scot and Jerry went to the market to get our food for lunch and dinner.

In case you still have a hard time picturing where we were every time we mention the Burial Grounds (the part of Belize City where we spent most of the time working, where Unity Presbyterian Church is located), here are a few more pictures.

In the background you can see the actual cemetery which the area is named for. In the foreground you can see two of the houses where families live.

A few more shots of the different houses.

Stacy, Michelle, Jennifer, and Sophie headed out to Belmopan to visit King's Children's Home. Unlike the government run children's home we visited earlier in the week, this was a place full of hope. Leonie, a former abuse survivor herself, felt moved to start a home for children from similar of upbringings. She is a licenced social worker, and a strong Christian who runs her home on Christian values. The children are up by 5am to have a time of devotionals and worship before school. Leonie is licenced to have up to 45 children in the house at any one time, and right now there are 42 children from the ages of 0-18 living there. From the time the home first opened in 1985, over 600 children have lived there.

We took quite a few pictures of the children, but Leonie asked us not to post any of them online. We did take this picture of the philosophy of the home posted on the wall.

This home was run with love an compassion, and it had such a different atmosphere than the state run children's home in Belize City we visited earlier in the week. The only problem is that the kids and Leonie are living in a very tight space. This is a picture of the land that makes up the majority of their back yard.
The good news is that Leonie has recently purchased 14 acres of land just outside the city limits of Belmopan. The goal is to have a road built to that land by June, and to begin the construction on a volunteer village and the well (currently they are paying the equivalent of $1,000 US per day for water, and having a well would drastically reduce that cost). It was so inspiring to hear Leonie's incredible vision for how this land can be used.

Following Leonie's, Michelle and Sophie were dropped off at the prison to join part of the Lubbock group there. Stacy and Jennifer returned to the Burial Grounds where they continued to work on the school. While they were there, the group presented Kenny with a house warming present.
We quickly learned the benefits of having brought our very own paramedics with us (none of us sustained major injuries on the trips, but it was still nice to have them around to help with cuts and bruises).
Originally we were told that cameras would not be allowed in the prisons, so Michelle and Sophie were surprised to find one of the women from Lubbock taking pictures when they arrived. The women inmates were thrilled to have their picture taken, and were constantly asking to be in another picture. These are just a few of the many pictures taken that day.

The main sewing project we worked on with the women was boxer shorts. It was a simple project that would teach them the fundamentals of sewing. This is a woman named Michelle with her almost finished shorts.
A side project was painting quilt squares. We asked the women to paint images of what made them happy on quilt squares (and then the Lubbock group will sew the majority of the squares together in a quilt and auction it off to raise money for future Belize mission trips). Right before we left the prison on Wednesday, the women asked us for extra squares. During the night they painted the following:

(B.C.P. = Belize Central Prison)

We were all very touched at their thoughtfulness and hard work.

In addition to painting and sewing, we spent much of our time at the prison chatting with the woman, learning more about their stories.

You might have noticed in some of the last few pictures that a few of the women from our team had braids in our hair.... Many tourists pay for their hair to be braided when they go to Belize, or other tropical locations. We have woman and youth at the children's home and prison volunteer to do it for us.

That last night we had a BBQ of chicken and tapir. This was the crew that cooked dinner (with Kenny in the background).
Before dinner we played soccer with the boys of Belize. After dinner, however, the boys entertained themselves by climbing on Scot and Jerry.

Michelle brought some relief by bringing bags of candy (though it disappeared in a matter of seconds).
The next morning was our last morning together as an entire group. In case you are curious why there is a seventh person in this picture, that is Beth. She works for the Word at Work. She was with us in Belize all week and was a tremendous gift and blessing to our team.

Good News From Belize - An Update on Moises

2009-03-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

Our FPCA team safely arrived in Texas this past weekend after a wonderful last few days in Belize. Over the next few days we will post more pictures from the last part of our trip, but tonight we wanted to share good news we just received. You might remember us asking for prayers for a 7 year old boy named Moises. Moises had been run over by a truck on Jan 8. No one has expected him to live this long, especially considering he hasn't been getting any nutrition since the accident. But the good news is that on Friday, Moises will be transported by plane to the United States where he will be able to receive the medical treatment he needs - what an answer to prayer! The email we received from Tim Tam, the missionary in Belize, is below:

"Tears of joy shower down today all over Belize City and beyond.
It started with me today when my wife called and gave me the word that Baptist Saint Anthony Hospital in Amarillo Texas has agreed to receive Moises as their patient. It took me a while to stop crying so I could begin to share the good news with others. Our God once again hears the prayers of his children and brings hope to the hopeless. For the past several days I have been fused to the phone and my computer. A network of caring people, friends connecting with friends all over the United States nonstop, thousands of emails, everyone striving to secure help for this little guy who refused to die. I lost track of the number of hospitals and medical facilities who were contacted and are considering our case. Even now many are in the midst of a decision process, waiting for boards and committees to cast their vote. But now, help has arrived and we must act while there’s still time.
Perhaps on Thursday, at least by Friday, a private jet will arrive in Belize to transport Moises, his mother and his Dr. to Texas even faster than a commercial airline. BSA Hospital in Amarillo is fully equipped to handle the case. If however the possibility surfaces for one of the major children’s hospitals to take the case, BSA will be happy to redirect the patient to wherever he can receive the best care.
Early this evening I went to the hospital with Jackie and Marta Woods to share the good news with Moises and his mother. Unbelievable joy has pushed away all the sorrow in their rooms. And Moises is showing new energy and great improvement. Only days before, one of the nurses from Accolade Home Health Care (www.accoladehomecare.com) secured the TPN that was desperately needed to get nutrition into his body. Cars from distant cities drove through the night to hand off the medicine to a mission team from boulder Colorado bound for Belize who then rushed it to the hospital at the moment they arrived. The results were almost immediate. Tonight we noticed that the sores on his scalp and arms were now healing. There is new life in his eyes. But here is what blew my mind…… Perhaps you remember from the last alert we sent out that Moises spoke of a Angelic visitations, a man dressed in white who was helping him. Here we had come to the hospital to tell them they were about to go to the United States, and his mother shared that he already knew it. She awoke in the night to find Moises sitting in the chair next to the bed. He has not been out of his bed for many weeks. The "man who had been helping him" told him that he needed to get ready to go. Moises got out of bed while his mother slept. He bathed himself with wet wipes and put lotion on his skin. He put Vaseline in his hair and combed it and then sat in the chair ready to go. She didn’t know what to think of it other than that she was glad he was gaining strength and, though it little bit shaky, was able to walk around.

At this point what needs to happen is....
-A massive offering-up of thanks to God for his mercy on this little one
-Continued prayer for god’s healing and protection
-Raising a little bit of money to help defray the fuel costs of our generous benefactor who dropped everything in order to make this happen

Thank you one and all,
Tim in Belize

Tim Tam
The Word at Work
1400 Wolflin Ave
Amarillo, Tx 79109
Office: 806-342-3600
Cell: 806-671-9673
Visit website www.twaw.org"

This picture was taken just recently and shows Moises, his mother, and Tim Tam:

Great Day, Busy Day

2009-03-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a rather short post because it was a busy day, a busy evening, and the night isn't over yet.

Scot and Jerry spent most of the day at the burial grounds continuing the mortar/cinder block work on the church.

Michelle, Stacy, Sophie, and Jennifer went out first to King's Children Home in Belmopan. This was a completely different experience than going to the state run children's home. The woman who owns the home is licenced to have up to 45 children in the home (there are 42 right now) and they all call her mom. Leone herself (the woman who runs the home) came from a background of abuse herself, and so takes in abused children. They are up daily by 5:00am to do devotionals and have a time of worship together. The children look out for one another, love one another, and the atmosphere of the home is completely different than it was at the other home in Belize City. They are in an extremely small space right now, but have recently purchased 14 acres so they can build a larger complex with more space for the kids to run and play. Leone is an amazing woman with an incredible vision and a huge heart.

After our time there, and a quick lunch, Jennifer and Stacy headed back to the burial grounds to help Scot and Jerry while Sophie and Michelle headed back to the prisons to continue working with the sewing ministry there. They actually let some of the women from WPC in Lubbock take a camera in today, but we will have to upload those pictures tomorrow when we have more time.

We ate dinner, a cookout, at the burial grounds, played soccer with some of the kids, and then came back here for worship, devos, and some meetings.

It's been a great day - God is good.

This is our team this morning, before we split up for the day.

2009-03-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

One thing we haven't mentioned in our previous postings is that we end every day together in a time of worship and sharing. We will sing, pray, and talk through our days. We usually meet out on the porch, and get to enjoy the cool night air as we worship - it's a great way to end each day.

Wednseday started with all of us assuming (except Jennifer who knew she would be working in one of the classrooms) we would spend our morning working at the burial grounds. Remember though that one of the key words in Belize is FLEXIBILITY, and so right from the start our plans changed. Scot was asked to head to Stella Mara's to take the special needs kids on a field trip where he would help teach swimming lessons.

Stacy, Sophie, Michelle, and Jerry stayed behind at the burial grounds to help lay cinder blocks and spread mortar.

Jennifer started her day in one of the classrooms to be a teacher's assistant.

She was only in the classroom for the first part of the day, however, because there was a preschool field trip to the fire house and they needed extra volunteers. They even came over to the work site where most of us were working to recruit extra volunteers. Jerry, being a fireman knew this would be a great adventure for him, and Michelle volunteered to go as well.

The little girl that Jerry ate lunch with yesterday is very attached to him. She spends time with him every opportunity she gets -she eats with him, sits with him on the bus, etc.

Of course, Jerry the fireman was the perfect person to demonstrate how to properly slide down the pole.

And he was also the perfect person to catch kids taking a tour through the cab.

Jennifer, Jerry, and Michelle made it back by lunch time, and once again we had a delicious homemade lunch.

After lunch Jerry stayed at the burial grounds to continue the cinder block/mortar work and even spent some time working on Kenny's house. Scot and Jerry also went over to meet the local ambulance crew. They have a very primitive, basic level medicial capabilities, ie they have no certified parimedics. Jerry and Scot were able to offer their expertise and talk them through certain situations.

Sophie, Stacy, Michelle, and Jennifer headed out to a local prison. We weren't allowed to take cameras inside (and in all honesty it just wasn't a good idea to take any valuable inside), but this is a quick shot we took of the outside of the prison as we were getting back in the vans at the end of the day).

The woman in the prison are learning howto sew. The basic idea is that if we equip them with a trade/skill, when they get out of prison they will have means of supporting themselves. We came with six working sewing machines, but there were over thirty women. When the women were waiting for a sewing machine to work on their projects we had other activities to work on. For the most part though, this gave us a chance to talk to them and hear their stories. It's hard to put into words all that we experienced in the prison today, but it was definitely a challenging, but fulfilling day and one that will be in our hearts for a very very long time.

And one last picture for you. This is our group last night after dinner. In a lot of ways this trip has been challenging, but our group is getting along very well and we are having a great time growing closer together and closer to God.

A Little Bit of Everything....

2009-03-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

Our day started in much the same way, with the six of us heading to different sites. After getting back from the hospital last night, Tim asked if there was anyone with medical knowledge who could go with him to the hospital to talk to Moises' doctor's and social workers to learn more about his condition. Jerry, Scot, and Jennifer all volunteered, so they spent the morning at the hospital. The reason Moises needs to be transported to the United States is because he needs an operation to reattach his liver to his intestines, and to repair the perforations in his intestines (not to mention the fact that he is missing an entire meter of his bowel). The biggest reason we need to get him to the States is because he is receiving NO nutrition right now, and there is neither the funding nor the medical personnel to do that. We are still searching for ways to get Moises to the States as soon as possible.

Stacy started her day at Stella Mae's, a school for special needs children.

Sophie and Michelle started their day at the burial grounds lifting cinder blocks to continue forming the base of the new classrooms, moving scrap wood, and playing with kids.

We then all gathered at the burial grounds for another homemade (delicious) lunch.

Jerry made a new friend at lunch, Jocelle. After lunch we realized that most of us had one thing in common, our legs were either sun burnt or scraped for one reason or another - all part of a hard days work (and obviously not applying sunscreen evenly - but we're working on getting better at that). After lunch, Scot, Jerry, and Stacy took a turn laying cinder blocks and spreading mortar in between the blocks.

Sophie, Jennifer, and Michelle headed out to a local children's home to distribute fish (the fish that Scot and Jerry caught yesterday).

We spent quite a bit of time at the children's home after dropping off the fish, and in many ways it was a very frustrating experience. There are several children's homes in Belize that are very well run, but this one is government run, very corrupt, and the children live in terrible conditions. We don't have time tonight to get into all the details, but in the picture you can see two buildings. Those two buildings make up the entire facility where the 55 kids eat, sleep, play, and study. It was crowded, poorly maintained, and the workers were apathetic towards the kids. Some of the kids clung to us and didn't want to see us go while others were terrified of people because they had such little contact with adults.

One of the local boys, a kid nicknamed Pops has become an apprentice to Kenny and was helping out at our work site today. Scot got to know him fairly well throughout the day and learned a lot about him and his family. The picture above is of Pops, and the picture below is of the house where he lives with his family. We're not sure how many of his brothers and sisters are still living at home, but we do know that he has 6 brothers and 5 sisters (so even if a few are gone, that's still quite a bit of people living in a small space!). Pops was a very hard worker and a great person to have on the work site.

At the end of the day we all pretty worn out and tired and ready for showers, but then....someone brought out the soccer ball and a game started. Somehow it became girls vs. guys, but the only girls playing were Sophie and Michelle, and there were a few guys from Lubbock and a few neighborhood boys (a total of six guys in all) playing, so it wasn't really a fair game - but we had a TON of fun! It was a great way to end a hard day of work.

A Good Day of Work and a Prayer Request

2009-03-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

We split up this morning after breakfast to head to separate work sites for the day. We all had wonderful days, but we were so excited to get back together at dinner time and hear about one another's days, you would have thought we hadn't seen each other in weeks!

Scot and Jerry headed out to fish! That's right, fish! Originally this fish pond was built for the sole purpose of feeding the kids at one children's home. However, it has been so successful that they were not able to feed just the kids from that home but pretty much all the oprhanages in the area around Belize City. Every 5-7 months they will harvest the fish, and today just happened to be one of those days. After the collected the fish they cleaned and gutted over 10,000 fish. Today they fished, tomorrow, we will deliver the fish. Here are just a few pictures of the fishing process (we have video to share when we get back).

The rest of us headed to the burial grounds. To set the stage of where we were this is the school:

and these are a few of the students on the way to school.

Jennifer began the today by heading on a field trip with the preschool students (right by the church is a school, funded by the church). This is Jennifer with one of the students.

Stacy began her day by pulling nails out pieces of wood. The goal is to have 3 more classes built by September, but the only thing in place now is the concrete slab. Stacy helped clean up the wood that was on top so that the building can begin.

Jennifer later joined in the nail pulling efforts.

Michelle and Sophie spent their day water proofing the outreach center next to the school. They began by painting the porch level and the railings,

and would take breaks when the kids had breaks from school to play with them.

After a DELICIOUS homemade burrito lunch Sophie and Michelle moved on to the back walls,

and got reinforcements.

We made a great team. At the end of the day only one wall needs to be finished.

Also going on inside the outreach center was a dental clinic (which we could see through the windows as we were painting)

This is a view of the church and outreach center from down the street.

A fun video from our playground time:

And one very serious prayer request from the day:

During dinner, it was brought to our attention that a seven year old boy was in accident on Jan 8. Since then he has had 5 surgeries, and every single doctor is shocked that he is still alive. The doctors have asked if we can help get him to the States, it is only chance of survival. Sophie went to the hospital with a few others to pray with him tonight and reported back that he no longer has any small bowel, and the majority of his internal organs are exposed. He is nothing but skin and bones. His name is Moses, and he has committed his life to the Lord if he survives. Please pray for him. We need a way to airlift him to the States, a doctor, and a way for him to be cared for after surgery. It is no coincidence that his is happening while we are here, a team of more than 30 people with resources and connections. Thank you for your prayers.

A Lesson in Belize Time-ish

2009-03-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

We were told the one thing we needed to keep in mind while we are here in Belize is FLEXIBILITY! To say that church starts at 6:00 really means 6:30-7:00ish (church as you will see by the sign church is supposed to start at 6:00pm). This is called Belize Time...

Matt, the associate pastor of the Lubbock group, told us that we didn't need to leave here until at least 6:15. When we pulled up in front of the church, the pastor hadn't even arrived and the front doors were still locked.

So we just spent some time playing with the local kids.

A few minutes later the pastor pulled up and opened the main doors.

This is the inside of the church.

It was another half an hour though until the service officially began. It seemed like it was an extremely small congregation, but by 7:30 the place was full. So a 6:00 service really starts well after 7:00 (or when the pastor and the people get there and decide to get it going). The worship was great, and it gave us a chance to meet the people we will be working with this week.

There are several main areas of Belize City. We are staying in the downtown area, but will be working in the "burial grounds." It's called that literally because that's where the burial grounds are as you can see from this picture. If you look closely at the upper left hand corner of the picture, you can see the steeple of the church where we worshipped tonight.

Here are just a few pictures of the streets of the burial grounds, the various houses, and the people who live there.

Yesterday we wrote about Kenny, a man who works for the Word at Work. We don't have any pictures to post of Kenny yet, but we do have one of his name sake, his youngest child, KJ...

A Few Pictures From Our First Day

2009-03-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

We made it safely to Belize just after lunch time, and we had several hours before the rest of our group (the 30 or so people from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lubbock) arrived in Belize. After a delicious lunch of cow foot soup and "boil-up" we spent a few hours exploring Belize City. The group from Lubbock arrived just in time for dinner and fellowship. There are many of the Lubbock team members who have been coming to Belize every year for 3, 4, or even 5 years, and we loved listening to their stories over dinner!

A few pictures from our first day...

This is our team in the DFW airport pre-flight. A BIG thank-you to Suzie and Joan for waking up extremely early (before the sun was even up) to take us to the airport.

These are some of the first few things we saw as we flew into Belize,

A welcome sign,

a hotel that reminded us that God was already at work in Belize well before our plane touched down,

and busy city streets.

We had a wonderful "tour guide" (one of the men who works for the Word at Work) named Kenny who drove us around the city, giving us a history lesson on the way to our hotel. He will also be our construction foreman this week.

This is St. Andrews Presbyterian Church - which the Word at Work (the organization that we are working with here in Belize) helped found. And in turn, St. Andrews Presbyterian Church started Unity Presbyterian Church where we will be worshipping tomorrow (and where we will be working near all week).

We stopped by the lighthouse to take a group picture (this is the one day all week we will be in matching t-shirts).

It's going to be a great week - THANK YOU for your prayers!

Safe Arrival in Belize

2009-03-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

The team has arrived safely in Belize and made it to their hotel. They are even able to see the ocean from the balcony of the hotel. Now that they have arrived,they have met with Kenny, the leader from the Word at Work and are on their way to enjoy a meal together. Stay tuned for more updates as we hear...

Ready to go!

2009-03-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's the night before the trip and we're ready to go! We just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU everyone who came out to the servant auction and fajita fiesta on March 1st, and to everyone who has supported us financially, and to everyone who has signed up to pray for us while we are gone on the prayer banner. This trip to Belize wouldn't be happening without your support!!!

Meet the 2009 Belize Mission Team

2009-02-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

For the first year, we will be sending a team to Belize to be there from March 14 to 21. We will be partnering with Westminster Presbyterian Church in Lubbock and The Word at Work. In future years we hope to send larger groups, but this first year we are sending only six.

Since this is our first year, we know very little about what to expect, but we do know that we will be serving in several different areas, construction, working in an orphanage, medical/dental, and sewing.

We are currently meeting weekly as a team to pray, do a book study, and prepare for our week in Belize. Check back here for updates on our fund raising efforts and for prayer requests. We will do our best to update this site as well while we're in Belize.

Here are a few general prayer requests as we continue our trip preparations:

• Pray for God’s will to be done
• Pray for the health of the team and those with whom we come into contact
• Pray for spiritual revival to the country of Belize
• Pray for boldness
• Pray for united, loving and open hearts
• Pray for safe travel
• Pray for miracles
• Pray for energy
• Pray for patience
• Pray that through this mission our church and the people of Belize grow closer to God
• Pray that we continue to build strong relationships there
• Pray that our team and the Westminster Presbyterian team will be bonded by God