"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
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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
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