He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.
To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1:28-29
Received from the Belize Team at 7:30 PM…
As my text mentioned earlier, our day started with a wonderful time of worship. We sang a few songs (and the girls taught us a few songs). Presley, Jenn, and Tara led a devotional, and what emerged was a time of sharing as the girls opened up about the reality of things they struggle with on a daily basis - everything from insecurity, to abuse, to the recent loss of a sibling. We were able to spend some time, talking, praying, and worshipping with the girls.
We transitioned to our "normal" activities with a small group activity, and then it was time to start the day. By that time though a couple of our group members had already gotten a jump start on the daily "grocery shopping" (or rather taking Yolanda to the market) and the Belize City crew was hard at work.
The Belize City crew continued painting (both inside and on the roof), and they started putting up walls (because they had torn some down yesterday).
The Lord's Bank work crew worked hard! If you have seen pictures of YES in the past, one thing you know is that Pastor Ruth loves bright colors. It definitely wasn't a surprise that she had lots of bright colors picked out for the new building we are working on. Our crew worked hard (they actually worked well past quitting time yesterday to get things done, and finally had to be told to stop), and primed and painted today. The rooms look absolutely lit up with some color on the wall!
Some of the girls worked on the quilt today, and tried their hand at hand stitching (learning a completely new skill). Ben taught all the girls to make woven bracelets, which they loved! And during our bracelet making time, we had more good conversations and times of prayer.
Suzie taught her computer class. Today they practiced typing in Microsoft Word and had an introduction to Microsoft Excel. One of the girls really enjoyed learning how to make formulas in Excel to perform math. Each girl was also able to show their presentations to new people. It was so wonderful to see their big smiles full of confidence for what they had accomplished. We also spent time taking a few pictures of each girl so that they could post pictures to Facebook. It was a full day for the computer class.
We sent Scot off to BERT where he taught more classes today.
Tina was able to connect with Mike and Yodi again of the church in Orange Walk. They gave her a sketch of the planned roof hoping that she could come up with a more cost efficient plan, and Tina used her engineering skills to organize the information and brainstorm a new plan. God has truly used all of our gifts and talents this week through reaching out to others!
Sophie and Michelle met with Ian, who is an ombudsman here in Belize, and is the international track and field representative as well. Ian explained that there is no place for track and field to be practiced, and there are also no sports equipment. Running has never been a sport here in Belize, but Ian believes that giving kids the opportunity to run will keep them out of harm's way. He is looking for support of the sport and possibly more coaches. He initially reached out to us hoping for the empty container in our church parking lot, and we were excited to meet someone with such love and compassion for the children of Belize.
Thank you all for the prayers! They have definitely been lifted up and helpful as we saw today.
Praise God for…
· … the wonderful time of worship this morning and the opportunity it brought for good conversation with the girls
· … the continued endurance and good progress in so many areas; construction, sewing, computers, and BERT
· … the way God is glorifying Himself in using the gifts and talents He's given team members to serve in unique and varied ways
Please pray for…
· … a renewed strength from God as we work, that we would depend on Him for our energy
· … for opportunities to interact with the people of Belize; that we can understand their joys and hardships
· … for team member's eyes to be open to see how God is at work in, around, and through them
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40: 29-31
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