July 18

Good Morning Everyone!

We are home! After a longer than expected layover in Miami while sitting on the tarmac, we made it back. We still have some bags MIA - which is frustrating - we have all the people back home - which is great!

The rain this morning reminds us of our adventures in Belize. God's power and faithfulness in spite of the storms.

We continue to pray for our friends in the village - that they will come to understand who God is even better so that they will trust him more. There is a degu (sp?), a voodoo worship ceremony being planned for the village in a couple of weeks. They will talk to the dead through a spiritist and bury food to appease the dead spirits that they believe will come and bring disease and sickness to their family. They will also be instructed to pay different people in order to protect their family and property. It is a very twisted message that they receive.

The good news is that we heard from some kids that the adults are starting to question whether or not this stuff is real or true. We pray that the adults who received Bibles this week will see the truth in God's word and will choose to trust God over the traditions of their culture. We pray that they will be asking questions and that the missionaries living in the village will be able direct them to God's word. (We didn't get to see Jim and Anna this week because they were out of town.)

I'll post pictures of the different adventures that we had over the next several days.
blessings,
erin

July 16

Hey Everyone,

We are back in San Ignacio for the night before we head to St. Louis tomorrow. We visited the elderly at Octavia Waight this afternoon. It was Carmella's 102nd birthday today. We got to sing to her and to sing for the residents after chatting a bit. It was a bright point of the day for them.

We have had a wonderful week. Yesterday we woke up to a heavy gray sky and it did not look wonderful. At breakfast, it started pouring buckets...and kept on pouring buckets...and more buckets. It was the wettest that the team had been...ever. I (erin) was wondering if God had forgotten us and had forgotten that it was the day of His favorite story - Christ's death and resurrection, which forgives our sins and gives us new life. He hadn't. As we drove toward the village, the rain lightened...and lightened...and was gone. He had a beautiful blue sky complete with sun for us in the village. It was cloudy in all the surrounding areas, but not in Seine Bight. :) God is faithful to His people - there is no forgetting with Him. The VBS team had a hard time saying good bye to their new friends in the village. Lots of hugs and see you laters!

The physical therapy team completed all their visits that they had planned to make. They had a wheelchair outfitted with a new seat for a little boy with cerebral palsy; he won't have to ride in a wheelbarrow any more. They gave out new exercises and made some speech cards for a man who had a stroke. He can now point to exactly what he wants so his wife doesn't have to guess.

The dental team saw a record number of patients during the week. Lots of teeth pulled and pain reduced and life improved. Even Dr. Joe and Michael got in on the action. :D

The construction team finished the walls and sides and floor of the house for Rock, our connection in the village. The materials for the tin roof are there and their new friend Thomas aka Turkey will be putting the roof for him. Hopefully he will be able to get it on soon...it was raining again when we left this morning. Rock will send us pictures of the finished product.

Lauren is better! She made it into the village on Wednesday and Thursday for the preschool lessons and was so happy to be present and serving. Thanks for praying for her!

Continue to pray as we return to the US tomorrow. We will have lots of stories to share and pictures to look at. We have been blessed by the experience. It was awesome to be God's hands and feet this past week. Pray for us as we process all that we have seen and been part of.

blessings,
erin

July 13

Hey Everyone!
Amy, Rachel and I are posting from Placencia this afternoon as we finish our gelato. :)

VBS has been awesome! Really fun! It really really rained yesterday. Thunder and lightning - the works. It made for a slow start to the morning, but God brought lots of kids through the rainy weather and we had a great day sharing how Jesus is the way.

Today dawned bright and sunny. :)...which meant even MORE children. There so many coming that they ran out of lunch toward the end. Everyone got something and we took nothing home. Amy and Rachel enjoyed their small group on the beach. The breeze was just perfect as they taught about Ruth and Naomi and how Jesus is the truth!

The dental team is rocking and rolling. They are booked solid tomorrow and plan to stay in the village until 5pm to get it all done.

The construction team is working a house for Rock, our local leader/organizer. It has several walls and some siding up. Building in Belize is always an adventure.

Pray for our teammate Lauren; she's had a stomach bug and hasn't joined us yet in the village. She is anxious to do that!

Continue to pray for our kids here to understand how much Jesus loves them and that as one of their favorite songs says "their life will never be the same" because of knowing him.

Hopefully we'll get a post in before Friday to keep you up to date!

blessings
erin and the girls. :)

July 10

Hey Everyone!
We have made it safely to San Ignacio today after a 2 hour? drive. It was an early morning at the airport for an early morning flight to Miami and on to Belize City. We are spending the night at the Hotel Aguada before heading off for a zip lining adventure in the morning. Everyone is hanging out after dinner and relaxing after a long day of travel.

Thanks for praying for our safe arrival today. Continue to pray for our flexibility as plans are always a little bit different than what we expect as we work and minister in Belize. :)

July 10

I'm posting a little early because tomorrow is travel day for us.

Here are the final prayer requests before we leave...

7/10 Jim and safe travel
7/11 open heart
7/12 VBS, dentistry, construction, p/t starts - smooth set up for all
7/13 It's Jon's birthday! Pray for lots of kids to be touched by the message of Jesus' love for them.
7/14 Men's Bible study
7/15 Women's Bible study and the youth Bible study
7/16 Safe travel from Seine Bight to San Ignacio, for Chepito and Fabi back to Zacapa, Guatemala
7/17 Our families and our safe return to the states

Thanks for praying with us and for us as we prepared to do this ministry!
I'm praying that we can continue to post on a daily basis about what God is doing in Seine Bight. (I should be able to post our safe arrival in San Ignacio tomorrow evening.)
You can leave comments for us if you'd like in the comment section. I'll do my best to pass them on to intended parties. :)
Blessings,
erin

July 9

Today we are praying for Lesley, who will be leading a small group. We pray for her small group to be blessed by her leadership. We pray for God's Word to richly dwell in her and to be a clear light to her small group. We pray that Christ will be see in her words and in her actions.

We also pray for our recess time next week. We pray for safety for the kids involved. We pray that there will be a spirit of gentleness in the children. We pray for strong arms to hold the kids and hug them. We pray for plenty of laps for kids to sit on and feel safe in. We pray for energy after a hot, busy morning so that we can continue to be gentle in speech and in action as we work with the kids in an unstructured environment.

July 8

Today we are praying for Andy. He's from Eastern Tennessee State University and will be joining us for his first mission trip. He will lead a small group and work with the physical therapy group in the afternoon. We pray that he will connect to the young men in his small group and that they will see Christ in Andy. We pray that he will be a blessing to those in the village who need physical therapy. We pray for his diagnostic skills and for him to teach skills and techniques to people in the village who need treatment.

We also pray for the home visits for the physical therapy team. We pray that doors will be open for them to serve. We pray for meaningful connections to be made for the long term, that this will be a good starting point. We pray for the team to be able to use the materials that we have to make diagnoses and develop plans for the p/t patients. We pray for the patients to see the wisdom in the therapy and to value the time it takes to practice so that they can regain muscle strength or dexterity or range of motion.

July 6

Today we are praying for Sue, the fearless team leader. We thank God for her on her birthday today! We thank Him for planting the seed of love for Belize and sharing His Word in her heart and for how that love has grown over the years and trips to include all of us. We pray for her spirit to be protected during the final preparation, that Satan would steal no joy from her. We pray for clear vision of what needs to happen and what is happening so that she knows where God is directing the ministry to go. We pray for her to be at peace and to rest well, to be protected from illness and stress; we pray for God's blessing to be on her!

We also pray for the leadership team as they make final preparations for the team to head out. We pray for safety for the Dicks and the Hillards as they leave on Thursday. We pray for the leadership to have clear heads and not be worried about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, bring the requests of the team before God. We pray for God's peace to rest on them. We pray for eyes to see what God is doing and ears to hear what God is saying and minds to process what God wants them to understand about Himself and His people, in Seine Bight and on the team.

July 5

Today we are praying for Maddie. This is her first trip to Seine Bight and she will be leading a small group and hanging out with the youth in the afternoons. We pray that she will connect with the kids in her small group and that she will share her faith in the one true God with them. We pray that she will be a light in the village during the next week.

We also pray for the music time. We pray that the team will pick songs that the kids can relate to and enjoy. We pray that the message of the one true God will be shared clearly during the singing and talking and praying. We pray for your Holy Spirit to dwell among the group that gathers to worship and that He will be preparing everyone to hear God's Word during the small group time. We ask for His anointing to be on His people so that everyone in the village can see Christ in the mission team.

July 1-4

Happy 4th of July!
We thank God for the freedoms that we have in this country to worship and to share about our faith! We are thankful for the opportunities to travel and to share the one true God with our friends in Belize!

We pray for Joe, who is joining us for the first time in Seine Bight. We pray for him to connect to the dental patients that he will serve, that he will be able to make them comfortable and un-afraid. We pray for him to have opportunities to pray for the patients and impart God's peace as he and Mike work to make them more comfortable.

We also pray for the dental patients - that they would have time to visit the dentist - that they would be fearless in coming - that the children who come would be brave and enjoy their time with Mike and Joe and Kris. We pray for them to learn new habits that would be healthy.

We pray for Katie who is joining us for her first trip to Belize. We pray for her to find her niche on the team. We pray that she would be bold in sharing about her faith during the small group time. We pray for God's message to be clear in her so that everyone will see Jesus in her words and actions.

We pray for the youth ministry that will be happening in the afternoons. We pray for the youth to be available to hang out with our youth. We pray for God's Word to be shared clearly and for the testimonies to have powerful messages. We pray that relationships will be built with the new members of our team and that they will be renewed with the returning members.

We pray for Krista, who will lead a small group on the trip. We pray for her to reconnect with the girls in her small group from last year. We pray that she will share God's Word clearly with her kids and that they will see God's love in her words and actions.

We pray for the Early Childhood program that will happen during the afternoons. We pray that the information that they share with the moms will be clear and easy to implement. We pray that the moms will have time to come and learn more about how to talk and play with their young children.

We also pray for Kris, who is on her first trip with the team. We pray for her to adjust to the new culture quickly and that she would be able to organize the dental education effectively. We pray that she will be blessed in her ministry on the trip. We pray for her words to be clear and her actions to be welcoming and to be a calming presence so that all who visit the dentist will see God in her.