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 3/28/06

Some of the youth making a home visit.

3/26/06

The choir sings for the evangelistic meetings.

The "Green Team" making a visit.

3/25/06 #2

Well today was an amazing day.  It started early with the choir going to a church near the hospital.  The rest of the group headed straight to the Sabbath services at Bullet Tree under the tent where we have been holding the series.  The first order of business was a wedding.  The pastor said it was virtually a quick formality.  Apparently that means something different here in Belize.  The bridesmaids were dressed in scarlet and there were at least five.  The groomsmen were in ties.  There was a flower girl, a Bible girl, and a boy who carried a rope with two loops in it.  There were also two witnesses who played a large part in the ceremony.  We all marched in with the attendants holding flowers in the air with ribbons arched across the isle.  The couple was probably about 60 or so, but the groom was as nervous as any twenty year old.  The notable feature of the ceremony that was different from the typical American service  was the signing of the legal documents with the witnesses and the whole congregation watching.  The couple then returned to the front and a rope with two loops was put over their heads and they were presented to the congregation as man and wife. 

 The best part was that after the remaining part of the service where Ed preached an awesome sermon and gave a call we walked down to the river and baptized the couple that I married along with about ten other people.  I lost count!  We baptized whole families and people who were being baptized against the will of their families and even despite disapproving spouses.  It was an amazing experience!   Many students’ faces streamed with tears as person after person went down into the water and came out radiant with joy.

 After lunch we went to a very poor village called Buena Vista.  There we passed out Bibles and small toys and invited people to the evangelistic series.  The choir and then the Acro-squad did a little presentation.  The students were amazed at the poverty and we really just played with the kids of the village and talked to people.  There is a Bible worker in the village and one of buses goes nightly to pick up people for the forty minute round trip every night for the series.  On the way back from the village we stopped at a Mennonite settlement where we had amazing ice cream. 

 The students are starting to open up to the local people and really start to talk to them and they have quickly come to feel a connection with the Belizian people.  Each student seems to have someone who has been placed on their heart.  Tomorrow we will start early with two choir appointments and work at Bullet Tree on the new church site for those that are not involved with the choir.   We have a church to build for all the of people we plan to baptize yet on this trip!

3/25/06

 Well, despite some of us already being burned, everything that we have started has been going really well. Yesterday, some of us went down to an orphanage where we were swarmed with kids as we handed out various things such as toys and all of those hygiene packs. Last night, it poured all during the crusade, but it turned out to be a real blessing as Heidi Davenport pointed out, because it drew all of the outside crowd into the tent where they could hear the music provided by the adult praise team as well as the testimony given by Gary Collins. The children’s crusade has a different theme for each day, and yesterday it sort of worked cuz it was Noah’s Ark! The kids do a different craft each day that goes with the theme, and its been a real success.

 The choir has performed at a local high school that’s a short walk from the hospital as well as each night at the adult crusades. Last night was sort of hard with the rain being so loud and no piano (for fear of becoming wet), however, we ended up singing an a’capella song and it was surprisingly really loud despite the pouring rain. We’re heading out to sing in a few minutes for the various local churches. It’s actually been really cool this morning because of the rain and breeze, and we’re thankful for that. That’s the last few days in a nutshell. Feliz Sabado! -ep

3/22/06

We are finally here!  The flights went great, and it wasn't even as hot as last year when we arrived.  We were exhaused and after eating and being challenged by a devotional from Silva Garcia on our motivation for service we fell into out beds and slept to a pleasant breeze.

3/23/06

The breeze is gone and the sun is out.  On this day when we are preparing for our first night of evangelistic series and childrens' crusade as well as commencing our construction projects the heat is intense.  As the evening comes on it will cool and tonight as we go to sing, preach, greet, pray and minister we will be to busy to think about the heat.  All is well, and we are prayerfully looking forward to the series as it kicks off tonight.