First Belize Life Advance

I sit here, sweaty, exhausted, and my heart overflowing with Joy.

Our first Life Advance was preceded with weeks of attack from the enemy...but he did not win...

God transformed homes, families, people, this weekend.

The Holy Spirit showed up in a  powerful way.

I can't wait to see the long term effect on LifeNet.

This week has been exciting, emotional, a reunion of sorts.  Those we have pastored in the past now ministering to those we pastor now.  Wow, two families blending into one.

I want to thank Bobby and Lisa for being the most amazing couple pouring into my Erika all weekend...

I came home to a very happy girl and a very clean house.  They allowed me to be able to be a part of the ministry going on all weekend.  And ministered to me by loving on my girl.

Friday morning, members of the team got to be on Rise and Shine, a national TV show here in Belize.  Then, later, on the news, Pastor Sam got to share about what the team is doing here this week, and it showed the team replacing missing swings at the parks.  

Its been a cool week and the Lord has done so much....so much.  One of our members' birthday is today.  She said the Life Advance was the best gift.

Life Church...thank you for coming here to minister to LifeNet and beyond.

Oh, and when I recover a little...I will post more pics.

Pray that all the Lord did...continues to bear fruit.

Refreshing

For almost 10 years, we called Life Church home.  I think the longest I ever lived anywhere in my life...was Katy, Texas.  Part of my  heart will always be there.

This week, 18 people are here from Life Church's School of Ministry.  And it is so refreshing.  It is like family visiting.  There is so much to catch up on, but more than that, just ministering alongside those I love...is so natural.

Today, we relaxed at Jaguar Paw, while half of the team went tubing.  I didn't realize I was in the sun and never put sunscreen on...I am bearing a sunburn now.  I am exhausted tonight, but had such a great day.

The next four days will be a whirlwind of activity and intense ministry.  Then we will hopefully rest Sunday night and Monday.  But I am so excited to take LifeNet, our new family here in Belize, through the Life Advance, this weekend.  It wont be quite the same as we did it in the states.   We wont have an air conditioned building, fancy decor or over the top refreshments.   But the ministry time will still be powerful.  I have a million things to do to prepare...but am so excited.  So excited for what God is going to do here, in the people I love in Belize.

It is really cute because Erika has not seen many of these people in 18 months-2 years (because we travelled around the last 9 months in the states)...but she is loving them all.  She cant remember all their names, but remembers their faces and that they love her.  She asked Lisa, "Do you remember me?"  and was shocked when Lisa said, "I knew you ever since you were a baby..."  This is the church, the family, that stood by and supported Lee and I through so much during the foster to adopt process.  And this is the family that is still standing beside us as we serve here in Belize.  We are so blessed.

We have been busy and I have been horrible about taking photos...but here are a few...

Pastor Sam, Susanna, my girls, Lee and I, Bobby, Mike, John and Teresa all stayed behind while the others floated down the river.  Then we all enjoyed a yummy lunch by Maria:)

Bobby and John

Erika Posing

Beautiful Susanna

Erika had so much fun with Ms. Susanna

Lunch: We were hungry and it was good:)

Lisa's shadow

playing football with Bobby and Lisa:)

One set of newlyweds...

Life:)

This weekend has been crazy and busy and hard.  I won’t go into all the details, but definitely have felt that we are under attack spiritually as we prepare for Life School of Ministry to come in the morning, and do the first Life Advance next weekend.

But in the midst of attack, it is amazing how we have also felt God’s hand.

One huge example is that we were driving home from Belize City (very dangerous right now) about 10:30 last night.  The Western Highway can be very dangerous, so we pray anyway, but as we were driving on a pretty deserted road, something metal fell off the van and clinked its way out under the van.  Well, going 50 mph, and it being dark, we couldn’t in good sense, go back and try to find it.  The vehicle still seemed to drive fine, but I just began praying that whatever part it was, that God would just protect us all the way home.  And He did.  As we turned into Belmopan, it quickly became apparent that it was the power steering thing that had dropped because Lee could barely steer.  But at least we were in Belmopan now.  God is faithful to us everytime and hides us in the cleft of His wing.  Please pray the van can get fixed quickly though… it was very difficult not having it this morning and also throughout the week with the team here.

This morning started out rough.  Again, clearly a spiritual attack.  When service first started, you could feel heaviness in the room…but it was so cool as people began to enter in to worship, the heaviness left…and we ended up having a very full room of people…hungry for the Lord.

After church, there was rain to deal with, loading and unloading of sound equipment, children’s church, etc.  I was soaked and had to change.  BUT, we went over to a family in our church’s house and three sisters had prepared the most wonderful meal for our family.  They treated us like kings and queens as they served us a delicious meal of barbecue chicken with all the sides.  We felt so blessed and loved.  And that love was from the Lord through these people in our church

The day was still not over…and Lee and I are were running on exhaustion at this point.  We needed to deal with the Life Advance and get the money to the place we will use, so it would be one less thing to deal with tomorrow.  Tori took Erika to a birthday party next door for a few minutes but brought her back.  Lee and I ended up being gone for several hours, seeing the place and visiting with the missionaries who run it.  I was sitting there feeling I might fall asleep at any time…realizing I had barely drank anything today and was feeling a dehydration headache coming on.  Then Josh sent me a text.  Our neighbors had sent FOUR FULL plates of food over from the party.  And she is another amazing cook.  Josh said we better hurry cause he was hungry.  I told him for them to go ahead and eat because Lee was still talking.  All this to say, I just felt that God once again showed us His love by feeding my kids when I was gone and allowing me to come home to a little something to eat…to revive a little.

The electricity and internet have been sketchy all afternoon and evening.  But that little meal revived me enough to do some cleaning I needed to do, dishes, start laundry, get Erika to bed and now relax a little before I go to sleep.

Please pray for us this week.  I am so excited about the group coming from Life Church and pray God’s protection on them as well.  God is doing good things here.  The Life Advance is another good thing…to begin seeing people get free…all the way.  Please cover us in prayer and if you feel led, fast a meal for LifeNet.  In this journey, I have learned more than ever the power of prayer.

While the big kids are away

So, this is my week:

Tuesday, I said goodbye to my big kids...on a boat without me...on a very big ocean.  Thankfully, heard from them within the hour and they have been having a blast.

Said goodbye to my amazing friend...who came all the way from California, to check out  Belize and encourage me:)

That night, I gathered all the dirty linens, towels, clothes from around the house to work on the next day.

Then---I went to bed with Erika around 8 (watched a movie til we fell asleep) to try to catch on the lost sleep from the week before.  Poor Francine didn't have that option...Hopefully she slept a little on the plane.

Wednesday found me doing all that laundry, making beds, catching up on cleaning.

And a trip to A and R...Erika's favorite.  Francine left a little spending money behind, which made Erika overjoyed.  And we picked up a little something to deliver to a sweet 3 yr old at the children's home who just had surgery.   Erika and I also got an oppurtunity to pray over several of the preschoolers who were home with colds.  It was fun holding the kids.  Their hugs are so special.  They sang for us.  It was precious. In the car when we were leaving, Erika talked about the kids.  I think in her mind, it is like a daycare.  She did not understand that their moms cant just come get them.  And she sees the Mom who runs the home as so wonderful...who wouldn't want to live there?  It is a blessing that these children are so well taken care of, but someday she will understand that there is a still a sadness that they don't live in a home with a mom and dad like her.

Friday, we went to market and found the cutest chairs ever.  Erika has not sat anywhere else today.  Then I got to enjoy a nice long coffee date with a new friend the Lord has brought into my life.  The fellowship and AC were a blessing, because as soon as Francine left, the heat is ON!!!

After lunch, we enjoyed opening the most amazing chocolates ever that Francine brought for me.  And yes, they are hidden, for now, in the fridge.  

Then Erika and I headed to the grocery store and chicken store.  We had gone to market and the bakery earlier.  A day of stocking back up before getting my awesome children back tomorrow.

Of course, we had a full house last night for NetGroup...and heard that Maya Mopan also had about 33 people.  Lee is off to buy more plastic chairs after his discipleship session in a little while.  We are keeping busy.  Always something going on...but have enjoyed a little quieter few days with just Erika at home during the day.

Now, I need to get ready for a meeting with some ladies who are teaching children's church for the first time Sunday.  Three sisters and a blessing to me:)

Contentment

I sit here, with my feet up, with so much on my heart.  It has been a busy several days, but my heart is so full of contentment.  God blessed me by creating a way for my friend to come visit, while also touching her for the nation of Belize in an even stronger way.  As Francine was here the last five days, she met the people on this blog.  But they became even more real to her.  She was able to hug, pray for, minister to the people that we get to touch every day.  Including me.  We had many nights we stayed up way too late talking.  But I wouldn't trade that for the world.  It was refreshing to laugh with my dear friend.  All the way 'til she left on the airplane a little while ago.

The next few days will be quieter as my friend has now left and my older two are in Caye Caulker.  But it is back to life as normal, with a renewed sense of purpose and calling.  

The following pictures are all pictures that Francine took...and I as I looked through them, it was so neat to see Belize through her eyes, new eyes.  What she found interesting to take pictures of.  I will not include them all, but it was neat.

While she was here, our new (old) van broke down and she had to  help us push it in the carport...no easy task.  She experienced the rain and humidity that is my life.  She experienced a trip to the river that ended abruptly with torrential rainfall, where we have to get back out of the jungle up muddy hills...we both fell a few times, but really God's grace was with us.  She got to experience some yummy Belizean cuisine made by people in our church.

Francine got the true Belize experience, not the tourist version.  She experienced ministry here on the mission field and a week of my life.  And what a blessing she was to our family and to LifeNet.

Enjoy the photos below:

Trip to Maya Mopan

Josh and Jesse solving world matters

Getting ready for church service

MMMM  Lime Juice

Francine prayed over and gave the kids the yummiest suckers ever

This phone is just a small example of the suitcase full of goodies she brought for our family and LifeNet:)

When you come to Belize, you bless us and leave touched by a nation and its people...

Miss you already;)

Francine is here:)

Its Saturday morning.  We just had breakfast and Erika helped me with the dishes.  I am working on the laundry...and of course, there is a lot cause we went to Blue Hole yesterday.

But, I am having a blast.  I feel like a teenager again.  When all the kids and Lee go to sleep at night, Francine and I just talk and talk.  And amazingly, we never run out of stuff to talk about.  That is the joy of a good friend...you just share a heart and can talk about anything and everything.  We finally went to bed at 2:45 last night when we heard a loud noise outside.  We still dont know what it was, but probably God saying, you better go to sleep or you wont make it through tomorrow.

God has blessed our time.  It is still hard to believe my friend is here.  His hand has been on this whole thing...Even down to the weather.  It has been an early rainy season and the temps have been cooler.  It is very humid, but at least not as hot.  It was rainy the day her plane flew in and there was a rough landing with lots of water landing...but I was watching from the overhang and just interceded.  God helped her through customs and we have just had a great time.

Today, we are going to lunch...just her and I.  No interruptions from kiddoes.  I am looking forward to it.  But we really have had so much time just to talk.  And catch up.  And this time is special and I don't know when we might get it again, so I just want to soak up every single second of it.

Right now, Francine, Lee, Tori and a huge team from Baptist Encampment are out visiting Maya Mopan.  That is the only reason I am taking a minute to update.

But, yeah, it is awesome.  I am so blessed to have a friend come from the states.  We will go later to see the Bed and Breakfast, because just seeing me:), she is here to scope things out to bring a team back from California...hopefully within the year.

And, seriously, I keep looking at her, thinking, is this real?  Francine really came all the way from California to see us:)

Enjoy your Saturday, cause I am:)

  

Overwhelming

This week, I think what I am feeling is

OVERWHELMING.

I just have felt all week that there are so many ways to help, so many people I can pour into, so many things I can do.  So much so that it is, at times, overwhelming.  There is only so much of me to go around.

Finishing school has freed up some of my time.  This morning, I did a thorough cleaning of the girls windows, bedding, etc.  Something with school, I just never have the time or energy to do.  The rainy day probably added to my energy though because it didnt get over 85 today.  But the humidity in the afternoon was draining.

Anyways, what I am finding is that I need to be really sensitive to the Lord, about what He is saying.  What He is setting up.  Because it is so easy to get sidetracked and do things that are not kingdom focused.

I had, what I feel was, a divine appointment, with someone I met today.  We will see where the Lord takes it.  But it was one of those moments, where it was like the Lord was saying...Her, that one...pour into her.  Show her I love her by pouring into her.  So, we will see what God is doing next week when I hang out with this someone.  And the thing is, I really dont know what I am going to say or do...just that I feel very strongly that the Lord pointed her out to me, and will create the ministry that she specifically needs.

But I drive around this little city.  I see so many things.  My heart is pulled millions of different ways.  I just want to make sure I hear what God is saying...and be obedient.

And I feel my time is so busy already.  And because of the weather, I just have less energy than I did in the states.  First, I am a wife and mom, second a teacher, third a pastor's wife to a congregation...then chef, housekeeper, etc.  You get the point.  I wear so many hats already, and my time is precious that I spend away from my family.  But I am willing to give that precious time in the areas the Lord is sending me.

So, yeah, overwhelming the needs I see around me.  But God is not overwhelmed...He can direct my steps and I will trust Him.