BelizeforJesus

Blessing Ms. Pat

2011-12-10T14:09:00.000-06:00

We have shared in previous newsletters about our team member in Belize, Pat Fisher. Pat is like our right hand. Whatever we need to get done, she is a willing vessel to help us accomplish the goal. Pat is in her mid 60’s and just began her work as a full time foreign missionary to Belize in 2010.
Up until September of this year, Pat has gotten around by walking or riding the bus. This means that she carried her laptop and anything else she may need for the day in bags on her shoulders when she left her home. If she had to buy groceries she just added that to all that she had to carry. If it were raining she would have to add an umbrella to all that she would carry as well.
There have been times that Pat has worked late at the school and due to the fact that the last bus runs at 9pm and it is not safe to walk on the streets at night, Pat would just spend the night at the school, sleeping in a chair or on the hard floor. Pat has never once complained. This is the work that she knows the Lord has called her to and she does this work with a joyful heart.
We have always done our best to help Pat with transportation. She would ride with us to and from school on class days and we would give her rides to other events that we would both be attending but Pat was still walking miles a day.
Now that our new schedule has Tina in the US more often, we saw an opportunity to help Pat out. Craig made sure that our 7 passenger van was in good working order. Then we donated the use of our van to Pat. Now Pat can walk out to her driveway with those heavy bags and just put them in the van!
When Pat was given opportunity to respond to our gift she said, “ Praise the Lord! This van has been such a blessing. I don’t have to wait for a bus or carry lots of stuff long distances.” She expressed to us that this has given her a freedom that she has not had in Belize before.

Your support helps us to bless wonderful people like Ms. Pat

Craig Preaches In Maya Village

2011-12-10T14:07:00.000-06:00

Craig recently took a few of his students on a trip from Belize City to Punta Gorda, which is a small town in the southern most part of Belize.
The purpose of this trip was to meet Pastor Victor Hernandez, who is a correspondence student in our school. Pastor Hernandez has trained up pastors for churches in three different villages and is the pastor for two churches as well. He is using our correspondence material to teach the Mayan and Ketchi Indian pastors who are under his leadership .
Craig taught in one of Pastor Hernandez’s churches and in one of the Ketchi Indian village churches that Pastor Hernandez oversees. He also took teaching materials to bless him. Our students joined Craig in teaching and evangelism in the area. Craig and the students went to the Mayan village of San Antonio to share the gospel. It was a wonderful meeting and we are all looking forward to joining him on his next trip there.
We are excited about the new opportunities we have to minister in Punta Gorda and in the surrounding Mayan and Ketchi villages. We see that Pastor Hernandez has been doing a great work. We are hoping to continue to encourage Pastor Hernandez by assisting him with some of the projects he is working on, by providing him with teaching materials and by bringing mission teams to his area to help with the many needs that we see there.
If you would like to join us in helping this man of God. He is currently trying to build a church facility. The villages that Pastor Hernandez ministers in would love to have a group come to teach and share the gospel with them. If you are interested in coming on a short term missions trip please contact us for more information.

A Traditional Maya Home

Craig and one of our students prayed for people in a Maya village

Pastor Hernandez, our correspondence students and Pastor Simpson, our in school student

Hospital Evangelism and Testimonies

2011-12-10T13:01:00.000-06:00

We have been so blessed by wonderful churches, friends and family in the US! We shared with them that we would appreciate travel sized toiletries that we can use for outreaches. We were blessed to overflowing with soaps, shampoos and conditioners, toothbrushes and toothpastes, lotions, etc. We also had requested Bibles, toys and stuffed animals. We spent hours using gallon sized Ziploc bags and filling them with a variety of the toiletries, a Bible, Christian literature and toys for the kids. We also included our business cards and information on Charis Bible Institute.

We have been taking these gifts to the hospital and handing them out and offering to pray for the sick and for family members. We started going as a family and we are now taking our students with us. We are seeing people healed and born again, praise God! We just wanted to share a few encouraging testimonies with you.

One of our students, who has been going to the hospital, shared that she had prayed for her brother that was having severe stomach pain. She was so excited to share that he was healed instantly after she prayed for him.

Another student asked Craig and some of the students to go to the hospital to pray for her brother, who was in the hospital with a blood clot on his brain and he couldn’t swallow. He was in critical condition. We went and prayed for him and praise God, he has been healed. The doctors just gave him a clean bill of health!

Just before we left to travel to the US for the summer, Craig prayed for a young man who was tryng to break up a fight. He was chopped in the head with a machete and had lost his hearing. Craig prayed for him and his hearing has been totally restored! Hallelujah!

We had a mission team come down and join us in our hospital prayer outreach. Some of our students and folks on the mission team prayed for a lady who was unable to walk. Her legs were curled up under her and she was in pain. As they prayed her legs began to straighten out and they had the woman out of bed walking! Needless to say, when we left her room she had a huge smile on her face!

Our staff member, Ms. Pat, and two students prayed for a young girl, age 11-14, was having strokes and due to this she was paralyzed on her left side. As the students prayed the young girls left arm moved in a big arc and she began to kick her left leg. Her mother and brother were so excited that they jumped out of their seats and ran across the room!

God is so good. He is full of love, mercy and compassion. It is wonderful to see people healed and excited about getting to know God more.

A Little on Peace and a Video

2011-12-10T12:44:00.001-06:00

I am not sure who learned more this year. Craig, Pat and I or our students! This has been a very educational year! We are thankful to be on the other side of this year! We are thankful for the knowledge that we have gained and for God's grace and mercy.

This year, we have come to know God as Jehovah Shalom ( The Lord is Peace ). Truly, His peace is our guide. We know that, as we face our future, as long as we are following His peace we are on the right path.

I was reading recently in the book of Judges and I made an observation. When the Israelites were in trouble, God would use a judge to help lead them out of the tribulation and then there would be "peace" for a certain amount of time. But this peace...was just rest...it was an outward peace it was the worlds kind of peace.

And then one day...God visited a young man named Gideon. Things were looking bleak for the Israelites. Their land was being overrun by the enemy. God chose Gideon to be His hands and feet..to lead His people to peace. And do you know what Gideon did? While things were still outwardly unchanged and the enemy was still pressing down on his people...his family was still worshiping false gods and Gideon built an alter and named it Jehovah Shalom..."The Lord is Peace." Gideon learned that his peace was not based on his outward circumstances. He understood that peace..true peace comes from God. God delivered them and they had peace.

Ultimate peace for us truly came when Jesus fulfilled prophecy. "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 Oh and what a glorious peace He gave! BUT...we have a choice. To follow peace...to walk in it...to develop it....or to ignore it and seek the world's peace.

Below is a video we shared with our students for our end of school year party back in May. We currently have 10 students. Four of those are now in our 'School of Practical Ministry.' The remaining six students are new to the school and are in our 'Bible Training Institute.'

Please keep them (and us) in your prayers this year.

Charis Bible Colleges Visit Belize

2011-05-05T18:07:00.000-06:00

We have been blessed to have three Charis Bible Colleges come to Belize this year to share the gospel. We had CBC Colorado, CBC Indiana and CBC Kansas City come at three different times.
These teams were wonderful. They were all full of the love and grace of God and that is just what they shared. These teams taught live on the radio, taught in churches and schools, ministered one on one in the inner city areas, fed the homeless, taught in prisons, and ministered to people in the hospital and much more. One thing that we heard from all of the teams was that some of the outreaches that they went on were not what they expected them to be like and they wished that they would have had more time for several of them. We picked a few of our favorite pictures to share with you.

Grandmommy

2011-03-22T14:05:00.064-06:00

Grandmommy is an elderly Gariganu lady living in Belize City. She has many health concerns and physical needs these days. She speaks very little English, instead she speaks her native language of Garifuna. She shares her home with her 3 daughters, that were abandoned by their birth mother and their two sons. She barely makes ends meet by frying plantain chips and sending her young grandson to sell them in the streets. Grandmommy has no electricity or running water. She cooks outside on an open fire.

On our first visit, we prayed with Grandmommy after she was severely burned while frying up the plantain chips. She had no money for a doctor and said that she didn't trust them. Her home had a few rooms but was leaning severely and being propped up on one side by a few wooden posts. Her living room was small with a big rug on the floor. The purpose of the rug was not for looks, but to keep people from falling through the big hole in the floor beneath the rug.

On October 23, 2010, Hurricane Richard tore through the country of Belize, damaging or destroying thousands of homes. The overall damage was an estimated 33.8 million BZ Dollars (17.4 million US Dollars).

Grandmommy was one of the many victims of Hurricane Richard. The storm ripped the roof off of her already crumbling house, literally tore her house in half, and now it has to be propped up on two sides to keep from falling over. Someone had donated a pre-fabricated home made by the Mennonites, but it was stolen before it was delivered. She is obviously in dire need of help.

For only $4000 US, we could buy all the materials to build a house and furnish it. It would take a mission team 1-2 weeks to complete this project. If you are interested in bringing a building team to Belize to help Grandmommy, please contact us. You can also make donations to our ministry to help with the building project through paypal. Just include a note with your donation so that we know to apply your gift toward a new home for Grandmommy.

Ready to sell the plantain chips

We are sharing the Kingdom of God with Grandmommy and what better way to show someone who needs Jesus Christ the love of God by helping her with such a great physical need.

Grandmommy's home

Washing the pans with sand and a pumice stone

Notice how severely her house leans and the tattered tarp, that is her roof

Meet Grandmommy with one of our students.

Tina

2011-01-23T17:53:00.001-06:00

We had a pastor come to us to ask for help for a lady in his neighborhood. The single mother of 4 was dying of AIDS. She had 4 children who were in desperate need of clothing and food. We took food to the mom and children...and then over a short time...I was blessed to get to know this young mom named Tina.

Tina, at age 26, was living in a small shack made of plywood. Her mother was constantly telling her to "hurry up and die" so that she could sell Tina's children. She had no money to buy food and because she had no food she could not take her AIDS medication. Since she could not take her medicine, her health rapidly declined.

We were taking food each week for Tina so that she would have food enough to last her for the week. We later found out that her mother was stealing the food. Her children were so desperate for food that they would catch and eat roaches that crawled across the floor. When the children were thirsty they would grab old bleach containers or any other dirty container from the trash pile to catch rain water.

We brought bags full of clothing for all of the children. Tina's mom also took all of these.

We prayed for Tina and shared the gospel with her. I asked Tina if she was sure she was born again. Tina asked me what it meant to be born again. So, I took her to John 3 and shared the story of Nicodemus with her. We prayed together and Tina confirmed her faith in Christ.

It was only a few weeks to a month later that a friend called me and asked me to help Tina. Tina knew that she was about to die. She knew that her mother would hurt her children. She was afraid that her children would end up in the children's home. She was so worried that she could not relax and rest. Tina asked me to write up her will. It was so humbling and heartbreaking to write this for this young mother who should have had her life ahead of her. Tina signed her will in front of many witnesses and on video so that no one could refute her last wishes.

Tina did pass away a few months ago. Tina was a somewhat soft spoken frail woman. Her children were never given boundaries or discipline. These sweet children have to much to go through. The need for a home,healing from sexual and physical abuse, and so much more.

We are following Tina's two youngest children. We still send clothes for them and love on them when we are given the opportunity. We are thankful to a missionary family that has taken them in, loving them, teaching them right from wrong and all about God's love. One of Tina's older daughters is currently living with an aunt and the eldest daughter is in a children's home. Please keep these children and the many other children of Belize who have stories just like this in your prayers.

Tyajha and Akeela

2011-01-17T13:43:00.003-06:00

This December, our family decided to bring in Tyajha and Akeela, two Belizean girls that we keep on weekends, to stay with us over Christmas break. This was the first time we had ever had people, other than family, spend Christmas with us and the first "real" Christmas that Tyajha and Akeela had ever experienced.

My dad found and fixed two bikes in a neighbors trashcan that were just the right size for the girls. Every day they would ask when they could open their presents. On Christmas morning, Tyajah was the first one up. She excitedly woke up Meredith and Madeline who then woke up the rest of the house. When they ran downstairs and saw the bikes, their eyes lit up and they immediately jumped on and asked if they could ride them.

With each new gift they opened, the more excited they got. The majority of the gifts were sent down by different partners from the US and we are very thankful for all their support. Sadly, they were not able to take their presents home with them because their mother would have taken them and sold them for money for herself. But every weekend we have the girls over, they are able to play with and enjoy their gifts.

We are thankful to everyone who helped make Christmas possible for two really sweet little girls.

Paintball Outreach

2010-12-02T14:12:00.000-06:00

Most Saturdays, my dad, brother, and myself go out to help with a paintball ministry where we gear up, shoot friends, and teach Belizean youth more about God. Crossfire- Extreme Belizean Paintball is the one and only organized paintball ministry in the entire country of Belize. Jeff Elsworth, the founder of Crossfire, has been doing ministry in Belize for 5 years now. He has a heart for the youth of Belize and gives a Bible study in a break between games. Most of the teens that play paintball are not Christians so Jeff sows a seed every time he pulls out the guns and invites youth to play. My dad has taught the Bible study numerous times and I have answered questions that my friends have. The questions I've been asked range from if there is a purgatory to how long has the earth existed to who created God. Two of the ref's that help Jeff on weekends have even started to attend the bible school that my dad directs. I got pulled into paintball last year and I have been helping Jeff ever since. I help set up the field, separate ammo, check guns and even ref a few games. Paintball is an awesome ministry and a great way to reach out to my generation.
Justus Rumbley

The Girls

2010-10-16T11:54:00.000-06:00

We had a mother come to us two days before we traveled back to the US and tell us that she didn't want some of her kids. She told us that upon our return to Belize, that she would give them to us. She was very calm and matter of fact as she said this. The children were sitting around us. She sounded as if she were talking of kittens or puppies, not children.

The mother has given birth to 8 children only four are still in the home. Some have been removed by Social Services and the others she has given away. Their dad spends one month with them and the next month down the street with another woman and the children he has with her. The children may go for days without meals, though the mom seems to know how to get food for herself. The house doesn't have running water so needless to say, they do not get bathed frequently. We visit with the mother and listen as she talks about her children and calls them stupid.

The mother seems to have changed her mind about giving away her children to us. She seems to be trying to get money from us right now. She does give us the girls for the weekends. We bring them home on the weekends, we feed them, we bathe them, we love them and we tell them about Jesus. We talk with their mom and try to show her Jesus Christ. Sunday evenings are sad. That is when they have to go home.

Though we love the girls, we do not feel led to adopt the girls ourselves. Ultimately, we feel that the best thing for these girls would be that their mom come to know Jesus Christ and be encouraged to be a mother to her children. We do however, know a family that is willing to adopt them if the mother chooses.

Join us in praying for this family. Pray for us as we seek God on how best to be an example of Christ.

Peaceful Summer

2010-07-14T15:21:00.000-06:00

If we could describe our summer in one word...it would be 'Peaceful.' This summer we have been so blessed to be home with friends and family! While we love our friends in Belize..and consider ourselves blessed to be there...it is nice to come "home" for a while!

Coming home allows our children to reconnect with the friends that they have known their entire lives. It allows us to love on those that we love and to be loved on by them. Coming home allows us to catch up on business that we don't have time or ways to tend to while we are in Belize. It allows us a few days to find quiet and rest and peace.

For the past 4 years, our family of seven has spent the summer or part of a summer invading Craig's parent's two bedroom house! They are so sweet and patient to let all of us come and invade their space for a whole summer! It is hard having a big family come in that is on a totally different schedule and let them take up all of your space...for three whole months...even if they are family! We know that they would have welcomed us, loved us and never complained if we would have asked to stay with them again this summer but, we really did not want to burden them with all of us again this year.

This year, Greg and Kathy Davis allowed us to stay in a farm house that they own in Sophia. We have had much work to do and lots of sharing opportunities but we have been so blessed to have this quiet 'sanctuary' to go to! When we have had folks come to visit our directions to the house include "....turn right at the first corn field on the right..." Needless to say, things are very quiet!

In years past, the children really could not invite friends for sleepovers...there was just no more space to stick another body! Now, they can have sleepovers and we do not have to be concerned that we are being a burden. We are also able to have a place where we can pull back from the rest of the world after running here and there and reconnect with each other as a family.

We want to take the opportunity to thank a few people who have been such a blessing to us this summer. This list is in no way complete...and if your name is not on here...please do not be offended!

Dr. Kimmel from Asheboro Dermatology-THANK YOU!!
Mark and Denise Abernethy - Justus is loving that bass!
Steve and Suzanne Rumbley - the use of your van has been such a blessing!
Pat and Leland Bingham - Thank you for the use of the houses in Kitty Hawk and in Bear Grass
Greg and Kathy Davis - Your peaceful home has been a blessing greater than words can say!
Bobby and Joann Rumbley - For your steadfast patience and love
Randy and Janice Davis - For all that you have done
To all of the churches that have allowed us to come and share - Thank you
Don and Margaret Davis for being our greatest cheerleaders!
Hub and Judy Baker for your support and willingness to jump on board!
Anthony and Ellen Cheek for loving us, encouraging us and loving our children
Tom and Cindy Boyd for your encouragement and honesty
To all who have given gifts financial and otherwise....thank you for listening to the Lord.
To all who have taken us to dinner..prayed over us...encouraged us...loved us..Thank you!!!

Like I said, this is not a complete list! ....we are only halfway through with our summer trip!! There will be more to come we are sure...and I hope that we can somehow be a blessing back to you all. We love you all and thank you for sharing a part in our peaceful summer.

A Mothers Heart

2010-06-23T12:51:00.000-06:00

Well, we just celebrated Father's Day...so it seems to be an odd time to be sharing about a mother's heart..but that is just what I am going to do!

Two days before we left Belize we went on an inner city outreach. We were handing out clothes to children and sharing Jesus Christ with them and with their families. At the end of our outreach, we met six sweet children ranging in ages from 12 to 6 months. These children...all siblings... were living in a tiny 2 room mobile home. Trash was falling out of their home into the yard. They were running around and playing with no adult in sight.

We soon learned that their mom enjoys walking the streets for hours at a time and leaving the children home alone. Their dad spends time with her..and then with his other girlfriend and his children that he has with this other woman. There used to be 8 children living in the home but social services has permanently removed 2 of them. 5 of these 6 children had been out of the home for a year and have just recently been returned to their mom...though I don't know why.

An aunt strolled up as we visited, who gave us permission to take the youngest 3 children home with us for the day. The children, a little girl age 6, a little girl age 4 and a baby boy of 6 months were dirty, hungry and precious.

We took the children and fed them some mangoes and bought shoes for them. We bought diapers and formula for the baby. We then took them and gave them all a good bath and clean clothes. Then we fed them. The baby drank a small bottle but then he began to fret as if his stomach was hurting him.We later discovered that he was used to drinking sugar water, so the formula was probably too strong for his weak stomach.

After a day of playing with the children, painting their nails and fixing their hair and loving on them we had to return them to their mom. We met the mother at a friends house. As we sat with the children, the mother said to us that when we return to Belize, if we would like to take her 4 year old daughter that we could have her. She said that she would keep the 6 year old daughter; since she is in school she is no trouble. She then said that she has already promised the baby to someone. If that person does not follow through, she said that we could have the baby as well.

The 4 year old, who was sitting in Meredith's lap, kept looking up into Meredith's face saying, " I wan go bak yu house." My mother's heart ached.

I don't understand how someone can carry a precious life inside her for nine months..and not love that little tiny life that God has blessed her with. I don't understand how someone can be so self-centered that they can walk the streets...stopping at houses to ask for food for herself...knowing that she has children that are at home, hungry with nothing to eat. I don't understand how a person can meet a perfect stranger and offer to give her child away to that stranger...my mother's heart just does not understand.

Please pray for these sweet children. Pray for their hearts, their mind, will and emotions as they continue with their "mom." If we could have gotten a visa to the US for the children, we would have done whatever we could to bring them with us to the US for the summer. We had to leave the children with their "mom" with her promises that upon our return to Belize at the summer's end, that the 4 year old is as good as ours. So much can happen in three months.

I think of those children...who need food...love...nurturing...and I want to give them what they need... what comfort I find in Psalm 27:10 which says, " When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me." I know that God loves these precious children.

Even as much as I love my children and desire to give them everything that they need, I still fall short. I am not perfect. Even with my love, I cannot fill every space in the hearts of my children. We serve a loving God...we walk in a relationship with a loving Father who can fill the empty spaces...who can provide for our children even as we as parents may not be able to.

My children share a common need with these children that we visited...only God can fulfill their every need. God is the one who ultimately takes care of them all.

I could melt in those deep brown pools!

Madeline is hoping she will get to be a big sister

Gotta love that smile!

Craig loving on Kylon

Basketball Tournament

2010-05-25T18:10:00.001-06:00

Monday was a holiday here in Belize - Commonwealth Day. One of the village churches in Hattieville decided to hold a basketball tournament to raise some needed funds for the church. Some of the youth boys at Port Loyola Calvary Chapel asked Craig to coach the team. This is the same group of guys that Craig coached for the Baron Bliss Day Basketball Tournament. This particular church is a wonderful church with some of the sweetest, most loving people. It is in the heart of one of the most violent areas in Belize City.

For the Baron Bliss Day Tournament, we had the each young man bring us a white t-shirt and we painted them for them and they all wore them for the game. For this second game we had a few new players so, we realized that painting up shirts every time there is a game was going to be time consuming...and expensive! So, we found a local company who gave us a good price on making up 12 t-shirts for the church. The shirts can be washed and kept at the church to be reused each time the team plays.

The guys lost both of their games but hey...they looked great!! We were proud of them anyway! Craig says they should fire the coach! They did a great job.

We found out after the game that some of the boys had not eaten in several days. These boys had been out on the basketball court playing their hearts out. They never complained, not even once. One of the guys had mentioned it to another player, who managed to get word to the pastor. The pastor took the boys who had not eaten out to eat after the game and we bought 100 pounds of beans and 100 pounds of rice to give to the pastor. He took the boys back to his church and had them to divide the beans/rice up into smaller plastic bags ( which is how we buy our beans/rice in the stores here). The boys then gave some of the beans and rice away to some needy families in the neighborhood but, each boy was able to bless their own home with around 20-30 pounds of each.

One thought that passed through my mind as we gave them the beans and rice was the saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day but teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time." I wonder, "How do we teach these young men to 'fish'?" Honestly, right now, I don't have the answer to that question. What I do know is that they were hungry...and we fed them. We showed these young men the love of Christ. What we do next, well, the Lord knows and we will keep our hearts open...ever listening.

A few of the Port Loyola Guys modeling the shirts we donated

Taking a breather!!

Go team go!!!

Was Seraphim cheering the team on or being Meredith's snuggle bug?

Community Outreach

2010-05-22T17:45:00.015-06:00

Recently, Harvest Aviation www.harvestaviation.org brought down cases of clothes for us to sort though and then distribute. We took the clothes into some of the poorest areas of Belize City to give away.

As we got to the very end of the clothes, a little girl, who looked to be around 8 years old, walked by. Our hearts and eyes were drawn to her as we listened to her neighbor explain that this little girl is fighting full blown AIDS. She has 2 brothers and one sister still living, all of whom are infected with AIDS as well as her dad. She and one of her younger brothers have been in and out of the hospital countless times. Her mom and the baby have already died. Her dad works for the sugar cane association and is gone for days ( sometimes weeks ) on end. Her grandmother, who is paralyzed from the waist down, was taking care of her, but she just had her leg amputated and can no longer look after the children. We had given out everything by the time we met Isabelle. We had nothing to give her. That sweet little face stayed in our thoughts.

So, we searched through our children's clothes for things that they had outgrown and then Harvest Aviation blessed us with lots of stuffed animals and a few more bags of clothes. That was all we needed to go on another outreach! We went to Isabelle's house first this time. Once again, we had to miss Isabelle. We were able to give her brothers and sister toys and clothing and even some clothes for her dad..but Isabelle was sleeping. We left a few gifts for her and a promise to return to bring some clothes for Isabelle to try on for size.

We do not know if this family knows Jesus. We are going in and loving on them and showing them Jesus by example. We often say that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. There is so much hurt and resentment that is easy to see in Isabelle's dad. Pray for us as we show him Christ. Pray that we only speak what the Holy Spirit would have us to say. Pray for this family. God is not the one who brought sickness on this family. The Word of God says, "Satan comes to kill, steal and destroy..." Therefore, we can know that this is his doing...not Gods. Furthermore, the same verse goes on to tell us that Jesus came so that we could have an abundant life. Jesus has provided an abundant life for Isabelle and her family. We pray that this family will embrace Jesus and the finished work of the cross.

While we plan to go back again soon to see Isabelle and to make random visits to check on her, we have a pastor, who is one of our students, that we are encouraging to keep a relationship going with this family.

If you would like to donate clothing, we lovingly request that you please do not send stained clothes or clothing that is in any way damaged. It is a shame to spend the money for postage for damaged/stained clothing when we will do the same thing with those clothes that you can do with them...throw them away or cut them up for cleaning rags! We are representing Jesus Christ and since Jesus has only good gifts for His children, then good gifts are what we give!

If you have 'like new' toys such as stuffed animals or baby dolls, toy cars or travel sized toiletries ( soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc.) we can include these in our outreaches.

Another family that we met on one of our clothing outreaches was "Grandmommy" and her 4 granddaughters.
Grandmommy lives in a tiny house made of plywood. The house is about the size of what some would have as a tool shed. As we later discussed Grandmommy's house, it was brought out that most mothers would never let their children play in a tool shed or outbuilding that was in the condition of grandmommy's house. Most mothers would deem the house unsafe and dangerous. One can stick his/her hand through the walls between the sheets of plywood. The floor was pretty much rotted away. We walked across an old Oriental style rug that kept our feet from falling through to the ground beneath.

Grandmommy was severely burned the day before we arrived. She fries plantain to sell so that she can provide for herself and her granddaughters. Her granddaughters are actually not even related to her. Their mom left them in Belize and moved to Honduras. Grandmommy loves the girls and does her best to provide for them. Thanks to the clothing donated by Harvest Aviation, we were able to provide Grandmommy and the girls with shoes and some clothing. We also prayed for Grandmommy, who was in a lot of pain. Grandmommy said that she did not like hospitals. We told her that was okay and began to minister to her on the subject of healing. We then prayed for her and all of the pain stopped. Praise God!

Due to the giving of our friends in Spanish Lookout, we were able to give 10 bags of wheat and around 50 pounds of beans to the pastor that was with us when we went to see Grandmommy. He took the beans and wheat and blessed Grandmommy, Isabelle and others. Praise God!

If you have items that you would like to donate then please mail your packages to:

Harvest Aviation
ATTN Craig and Tina Rumbley
1263-C1 Maurice Clavel Rd.
Wauchula, FL 33873

Please mail in small packages to help the pilots. Also, please include your name and address inside the package. When you give you are sowing into children like Isabelle and women like Grandmommy. We are just the hands/feet that take your gifts to the needy families here in Belize. Your gifts show those that we minister to that Christians love not just in word but in deed also. We ask that you prayerfully consider sowing financially into the work that is going on here in Belize. Your gifts help us to stay on the mission field. You can make a financial donation by clicking on the 'donate' button found at the top right of this page.

Embracing I AM

2010-04-22T22:27:00.003-06:00

As I look back on this week, I can say that though I had a very busy week, the part that makes this week most memorable for me is the fact that I learned the importance of being a 'Mary.' Don't get me wrong. I read my Bible everyday. I pray everyday. Yet, I was feeling like a well that has dried up.

We have had so many serious needs that have required our attention lately. All of them urgent, some life altering and all in need of immediate attention. Much thought, love, care, grace and especially time was needed to see each one through to completion. So, I began to diligently plug away at these tasks; determined to see each one completed with perfection and in record time.

I began to feel myself whither inside as each need was brought to my attention. The hurdles were so large and I felt that there was so much that I would have to give to make it over each hurdle that I almost felt as if I was being choked.

Luke 10:41-42 (NIV) "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

I always thought of Martha just worrying about the kitchen, preparing the meal, making sure all of her guests had enough to drink and were comfortable. This time I just noticed that I had something in common with Martha, "...you are worried and upset about many things..."

I just could not understand why I was so worried and upset about these things. I do not want to make light of the issues. Like I said, these were life changing issues but, we have been through many challenges and I was able to walk in peace through them. Why was this so different? Was it because there were so many serious issues to bombard me at once? Maybe, but this was not the first time we have had multiple hurdles to jump at once. Was it because some of these life altering obstacles were threatening my children? Maybe, but I know that God carries my children in the palm of his hands. What was my problem?

In my quest to handle everything perfectly, I had forgotten to just sit at the feet of Jesus. I needed to sit with him and just listen. I had been very busy reading my Bible, speaking to the mountains in my path, and thanking Jesus for taking care of everything. Yet, I had allowed myself to get too busy to just sit at my Saviors feet, lay my head in His lap, and just listen. Just listen.

The need had been there all along but, as I became aware of my thirst, it consumed me. Nothing else mattered. Nothing meant more than to sit down and just listen. I pushed everything and everyone aside and sat down to listen. As I listened, I heard him say, "I am my lover's and my lover is mine." Then He said, " I am faithful." He just kept pouring into me..... " I am your foundation," " I am the Way." I drank deeply. I was so thirsty. My well had been empty. He had never stopped pouring into my well but, I had been sending down buckets drawing out what was pouring in without leaving any for me, never stopping for a drink.

So, I sat, I drank deeply and when I got up, I was glowing as a bride on her wedding day! I could not wait to sit back down with my Lover again! The problems were still there, actually, they ARE still here. I am still facing every single mountain that I was before I sat at the feet of Jesus. Outwardly, things appear the same. The difference is now, I have peace. Each mountain will move. I will see victory. I choose to sit in awe of "I AM" as He woos me.

All But Mama!

2010-04-14T19:53:00.001-06:00

Well today we are blessed to say that Craig and all 5 kids have their one year visas for Belize! We still have to wait 7-8 weeks on mine ( Tina ). It seems that eventhough I was allowed to come in on a "dependant visa" last year. This year I am being required to have a volunteer missionary work visa of my own. Our prayer is that it will come in BEFORE we travel back to the US for the summer!

I was remembering years ago when I used to work in a nursing home. I remember wanting to do what my job should be...and that was spending more time with the residents..helping them pass their days...remembering the past...have a little fun... BUT...the state required so much paper work that I had to spend hours behind a desk just to meet their requirements. This left me short on the much needed time to spend with the residents.

While we still have plenty of ministry time, this is still a bit time consuming. We would like to apply for residency but this would mean that we would not be able to come home for one year. It also means that we would need quite a bit of money to pay for residency.

Well, the good news is that God has all of these details worked out already. We just have to listen to Him and follow His lead.

Baptism at the Sibun River

2010-04-13T16:50:00.009-06:00

On Palm Sunday we had church at the Sibun River. We joined about 50 other folks at the river and spent the morning and early afternoon playing around and fellowshipping with one another. We all enjoyed a picnic lunch and then it was time for worship!

Craig preached a wonderful message on salvation and baptism. Our son, Justus, who is now 17 was the first to go forward to be baptized! 5 more people followed Justus. One of which was one of our students, Malu Balan. We were all surprised when Malu's 19 year old daughter, who had tried to avoid coming to church, came forward to be baptized as well!

Craig's Missionary Visa Good for One More!

2010-04-13T15:41:00.004-06:00

We have been working on Craig's work visa here since this past December. It is a long process sometimes..and the individuals who read our application seem to have lots of room to interpret our application to mean whatever they want it to mean! We were told in March that we would have to pay $2,000.00/BZ for Craig to remain in Belize for another year. A missionary is supposed to pay $100.00/BZ for a one year visa. So, needless to say, we were shocked at the news.

We had to take our battle all of the way to the number one man in the nation over immigration to get our issue resolved. It took lots of work and ultimately we had to start the entire application process over a second time to get Craig's visa approved.

We did discover that one of the officers who interviewed Craig wrote some incorrect information on the application and he also wrote that he did not feel Craig should get the missionary visa status but should instead pay the highest fee that Belize could charge us! This man questioned Craig throughout the interview and said that a missionary should not need to be in Belize any longer than 2 years! Craig's response was, "We aren't Mormon! We are training up Christian leaders and we can't limit that to two years!" That did not seem to sway the officer.

Toward the end of our battle for the work visa, we were blessed to work with a wonderful customs officer. He actually ended up helping Craig to complete the application. He informed us that the officer who was so difficult had been fired. He then went on to say, "That's what happens when you mess with a man of God!"

How wonderful to know that as God's children, we have His protection and His favor....even when it doesn't look like it! Our circumstances may not always seem to display that favor but we "walk by faith and not by sight." There is peace in knowing that we have favor whether the person we are dealing with realizes it or not! "Let God's Words be true and every man a liar..."

Well, we still have the rest of our family to get approved but we believe that the rest will go smoothly. At least Craig is clear until next January...when we have to start this process all over again....