Lions, and tigers, and bears! OH MY!



The remnants of Hurricane Richard

                                                                                                                         


Our sweet angel "Jasmine".





Where Poppy use to live.

 

The day Poppy went to rehab!

Well... maybe not all those animals, but we did have a jaguar that escaped in the hurricane and killed a US citizen.(Our condolences to his family.) I guess my title of this blog is my way of trying to make light of all the events that have happened here lately.



First, I must start with how awesome ministry has been! We had an amazing youth rally in Dangriga that we officially had our "HABIT Volunteers" run completely for the first time while we watched from the sidelines. I must say I was very impressed! Also, we have changed our weekly street ministry day to Monday instead of Wednesday to allow more of our volunteers the opportunity to join us.



Remember Poppy? He was the guy who lived in the trash heap behind us at our first apartment here. I am so delighted to tell you that we had the joy of helping him enter into a rehab program and he is now entering his fourth week there! Just this week we had the pleasure of taking another man named Mark into the program as well! I am so thankful for the street ministry and the fruit it brings! The next two days will be very busy. Tomorrow we have our fourth "Belize Youth Net" meeting ( a time for all youth leaders or aspiring youth leaders to connect, receive free youth resources and training, along with praise and worship).The following day we will drive to Cayo (about 2 hours away). Heath will be preaching at a church there and we will host a youth training event afterwards.

So about those lions, tigers, and bears... We can say we survived "Hurricane Richard"! After going back and forth whether we should stay or go we opted to stay. The night before Richard came our dog "Jasmine" seemed a little off. (For those of you who don't know she was a stray near death that we took in.) She had been treated four times for tick fever and was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. We had her on med's and she seemed fine and happy (I would have never kept her alive otherwise). There was no way of having a vet come because of the storm and we knew it was time. We cried and prayed as she passed on the floor in our living room during the worst part of the storm.The hurricane itself was a beast! The howling of the wind and hearing who knows what being thrown around in the black of night was not something you could even try to sleep through. Our apartment consist of concrete and sheet rock, and started to leak in three different places. (That of course is not including every window and door that the water made its way through!) The next morning we went outside and buried our dog (we had to keep her inside until that morning). I went inside to start cleaning up the towels and trashcans filled with water. Heath started walking down the only road on our street that did not flood to call his father. Moments later he called and told me to take him to the hospital; that he had been charged by two pit bulls and that one had bitten him before he sought refuge in a truck bed. I must say my first instinct was to go and kill the dog immediately, and then get it tested for rabies! Nevertheless, trying to seek medical treatment after a hurricane has hit was no picnic! The power was out everywhere! I can definitely say I drove "Dukes of Hazard" style to the hospital. Heath received stitches, antibiotics, and his is currently still being treated for rabies just as a precautionary.

As I tell you all this you are probably feeling sorry for us. Well, I could be too, but I want to tell you something that happened during the storm. I am telling you this personal moment not to brag or boast or to make me to be some perfect spiritual saint, but it is far to amazing NOT to share! After the passing of the dog, and during the ceiling leaks in the worst part of the hurricane I threw my arms up to the Lord and proclaimed that I would "Praise Him in the storm". It is a moment and a time I will never forget! The peace that came with that proclamation was just so tremendous! Some of you reading this by now may think I am crazy, but I do not really care I'm sorry. I want you to know of how big and great God is! Never to be underestimated! I also realized how guilty I am of during the hard times and struggles I mostly just spend my time praying and asking God for healing, favor, and peace. That is great, don't get me wrong, but besides worshipping on Sunday in church we should worship Him throughout the week when things are at their worst. Remember… it is a relationship. He wants time with us, not just us asking Him to intervene for us or our friends and family. I encourage you next time life has you down on your knees and broken, don't just pray...lift your hands and your heart in worship ~ sing! He is worthy of our praise and adoration! I love what God is doing in me and how He strengthens and encourages me daily! I wish His perfect peace on all those who may be reading this.



The Hurricane did a estimated $50 million dollars worth of damage here in Belize. That is a lot of money for a town of complete poverty. Most people lost everything they had, and for most it was not very much to begin with. It is also a great reminder in life that when you think things may be bad, there is always someone who has it worse. Here is a recent example of just that: Recently here in Belize City, shots were fired in the early morning at a woman's home. The target was the woman's brother who had, months before, slept in her yard . The woman awoke startled by the shots and went to check on her children. All seemed well until she entered her four- year old daughter's room. In the dark of night she picked her up. She thought her daughter had wet herself and turned on the light to change her. It was then she saw it was blood seeping from her daughters underarm. She had been shot and soon passed. A few weeks later someone intentionally caught her house on fire. I have been so brokenhearted for this woman. I caught a glimpse of her on the news after it happen. She was saying how, "They couldn't take her soul." Talk about putting thing's into perspective! With that being said I leave you with these scriptures:



2 Corinthians 1:3-5 "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ."



2 Corinthians 4:16-17 "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all."



Thank you all for your prayers, love and support! You are an amazing group of people and I pray that you are blessed beyond measure! God bless you all ~ I love you so much! ~Amanda:)



*Please continue your prayers for us and our mission here in Belize. Pray for Belize! Also, please continue your prayers for my sister who is fighting with cancer. 

"Faith for Fear"

My sister and her two sweet kiddos (I'm a proud Aunt).




Me and my sis!



The Banana Bird

As most of you may know by now my sister was diagnosed with cancer(s) (Meta plastic Carcinoma / Spindle Cell Carcinoma to be exact). She found out she had cancer in August a week after her 35th birthday. You can only imagine my sadness and heartache for her. You have to understand...when God gave me a sister...He also gave me a best friend! When she hurts I can actually physically hurt with her ~ I love her THAT MUCH! We were also each others "partners in crime"when we were teenagers. After receiving the bad news I found myself not being able to breathe. I went back and forth on "should I go now and visit?" or "will she need me more later?" When you aren't able to function properly your body can easily make that decision for you. So I left...it was the first time I have ever flown home from Belize by myself, but I had peace of mind to know that Heath was here holding down the fort and keeping the ministry going. He is so sweet and supporting! I thank God for him daily.

After arriving in NC, I realized my decision to come back was the right one. My family was so sad and brokenhearted. We had so much anxiety for my sister Deanna and knowing she must be scared. My sister is a strong brave soul, and is really good at trying to make people laugh and keep us from worrying. I did the best I could to not let her see me cry knowing that is not what she needs from me. I was only there for a week (US Air has a blackout time from Charlotte to Belize). Getting on the plane after such a short trip was hard to do. Heath assured me I can always fly back if I needed to. I wondered how I was going to possibly be any good at doing anything here, while my heart was filled with so much sadness and my mind was in North Carolina.

It it was in the midst of my sadness after returning that I saw the bird's nest. (We have had a bird lay 3 eggs three times in a nest in our window since we have lived here). Belize City has so much violence and sadness, but God has given Belize some the most beautiful birds that I have ever seen! I am not even a bird watcher! The birds in this nest are "Banana Birds." I had seen them hatch a few weeks before and now there was only one bird left in the nest. I really felt impressed that God was telling me to "watch the bird." I watched and watched and waited and waited. I would see the bird sticking it's head and body as far as it possibly could outside of the nest. I thought, "Wow, God knows I need to watch this and be inspired and happy." So I continued to wait. Have I mentioned I am not a patient person? I am learning... believe me! Heath came in and started watching too for a bit. He said, "It would preach."(lol) He and I looked while the bird would go from the front of the nest to the back and test out it's wings. The bird did this so many times that it even made me exhausted. It was evident to me by it's actions (and the bird poo in the nest) that this little bird was terrified! After about 20 minutes I was praying for the bird to be brave and fly. In 30 minutes time I was getting upset and telling the bird that it's wings would work and that is what it was destined to do! I was explaining to the bird that God has given it everything it needs to function properly and to have faith. I finally quit watching. I had too many things to do. I also had realized that this is what God wanted me to see.

I do not doubt that God can heal and will heal my sister. It has only been the fear of the unknown of what lays ahead in the treatments and the side effects that have me so down. Sometimes I think it is hard to get your body to function and comply with what your heart and mind know. This is what faith is though… it is believing in the unseen. My biggest step of faith was moving here and leaving everything behind. I still remember just like it was yesterday Heath asking me, "When do you want me to tell the pastor we are leaving?” I kept saying, "One more week, just one more week." Then it hit me! That is what faith is! It is knowing that God will provide and take care of you if you believe in Him. Heath told me that he doesn't believe that "Faith is not necessarily the absence of fear. It is trusting in God even when you are afraid." I have to say I agree. Sometimes we just seem to see the storm ahead and not what is beyond the storm.

Please do not forget Who calms the storms. We all need to be reminded from time to time. (I now know why Heath would say he was preaching to himself.) I would like to leave you with some scriptures to encourage you:

Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is being certain of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

There is also one of my personal favorites:

2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

I would also like to ask you to pray for my sister. Her name is Deanna McDaniel. She is a wife and a mother of two. I would like to ask specifically for the healing of her body and for the side effects of her treatment to be minimal to non-existent. Please pray for her household as well ( I know it hard on her hubby and kids.) And of course, please continue to pray for Belize and our ministry here. God bless you all! I love you so much! -Amanda:)
BTW, the bird is happy and can be seen flying around our house with the rest of its’ family

"Come on down!"

Our very first "Belize Youth Net"

Youth Resources an other helpful supplies!

The south-side park before...

The park after!

And they painted themselves...lol!

Our weekly street ministry

I should apologize for the amount of time since our last blog, but the truth is, there just hasn't been time to write it! We left Belize around the beginning of June to come home to the US for a visit and speaking engagements and when we came back we had to “dig right in” to the ministry!

It was so great to see all of our family and friends! We appreciate the love we receive from all of you which includes your time, encouragement, hospitality and support. We never feel like we have enough time to see you all. Please know that even if we don't get to see you or spend quality time with you, that you are still loved and in our hearts and prayers!

As soon as we returned, we had our first "Belize Youth Net Meeting" (BYNM). This is a great outreach to churches with or without youth programs that want to begin a program or enhance the one they have. It is also a great time of fellowship among youth leaders across Belize from different churches. At each "BYNM" there are opportunities to discuss/resolve issues that they may have or may be having with their current youth group. It is also a great place for youth leaders to come and get their hands on FREE YOUTH RESOURCES!!! That's right, HABIT supporters...thanks to you these leaders are getting ideas and training materials to keep their young people interested in the word of God! And THAT is what we are here for!

Heath is now a year older! The day before his birthday, we had a return visit from Gulf Breeze UMC from Gulf Breeze, Florida. We all got to sing "Happy Birthday” together at a local restaurant. The group of 14  spent the week doing VBS, street ministry, re-vamping a local park, holding a youth- led service and cookout, and participating in a HABIT youth rally. At the end of the week they got to see the “softer” side of Belize by visiting San Pedro and snorkeling in the reef. I am amazed at the talents of their youth group, and cannot explain just how grateful I am for all the resource materials they brought! The youth rally was amazing, I must say. When you have that much talent gathered in one area ready to praise the Lord, how can it not be?? I would have to guesstimate there was a little more than 300 in attendance. The fact that I didn't get into bed until some time after 1am was well worth the sacrifice. I also cannot say thank you enough to our HABIT volunteers for their work to make the event such a success.

One of the most amazing things to me is just how many people find out about "HABIT Missions" via our website. We have had at least three different groups of people come here and meet us, and one of those visitors is here right now! So that is how this blog received it's name."Come on down!" It is also to encourage you to come and see just what it is we do...and just what your contributions accomplish.There are so many different ways to minister here. I could go on and on.

Now last and most definitely  not least the dog update...

So many of you heard about our adopted dog, Jasmine, (well,she adopted us), becoming ill and near death while we were in the USA. She has now fully recovered and gone back to her joyous ways. While I will always question the treatment from the kennel/vet tech we left her with, I have to let it go (or teach my dog to sick)! Anyway, to say the least, she has always acted happy and healthy here with us and I must consider it a lesson learned. Thanks again for all our your concern and prayers!

Of course I have to say “thank you” to you all one last time before I am finished. I cannot fully express the gratitude in my heart for each and every one of you. You make the work God put in our heart a reality; it’s the gift that keeps on giving. You are loved and I hope you are all blessed beyond measure! I want to leave you with this scripture and may it bless you:

Philippians 1: 9-11 “ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and praise of God.”

                                               God bless you all! I truly love you so much,

                                                                                                         Amanda:)

The most recent youth rally at BTL park

What Makes You Rich?

            Some of the homeless we minister to weekly

A combo of some Belizean and American money

                    
                    Heath and his nephew Noah spending some quality time                                                                                  


Things have for the most part gotten back to normal here (as normal as it can be with Heath and me, that is!) Our ceiling has been fixed, our bodies restored, but still no resolution for the car accident. We are continuing with our outreach programs, planning for upcoming rallies, and mission teams for the near future                                                                                

We have been a little sad because "our twins" who help with our street ministry moved to San Pedro to take jobs for a while. We thought it would be different just being ”us” again. Funny how God does things...it has not been just “us” since! We have been blessed to have at least three others with us every time. The group of people who want to join in spreading the gospel seems to grow every week. It is truly a blessing to all who are involved.

So you may be wondering why I titled this blog, "What makes you rich?" I kept hearing that over and over in my head for days. Finally, I decided I had to write it down. If you have read our earlier blogs there is one about judgments and forgiveness of past sins. One of the people I have seen most affected by his past is one reason I write this blog. We will call him "Charles.” I think the reason people have such a problem with gossiping about "Charles" is because they thought he had it all. He (and others) have told me about the lavish house, multiple cars, and boats he used to have. Oh, and did I mention how beautiful they say his wife was? I imagine she was quite gorgeous. He lost it all for the love of a "white lady in a silver dress" (also knows as cocaine). Yet everyone said, "He was so rich!" They are blown away with the fact it has all been squandered away. He now lives on the streets. The dictionary defines the word "rich" as having wealth and great position, and abundant supplies of resources, means." I don't know what amount of money you would need to have in the bank for you to feel "rich." I realize that number is different for each one of us. Please don't misconstrue my next comment, as I firmly believe in saving and planning for your future! MONEY DOES NOT MAKE YOU RICH! Money can do great things, but it is by no means everything! Look at Hollywood for example. The "rich and famous" are everywhere. They are normally checking in or out of rehab, jail or court. That kind of lifestyle is not what I desire. Most of the reasons Belize has so much violence and bloodshed is that people want to get rich quick. I am so tired of seeing the headlines of another killing with a 15- year who pulled the trigger. What a waste! We (Americans) set the trend for what is valued. A lot of the things that people do here is because they want to mimic the US. We hold the bar, and I see it slipping. We as Christians have a lot of work to do. We have a world that is focused on the seen and not the unseen! I am rich not because of what is in my bank account. I am rich because I have a wonderful, adoring husband, a loving ,supporting family, and a God who never will let me go. I am rich because of friends who pray and make me laugh and cut up with me. But above all of this I am rich because I am choosing not to take any of it for granted, (as I admit I can be guilty of doing.) Save your money, by all means...just please remember to save your marriage, friendships, and love on your children first. Then you will find just how rich you really are. I leave you with this scripture and pray that you are all rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” God bless you all! I love you so much,

                                                                                            Amanda

Standing Firm

    

                                                     Youth Rally that was held in San Pedro

                                                                                               
                                                          Our "newly remodeled" car

                                                     
                                                 Our newest family member "Jasmine"

 

                                               Just "part" of the ceiling that caved in

 

Ahhh, where do I begin??? I guess I will start where we ended. We had a lot of good and bad this month. I will start with the good.

We had a truly amazing youth rally in San Pedro. The outreach to the community was incredible! We had between 150-175 people in attendance. I have to say, by far, this was my favorite rally (not just because it took place on the island)! It is because the way our team of rally volunteers performed and worked so well with each other. The Holy Spirit just soared! I can’t thank them enough for their commitment to the mission. Some of our volunteers had never been to San Pedro. It was a real treat for them to escape the city and see a different side of Belize.

We also had a movie night at the Embassy Missions Hotel. The hotel is run by our new found friends John and Judy Collier. They have a huge projection screen and a great Bose system and a wonderful place to watch movies. We had 100 in attendance and enjoyed watching “Facing the Giants.” John and Judy have a great heart for the youth of Belize and a great facility to hold gatherings. We were blessed to help them get the word out and in getting people to attend. Several youth made decisions to accept Christ!

I also want to tell you about the newest member of our family, “Jasmine”. (It is a very long story to tell so I will just fill you in on the importants). She was a stray that was at our apartment when we moved in. She was taken in by someone who treated her badly, and almost killed her. For those of you who know me… you know how much I LOVE animals, but I really didn’t want/need a dog’s inconveniences. We felt responsible for her though, and just couldn’t let her risk death. Heath is crazy about her too! I have never seen him act this way about a dog ever! It makes me love him even more. She is now spayed, vaccinated, and putting on weight. She has a wonderful spirit too!

Sadly after returning to the city, Heath and I were in a car accident. While turning into the civic center (where our next youth rally will be held) a car came from behind us and smashed into Heath’s (driver side) door. We took a pretty bad hit. Thankfully the door stopped just short of crushing Heath’s leg. Heath had to go to the hospital and was treated for second degree whiplash. We didn’t have any broken bones, just a long week of recuperating from soreness and bruising. While the other driver was clearly at fault to everyone else, the police are not in agreement. They expected/wanted us to give them bribe money. Please pray this issue is resolved quickly and appropriately.

I am delighted to say that the very same week; we were overjoyed to have our very first family members come to Belize! It was wonderful (and just what we needed)! Al and Bonnie (my in-laws) came down from North Carolina and spent a week with us. While they were here they joined us in our weekly street ministry, and got to see first-hand the need in Belize. We spent the end of the week in San Pedro spending some quality time together (not forgetting to watch the NCAA games… GO DUKE…lol). Then we returned to the city and said our goodbyes.

Upon entering our apartment from our time away, I discovered that pretty much the ENTIRE ceiling in our kitchen/dining area had fallen in! Sheet rock and water were everywhere! What a mess! Apparently we have a plumbing issue with the toilet upstairs and that created the problem. It is currently being fixed.

So once again, it is a blog with filled with highs and lows, but that is life. It makes me think, “What are you made of “? It is so easy to get frustrated and want to roll up our mats, go home, and enjoy the simpler life. That is when the devil thinks he has us defeated. God never said life would be easy. He only promises to be there through the hard times. He is here. He shows us what we are made of and just what we can accomplish through His strength (not our own). So at the risk of sounding cheesy… God made me “Ford Tough” I will not be shaken or moved. I will not flee when times are hard or difficult. He has set a plan before me, and the job is not finished. Like Psalms 16:8-9 says, “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices: my body also will rest secure,” God has done mighty things here in Belize, but the work is not complete yet. Please continue to pray for us and Belize. I truly love you all so much!

Blessings- Amanda

PS: Thanks for all you prayers for Chase. He has improved greatly, and continues to get stronger daily. 

       Please continue to remember him in your prayers.

Parting is such sweet sorrow... 2/10/10

       Just a small part of our family we got to see!

                                                                                                                                                            Bethany Baptist Youth Group



I have to say as sad as it is to leave behind our family and friends and return to Belize, we are happy to be back and “digging in” the ministry. We have been back in Belize now a little over a week. I must say, "It has been a week!"

Two days after returning we woke up at 2:00 am with soaking wet floors. The water pipe that comes in from the outside had burst, shooting water through our bathroom! The very next day there was a small leak under the kitchen sink. Thank the Lord for plumbers! The next morning we headed out to the streets to begin our street ministry with the twins (Michael and Lynsford). We had made it halfway through our normal route when we ran into Raymond. (Raymond is a friend we made when we purchased our car from him.) We hadn’t seen him in a while, so we stopped to say hello. The next thing you know the police are telling all of our friends to come to the wall to be searched, and for us to move on. (Perhaps because of the needless violence here in the city the police are trying to make statements in front of large crowds.) I was shocked, angry, and hurt. These are some of the most precious Christian people I know! It is sad to see things like this happen to good people while the gang members go untouched.

By now you may be thinking, what a horrible week! Well, I must go on. After the police stopped us and showed their muscle, we headed to see our friends near the canal. We always visit a group of men (normally 5-6 of them) who wash cars at the canal behind the courthouse. They were SO EXCITED to see us! We hadn’t even been there a minute and they were all asking for prayer! It was amazing! When the prayer was over, they said how they felt a difference already. The devil tried to come discourage us and steal our joy, but the Lord pushed through the darkness.

Saturday we were asked to assist and speak at Bethany Baptist Church here in the city. They were “kicking off” their youth program. (They have not had a functioning program in quite some time.) Heath spoke to the youth, we sang songs, and played games. But there was one moment that night that truly broke my heart. We were asking the kids what they wanted to get out of attending youth group. One kid responded, “I want a safe place to come to get away from all the killings.” What a shame that he has to even worry about things like that. Although his words hurt my heart, the night was still a great success. There were around 19 people in attendance. (Not bad for starting over!) Note: (This is the same day we noticed our flat as a board tire.)

Since I have been writing you this blog, the ceiling in our living room has started to leak. While it maybe raining in now in Belize, the Son is shining. We are called to be more than conquerors, and that is exactly what we will do… Conquer. I realize this is just another obstacle trying to keep us from what He would have us achieve this week. Maybe He just wants us to witness to the plumber? Regardless, we will overcome!

We are excited to be back and thankful we had some time to spend with most of you. Thank you for your prayers, love, and support. Thank you for coming to churches and listening to us talk about Belize; and thank you, churches, for letting us speak! You guys are missed and loved more than you know. Please continue to pray for us and Belize.

I also have a personal prayer request. If you could please pray for Chase Rogers, he is my cousin’s three -year old son with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He has been struggling for his life in ICU. Please pray for his family also.

“When my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Psalms 61:2



                                                             I love you all so much- Amanda