"The Awakening"

Youth Rally in Santa Elena

Me presenting the Pastor's wife with the dresses the DUMC ladies made.

Street Ministry in Belize City

The men fixing the roof of the Evangelical Philadelphia Church in Cayo.

Sharing the word at Mount Zion Ministries in Belize City.

The group from DUMC and our volunteer Paul. (Have I mentioned  just how much I love them?????)

Please forgive me for not posting this sooner. This blog will recall events that happened in February of this year (and yes, I realize it is now May!) Every time I have thought of sitting down to write this I have had this feeling of "You don't have time for this" and "Who really reads your blog anyway?" So you see, I have put those thoughts aside and want to tell you this story from February.

We prepared a trip with a team from Denver UMC to go to Belize on a missions trip. Several meetings took place in preparation. We discussed what our goals were for the trip ~ costs, lodging, etc. Before anyone committed to go, Heath and I had prayed for the trip. We prayed that the Lord would send those people from the church He wanted to come. It was wonderful to watch the group become filled with excitement and anticipation of the trip!. When the big day came to fly to Belize, there were twelve of us. It was funny, we laughed and joked about being like the twelve disciples, and it was so amazing what this group of twelve were able to do! Immediately after landing we headed straight to Santa Elena where we would be spending our next few days and hosting a youth rally that night. On the way we picked up several of our Habit Missions volunteers. The rally was exciting and it was awesome to see youth using their talents for the Lord to reach other youth! Our volunteers did great (as always :) and the team from Denver jumped right in as if they had been in Belize for weeks even though it was their first day! The group made great use of their time in Santa Elena as they lead in worship, children's worship, sharing the word and testimonies, and fixing the much need ceiling in a church. We were also able to give ladies dresses to the church that an incredible group of women from Denver sent with us to give (they were adorable!) As the men worked on the ceiling, we ladies gathered and separated supplies to distribute to different churches/ministries in Belize. It was nice for us to get to know each other better and that was something that I personally needed.

The next stop on our trip was Belize City. Our "agenda" was to do street ministry with our volunteers, lead a worship service, and most importantly give resources and encouragement to our volunteers (by this time the group from Denver had already fallen in love with the volunteers.) Things were successful and went as planned ( it is always such a blessing to serve in Belize!) Later on in the week our friends/volunteers/ prayer warriors from Mount Zion in Belize City made it a point to have us come to their church to receive prayer and a word for each one of us. This is where I struggle to even put things into words. Pastor Juan and Noemi and their congregants began to pray. They offered prophetic words, exhortations and visions to us individually and as a group. Heath and I know the pastors, but the pastors did NOT know those we brought from Denver UMC. It was amazing to hear the pastors give spiritual insight into the "strangers" they had just recently met and have visions of how God wants to use them and their lives! God had used this week to minister to us while we had spent so much time and preparation to minister to others! That is how He works. We were suddenly all "awake." Not that I believe we were asleep...but awake as if you just tasted a fresh mango for the first time and every bit of your taste buds are dancing, or your eyes have been blurry and tired and are now clear. Or you see the most beautiful sky, sun, lovely flowers as if you had never seen or appreciated them before and all you can say is "Yes, God, Yes!" It is the realization of what you think you may already know, but it comes more increasingly clear...THAT GOD IS ALIVE AND HE IS DOING THE SAME MIRACLES TODAY THAT ARE IN THE BIBLE!! We often forget that! He has given us the power and the authority to cast out demons, heal the sick, help mend the broken, and speak life!! If you don't believe me that’s OK …it is all right there in the Bible for our discovery. We need to always remember what a big God we serve and that as His children He has called us to do great things! This world can be tough, can rip us apart and tear us down. But we can seek Him and He will renew us and show us just how much more He has to offer us. What HE offers is better than anything the world could EVER offer! If you are a Christian, don't let the fear of what God wants or has called you to do hold you back. He is asking for obedience! I assure you our God has great things in store when you are willing to say, "Yes Lord; use me Lord.” Please don’t hold back because of any person or circumstance or obstacle in your way! There are blessings far greater then you know when you allow God to use you.

Some people may not understand this blog and may think "What is she talking about...?" That is okay. I will pray that all who read this may come to understand. It has been amazing to see the words that were spoken in Belize over this wonderful group of people (my new BFF's) come to light. Like the song says., "God's not dead... NO! He is Alive"! My question to you is: Are you awake to see what He has prepared for you, and are you willing to say, “Yes?” I leave you with this scripture:

”A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

God Bless you all! I love you so much ~ Amanda:)