"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

A CHRISTMAS MESSAGE FROM BELIZE

“RUNNING TOWARD THE CHRIST CHILD”

(Luke 2:15-20) “When the angels left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

Our Christmas message from Belize is to remind us to be running toward Jesus Christ the King. Notice that once the angels had left the shepherds, they immediately were obedient to what they had just heard about Jesus. When the shepherds reached Jesus, they were blessed for their obedience and others who heard their story were amazed. When we seek Jesus with all our heart, we will be truly blessed and others will be amazed at God’s work in our lives! We see that running toward Christ means listening to Him then moving accordingly.

One night in our apartment in Belize City, Amanda shared that she felt moved by God to make a pillow for our homeless neighbor Poppy who sleeps in a truck bed in our parking lot. I encouraged her to follow her heart. Amanda obeyed God’s call and stayed up late one night sewing the pillow together while I tried to rest. The next day Amanda asked if I would deliver the pillow to Poppy. Little did I know what that would mean. As I delivered the pillow and told Poppy that Amanda felt led by God to make it for him, God began to move. Poppy got choked up and fought back the tears as he said that he had no doubt that Amanda had heard from God. He went on to explain that his pillow had gotten ruined in the rain and that it had been hard to sleep. He was almost speechless that God would have someone do this for him and that someone would care that much. I had a very busy day ahead and I started to head down the road as Poppy ran over to me and asked if I was a Christian. From there he told me of his desperation and that he was miserable and ashamed that at age 59 he was in this situation. He told me that he was hooked on drugs and that it was destroying his body and he was in torment. My heart broke for Poppy as I heard his story. I shared my testimony with him. We then had a discussion and prayed together. He even shared with me two gospel songs he had written that were beautiful and then we parted ways. Many have received Christ as Lord at one time in their lives and yet have been running from Him rather than running toward Him. I would encourage all of us to run toward Jesus all the days of our life and that we stop to rest in the arms of His love!

We recently held our second youth rally in BTL Park in Belize City. It was a great success and we thank you for all of your prayers! The rain held off and we had around 150 in attendance. We handed out 250 fried tacos and many young people had an opportunity to use their talents for God. We ministered to drug addicts and gang members and shared the hope we have in Christ. Praise be to God! Tell someone this Christmas that Jesus Christ is Lord! Merry Christmas to all of you and thank you for your continued support!

We Love You,

Heath & Amanda

What a Week!!!

October 24, 2009
Wow! Where do I begin? On our last blog I had mentioned posting some pictures of Belize’s “Carnival” celebration. Sadly to say, our Belizean friends suggested that the events may not be safe for us, so we opted out. However, we did get to enjoy the display of fireworks from the security of our rooftop. We missed fireworks on the fourth of July since we were here, so it was nice to see the excitement. Just recently we received an email from a couple who live in Gainesville, FL who were taking a cruise with a day stop in Belize. Trent and his wife Sharon found us via the internet and wanted to meet us. They asked if they could bring us anything. We told them of our need for more bibles (as we give them out constantly, and are asked for them constantly). They (Trent, his wife, and the McDonald’s) planned to join us in our street ministry. We met them at the tourist village and Trent couldn’t wait to tell us how they got their hands on 100 bibles in under a week. He told us how they could only find a few bibles here and there and how they were quite pricey. With the stress of packing for the trip and the time coming quickly, they were pressed. Trent finally found a Lifeway store that had just received a shipment of a hundred bibles, but they were all in their Jacksonville store. Trent disappointed, told the Lord if this was going to happen, then He was going to have to make it happen. Just then the McDonald’s called. They were in Jacksonville right down the road from the bookstore! Trent told us he knew God’s hand was involved in this trip. We spent the day together passing out sandwiches, bibles and praying for people. The fellowship was awesome, and we received an email afterward saying their best day on the cruise was the time they spent serving alongside us. God is so Good!
We held the first youth rally in Ladyville last Saturday night. Lots of time and preparation went into the planning. Heath and some of our Belizean friends took to the airways to get word out for the upcoming event. I would have never guessed Heath would be on the radio for an hour and rapping to the nation of Belize! The rally was a great collaboration of several local churches with dance, music, skits, and food. It is great to see what God can do when His people get together. We had around 160 in attendance, and gave out 180 servings of chicken. We did get rained out about three quarters of the way through, but I know the Spirit and Word of God are spreading in the community. We are thankful that things went smoothly, and our first rally is under our belt. I cannot thank all of you enough for your prayers. We are already planning for the next rally here in Belize City.
We have also had the joy of making plenty of new friends this month. One of which is a local Belizean Christian artist, Andrew. He is also known as “Reality Youth”. He and his friends recently taped a video from our rooftop. It will be surreal to see Heath and myself in music video! Our street ministry seems to be growing. We have found more people who share desire to serve the people of Belize. It is always great to have more volunteers and supporters. The relationships we have developed with the people on the streets continue to grow and it will always be something I cherish and is close to my heart. I rejoice along with the angels that during our last street ministry Heath was blessed enough to lead someone to the Lord! Yesterday we met with Maggie; she is the district program leader for the Methodist Churches/Schools for Belize and Honduras. Her vision also coincides with ours, and we look forward to working with and supporting each other.
I cannot say how busy but amazing this month has been. There is a huge feeling of excitement and urgency in my heart. Please continue to pray for us and the Nation of Belize. I wish you guys could all come and see this first-hand, I know you would be blessed. I know I am. I am grateful to you and our Lord for making all this possible. God Bless you all. I love you so much!

–Amanda

God Speaks

September 24, 2009

Its carnival time here in Belize! I am not really sure what all that entails yet, but I do know that part of it is a celebration of Belize gaining it’s independence from England. Belize was formerly known as British Honduras. I plan to post some pictures of some of the events on our next blog. The official date of carnival is actually September 19th.
This month has been the hardest for us thus far. We have been challenged with difficulties at immigration, where we were threatened a $5,000 fine and imprisonment for six months. We went again yesterday to renew our visa and, thanks to a lot of prayers, things couldn’t have gone any more smoothly. Thank you Lord!
As you can see from the photos above, Belize has recently been listed as the #1 murder capitol in the world. We knew things were getting worse, but there is something about actually seeing it in print. I know that there are angels around us, and I thank you all for your constant prayers. The need here is huge, but my God is bigger! He called us here and I pray he continues to use and guide us.
This week we made a new friend named Raymond. He is also a Christian who sells cars here in the city for a living. He asked us yesterday about how we came to Belize and if God called us here. He asked us, “How do you know when God is talking to you?” I have so many different times /ways I feel God speaking to me so I shared them, and I would like to share one with you. It was very personal and was hard to accept , but God knew that I needed to hear it. As many of you know, Heath’s mother battled with cancer for many years. We prayed and had faith that God would heal her. One day just before Heath got home from work I was praying to God and pleading over his mother’s life. It was in that moment God spoke to me in a loud audible voice. He told me His will wasn’t always ours, and that his mother was going to pass away and that I needed to prepare myself and be ready to support my husband. My mother-in-law was a woman of faith and courage and had finished what God had called her to do. We just wanted her to be here with us. I have never been so heartbroken and amazed at the same time! God had just spoken to me out loud, but had told me exactly what I didn’t want to hear. I will never forget that moment as long as I live. I thank God for the heads up on what I needed to do. I tell you all this because God is a person you can and need to talk with out loud sometimes. We can always pray quietly too, but don’t for a minute think He doesn’t want you to call out, cry out to Him! Times may have been hard here lately, but God’s is still in Control. I am trusting Him in all things, big and small. I hope you are too. Acts 2:25-26 David said about him: “I saw the Lord always right 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 will also live in hope.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR US AND BELIZE!!!!!!

God Bless. I love you all,

Amanda