Where is God in our ministry? Do you ever wonder if God is near by? If He’ll show up on time to work with the ministry? We have a team from the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer from Michigan that arrived yesterday.  I’ve been praying for this team as I do all the teams as they prepare for their time in Belize.  I always pray that God will meet them there in a Big Way, He never fails this request.  Today was the teams first day in the village.

It was a rough start, one of their bags was lost and it contained all their VBS materials. Basil was extremely pleased when he got to the village this morning and found that it had been delivered last night, which for Belize is pretty amazing to have it found so quickly and then delivered to Gales Point directly and it was sent by cab yet.

The Doctors, Nurses and Dentist were concerned that they wouldn’t  have any patients, by the afternoon Basil said they were swamped and the line was very long winding down the stairs. I don’t think they will have any problem meeting the needs and keeping busy while they are there. Again, God’s perfect timing!

Mike Kidder was sharing with Basil that on Friday a little girl around 10 or 11 years or so, had a accident by falling off her bike.  Mike says she took a huge chunk out of her leg near her knee. He immediately picked her up and proceeded to clean it up and bandage it. It was so bad that Mike said he could see the bone. He cleaned it as best he could then told the mother to keep it clean and change the bandage everyday. Then on Monday to be sure to bring her to the clinic so the Doctors/Nurses on the team could take a look at it.  Good thing the mom changed the bandage but didn’t clean it very well. By the time the Doctor’s saw her, it was already turning green, (sorry for being so graphic, but this just shows how Awesome God timing is) and they had to do some major cleaning up and some minor repairs to the knee. They injected antibiotics in her knee and then put her on some very strong antibiotics as well. She is to come and see them every day while they are here, then Mike and Cindy Kidder are to keep following up daily with her after the Dr.’s leave to be sure it continues to heal properly.  Tell me God isn’t there in ministry at just the right time and place?

One of Popsie’s daughter’s was in school today, Basil says he saw Mike Kidder racing past him in his truck towards the clinic from school. It turns out she was writhing in pain and screaming. It turns out she was having a problem with her female organs, she’s 13, I think that says enough right there. Again, was God there in the nick of time?

The Kidder family went in and worked with the Dr’s at the clinic, the girls took information from the patients as they came in and their 10 year old son helped the Dentist by holding the light while the Dentist did extractions. He was really proud that he was able to be of help, however, I think that the extractions may have gotten the best of him, as he fainted near the beginning of this. Good thing the Doctors were there to help him. He did go back in the afternoon and continued helping the Dentist, what a wonderful young boy he is, most of them would have just given that job up and found something fun to do.

These are just a few examples, I’m waiting for the team to be able to post on their blog to share more exciting news of how they are seeing God at work while they are there.  I’ll post pictures when they post them so you can see what is happening!

God is always with us, sometimes we just need to take the time to look around and see what He is doing and join Him, He always comes thru and never leaves us. Take notice Gales Point, God’s timing is working for you and is ALWAYS PERFECT! Praise Him!  Please add this team to your prayers for their week of ministry and seeing God’s perfect timing in all they do!  Stay tuned in!

At 1:30 am it began.  Thunder in the distance, then lightening, then pouring rain for hours.  About 5:30 we all realized we were all awake and had been since it began.  We had originally planned to leave at 6:30 but it was decided the 4 wheel drive would go ahead and see if the road was passable.  It was determined likely but no guarantee.  Again, a boat was chosen.  After it was prepped, our luggage was put in and we all piled into the boat with our rain gear on.  Again, we were blessed as it only sprinkled on and off as we headed to Belize City.  We had a fantastic ride through mangrove forests, lagoons with water so clear you could see the fish below, beautiful birds overhead and crocodiles on the shore.

Once we reached Belize City we boarded a boat to Caye Caulker – an island about 45 minutes away.  The weather was perfect!  It had been raining there but had ended for the time being. We checked into our hotel, most of us napped a bit then in the late afternoon walked along the beach enjoyng the stiff breeze, the view and some dinner.

The next morning was clear and breezy.  We spent part of the morning snorkeling and part talking about our week.  Our individual experiences in the village and things we had learned about and from the villagers and what the Lord had shown us about ourselves during the week.  Soon we headed back to Belize City and back to the airport and home.

Other than the rain, which raised the humidity level,  the weather was great during our trip, not too hot or cold.  Another bonus was we didn’t encounter any critters (scorpions, spiders or army ants) in our cabins.  The sand flys were busy though – having  been forewarned, we all were well armed with our cans of Deep Woods Off

Tuesday and Wednesday had a similar schedule to Monday.  Wednesday night is usually a night to head back to the village for kid’s church – but the rain was heavy, so we all stayed back at the base and decided to turn in early.

Thursday morning dawned with more rain. Although it’s the rainy season, the amount of rain is unusually high.  It was decided trying to head through the savannah would be out that day.  The van could get stuck and the 4 wheel drive truck which would be able to pull the van out was in Belize City for the day.

We worked around the base helping get it ready for a group scheduled to arrive in a few weeks.  We also packed and cleaned our cabins preparing for our departure from the base on Friday.  The rain let up in the early afternoon so it was decided we would head into the village for dinner at Mel and John’s home and youth night at the church by boat.  Thanks to assistant pastor Shannon and his boat we had a good evening in the village.  As we headed off to bed we wondered if more rain might be on it’s way.

After the team arrived back home on Sunday they were able to post, so the next few postings will be in their words. Enjoy!

Monday 1/30 started with another rainshower prior to us heading into the village.  Each day we have about a 30 minute drive from the base to the village through the jungle and onto the savannah (yes, just like Africa but without the lions, rhinos and giraffe). We made it through the ever deepening mud with Basil’s super driving skills (dubbed Razzle Dazzle Basil from the start due to his expertise!) and onto the main “road” (hard dirt).

About a 1/2 mile down the road we hit a large pothole, heard a “knocking” noise and knew something wasn’t right. Fortunately it wasn’t raining at that point as it had the day before but we were still over a mile from the village.  Basil stopped, Mike jumped out and discovered all 8 lugnuts had come off the back left wheel (see picture below.)

Within a minute of this the base handyman, Popsie, happened by on his way to the base on his ATV (gun slung across his back) and one of the villagers, Brandon, on his bicycle.   Popsie combed the road with his ATV searching for the lost lugnuts – finding 5 of the 8.  Brandon jacked up the van, took one lugnut from each of the other tires, and along with the 5 found, put the wheel back on the van.

The rest of us started walking towards the village since we didn’t know how long the van would be hung up there - marveling at, and thanking Jesus that it happened AFTER we were off the squeeshy savannah (try using a jack there), that it wasn’t raining right then AND that Popsie and Brandon just “happened” to come by then. The van caught up to us about 20 minutes later and we proceeded to the church.

Those not working on the church ceiling headed to John and Mel Bjorgen’s home in the village (missionaries sent out from Cornerstone).  They recently moved from the base to the village and we helped with unpacking and getting settled in until lunch.

After lunch we headed to the community center to set up for the bible study.  About 2 we drove up the road to pick up any women wanting to come. Our turnout the first day was about 15 women and half a dozen children.  Each day it grew by a few as word spread.   We brought with us hygiene items and school supplies that usually can’t often be afforded as unemployment in the village  is at about 90 percent. It was such a treat to see the joy these items brought, and being reminded how much we as Americans take things like this for granted.

About 3:30 we headed back to the base with Razzle Dazzle at the wheel.  A quick dip in the Carribean right outside our cabins, a delicious dinner and a rousing game of Phase 10.  We all fell into bed to the pitter patter of rain on our cabin roofs.

The Cornerstone team hasn’t be able to post anymore blogs as of yet. However, I’ve been chatting with Basil every night and I do know of one exciting event if you want to call it that to show just how AWESOME our God is!

Basil was taking the team into the village on Monday with the Mission Van. Our road is very muddy right now and so is the Savannah due to a high volume of rain, shall we say, LOL! Actually that’s an understatement, my understanding is it’s been rather torrential rain.

As they drove onto the road that leads to the village, Basil felt like he had a flat tire. He got out of the van only to find:

This is the rim that is missing all 8 bolts

The tire was almost, but not quite, all the way off the shaft.  Basil is thinking this is not good, when out of the Jungle comes Brandon:

Brandon goes right to work to get the tire back on the shaft, and along comes Popsie our caretaker on his way out to the base.  He travels a bit further down the road and is able to find 6 of the 8 bolts.  He returns with the bolts only to find that they are bent quite a bit.  Between Brandon and Popsie, they find a board to bend the bolts straight again and got the tire back on.  Mike on the team said he saw God at work during this time. He was amazed how both Brandon and Popsie  showed up just at the right moment and dropped everything to help out and make sure that the van was working safely.  Now that is God showing up just at the right time and using the least likely to take care of the situation.  PRAISE BE TO GOD ALL THE TIME! He is AWESOME!

The team spent the first part of the week, helping put a new ceiling up at Galilee Gospel Chapel as it was in desperate need of replacement.  The ceiling was so rotten and made out of materials that attracts the termites. For anyone who has visited the mission base you will note that after there has been a fresh  coat of paint put on the inside of the building, within a week or so there are new termite trails all over the walls.  The new ceiling is made out of Plysum which is similar to cement, we are praying that this will resolve the problem.

Preparing to put the new ceiling in.

The ladies have been doing a “Ladies Extravaganza with the Women’s Bible study group that Mel Bjorgen leads, and numerous other ladies joined in on the festivities. These types of events are always welcomed by the ladies as it is a fun time to fellowship, worship, share God and do some fun creative activities.

The village woman enjoying making a craft.

The team has also been helping Mel with her new home in the village by cleaning, organizing and working in their garden pulling weeds.  Some of the ladies have also been at the mission base helping organize the chapel as well. One of the team members is a nurse and I believe was going to do some house to house visits as well.

Let’s see what else God has in store for the team. Prayers have been awesome and felt in a powerful way!

Our first team for the year has arrived they are from Cornerstone Church in Chandler, Az. We will post their updates as they come in. I know they are having a great time serving the Lord and sharing Christ’s love. Thank you Cornerstone for your support and your love to serve the nations!

January 31, 2012

From the get go the team has jumped some interesting hurdles.  Who knew you could lose bag BEFORE you even check in.  It was found so we were on our way.  Our flight to Houston and then onto Belize City went without a hitch.

2012 Winter Cornerstone Team

We were met at the airport by Basil DeKlerk, he and his wife Vera founded Turtles Shores Retreat, and had a beautiful drive back to “The Base.”  We had dinner, got settled in with our mosquito netting and off to sleep with the sound of rain on the roof.

Sunday was church where we had fun with Sunday School and a great message from Pastor Kenny.  We had lunch at Miss Alice’s and had a relaxing “day of rest” – a few more rain storms, time getting to know one another, doing some exploring on the beach and visiting with the base staff.

Monday started off with a lot of excitement….more to come!!