Thank you all for your prayers! I had a wonderful birthday, as well as a blessed ordination anniversary, and the last few weeks have gone well. The last vestiges of my flu have cleared up, and I'm hitting the ground running just about every day!
So, what's been filling my time? Well, I've been doing a lot of preaching and preparation for it. Two Sundays ago I shared God's Word at St. Andrew's and St. Hilda's, and yesterday I was privileged to return to All Saints' Church (Belize City) to lead the service, preach God's Word, and baptize an adorable little girl. It's been good to be doing so much teaching and leading, but by God's grace I've been noticing some areas where I need to improve, and I'm starting to reflect pretty heavily on them.
I have also been getting into the swing of things at St. Hilda's, focusing heavily on the village of Georgeville, with an eye however to beginning some new initiatives in the village of Central Farm. One of the local patriarchs of the village, Mr. Arthur, is coming to the end of his life, suffering from cancer and pneumonia, and I've spent a lot of time accompanying their family as we prepare for a godly passing. Additionally, there have been other deaths in families and illnesses going on that have disrupted the normal flow of life in the village.
My hope in the next few weeks is to set up the St. Hilda's Church Committee (i.e. Vestry) and begin making a few decisions together about the mission, vision, and strategic direction of the church. Though the momentum may be small, we do still have it for the moment, and I am looking forward to discerning where our heavenly Father would like our church to be in the next six to twelve months, and how best under his gracious direction to arrive at these goals.
All in all, I am excited and expectant, convinced that God is able to do what we cannot, and more determined to grow his church even than we are. Please continue to keep me and our whole team, our churches and our schools, in your constant prayer. Have a great week!
