Sparks

Dear friends, this is a quick post to ask for your prayers for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Guatemala and Belize that has escalated over the last week or so. Many of you are probably aware of the longstanding territorial dispute between Guatemala and Belize (in brief: Guatemala believes that much or possibly all of Belize rightfully belongs to Guatemala). But it's more complicated than that. As photographer Tony Rath fleshed out in an amazing 2014 piece, Belize is actually waging a war within its environmentally protected lands against Guatemalan poachers who are heavily financed, heavily equipped, and heavily armed. That same month, the death of tourism police officer Danny Conorquie (a graduate of St. Hilda's school) rocked our communities and served as a reminder that, so long as the territorial dispute continues, Belize's national sovereignty and its people's security are in jeopardy from outside poachers and illegal squatters.

Then last week tragedy struck. Guatemalan minor Julio René Alvarado Ruano was killed in the border zone by Belize military forces. These soldiers, who were traveling with members of the NGO Friends for Conservation and Development, maintain that they came under fire and shot back in self-defense, though family members of the young man contradict the military's account. The incident, which comes on the heels of the shooting of Belize sergeant Richard Lambey, drew heavy criticism from Guatemala's recently elected president Jimmy Morales who during his campaign for office had said that, "the worst thing to happen to Guatemala was losing Belize." Within days of Alvarado Ruano's death, Guatemala began amassing troops along the Belizean border, at least 3,000 in the last week, and the Guatemalan military has now occupied a famously disputed island in the Sarstoon River.

In other words, sparks are flying. Tensions between the two countries are practically as high as they have ever been.

In order to find a resolution, the Organization of American States (OAS) has been called in to investigate the situation, and Belize is confident that the story reported by its military and the accompanying NGO rangers will be vindicated.

In the midst of this tragedy, we ask your prayers for everyone involved:

• for the family of Julio René Alvarado Ruano, as they mourn his death;
   
• for the sovereignty of Belize and the security of its people, especially that of communities that lie along the border with Guatemala in the Cayo and Toledo districts;
   
• for clarity, justice, and discernment as the OAS investigates the shooting;
   
• for wisdom for the leaders of Belize and Guatemala as they seek to lower tensions and improve the welfare of their respective nations;
   
• for a decrease of Guatemalan troops along the border, and a withdrawal of troops from Sarstoon island;
   
• for a firm diplomatic resolution to the ongoing territorial dispute in such a way that Guatemala respects Belize's borders as they are currently drawn.

Thank you for your prayers for Belize and for our churches and our schools there, and thank you for your prayers for us and our ministry as we continue raising support! May God richly bless you all!

An April Update

“Pray that people would give: pledges are coming in very slowly, and we only have 60% of the support pledged that we need to return to Belize!”

— David

Dearest friends, it has been a while since we posted an update about how our support raising while newly married is going, and we do thank you for your patience. But the website has a new look (finally!), and we should let you know the status of things here in our North American sojourn.

We have been busy over the last few months, criss-crossing the American Southwest as we have visited churches and met with potential supporters. When last I wrote, we were preparing for the Western Anglicans House of Delegates meeting in Newport Beach, after which we flew up to Christ Church of the Sierra (Reno) for an amazing weekend with an incredible, mission-minded congregation. Since then, we have been all over:

Feb 21 - St. Luke's (La Crescenta)
Feb 28 - Christ Church (Fallbrook)
Mar 6 - Christ the Redeemer (Yuma)
Mar 3 - San Diego Deanery Meeting (Oceanside)
Mar 13 - St. Paul's (Lake Elsinore) & Epiphany (La Mirada)
Mar 20 - Resurrection (San Marcos)
Mar 24 - All Saints' (Long Beach)
Mar 25 - Epiphany (La Mirada) & All Saints' (Long Beach)
Mar 26 - Gold Line (Highland Park)
Mar 27 - Holy Spirit (San Diego)
Mar 30 - Miller Valley Baptist (Prescott)
Mar 31 - Arizona Deanery Meeting (Phoenix)
Apr 3 - All Saints' (Long Beach)
Apr 10 - New Wineskins (Ridgecrest)

As you can imagine, though we're excited to be sharing about our mission in Belize, we're also a bit exhausted from the travel and inevitable stress that comes with it. In particular, pray that people would give: pledges are coming in very slowly, and we only have 60% of the support pledged that we need to return to Belize!

As we continue on in our support-raising adventure, we will be traveling to Grace Anglican (Oceanside) tomorrow for the installation of the Rev. Bill Mugford as rector, and then on to spend the night in Arizona where we will be attending the dynamic Christ Church (Phoenix) and sharing about our mission between services. Please pray for our energy level, as we will need to come right back on Sunday so Mary Beth can keep on practicing for her recital.

That said, Mary Beth's recital pieces are coming along very well, and we are very excited for her big day on May 6th. She will be performing pieces by Scarlatti, Chopin, Schumann, as well as Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata. Please pray for her continued preparation, and that she excels at this capstone project for her Bachelor of Music degree!

Mary Beth's health continues to fluctuate some, but there is genuine improvement despite all of our travel and sometimes unpredictable arrangements. So many people have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome as we have come through visiting, and I am praying that over the next few months (and with the end of school) she will continue to make gains toward a full recovery of health.

SAMS celebrated its 40th Anniversary by having us pose by the statue of Captain Allen Gardiner.

As we look past April and May (almost all booked up by now!), we are asking where we should go next to share about the mission? We need to move on from Southern California, and various possibilities may be opening up for us as we continue deputation: possibly the Kern area (near Bakersfield, CA), possibly the Dallas/Fort Worth area, possibly the Southeast, or maybe even the Midwest. Please pray that the Lord would lead us to the supporters that he has for us, and that he would provide for our needs as he sends on these errands.

Thank you all for your steadfast prayer and support. We could not do this without you. I hope you enjoy the new look for the website, and be checking up occasionally for when we might post more pictures or videos. May God richly bless you all!

As of today - February 11th

Greetings from (a very) sunny California! News has been slow in coming over the last few weeks, but it is time for us to give you an update, and ask for your prayers as we continue the process of Deputation and seek partners to continue our ministry and mission in Belize!

But first things first, many of you have been waiting for pictures from the wedding! Our photographer has sent us the final cut of over 700 pictures, and they look amazing! Please feel free to check them out and to share in our joy!

Over the last few weeks, we have been visiting with churches and other supporters, even as Mary Beth has begun classes and we have almost completed the process of moving into our for-the-time-being studio apartment in Fullerton. On January 31st we were honored to visit Holy Trinity Parish (Ocean Beach), and the following Sunday, January 6th we returned to our primary sending church, the Anglican Church of the Resurrection (San Marcos) where they are already missing Mary Beth, her presence and her piano playing.

This weekend itself will prove to be quite busy. Tomorrow (Friday) I will be headed to a clergy meeting for the Diocese of Western Anglicans, and on Saturday will be presenting about our mission at the annual meeting of the diocesan House of Delegates (i.e. Synod). Immediately afterwards, we will then fly east to Nevada, where we will spend the rest of the weekend with the good people of Christ Church of the Sierra (Reno) who for years have been key supporters of our ministry. We plan to be back in Southern California again by Tuesday so that Mary Beth can get back on campus, preparing for her senior piano recital to be held on May 6th.

In other news, Lent has begun and with it a serious and introspective character to life. It is difficult for me to be away from my friends and ministry in Belize, and the somber mood of preparation for Holy Week and Easter seems to resonate for me during our sojourn away from the mission field proper. Financial support is coming slowly, and it is tempting to lose heart as we wait on the Lord. But Mary Beth and I believe that the Lord has indeed called us to Belize, and he will prepare the way for us to return. And so we ask you again to join in praying for God's provision and providential hand in preparing the way for our speedy reunion with our beloved friends in the Cayo District.

In the meantime, things continue on very well at St. Andrew's and St. Hilda's. This past Sunday both churches held their Annual General Meetings, and with the guidance of Bishop Wright and Deacon Tulloch, the leaders for 2016 are already jumping into action. My "State of the Church" addresses (one for St. Andrew's and one for St. Hilda's) were given in my absence, and I commend them for your reading as well. I am excited to see where the Lord takes our churches over the next few months, just as I am excited to return and be wtih them once again.

So, thank you all for your prayers, for your support, and for your encouragement. May the Lord richly bless you!

The Wedding Update

It's time for an update! Let's work backwards ..

Mary Beth and I are married!

On January 2nd, Mary Beth and I entered into the covenant and sacrament of marriage in a beautiful ceremony that took place at a Lutheran church in San Diego. We surrounded by many of our family and close friends from all over the world, and the Triune God was definitely present as he blessed us with his grace and love. The next day we flew to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for a couple weeks of honeymoon rest and relaxation, and we have come back to Southern California ready to commence the long but rewarding process of deputation, that is, our being deputized by our partners and supporters in the United States to continue our missionary work. In regards to the budget that our missionary society SAMS-USA has given us, we have approximately 50% of our pledge support raised. We will have to reach 100% before we can resturn to Belize.

We began deputation yesterday, January 24th, by visiting All Saints' (Bakersfield) and sharing about what God has been doing, and is further calling us to do, at our various churches and schools. We received an incredible welcome by former SAMS missioanry Fr. Richard Menees and others in the congregation who quickly made us feel like a part of their community. We are looking forward to deepening this relationship over the years, and providing a link to their ministering alongside of us in Belize one day.

This coming week, we are very much looking forward to visiting Holy Trinity (Ocean Beach) and similarly sharing about our ministry in the Anglican Diocese of Belize.

I ought to share a bit more about the last few months, particularly leading up to Christmas. To be frank, they were very difficult months for me and Mary Beth. For me, November and the first part of December were consumed with issues relating to the school. Without going into too many details, I found that I was having to step into a managerial role to support teachers and principals with regard to a number of crises, crises that were emotionally draining both because of their nature and also because of the time they required. The Lord sustained me during those difficult weeks, and I thank you so very much for your prayers and for the encouraging messages that many of you sent me.

They were also difficult months for Mary Beth. As she and I have shared before, she has been wrestling with an assortment of health issues that reared their ugliest heads during a very stressful semester at school. The Lord sustained her as well, and she earned the highest possible grades and received "jury approval" for her senior recital this coming spring. Nevertheless, it was truly exhausting.

A true answer to prayer came, however, a few weeks before Christmas, as a medical specialist was able to identify what is most probably at the root of the many horrible health issues she has been experiencing. The treatment she is undergoing is straightforward (though the worst of it involves and incredibly restrictive diet), and we are so thankful for the many people who were praying for her health and recovery. And please, continue to keep her in your prayers.

So, thank you all! As life returns to "normal" we are looking forward to being in touch again very soon. Take care, and may God richly bless you!

A quick update from Mary Beth in California - November 13th

Hi everyone!  I apologize that it’s been a couple months, but here’s another quick update from me! =]

As you may know, about five weeks ago I fell and sprained my knee.  While I’d like to have some cool story to tell you as to how it happened…my dogs knocked me over when they were playing fetch.  Who knew playing fetch could be so dangerous?!  I’ll spare you the gory details as to what my knee did when I fell, but needless to say, lots of pain and now a helpful (if not entirely convenient) knee brace.  Yet through lots of prayers (and less walking than normal) I am getting better and walking a little easier each day.  Thanks be to God! 

In other news, the semester is quickly approaching its end.  Yay!  I truly appreciate all the prayers as my workload increases in what has proved to be a rather difficult/stressful semester.  I ask your continued prayers in the next month as I prepare for juries (my piano performance final), write lots of papers, and continue to prepare for David’s and my wedding.  Lots to do, but exciting just the same!  Less than two months till we get married =]

Sorry this was a short, but I wanted to catch you all up and thank you again for the prayers and support.  We couldn’t do this without you!

As of today - November 4th

It's a big day in Belize: Election Day! Some weeks ago the Prime Minister called for the dissolution of the legislature and for national elections to take place on November 4th. Since then, supporters for the two main parties, the UDP and the PUP, have been campaigning day and night in preparation for today. Please pray for peaceful, safe, and fair elections, and please pray for those who are being elected to govern the country of Belize.

In the meantime, I have withdrawn to a location in the countryside to get some work done in peace and quiet, far from the crowds of campaigners and voters. It also serves to give me a spot of rest after what was a very stressful previous week. I want to thank you for your prayers for my immigration process! With God's help and the cooperation of the government workers in Belmopan, my application for residency has come close to concluding. On Friday I was allowed to pay the standard fee to become a permanent resident ($1,000 USD for U.S. citizen), and I surrendered my passport to be stamped with the appropriate seals. Waiting for this stamp takes weeks, and it is unnerving to be without my passport for so long. Please pray that nothing happens to my passport, and that this immigration process is concluded smoothly and quickly!

In the meantime, life and ministry continues here in Western Belize. This past Sunday we rejoiced to baptize six new Christians at St. Andrew's! Two of them are adolescents who have been considering baptism for months, and we are so excited for them to step into the new reality of the new life in Christ! One of them was willing to sit down with me for a little interview about following Jesus for a young lady her age is really all about:

Please keep Dekada and these other new followers of Jesus Christ in your prayers!

November is a busy time for us as well as we prepare for our episcopal visit just in time for the Feast of St. Andrew on November 29. We have about a dozen candidates for Confirmation at St. Andrew's, and about half a dozen at St. Hilda's, and we are working hard to make sure that they are prepared to profess their faith in Christ and receive the laying on hands when the Bishop comes.

In other news, life and ministry continues. It's a joy for me, as I prepare for my own wedding in January, to preside over the renewal of vows this coming Saturday for the acting principal of St. Barnabas' School and her husband! Having been married for 25 years, I asked the two of them to share some of their insights for young couples like me and Mary Beth who are just starting out, and this what they said:

I ask that you continue to pray for the two of us. Our wedding is just around the bend, and we are in the midst of many preparations, and it is quite difficult to get everything done while she is in the middle of her semester at CSU Fullerton, and while I am here in Belize. And please also pray about our financial support: we are eager for new partners in our ministry who can give to meet our new budgetary needs as a couple, needs that have to be met before we can return to Belize in 2016. Please keep us, and all these things, uplifted to our heavenly Father who knows our needs before we ask! Thank you so much!

As of today - October 26th

Hello everyone! It's been a crazy, crazy week, but I'll try to put it into words and tell you a bit about it all.

Last week started out with the drama of immigration: handing it documents in regards to my permanent residency visa. I ask that you please continue to pray earnestly with me that this visa would be granted before the end of the year! Meanwhile back at the schools, it was a low-key week, providing wonderful moments like that of children at St. Barnabas' School singing random songs like this one:

Much of the later part of the week was taken up hosting a delegation from the Diocese of St. Albans: Archdeacon Trevor Jones and his wife Sue. Not only were they able to visit our Hispanic missions (Thursday)and attend church at St. Andrew's and St. Hilda's (Sunday), but they also paid visits to our three schools. In fact, we managed to take some great pictures of them at St. Andrew's, St. Barnabas', and St. Hilda's. The hope is that their visit this past weekend will enable them to be a bridge between their churches and ours, and help us build a constructive and mutually-beneficial relationship.

St. Andrew's School was also blessed to have a visit from the Governor-General (the Queen's representative and Belize's head of state) Sir Colville Young. He and his wife came not only to give an enormous donation of musical instruments to the school, but he also shared a story or two with the students and other community members. To say thank you, many of the classes made colorful presentations for the Governor-General, such as this telling of some traditional Kriol proverbs from Belize:

This weekend was full of so many other activites as well. At 4:30 Saturday morning I was out in Central Farm to give the invocation for the annual Cancer Walk, and then I walked the 4 miles back to town with everyone else. And finally, this weekend was Cursillo #11 for the Anglican Diocese of Belize, and Sunday afternoon our archidiaconal delegation, together with our Deacon and Lay Minister and Treasurer and I, we all went out to the closing ceremony. Not only were we exposed to some powerful preaching and moving testimonies by the new cursillistas, but we were able to join the Garifuna drums and sing songs like "De Colores" and "Here I Am, Lord"

So, as you can imagine, it's been a busy week! Thank you so much for your prayers, and for your support. Please continue to uphold us and our ministry up to our heavenly Father!

Photo Recap - Harvest Festival

Hello everyone! I don't have a lot of time to compose in words, but here's a photo/video recap of Harvest for our three schools. Make sure to click through to see all the pictures and other glimpses into our past week.

St. Andrew's School (San Ignacio)

This past Sunday we enjoyed three fantastic services, with the Upper Division at 8:00, the Middle Division at 10:30, and the Lower Division at 2:00. Not only were we able to capture some awesome pictures, but we were able to capture videos of the children carrying in their gifts and singing songs of praise. Additionally we have pictures of Deacon Lizbeth Tulloch reading the Gospel for the service, and several videos of me. Here is an excerpt of my first sermon, this time to the Upper Division:

You can also check out snippets of my sermons to the Middle Division and to the Lower Division. Over the course of the day, over 500 people came to church, and we thank God not only for the gifts that they brought, but that he brought them into his courts to praise his name!

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St. Barnabas' School (Central Farm)

Last Wednesday we celebrated our small Harvest service in Central Farm. As you can see in the pictures, our school was beautifuly decorated, and the children were excited to come and give thanks to the Lord. Not only did the children join in singing rousing courses like "Bringing in the Sheaves" but they also made their individual presentations, much like the Standard I and II classes singing "A Gift to You" in front of the whole school.

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St. Hilda's School (Georgeville)

Then last Thursday, an extremely rainy day, we celebrated our Harvest festival at St. Hilda's. Though we didn't manage to get any video of the service, we took copious photos of our students, teachers, and families, and also of our preacher and postulant Jody Bevan. It was a fantastic day, and we left incredibly blessed, if slightly wet!

Thank you for your prayers, and we ask for your continued prayers for us this week, as Mary Beth continues to recover from an injured knee, as Belize City struggles with intense flooding after heavy rains, as we out West prepare for the archidiaconal visit to our communities, and as I continue to wrestle with immigration issues. We are so grateful for your support!

As of today - October 12th

Happy Columbus Pan-American Day! It's a national holiday in Belize so I'm taking a few moments to send out an update before things get crazy again tomorrow.

We have been slammed with work around here. Over the last couple of weeks, I've been working hard to set up rhythms for the rest of the semester: both with the schools, and with our congregations. In particular, as we approach the next dates for baptisms (November 1st) and confirmations (November 29th), not only have I been teaching classes but I've also been visiting these families, forging connections with the Church that will last longer than the end of this year. I enjoy it all, but for us it's one of the busiest times of year.

Making things even crazier, this week we are celebrating Harvest: a traditional service of giving, thanksgiving, and greengrocery. Wednesday St. Barnabas' (Central Farm) is celebrating Harvest, Thursday St. Hilda's (Georgeville) will do the same, and Sunday St. Andrew's (San Ignacio) will be holding three huge services spanning 8am to 3pm. When it comes to evangelism, this is by far our biggest occasion of the year ... let me see if I can put it in perspective. Ordinarily at St. Andrew's Church our maximum Sunday attendence is around 120 people (we can't fit many more in the building). However, last year our attendance was over 400: more than Christmas and Easter combined. For this reason, I really ask you to pray for us this week, that God would capture our hearts, bring revival, and make himself known as our churches fill up with visitors!

On top of this, there are a lot of diocesan activities this month. This coming Saturday I will be traveling to Belize City to represent our churches at the Mid-Synod Meeting, a convocation reporting and evaluating the progress we are making nation-wide as a church. Last week at the Bishop's request, I submitted my Personal Ministry Analysis to the Diocese, giving them a window on everything that I do, and how my service here in general is going. Please keep our deliberations on the 17th in your prayers. Additionally, here in the next few weeks we have visits from VIPs of all sorts: the Governor-General (Queen Elizabeth's representative in Belize) will be visiting St. Andrew's School, and an archidiaconal delegation from the Diocese of St. Albans (in England) will be visiting our churches, along with many others, and making a report to the Bishop on the state of our churches here in Belize. Here's a little map of the many communities in our area that this delegation will probably end up covering:

Other activities are going well. The systematic theology course I am teaching with our postulant is going well, and youth group has started up against strong, in part due to the increased participation with young people from our Hispanic missions. This past Sunday I once again travelled with Rev. Vasquez to our mission in Frank's Eddy, where the church is growing in numbers and strength. This past Saturday, I interviewed one of our Spanish-speaking priests, Rev. Juan Peralta García, and if you have a moment, definitely watch this short video:

 I would also ask you to pray for Mary Beth. In addition to some other health problems that she has been having, Sunday she had an accident and ended up badly spraining her knee. She is wearing a leg brace which helps with the pain, but on the other hand it is incredibly restrictive for someone who has to play the piano, attend classes, and get up stairs. The doctor has said that she will probably be fully recovered within about six weeks. Please pray that God restores her to complete health very quickly!

Also, please keep my visa situation in your prayers. Not only have I applied for permament residency (and have been waiting 18 months for it to be processed ... no success so far), but this past month I applied to extend my year-long work permit for another year. The work permit application has not been processed yet either, so tomorrow I will be traveling to immigration to get my passport stamped (as a tourist!) for a month, while we wait for the work permit paperwork to go through, while we wait for the residency paperwork to go through. If it sounds complicated it is.

And finally, please pray that God would raise up financial supporters for our ministry. To return to Belize not only does our current giving need to triple, but in order to have at least one salary (mine) while we are raising support this coming winter and spring, giving needs to go up by at least 50% from where it is now. Please pray that God would provide for our needs, and also pray about giving to our ministry. Thank you all for your prayers and support: we love you and couldn't do it without you! Take care!

As of today - September 29th

Hello friends! Do you every have the feeling like there's so much happening that it's hard to stop and take stock of it all? That is absolutely how I feel these days. Or maybe it's just the heat. Either way, I am so thankful for your prayers and support. Let me try and fill you in.

Last week was chock-full of ministry, primarily in the schools. Last week we started our regular bi-weekly services with the children at the schools. We hadn't been able to kick things off before that due to the patriotic celebrations, my stomach flu, and other inconvenient details. But it is incredible blessing to minister to these (nearly 700) children and their teachers. If you want to experience the amazingness, check out these videos of the kids at St. Andrew's Anglican School singing their hearts out:

Things continue to go well for St. Barnabas' Anglican School. I've spent just about every evening this week meeting with parents from the school, and last Thursday we had a fantastic first PTA meeting. Our application for a vocational Anglican high school in Central Farm (using the current grounds and facilities) is close to be submitted. Please keep all of this in your prayers!

In the meantime, we are gearing up for the crazy schedule in the coming months. October is the month of Harvest Festivals, as well as our Diocese's mid-synod checkup meeting. On 1 November St. Andrew's will be holding baptisms ... at least 5 persons are scheduled to pass through the waters of baptism and be united with Christ! We are also preparing our youths and adults for confirmation and reception on 29 November: we may have a dozen or more who make this mature decision to follow Jesus Christ and come to his holy table in faith to receive Holy Communion! I'm pretty excited.

And of course December is coming: this means the end of the school semester, the beginning of Christmas vacation (as they say here, "Krismos de kohn!"), and my depature to be married to Mary Beth.

Please keep all of these activities in your prayers! And please in particular pray for our financial support to come in soon: we are trusting God that we will be partially supported while we raise support in California, and fully supported by May. May God richly bless you!