Belize—Day 5

Another beautiful day in Belize. It started out foggy, but that didn’t last long. The sun is out with a vengeance, but the breeze keeps it from being too bad – although the guys with the shovels probably wouldn’t agree with that. We have accomplished a lot of different things this week so far: everything from changing faucets to renovating and painting the cook’s room to laying pipe. Today we will make our tie-ins to the buildings from the water lines. It was such a good feeling to see that water come through the lines and find no leaks. While we are doing the tie-ins today, some of the guys will also lay the steel for the concrete to be poured tomorrow. Everyone is getting along well, but I may have gotten the boys into trouble. I just mentioned in my devotion this morning the fact that some of them had chosen to chase a “squash,” which is an animal like our raccoon, before morning devotion. It turns out it wasn’t a squash. It was a type of monkey, but it looked to me like a large rat. The boys went running down the hill, grabbed sticks and tried to herd it towards one of the boys who had taken his shirt off to catch it. They were not very successful, but they kept trying, even climbing the tree to try to knock it off the branch. Needless to say, the animal got away and the boys got a talking to.

I did have to deal with a couple of issues yesterday. First I caught Nikki and Amy in the guys dorm, but Brian said it was alright because he was chaperoning them. And then there is Gorman. I think that is all I will say. Because of him I almost had to change my devotion to the ten commandments of which we had decided that he was only keeping seven of them. And one doesn’t count because it isn’t the Sabbath yet. Now everyone is calling me their redneck preacher. I’ll let you guess why. If you ever travel to Belize, take my word for it. SPF 30 is not adequate sun block. David Ward has sung us a few of his songs that he has written. He has one that I hope he will sing at Southside very soon. Another issue that has just come to my attention is that our project manager, Randy Smith, decided to go to town with Lyle just before lunch, and they just so happened to get caught there and had to eat out at a fish place. But I’ll bet their food wasn’t as good as ours.

We got the whole system together and everything tied in. Since I had to wash dishes after supper, Randy let me go take a shower. A few minutes after I finished, I turned on the faucet and nothing came out. Apparently we had forgotten to cap one of the lines we were abandoning so they had to turn it off and fix it. But now everything is working well. When Lamar and I finished washing dishes, we started back to the houses when suddenly an awful roar and something came charging out of the ditch by the office. Lamar and I almost died, but it was just Ashburn, one of the boys having a little fun with us. I’ve never seen a boy laugh so hard.

Apparently Gorman almost killed David today when David tried to pull Gorman out of a three foot deep hole. I would pretend that he had fallen in, but he had actually climbed in to get it ready for the rebar we put in it. I’m sad to say that we may not get to actually pour concrete tomorrow, but we have gotten more done than any of us thought we would.
We took the boys into town for ice cream tonight. It was a good trip. Some of the team had a better time than the rest of us. I didn’t realize the reason they wanted to go is that the ice cream shop serves “rum raisin ice cream.” There were a few who are very happy right now. God is good. We are developing good relationships with the boys. I would like to take a couple home with me.

Belize—Day 4

Last night, several of us gathered in the Rainey’s living room and enjoyed quiet conversation about plans for today. The engineer/construction experts talked about loads and diameters while the rest of us listened in and pretended to know what we were talking about. Terry and Sammy looked like they were about to nod off a few times, but then I realized I probably did, too. So we went to bed early last night to the sound of a steady rain. It made for a beautiful bedtime serenade; Tom Wilson, one of the missionaries asked if there were any leaks. He said if it leaked on my head, just move the bed. But what a mess. The mud really stuck to your shoes.

It is much hotter today. We have just finished lunch, and the sun is bright and high. We will finish up gluing the pipes together and will test the water lines this afternoon. The work is going incredibly fast. So fast that we are discovering some hidden talents amongst us. For instance, since we were doing so well, we let Mark McCurry, Kerry Hawkins, and Terry Glover (under the supervision of Joyce Smith) begin to tear out some ceiling and clean out some spaces to get the cook’s room ready to paint. That isn’t the hidden talent, though. We found out they were excellent at killing rodents: rats, gophers – you name it, they killed it. Even Joyce got in on the act. Lamar says he is not surprised; Joyce is the only woman he knows that can kill a snake with a fly swatter. That makes two of us – she’s the only woman I know who can do that.
Nikki Hawkins is teaching reading classes for the boys, and Amy Hill is doing a study on developing the habits of godly men. We were told this morning that all but four of the boys are professing Christians. What they need are godly examples to show them how to live the Christian life unashamedly. As I watched them during devotion time, I noticed that few of them actively participated in the singing – a mirror of what we saw in the church on Sunday. As in the states, it is the ladies who are actively involved, but it seems to be more of an issue here. The men hardly participate.

Well, we did it! The water lines are laid and they don’t leak! Praise the Lord! Even the sections that Gorman and Sammy glued are holding for now. We still have to tie in to the dorms and other buildings, but that shouldn’t take too long tomorrow. As we feared, the sun came out in full force this afternoon, but God blessed us with a nice breeze for a good part of the day. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to completing the task. We will work on the pad for the water tank tomorrow and Thursday as well as finish several other projects. God is so good!

Belize-Day 3

What a beautiful day—overcast and cool. We started off in light jackets, but by lunchtime, the temperatures had increased. Both nights we have been blessed with very cool temperatures and the amazing aroma of skunks. I’m not sure what we did to deserve them, but man what a smell. Someone told me that it was just Ryan Grisham taking off his socks, but I didn’t believe them. Sometime in the early morning hour we heard the bird that Lyle had told us to expect. His description was it sounded like a drunk in the gutter moaning for help. It sounded more to me like a cross between a rabid dog and an angry bear. Suffice it to say that I would not have wanted to be camping on the river when I heard it for the first time.

We got off to a slow start this morning since we needed some supplies, but we have made significant progress. Lamar Smith and Greg Johnson have stayed on the tractor all day digging trenches. Rumor has it that they have figured out how slow they need to go to make it last all week. We’ve laid some pipe and started gluing pieces together. I became Gorman’s assistant as we surveyed the elevation for the water tank. Someone asked me if I had become a surveyor, now, so I told them it would be something to fall back on if this preaching gig didn’t take off.

The boys have all made it back to campus and are helping us out. It’s fun trying to learn all their names and keep them apart – especially since four of them have told us their name is Marvin. I am surprised at how much the Belizeans are like us, but I guess people are people everywhere. And with the advent of television, we are exporting a lot of our culture to them.

The day is ending and we have accomplished a great deal. Most of the pipe is laid. We still have some short trenches to dig and pipe to put in there. We will also need to build the tower for the water tank, but that will happen in the next couple of days. Dinner was fantastic. I have found out that Gorman likes to crumble his cake up and put it in his soup. Sometimes you can’t figure some people out. Like why Sammy and Gorman would smear glue all over me and then tell me they were scared of what Sonya would do to them. The ladies are headed back to church for a meeting. The speaker for their meeting cancelled, so Amy is going to share her testimony. Overall, it has been a great day. Everyone is still healthy and happy. Thanks for your prayers.

Belize-Day 2

What a day! We were up bright and early for breakfast: pancakes and sausage. I won’t mention any names, but at Greg Johnson’s table, lots of pancakes were eaten. If we hadn’t had sausage, I might say they made pigs of themselves. Just kidding. The food has been very good, and the quantities have been more than sufficient. Our hosts, Lyle and Rose, are taking good care of us. After breakfast, we did a little bird-watching. The trees are filled with Green-headed parrots. We tried to take pictures of them, but we weren’t very successful. I think Nikki Hawkins got some good pictures of a few crows, however. Then we were off to church. The music was fantastic and the people were so very gracious. We sang for an hour and then I got to preach. Following church, we dashed back to the school for fried chicken, their weekly Sunday lunch. I think I could get used to that. Then some of us headed back to church for a block party while others stayed and got started digging. Fortunately, Lyle had a good part of the digging done before we got here. As we were driving out, I looked and our guys were doing their very best state-worker impersonation: three of them were leaning on shovels while the others supervised. They did work hard and got a lot done.

We had almost 30 Belizean children at the block party. Many were neighborhood children and not from the church. We did Bible stories, arts and crafts, and recreation. Mark McCurry tried to play a little soccer. Pictures will be available later, but Mark did a great job with the kids. It was back to the school for dinner and then back to church for worship. Randy Smith said he would fit in well at the church because when we got there at 6:55 p.m., no one was there. But by 7:15, we were up and going with a good crowd. We sang for over an hour, and then I got to preach again. These Belizean Christians love to praise the Lord, and they do a great job at it. They sing at the top of their lungs and put everything they have into the service. Pastor Cliff and the congregation were such a blessing to us. The young ladies who led the music were gifted and spirited and energetic. I’d like to bring them to Southside for a few months. So far, everyone is healthy but tired. David has had a little problem with his asthma, so please pray for him. We get started in earnest tomorrow. Pray that no one gets hurt digging and that God uses us to minister to the staff as well as the boys who will be back at the school tomorrow.

Belize-Day 1

Well, we finally made it to Belize. A little engine trouble kept us on the runway in Houston, but the flight was great. Gorman was a little nervous, but according to his seatmates, a couple of $5 beverages calmed him down. I think that was just a joke. But we made it just fine. It is an amazing place. Flocks of green-headed parrots flew all around us as we looked over the work to be done. They make loud noises, so Lyle said we could take as many home with us as we wanted. The sounds of nature are amazing. It is cool and crisp this morning. I am getting ready to eat breakfast, then we will head to church. I will preach for the first time this morning. Pray that God will use me as He sees fit. I believe that people are people everywhere, but I have never preached to a congregation that wasn't American. I have a message of hope and assurance. My desire is that God will use it to strengthen this congregation. The job ahead is large, but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

God is good!

Exciting Days

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I posted. Time has surely flown by. Sonya and I were blessed to be in Memphis last week at Kirby Pines, a senior adult community, for their Crusade For Christ. I had the privilege of preaching on Thursday night. It was great fun, and the staff there was extremely nice. Thanks, Bro. Berry, for the invitation.

Next week, I am headed to Belize with our mission team. I am filled with anticipation and a little fear. Anticipation at the good things God is going to do in us and through us there. Fear in that I don't want to come back with scalp burrowing fly larva. I also don't want to embarrass myself by screaming like a little girl when the large tarantulas come out of the woodwork or by out-snoring Gorman. But most importantly, fear of missing the great opportunities that God will present to me while I am there. Opportunities to minister and to witness and to love unconditionally. It is going to be a great week, I know, because so many of you will be praying for our team. If circumstances allow, I will try to blog each evening to keep you updated on what is happening. And if I have any pictures of the scalp-burrowing fly larvae, I will post them for you to enjoy.

Your Priorities

Well, as promised, here is what I feel should be the “priorities” of every Christian. But before I give you my list, I wanted to share with you my heart. I was reading Ephesians 4 this morning which reminded me of my true ministry priorities. In vs. 11, Paul gives a listing of church leaders, and in vs. 12, he gives their responsibilities. What he says is that God has given to the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers for the purpose of equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry and to edify the body of Christ. I was reminded by a dear friend this week that in the Book of Acts, the apostles refused to allow anything to distract from their two tasks: prayer and the ministry of the Word. In essence, my responsibility as pastor/teacher is to teach you the Word and train you to minister. Don’t panic. I’m not going to quit visiting, ministering, and evangelizing. I believe the best teaching method is demonstration. I teach you by modeling ministry. With that said, here is what I think your priorities should be:

1. Personal relationship with God – First and foremost in this priority is Prayer and Bible Study. I don’t believe one is effective without the other, and I know that we cannot be effective without both of these. Please understand that this priority includes every aspect of your personal relationship with God including your call to ministry, to meet the needs of others, and your responsibility to share the gospel. After all, Jesus said that “loving God completely and loving others as myself” summed up who we are as Christians and what we are supposed to be.
2. Your family – The Bible says that a man who neglects his family is worse than an infidel, so I believe that we must spend time with our families.
3. Leadership in church programs – We all need to be involved in making our programs the best that they can be. Your church staff cannot do it by themselves. Take your positions seriously whether it is teaching a class, leading a program, serving on a committee, or whatever it may be. Our church will only be what we allow God to make us.
4. Ministry to Southside – Please understand that ministry includes visiting the sick and shut-ins, ministry to members in need, and counseling/comforting those who hurt. Neither you nor I can do it all. But each one of us has been gifted spiritually to do certain tasks. Let’s discover our gifts and use them to do what God wants us to do.
5. Fellowship with church members – Fellowship is one of the five purposes of the church. We can’t be a “family” without getting together on a regular basis.
6. Community Involvement – I don’t believe it’s possible to be “the salt” and “the light” that Jesus called us to be if we are not involved in our community.

You may have noticed this list is very similar to what I believe are my own priorities. My friends, we are in this ministry together.