Our Calling

 

Corozal, Belize, is a small coastal town, originally settled in the mid-1800s by Mestizo refugees after the Mexican Caste Wars.  It is located on Corozal Bay, approximately 10 miles south of the country's border with Mexico. The current population is estimated to be 10,000, and the locals would be characterized as hardworking.  While English is taught in schools and is the official language of the country, most adults in the Corozal district are more comfortable speaking Spanish.

We will be partnering with the Church of the Nazarene, known by the locals as Ingles de Nazareno, in Altamira; the pin on the map above marks the location of the church.  Altamira is a small section of Corozal that is located to the north of Ricalde Stadium; it has an estimated population of 300.  

Hermilio Guerra, Pastor at Ingles de Nazareno, and most other pastors in Belize are bi-vocational, meaning that they have to work outside the church to support their families.  His wife, Consuelo, and their seven grown children and their families are active in the church, which is not affiliated with the Nazarene denomination in the US but holds beliefs similar to Baptist churches in Belize. The church meets on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday evenings to worship.  In addition, they have regular prayer meetings and weekly women's Bible studies.  The church is also focused on marriage restoration.

Many Hands Make Light Work

It is hard to believe, but we are less than 25 days from our scheduled departure on June 14th, and the closer we get to that date, the busier things seem to get! That said, God has assembled an incredible team of individuals that are already using their diverse talents and gifts to plan and prepare for our time in Belize.

As of this past Saturday, we finished preparing and packing VBS crafts. It is true that “many hands make light work!” There are some really neat crafts planned that week to reinforce the daily Bible stories, and we will conclude by making a leather and bead salvation bracelet. Puppets always seem to be a big "hit" too, so they along with a new puppet screen are also waiting to be packed. We have gathered sports equipment and will again be taking Bibles for each of the kids that participate in VBS; those Bibles will be paid for with monies collected at Evangel’s VBS that starts the week before. In the next few weeks, we will be assembling tools and supplies that will be used to start construction of an enclosed Sunday School room at Ingles de Nazareno. It feels great to be active in support of the Great Commission! 

But even in the chaos of our preparations, we do want to thank you for sharing in this journey with us; we deeply appreciate your support and your prayers!!

An(other) EPiC Belizean Adventure....

It is hard to believe but another EPiC Adventure began earlier this year when God called a team of 31 individuals from Evangel Presbyterian Church [http://www.evangelchurchpca.org] in Alabaster, Alabama. Since that time, we have been preparing for a week of ministry in Belize this summer that will include VBS, construction, sports, home visits, music, and worship.

Our scheduled departure is June 14th and our destination is Corozal, Belize. Corozal is a small, coastal town in northern Belize, less than 10 miles south of the country's border with Mexico. Our group will be flying into Belize City, the originating point of an 85+ mile bus ride to the north and our home for that following week, the Mirador Hotel [http://mirador.bz] in Corozal. The Northern Highway is one of the better roads in the country but it is loaded with "troopers" (speed bumps). It normally takes 2 ½ hours to complete the journey…..“Will somebody please let down the windows in the bus and cut on the A/C??”

We will be partnering with Thirst Missions [http://www.thirstmissions.org] and will again be working with the Church of the Nazarene in Altamira, a “suburb” of Corozal. This is the same church that we served two summers ago. During the week, we are also planning to spend some time with our brothers and sisters at Prince of Peace Church in Corozal and with Garry and Anita Chambers, MTW missionaries to Belize; just an interesting fact, Garry and Anita are some of the first missionaries that our church began supporting, shortly after our formation in the early 1980s.

In the weeks ahead, we hope to use this blog to keep you informed about “our” adventure and updated as to how God is working through us (and in us). God has assembled a gifted and diverse group of individuals and it is our prayer that God will draw us closer together as a team and closer to Him, individually, as we look to serve others in fulfilling the Great Commission.

We are grateful that you are partnering with us on this journey. Now, let's put the windows down ("cut on the A/C"), knowing that the long ride ahead will give us plenty of opportunities to see God at work. May we each be changed through this EPiC adventure!!