Summer 2014 7/15/14 Day Five: James Lo (SCBC)

            Once again God has blessed us in Belize with an exciting and productive day in our work for him.  Today, just like yesterday, began with VBS proceeded by an excellent breakfast of Belizean Fried Jacks courtesy of Edith and Ms. Lupicia. VBS was as chaotic with every child bouncing off the walls with boundless energy and vigor. Their youthful excitement was especially prevalent when each crew of kids shared their cheer to be judged by Craig and his “expert” panel of judges (the winner being “Fried Chicken, Watermelon, Ice-Cream” team).  God truly blessed us in terms of attendance with every single child returning from Monday along with ten new kids brining our total up to 52 and nearing our once lofty goal of 60 children. With so many kids our crew leaders were sometimes overwhelmed, but God helped us persevere and continue to provide love that the children need ample amounts of love they all need. (Thanks to Ann for the penguin walk to keep the preschoolers in line).

            Once all the VBS kids had left, except for Derek and Eric who stayed to help, we returned to the construction project at hand. We made good progress digging yesterday, so for the construction, most of the work was in digging up the tenacious layer of earth that remained below the upper layer. Once again we all worked and sweat like few of us had done before, and due God’s role in motivating each and every one of us as well as a great effort from the entire team we were able to complete the digging. Now we only await the contractors to come and provide the church with a brand new parking lot. The painting also continued and good progress was made on it as well as we rallied to work diligently until dinner.  

            After dinner Sylvia lead us in group prayer to pray for each individual child by name, their families, and their future. This session enabled us to truly talk with God for the needs for every child in a more personal manner than normal prayer.

            By the end of the day, I found myself anticipating the next. My experience here in Belize and far exceeded by expectations, as I believe is the same for many of the first timers. Belize is a wonderful place and I thank God for bringing all of us here on this missions…OMG THERE’S A COCKAROACH ON MY LEG!

Prayer Request

1)   That all the children in VBS will be touched by Jesus and choose to bring him into their heart.       

2)   For the basketball tournament starting tomorrow

3)   For the general weather and environment to be accommodating (bugs, temperature, rain, etc.)

- James Lo

Summer 2014: Pictures of Food. By no means are your kids starving.

Summer 2014: A Special Note from Rev. Brian Leong

We’re just about halfway through our 7^th Belize STM and it’s been an eventful first half.  This is my eighth trip to Belize since 2008 and this particular trip has reminded me of how far we’ve come in these years and given me great hope for where we’re going in our ministry in Belize.

On Sunday we visited the Lake-I Baptist Church, pastored by Pastor Ashley Rocke.  In 2009 when I visited Belize alone to start planning our summer trip, I was introduced to Pastor Rocke.  It was his love and vision for reaching the Chinese here in Belize for Christ that really captured my own heart and mind and started me thinking about what could be possible if a Chinese church invested for the long-term in Belize.  Back then, 10% of the population in Belize was Chinese, with 4,000 Taiwanese expats and far more mainland Chinese, Cantonese speakers.  Yet there was no church for the Cantonese speakers and no way for them to hear the gospel in their own heart language.  And here was this Belizean pastor, his church surrounded by Chinese shops, who loved these Chinese and wanted so dearly for them to be reached for Christ.  I’m thankful for those hours I spent with him and was thankful to see him again on Sunday.  We were all so blessed by that worship service and by the welcome we received there!

These days of VBS have given me confirmation of our vision for Belize.  The opportunity to minister to local and Chinese Belizeans together every morning has given us a chance to see these children of such different cultural backgrounds  singing songs of praise, to see them receiving hugs and affection as one people without care for color of skin, to see them laugh and play together.  It’s a beautiful thing!  And the new community center that LGCC built here at the church is a perfect venue for building up the Chinese population into a true community as well.  So many of these Chinese shopkeepers are isolated and lonely.  Giving them a nice place to spend time together and make friends will improve their lives in numerous ways.  Building them into a Christ-loving community will transform their lives and the future of this entire city and country.

There are still many obstacles we face as we look to the future.  There is still little trust between the local Belizeans and the Chinese ones.  Too much violence has taken place in recent years for that reconciliation to happen easily.  Many of the Taiwanese have left Belize to return to better prospects in Taiwan.  And just as we built a community center, the casino in Belize just built an additional casino, entrapping more and more Chinese men into gambling addictions.  God will have to break through for this country to move forward into the hopeful future that we would like to see.  We lean on Jesus’ promise to Peter: “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Prayer Requests:

Pray for the long-term future of the Belize Chinese Church, that God will provide direction and clarity to everyone involved in planning its future.

Summer 2014 7/14/14 Day Four: Kaitlyn Cheng

Hello Friends and Family!!!!!!

Today was the first day of VBS and it was so so so fun. Richard Gao, Kody August, and I are crew leader to Standard 5 and Standard 6 which is like grades 7 and 8. Kody is one of the Belizean youth that hang with us and keep us safe. We’ve met so many really cute kids and they are genuinely excited about VBS, which just makes me super pumped. Jessie and I have such a laugh with the songs this year. But I can’t wait to go back tomorrow and start again. Belize has been such a growing experience and a great bonding experience with both churches as well as with the Belize youth. It’s been amazing to reconnect with friends that I haven’t seen in two years. Its like nothing’s changed and that’s the best part. I don’t think I have smiled or laughed this much in a REALLY long time. This has been more than a short term missions trip, I’ve made so many friends and so many jokes; you really get to know someone on a deeeeeeep level when you know their bowel movement schedules.

            After VBS we started construction on the church today. I was so impressed with everyone today, I saw them work so hard and sweat SO MUCH. I MEAN, THEIR SHIRTS = SATURATED W/ SWEAT. Shout out to Elissa, Emmett, Richard, James, Preston, Justin, and Jessie! I saw them work non-stop and sweat so much, but they never complained or stopped for a break. I can’t stop raving about them, they are such amazing hard workers and are all amazing with kids. Even when they didn’t feel well or were hurt, they just kept going. Honestly, I’m so amazed by everyone. They are such a joy to work with. Today I perched on the outer edge of the balcony and scrubbed mold off the side of the church building and then repainted the building. It was life-threatening fun! We have many photos to show how hard everyone worked. Praise God no one was hurt!

Prayer Requests:

1)   Pray that the members can love on all the kids coming through our VBS program

2)   Pray for safety as we continue to work on construction this week and for health

3)   Pray for more fun and bonding ^________^

Summer 2014 7/13/14 Day Three: Angel An (SCBC)

Good evening there! This is your temp DJ Angel An checking in! Hope your day went well?!

Today was a very eventful day for the LGCC/SCBC Belize STM team.  We received lots of love from the local Belizean church @ Lake Independence Baptist Church during our visit.  THEY LOVE HUGGYS!!!  Which I don’t mind at all.  It was POURING rain outside and it made the hugs temperature-bearable and made me feel at home.   The pastor gave a message that was almost like it was written specifically for us.  A memorable quote: “In heaven, there is not Chinese church or Belizean church, so why are we sitting separately?”  When I heard that, I looked back, I was shocked at the racial separation.  @.@  It’s true, we like to hang out with people we are familiar with, we like to hang out in our comfort zone.  But if Jesus hung out in his comfort zone, then how are we saved now?!  If we hang out in our comfort zone, then how are those who need our help be saved?  You can’t say “oh, someone else can do it”, but someone else is going to say the same thing and in the end nothing gets done.  So we mixed up our seating arrangement and got inspired.  During the worship, which btw was completely island style (great drummer, base guitarist and just a great set overall), I was DANCING! I couldn’t contain the joy that was inspired by the people at LIBC.  I can’t say I’m completely in love with Belize yet, but I’m def likin’ it!  People in general here are just real chill and joyful – Island style!

We then had a service at the church we are partnering with/living at (Belize Chinese Christian Church).  BTW, side-tracking a little bit, I don’t know if anyone mentioned the living conditions or food here in the previous blog posts, but IT’S GREAT!  I’m not low-maintenance, so trust me when I say IT’S GREAT! Parents at home, qing fang xin!  Well, esp for girls at least.  The fried chicken is soooo yummy!  OK, I’m back.  I did the worship set with Pastor Brian and Matthew Chang.  It was a great set in my opinion, esp. being the first time worshiping with these guys in front of a fairly new crowd.  Once again, I felt God’s presence and that warmth in my heart. 

In the late afternoon, we prepped for VBS that’s starting tomorrow and will last for the whole business week.  We spent hours learning the dance moves for the singspiration songs. Lots of pressure because Matthew and I are supposed to lead the moves without the actually videos and Matt is lacking.  LOL JK.  He’s a guy, so I cut him some slacks, but Come on Matt!  Ok I’m kidding again.  Love the guy.  Lots of preparation went into the making of this.  We brought all the supplies from home, from crafting pencils to room decorations. I’m ready for VBS, so is everyone else on the team.  The skits are gonna be awesome because we have some talented dramatic actors on the team – Austin, Emmett and BJ.  I’m excited. 

PRAISES TO GOD! For blessing us with SUCH a nice team.  I’m so glad and thankful for everyone on the team.  They make me think I don’t want to go home!  This is how comfortable I feel here. 

Please lift up the team though.  It’s been storming for the last couple of days, with today being the worst.  The roof is leaking as I’m typing right now, but it made the stay here so interesting.  This is to fully experience Belize.  The good news is, when it rains, it’s nice and cool.  But the bad news is boys.  LOL Ok, not just boys, but boys who like to dance in the rain.  I know it’s romantic and all, but come one, xxxxx xxxx, I would rather not give away any EmergenC if I have a choice.  So peeps at home, please lift up our health and our energy as we get into our main mission of the trip tomorrow.

Thank you for your continued prayers, love and care for us.  Until tomorrow, stay cool!

God Bless,

Angel An

Summer 2014 7/12/14 Day Two: Emmett Lee

Hello Friends and Family!

           

            This is Emmett giving an update of the happening here in Belize. Today is Saturday, July 11, 2014 and it is currently nighttime. Today was a packed day of prep work and set-up. We started the day at about 8AM with a very packed breakfast (may have woken up a few times in the night cause the AC was actually to cold…), which most notably contained meat pie, which is an extremely popular food. It can be best described as a miniature curry pies the size of an egg tart with a removable top that doubles as a spoon.  I made it a mission to eat a lot, which for those who know me that probably isn’t a surprise; I had 5 of the meat pies and other stuff, which you can ask about later.

            After breakfast we worked on prepping the church for VBS on Monday. Tons of streamers flying everywhere, cups being stabbed, skits being prepare, Being in charge of the Skit team was rather strenuous since it was sometimes hard to work over the sounds of Disney music and other random singing, but we managed to get it together in the end and it should be fine for our dress rehearsal tomorrow night. When we were almost done with the skit preparation we were bombarded with a huge downpour of rain that lasted for maybe 5-10 minutes, supposedly it had been the first rain in quite a long time and many of us took the time to run out into the rain to cool off. 

            Once the rain was done we went inside the church to enjoy our next meal lunch, in which I actually eat less cause I had a ton for breakfast. The main course of this meal was the grilled chicken. Thankfully the rain hadn’t affected it and we were able to enjoy it without much interruption. 

            Following the meal was by far I think the most interesting events. We split up into two groups and worked our way around the neighborhood meeting families and kid whom we invited to our VBS and the basketball tournament that would be happening during the week. The neighborhood itself didn’t feel all that strange to me. I was not supremely startled or afraid of anything new or unusual but I did feel a little out of my element in terms of my comfort aka being more social with strangers and talking to them as we approached. The one thing that really surprised me was the social dynamic of the housing in the area surrounding the church; in the areas that my group toured you could tell the difference in wealth of those around you.  Some were a bit run down and tattered but then right next door you could see what would be considered a very modest housing with three cars in the driveway, the way the economic status were so closely intermingled was the strangest thing in comparison to our own neighborhoods at home. At home we would usually see a bigger divide between the economic classes but in Belize there was little to keep them apart except for just not going over to their neighbor and talking to them. It makes me wonder how that gap can be filled here and a home and it gives me hope that as we go through the week of VBS and the basketball tournament we might be able to bring that gap to a close as those from both can be bridged as members of the same group or team. I pray that the VBS would be more than just a safe place but something that can make the neighborhood a safe place in general. This was really the first experience for me outside the church, which in its own way is such a confined environment (Oh yeah and I haven’t mentioned but this is my first time to Belize) and I wonder how much more I’m missing.

            At the end of the day and after dinner we all had our fun during the debriefing and listening to the stories of the wanderings of both teams I hope and pray that we can just continue to make a positive impact in the life of the Belizeans. I thank all of those who pray and give continued support and pray that we can continue to make an impact here in Belize. I’m not sure what else to say so this is Emmett Lee signing off and saying goodnight.

            Prayer Requests:

1.     That the church can continue to be a safe and welcoming place to all those who come during our stay and after we leave

2.     That all those that we have asked to come to the VBS will be able to come and bring all their friend and family

3.     That our team will remain healthy and mosquito bite free (I only know that Uncle Craig has one so far)

4.     That God would show us more ways that we can positively influence the people of Belize

5.     That we won’t be held down by grudges or things back home and can just trust God to take over in our live and keep us strong through all our activities showing your grace and every one of our actions here in Belize

Summer 2014 7/11/14 Day One: Traveling & Tiredness

We are finally off to Belize, as we speak we are on our flight from Dallas to Belize City.  I apologize for my bad grammar, but we all are tired and have lack of sleep. This will be my 6^th year going to Belize, and every year we have started pretty similar. We never knew how each trip would start , but we always depended on God to help guide us and to get us to God safety. If I have learned anything from the past several years is that God provides. He has helped us when we are in trouble and has provided us when we didn’t know we needed his help. One year he gave us more energy by making us miss our flight to Belize. It helped a whole lot, because we were all really tired and helped us prepare for our projects that we were to do in Belize that year.

As for this year, I feel that God has provided peace and a good team this year. God giving us time and logistics planning almost done was something that we can give him praise. As the week goes on while we are working with the Belize Chinese Church, I hope our team and the youth there will continue to remember that God will be there and we are to remember that he provides.  Thank you all for following and praying for us.

UPDATE: Not much happened when we got to the church. We met some of the church members and had a delicious dinner. After that we hung out with some of the youth group kids, and played some games. Overall it was a really relaxing day and I came out of it with a full tummy and creating new bonds and strengthening relationships with God and the people here.

Prayer Request:
1) Our team will get enough rest, to do God’s work in Belize.
2) VBS goes well.


-Jonathan Hsu