Happy New Year! The month of January is proving to be as busy as December was, and I'm excited to give you an update on how things are going.
I've really enjoyed the last few weeks. Not only have we finished our Christmas, New Years, and Epiphany celebrations, but I had a delightful visit from my mother and one of her work colleagues. We did a lot of exploring and tourism, but I was also able to introduce them to the rhythms of Belizean life, and ministry within that life. I'm so grateful that they were able to come down and spend the time with me and others here.
Now, we're just a few days away some other big arrivals. This weekend, the board of SAMS-USA (my missionary society) will be coming to San Ignacio for their once-every-three-years retreat, and I am looking forward to helping to make it goes smoothly and fruitfully. Most of the board members will stick around next week to help out as a team in a number of different missionary opportunities, including helping with chapel services at the school, construction, and healing prayer in our congregations. Finally then, the weekend following SAMS-USA will be holding in San Ignacio a retreat for its new missionaries (including yours truly) which will extend to the following Monday. In other words, we're booked and we're busy!
Before these groups arrive on Friday, I will be spending more time receiving a few other visitors and trying to nail down my housing situation (still up in the air until I get a firm word from the Ministry of Agriculture in Central Farm). In the meantime, I've begun buying some basic items of furniture to put in my new house when it becomes available. Please pray that this continues to go smoothly.
In other news, we are excited at the possibility of beginning our new Spanish-language service on Saturday, February 1st. Please continue to keep this in your prayers. Take care, and have a wonderful couple of weeks!