As of today - June 11th

Happy Feast of St. Barnabas!

As many of you may have read in previous posts this week, we had a lot of excitement: the trip to Mexico for Christina's surgery was by God's grace a huge success, and we can thank him for his continued healing. I'd like to include here an excerpt from a letter that she sent her own prayer warriors:

Dear Friends: 

I am so pleased to report that I am home.  I am not experiencing any pain.  The procedure went remarkably well.  There were many strange experiences that occurred during this trip that can only be attributed to prayers offered on my behalf.

I want to share with you how God answered prayers.  It is truly remarkable when I think about it.  I am so thankful for His mercies and for your willingness to pray for me.

We began our journey on Friday morning.  Jon, David and I left mid-morning.  I was so tired the previous night I forgot to take pain medication.  I had to have two and sometimes four different kinds of pain pills to cope the days prior.  My kidney was swelling and there was a blockage.  It is the worst kind of pain.  Friday morning I woke up with no pain.  NONE.  We continued to travel and I never again felt pain.  There was no explanation for it except the power of prayer.

I do not cope with going into surgery very well.  As they wheel me away, I am usually overwhelmed with fear and just the oppressiveness of medical procedures.  This time they wheeled me away, I never once felt anxiety or any kind of negative emotion.

I came out of the procedure with minimal pain.  I did not experience a repeat of complications I had in February.  That is, the sand created a blockage in my ureter causing me to be extremely ill and rehospitalized.  It took six days of enduring unbearable pain before the debris passed.  This time, I felt great, minimal pain and began passing the debris right away.

Every aspect of our trip worked well.  It was clear there were people praying for us.  Even as we arrived to the Mexican border this afternoon, I could see how God worked.  We got out of the taxi and a man approached me saying, "If you want to go to Belize, here is the bus." It had just pulled up and he was there encouraging us to get on the bus.   He just happened to see us and gave us the information.  We didn't have to stand in the sun and try to flag down a taxi.  That man road the bus with us and just kept smiling at me.  He was one of those helpers sent by God to make our trip go a little smoother.  How did he know we needed to go to Corazal?  Why did he bother telling us there was a bus right there?  Why did he bother telling us riding the bus was less expensive then the taxi?  I don't know.  I thought he was the conductor just trying to improve his business.  He was just another passenger, a helper and it was fantastic timing.  The buses only come to the Mexican border every hour or two. The timing was impeccable.

I love to see God work this way.  I am so in awe of the power of prayer.   Thank you so much for keeping us in your prayers.  We continue to praise God for how He reveals Himself in our lives through our travels and during our afflictions.

In Christ,
Christina

This week looks like it's going to be very busy. Please pray in particular that I am able to renew my visa easily in Belmopan (a procedure that has to be done every month!).

A Quick Update from Home

Thank you so much for your prayers. After a terrific time of recovery yesterday, Christina has hardly felt any significant pain after her lithotripsy procedure. In fact, she has not been taking any pain medication, as feeling great and in good spirits. This is a huge answer to prayer, as is the fact that her body has been smoothly and steadily passing the pieces of the kidney stone without any drama or pain whatsoever. Given how her last lithotripsy went (back in February), this is a huge, huge blessing.

She was feeling well enough that we decided to come back to Belize this afternoon. The Lord took good care of us at the border with Belize, and gave us a safe journey all the way home. As I write this, I am safe and sound in my apartment.

Thank you all so much for holding us up in your prayers, and for emails and messages of encouragement over these intense days. I'll be in touch again soon!

A Quick Update on Chetumal

I just wanted to let folks know that we got into Chetumal in good time yesterday. The drive up through Belize was safe and speedy, and the trip across the border without complications. When we arrived at the clinic, for some reason the appointment had not been set up, but we were able to get a time with the doctor for the time that evening that we had hoped.

After checking into our hotel, we headed back and saw the doctor. After running some additional tests, we set up an appointment for Christina to have an external lithotripsy in the morning on the following day (Friday). We were up early this morning to get Christina to the clinic, and after a reasonably short wait, Christina was taken into surgery. That was about a half-an-hour ago.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. Almost everything has gone very smoothly, but we still need the Lord's protection as we sojourn here in Chetumal, Mexico.

Big immediate prayer request

I have a HUGE big prayer request. Christina and her husband Jon, both Americans, are very important members of our ministry team here in Belize. Christina has for a while now been struggling with terrible kidney stones, and she got the news today (accompanied with pain) that one of those stones has grown and moved to the point where it is blocking flow out of her kidney. She needs a lythotripsy procedure immediately, and that means a trip to Mexico for good medical care.

Because Jon and Christina have only rudimentary Spanish, I have agreed to travel with them to Mexico, to be translator, chaplain, and travel companion. This leads us to some big prayer needs:

• For safety traveling through Belize to Mexico (about a five hour drive), and back
• For safety and justice crossing the border into Mexico and back (no bribes, extortions, delays)
• For wisdom and good communication in working with the medical staff in Mexico
• For healing for Christina for the medical procedures she's about to undergo
• For rest, clarity of mind, and peace through this stressful time
• For Jon and Christina's children who will stay behind in Belize with friends of the family

We desperately need your prayers. We leave for Chetumal tomorrow (Thursday) morning, and we hope to be back by Saturday, maybe even Friday. Thanks be to God for his great goodness and lovingkindness.

As of today - June 4th

Wow, I can't believe that another whole week has gone by. Incredible.

Last week went well, though it was definitely full. Tthere were lots of surprises. Juan Marentes and I had a surprise memorial prayer service to lead for a member of the community in Georgeville on Tuesday, and I was given a surprise influx of a carpet of ants through my front door on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, I was surprised to twist my ankle and sprain my knee coming down a slippery hill. But I have been surprised (not unsurprisingly) by God's faithfulness through it all. Our team has gotten a lot done this week, and this week looks to be the same.

Two particular things for which to praise God. First, we had a great time on Saturday hiking with the youth in Georgeville up to a swimming and eating area off the beaten track. Nearly three miles up and three miles back, we were all a little hot and tired, but we had a great time and built a lot of relationships in the process.

Second, I am thrilled to say that I now am able to get access to the internet in my apartment. This will save money, if not time, and the speeds may be such to allow me to communicate often via VoIP telephony. The adventure continues.

Thank you all for your prayers ... especially for health, protection, and everything that comes with transitioning to life in a new place, in a new culture, and with a new team. Have a great week!

As of today - May 28th

What a week it's been! I've been busy, as I expected, but when you're working in Belize, you'd be surprised how much you can cram into a day ... let alone into a week.

I've spent a lot of my time adjusting to the new life here in Belize. Adjusting to the heat, adjusting to the humidity, adjusting to the critters, adjusting to the language. While this doesn't necessarily put immediate demands on time per se, it is a load on the emotions and on the personal stability of a person. God has been good at holding me up through it all, but these matters do take their toll.

This past Sunday I was quite busy, which was meet and right since it was the Feast of Pentecost. I had the honor of preaching both at St. Andrew's (San Ignacio) and St. Hilda's (Georgeville), and of leading music at the services. In addition, I was asked to perform five baptisms for the service at St. Andrew's, and I was thrilled to step up to the challenge.

Otherwise, the week was filled with pastoral visits, meetings with congregational leaders, and working through administrative details like how to transfer money, how to get internet access, and where to invite people out to eat. All the important things!

Thank you all for your prayers!

Update on my telephone situation

As many of you know, I rely on a VoIP service to do most of my calling and texting to the United States while I am abroad (and at home, actually). However, due to typical restrictions by Belizean companies regarding internet-based telephony, I had a considerable degree doubt as to whether I was going be able to use it or not.

However, I gave it a whirl today, and after a bit of finagling, I was able to pull it off! Now, I just need to have access to a regular, reliable high-speed internet connection, and I can return your calls inexpensively and (hopefully) punctually. Something else to pray about!

As of today - May 21st

Well, I'm here! I got into Belize City on Friday afternoon, where Maria and Juan Marentes were waiting for me to head up to San Ignacio. It had just rained, and the clouds looked as though they had been handpainted across the skies. Absolutely gorgeous.

Since then, we've been going non-stop, and yesterday evening was the first moment I've had to catch my breath. After getting to San Ignacio, we immediately went shopping for the basics of my apartment, and then stopped by the Vestry meeting at St. Andrew's. Saturday we went early to the market, and then headed to Belmopan for a meeting of the Diocesan Commission on Stewardship, after which we ran errands until our evening meeting with the Lay Ministers.

Sunday morning I led services at St. Andrew's Church (San Ignacio) and St. Hilda's Mission (Georgeville), while Fr. Juan preached. Sunday evening I was able to head back to my apartment and begin organizing it and my thoughts and emotions after some packed days. Today is a holiday for Belize, so I've had the morning off, but this afternoon I'm looking forward to meeting with Fr. Juan and Maria to talk about our mutual expectations and broad plans for the next few months.

Thank you for your prayers and support ... shoot me an email when you get a chance!

As of today - May 17th

I leave for Belize tomorrow! I am very excited!

The last week with my family has been great. I've been able to spend time with parents, sister and brother-in-law, and with my too-cute-for-words nephew. I'm a blessed man to have had this great prelude to an exciting new adventure.

There is a bit of a mad rush going on at the moment to get everything done. There is packing to do, expenses to get reimbursed, parking tickets to pay (I sheepishly mumble), friends to see, vestments to finish, allergies to avoid: today in particular will be crazy. But tomorrow, when I pass through security at the crack of dawn, the busyness of here will be over, and I will be left entirely with the challenges and joys of the there that awaits me. And that is a great thing to think about.

Today, on the great Feast of the Ascension, I simply leave you with this prayer:

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son our Lord Jesus Christ to have ascended into the heavens; so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with him continually dwell, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

As of today - May 7th

I'm leaving on a jet plane!

That's right, as I type my bags are packed and checked, I have my tickets and my passport, and I am sitting at the terminal waiting for the plane that will eventually take me to ... Indianapolis. Yup: the adventure continues, and the next leg entails a visit to the land of corn, hogs, and basketball.

It's been a full week: a lot of traveling, a lot of goodbyes, and a lot of last-minute new friends as well. I'm exhausted, but i'm hoping that I'll be able to catch up on energy and sleep over the next few days as I see my parents and sister's family. If anyone in Richmond or Dayton wants to hang out, give me a call.

Thanks for all of your prayers: this week we're headed up to Vermont, back down to Indiana, and next week I'm off to Belize! The adventure continues.