Sparks

Dear friends, this is a quick post to ask for your prayers for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Guatemala and Belize that has escalated over the last week or so. Many of you are probably aware of the longstanding territorial dispute between Guatemala and Belize (in brief: Guatemala believes that much or possibly all of Belize rightfully belongs to Guatemala). But it's more complicated than that. As photographer Tony Rath fleshed out in an amazing 2014 piece, Belize is actually waging a war within its environmentally protected lands against Guatemalan poachers who are heavily financed, heavily equipped, and heavily armed. That same month, the death of tourism police officer Danny Conorquie (a graduate of St. Hilda's school) rocked our communities and served as a reminder that, so long as the territorial dispute continues, Belize's national sovereignty and its people's security are in jeopardy from outside poachers and illegal squatters.

Then last week tragedy struck. Guatemalan minor Julio René Alvarado Ruano was killed in the border zone by Belize military forces. These soldiers, who were traveling with members of the NGO Friends for Conservation and Development, maintain that they came under fire and shot back in self-defense, though family members of the young man contradict the military's account. The incident, which comes on the heels of the shooting of Belize sergeant Richard Lambey, drew heavy criticism from Guatemala's recently elected president Jimmy Morales who during his campaign for office had said that, "the worst thing to happen to Guatemala was losing Belize." Within days of Alvarado Ruano's death, Guatemala began amassing troops along the Belizean border, at least 3,000 in the last week, and the Guatemalan military has now occupied a famously disputed island in the Sarstoon River.

In other words, sparks are flying. Tensions between the two countries are practically as high as they have ever been.

In order to find a resolution, the Organization of American States (OAS) has been called in to investigate the situation, and Belize is confident that the story reported by its military and the accompanying NGO rangers will be vindicated.

In the midst of this tragedy, we ask your prayers for everyone involved:

• for the family of Julio René Alvarado Ruano, as they mourn his death;
   
• for the sovereignty of Belize and the security of its people, especially that of communities that lie along the border with Guatemala in the Cayo and Toledo districts;
   
• for clarity, justice, and discernment as the OAS investigates the shooting;
   
• for wisdom for the leaders of Belize and Guatemala as they seek to lower tensions and improve the welfare of their respective nations;
   
• for a decrease of Guatemalan troops along the border, and a withdrawal of troops from Sarstoon island;
   
• for a firm diplomatic resolution to the ongoing territorial dispute in such a way that Guatemala respects Belize's borders as they are currently drawn.

Thank you for your prayers for Belize and for our churches and our schools there, and thank you for your prayers for us and our ministry as we continue raising support! May God richly bless you all!

An April Update

“Pray that people would give: pledges are coming in very slowly, and we only have 60% of the support pledged that we need to return to Belize!”

— David

Dearest friends, it has been a while since we posted an update about how our support raising while newly married is going, and we do thank you for your patience. But the website has a new look (finally!), and we should let you know the status of things here in our North American sojourn.

We have been busy over the last few months, criss-crossing the American Southwest as we have visited churches and met with potential supporters. When last I wrote, we were preparing for the Western Anglicans House of Delegates meeting in Newport Beach, after which we flew up to Christ Church of the Sierra (Reno) for an amazing weekend with an incredible, mission-minded congregation. Since then, we have been all over:

Feb 21 - St. Luke's (La Crescenta)
Feb 28 - Christ Church (Fallbrook)
Mar 6 - Christ the Redeemer (Yuma)
Mar 3 - San Diego Deanery Meeting (Oceanside)
Mar 13 - St. Paul's (Lake Elsinore) & Epiphany (La Mirada)
Mar 20 - Resurrection (San Marcos)
Mar 24 - All Saints' (Long Beach)
Mar 25 - Epiphany (La Mirada) & All Saints' (Long Beach)
Mar 26 - Gold Line (Highland Park)
Mar 27 - Holy Spirit (San Diego)
Mar 30 - Miller Valley Baptist (Prescott)
Mar 31 - Arizona Deanery Meeting (Phoenix)
Apr 3 - All Saints' (Long Beach)
Apr 10 - New Wineskins (Ridgecrest)

As you can imagine, though we're excited to be sharing about our mission in Belize, we're also a bit exhausted from the travel and inevitable stress that comes with it. In particular, pray that people would give: pledges are coming in very slowly, and we only have 60% of the support pledged that we need to return to Belize!

As we continue on in our support-raising adventure, we will be traveling to Grace Anglican (Oceanside) tomorrow for the installation of the Rev. Bill Mugford as rector, and then on to spend the night in Arizona where we will be attending the dynamic Christ Church (Phoenix) and sharing about our mission between services. Please pray for our energy level, as we will need to come right back on Sunday so Mary Beth can keep on practicing for her recital.

That said, Mary Beth's recital pieces are coming along very well, and we are very excited for her big day on May 6th. She will be performing pieces by Scarlatti, Chopin, Schumann, as well as Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata. Please pray for her continued preparation, and that she excels at this capstone project for her Bachelor of Music degree!

Mary Beth's health continues to fluctuate some, but there is genuine improvement despite all of our travel and sometimes unpredictable arrangements. So many people have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome as we have come through visiting, and I am praying that over the next few months (and with the end of school) she will continue to make gains toward a full recovery of health.

SAMS celebrated its 40th Anniversary by having us pose by the statue of Captain Allen Gardiner.

As we look past April and May (almost all booked up by now!), we are asking where we should go next to share about the mission? We need to move on from Southern California, and various possibilities may be opening up for us as we continue deputation: possibly the Kern area (near Bakersfield, CA), possibly the Dallas/Fort Worth area, possibly the Southeast, or maybe even the Midwest. Please pray that the Lord would lead us to the supporters that he has for us, and that he would provide for our needs as he sends on these errands.

Thank you all for your steadfast prayer and support. We could not do this without you. I hope you enjoy the new look for the website, and be checking up occasionally for when we might post more pictures or videos. May God richly bless you all!

As of today - February 11th

Greetings from (a very) sunny California! News has been slow in coming over the last few weeks, but it is time for us to give you an update, and ask for your prayers as we continue the process of Deputation and seek partners to continue our ministry and mission in Belize!

But first things first, many of you have been waiting for pictures from the wedding! Our photographer has sent us the final cut of over 700 pictures, and they look amazing! Please feel free to check them out and to share in our joy!

Over the last few weeks, we have been visiting with churches and other supporters, even as Mary Beth has begun classes and we have almost completed the process of moving into our for-the-time-being studio apartment in Fullerton. On January 31st we were honored to visit Holy Trinity Parish (Ocean Beach), and the following Sunday, January 6th we returned to our primary sending church, the Anglican Church of the Resurrection (San Marcos) where they are already missing Mary Beth, her presence and her piano playing.

This weekend itself will prove to be quite busy. Tomorrow (Friday) I will be headed to a clergy meeting for the Diocese of Western Anglicans, and on Saturday will be presenting about our mission at the annual meeting of the diocesan House of Delegates (i.e. Synod). Immediately afterwards, we will then fly east to Nevada, where we will spend the rest of the weekend with the good people of Christ Church of the Sierra (Reno) who for years have been key supporters of our ministry. We plan to be back in Southern California again by Tuesday so that Mary Beth can get back on campus, preparing for her senior piano recital to be held on May 6th.

In other news, Lent has begun and with it a serious and introspective character to life. It is difficult for me to be away from my friends and ministry in Belize, and the somber mood of preparation for Holy Week and Easter seems to resonate for me during our sojourn away from the mission field proper. Financial support is coming slowly, and it is tempting to lose heart as we wait on the Lord. But Mary Beth and I believe that the Lord has indeed called us to Belize, and he will prepare the way for us to return. And so we ask you again to join in praying for God's provision and providential hand in preparing the way for our speedy reunion with our beloved friends in the Cayo District.

In the meantime, things continue on very well at St. Andrew's and St. Hilda's. This past Sunday both churches held their Annual General Meetings, and with the guidance of Bishop Wright and Deacon Tulloch, the leaders for 2016 are already jumping into action. My "State of the Church" addresses (one for St. Andrew's and one for St. Hilda's) were given in my absence, and I commend them for your reading as well. I am excited to see where the Lord takes our churches over the next few months, just as I am excited to return and be wtih them once again.

So, thank you all for your prayers, for your support, and for your encouragement. May the Lord richly bless you!

The Wedding Update

It's time for an update! Let's work backwards ..

Mary Beth and I are married!

On January 2nd, Mary Beth and I entered into the covenant and sacrament of marriage in a beautiful ceremony that took place at a Lutheran church in San Diego. We surrounded by many of our family and close friends from all over the world, and the Triune God was definitely present as he blessed us with his grace and love. The next day we flew to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for a couple weeks of honeymoon rest and relaxation, and we have come back to Southern California ready to commence the long but rewarding process of deputation, that is, our being deputized by our partners and supporters in the United States to continue our missionary work. In regards to the budget that our missionary society SAMS-USA has given us, we have approximately 50% of our pledge support raised. We will have to reach 100% before we can resturn to Belize.

We began deputation yesterday, January 24th, by visiting All Saints' (Bakersfield) and sharing about what God has been doing, and is further calling us to do, at our various churches and schools. We received an incredible welcome by former SAMS missioanry Fr. Richard Menees and others in the congregation who quickly made us feel like a part of their community. We are looking forward to deepening this relationship over the years, and providing a link to their ministering alongside of us in Belize one day.

This coming week, we are very much looking forward to visiting Holy Trinity (Ocean Beach) and similarly sharing about our ministry in the Anglican Diocese of Belize.

I ought to share a bit more about the last few months, particularly leading up to Christmas. To be frank, they were very difficult months for me and Mary Beth. For me, November and the first part of December were consumed with issues relating to the school. Without going into too many details, I found that I was having to step into a managerial role to support teachers and principals with regard to a number of crises, crises that were emotionally draining both because of their nature and also because of the time they required. The Lord sustained me during those difficult weeks, and I thank you so very much for your prayers and for the encouraging messages that many of you sent me.

They were also difficult months for Mary Beth. As she and I have shared before, she has been wrestling with an assortment of health issues that reared their ugliest heads during a very stressful semester at school. The Lord sustained her as well, and she earned the highest possible grades and received "jury approval" for her senior recital this coming spring. Nevertheless, it was truly exhausting.

A true answer to prayer came, however, a few weeks before Christmas, as a medical specialist was able to identify what is most probably at the root of the many horrible health issues she has been experiencing. The treatment she is undergoing is straightforward (though the worst of it involves and incredibly restrictive diet), and we are so thankful for the many people who were praying for her health and recovery. And please, continue to keep her in your prayers.

So, thank you all! As life returns to "normal" we are looking forward to being in touch again very soon. Take care, and may God richly bless you!