Dayspring Mission 2006 Updates




Return to main Journal page. 2/17/2006 – Patrick headed back to the States on Wednesday. I’ll be joining him this coming Wednesday as we attend an annual mission conference in Birmingham. This will be the first time we both will be able to attend together since 2003. We’re looking forward to the opportunities to share about our ministry, as well as to hear from other missionaries who will be attending as they share about their own fields of service across the globe. With school still in session, I’ll just be traveling back for two weeks, and Patrick will only stay a week longer to finish gathering supplies. We’re giving the students an early spring (dry season) break. Please pray for the mission station while we’re away. We have a trustworthy student that will be coming each evening to feed the animals and sleep in the house. We are a little reluctant to leave the house virtually empty for that length of time, but both feel the Lord has us returning to the States at this time. Ultimately, whether we are present or away, the house, bus and animals are in His hands. Though our time back will be busy and go by quickly, we would like to take advantage of the opportunity to get together with any of you who will be in the Birmingham area and be available to do so. Drop us an email and we’ll see what we can do. 3/15/2006 – Patrick and I are now both safely and soundly back in Belize. Patrick came in yesterday. I flew in last Tuesday. The day after returning, before heading back to the village, I took the buggy to Pine Hill, the local Mennonite community, and got the horses reshod. The overnight stay gave me a little down time after a busy two weeks in the States, and the “old fashioned” lifestyle was a nice way to transition cultures—from fast cars and big cities, to buggies on dirt roads and early morning roosters. Me, the horses, a buggy-full of supplies, one of our dogs, and Aku the parrot made it back to San Jose early Friday afternoon. Upon arrival I found the mission house and bus in great shape. Our student, who had been sleeping nights in the house and feeding the animals, reported that he’d had no problems during our absence. Thank you for all of you prayers. We had never left the mission station for that long without at least an intern minding it. On Sunday afternoon I resumed children’s Bible school. After two Sundays off and a village- wide soccer game happening simultaneously, I wasn’t sure how many children would show up. But close to 30 did. We’ll both be heading back to the village this afternoon. We have about three months left before the end of our second year of teaching school. Please continue to pray for our seven students, particularly that the Lord will speak to each of their hearts in such a way that they would desire intensely His salvation, receiving a foretaste of the abundant life offered to them in Christ. We’ve noticed a number of small things this year among the five returning students that indicate more openness towards us and the Gospel than was evident last year. Please pray that we will present truth through our “academic” time with them in a way relevant to where each is spiritually. As many of you have heard us share before, we haven’t found over these past five years many hungry, fertile hearts. Instead there has been quite a bit of fallow ground that’s needed breaking up, nurturing, and time; time for God to work in His way, and time for prayer—yours and ours—to do its effectual work. It’s certainly not only Belize where this scenario is encountered. Fallow ground in a heart, or a people at large, occurs in places where the Gospel, or parts of it, have been presented and to a degree implemented. But neglect and unwatchfulness leaves the ground hardened and unproductive—spiritually dead. I guess living in a farming community is causing the farming metaphors to abound, but the point is the remedy is still Romans 1:16: “the Gospel of Christ…is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.” A new heart, a changed life, is God’s work—by His power. No matter where we are, Belize, the U.S., or Timbuktu, we simply bear the message, by word and in action. But God causes the growth. The common denominator among all cultures is that man is separated from God because of sin. The Gospel, trusting in the death and resurrection of Jesus, is the power to restore the relationship. We must not lose sight of the simplicity of the message or doubt its power. I’ve found that the Lord has been reminding me of that lately. We live in a day of increasing coldness towards the Gospel (Matthew 24:12), but the Gospel has not lost its power. Schools or programs, events or ministries can all be used of God, but only as a vehicle to spread His Word. If they lose sight of that and become something more, something that distracts from God’s message, they stand in the way of His purpose—working in people through His Gospel in His time. It was great seeing many of you while back in the States. Patrick and I were much encouraged through the mission conference we were a part of in Birmingham. It not only gave us an opportunity to interact with those attending, but also to hear from other missionaries what God is doing in other parts of the world. We are in the process of sending out our quarterly (well, as close as we can get it) newsletter. It contains our annual financial report for those interested. If you are not on our mailing list and would like to receive these newsletters, please send us an email with your address. Talk to you soon! 4/22/2006 – As many of you know, over the past year we have been making our weekly town trips (to Punta Gorda) halfway in the buggy. This has meant leaving the horses in a pasture at another missionary’s house and catching a bus and/or hitching a ride the rest of the way into town. Two weeks ago, and again today, we took the buggy all the way, a distance of about 30 miles one-way. This amounts to a long day, but benefits us in a few ways. One is that it gives us more time in town and makes us less dependent upon the bus system or whatever car might happen to be heading where we need to go. This directly relates to the second reason. That is, because of our flexibility and slower mode of transportation, we are able to stop and talk with more people along the way, as well as nurture our friendships with people in town. We often get the question, “Why do you use horses and a buggy instead of a car?” Primarily we do so because in our particular village setting, a car is still a rarity. Though we have only one of two buggies in San Jose, the majority of people own horses. In our effort to identify ourselves with the people we minister among, this includes doing so in the area of transportation. A car would actually set us more apart, almost on a different “economic” footing than a buggy. Of course in PG, there are a number of cars, but it’s been neat to see how many heads we turn in the buggy even among a population that is use to seeing local Mennonites selling watermelons out of their wagons. So the next most oft asked question is, “Are you selling watermelons?” No. But the question does give us an inroad to further conversation and the opportunity to share why we are in Belize. And, let’s not forget, it’s cheaper here to feed horses than to feed a gas tank—gas is currently over $5 a gallon. Coincidingly, the publishing wing of the mission, Horse and Buggy Publications, is expanding. Over the last two years we’ve put together over 80 booklets. Some are simply stories about missionaries, while others are accounts of Christians who have endured persecution and suffering for the Lord. One series of booklets walks a person step by step through the Old Testament, highlighting blood atonement and culminating with Messiah’s final sacrifice. Another focuses on the basics of Christian living. We have devotional material and through-the-Bible in a year reading plans. Many booklets are set up to be worked through via correspondence. As we’ve met more people outside of San Jose in our travels, having booklets on hand has allowed us to offer them something spiritually beneficial to read. Overall, there are not many available reading materials in our area and a bigger sized book is often intimidating to villagers. We try to keep the booklets user friendly and easy to digest. While in town today, we approached a local shop owner about the possibility of displaying some of our booklets on her counter. We were surprised at her instant willingness and excitement. Though we often simply give the booklets away, she will sell them for us at a low cost. We’ve observed through our experiences here that sometimes giving things away creates what seems like a mindset or worthlessness towards what’s been given. For example, many a free Bible lie neglected in houses (and sometimes scattered across yards!). But if a person actually has to pay at least a little (relevant to their income) for something, they won’t be so quick to cast it aside. Our prices on booklets don’t even offset our printing costs, but we feel are important in encouraging appreciation towards them. We have given many more booklets away than actually sold, and of course we’d never turn someone away who genuinely wanted one but didn’t have 25 cents. Please pray that the Lord would use our publications as He sees fit. We are constantly seeking for how to best share truth with people here. Right now it seems like the school, the booklets, and our town trips are productive methods. However, we don’t want to be blind to other methods God might be trying to reveal to us. We also don’t want to stubbornly persist down a path that will bear no lasting fruit. There is always a danger of allowing our own methods of ministry to overshadow the message of ministry. Though God’s Word never changes, the means by which He chooses to make His Word known do. It’s so easy to cling tenaciously to the way we’ve always done things just because “It’s always worked before.” As creatures who don’t generally like change, we have to guard against insisting on settling down in the places we’ve grown comfortable in, when in fact the Holy Spirit has long since moved on. Pray that we will have wisdom in discerning those areas of our ministry that need to take priority—those areas where God is at work and not simply our good-intentions. We pray this finds each of you well. Feel free to drop us an email—we would love to hear from you. In the service of Messiah, 5/26/2006 – We’ve had the privilege to share this past week with Ricky and April, a former intern and his wife. Ricky worked with us in the summer of 2003. He became involved in camp ministry upon returning to the States, where he met April. They took their vacation time before the summer’s camp activities to come and serve alongside us in San Jose. Many villagers were quick to remember Ricky from his first visit. However, the village itself has undergone a bit of a facelift since he was last here. There are now fewer thatches and more zinc-roofed cement houses. The overall mark of progress in this area is debatable, but at least we have nearly 24-7 running water, a luxury Ricky didn’t enjoy before. This coming Monday, on the heels of Ricky and April’s departure, we’ll be joined by Michael and Ethan, two young men who will intern with us for the summer. With school winding down we’re looking forward to branching out from San Jose. Michael and Ethan will be crucial in assisting us as we travel to other villages. These visits will include literature distribution and enrolling children in “The Mailbox Club”, a Bible correspondence course. Along the way, as opportunities arise, we’ll show Bible-based films projected onto a screen that rolls down on the side of the buggy. These films offer us a “jumping off” point to teach from. One film, in particular, follows the steps of Abraham. The simple way of life it portrays is one many villagers can relate to. But most importantly, it stresses how one man had ears to hear the Lord speak and was willing to risk everything to follow. Then, the last week of July, we’ll host our annual VBS team. The team members have already begun meeting together and preparing for this year’s theme, “There’s Only One Way!” Please pray for this time. The past six months have seen the dwindling of the numbers of children attending Bible School each Sunday. We do have a faithful core group of attendees. At times it is even advantageous to work with a smaller group. But hopefully, the summer VBS can act as a catalyst to revive the interest of those children who have dropped off for whatever reasons. Jumping back to the present, we have our website, www.dayspringmission.com , back up and running. After a long spell of dormancy, we now have the capability to operate it from Belize (no, we still don’t have internet access in the village, but we can upload the site from our laptop in town). So feel free to check it out. We will be expanding it, adding more as time allows. Of special note is the “prayer request” page. It has an ongoing list of prayer needs that will be regularly updated. The site also contains information about Horse & Buggy Publications, with some of the booklets available to view. We are entering our final month of school. This means, in anticipation of the 2006-2007 year, we’ll soon begin ordering textbooks so that they arrive on time. We’ve had a number of you ask us how you can be involved in our work, specifically the school. Curricula are our biggest need—in most cases either new or used. If you would like more information, e-mail us and we can send you details. In our chapel service at school a couple weeks ago we were teaching the students the song that follows Psalm 139^23-24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked ways…[harbored inside my heart].” This coincided with something I had just been reading: “We do not need to worry about getting more of the Holy Spirit, but see to it that He gets more of us. We can have all of Him if He can have all of us.” As I encouraged the students to allow God to search their hearts as we sang, I was challenged to really ponder what Psalm 139 was speaking to me. Am I willing to relinquish any “wicked ways” that God might put His finger on in my life? If so, His Spirit is available in full to me. If not, then any praying or crying out for more of God’s presence is futile. We must guard against getting side tracked from the primary issue—sin versus holiness. Everything can be simplified in that. Please keep in touch! As we ask for your prayers, we also ask that we might know how we can be in prayer for you. In the service of Messiah, 6/28/2006 – As you can tell by the fact that it’s been a few weeks since we’ve gotten an update out, June has pulled us in a number of different directions. Our school year finished up in the middle of the month. This has freed us to set our sights outside of San Jose for the remainder of the summer. That is, if we don’t have to convert the buggy into a boat. It’s been an exceptionally wet rainy season so far. Rubber boots and rain jackets are the current gear of choice. But this hasn’t slowed down Patrick and Michael (summer intern) as they’ve already logged over 330 buggy miles. Patrick writing… Since arriving in Belize, Jeff and I have had a particular interest and prayer burden for two villages that are very different one from another, Aguacate and Barranco. For the first time in two years I headed to Aguacate with Michael two weeks ago. It proved to be a day of “13’s”. It was a 13 mile trip (one way). Along the way, as people asked what we were selling, we sold $13 worth of Christian books and literature. Then upon arriving in the village, we went to the school where we enrolled 13 children into The Mailbox Club Bible correspondence. We continue to feel that ministering to the children in the villages of this area is the key. They are not yet hardened toward God’s Word, and they will represent the next generation of adults in either spiritual weakness or strength. Children also provide a natural inroad into families in the village. Following our Aguacate trip Michael and I made our way towards Barranco, a village on the coast. The distance was further than we had been led to believe. At the end of a long day and late night, we calculated that it was about a 56 mile round trip. This is the new record for using the same two horses the whole journey. Though it is a Catholic school in Barranco, the principal allowed us to also distribute Mailbox Club materials to the students. Barranco has a unique history. It is not a Mayan village, but is populated by descendents of an African slave ship. The story is told that the ship began to sink, so the slaves were loosed from their chains. Many made it to shore, never to experience life in Belize as slaves. This same people group, the Garifuna, founded the village of Barranco. Because of this they are a proud people, but they also have retained many of their animistic beliefs. There is no evangelical church in Barranco, however, it does boast a gigantic thatch roofed “voodoo” temple. We found the people to be friendly, but curious as to our intentions. Barranco is not a village that has had much exposure to any mission work, not even short term. Jeff and I have long hoped for an opportunity to minister there. Michael and I are now taking the first steps in that direction. Jeff writing… On a similar note, Ethan (summer intern) and I have been working in two villages also, though villages closer to home. Tuesday afternoons see us making the trek to Santa Cruz. This is a village we are quite familiar with, having lived there for a time, and bringing a VBS team there in 2003. Then on Wednesdays we take off in the opposite direction to Na Luum Caj (Mother Earth). In both cases we’re holding children’s Bible school, just on a much smaller scale in Na Luum Caj, as it is a tiny village. Ethan and I have been sharing about Elijah. He, like the children, was just one person from a small village who chose to take a stand. His stand stirred a king to anger and affected an entire nation. Can the prayers of one man (or woman) be a force that confronts a nation with the question, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him”—absolutely! Belize, like Old Testament Israel, is a land steeped with opportunities to take God seriously, but sadly, like Israel, it seems to often opt for compromised Christianity. “I’ll give God lip-service when it’s convenient or expedient to do so, but if Baal (or whatever one turns to besides God) seems to offer something better, he’s the god I’ll serve. After all, an idol is anything we allow to distract us from loving the Lord God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Anything short of giving God all the glory, is to give the glory due only to Him to something else. This includes our time, our efforts, our friendships, or even the church service itself, which so often becomes the focus here in San Jose. All that is “good” can quickly become bad if God is in any sense dethroned. Please pray for Santa Cruz and Na Luum Caj as we continue through the life of Elijah, and his protégé, Elisha. Also keep in mind Barranco and Aguacate. The former in particular is a village that Satan will not easily relinquish. Your prayers are imperative. In His service, 8/14/2006 – Long, fern-shaped cahoun leaves covered the main pathways to and from the mission station, mud seeping through in various places. Mosquito nets and camp cots lay piled in a corner, evidence of the early morning departure. The silence was eerie after ten days of excited chatter. In the distance it seemed a child could be heard asking if VBS would last two weeks this year. Cresting the hill home last Monday afternoon after having seen the team off in PG, Patrick and I reflected on the incredible group we had this year with its variety of gifts, versatility, and servants’ hearts, even as we anticipated getting some much needed rest. I am tempted to put together a puppet show to relate the events, but at this point I’m afraid a simple e-mail will have to do… With a total of 22 of us all together in San Jose this year, the team was spread out in various village homes for sleeping accommodations. Everyone hit the day running at 7 AM with breakfast on the go and devotions at the mission station before a frenzied cleanup and preparation to get ready for the 8:30 VBS. Over 200 hundred children the first day quickly showed us we would have to rework plans from previous years and divide the children up. One group of children headed across the road to the craft station, while the other received the day’s lesson in songs, skits, and puppet shows in the Bible house. This meant all the teaching had to be done twice each day, but we were blessed to have an experienced child-entertainer on the team who earned the title of "Craft Czar”. She not only kept the crafts rolling along smoothly, but also proved to be a treasure trove of activity ideas as the children finishing up their crafts waited their turn to rotate houses. After an 11:30 AM wrap up, the team headed to different villagers’ homes throughout the week for the local meal of the day. This was followed by the intense midday heat at which point everyone longed for a hammock to take their siesta in. However, since the Mayans here don’t follow that common Latin American custom, the desire had to remain as just that. There was really no time for napping anyhow. Women’s Bible study began at 2 PM, at which point the women from the team had the opportunity to interact in small group settings with San Jose women. We had three returnees this year from previous teams (one returning for the third time). These three informed us that the women opened up more readily than in years past (which is of course relevant to a quiet culture). A few women also made statements that indicated they understood being a Christian isn’t some vague sentiment of, “Maybe I am…,” but a definite step of receiving Jesus into one’s life—and knowing He has come to abide. This realization in and of itself is a significant step in the direction of the advance of the Gospel in the female sector of San Jose. A couple San Jose women even shared a bit of their own testimonies and experiences with God. He is surely at work among the women here. Please continue to pray that seeds sown this year, and in years before, will be brought to fruition. As the women ministered, the men sweat. Patrick and I had gotten to the point of needing a new bathroom facility to replace our two-by-four and tarp contraption (booby trap) that was on its last leg. We all set about sinking some freshly cut, heavy rosewood posts (did I mention heavy?) two feet into the mud, which still left a good ten feet of post on the high end. Since everything had to be sawed by hand, and sawing rosewood is no joke, we opted for the tallest bathroom in San Jose. We had a level, but no straight posts. This made plumb an unattainable goal. It being Belize, we did the best we could. After three and a half days we had a new bathroom and shower room that will serve not only our students, but also future interns and teams. For all of you who prayed for a letting up of the rain, your prayers were heard. It only rained hard the first day or so and then occasionally during the night for the remainder of the week. But as if the prayers stopped when the team left, it poured Monday and has been raining steadily since. We also felt your prayers in a myriad of other areas. It typically seems that when people come on a short-term mission trip they come ready to be uncomfortable, ready to serve, and ready to be used. This willingness tends to produce a beautiful example of the Body of Christ in action. This year was no exception as each member found their niche and dove into areas where they could use their God-given abilities. Some individuals even stretched themselves across many “fields” and continually surprised us. I can’t help but think of how much more of the life of Christ we as Believers could shine forth if we approached life as a “mission” throughout the year and endeavored to lay aside personal preferences and work together towards a common goal all the time. Our ten days as a team in San Jose proves it is possible, though not necessarily comfortable. The week’s ministry did not occur without determined effort and sinewy faith on everyone’s part. Our theme this year was “There’s Only One Way!” We traced several Old Testament stories to demonstrate how God has always provided a way for man to come to Him. Abel came through the blood of a lamb; Noah through one door on the Ark; and Jacob through a staircase in a dream, etc. Today that Way is Jesus Christ. We tried something new this year by emphasizing a memory verse each day to go along with the lesson. By the end of the week 36 children had recited all five verses. Michael and Ethan, our two summer interns, left with the team on Monday. We are definitely feeling their absence as we go about cleaning up and getting back into a regular routine. Both had been here since late May. Both had a summer experience that we pray spills over into their lives in Birmingham. If you would like a glimpse of the VBS, we have pictures posted on our website at www.dayspringmission.com . Just click on “Visit our 2006 VBS” on the homepage. Also, we still seem to be having e-mail problems. If you haven’t received our updates in a few months, it is probably due to that. Hopefully we are soon to have everything worked out. Please continue to pray for what God is doing within the children and women through last week’s ministry. May Satan be restrained through prayer from being able to snatch the seeds sown in the hearts of many, and may those hearts be found fertile—receptive to God’s Word. In His service, 9/9/2006 – For many of you summer officially ended a few weeks back with the beginning of the school year. For us, this coming Monday marks that point. Though it hardly seems possible, we’re going into our third year of classes in San Jose. Six students are returning, but this year unlike last, we won’t be taking any new guys. With the two of us already juggling two grades and dividing up the teaching load between 13 subjects, we knew that without an extra hand in the classroom, we’ve reached all that is manageable at this point. This of course includes us still being able to produce and distribute literature through the mission’s Horse & Buggy Publications, a ministry encompassing a much wider sphere than simply San Jose. Our printer obviously plays a vital role in the school and with publications, but is currently giving us problems. Please pray as we seek to work that out. Perhaps it goes without saying that our school is first and foremost a tool for discipleship. I often feel we in our modern western society mindset lose crucial perspective by separating “secular” from Biblical education. The scenario we’re given through the Old Testament example of Israel is one of a nation whose every facet—religious, domestic, and economic—made no distinction between what was considered spiritual and what was not (Deuteronomy 6:7). Life in its entirety was simply assumed to all somehow be an expression of God’s reign. Our tendency to categorize between earthly matters and heavenly ones is more of a historical spill over of rationalistic Greek thought, not Biblical truth. We cut ourselves short when we limit the Bible to strictly spiritual, sometimes mysterious matters that we feel we can’t solve any other way than by relegating them to a compartment in our brain that’s only accessed during Sunday School. Once upon a time the Bible was considered authoritative as it pertained to every branch of learning. If there is anything true, any provable fact, be it scientific, mathematical, musically theoretical, or even linguistical, it’s only so because the Creator deemed it to be. True, the Bible can’t, and shouldn’t, be used as an answer key for every conceivable question, but it does contain the foundational wisdom from which every answer stems. For example, the specifics of physics aren’t detailed in the Bible’s pages, but the principle of God’s established order in the universe is proclaimed throughout. Discipleship and education are in a sense insoluble. This in part is why we are using the school setting to reach youth in the village. Please pray for this school year, particularly that the students would each have a life-changing encounter with the Lord and His Gospel. Again, we will be holding chapel services on Tuesdays at 10:30 AM. This would be an opportune time each week to pray for the going forth of the Word into fertile hearts. Some of you are also aware that the missionaries with whom we pasture our horses are on furlough. Though they had somebody filling in for their church services in Punta Gorda, that is now a responsibility that we are carrying till their return (late September-early October). Patrick will be handling the service Sunday morning as I stay in San Jose for children’s Bible school. Please pray as we minister separately on Sundays for the weeks to come. We’ve added a few new features to the website. You can now view our mission video straight from the site if you haven’t already seen it. We’re also in the process of mailing out our September newsletter. If you don’t receive our quarterly (or as close as we can get them) newsletters and would like to, e-mail us your address. Thank you for your continued time and prayers. In His service, 10/7/2006 – With school now a month underway, we’ve settled back into our teaching routine. This doesn’t leave us with much time Monday through Thursday to focus our efforts on many areas outside of the classroom. But we do plan to regularly use the buggy for our Friday trips to town (Punta Gorda). Now that we have two reliable teams of horses, we can make the town run early in the morning and let the horses rest during the heat of the day while we pick up supplies. Then later in the afternoon we’ll drive the 12 miles back to the McKinney’s, switch to a fresh team, and go the remaining 12 miles to San Jose. The Lord has supplied us with pastureland at the McKinney’s, a missionary family who live about halfway from the village to town. They also graciously provide us a place to lay our heads and, most importantly, a listening ear that can relate to our daily experiences as only fellow missionaries can. These Friday trips will afford us the opportunity to distribute literature and possibly even set up a small Christian bookstand in the PG market from time to time. Of course, the slower-paced, open-air, “Belizean” style buggy travel allows us to interact with many individuals along the way. This one-on-one contact is what we look forward to as it abounds with open doors to share the Gospel while making new friends. We try to set Saturdays aside for rest and catch up. This includes whatever needs attention around the mission station. We’re currently experimenting with raising rabbits. The meat is protein-laden, tastes great, and what’s more, the production rate is second to none. We just received a canner and look forward to a shelf full of mason jars that will contain the fruit (or meat) of our newest venture. Sundays continue to host children’s Bible school. We’ve begun scanning in some of our Bible picture cards and flashing them up with a projector as we tell the stories. This seems to garner a whole new realm of the children’s attention. They were more captivated last Sunday than we had witnessed them to be in quite a while. It was probably a combination of the enlarged pictures and the enigmatic life of Samson they portrayed. It’s one of those perplexing facts of the Bible that Samson is mentioned in Hebrews 11’s “Hall of Faith”, as he seemed determined to thwart the plans God had for him. He broke his Nazarite vow on numerous occasions and pursued women of the Philistines, the very people oppressing Israel who Samson was suppose to be bringing deliverance from. He’s a luminous example of God using a man in spite of his poor decisions. But God also allowed those decisions to ultimately bring about Samson’s tragic downfall. It serves as a sober reminder that the spiritual law of reaping what is sown doesn’t show favoritism, even towards God’s elect. Hopefully this gives you an idea of our current schedule and an aid to praying for us. Also, pray for our six students as they face this year academically. The primary goal of the school is for their spiritual development, and that by far is our driving concern. But we can’t allow half-hearted attempts at studying and lackadaisical attitudes to reign. This is what appears to be forming among some of the students so far this year. Simply handing out a passing grade to one who hasn’t earned it reflects on the validity of the school’s spiritual message. God’s Word is clear that His conditions must be met for salvation: faith in Jesus Christ—a faith that will be evidenced by its outworking of obedience. If God sets a spiritual standard and doesn’t deviate from it, neither must we as teachers deviate from an academic standard that must be met to receive a passing grade. We don’t want to close on a negative note, and indeed we don’t feel negatively towards any of the students. Our joy is complete in the knowledge that as we enter our third year of school in San Jose, we are doing what we feel the Lord has led us to undertake. The ministry belongs to Him, as does the fruit it yields. Our duty is to be faithful to the task entrusted to us, leaving the results in His hands. In His service, 10/10/2006 – Dear Praying Friends, Well, today ended up being the day for us to receive a little visit from the Ministry of Education. As some of you already know, they came out to the village once near the end of this past school year; however, we were not at home and were informed of the visit by a neighbor who said that they had told her that they were going to close the school. Their previous visit to our house was new news to us, although we had had others tell us already that they’d heard the school was to be closed. Jeff and I had just finished eating lunch when the Ed. truck rolled up our hill. We have so little traffic that one is always interested to see who it is. At the time we were listening to a book on tape about a missionary named Harvey H. He and his wife had just been kicked out of the Sudan. This, and the fact that the vehicle looked like a government pickup, led me to say, “Well, it’s just a matter of time before the Ministry of Education shows up.” The truck struggled to turn around on our muddy hill (maybe for a quick get away) and then parked behind our bus. It was no doubt now—today was the day. In Belize when a young man or woman turns fourteen years of age they are free to decide if they will continue with school or not, and just like that they can drop out of primary school even if it’s in the middle of the year. If one decides to pursue an education beyond the primary level, then they must come up with a yearly fee that’s a little over $750 US. The Lord first opened our eyes to the need of a Christian school here by showing us the many young men in the village who were being turned into gangsters by their peers in the government school, and in trying to keep up with their new coolness, many of them failed out in their first year or so. Many of these young men had attended our Bible studies, and our hearts were broken to see them going the way of the world. So after much prayer Dayspring Mission Academy was begun, for those young men who still remained. The Ministry’s bone to pick with us is that they want for us to register the school with the government, stating that all continuing education efforts must be approved of by them. (Note the “ALL”, and so if you will just put this little gold star on your shirt…) We explained to the three men that we’re a private Bible school only desiring to make disciples for the Lord. They still said that we would need to register. Now Jeff and I both fully believe that a Believer should submit to the governmental authorities that are over him; however, we also must obey the Lord over man. We knew that this time might come, and the whole matter had been given much prayer. In talking with the three men who had come from the education office, I put the matter to what I call the “tyranny test.” “So if Jesus were in Belize right now discipling twelve men, would He be required to register with your office?” “Yes,” said the officer. I asked this a few times to make sure that they understood the question. I also asked if a church would have to register themselves on the account of having a Sunday school class. “If the class is only on Sunday… no,” came the answer. I did not ask about the Seventh-day Adventists’ Saturday studies. Before opening the school, we had visited other post-education schools in our area, none of which are registered. Each of them only encouraged us to go forward with our school, and the Lord made the action clear to us. We also made it very clear to every parent that we did not have any connections with the education office. After the Ministry of Ed.’s attempted visit during the last school year, I began to read up on the education laws of Belize. Quickly the dark impact of them became very clear to me, for they were so vague that if a woman was to teach another to bake a cake she too would have to be registered. It also became clear to us through reading their other policies that we as Believers could never place ourselves under the Ministry of Ed. Where things stand now… We gave the officers a letter explaining the function and position of our school regarding our feelings of the church-state relationship (I am enclosing a copy for you to read below). I stressed that since these young men were over fourteen they were now free to choose concerning any continued education (if it were not for our school most of them would be in the bush chopping). The officers said that they would get back with us and off they went. Since the day that we purchased our 1975 school bus and drove the rickety thing down Highway 280, this work has been in the hands of the Lord. It’s not only the school which is up in the air before the Lord, but as many of you already know, at the turn of the New Year the village as a whole will be voting on whether we can remain in San Jose or not. Our only prayer is that His will be done. Letter presented to Ministry of Education To Whom It May Concern: We have recently been made aware that Dayspring Mission Academy (DMA) has come to the attention of the Ministry of Education. Though we have not personally been in contact with anyone from the Ministry, the message we have consistently received in the form of “rumors” is that our academy is unlicensed and therefore not permitted to operate in Belize. Because of this, we feel it appropriate to explain the purpose of DMA, and to express our convictions as concerns operating a religious institution. DMA is a private, Bible academy whose express purpose is to follow the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go ye therefore and teach all nations…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” It is our firmly held conviction that making disciples (as Jesus sets the example for us as Christians to do) includes ministering to the whole man, and instructing an individual in all fields of knowledge as each relates to the Bible. This train of thought has its Biblical basis in Romans 11:33-36, which reads, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! ...For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.” For this reason we use the Bible itself as the foundational textbook of every subject taught at DMA. Those who attend DMA not only receive spiritual instruction, but also training in English, History, Science, Math, Art, and Music. Reading comprehension is imperative in Bible training. Writing and speaking skills are necessary for a person to express what he is learning and in turn make disciples of others. History, both secular and Biblical, traces the path of God’s redemptive plan through the ages. Science offers undeniable evidence for the existence of an all-wise Creator, and an opportunity to praise Him for His glorious design in the physical realm around us. Math teaches problem solving and fosters logic and reasoning skills, all of which equip a Christian with tools he needs to be an effective witness to the world around him. Art is an expression of man’s God-given creativity. Religious musical instruction not only teaches an individual how to read, play, and sing music as an expression of worship, but also trains in Biblical doctrine through the learning of hymns. Jesus and the Apostles did not limit themselves to the Old Testament Scriptures when teaching spiritual truths. Instead, the New Testament is full of parables and illustrations that draw from all facets of life: from agriculture (science – Mark 4) to reasoning with the skeptics (logic – Matthew 22), from history and literature (Acts 17:22-31; Titus 1:12) to the singing of hymns (Colossians 3:16), just to cite a few. These examples teach us that the Christian’s duty to make disciples goes far beyond simply sharing the Gospel. DMA’s goal is simply to make disciples of young men in obedience to Jesus’ command, who in return can do their duty to disciple others. This is one reason we do not feel a religious institution such as DMA is under obligation to obtain an educational license, anymore than a Christian should be required to be licensed before he can follow the teaching of the Bible and make disciples. DMA is a non-coeducational, non-accredited religious institution. We do not seek, nor feel we could accept in good conscience, accreditation, since our purpose in DMA is to make disciples, which is a sacred obligation, not an ordinance of man. Neither does our conscience allow us, as single men, to disciple women. Therefore we only instruct men at DMA. It is to our understanding that an individual in Belize is only required to receive a government education until he is 14 years of age. After that he is free to choose whether or not he will continue his education, in whatever form that may be, or desist from further studies. This freedom would also include studying the Bible or textbooks independently, sitting under the teaching of a pastor, or studying with others in a group atmosphere. For this reason, each young man who has chosen to receive religious instruction from DMA is over 14 years of age and chosen to do so of his own free and unsolicited will, with the full knowledge that DMA is not associated with the ministry of Education or any other government ministry in Belize. Furthermore, those who receive religious instruction from DMA have also been involved with Bible studies held by Dayspring Mission in the past and their continued instruction at DMA is an extension of that. Lastly, it is our conviction that the church and the state are separate entities, ordained by God for separate purposes, and therefore, should not overlap in the affairs one of another. It is the Christian’s solemn duty to obey the laws of the state in so far as they do not conflict with Biblical mandates, and the state’s God-given position to weld authority and rule justly in all secular affairs (Romans 13; Matthew 22:15-22). Since DMA is strictly a private, Bible institution, concerned only with the spiritual nurturing of individuals through the use of well-rounded training methods, we strongly hold to the position of DMA being nothing more or less than a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ. Far from such religious instruction conflicting with the interests of the state, we believe Jesus’ teaching that Christians are the “salt of the earth” confirms the fact that Christians act as a morally-preserving agent in the midst of a general society that continues to discard more and more Biblical values (Matthew 5:13). In light of this, we see no reason for DMA as a religious institution to come under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. We hope that our purposes, intentions, and convictions have been clearly laid forth in an understandable and polite manner herein. 11/2/2006 – It seems the rain is beginning to abate after close to four hours of steady pelting. It’s been a number of weeks now since we’ve had a shower like this. The two village creeks quickly filled. Since the culverts running under the bridges are perpetually clogged with debris, four of our students are stranded on the other side of the waist-high water now running across the road. So with afternoon classes canceled, I have a chance to begin hammering out this update and maybe get a jump on figuring grades for report cards going out next week. Patrick and I thank each of you who have been lifting up the school in your prayers since our last update concerning the visit we received from the Ministry of Education. We received e-mails from a number of you who assured us of your prayers and who let us know that you widened the prayer circle by forwarding the update to others you knew would intercede on the school’s behalf. For this we are deeply grateful. A lack of news is usually better than bad news, and at this point, we know nothing more. No one from the Ministry of Ed. has returned or tried to contact us. We’re not surprised as we didn’t really expect to hear anything for at least a month or so. With San Jose being a “bush” village at the end of a long, bumpy road, and the Ministry of Ed. having to deal with many other villages in the district, visits from its employees aren’t frequent occurrences. We are continuing as normal in the meantime. Please keep us on your prayer lists. We simply have no idea what their response to our letter stating our position could be. We need wisdom as to how to respond to further inquiries, and grace to be gentle but firm in our stand. In the last update we also mentioned something briefly that I would like to elaborate on here. As those of you know who’ve been along with us on the journey since we first drove the bus to Belize in 2000, we’re quickly approaching a potential fork in the road of our ministry. The village of San Jose gave to us a five year “probationary” period when we initially settled in this village. That is, they desired the privilege to ask us to leave if after five years they deemed our presence undesirable. We agreed to the terms and hence, almost five years later, the vote is coming up that will determine if we’re allowed too remain or not. This should take place around the beginning of 2007. What’s at stake? Probably the highest item on the list is the school (assuming the Ministry of Ed. doesn’t shut us down first). Each of the students began the school fully aware of the possibility of us getting voted out of the village. We’ve been nothing but forthright with them and their parents, letting both know that if they want to see the school continue, it will be their voice that carries weight when the decision is made. Then, we have the investment of relationships within the village, not to mention the mission station we’ve established that has become in every sense home, along with being the base of operations for other forms of outreach. In many ways, parts of our ministry feel like they are just now gathering momentum. On the other hand, we know we must daily be flexible. Many a missionary and pastor have insisted on staying right where they are when the Spirit of God has long since departed and is at work elsewhere. We came to Belize ready to stay a lifetime, but both felt it would be a five to ten year commitment. We simply wish to be where the Lord wants us. The upcoming vote will be a major indicator of that. Please pray that the Lord’s will be done. If God desires us to stay, Satan will surely try to keep that from happening. We certainly don’t want to leave work unfinished or individuals who are hungry for truth unreached. With time slipping by so quickly we feel it imperative to solicit your prayers in the matter. I know not where my feet may travel, But I’m sure I know the Way. It’s more than just a path to follow, A Light that outshines the day. I won’t insist to know tomorrow, I’ll be content to tarry and pray. Until the Captain raises His standard, And I close my eyes and walk by faith. On a lighter note, we tested our new canner on meat for the first time this past weekend (having already canned some beans). Since we didn’t go to town, we spent Saturday morning killing, plucking, and cleaning three chickens. Everything went well and we now have meat (7 quart jars) stored up for future use. This not only saves us money, but time when it comes to preparing a quick meal on our lunch break during the school week or after a long day when neither of us is motivated to cook an elaborate dinner. Please keep in touch—even if it’s a quick note! 12/8/2006 – Dear Friends, With our midterm break approaching we’re looking forward to loading up the buggy and hitting the road. For the last two years at this time we’ve spent a few days visiting friends in the nearby (well, 25 miles away) old-order Mennonite community, Pine Hill. This annual excursion gives us a change of pace and scenery from the mission station. Plus, its numerous porch swings conducive to afternoon chats tend to offer ideal settings for communicating the Gospel. We also have a new tent we’re itchin’ to test. No, I don’t mean we’ll have to sleep in it in Pine Hill, but we are aiming to travel to a few remote villages we aren’t often able to visit over the course of the break. Then we’ll find out if the tent lives up to its “waterproof” boast. Since these upcoming plans will involve literature distribution, it was very timely for us to recently have received a new printer. Our ink jet simply was not keeping up with the demands Horse & Buggy Publications was placing upon it. Not only was Hewlett-Packard staying afloat through our cartridge purchases, but our main printer decided it didn’t sign up for such strenuous use and quit. We mentioned our printer need prayer in an update a few months back. The Lord supplied us with a laser printer, which we were desperately in need of upgrading to. For all of you who prayed and in other ways had a hand in making this a reality, we are grateful. We trust that by the printing it will do, many people in this area will be exposed to truth through the various booklets we have available. If you would like to see a sample of what we print, drop us an e-mail with your address and we’ll stick one in the mail for you. A current prayer need we have in the appliance area is for our generator situation. It’s been faithful to give us light every evening and keep the laptops charged for almost three years. But it now seems to be yearning for either an overhaul or to join the old printer. The new printer is sucking the remainder of its strength. On a trip to northern Belize two weeks ago, Patrick carried the generator with him and found a mechanic who could work on it. Of course this work only came after the mechanic said several times, “You should just buy a new one. I don’t have the parts to fix it.” To this Patrick could only reply, “I don’t have the money to buy a new one.” After this dialogue repeated itself two or three times, the mechanic agreed to try to fix it. Unfortunately, now that the generator is back in San Jose, it’s running worse. Patrick took up the mechanic’s mantle yesterday morning and got it, for the time being, idling even enough to provide power. But we’re afraid it’s only a matter of time… Actually, Patrick’s trip north wasn’t only for generator purposes. It was primarily to attend a funeral of a missionary friend of ours, Glen Pelfrey. We met Brother Pelfrey during our first term to Belize. Though in his late 70’s and battling cancer at the time, he came to Belize to be able to continue ministering on the mission field, having already spent many years in Papua New Guinea and the Ukraine. He slowly regained his strength and was able to assist a small Christian school in Northern Belize. Up until the time of his death at 83, he did what he could in terms of service. He would often grade papers or patiently assist a child in working through a perplexing math problem. We didn’t have the privilege to see him very often over the years, but when we did he was always keenly interested in how our ministry was unfolding. He consistently exhibited a steady, simple joy. A Christian never “retires” from his duty of seeking to save those who are lost. Brother Pelfrey took this seriously enough that he never retired from his missionary calling and chose to stay the course until the end. I’m reminded of David Livingstone, whose remains were carried to the coast and sent back to England while his heart was buried under a tree in Africa. Like Livingstone, Brother Pelfrey knew where he belonged. Please keep our upcoming trips, the generator, and Brother Pelfrey’s family in your prayers. The latter mostly live in Canada and the U.S. Please remember our six students as well, especially that they will return in January motivated and sensitive to the ways in which the Lord is at work around and in them. In His service, Jeff & Patrick Click here to read the 2007 entries.