Spiritual Warfare, Suffering

House Fire

On Monday morning, January 20, I woke up early as usual. Around 5:30am I went from the little house (an ADU in the backyard), to the living room in the main house to spend time reading my Bible. We were supposed to have returned to home in Belize, where we are missionaries, the Wednesday before, but had Influenza A and an airport fiasco that prevented us from leaving–which you can read about here. So we decided to extend our home ministry assignment in southern California until we could reschedule our trip home to Belize.

A little after 7am, I returned to the little house so that Ray and I could pray together. Not long after, our twenty-three year old daughter ran in our room saying there was a fire in the main house. We ran in and saw smoke billowing down the stove vent from the attic. The kids were already out and AnnaGrace was putting the harness and leash on my sister’s dog. My parents, who are in the back part of the house, gathered their medicines and car keys. Our kids, who had been sleeping in the main house right under where the fire began, were outside barefoot and without sweaters with weather in the 40s fahrenheit. So I went in our little house, which was completely unaffected, to get my socks, shoes and sweaters to share. By the time I got outside, the firefighters were already on the property and setting up. They later said they arrived just 4 minutes after Ray made the 911 call.

It was sad and surreal to see flames jumping out of the attic of the house my parents have owned since 1979. Several neighbors came out to help–one entered the smoky house to make sure everyone was out. He later said there was already smoke up to his neck. Others brought chairs for my parents to sit in, blankets against the cold, snacks for our kids, and warm coffee and tea. It didn’t take long before the fire was out and we were giving statements to the fire chief, debriefing with the Red Cross, figuring out where to stay for the night, and cleaning up the huge collection of our belongings that the firemen rescued from the house.

Continue reading House Fire →
Home Ministry Assignment

Influenza A and our Airport Fiasco

We were supposed to return to our home in Belize on Wednesday (January 15). We have been on a 6 month home ministry assignment where we visited over 2 dozen churches in 15 states. We have loved our time visiting churches and friends, sharing about what God has been doing in our ministry, and hopefully casting a vision for world missions. But we were ready to go home again, and our kids were looking forward to going back to their schools there. Sadly, our 11 year old son came down with Influenza A right before traveling. His fever was up to 104.3, and even moving a little bit would make him vomit. On Tuesday night, we made the decision that he would stay back at our California home (my parents house) and that I would stay with him. It was a tough decision. My parents and my sister all have health situations that would make Influenza complicated…but we saw no other solution. We didn’t really like splitting up the family, but it was hard to see any other option.

When Ray and the other kids arrived at the airport, the airline personnel asked for our letter that would permit Ray (the father) to travel with his kids without me (the mother). This is a requirement many countries have, in order to stop a parent in a custody dispute from taking their children out of the country. The night before, the airline official on the phone made it clear no letter would be needed. But we brought two letters anyway–one that was notarized but had a date from 2023 and the other that we made up and signed right before leaving with the current date. So Ray presented his letters. The woman said she didn’t think they would work, but that she would ask her manager. Ray texted me to pray that they would accept it, if God wanted them to go to Belize that day. We both prayed. She returned, saying that they would accept our letter.

Ray and the kids went on to their gate. They decided to stop at Starbucks for a little coffee. While there, our 14 year old daughter became so weak and shaky that she could barely move. The flu hit her suddenly and hard. Ray texted me and we prayed for wisdom. We decided it would be equally as hard for her to continue as to return back to my parents house by this time, so they decided to proceed. However, not long before boarding, the airline notified them that the letter would not be accepted. This left no time for me to drive to the airport and give permission, and besides with our daughter so sick, it just made sense to return home and let the flu run it’s course through the family. We were disappointed and a little frustrated, but praying for God’s sovereign will to be done.

Gospel, Sovereignty, Suffering

Morning Glories and Gospel Hope

At certain times of the year, morning glories line the Northern Highway that runs between Corozal town and Orange Walk town in northern Belize. They don’t call your attention like the beautiful bougainvillea that take your breath away, making you wonder if Belize might just be a jewel among the countries of the earth. They are much more humble. You will miss them unless you travel the road frequently. They creep along the dusty, dirty shoulder where nothing else but sneezeweed would dare to lay down their roots. They make it clear that they have not been cultivated. They haven’t been planted there with human forethought and care. They come up on their own, roots deep under ground, impossible to get rid of even if you wanted.

Of all the gorgeous flowers in Belize, morning glories are among my favorites. I love a flower that refuses to take the hint that they are unwanted. They don’t mind the car exhaust, the dead animals being eaten up by vultures, the compacted earth that could never be used as planting soil. They don’t mind that they rarely get any notice.

It reminds me of our good God, who is always at work even in the darkest places. There are many places in our world that seem abandoned, ugly and without hope. Sometimes those places even appear in our churches, communities, homes and even our hearts. Relationships that don’t seem be able to be mended. Sins that can’t seem to be overcome. Loved ones that turn their back on their faith.

Ministry can also be like that dusty roadside. It can seem like the soil has been compacted by years of car exhaust and neglect. But God has promised that His Word will not return void. Like the humble morning glory, the Holy Spirit is at work, hidden, among roots that can’t be removed even if someone tried. And at the right moment, beauty and growth appear–maybe not in a flashy, take your breath away kind of growth–but real nonetheless. It is an honor for us to work along side national brothers and be a witness to the fruit of the gospel in northern Belize.

It is our privilege as missionaries to be used by God, whether He chooses to make our ministry is more like the bougainvillea, or more like the humble morning glory. We are currently in the middle of a six-month home ministry assignment. We are visiting our U.S. supporting churches, in states like North and South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Arkansas and California. It is our prayer that as we report on our ministry in Belize, that God would use us to encourage the saints that we can trust our faithful Lord. We are actually pretty tired by all the travel, even as we enjoy sweet fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is encouraging also for us to see how God is at work in the U.S. Some churches are growing and thriving, while others are struggling, and trying to revitalize again. But it is the same Holy Spirit that is doing His work deep in the hearts of His people,

 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Romans 15:13

Prayer, Visitation

Moms in Prayer in the Summer

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 exhorts God’s people to prayer: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Once a week some of our ladies gather to pray for their children, grandchildren, and the local schoolchildren. It is a wonderful ministry as prayer is critical. God is Almighty and only He can change hearts and work in lives.

This week the ladies prayed and had a wonderful time of fellowship afterward enjoying sandwiches, “cold cake,” and ice cold coca-cola.

Continue reading Moms in Prayer in the Summer →
Book Review, Problem of Evil, Sanctification, Spanish

Beauty for Ashes: Spiritual Help After Loss

Cover art: AnnaGrace Call

Moments of grief and loss can tear apart our world. It can make even the strongest faith falter and doubt. And yet, paradoxically, it is often the seedbed for the deepest walk with God. I have written this little booklet in Spanish to help those who are hurting from a loss to traverse the difficult waters and to point them to finding their hope and peace in Jesus. I have kept it short, in hopes that it can also be accessible to those who don’t have time or aren’t in the habit of doing a lot of reading. God’s Word is rich with treasures for those who suffer. My desire is to connect the reader with passages that speak to them in their hurt. I talk about Job and the questions of why; what is lament; how to deal with anger and guilt; the power of the resurrection; and the beautiful fruit of forgiveness and thanksgiving. Please pray with me that God will use this booklet to encourage and bless those who are suffering loss.

Church planting, Church Revitalization, Polity, Presbyterian Church in Belize, Theological Education

Presbytery Meeting in Belize

What is the presbytery meeting? It is a meeting of regional leadership to do the business of the church. Voting members of presbytery are composed of the teaching elders (pastors) who hold their credentials and membership in the presbytery as well as the ruling elders who are sent by their churches are representatives. At presbytery meeting “presbyters” (the participating elders) give and hear important reports relating the ministries of the presbytery and their churches, deal with church discipline, examine candidates for gospel ministry, and deal with other important matters. Many also gather for times of worship, prayer, and fellowship as part of the meetings.


Most Presbyterian denominations distinguish between teaching and ruling elders but would emphasize that they are both part of the same office: that of elder. In other words, there is a parity of authority that inheres in the office – both teaching and ruling elders exercise governance over a local church. In addition to parity, there is a plurality within the leadership of the church. Biblically speaking, a local church ought to have more than one elder (preferably several) forming a governing body called a session. The session gives oversight to the church, is nominated and elected by the members, and is responsible for shepherding and caring for the spiritual needs of the flock.

Continue reading Presbytery Meeting in Belize →
Problem of Evil, Scripture, Worship

Writing Out the Psalms

On January 1, 2022 I took up a challenge to write out 6 Psalms a month, writing out the entire book of 150 pslams in just about 2 years. I worked a little ahead and finished the challenge a couple of weeks ago. I can attest that it was an amazing experience. It just took about five minutes each morning, but slowed me down and allowed me to meditate and study what I writing. I discovered I didn’t always understand the Psalm, so sometimes I would look up commentaries or different translations. I discovered so many rich and deep themes I had just glanced over in the past. I also would write out praise, confession, thanksgiving and supplication from my verses each day and I saw just how much more powerful were the poetic descriptions of God’s attributes than were the summaries naming which attribute the verses contained. I noticed that often Psalms near one another shared a theme. I have come to love the Psalms so much more. It was such transformative experience that I am doing it again. There are 2461 verses in the Psalms. This time my plan is write out 4 verses a day and complete writing out the book in two years, with grace to miss a day here and there.

I also would look up Psalms sometimes in Ray’s commentaries or even using online resources, especially the trustworthy Matthew Henry commentary. I tried to read through a couple of books on the Psalms. Commentaries can be a bit dry. I have found one book that I am loving though. It talks a lot about the connection between Psalms and the themes of the five books of the Psalms, something that has been particularly fascinating to me over these two years. It is called “Learning to Love the Psalms” by Robert Godfrey. It makes a great companion and I am looking forward to reading it along side my Psalms as I am starting back at Psalm one.

Here is a page from my notebook, Psalm 146. You may notice that it is in Spanish. That is because I do my Bible reading (and writing) in Spanish since our ministry is done in a Spanish context.

Life in this fallen world can be painful and confusing. Explanations of why rarely satisfy. The psalms look straight at the evil in the world and challenge us to worship God even when we don’t understand and to keep our eyes fixed on Him. They express all of our emotions, our anger, our sadness, They describe the greatness of our all powerful God and they are filled with testimony of Jesus Christ.

Christian Education, Leadership, Theological Education

RLIB: Biblical Interpretation

A couple of weeks ago we started our latest course. As the Reformed Leadership Institute of Belize (RLIB), we hope to foster a deeper Biblical and theological understanding combined with a warm experiential piety for the glory of God! Most of our students come from the pews of the Presbyterian Church in Belize, and while we encourage our officers and leaders to participate, we also want any and all of our church members who are interested to benefit from these courses.

Course content is mostly from a theological education ministry called Thirdmill whose goal is to provide theological education from a reformed perspective for free for the whole world.

Students watch the videos, listen to the audio, or study the manuscript beforehand. They are also asked to complete the provided study guide questions and the discussion questions in preparation for the group discussion on Saturday evenings.

The discussions are facilitated in both English and Spanish as some prefer one language over the other.

Please be praying for the students, board, and facilitators.

Prayer, Visitation

Visitation is Important

Image

Sometimes faithful followers of the Lord Jesus can’t always get out to church or to prayer meetings. In this case, these women brought the prayer meeting to the sick. Visitation is such an important ministry because it allows those who can’t always be at church to have fellowship in the Lord and it can be very encouraging. These women from Iglesia Presbiteriana Emanuel in San Pablo are part of a weekly group of Mamas Unidas para Orar (MUPO) and regularly pray for their children, grandchildren, and the children in the schools and community. Praise God that He listens to the prayers of His people!

“Pray without ceasing”

1 Thessalonians 5:17