All posts by Michele Call

Missionary Mother of Many
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

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.

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.

Women's Ministry

Women´s Leaders Retreat

We recently held a day-long retreat for the women leaders in the Presbyterian Church of Belize. Dawn Sweatt from the Belize Project had the idea to set aside a day to encourage and refresh the women leaders in their personal life and in their ministry. We shared food, sang, had games, a craft and a spa. Michele spoke on the theme Beholding the Beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4) and how God prunes us so that we can have the capacity to see enjoy Him in His beauty, Here are some pictures!

Continue reading Women´s Leaders Retreat →
Children, Culture

Our First Independence Day Parade!

The kids and I had the opportunity to be in a school parade for Belize Independence Day today! This was definitely our kids’ first time being in a parade, and for me as well, other than maybe when I was in marching band as a kid. The last two years the parade had to be cancelled for Covid, so this was an extra special time. All the kids were excited as they made decorations all week long. Our youngest went as a toucan, which is Belize’s national bird. The teachers and administration of Presbyterian Day School did a splendid job of making it both fun and educational, as the kids learned Belizean history and learned to value the importance of freedom.

Belize was formerly a possession of Great Britain. They won their independence on September 21, 1981, making them a very young country! They are still a part of the British commonwealth, meaning that the day of the Queen’s funeral will be a day off for schools and banks, to commemorate her important influence nationally.

WIll Belize need to print new money?

One of the world’s more interesting and beautiful flags, although harder for kids to draw! It is full of important symbolism for this new nation. I love the mahogany tree on it, showing how they value their amazing natural resources.

Please pray for the great nation of Belize! Pray for a great work of the Holy Spirit, that our churches would be full of passionate worshippers of our Triune God!

Children

Classes Begin!

This week was a special week for many families in Belize. After being mostly closed for in person learning for two and a half years, the elementary schools in Belize began again with full-time, in-person learning. Our children attend Presbyterian Day School in the village of Cristo Rey. They were able to take the bus, buy lunch in the cafeteria, play with friends, and learn in class with their teachers. School may have been a taken-for-granted reality for many generations, but it is welcomed and appreciated this school year!

Presbyterian Day School was founded over 40 years ago by MTW missionaries. Education is an important key to economic development, and even more important is the spiritual training of children to know God and His Word. PDS has been faithfully fullfilling this mission here in Northern Belize.

Since the founding of PDS, 7 more Presbyterian school have begun in Belize. There are 4 elementary schools, 2 stand-alone preschools, and a high school. One of our sons is at the high school. Please pray for all of these schools to be used greatly by God to help raise up committed and knowledgeable young people who will one day be leaders in the church and the nation!

Prayer, Spiritual Warfare

Prayer: the Secret Weapon in Church Planting

Everyone has an opinion about why any given church may not be growing. You may hear that they need to get a worship band that plays modern choruses. Or you may hear that they need a pastor that can preach dynamic sermons. But what about prayer? What if the reality is that the church is in decline because of the faithless, prayerless hearts of the people?


I remember when I was in high school the church I grew up in began meeting for daily early morning prayer meetings. They didn’t always have high attendance but there was always a faithful few. It continued a few years later when I was church secretary and I could attend very conveniently before beginning work. That church even all these years later is a growing, thriving church. Sadly, sometimes people look at the churches that are growing and try to copy what they do well, but without really understanding what was happening behind the scenes. It is our prayer for the Presbyterian Church in Belize is that it would be a praying church. We would love to see our prayer meetings full of people. But I believe that God will answer the regular, committed and passionate prayer even of a small group. Our churches here are in need of a revival. There is often low attendance at Sunday worship and so many of the adult children of believers are no longer in the church. A group of just 5 pastors minister among the 15 churches. Would you be willing to pray for the small country of Belize, that God would do a great work here? That He would call more pastors, and that our members would be passionate and comitted to Sunday worship? We long to see lives transformed by the Good News and know we need a supernatural work of God’s Spirit.


Children, Christian Education

A Visual Picture of Distance Learning Cristo Rey VIllage, Belize

In this post, we are giving a photo collage of what online learning looks like at Presbyterian Day School, Cristo Rey, Belize. I hope you enjoy these pictures! We are looking for prayer and financial partners to be a part of the PDS team. You have heard of child sponsorship programs–well PDS is looking for a team to sponsor the teachers’ salaries. The desire is to keep the cost of education within the reach of all village families who are motivated to see their children receive an academically sound, Christ-centered education. But that means that tuition is not high enough to cover the teachers salaries. Would you consider prayer and/or giving?

Please let me know if you would like to be part of a data base to receive regular updates on the school. We would love to see individuals and even schools adopting a teacher!

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Continue reading A Visual Picture of Distance Learning Cristo Rey VIllage, Belize →
Church planting, Issues in MISSIONS, Prayer

Organizing Intercessory Prayer

Does God answer prayer? Absolutely, yes, as both the Bible and our experience tells us. We know from history that serious prayer often or possibly always precedes great revivals. In the Old Testament Daniel was even led to pray and fast as he saw the date approaching for the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy–God had promised to bring the people of Israel back to their land after 70 years, and even this promised event was carried out on the prayers of faithful Daniel.

We are longing to see a great work of the Holy Spirit in our ministry and to that end, we believe that prayer is the vital ingredient. Ray and I first committed to praying together each morning back in 2011, when we came to the end of ourselves in the ministry. We saw experientially that we can accomplish nothing apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. But it wasn’t until 2018 that we actually developed a system for our intercessory prayer. Although we prayed with passion each morning, the reality was that some important matters slipped our minds, and other prayers became repetitive. Not only that, many answers to prayer that we received went unnoticed because we had forgotten what we had prayed for and in the process we lost the opportunity to thank God and strengthen our faith.

So we began using a system, and as we’ve used it these past two years, we would not want to go back. Our prayers are more focused and deeper and we love getting to write down the answers to many of them. I am going to describe what we do in this blog post, in hopes that it might inspire you, our reader, in your own prayer life.

Continue reading Organizing Intercessory Prayer →
Christian Education

Presbyterian Day School, Belize

We hear a lot about child sponsorship as a steppingstone for a child to get out of poverty. We are hoping to get sponsors here as well, but instead of sponsoring a child, we are looking to sponsor the school.

What if I told you there was an outreach project that would meet the twin goals of economic development and the growth of the church and it’s only catch was that it’s work would be slow and steady over the course of decades? What if I told you the Presbyterian denomination has been involved in such an outreach for the past 44 years?
When Tom and Helen Lacey came here in the early 1970s, they set about planting churches, continuing the work that began with a Mexican evangelist, to begin a new Presbyterian denomination in northern Belize.

They could see that healthy churches need elders, pastor, deacons, and church members who are knowledgeable of the Bible, strong in character, and economically stable. And we can be thankful that they had great wisdom and foresight.

In 1976 they started an elementary school in the village of Cristo Rey called Presbyterian Day School. Today, the school ministry in the denomination has grown to include 4 elementary schools, 6 preschools and a high school. This school ministry has been vital to the growth of the churches. It provides a Christian education for the covenant children in the churches, and a ministry to the families and children in the community who send their children to these excellent schools that teach the Bible, godly values and rigorous academics.

Some of the 2020 graduates


Each of these schools has their own story. Each one is impacting their community for Christ. Today, however, I would like to focus on the very first school that the Laceys began, Presbyterian Day School (PDS). I hope in future blog posts to highlight some of the other schools as well. PDS is special, and not just because it was the first, nor simply because three of our children attend the school. It has the unique distinction of being the only Presbyterian school not to receive government funding. What this means practically is that while they have freedom in what they teach, they also struggle with funding. Each of their teachers see their work first as a ministry, to the point at which they make a salary just over half that of the other teachers in the country. In short, the school needs financial help.

On the way to school on the school bus

In 1980, just 4 years after the Laceys began PDS, missionary Dorothy Mayer left her teaching job in South Dakota to come help teach. She is still here, helping to teach and do administration. One of her former students, Isaias Botes, has since taken over from her as principal. He in turn is principal over a few teachers that he taught as a teacher at PDS. I think it would be safe to say that Presbyterian Day School has exceeded the dreams and expectations that the Laceys originally held for it. The school has been a backbone in the two villages it serves, Cristo Rey and Patchakan. The Presbyterian churches in these villages have grown and been strengthened by bringing in families from the community. The impact of PDS has gone far beyond just these two villages.

Many of the teachers from all the various Presbyterian schools themselves attended PDS; three of the principals in the Presbyterian schools are PDS graduates as is the general manager of the Presbyterian schools. Several of the pastors and elders in the Presbyterian churches started out there as well. In addition, the list of graduates includes doctors, nurses and government officials that are serving all over the country. Although the villages have been historically poor and undeveloped, PDS has played an important role in the economic development of the area.

PDS continues to have an important role in these two villages in northern Belize. These precious little ones that start at PDS as four-year olds are the future of the church and the community. We hear a lot about child sponsorship as a steppingstone for a child to get out of poverty. We are hoping to get sponsors here as well, but instead of sponsoring a child, we are looking to sponsor the school. That way, the cost of tuition stays affordable for all the children in the community.

We would love to see individuals commit to monthly giving. We would also love to see some Christian schools develop a “sister school” sort of partnership as well. This is because we know that Christian schools in the U.S. and the families that support them are also passionate about Christian education. Could you begin by praying that the Presbyterian Day School of Cristo Rey, Belize, would become fully funded?

And second, would you consider if God might be calling you to help out with the need, either by giving monthly or one time? And lastly, would you consider sharing this need with others that you know who have a passion for economic development or Christian education? Thank you.

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