Cattle Landing

We are off and running. We had our first service in Cattle Landing. We told people that we would start at 9:00. My family and I were there at 8:45 setting up chairs. At 9:00 I began looking and by 9:15 I was ready to go back to the states and beg a church to call me as Pastor. I was telling myself that we needed to go in and have a devotion with the family when Anita said, "Let's go sing." On the second verse of "Power in the Blood" they started showing up.
We started with 9 people not including my family. Anita and Blair taught the kids and I led in the singing and preached. When I finished I explained our purpose and the desire to start a church. I was about to close with prayer when two more people came in. Not wanting to end with them just getting there and I asked those present if they would mind if I preached again. They said no and off we went.
I know that getting them there is easy, it is keeping them that will be the hard part.
Cattle Landing has a interesting history. In 1868, Confederate soilders seeking asylum at the end of the Civil War settle here and started Sugar mills.
This week will working on the house, getting our passports renewed and preparing for next week.
Pray for us and take care

Under da Tatch

Today was a hot one for me! I spent the morning and early afternoon cleaning around the Community Center. The Center (which we will use Sunday morning) is not used very often so it is a mess. I broke out the weed eater, mower and machete to cut the grass around the building. Some of the windows are missing so pigeons have taken over the inside. So I had the generator and blower trying to clean out the inside. Later I will break out the water and bleach to clean the floor.
The principle of the local school stopped by while I was cleaning and thanked me for cleaning up the place. Like everyone else in Belize he thinks all religions are the same. I hope he attends services.
Things are going well for the family. It is just living now. Yet just when I think things are going our way we hit a bump in the road, but such is life.
Well it is bed time. Take care

Under the Thatch

Well, we put "boots to the ground" tonight with inviting people to services this Sunday. We visited several homes, handed out NT's with tracks and invitations. The only people that didn't really give us the time of day was a retired American couple. We plan on doing this every evening this week. The Community Center needs a good cleaning so that will be our goal later this week.
Last night we had a storm come through from 10:00 pm to around 11:30 pm. During that time we received around 7 inches of rain. You can imagine how hot and muggy it was today.
Blair woke up with an upset stomache but seems to be better tonight.
So ends another exciting day in Cattle Landing, Belize

Under the Thatch

So ends another week in Belize. I finally went to the Doctor and he gave me the needed medicine for food posion. I started feeling better in a matter of hours.
The latter part of the week was spent weed-eating, mowing and killing snakes. I also built a screen porch for one of our garage door openings (all of this between power outages).
Plans are to start a Bible study next week in the Cattle Landing Community Center (Cattle Landing is located outside of Punta Gorda and where we live). Please pray that this will be the start of a Church in this area.
The kids have started school, so this will help put our life in order.
Take care

Greetings from Belize

Well we're here! We have been in Belize for a month and half and things have gone just like I thought they would...nothing like I thought it would.
Many are wondering what it is like living here. First, nothing can prepare you for the heat and humidity (and this isn't even the hottest part of the year). The house we are renting is concrete with a flat roof. The entire house heats up during the day and is hard to cool down at night. We can only run our A/C at night because of the high cost of electricity. We have put some thatch (the stuff Gilligans hut was made out of) on the roof and it has helped some.
Second, it is hard to beat the fresh fruits available. We eat out some, but all of the food taste the same, it takes at least 30 minutes to prepare and there is an ever present chance of food poisoning (I am just starting to get over a case now). Just like in the states the best meals are the ones Anita cooks but the kitchen gets so hot with the stove on.
The Barnetts have been a blessing. My hat goes off to missionaries that move to countries where they know no one. Nicky and Beverly have encouraged us, listen to us, and spoiled us when we have needed it the most.
I will post more later. Thanks for the prayers and support.