Day 8 Thursday

To see pictures, be sure to log on the internet to http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmcmissionpictures/.
You can view a map of Belize at http://www.progressoheights.com/location/belize_map.jpg . “Click” on the map and it will zoom in; we are working in the very northernmost tip in Corozal town (which is located in the District of the same name).


Here is what happened on Thursday:

Our day started off with Joe Martin and several of our students going over to the BAJC assembly, where Joe delivered their worship thought. He also handed out The Messiah to every student. All of our students reported that it was a very positive experience for them.

It is crunch time on the jobsite. We knew from the get-go that we did not have as much work as in times past, and we also knew that the work that we did have was not going to be as heavy. So we were prepared to not push the kids as hard, yet get the assigned jobs all done. Well, it kinda looks like we didn’t push quite hard enough. We will probably get it all done, but tomorrow is shaping up to be a long Friday.

Today we continued work on the chapel (one-day church). We had planned on having a cement mixer at our disposal; not to be. So we had to mix several yards of concrete by hand on the floor. We usually do the mortar mud by hand, but this is the first time we have had to mix cement by hand. Tomorrow we will pour the lentil/wall cap all around the top of all 4 walls. We will not have the end gables finished. Local folk will also have to finish the windows, doors, electrical, floor tile, and ceiling. Also furnishings such as pews/seats, pulpit, etc. What we DID do is pour the platform, pour the floor, lay block around all 4 walls clear to the top, pour pillars, pour lintils/cap, etc.

The painting project is pretty much done as of tonight. There is some 2nd coat of ceiling yet to do, but that should go rather quickly.

Tonight was the last night of VBS and our entire troupe attended. Good thing; there were about 130 kids in attendance. The kids (especially the boys) here are quite undisciplined, and that poses some real issues in this setting. Seems like it is borderline chaos right from the opening exercise. But there is no doubt that there are young lives that were changed through the time we devoted to them. Only eternity will tell.

Another major ministry project has been to pass out books in Corozal each day. Joe Martin arranged for 3,000 books to be shipped to BAJC, and they were here upon our arrival. The book was The Messiah, which is excerpted from Desire of Ages. Almost without exception, the kids really got into it. We went door to door, business to business, we stopped cars in the road, and handed it to bicyclers on the fly. Joe was constantly amazed at how receptive people are in this country. Almost every person seemed eager to receive the gift. In addition to handing them out on the street, we gave 300 out to all of the students of BAJC, and 800 to the federal prisoners.