Mom Arrives Tomorrow

YEAH! Mom flies in tomorrow. Me and the kids will be heading to the airport in the morning to pick her up. We're SO excited! I'm sure there will be lots of stories to come...!

more pictures

Paying Duty on the Expedition

Hey! Well, I've got some wonderful news to share - another miracle with our vehicle.

We finally took the new vehicle up to the northern border to pay duty on Tuesday. You will NEVER guess how much they had us pay. Let me tell you the story.

We called the border a few weeks ago to get an estimate of how much duty would be for the Expedition. They said at the most it could be $13,000. So that is when we began to pray and ask for prayer and write letters and stuff. (Thank you for your faith... you'll see what God did...)

We went to the boarder Tuesday afternoon, after waiting FOREVER we finally got the vehicle assessed and they valued it at $14,000. (Duty is paid is 72% of the assessed value of the vehicle). After a series of events we finally finished the entire process and brought the paper to the customs boker. The end of the story is: we ended up paying ONLY $2,800bz ($1,400us)!

Can you believe it???? What a miracle huh?! We're still amazed about the whole situation and have seen the hand of God move on our behalf.

Just thought you'd like to hear the story of how God answered your prayers! We are so grateful!

Hurricane Relief Pictures - Operation Belize Mercy

National Emergency Management Organization Report

Here are excerpts from the National Emergency management org. preliminaryreport Aug 22 after checking in more detail on the specifics of the damage after hurricane Dean.

Corozal District, which has approximately 7,000 houses, recorded the highest number of structural damages, primarily to roofs. Aerial reconnaissance indicated that up to 275 houses within both rural and urban areas were completely destroyed and at least 451 were partially destroyed... 1650 persons in this District are now homeless.

With about 8,000 houses within the Orange Walk District, almost 10% of the houses received minor to moderate roof damage due to Hurricane Dean’s wind impacts...at least 43 houses were completely destroyed and at least 40 were partially destroyed... Of the 800 homes affected, a significant amount of the homes affected were noted in the rural areas. ...258 persons are estimated to be homeless in the Orange Walk District.

Cayes (San Pedro, Caye Caulker): Piers, thatched structures (palapas),and timber buildings sustained damages.

Corozal/Orange Walk - ...50 acres of pastures were inundated, resulting in losses of at least BZ$50,000. There was also significant damage to vegetables and tree-crops. The agriculture sector was significantly affected. The papaya industry, suffered 95% crop losses. A total of 1,500 acres of papaya were lost by extensive wind damages. Estimated value of crop losses is atvBZ$22.5 million dollars...Plantain plantations were also completelydestroyed. 10% of sugarcane fields were damaged by wind (dislodged) and 5% wereinundated.

...about 3,000 tourists were evacuated from San Pedro and Caye Caulker in anticipation of Hurricane Dean. This contributes to the loss of revenues, estimated at BZ$5.8 million dollars.

Corozal: Fisheries losses to this industry due to destruction of fish

Pier damage was concentrated in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. There are about 300 piers in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and another 150 in Caye Caulker. Piers in Ambergris Caye received moderate to heavy damages and those in Caye Caulker received minor to moderate damages. Losses were estimated at about BZ$5 million dollars for both areas.

Infrastructure: from service damage to the major Northern Highway, rural and feeder roads damage...Culvert replacement and some spot-patching of streets and roads will be required

Needs: There are several needs resulting from the damages caused by hurricane Dean. These include but are not limited to:

• Food Supplies and potable water supply

• Health Supplies

• Building Materials

• Seeds and agrochemical supplies

• Credit

Hurricane Dean - Category 5

Hello!!!

Thanks for standing with us in prayer over the past days. It was a little wild around here, getting things ready for the storm. Most it was the northern part of the country hit (HARD)! Our area and campus (Belmopan) are absolutely fine. Basically untouched. Jason is assembling a plan of action right now to head north for relief efforts in the next hour. He will head up there with other YWAM staff, DTS students, and young men from the village to help anyway they can. Basically the report from Corozol is LOTS of trees down, LOTS of wires down, LOTS of roofs blown away... (as they were 40 miles from the eye of a Category 5 hurricane). A LOT OF DEVISTATION. I will email updates when I can. The conditions will be rough for the next few weeks up there. Again, Jason and some other men with be heading up there to bring God's hope, help, encouragement, peace...and anything else we can to these communities.

If anyone is interested in helping out financially for this releif effort that would be great. All donations will go straight to releif aid. However, will not be tax deductible. Let us know if you are interested in giving, so we can process the finances quickly. Right now, we are taking up what we have. Things we would like to continually purchase for relief is: food, water, zinc for roofing, chainsaws, gas and oil for chainsaws, nails, hammers, tarps, etc, etc, etc.

We are fine here and want to be a blessing to our friends and fellow citizens in the Northern disctict. Keep in touch.

More LOVE!

Hey,Last year when I first attended Lagacy Youth Conference, I didn't know what to expect. Honestly, I thought that it was just another youth camp. But my perception of what Legacy was would soon be changed. My first night into the worship session was like something from out of a horror movie. To see teenagers act like that: praising and worshiping God so passionately. I thought to myself while watching them with a really scared look on my face, "...Lunatics!!!" I'm proud to say that by the end of that week in Lagacy, I too was a Lunatic. We were all Jesus Freaks. That week was nothing like I have ever experienced. It was extremely radical, both in the teachings and in the worship. I too was bowing my knees before God in total awe of Him, I too was actually writing notes in a teaching session. I couldn't even believe myself, "Am I actually doing this?" But I was, for I was changed, never to be the same again. I didn't care what anybody else would say about me, because God deserves the glory. Legacy was a week filled with breakthroughs after breakthroughs. I didn't think that I was capable of letting go so many wrong things in my life. I was dumbfounded by the awesomeness (if there is such a word) of God, literally stopped in my tracks by his sheere presence. It was truly amazing. Ever since then, my youths can tell you how much I encouraged them to attend the other Legacy. When I see them also worshipping God in a passionate way, it fills my heart with encouragement and hope for this generation...and also I little bit of pride. Legacy is something that I, and I'm quite sure everyone else who attended, will never forget.

A Testimony from Legacy

Below is one readout from a youth leader in our nation -

...for me it was when that young man from george town got bold and made a public statement to save himself for marriage becuase he now knew god's plan for his life. i realized that the holy spirit moved in his life and that legacy broke thru to this young man. ' if for one lost lamb,' he was worth it. i like to see young men step up. we must pray that he is keep tender to the lord and that the devil not infiltrate his life and mind.