Good News Across Belize!

February 22-March 4 I (Sean) was in Belize for Good News Across Belize! “Good News Across ______” is a very large scale, biennial effort to revitalize and grow CEF ministry in underdeveloped areas of a large country in our region. Specifically, countries that have already had CEF ministry established for many years.

Ianthe James (Antigua) and Claudette Adams (St. Lucia)

The majority of the regional efforts for the past decade has been to open up the eleven countries that had no local CEF ministry established. Now the efforts are being spent to strengthen the existing countries that need some extra assistance to reach their maximum potential.

Kendra Baltzer, Marissa Brandsema and Winter Eggena (L-R, South Dakota)

Belize is a beautiful country and it was my first time visiting a non-island Caribbean country. There were a number of similarities but also a number of differences.

First the biggest difference was the exchange rate and cost of food. The Belize dollar has a two to one exchange rate to the US dollar, and in addition to that 70% of the local consumables are produced in Belize. This means the cost of groceries and restaurants were considerably low. You could feed 8-10 people for only $30-$40 USD going out to eat at a local restaurant. This is in comparison to a place like the Turks and Caicos Islands or Bermuda where everything is imported, to feed 8-10 people at a local restaurant in countries like those costs $160-$200 USD!

There were though many construction, architectural and cultural similarities to the rest of the English Caribbean. Which even though Belize is not an island, this of course stems from the past English colonialism and influence. Belize is also a part of CARICOM (The Caribbean Community).

Demographically, this is currently a very young nation, with 54% of the population being under the age of 24! Even though this is true everywhere in the world, it is vital that the children be reached with the Gospel by local churches in Belize because the future of their country is at stake.

Sadly Belize is also among the countries who occupy the top 10 list of most murders per capita in the world, recently in 2014 occupying the number 3 spot.

“But God!”

God was already at work in these four target areas of Belize long before a single CEF staff person arrived. There were and are faithful local churches and faithful followers of Christ seeking to transform their neighborhood, community and nation. As we arrived, we sought to see where God was already moving, and join up with the local believers to encourage them and lift them up in ministry.

Myself and around thirty fellow CEF staff from all over the region went to Belize to conduct teacher training and equip hundreds of local church volunteers to go into many public schools across four key areas of Belize. The overall goal of this endeavor was that as these local church volunteers reach the children, they catch the vision for reaching the local schools and they go on to teach weekly Good News Clubs.

Marlene Stoll (Washington State)

The four target areas were the Orangewalk, Belmopan, Belize City and San Ignacio areas.

There were two parts, first teacher training and then direct ministry to children. I was the team leader for the San Ignacio/Santa Elena area.

God used this awesome team I served to reach 1,484 children that week in 19 demonstration Good News Clubs, train 34 people from 13 churches, and equip 22 local churches and schools with a full set of Good News Club curriculum!

Additionally, in over 12 years of serving full time in ministry with CEF I have heard about someone in a training class making a profession of faith but have never seen it first hand. On Saturday morning February 24th, in a class on how to teach the Gospel to kids, a local primary school teacher was convicted by the Holy Spirit, realized she had never personally believed in Jesus herself and she was counseled as she trusted in Jesus as her Savior! Praise the Lord!

Ron Wiebe, Canada

In total across the four target areas, in one week 10,064 children were reached across 4 target districts in 136 demonstration Good News Clubs with 258 people attending the teacher trainings.

For those of y’all who pack shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, our team stayed with awesome Lemus family (Above)! Arita is the Belize national coordinator for Samaritans Purse and Pastor Ed is one of the four main Caribbean regional coordinators for Samaritans Purse. Such a blessing to get to stay with them!