Who Will Stand?

The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The observance of the false sabbath will be urged upon us. The contest will be between the commandments of God and the commandments of men.

Those who have yielded step by step to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will then yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death.

At that time the gold will be separated from the dross. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliance will then go out in darkness.

Those who have assumed the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ's righteousness, will then appear in the shame of their own nakedness. 

{PK 188.1} 

Sore!!

I have to admit that my back is sore today!!

All that shoveling and such yesterday.

I haven't had many opportunities to do physical, manual labor like that in a long time. I loved it but knew I might feel it today.

I guess I could say my shoulder area is a tad tense too.

The kids continue to bounce through life as if they never lifted a finger yesterday! Praise the Lord for the Youth!!



Mission Project 2012

We began our Hillview Church Mission Project for 2012 bright and early this morning!

I made cinnamon rolls late last night and let them raise till 4:30am and began baking them knowing we had to be at the church at 6am. Well at about 5am the rains came pouring down so I went back to bed for a while.

The phone rang at 7am and it was Bill and we decided to try to meet up at the church at 8am. Still sprinkling at this point but prayed and decided to trust that God would hold the rains back so this desperately needed addition could be underway!

Last night Chris was called to come to Belize first thing this morning so he missed out on the work........probably didn't mind that!

My kids, Gen, Jun, and I loaded up and headed for the church. On the way we were flagged down by a member and his daughter wanting a ride in the drizzle. He brought 20 bananas with him and Bill brought scrambled eggs. So we had plenty of food for the helpers. Upon arrival we saw Pam, Kent, and Bill already there working........we were 10 minutes late.

Jumped right into the work and kept watching the sky and praying that the storm would go around us......it did! Ended up having 4 more helpers show up throughout the morning.

I have lots of pictures to post and just wanted to say that we only close to $1000 belize ($500us) for concrete, blocks, mixer, rebar, ect.  WE will get the slab poured and cover the slab with metal roofing but we really need to be able to put the walls up but that will take more money.

Another wrench that the adversary threw in this week was that the church's water got shut off. Of course right after we had filled the baptismal pool for the baptism last week. Apparently, the guy thats been freely paying it has another delinquent acct. and so the company linked any accts. in his name and shut them all down until he pays the late one.

Our church acct wasn't behind at all. However, since we had no running water we had to dip buckets into the baptistry to be able to make concrete.



Needing Some Help

We will be taking care of a baby girl for a while since her parents are unable at this point. So the help we are needing is a little $$ and a few supplies for the little one.
Anyone willing to help out please email me at camhimission@hotmail.com and we can talk about more specifics.

I'm thinking a trip to goodwill and having someone grab a few clothing items and a couple blankies. There is someone that could bring a few things down when she comes May 31st.
The $$ would be used down here to help purchase diapers, wipes, formula, etc.......
The Lord is good and we feel called to help this little one be cared for and please pray and consider helping us in this situation!



Mudball & Sunshine!

Yesterday it continued to pour........so we had to rig a laundry line on the veranda but use a really long stick to lift it up high enough not to get wet when the rain blew in.

In between the showers the family went out to play mudball (soccer) and that was a hoot!! By the way that is one game I never play but decided I would. Lots of fun and sweat and mud! Mat slid, I slid, Hannah slid, & Chris wiped out (so funny!)  He was covered in mud on his side and started to laugh but had to jump up and get back in the game.

Today was sunny and blue skies the first in well over a week!

Caught up on laundry today and the my washer started acting up but after many prayers and pushing, lifting, tilting and such I tried another load in it and it works!! Chris was gone so I had to figure it out on my own. This machine was new last September so not much use yet and I wish it wouldn't scare me like that.

Got talked into another game of soccer today and it was much nicer, still slick in a few places but no one slid or fell.

Happy to say that I blocked several goals and played just enough to cause the boys to get tired.  I guess I'm trying to say I blended in with the kids and played along helping them not hindering them.

WE are really hot and sweaty now!!

Well got to clean up and head to church meeting.

Today we had a baptism at church, I played my flute and chris had a special prayer.



Fishin' Fun Back Home

My sister, dad, and grandpa all went fishing today.

Looks like it was kind of cold but they had fun catching fish.



More Watercolors!

Today was another holiday here in Belize but I'm not sure which one?

So the kids did more art stuff and watercolors again with their friends.

I found a neat way to edit the pictures so you won't see any of the colors!



Spice Leaves

A friend gave us some spice leaves that they picked.

Just wash and boil into tea- YUM!

Tastes like allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg all together.



Watercolors

Today the kids spent some time painting with watercolors.........fun!



Blessings This Sabbath

Great blessings are enfolded in the observance of the Sabbath, and God desires that the Sabbath day shall be to us a day of joy. There was joy at the institution of the Sabbath. God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands. All things that He had made He pronounced "very good." Genesis 1:31. Heaven and earth were filled with rejoicing. "The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Job 38:7. Though sin has entered the world to mar His perfect work, God still gives to us the Sabbath as a witness that One omnipotent, infinite in goodness and mercy, created all things. Our heavenly Father desires through the observance of the Sabbath to preserve among men a knowledge of Himself. He desires that the Sabbath shall direct our minds to Him as the true and living God, and that through knowing Him we may have life and peace. {CCh 261.1}

Treat!

We have been very frugal since being here and not by choice, we have to be!

Today we ate out for the first time in 8 months........well, take out!

Chris took the girls over to the Loma Luz hospital kitchen and got us lunch there. What a nice treat to not have to cook one meal.

We had curry rice, roasted potatoes, coleslaw, okra, protemas, lasagne, fresh bread, salad (with olives and sweet corn), & watermelon.

I have only bought olives like twice since we've been here so any time that we can get them its such a treat.

Today was definitely a splurge but it tasted great!

I guess in 8 more months we can do it again?

Reprieve!

I have been in my own world of languishing in the cooler weather that I forgot to say anything about it.

The past three days have been a blessing from the Lord!

We have had cloud cover, breezes, cooler temps, and rain here and there. I can't tell you how good it feels.

I guess I should clarify the cooler temps too.

The first couple of days it was about 84 degrees which was much nicer than the 90-100 degree days we'd been having.

Happy to say that today is like 78 degrees, the coolest yet and it feels sooooo good yet I border on feeling chilled!

Oh no! I must be acclimating some to the climate to admit that and I'm sure that at the end of year I will feel cold!

Don't know how long it will last but we all are enjoying it, especially my dogs!!

Youth Class

We have been having pretty regular attendance for youth class on Sabbath morning. Addy and I are so happy to see all the teens coming to our class. God has been leading us and we are having some great lessons and bibles studies.

As you can see we are back under the trees but soon we will start the work to add on a concrete slab with metal roof. That will have to do until more money or a mission group come to help us enclose that space. Please pray for this youth class project to be completed because we really need our own space. We need to get it done before the rainy season starts up next month.

For the Moms

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Have a great day with your kids and families.



Greatest Need

The power of a higher, purer, nobler life is our great need. The world is watching to see what fruit is borne by professed Christians. It has a right to look for self-denial and self-sacrifice from those who believe advanced truth. It is watching, ready to criticize with keenness and severity our words and acts. Everyone who acts a part in the work of God is weighed in the scales of human discernment. Impressions favorable or unfavorable to Bible religion are constantly being made on the minds of all with whom we have to do. 

     And God and the angels are watching. God desires His people to show by their lives the advantage of Christianity over worldliness, to show that they are working on a high, holy plane. He longs to see them showing that the truth they have received has made them children of the heavenly King. He longs to make them channels through which He can pour His boundless love and mercy. 

     Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of the Saviour shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim His own. It is the privilege of every Christian, not only to look for, but to hasten, the coming of our Lord. Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with the seed of the gospel! Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come.  CT pg. 324

Perserverance

We have been reflecting on the last several years of our lives and can see how much God has changed us and is still working in us. So many things come to mind how the Lord is refining us for His Kingdom!

There are times of abundance and seemingly easy times but there are also times of lacking and hardship.

I still can't believe how we came to be here and how everything worked out for it to be so.

I've never witnessed so many personal miracles as I have being here and seeing other miracles for others too!

We also feel as if our lives have become a stage so to speak.

Many people are watching us to see what will happen, many are praying for our success at this mission venture, many just want to know what life is like, many love and care for us not liking the distance, and many are watching to see if God will take care of us, and others unfortunately, are watching to see if we fail.

I count this mission experience as nothing but growing more into Christ and letting Him change in us the things we need to let go of. Being willing to allow God to have control, being faithful to God, seeing all the blessings poured out for us, (not necessarily in wordly blessings) but in spiritual blessings.
Before I always thought I was letting the Lord have control but I started chalking up all the things I did because I wanted to and then would ask for His blessing.

How often did I really stop and prayerfully discern what God wanted me to do. Its easy to say our life is good when we are still doing everything that we want to or that we enjoy.

How about doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable or puts you in a position of being completely at the mercy of God. If not for our Lord we would not be making it here. Oh, sure we had the best laid plans of how things would work out but God has His own timing.

We can't always know or see what God has in store for us but He is in control and He will never leave us or forsake us.

Being willing to do God's work no matter where you are is what is important. Each person is so special to the Lord and we are all called for something different. God will see His ministries through no matter how we fumbly humans try to do things our way.

I love that we are together as a family and growing in this mission experience! No, not everything has gone according to our idea of a plan but I strongly believe they are going according to God's plan for us.

He wants each one of us to be fit for the Kingdom of heaven and only through refining our character will we achieve this. For it is only our character that will go with us, nothing else of this world.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 
 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matt. 6:19-21

No matter where this mission experience takes us or for how long we are thankful to the Lord for the many opportunies and blessings of being able to grow in Him!



Young Calf

I love all baby animals!!

The kids do too!

We've been seeing baby horses, baby cows, etc..

Of course it always makes you think about new life and how amazing God is in His creation.

Especially in us, being made in His image, each new life is so precious.



Cacao

This is the Cacao fruit!

We ate some over in Africa a few years back and its very good.

You eat the pulp off the seeds and then you can dry the seeds and roast them and make your own chocolate.

Our friends gave these to us.

River Fun

These days have been so hot that we look forward to the poor man's pool often. (The River)

We drove out near Benque today and Mat's friend Henry went along. We had so much fun swimming and there was just enough current in the middle that you actually had to put effort into it.

We all went across even Bella!

Towards the end Chris suggested that me and the girls swim down the river and he would pick us up.

Right away we said yes!!

So we took off and it wasn't long before Mat and Henry joined us. Chris followed along on the road and would wait for us every little bit.

We did about 1/2 mile or maybe more and it felt great. Sometimes Bella would need a rest so we would stop and sit on a rock in the middle of the river that was sticking up.

All had a good time staying cool and got a little sunburned too.

The river is perfect right now but when it starts to rain it will get high and wild! So we will take advantage of it now.



Comfy Dog

Mindy certainly knows how to get comfortable! She always arranges herself on the pillow like that.



Jack Fruit

Here is the Jack Fruit!

These are the fruited seeds from inside and you have to eat the fruit off the seed.

We enjoy it fresh and also take the seeds out and blend up the fruit with coconut juice, papaya, and a banana.

The smoothie tasted like frozen yogurt.



Tulip Fun!

Our friends back home sent some pictures from the tulip festival in Western Washington.

Beautiful tulips and beautiful girls!

Miss you Warthan family!



Spring from Entiat

My dad sent some pictures of spring blooms from back home and of course Tooty.



~The Wax Apple~

Another new tropical fruit for us to try.

Who knew there were so many fruits we've never heard of?

This little apple is so cute to look at and very crunchy but it tastes like a bland apple with lime juice squeezed over it.

Thats how I can best describe the flavor!

I think adding a little salt would make it better, but we would all eat these again.