The Belizean Loggers!

Shannon, Mike and the students all arrived back safe from Belize. Thanks so much for your prayers! Shannon has promised to write about his trip soon! They all worked so hard and accomplished far more than they thought possible. All the trees were cleared, the fence was fixed, 47 stumps were removed and the turbine is up and working! Praise the Lord!

Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for! God has been so good to us! He has provided for our needs---most often even before we knew of them! We have been so blessed! However, I am most thankful for God's mercy and grace. He loves me even when I am most unlovable. He loves me in spite of me. I am so thankful for the hope and peace that only He can give! How can I not be thankful! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!!!

Greetings from the Belizian Loggers!!
Weather: The weather has been great most days, Tuesday and Wednesday we had rain. Tuesday the skies opened up and let it pour down, by the end of the day, all were wet and muddy!
Students: All are doing well, with I believe seven people now victims of chechem (the poison tree). Jillian got the worst of it, but is now improving. One day she was down and out (with help of Benadryl) just to keep from scratching, and to help her sleep. They are still hard at work and their attitudes are great. The stump removal aspect has slowed down a bit, as they are working on some large ones. Most cutting and clearing has been done, both on the campus and in the Boot Camp area. They have also been working on the fence. By the end of the week, most, if not all, the fence will be repaired. The repair has been a bit slower than anticipated. A crew has been pouring concrete at the fence as well. Most of that should be done, but doesn't look like we'll get it all done. Shannon has been working with a crew on the turbine. Wedensday the turbine crew began to put the pipe together and attach cables and making adjustment. The 40' pole bends at about the 30' area, so there some things to work out in order to get the winch to successfully pull it up. Lots of trees have been cut up and brush piled. Things are looking great and Bill is happy with the work that has been accomplished. I (Mike) have worked on replacing the damaged roof, putting up the siding on the end of the dining room and making a door for a tool storage area. I asked the students tonight how many were ready for Publix manna......Matty K. has been joining us for evening group devos and he raised both hands and said, "Oh yeah, I am ready for it!" Seems the students are hooked on Cindy's manna. The students enjoy being here with Bill and Cindy and learning from them as well.
Sight Seeing: We had planned on Wednesday to go for sight seeing but with rain in the forecast we held off for Thursday. A few wanted to go to the Mayan ruins via boat. The rest of us opted for the cheaper tour.
Church: Sunday morning the students shared a presentation and Dan Martin preached the Word at a Mennonite church. Sunday evening the students shared their presentaion again at Ben's church. We were able to see the work the 2004 [team] accomplished in their conctete work. The church building is coming along, but needs more work for its completion.
Thanks again for allowing us the opportunity.

More from Belize

Location Teen Missions Belize,
Greetings from the Belizian Loggers!!
BMW STUDENTS: All are doing well, in good spirits and positive attitudes. There is no sickness in the camp except for Allie who is not feeling well, and says she gets sick every trip she takes overseas. She is taking medicine but hasn't seemed to help. They have been accomplishing a good bit of work. This evening in group devos a count was taken of the number of stumps removed - 18, in 2 with 10 people working on them. We have had excellent working weather, cool evenings and mornings with warm afternoons. Bill enightened us with a Belzian weather forecast of the weather, "It will be sunny unless it is cloudy; will be dry today unless it is raining...."
They have been working 8 hours with rise and shine at 5:30 am and quit time at 3:30 which gives time for clean up after work before supper as it gets dark at 5:30. Sunday we plan to attend 2 churches, one being a Mennonite in the morning and Ben's church in the evening, with presentation at both churches. Next Wednesday we have arranged for sight seeing day, some want to take the recommended Mayan tourist area, and most going to the cheaper Mayan ruin location. The team has been cutting down trees as well as digging out stumps, some being the poison trees. Praise the Lord we haven't had any major outbreaks yet, although Danny Stuckey has become victim of the poison sap.
They are eating very well and Cindy was happy with the food that was sent with the team. With quitting time at 3:30, we have been starting our prayer closet at 11am, then after lunch 12:30 until 3:30. Water is being purified through bucket purifier. Some have been a bit chilly at night as most only brought a sleeping-mat, expecting it to be all warm all the time, however the evenings cool down very comfortably.
STAFF: Matty K is doing great and has been having Dan Martin help him repair the fence around property. Matt thinks by the end of the week most if not all the fence should be repaired. Shannon has been cutting down trees, clearing area for the wind turbine. The chain saws available on property didn't quite make through the day on tuesday, so a few trees were axed down! Mike helped cut and remove a poison tree on monday, and tuseday repaired the roof. We have been running Bill in circles with all the questions of where things are that we need for jobs, and which trees are poison, and where to pile the brush. The Griffins have been great hosts, we are enjoying serving with them here.
DAILY SCHEDULE:
Rise and shine @ 5:30am
Work 6-8am
Breakfast 8-8:30am
Devos 8:30-9:00 am
Work 9:00am-12pm
Lunch 12-12:30pm
Work 12:30-3:30pm
Clean up/Laundry/Free time 3:30-5pm
Supper 5:00pm
Group Devos 6:30pm
Lights Out 8:30pm
The Belizian Loggers send their greetings to the staff and their fellow students! Thank you for praying for us and allowing us the opportunity. Lord bless you, on behalf of the Belizian Loggers

Update from Belize

Shannon sent in this email today. It was so good to hear from him! I wanted to share a little of what he is experiencing in Belize.

Keep them all in your prayers!



Everything is good here, I hope everything is well there with the kids and all. I've been praying for you. The weather is good and it is very cool at night. This is the first time that my feet have been cold since Ohio. We have been cutting down several trees. We have quite a crew of stump diggers. You thought you had ants in Florida, they have been eating me up every day. I duct taped my pants today and it helped a little bit. I am getting to be quite a chainsaw mechanic as I am in practice on an hourly basis. It is beautiful here, we went to Honey camp lagoon and I picked up some shells for the girls. It is very comfortable here with the cool nights and a very good shower that is refreshingly cool. We had a flock of parrots flying along the bus as we came in, it was pretty cool. We find tarantulas everyday and scorpions but they don't harm you as bad as the ANTS. The tarantulas are very friendly and do not sting or bite. I hope all is well I burned my arm on a chainsaw muffler but it is fine, I put some silvadine on it. Mike has been fun and Cindy and Bill are good to work with.

Shannon is enjoying the Caedman's Call CD and he mentioned that he really likes the song "Sacred" I thought I would share those lyrics with you. If I haven't mentioned it yet, we love the new CD...it's called "Overdressed". I recommend you all go and buy it right now! :)

Sacred
The house is a good mess
It's the proof of life
no way I would trade jobs
but it don't pay overtime
i'll get to the laundry
i don't know when
i'm saying a prayer tonight
come tomorrow it starts again
could it be that everything is sacred?

and all this time
everything i've dreamed of
has been right before my eyes
the children are sleeping
but they're running through my mind
the sun makes them happy
and the music makes them unwind
my cup runneth over
and i worry about the stain
teach me to run to You
like they run to me for every little thing

when I forget to drink from You
I can feel the banks harden
Lord make me like a stream
to feed the garden
Wake up little sleeper
The Lord God Almighty made your mamma keeper
So rise and shine, rise and shine

TWO WEEKS IN AFRICA

I thought I would share the words to a song by Caedman's Call. I bought the CD for Shannon before he left for Belize so he could put it on his MP3 player. It is such a great song. Taylor and I both have cried while listening to it. I think it should be one of TMI's theme songs...along with "Go Light Your Candle." I hope you are blessed by this song.

Two Weeks in Africa

by Caedmon's Call

Johannesburg to Capetown,the plane had barely touched down.

She was taking photos for the friends back home.

This was always where she felt her heart belonged.

She was finally here,the sky was bright and clear.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

Johannesburg to Houston,she came home on a mountain.

But school was starting, things kept moving on.

Before you knew it, seven years had gone.

She found a picture of her,standing, smiling,arms around the starving kids.

She swore not to forget,she swore not to forget...

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

And if we follow our dear sunto where the stars are not familiar.

Faces turn to numbers,numbers fall like manna from the sky.

Why, oh why?Oh Father, why?

One village in Malawi now has water running pure and clean.

One church alive in Kenya's full of truth and love and medicine.

We put the walls up, but Jesus keeps them standing.

He doesn't need us, but He lets us put our hands in.

So we can see, His love is bigger than you and me.

(Two weeks....)And we all can feel the calling,

(Two weeks....)to make the world a little smaller.

And so a girl got on a plane,for two weeks in Africa.

When did they grow up?????