FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

   On June 20, 2013, a team of 12, from First Baptist Church, Opp, Alabama, traveled to Belize to work with Pastor Dave and Verna Allmen in Roaring Creek, sponsored by Body and Soul Ministries. Jeff Baxley, Youth Director of FBC, Opp, served as team leader and worked directly with Pastor Dave in planning the mission of this trip.  The other teams members were:  Michelle Baxley, Kay Cassady, Duane McCalman, Sandra Prior, who is Children's Director of FBC, Lori Stanfield, Clancy Stanfield, Avery Stanfield, Emleigh Weide, Tori Norris, Alana Hall and Terri Hutto.  Upon arriving, Pastor Dave was there to meet us.  Two vehicles broke down on their way to the airport, and Robbie, the new missionary at the compound, was on his way to pick us up.  This gave the first timers a chance to get a taste of the heat and humidity in Belize. 

   Prior to our trip, our team leader challenged us to take ourselves out of the picture and put Christ in our place.  We were all challenged because we were mostly going to do evangelistic work.  That took us all out of our comfort zone.  When we arrived at the Uriah Compound, Pastor Dave gave us an outline that he thought would be a good guide for the week.  It worked really well. 

   On Saturday we bagged beans, rice, and powdered milk.  Then Robby, and his wife Angela, took us prayer walking around Belmopan.  We had prayers at schools, at government buildings, and at a park in Belmopan.  We had a great tour of the city and prayed for everyone within that area. 

   On Sunday morning we went to church at Harvest Church.  It was a beautiful church on a hill with a wonderful breeze blowing thru the church. 

   On Sunday night we went to an Indian church that was in the process of being built.  It was under a tent and block walls partially up around it.  They were very receptive of us and we all enjoyed a time of worship thru song and testimonies. Our team leader, Jeff Baxley, preached.  These were Chia Indians. 

   On Monday we went to two villages giving out rice and beans and powdered milk.  We went to New Valley village Monday morning and the Riviera village that afternoon.  It was amazing meeting so many people with so many needs.  In the Riviera village, we were greeted by a 65 year old lady that kissed each one of us several times on the cheeks and told us that God had given her a dream the night before that we would be coming, bringing her food.  What a humbling feeling we all had while visiting with her. 

   On Tuesday morning we painted at the King's Children Home. 

   On Wednesday morning we visited the Arizona village giving out food and praying for the people.  On Wednesday we visited the back side of the Ontario village.  We gave food and had prayer with many people in the Ontario village.

   On Thursday morning we had an educational clinic in the Ontario village.  The clinic covered issues such as diabeties, high blood pressure,  self-purity,  STD's, and girls saving themselves for their life-time mate.  We also presented the gospel to everyone in the meeting.  The rest of the team went back to Ontario to visit with ones that we had not seen the day before. 

   Once again we had van trouble.   We had to make arrangements for the van to be taken back to the compound and fixed.  After lunch, five of us stayed on the compound to helped Ms. Verna bag material for uniforms that would be given out to students so uniforms could be made before next school year.  The rest of the team went back to Ontario village to give out food and milk and pray for the people that live in that village. 

   The villages Pastor Dave took us to were villages he had not taken groups to before.  He personally had visited them either by himself or with one or two other people.   We were very proud to plant so many seeds in these villages and are anxious to see how God causes them to grow.  Ontario is a very large village with a lot of hills and rocky roads. 

   On Friday, our free day, we went to see the Mayan Ruins.  We all had a great time and a little shower of rain to cool us off.  That was the only rain we had during the day.  It rained two nights while we slept,  but it did not rain while we were out working.  God blessed us with cloud cover when we needed it and good weather all week. 

   Each night our devotion was "The Lord's Prayer".  Jeff's challenge and Pastor Dave's challenge was the same all week - to allow God to use us to do for Him, to take "me" out of the sentence and put "God" in, to take all the time we needed, and to remember we were on God's agenda, not our own. 

   We had a wonderful nine days. 

   Once we got back to Atlanta, we found out that our van was about thirty minutes out from the airport, broken down.  We had van trouble all week in Belize and now when we get home.  Five hours later the church van was fixed and we were on our way to Opp.  One of the inside rear tires exploded and had we all been in the van some of us would have surely been injured because a hole was blown thru the floor of the van at the back where at least four people would have been sitting.  The two men that were coming to pick us up said they saw all kinds of stuff blow up thru that hole.  God not only gave us a safe trip and time in Belize, but, also, took care of us coming back to our homes in Opp.

   To God be the glory for all that was done.  Everything we did was thru His mercy and His love.  It is so hard to put into words how blessed we all were.  God is so good to each of us and we were grateful for the opportunity to share God's love with the people in Belize.