SEPTEMBER 2023

“Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.”

Proverbs 37:3-6

First of all, I want to thank you all for your prayers, support, and love during this time of my dad graduating to his heavenly home and my time in Manitoba, Canada, with my family this summer. I was blessed to see all my aunts, uncles, and many cousins who came for the celebration of my dad’s life. 

While in Manitoba this past summer, I have been in communication with my Belize family. I have been getting  updates on how the camp is going, and I have participated in board meetings for Casa De Shalom via WhatsApp. Lord willing, we plan on starting with the foundation of this home in October-November. 

  

It looks like we have some construction workers coming in January and February. I totally believe that where God guides, He provides. We know of three children who are truly in need of a home where they can get full-time care. I am looking forward to seeing how this will all unfold.

 Prayer Points:

• Funds and workers for building of Casa De Shalom
• Health and safety for myself
• God’s will for Cory, Leah, and their two-year-old, Laelynn
• BTC (Baptist Training Centre) for the staff and for the teams that come and use and work at this camp
• For workers that will be coming to work with those that have special needs 
• Safety during the hurricane season

Thank you once again for being there for me in prayer! 

MAY 2023

 God is so faithful each and every minute of the day. The past couple of months have been filled with His blessings.

January, David Hansel came for two weeks to get some repairs done at BTC (Baptist Training Centre). I so appreciated all his hard work.  Then Beginning of February we had a Baptist church team come and they worked hard in re-doing the roof of the Hardy house. The Hardy House serves as our library, kitchen for the teams and the upstairs has rooms for teams. 

My sisters and their sister in law came for a week in February as well and helped move me to BTC. They worked hard and we got the majority moved in and able to bring some organization to the house I am living in now. 

The first weekend of March was my annual ladies retreat. This year we broke the record of number of ladies that attended. We had 107 ladies and was such a blessing that Denise Meyer came and brought our guest speaker for this year. Our theme was Joy of Surrender. Denise and her husband were missionaries in Belize city when we first moved here in 2004. Denise and I planned and organised the first retreat in 2007. Amazing how God has grown this ministry and ladies from all across Belize come. 

My cousins Loretta and Henry came from Manitoba to lend us a helping hand for five days. They were such a blessing in the work they did and also the fellowship they offered. 

David Wieler came from Alberta to take a tour of BTC and saw the need we had for a pump for our well. He did not waste time and went to pick up a pump in Spanish lookout the very next day and helped to install it. The day they were working on installing the pump I went to the airport and picked up Dora, Jake, Chris and Trevor Klassen from Manitoba. Minutes of arriving Jake and Trevor joined David and our care taker with the installing of the pump. It took Jake and Trevor the rest of the week to figure out how the water system works and also needed to get a new  pressure tank. Dora and Chris did yard work and organising the library as well. 

It was a blessing to be able to take them to Placencia for their last day and they experienced the sea and snorkelling. 

Such a blessing to see how God brings people to come help and we are overwhelmed with all the work that got done. 

My original plan was to head back to Manitoba in May as I need to renew my passport. Easter Sunday my dad took a turn for the worse and had abdomen pain and high fever. Monday he was taken to hospital for a ct scan and they found he had a very inflamed gallbladder. He is not doing well and is getting palliative care. I was able to get a flight out Friday 14th of April and arriving in Winnipeg Saturday the 15th. Please pray that I will be able to see him one last time, Lord willing. He has been a godly example to us and I know many have come to know  Christ through him and my mom over the years. 

I am blessed that my dad has run the good race and we are confident that he will hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” upon his graduation to his heavenly eternal home. 

Truly appreciate your prayers!

Psalm 119: 10-11  With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 

YOUR Word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against YOU.

                                                         

October 2022

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
    my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
    and with my song I praise Him.”

Psalm 28:7

Sometimes our plans are not the same as what God has planned for us! On October 13, I left Canada and flew into Reno, Nevada. I was picked up by my friends Jim and Kelly Wheaton from Graeagle.

We had a great weekend of catching up, hiking, and fellowship. That Monday I had the privilege of joining Gail’s Bible study and was given an opportunity to share a little about what God is doing in Belize. Later that day, I was having some stomach cramps, but by Tuesday the pain went more to the lower right. I was praying for God to give wisdom regarding whether or not to see a doctor. On Wednesday morning, we decided it was time to check in with urgent care in Sparks, Nevada, which is where I had planned to go to visit Colleen, my sister-in-law, and her family. 

The doctor at the urgent care center quickly sent me to the emergency room, where they did blood work and a CT scan. My white blood count was way up to 20,000, and the staff told me it should be under 10,000. Long story short, I had a ruptured appendix which has caused gangrene, making my situation a little more serious. They performed surgery on Wednesday at 5pm, and I was in the hospital until Saturday morning. 

My scheduled trip to Susanville for last weekend has been postponed, and my plans were to be in Chico by now. Lord willing, if I am feeling up to it I plan to be in Chico sometime after the 1st or 2nd of November. 

I have been recovering here in Sparks, Nevada at Colleen's house and feel I am getting stronger day by day. 

My original plan was to fly back to Belize on November 1, but I have delayed my flight by two weeks. Lord willing, I should be back in Belize by November 15. 

I did receive some exciting news a week before I left Canada. We have been praying about purchasing property to create Casa de Shalom, a home for those with special needs. 

We have now been given property to manage for the home by the Baptist Association! The property is the Baptist Training Center, which sits on ten acres of land in Belize. This place has hosted many missionary teams over the years, as well as children’s camps, youth camps, and retreats. The land will still be under the ownership of the Baptist Association, but the board of Casa de Shalom will manage and oversee the daily operations. 

Please continue to pray for: 

• my health, as I heal before returning to Belize
• God's perfect will to be done as we build Casa de Shalom
• work teams to help build the house, and then for staff to serve at Casa de Shalom 

Thank you so much for your prayers, love, and support!