Happy New Year! We pray that this will be a blessed New Year for all and prosperous in many ways for all of you! We want to thank you for your prayers and support over the 2003 year! It has made a tremendous difference in our lives and our ministry here in Belize.

December we hit the ground running after our return from the states. As a result of contacting over 50 churches in California and Arizona we are blessed with overwhelming bookings for 2004. To date we have 18 teams that have requested dates to serve here in Belize.

December started out with a Vision team from the Baptist General Conference, headed up by Mike Snyder. The group was from different churches throughout the U.S. This was a whirlwind trip for them as they arrived on Dec. 11th and left Dec. 14th. Most of them have booked or are considering booking with us for 2004 and partnering with our ministry in some form!

Following them, arrangements were made for collecting over 300 Christmas Shoebox gifts through our home church CrossWinds Church, in Dublin, California. Also our son’s office – Broadstreet Mortgage and Providian Financial helped CrossWinds with gifts to be provided for the children here in Gales Point, Mullins River and King’s Children’s Home in Belmopan.

Matt Kinney, a friend of ours, who has come to Belize on 2 previous teams escorted the gifts down to Belize and helped to disperse them to the Children. It was so awesome to see the smiles of the children when they had their name called or when they came up to receive their gifts. The smiles on their faces made our Christmas so very special! God orchestrated the exact number of gifts required even though more children came for gifts than we had originally surveyed, as they were visiting from other areas of Belize, and you can’t leave any child out!

Our hearts and the children’s hearts are filled with such gratitude to all of those who helped make their Christmas a lot more merrier than they had anticipated! We are still having people come up and thank us for the gifts. There were some children who were able to send back their thank you’s with Matt!

Jay Pettygrove from Wisconsin, who was down this last summer with his family, took time off work the week after Christmas to make a special trip to help us prepare for the on slaught of teams beginning Jan. 1st. We couldn’t have gotten it all done without his help!

Our Christmas season was occupied with repairing the bus, which we used to haul construction supplies to Gales Point. The construction materials are for the team that will be arriving New Years day. The repair of our differential in the Van was replaced with a used one salvaged from an abandoned Van, because parts in this country aren’t available.

Basil and Vera had both caught the flu during the holidays, but are recovering now and looking forward to 2004! We anticipate 2004 to be a very busy year with ministry expanding in new areas. Stay tuned each month as we bring to you the most current exciting ministry updates as they unfold!

With Christ at the Helm for 2004, Basil and Vera

November 2003

This will be a short update, as we were in the states through Thanksgiving. We pray that you had a blessed Thanksgiving with your family and loved ones!

Being home at this time of year allowed us to spend a little time with my younger sister, Mary in Tucson, Arizona as we visited churches in her area. It had been a few years since we were able to visit at her home. We were also able to meet up with dear friends of ours that are on furlough from India, the Reis' as they too are currently living in Phoenix, Arizona which was convenient for us in visiting churches. It was great to catch up with the Reis' as they were instrumental in our decision to become missionaries.

We also were able to spend Thanksgiving with our family, our 3 sons and Basil's mother, Edith for the first time in a couple of years. We felt quite blessed to have the time with them as well!

We spent October-November visiting churches throughout California and Arizona, promoting the Belize Mission and Retreat and raising personal support. We contacted over 50 churches and were pleased to have been able to meet with over 30 of them either face to face or by phone. As a result we are pleased to report that 18 teams have put requests in for Short Term Mission trips to work with us in 2004.

Upon returning to Belize we were kept busy making preparations for the BGC vision/fact finding team that is due to arrive in mid-December. We connected with many villagers to see how things have gone while we were in the States. We received good news and not so good news. The good news is that Moses, Daffle and Janeto newly committed Christians all have been faithfully attending church and continue to improve on their walk with the Lord.

We would appreciate your prayers for Ronald, Noel and Brandon as they seem to have slipped back into their old life styles of stealing and trouble making in the Village.

As we prepare for this incredible holiday season, we pray that your focus will be on the Lord and not on the things of this world. Living here in Belize we have been able to give Christ birth a new meaning to us, as we're not caught up in the mad shopping and preparation for the holidays, that always seem to go into this season! We certainly do not miss that part of this season. However, we do miss our loved ones and friends, we'll be thinking of all of you and remembering the fond times we've spent together in the past.

We have been blessed this year with all the new family members in Christ, that we have gotten to know and shared wonderful memories with as well! We'll keep all of you in our prayers and looking forward to wehn our paths will cross again! Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

September/October 2003

Hello Everyone! Thank you for your prayers! They have most definitely been felt. This update is a bit late, however, better late than not at all! So much has been happening! We'll be combining Sept. and Oct. for this update.

September started out with Basil and Vera taking numerous Gales Point Villagers and a young man from Belize City to visit the Caribbean Mercy Ship docked in Dangrigra, approximately 26 miles from Gales Point. We scheduled our first group for cataract surgeries, lazer eye surgeries, eye exam for glasses, dental and orthopedic needs all provided free through the ministry of the Caribbean Mercy Ship. The first to get help was Luke Smith, a young parapalegic man (who was posted on our website needed Urgent Medical care), we took him to meet with the Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Mc Daniel. They ended up admitting him to the hospital in Dangrigra the following day. Dr. Mc Daniel and his wife were very instrumental in turning Luke's attitude around regarding accepting reading the bible and making his decision for Christ! Praise God! Luke was quite ill, had a major infection in his kidneys and bed sores on his bottom. They were able to clean his system out, and get him on the right path for health. The only alternative in helping him further would be to amputate his legs, which Luke was not willing to do at this time. You see he has a dream every night where he sees Jesus holding his hands out to him, he rises from the bed and they dance around the room. So he is confident that God will heal him, please join Luke in prayer that this miracle will happen!

The rest of the month was spent in taking van-loads of villagers back and forth to Dangrigra for appointments for their eyes and orthopedic needs. This is a really exciting month and story that we need to share: Miss Iris, is an 78 year old village woman, with a heart for the Lord offering many prayers to the Lord for her village to change. She grew up in Gales Point. Then, as a young adult, moved to the U.S. where she lived for over 40 years. She moved back to Gales Point in 1995 to teach the girls of the village their heritage.

After our first trip with 15 villagers, as we were getting ready to take the next group to Dangrigra, Miss Iris comes running out of her home, "Miss Vera, Miss Vera, it's happening, it's happening!" I asked her what was happening and she responded, "God's presence -- it's here! You and Mr.Basil have broken the barriers and you can feel God's presence is here! There are changes taking place and you guys have done it!" I responded that we didn't do it, but that GOD DID IT!

Through all these visits to the Mercy Ships, many have been able to see far better than ever in many years. Aches and pains and dental care have been provided that has been desperately needed far longer than anyone in the states would allow. The people of the village are so very grateful -- to the point that they are inviting us into their homes, making us jams and chutney, and baking us goodies. This is something that we are so excited about!

We arranged for a Mercy Ship Doctor and Nurse to hold clinics in the village while we are here in the states. This is an a part of her email that she sent us a week or so ago:

"The most important thing I wanted to tell you about our outreach was how well we were treated by the locals!! We were made to feel very welcome. People were grateful not only to us, but also to you. Whenever we told them that you two are the reason we came, they always had words of praise for you both. One man spoke of how he was an alcoholic, but one month ago he was baptized and his life has changed. It seems you have really made an impact on the village/people of Gales Point!! We definitely felt a loving presence there. When we left, the women downstairs gave us each a jar of jam or chutney, too." Dr. Konnie Landis, Mercy Ships

Yes, this summer we have seen our ministry turn the corner and the villagers are responding to God's voice and care in their lives. We are seeing the fruits of our labor through the ministry God has put on our hearts in Gales Point come to fruition! We are praising God for all that is happening and thanking Him for the many new family members that we have met and that are coming to the Lord through this ministry! It was very difficult this time to come home and leave the villagers who are reaching out to learn about God and His love for them!

We arrived back in the States on Sept. 25th. Our first stay was with new family members in Christ -- the team from Mendota, had graciously opened their homes up to us for a visit and reuninon with two other teams as well, one from Minnesota and the other from Wisconsin. It is always a joy for us to be reunited with the teams that have visited us! The Mendota team from Illinois Valley Community Fellowship Church held 2 potlucks for us and graciously welcomed us into their homes and featured us in their Sunday morning worship service at their church. We are so deeply grateful for all they have done for us and our village in Belize. They have a newly formed Christian school that will be teaming with us to connect their children with the children of Gales Point in their school.

After spending four days with the Mendota team we headed on to Arlington Heights where we spent three days making two videos with the Baptist General Conference, one to be used for raising support and one to invite other teams to join us in ministry in Belize through Short Term Ministry!

We then headed off to the California to visit our boys, family, friends and church! We have been graciously staying at many homes since we've been back to California. Vera had a very special reunion on this trip back home! Her brother Trace and Vera were separated at Trace's birth 48 years ago. Trace found Vera through our son Brent in San Ramon. Just 1 week before we left Belize. We had a family reunion on the weekend of Oct. 17 - 19th! Please lift Trace up in prayer, as he has many health issues! Vera is giving the Lord the praise and Glory for answering her prayer of over 25 years! For those who wait on the Lord, He is faithful!

We started our MPD (Ministry Partnership Development) program and are currently traveling throughout California and Arizona. We have been to Fresno, Burbank and currently are in Valencia, Ca, staying with other new friends we met this year at our mission base in Belize. We will be heading on down to San Diego on Monday to meet with 4 churches and then on into Arizona. We'll bring you up to date with how this journey is going with our Nov. update.

Please be praying for our meetings with churches and individuals to partner with us, as we try to raise our much needed personal support to provide us with medical, retirement and personal expenses! We want God's will to be done and pray that we will be able to discern His direction in this endeavor! Thank you, God Bless!

For those who would like to connect with us, you can leave a message at the following number and we'll return your call! (925) 556-0543 , mailbox 2.

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August 2003

As the summer comes to a close the excitement is building with the return visit of the North Carolina Medical Team, led by Debbie Gordon. There were three who returned -- and the others were first timers with us. It was like a warm homecoming, and included a young lady returning from Scotland as well. Hugs, tears and smiles were the agenda on their day of arrival.

Vera was particularly pleased to see this team and not just for the reason stated above. On August 9th, she took a fall, splitting open her left shin, which required stitching. She was off her feet for over a week, trying to nurse herself back to working condition before the team arrived.

God's timing is always perfect, as it had turned out that the leg became quite infected and the nurses arrived the day that her leg was at its worst. With their tender care and skills and a whole lot of prayer, the correct healing process began. Prayer is still needed to complete the healing process as it is healing now from the inside out because of unusual and unforseen circumstances.

Upon their arrival at the village, they immediately began ministering as they renewed special relationships they had made the previous year. They demonstrated a true servant's spirit in all that they did and God was definitely with this team. You should have seen the all-women's team load their 15 trunks and suitcases (at 70# each) onto the top of the van. It was quite a sight, and it certainly was God that empowered them for the task.

Each day began with VBS. Three of the team members worked at the church with the children and the other three held clinics at the village Community Center. Vera was able to keep her leg elevated and also contributed to the work. We had a dental assistant and two nurses that did examinations and disbursed much needed medications. Once again, the team was able not only to attend to their physical needs -- but to their spiritual needs, as well.

God's presence and power were felt every step of their journey -- from being able to get the VBS lesson completed before the killer bees took over the chapel -- to having just the right people ministering during door-to-door evangelism. One of these was a nurse to a diabetic shut-in with ulcerative leg wounds that required immediate medical attention. In addition, we were able to screen and make appointments for the villagers who needed cataract surgery, as well as orthopedic, dental and optical care while the Mercy Ships are here.

The ministry at VBS, the medical clinic, and door-to-door evangelism resulted in twenty decisions for Christ as their personal Savior. Twelve of these took the next step and were baptized in the lagoon. Most of these will be influential in helping both young and old in the village to seek new life in Christ.

God's presence was definitely felt the following Sunday after the baptisms. Sunday School, church services and our Youth meeting all overflowed and were full of faith and a marvelous response to God for His goodness. God worked mightily during our youth meeting, with 35 young people in attendance -- our biggest crowd ever.

The team ended up with their annual visit to the King's Childrens Home in Belmopan, where they played, extended love and ministered to the children. They were also able to organize their medical clinic for the team.

Gilroy August, the young man from our village being sponsored by the Mendota team, was enrolled in the Belize Christian Academy and placed in a good Christian home for mentoring while attended high school. God was once again at work behind the scenes orchestrating the outcome for him. We are giving God much praise for all the wonderful things that happened this month!

We are in the final stages of preparing for our trip home to meet with churches, individuals and family for support fundraising in the mid-west, California, and Arizona. Please pray with us that this will be successfully accomplished so that our ministry here in Belize will continue to flourish, in Jesus Name.

JULY 2003

What better place to be on July 4th, than in the Capitol of the U.S. standing between the Lincoln Memorial & the Washington Memorial? Seeing the ocean of people covering the grounds from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol was quite overwhelming in more ways than one! It was an awe inspiring moment and memory we will not forget!

We are praising the Lord, upon our return to Belize, we found another boat to replace the one that had been burned. The new boat is far better than the first, more suitable to transport teams to and from the Mission Base. It is a 25 ft. Mexican Skiff. Funds were raised to meet some of the need to replace the boat and we are giving God all the Glory! Not only did we get a boat that is "like new", also we received a donation of a used 65 HP engine from Dave Morris here in Belize.

The boat arrived just in time to meet the first team in July from Savannah, Ga. This team help complete the package by bringing 11 new Life Vests for passengers to use! Not only were they generous with that contribution, they also contributed sports equipment (bag included) and many teaching materials for the ministry in Gales Point to continue. A new flannel board has been put to use thanks to them as well!

The kids in Gales Point will not forget the team from Savannah anytime soon. This team played various sports with them, which included soccer, kickball, plus lots of water sports! All ages participated and many of the older villagers came to help out!

The week ended with the Boy's and Girl's overnighter. It was the first for the boys and 2nd for the girls. The boys were able to use the Community Center for their sleepover and the Girl's once again held theirs at the Galilee Gospel Chapel. Lots of games, videos, contests, prizes and teachings took place. Of course the Girl's once again showed the stamina of staying up late, the boys fell asleep at midnight, while the last girls fell asleep at 3:30 am. The girls had a special speaker from South Carolina, Zsa-Meia who is an African-American shared her testimony with the girls. She talked about how she is very proud of her life as a Christian since she was 7 and how blessed she's been to share Christ's gospel with many as she grew up and how she saved herself for her husband. This was a great lesson for the girls in the village to relate to and hear! Thank you Zsa-Meia, you and the team were a blessing!

Before we left the village on Sunday, the team held Sunday School, it was one of the largest attendance we have had in quite some! The team also provided us with Worship Service and there were many newcomers from the village that showed up at that as well! We want to thank Pastor Larry for his significant message that many in attendance needed to hear about changing their ways and their sinful lifestyles. One in particular that we've been praying for is a "bad guy" in the village, named Brandon, we've asked for your prayers before, and they are being heard. Brandon is starting to show some interest in helping us when teams are in the village. We pray that he is sincere and God Centered.

The next group that arrived was the Pettygrove family of 6 from Wisconsin. Their children's ages ranged from 15 down to 6 years old. Elijah is the youngest team member we have had at the Mission base. He did so well, we were quite impressed with him, of course the whole family was very impressive and humbling. They all spent time working with the Kids Camp in the village and provided Sunday School for the children. Jay was particularly helpful with his electrical skills in assisting us with repairs on the salt corroded solar wiring, testing & identifying which of our solar batteries need to be replaced. He also helped with the wiring of our lawn mower and many odd jobs needing repair. While the girls helped Vera cut out all the flannel characters to the newly donated Flannel Board (provided by the Savannah team).

The last few days left for the Pettygrove family found them at the Kings Children Home in Belmopan, helping, loving and playing with the children. Once again I think their hearts were stolen by these children who so desperately need love.

We have had a few disappointments this month though. We came back from the states with a newly acquired AT&T phone card so we could make necessary phone calls to the states only to find out that the Belize Telephone company as of July 1st, has blocked all international calling cards except at their main office in Belize City. This is quite a disappointment, we are praying God will help us to acquire a P3 or P4 laptop so we can then subscribe to a Satellite system that will allow us unlimited internet access and international calls.

We also got word that our dear friends Brian & Margaret Mooney will not be joining us in ministry at Gales Point, they feel God is leading them in another direction here in Belize. Please continue to pray for God's leading in their lives and their ministry here in Belize. Also pray that God will direct the right people to come and help us minister in Gales Point, as we do need the help.

Last but not least we've been in contact with the Mercy Ships, as there will be one in port starting Aug. 11th. We are trying to make arrangements with them to treat many villagers from Gales Point to get medical, dental and eye problems resolved! We're also praying that they can do something for Luke Smith to straighten his parallyzed legs and treat his infected bed sores. Please pray with us that God orchestrates all that need help and will use us to get them to the ship for the correct medical attention they so badly need.

A final praise! God continues to work in our ministry at Gales Point not only for the people in the village but in the lives of the team members that come to serve. We've had two baptisms the first being Todd with the Mendota Group and the 2nd being Lauren the youngest member of the Savannah, Ga group. We are praising the Lord and excited about our new family members!

God's Servant's, Basil & Vera

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June 2003
WOW! The last two months have been busy with travel, Volunteers and teams! Where to begin?

May started us out in returning to the States to meet with churches, supporters, volunteer staff, Board of Directors, family and friends. It was once again a whirlwind trip. There never seems to be as much time as we would like to have. We want to personally thank all of you who allowed us to invade your private lives by staying with you during our time there! The Duarte's and Duley's were such gracious Hosts, and our deepest gratitude goes out to them. Special thanks to Matt Kinney for the use of your New Truck -- what a wonderfulGod-send!

We arrived back in Belize on June 2nd, only to find out that some "Bad Guys" in Gales Point, had stolen our boat while we were in the states! Not only did they steal it, but they chopped it up and burned it! So you can imagine our dilemma upon returning with no transportation to get our teams in and out by sea. By the graciousness of one of the families in the village, we were able to rent their boat & driver to help us out during June.

In spite of the difficulties, God was still faithful to continue the ministry He has assigned us to do! We had left Tam & Jason from Australia at the Orphanage while we were in the states in May and Jason picked us up at the airport and came out to the mission with us to work on a pathway to our road thru the swamp. Then he met back up with Tam and they have continued their work at the "Kings Children's Home" in Belmopan.

Jules & Steph joined us from our hometown in the Tri-Valley of San Francisco, Ca. They were such servants and an incredible help in preparing for the teams which arrived June 8th. Thanks to them! Jules will be returning to Belize in October to serve in the Punta Gorda area sharing the Gospel to the Jehovah's Witness and their converts! Praise God!

June 8th brought us John Bodo and a youth team from Cottage Grove, Minnesota. This team came to us through the Baptist General Conference. They were a team of six that had incredible hearts for serving that we know made God smile down from above. The first week, we went into the village daily and taught at the school, sharing Christ's love through hands-on drama, and singing and stories shared with the children! Many of the children connected with their whole team. The guys served also by working on the pathway to our road and filling in our septic trench!

Wow were the mosquitoes biting then. They were able to provide Sunday School classes, music (which included for the first time, drumming from one of the villagers) and the complete worship service for Galilee Gospel Chapel in Gales Point. The second week they were just like staff to us!

We received Brian Mooney and Ed Manzano from Mexico, (remember Brian & his wife Margaret will be joining us in ministry after the first of the year). They also came to help prepare for the group of 30 which arrived on Sunday, June 15th.

We had a Dental team from the University of Pittsburg led by Wayne Roccia come in to assess the place for the new Dental office they'll be setting up in Gales Point. We were impressed with this team and their fervor in wanting to help the villagers by starting this Dental Clinic. Please join us in prayer for the best way to get their equipment shipped to Belize so this much needed office can get set up quickly.

While here, their team was able to salvage the dental equipment that was shipped last summer and damaged in delivery! Praise the Lord for this!

The Belize Mission hasn't seen this much activity since the beginning of last summer! A team of 30 arrived from Mendota, Illinois with such excitement for the Lord! We were all blessed by their presence. Their team consisted of children from the age of 7 to the adults. They were initiated by their hike to the mission base, and all of them handled it with grace!

Their goals were to hold VBS in the village and also leave a work team at the mission base to remove the thatch and build a new zinc overhang on the cabana's.

The team from Cottage Grove helped the Mendota team adjust and get aquainted with the mission's facilities and traveling to and from the village everyday. Some of their team did prayer walks in the village while others, along with the Mendota team, conducted VBS daily!

While the Mendota team was here, God moved upon them to sponsor a 14 yr. old in the village, named Gilroy, who expressed an interest in becoming a Pastor. The Mendota team will be providing the funds to put him through High School at the Chrisitian Academy in Belmopan and then on to Seminary. Gilroy has committed to doing his best and wants to become a Pastor for Gales Point. This has been a prayer of the Belize Mission for quite sometime now. We're praising the Lord for His calling on Gilroy's life. We ask that our missions supporters to join us in prayer for him and the Mendota team, as we know the forces that will try to discourage him and thwart his calling.

It was with tears and hearts filled with much gratitude that we parted with these two teams. Not only did we have tears in our eyes, but so did quite a few children whose hearts were touched by these teams! Our prayers go with them as well.

The end of the month brought Basil and Vera to Washington, D.C. for a Baptist General Conference (BGC) Missions Retreat for training and introductions to the attendees at the 125th Baptist General Conference Annual meeting. We met numerous Pastors, church leaders and Missionaries already serving, as well as newly appointed Missionaries that are affiliated with the BGC. We pray that God will open the door wide for many short term teams and financial partners to suppport our ministry in Belize.

Please join us in prayer as we head back to Belize on July 5th, so that we may find another boat for transportation by sea, and prepare for more teams and families joining us in the Belize Mission ministry this month. As always we want to remain in prayer for you too. Please email us and let us know how we can best be praying for you!

God's Servant's, Basil & Vera

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May 2003

April was one of our busiest months in traveling to promote the Belize Mission. At the beginning of April we flew to Chicago to be interviewed by the BGC and developed a cooperative agreement to partner with their 1100 churches, allowing us the opportunity to promote the Belize Mission & Retreat to short term teams.

We were appointed as BGC missionaries while maintaining the Belize Mission & Retreat as a separate Non-denominational mission base! April also brought more good news! The Belize Mission & Retreat received their final approval for 501(c)3 non-profit status!

And even more blessings came! Remember we requested prayer last month for Brian & Margaret Mooney -- that God would give them direction for their call to Belize? Well, our prayers were answered! They called us to let us know they will be joining us in Belize at the mission base either by end of this year or beginning in January, 2004. We thank you for your prayers and request that you continue your prayers that they will have a smooth transition in this move and that their hearts are able to withstand their goodbyes with their many friends they have developed in Mexico over the past 7 years!

How we praise God for this wonderful blessing! We can hardly wait for them to join us!

During April we were also able to conduct a youth meeting and water volleyball games with the kids from Gales Point. The attendance for these events were outstanding. We set up a makeshift volleyball net and were able to do this game in the Southern Lagoon. This was one of the largest turnouts we've had which included some kids we've never seen before! It was a most rewarding time ministering to the youth of Belize.

Laura Bryant from Austin, Texas, spent the Saturday before Easter with us. Her objective was to check out what the Belize Mission Ministry is all about! She feels God is making some changes in her life and she is looking for His direction in these changes and feels He may be leading her to serve Him on the mission field! It was a blessing to meet her and be able to share Easter with another fellow believer!

We had tried four weeks before Easter to go into the village to share the Good News in teaching the children the real reason and meaning of Easter, but we seemed to be thwarted on every side with the boat and car breaking down, along with various other reasons that involved Spiritual Warfare. It seemed that the deceiver didn't want us to share this message.

This blessed Easter was Vera's first in the village. We attended the Anglican church with 25 people in attendance. This was quite different from our normal Easter festivities, where we were in church with four packed-out services and you would pray that you could find a seat. Unlike the churches in the U.S., we found the church to be sparsely attended. The village doesn't give a lot of credit to our Savior for all He has done for us and our future. Many of the people look upon Easter as just another opportunity to have BBQ's, games, boat races and sell their goods. The villagers were a little disappointed this year that there were not as many Belizeans coming to the village as they've had in past years. We are praying that next year will be focused on the real reason Jesus came, served and gave His life. Please add this to your prayer list.

We did spend some wonderful time with new Belizean friends that we're working with in Gales Point. We were able to treat Laura to a real Belize family dinner with Miss Alice and her husband, Nacho and their extended family. We were served the traditional stewed chicken, rice and beans for Easter dinner. They have said that we are part of their extended family and they expect us to share in meals with them when we are in the village. It's always exciting for us to have fellowship with people in the village.

Following our appointment to the BGC we were invited to the Northern California Baptist Conference Annual meeting, where we were introduced, displayed our exhibit and allowed over 200 churches the opportunity to learn more about the Belize Mission. This annual meeting was held in Fresno, California, which is Vera's hometown. Vera and Basil stayed with Vera's mom and brother which was an extra special blessing.

This annual meeting should prove to be a great beginning to building new relationships that will include several Northern California churches and individuals.

Upon our return to Belize, we were welcomed with unexpected guests from Australia. We have Tamlyn Butler and Jason Sloan visiting the Belize Mission for the next 3 months. They have been such a blessing in helping us with many more chores that needed to be done before teams start arriving in June. Vera and Tam finished the kitchen reorganization and Jason worked with Basil and Mark in getting the grounds & dorms ready for the teams. Tam and Jason have a fondness in their hearts for children. Tam's goal is to work with the village school in helping train the teachers how to work with children who have learning disabilities. This is what her career is and her strong heart's desire. Jason, a nurse, likes to work hard in just about anything you give him, he tells us he just can't sit and do nothing! He wants to be sure he's able to be working no matter how hot it is!

We've had blessings galore for the Belize Mission this month, and we are giving God all the glory, all the praise and all of our thankfulness!

Love,

Vera & Basil

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April 2003

March started out slowly and ended up busily! What's it like to be under spirtual warfare? Frutstrating, to say the least.

We were all pumped up and excited to start teaching in preparation for the Easter season upon us. We had planned on preparing the children for the last week of Jesus' time with us before His cruxcifition. However, there were four weeks in a row that prevented us from getting to church on time to teach Sunday school or meet with our Youth group after church.

Two of those times were spent drifting in the river to the Lagoon. Fortunately the first one we only floated for about 1 1/2 hours, when another boat came along and was able to tow us into the village. Have you ever been towed by another boat? It was a slow process but relaxing. The following week we attempted again, with an early start. It took us approximately five hours to get into the village. The boat died just as we entered into the river from the Caribbean sea. God provides though, in the strangest ways. We were taking a bed out with us, that had wide wooden slats that the mattress rests on. We ended up using them as oars and we literally rowed the boat for 4 1/2 hours. Now this is an incredible time to spend focusing on the Lord because it was quiet and rather serene amidst some grumbling that would come out of our mouths.

The last week we had missed was because our "newly acquired" van broke down. We had just registered it finally, (that's another story) and had driven it for about eight days prior and it seemed to be running beautifully. We were thanking the Lord for the blessing of finding this much needed vehicle.

Just as soon as we pulled out of the driveway from the Transportation department, our transmission went completely out! It's a good thing we were in an area where we knew missionaries and could ask them for help. We ended up staying with them for almost a full week. You realize in Belize there's no hurry or sense of urgency to fix anything! It took our mechanic 12 days to get our van repaired. Consequently it cost us another Sunday not being able to teach in the village.

We did have a wonderful month with Volunteers who visited us. We started off with Justin Timm, who came to seek the Lord's wisdom in his service here in Belize. He came and helped for a few days as he sought God's will in his life. He is still seeking, but we were blessed that he was able to spend this time with us.

We also had some long time missionary friends join us near the end of March. Brian and Margaret Mooney are the missionaries in Baja, Mexico, who brought with them new friends, Chris & Jana Nelson, from the Los Angeles area. This was Brian's second trip to Belize. He feels God's calling him to relocate and minister in Belize. They are seeking God's will and direction for their lives. Please lift them up in prayer at this time in their life.

Chris helped with framing the windows at the Mission Base, and they were such a blessing and encouragement during their whole time with us. Chris and Jana definitely have the spiritual gifts of helps and mercy. They, too, are seeking God's direction in their lives regarding missions -- trying to determine whether to actually go out into the field or whether God will continue to use them, by their support to missionaries. Please be praying for both of these couples in finding and knowing God's discernment in their lives.

The end of the month has come quickly for us, and we find ourselves sitting at the computer typing this update in Chicago, Illinois. We are in the midst of working out a partnership with a missions organization, affiliated with over 1,000 churches, who have been looking for a short term destination in Belize and we appear to fit that need very well. Please pray that this will be fruitful and a blessing to both our organizations and the people of Belize.

Please know that our prayers are constantly going up for our country, our military men & women, their families and friends, our leadership in the U.S., Britain, as well as for the people of Iraq. We pray for the families that have been affected by the casualties in this war. Our prayer is that God will be glorified in changing lives on the battlefield. We pray also that God's Kingdom will be expanded though the humanitarian efforts being brought to the Iraqi people.

Our continued prayers go out in your behalf and we ask that God will bless you and your families. Thank you once again for your support!

May God Bless America,

Basil and Vera

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MARCH 2003
February Stateside was off to an incredible start. Some wonderful people shared a fundraiser they hold annually to help the needs of an orphanage in Vincente Guererro, in Baja Mexico, as well as, a Rehabilitation Center that is near that town.

We were honored that they also included The Belize Mission in this event! The proceeds will go toward the purchase of a very much needed used 15 passenger Van for the Belize Mission! Our hearts are filled with gratitude to Vaughn, Laura, Mark and Toni for the incredible work they did and all the people who attended and made this happen! PRAISES TO OUR KING AND LORD!

We will be able to use the van for more activities in the village with the youth program, for school activities, for village emergencies, for team transportation, as well as in picking up Villagers for Church on Sundays! We are so excited -- can you tell? Please pray that we make the right choice in acquiring a reliable van. February was a busy month with numerous repairs that seem to be ongoing all the time. These projects include repairs on the Main Lodge -- roof leaks, plumbing repairs, bathroom wall replacement and continued work on organizing the kitchen.

In other respects the month for us in Belize has remained relatively calm and quiet.

We were able to meet with the School Principal in Gales Point to see how we can better meet their needs and what projects they would like us to help them with. We identified many areas where the school needs help, such as:

They have needs for paper, markers, glue, pencils, scissors, and craft items.

Three of the children from Mullins River can't afford lunch. We are able to help her with that due to special contributions that have been given by a couple of special supporters.

They are need of a School Sponsorship Program, and we are praying that this may become a reality for their fall year. Please add this to your prayer list.

Also expressed was a need for any help we could give her teachers with Special Education Needs for children's training. She says they really aren't equipped to handle their needs and would like to do a better job in that area. If anyone who is reading this knows of anyone with this area of expertise -- maybe YOU -- it would be great to have a team come to Belize at the beginning of the school year to help us in this area.

She is still interested in us coming in on a regular basis to share spiritual stories with the children. The children always enjoy this special time. We need new materials to share with the age 4-14 children.

It is our desire to serve Gales Point to the best of our capabilities. Some of our long range goals include being able to start some very needed programs such as:

After School Learning Center

Reading classes for children & Adults

After School Youth programs.

Of course we'll need more than just Basil and me to do all this. If anyone is interested in coming to Belize as a Long Term volunteer staff person -- we want YOU! Now! The sooner, the better!

February also brought us approval from the Village Council for front door access at the Community Center for our Dental Clinic. So now we will have the Dental office and Medical clinic in the same building! I know the villagers can hardly wait for this dental clinic to be up and running.

One of the villagers who is helping us, by letting us park our vehicles next to his home in the village (to help ward off vandalism and theft) has had a major drinking problem. We've been praying for him and He has made a commitment to give up his drinking Please add him (His name is Nacho) to your prayer list that God will provide strong enablement and resolve to him as he goes through this battle day by day. We are praising the Lord for this good news.

Again thank you for your continued prayers and support. Without you by our side, this ministry would not be successful! May God bless each and everyone of you!

God's Servant's with You,

Basil and Vera

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February 2003

As we embark on this new year, we covet your prayers for the Belize Mission and those teams and individuals who are in the midst of planning their mission trips.

As we write this we are swamped with requests for short term information packets and the planning involved in organizing the teams for this year. Each month throughout 2003, we are blessed with either individuals or teams coming to Belize to serve the Lord.

It promises to be even busier than last year and we are humbled to serve the Lord as hosts and facilitators to those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to come and serve our Lord in Gales Point and throughout Belize.

Already in January, we welcomed our first couple from Vancouver Island, B.C. -- Pat & Brian Swann, who have come with a servant's heart to help prepare the base for teams who will be coming. They also will be ministering to the children at the orphanage in the capitol city of Belmopan.

Along with their hard work, organizing the kitchen, repairing the boat engine, and continuing the construction on the Chapel/multi-use room, they have had the opportunity to enjoy some snorkeling at the Cayes and fishing in the Manatee Bar river. Their time here serves as an example of what wonderful opportunities are provided to serve and enjoy God's creation.

January has also brought us many challenges we are working to overcome -- primarily repairs that have to be done on the diesel generator, along with many more pressing needs. Please continue to pray that the Lord will send us a qualified diesel mechanic who can troubleshoot our generator and get it back in running order without requiring too many replacement parts.

Preparation has also begun on the repair of our water cisterns. This is also crucial since at least one must be repaired before the rainy season stops this month.

Once again we have been living the pioneering lifestyle, without adequate power and a limited water supply. We are confident, however, that the Lord will help us through this and that we'll have everything in running order before the larger groups start arriving.

Not only have we had the pioneering experience at the mission base, but also in our transportation. Our Geo Tracker is ready to be put out to pasture. We have driven it to the point of no return -- even pushing it into the village on our last trip.

We are praying for the success of the Fundraiser that is taking place in California to help raise the funds to purchase a used 15 passenger Van. In the meantime we have to rent transportation to bring volunteers in and out of Gales Point.

The building of the basketball backboards for the Gales Point Sports Field are in progress. The villagers have teamed with us in in preparation for the new backboards that are to arrive soon. This will be a true blessing for our sports ministry as basketball is one of the more popular sports activities among the youth. We express our sincere thanks to Bowen and Bowen Coca Cola Distributors for their generosity in providing this equipment.

We have also been blessed by a generous donation from a retired dentist in Pennsylvania who is contributing a fully equipped dental office including X-ray equipment. We have a dental team coming to install this much needed dental clinic in Gales Point in early summer!

We are giving God all the Glory for this incredible gift to the villagers.

For those of you who would like to contact us directly, we have a new email address:

turtleshores@btl.net

The old address is no longer in service. Remember we can receive TEXT ONLY email!

As always, you, our supporters will be in our prayers throughout the year. Our constant and sincere prayer is that the Lord will bless each of you abundantly.

His Servants,

Basil and Vera

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LAST 2 YEAR'S IN REVIEW

2001 - HIGHLIGHTS

January: Let's start with the infamous bus trip. This was not an ordinary bus trip, but one made in a 1978 School bus that we drove from the San Francisco area to Belize, Central America. We loaded the bus with 7 tons of supplies, including, 3 tons of food, 30 boxes of school supplies, medical supplies, 1,100 t-shirts (from Basil's former screen printing business), computers for the school, uniforms for the village sports program, plus numerous other mission supplies. We never realized what an incredible experience this journey would become. It was through this adventure that the ministry began in Belize.

After arriving in Gales Point, the 3 tons of food was taken and sorted into food baskets that Basil distributed to every home in the village. The medical, school supplies and t-shirts were distributed as well. We brought many books donated by the local schools in the Tri-Valley, as well as those from our own collection, to establish a library at the school and at the village community center.

Belize Mission was instrumental in getting the long overdue Medical Clinic up and running. This allowed the Belize Mission to develop a relationship with the Minister of Finance, to the point of approving Customs duty and tax waivers for all mission supplies being brought in by mission teams. With the fundraising from CrossWinds Church, the Belize Mission was able to provide tiling for the orphanage in Belmopan, which gave it a beautifully clean and professional appearance.

February: Our first year we had numerous visitors that were instrumental in helping with some fine tuning of the Mission Base, i.e. Bruce Logan donated a water filtration system and lumber to build the floor for the downstairs dorm.

March: Jody Blessum contributed supplies and fishing gear to help provide food for the mission.

Our Pastor John Merritt, along with a Pastor friend, Greg Olefinger and the missions director Annie Jamaca, came for 5 days of R&R and to see the opportunities that the Mission provides.

April: Our first team was comprised of two families who came to focus on helping with mission maintenance and chores.

June: Joe and Anita Burnham spent their honeymoon at the Mission base. Joe was the Youth Director of the VOF youth. Since their visit they have contributed numerous times to help the mission acquire many needed items of equipment.

Vera led a team of seven from CrossWinds (our home church) from Dublin, CA. They conducted VBS, and brought medical supplies for the newly established clinic. Matt McKinney helped finish the downstairs dorm bathroom and shower, and then donated his cordless power tools to our ministry. There were three members baptized by Basil in the Caribbean Sea during this time.

July: A team of thirty came from Vineyard of Faith (Lutheran) in Windsor, CA, and also conducted VBS, leaving Bibles, clothing, food, and medical supplies. They also helped with starting the upstairs bathroom and shower for the Dorms and built a roof for the lookout tower.

God brought a helper for Basil -- Mark, from Russia arrived on our beach and is still with us today. He has been a tremendous help to the Mission through his hard work and watchful eye. Matt McNeil donated the money for ten bunkbeds for our Dorms.

October: The mission survivee Hurricane Iris a Category 4 storm, which totally destroyed Placencia located just 100 miles south of our Mission. This truly showed us God's hand of protection over the mission, as one hour before she hit, Iris was headed directly at the Belize Mission and Gales point, turning a sharp left to go south, just before hitting land.

Cheryl Diehl from St. Petersburg, FL brought supplies and did mission chores for several days and then spent five more days working at the orphanage in Belmopan.

December: The McReynolds family from Target Earth visited the Belize Mission at Christmas time when Vera had joined Basil for Christmas.

2002 - HIGHLIGHTS

January: Bobcat was enroute to Belize Mission (donated by Peterson/Caterpillar last Oct. for road construction).

March: Tony Johnson came for eight weeks to share the Gospel, teach in the village, and help with mission projects.

Basil returns home for a short visit and to handle taxes, while at home the monies for the road were donated.

April: Basil & Mark salvaged our first boat, badly in need of repair, to be used for bringing in teams and supplies.

Debbie Sturgeon & Shalini Shenoy, helped with the medical clinic and in teaching children in ministry.

Basil goes door to door to evangelize, sharing the Gospel to every home in Gales Point.

May: Cornerstone church from Livermore, CA came to work in the village school and worked hard doing repairs for the Mission Base, i.e. working on septic tank trench, water tank, electrical, and plumbing.

Mad City Church from Madison, WI came to teach at the school, providing a beautiful multi-cultural children's mural, and worked with music and drumming in the village.

Bobcat finally arrived in Belize, along with dental equipment donated for a future Dental clinic in Gales Point.

June: Mike Snyder, from the Baptist General Conference (BGC), visited for two days to check us out and evaluate our needs for short term mission teams. After his evaluation he concluded that this would be a great missions opportunity for "first step" mission teams.

Basil returns home to help Vera with her final move to Belize.

July: Trinity S. Baptist Church from Fresno, CA, a team of 30, taught VBS, evangelized, started construction and provided most of the funds for the Chapel/Multi-Use room, along with taking care of numerous ongoing repairs for the Mission.

"Res-Q" from Canton, Ohio illustrated the message of Salvation through a dramatic presentation of dance, music and drama. We had more than thirty-five accept the Lord on this night.

CrossWinds Church returned with another team, including the Durstenfeld family, to provide VBS for the children in the Village and do many repairs for the Mission. Bob Chisholm also came to assess dental needs for our future Dental Clinic.

August: Hillview Baptist from Union City, CA came with five teenage girls, whose enthusiasm made it quite apparent to the children they taught in VBS, that they were on fire for the Lord. This team will be returning in 2003.

Dyer United Methodist Church from Indiana, sent a construction team who also worked on the Chapel/Multi-Use room. they also handled many maintenance projects.

The bi-monthly Youth ministry started in Gales Point ages 11-18. Our first meeting was for planning. We also had a basketball tournament this month.

Stan McCammon came as a representative for a developer from the states who plans to build another orphanage 45 minutes from our Mission Base. This will be a great opportunity to minister there and help with the building of the orphanage.

September: We opened the Mission grounds to the villagers to come and harvest bucket loads of sea grapes which they were able to sell in Belize City, keeping all the money to provide for their families. Throughout the year villagers are welcomed to pick coconuts and fish off our shores and gather shrimp for their own personal use and resale.

We encourage our teams to buy souvenirs & crafts from the villagers to help support them economically. We also shop for snacks and drinks from the various "mom & pop" shops in the Village.

North Carolina provided us with a medical team formed and led by Debbie Gordon. They were joined by two young women from Scotland (our first international team workers). This team provided teaching of nutrition and cleanliness to the children in school in the morning and held open medical clinic services for the villagers in the mornings and afternoons. Their second week, they provided medical clinic services at the orphanage in Belmopan. Most teams conduct Sunday school and morning worship to help the Village church promote attendance. Also the teams have done prayer walks and conducted evangelism outreach programs.

At our first village baptism, there were three villagers and Julie Arrol from Scotland, who were baptized by Pastor Jim Byrd from N. C.

October: We were invited to a Missions Conference in Clearwater, FL where we were renewed and refreshed in ministry. During this visit, we were blessed with a gift of airline passes from Scott Metcalf which enabled us to also visit our family, church and Belize Mission volunteer staff.

Bill Craver & Jeff Pruitt came to evaluate the facility for future use by team and leadership conferences.

Additions to our website were made to enable supporters to help with specific urgent medical needs, one of which has already been met. Please check this out under Urgent Medical Needs.

The Youth Ministry put on the first annual Family Fall Festival for the children of the village. Over 125 children participated in fun, games, and face painting, and dined on a chicken, rice and beans dinner.

November: We submitted a letter to Coca Cola distributors requesting a donation for 2 basketball backboards and hoops for the village sports field.

Vera held the first of many "Girl's Overnighters" including games, movies, girl-talk and a short message regarding what it's like to be a teenage Christian. This was such a success that the boys want to do one also.

We attended a presentation by Every Home for Christ (EHC). We've volunteered to be part of the steering committee to accomplish door to door evangelism to every home in Belize. This has been a long time prayer-desire of ours.

We held a Youth Volleyball tournament and later in the month had a drumming class for the youth. This class was donated by Emmett, who teaches and runs the Village Cultural Drumming School.

We attended Thanksgiving with sixty Missionaries to bolster our community outreach among Missionaries in Belize.

December: Vera baked Christmas cookies, geving them to numerous families throughout the Village. We also gave out Christmas trinkets to the Village children. We attended our first Belizean funeral for an elderly lady in the Village who was revered by all.

We're excited to hear our request for the basketball backboards was approved. They will be installed in January.

This year was to be a quiet Christmas alone, away from family and friends, allowing us to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas without getting caught up in the frenzy of commercialism and gift exchanging. We invited two strangers from Dallas, TX for Christmas dinner. And they came bearing gifts. This was a Divine Appointment resulting in a donation of a 22' DECK BOAT w/150 hp engine, boat trailer and accessories -- along a with brand new propane BBQ cooktop and grill, and four storage containers loaded with food, numerous tools, butane lamps and various other supplies we were in desperate need of.

This was truly a blessing from the Lord, as we had never met Wayne Baker or his friend Bob before; but he was very impressed with our ministry and commitment to our service in Gales Point Village. He felt God wanted him to bless us with all these gifts.

We wish all of you a prosperous and blessed New Year and look forward to giving you many "Praise and Victory" updates each month!

Basil & Vera
Your Missionaries in Belize ======================================================

November 2002 update

We have a lot to be thankful for this month. For all of you who support us and intercede on our behalf, we are thankful with a grateful heart. We truly need this to keep this ministry going.

We had a successful Girl's overnighter for the youth in Gales Point. There were games, prizes, videos (till 4:30 in the morning), fellowship and a time to share the word to encourage the girls to live a life that keeps them morally pure. We want them to know that we are all one big family, in which our Lord is our common Father.

We had a successful volleyball game the next day with the youth as well! This is always inspiring to see the youth come and play so enthusiastically, something no one else does with them. Providing activities for the youth keeps them occupied, out of trouble and connected with the Lord.

Our next youth meeting was at the village drumming school with one of the Village drummers who teaches drumming to all villagers and tourists too! We learned that the girls definitely have more rhythm than the guys. Sorry guys, you need more practice!

Basil and I were treated to learning one of the traditional dances called the Sambai. Very entertaining and full of energy!

This next month will be preparing the youth to do a Christmas play. Please put that in your prayers, this village has never had a Christmas program before. We'll share more next month on the progress.

In between these times we have been working hard on repairs at the Mission base to prepare for the groups that are starting to come in January, 2003. There is always much that needs to be done to keep the facility up and running.

PRAISE THE LORD WE HAVE OUR DIESEL GENERATOR UP AND RUNNING AGAIN, for those of you who have been keeping abreast of this ministry, you already know that we needed a new starter for our main generator, it has been down for 8 months, since the parts are obsolete and hard to find. We were praying that after sitting for so long that the salt air and being idle would have frozen the motor to keep us from being able to use it! Our Lord is always faithful when we come to Him in obedience. We changed the oil started it - PRAISES TO THE LORD IT STARTED RIGHT UP!

Basil and I were invited to a training session with an organization called Every Home for Christ. They shared their vision for every home in the world to have Christ shared door to door. They have done this in over 100 countries already. This touched our hearts so deeply, because it has been a prayer of ours for a very long time. Now that we live here in Belize it is our desire to see this happen here as well. We have volunteered to be on the Steering committee to help spearhead this major event here in Belize, starting with our village in Gales Point. Please put this in your prayers.

We were very grateful to be able to share Thanksgiving with many other American missionaries. This will become an annual tradition and will rotate locations. There were approximately 60 people in attendance from all across the states. However, we did miss our family and friends, who we feel very blessed to have in our lives. It is our prayers that more of you will join us on this Thankful holiday. Truly this is a day of Thanksgiving to the Lord for all He provides for everyone daily. We will continue to lift all who read this website up in prayers and pray that someday soon we will see you sitting at our table here in Belize.

We pray that this holiday season will be a joyous one for you, your families and friends, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord. What an incredible gift God gave us in sending Christ to us. Many blessings to all of you for your support and prayers during 2002. Prayerfully consider parterning or joining us either as a short term mission team or a full time staff member. You can email us directly at blzmission@btl.net.

Blessings, Basil and Vera

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October Update

October 2002 Update September certainly was a great blessing for our ministry in Gales Point. The begnining of the month started with our second youth meeting, which was a basketball tournament with guys and gals. We had 18 show up, and amazingly it was pretty evenly divided, and just enough to have the tournament.

The village is in desperate need of two basketball hoops and backboards, if anyone might felt led to donate funds or bring them to Belize. We haven't had much luck in finding these items in Belize.

The medical team from North Carolina arrived on September 12th, joined by two young women from Scotland. They did not know each other until their first meeting to plan their trip. Each member was either informed about the short-term opportunity via presentation at their church by the leader Debbie Gordon, or by word of mouth. God did an awesome job of putting this team together. You would never have known that they had not ministered or worked together in the medical field.

Their first exposure to the village was conducting Sunday School and Sunday morning worship services in the Galilee Gospel Chapel. They were also asked to help with our youth meeting that followed the morning worship service by giving a martial arts demonstration. Word had been out in the village for over a week, and we had nearly 40 youths show up for this event.

It just so happens that Lee Morgan, one of the team members, is a former U.S. National Champion in Martial Arts. What an honor & a blessing it was, as he demonstrated and shared his personal testimony.

The week that followed was nothing short of incredible as nearly 300 villagers were examined, treated, and given prescription medications by the medical team and the Gospel was shared by Pastor Jim Byrd, a member who came with the team.

We had approximately 30 people make a decision to follow Christ with the mentoring of Jim. We had villagers from both Gales Point and Mullins River come to the clinic with their needs. The children in the school were excused one afternoon so we could check all of them as well. During this week we would start our day by giving hygiene classes to the children in school and end our week with a lesson on sex education with children in appropriate age brackets. In the afternoon Debbie Gordon held pre-natal and infant care classes to help new moms learn how to properly care for their newborn and infant children.

This week came to a close in the village with a baptism conducted by Pastor Bryd. Julie Arrol, one of the members from Scotland, made a decision to be baptized and each day during school, we invited the children to come and hear her testimony and see her be baptized. The word was published throughout the village and we had 45 people show up to watch the baptism. Baptized along with Julie, was Valerie Williams, 24, who Basil led to Christ in April through door to door evangelism. Irene Garnett, 78, also felt it was time to demonstrate her faith in God and hopefully lead the rest of her family to the Lord.

Last but not least, was Diana Slusher, 16, who is the mother of a 2 year old fathered by Diana's own father. Diana felt shunned by the village and she hasn't been able to hold her head up since this sad event happened. She now has been brought into a new family who is very proud of her and will serve as her mentor.

The North Carolina team wrapped up their twelve day stay at the Kings Kids' Orphanage in Belmopan. They examined 60 children plus staff during the two days there. Lee once again shared his martial arts skills and testimony with the teen orphans. The children in the orphanage made a huge impact on the whole team and part of their hearts were left behind with the children at the orphanage, and in Gales Point. The two girls from Scotland were so touched that they remained on for a few more days after the N.C. team left.

Enroute to the airport with the N.C. team, we encountered a tourist bus accident. The bus driver was going too fast, the road conditions were poor due to rain, and he skidded out of control, landing on the roof of the bus, crushing it and shattering all the window glass. We were able to attend to their basic wounds, while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. What timing on God's part. No one was critically injured, for which we thank God and praise the Lord!

Basil and I are now in Florida attending a Missions Conference with guest speakers Loren Cunningham (founder of YWAM), Wally Magdangal (who was tortured and sentenced to death for his Christian faith in Saudia Arabia and lived to tell the story), and Tommy Barnett (founder of the Dream Centers). It has been an honor to meet these incredible servants of the Lord and be able to talk with them on a one-to-one basis for four days.

After the conference we will be traveling to California to visit family and friends, as well as, going back home to the Bay Area to meet with the US Belize voluteer staff.

Continue to pray for the us as we continue to minister to the lost and needy in Gales Point. Also, be watching for a new addition to our website which will show the different ways you can help with specific special needs of Belizeans who require urgent medical care.

God Bless you all and may the Peace of the Lord be with you!

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