Another camp down – two more to go.

This past week another camp took place. This camp was with the kids from the “south” side of the city, known for being a more rough area. With the help of three counsellors from Blue Creek and Andre from Orange Walk along with the direction of Yolanda and Ronda representing their church, camp was a success.

Joshua and Clarissa were campers last year. At age 14 this year, they were to old to attend but the were counsellor helpers. This was definitely another answer to prayer, as we see the kids grow up in the ministry and start taking responsibility.

The topic for the week was “The Race” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. We taught the kids about Jesus as our Coach, how we need to train (reading the Bible, loving our enemies, going to church etc.) and how we win the prize – accepting Jesus into our hearts. We did pray the prayer of salvation with the kids, as we always do in our camps – but only God knows what went on in their hearts. Time will tell as we see these kids grow up.

What I can tell you is that we have seen change already. One young boy dear to my heart, Cesar is a camper we worked with in our first camp last year. Last year he was dealing with a lot of anger towards the world, and it showed in his behaviour – at that time it hadn’t been long since his brother had been shot and killed. Now a year latter at this camp, Cesar was a new boy! He eagerly volunteered to do the actions for all of the songs, he kept the other boys in his group in line, and he even made his mom return him from a visit from his grandmothers early so he wouldn’t miss camp. Dedication and commitment to working with and loving kids into the kingdom of God makes a difference – not only for the future of Belize, but for the present as well.

On a personal note, please pray for Alexander as two of his wisdom teeth are severely infected, and he is in much pain. We went to see the dentist saturday but they cannot do anything for him until the infection clears up – then it’s a costly venture of x-rays and cleanings before they might be able to pull them out.

It has begun...

Last week we had our first camp of the season. This camp was unique for a few reasons. It was held in a local park, the teachings were basic and the activities high energy- it doesn’t take much to build a relationship and impact a kid. It was strictly run with kids from the local orphanage as the campers. While the kids were testing the ropes and our patience the first day by the third and final day things were going smoothly and everyone involved was having a blast.

It was also unique in that Alexander and I had very little involvement. This may sound strange but it is a great accomplishment. Instead of having a team come down and do camp for this church the pastor took initiative and using his own youth they ran an amazing camp. While this may seem basic, it is a huge accomplishment – if only we could get other churches to such a point of independence so quickly! The pastor was already talking about doing it a few days longer next year and eventually doing an overnight camp with the same kids. How amazing it is to see people catch the vision and understand the importance of children’s ministry.

This past weekend we held another training in a community called Blue Creek. We were excited to meet with the youth who were interested in helping out with camps this summer. We were also honoured to have our friends and past councillors Jesse and Leroy from Spanishlookout come with us and help us out.

Please continue to pray for us we try to find direction on how to use our time wisely. We are continuing to try to find and connect with more churches, but the summer is slipping away from us.

Also pray for our health. We are currently suffering from one of the hazards of the job. Working with many kids and meeting many people put us in contact with a whole range of things. Please pray for quick healing and relief from these bugs.

Belize Camping Experience

(insert something attention grabbing here)
Now that we have your attention, let us tell you about what’s been going on.
This past weekend we held two councillor training sessions – one here in the city and another one in Spanish Lookout. It was an intense couple of hours, where we covered topics ranging from games and a typical camp schedule to fallow-up programs, dealing with trouble children and counselling kids dealing with tough issues. We are doing one more training in Blue Creek in two weeks, and tomorrow night we are helping a church do their own training – exactly what we want, Belizean churches taking ownership.

Armando a student and a friend from Steinbach Bible College was also involved at the training. Alongside us we had Brother Burns who is an official Christian counsellor in the city of Belize. These Belizean men have also sensed the lack of youth training that takes place in the church.

Last week we had been busy meeting pastors. We’re looking for the churches who want help with their children and youth program. There are many in need, but some would rather us do it for them instead of us empowering them to do it themselves. It’s a long sometimes frustrating process, but it’s the burden on our hearts and the grace of God that keeps us going.

We came in contact with a new church plant in the south side that has really encouraged us. This Belizean pastor left his pastoral position of 20 years in a village to brave the city and reach out to the un-reached. Because they are so new, they currently don’t have any Children or youth program but the pastor and some of the church members from his old congregation are egger to try anything that will help serve those around them. We look forward to working with them this August.

This coming week we have the first camp of the season. This church has decided to reach out to a specific group of children who are high risk and are in need of some genuine love – the kids from the orphanage. Please pray for the councillors and leaders to have patience and understanding for these rough kids. We will also need wisdom on how to handle conflict resolution and see beyond the face value of bad behaviour. May we truly reflect Jesus to these kids.

On a personal note, us newly weds are doing fine. I do a great job of keeping Alexander in check, making sure we keep a balance of work and relationship. So far we have had some time for sightseeing and exploring the country. In your prayers ask that we will be able to find a home church that isn’t just wanting us there for ministry sake, but a place where we can make friends and fellowship with people at the same life stage as us. I (Leah) am in some desperate need of some girl friends my own age, please pray for that as well.

If you’d like to write us you can send it to
Alexander and Leah Perez
Box 161
Belize City, Belize
Central America

GOD Bless
GO Bless