The End of the Rainbow!!!

We found it!! Ha ha!! How exciting!

But first let me tell you the circumstances. Belize gets a lot of rain at different times of the year. This is one of those times. This last week we have had LOTS of rain. Flooded some bridges and rearranged portions of the dirt, gravel, clay, rock, road that we drive to get to our house. In fact, just last night we heard from a worker repairing the area leading up to the bridge that crosses the Mullins river by our house, that crossing the bridge would do us little good because farther up the road, another river has diverted and has gone right through the road.

Such is life here in Belize.

Anyhow, we had gone to Belmopan, the capital city, where one of the pastors' classes is being taught. Rain descended on the galvanized tin roof off and on during the day, briefly interrupting the ability to hear, but such is life here in Belize.

After class we dropped one student at the bus station and then turned towards home. Starting our return journey under sunny skies was nice as we had not seen the sun during the prior week. As we made our way into the Maya Mountains, the weather conditions quickly changed and brought some more rain into our path. Then, as we passed through a small area of rain and were just entering into the village of Armenia, we spotted it - a beautiful rainbow directly in front of us!

We always seem to smile and enjoy these unexpected pleasures. For Christians, the rainbow is that ever continuing promise that God will not destroy the earth by flood again. It is a comforting promise.

Well, this rainbow was a special joy as we have a Nazarene church in this village. We looked to see where the end of the rainbow was headed as it seemed close to the road itself. My first comment was that it was on the opposite side of the road from where the church is located. Then, as if the rainbow heard our comments and was personally responding, the bottom end of the rainbow MOVED.

I am not kidding!

Now, I know it is simply an adjustment of the angle of the shimmering water droplets in relation to out position in viewing them, but....the rainbow moved!

And the end of the rainbow was clearly seen by both Becki and myself...to our great astonishment, the end of the rainbow was sparkling away right in front of our eyes - on the hood of our truck!!

Never, have I been so close to a rainbow produced by nature's effects (without my spraying a hose into the air...). It was a fun little pleasure after a long day of teaching. I'm not declaring that there is a promise connected to our truck, but there could be. It has carried us a whole lot of miles here in Belize. I'm also not saying that the proverbial 'pot of gold' is our truck, but it is major blessing to us as the training of pastors presses forward in 3 scattered locations. Nor am I saying that we are the recipients of that 'pot of gold' - but I should perhaps reconsider that...

God has blessed us incredibly.

We are the recipients of so many blessings. Many of you reading this have blessed our lives in numerous ways. Thank you for being used by God in such special 'end of the rainbow' ways! In addition, God has personally added so many, many blessings that we truly cannot count them all.

May you find God's rainbow of blessings in your life this week.

~ Ray & Becki

BOLD Young Lady!

I recently was asked to speak at a Youth Conference here in Belize. So I did.

I was the speaker for Friday night - the lead-off guy. The whole 2 day event started with me. Not to set any pressure on me or anything but they gathered 50 teens in a room and said, "Okay, they're all yours!"

Not only that, but I learned shortly before arriving that I was slated to do a Bible Story Session - not a regular talk or message. So.........................off we went.

(If you are not familiar with Bible Story telling - it is avery interactive and dynamic way to teach the Bible - and fun too!)

50 teens who had no idea who I was or why I was doing this strange sort of presentation.

50 teens who did not even fully know what they should expect for the weekend.

50 teens looking at this aging white guy wondering if they made a good choice for their freetime!

On top of that - I felt strongly that the Lord was leading me to do the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. Remember that one? The Rich man who wasted all his days decided how to spend his money...and Lazarus, the poor man, who was covered with sores and had been dumped on the rich man's doorstep. His life consisted of hoping for scraps from the rich man's table while his only friends --- were the dogs that came and licked his sores! (UGH! That gets me every time!)

The story is really about Hell - imagine that. You go to a Youth Conference and the first thing you hear about is Hell! Yeah - just had to trust that God had something special in mind.

I think He did.

We heard a lot of positive feedback afterwards. They liked the aging white guy and his story. That's nice, but it gets better.

Just today we learned that a young girl who was there was strongly impacted.

She is Catholic, 13 years old and was apparently captured by the story of how this poor man was carried to heaven while the rich man, who had everything while on earth, ended up in Hell and in torment.

Like the part about the rich man begging for help and how he was denied it, just as he had denied help to poor, sore covered Lazarus, who had been waiting right outside his door, day after day.

And that there was a great chasm between heaven and hell and that no one could cross over from heaven to hell - even if they wanted to. And that no one could cross over from hell to heaven either.

The story caught her attention - and compelled her into action. How do we know? Because she told one of the ladies that worked at the Conference that she went home and said to her whole family,

"Listen, everybody, come sit down. let me tell you what I learned about God today!"

Praise God for the simple boldness of a child.

Praise God for obedience.

Praise God that His Word continues to go forward...

.....through aging white guys telling the stories that Jesus told..

.....and through young girls who are passing those stories along to the next generation!

Blessed to be serving in Belize,

~Ray & Becki

Semi Annual Daddy Longlegs Spider Convention

Yes, it's that time of year again...the Semi Annual Daddy Longlegs Spider Convention is now convening at our house.

This event happens 2 or 3 times a year, when I get the notion to call a gathering of these quiet domestic creatures. They stay at our place, rent free for most of the year. We don't really mind since they are quiet and pretty much keep to themselves, unlike some of their relatives! In fact, since our house has 10 foot high ceilings, we really do not encounter the peaceful daddy longlegs very often. If we happen to move a piece of furniture, they always scurry in the opposite direction, seeking shelter of some sort. In exchange for free rent, they do their small part to try to control the population of flies, mosquitoes and other small insectal (is that a word?!) type inhabitants of our little house in the jungle.

So, we live in a sort of harmony with the daddy longlegs. Hmm, I wonder if the mommy longlegs get tired of being called daddy longlegs...?

Anyhow, today I called to order the semi annual meeting. As usual all are invited to stay in the plush Ricar Rc 1400, a state of the art hotel and convention center all in one. It is designed to suit their taste. It is dark, private and is by invitation only.

I did invite a few mosquitoes and flies to this year's gathering, so the buffet table would not be empty. I wonder if daddy longlegs turn cannibalistic when the food runs out?

You may wonder what created such concern for the well-being of our 8-legged friends and whey we would go to all this trouble.

It's simple really. Company.

Yes, that's right. We may have company stopping by soon, so I decided that it was time to call this meeting of all the daddy longlegs. I hope they enjoy their stay. I tried to make sure that no one was left out.

I tried to upload a pic of the convention center but after 3 hours, it still wasn't happening.

So to those who are still wondering about this lavish occasion for the 8-legged visitors...

....it is...

...our vacuum cleaner!!!

Have great day!

Ray & Becki file:///Users/rayneu/Desktop/PICT0041.JPG

Pastors in Class...

May I brag a moment? I won't take long and I won't talk about me either...

I'd like to share some thoughts from some of the pastors and future pastors who are in classes here in Belize. Perhaps through these comments you may get a sense of their hearts and be more motivated to pray for them (and their teacher!)

These comments are all taken off of tests that were turned in.

..............

From a church history class:

"The part where Bonhoeffer says that he developed his theology of "costly grace". And it is true because Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross for our sins."

(p.s. "Costly grace" is the idea that it costs someone something each time grace is given. Often, as in Bonhoeffer's case, it is very costly, it cost him his life...)

"The discussion that showed that pressure on the church brings reformation. That suffering is a vital part of Christianity because it causes the child of God to draw closer to Him for strength and when the corporate church is going to God for the same thing then revival breaks out."

"I have learnt alot from this course, especially about what people had to do and what they went through to get where we are. Also, how the church grew tremendously in some parts of the world. It is up to us to keep the church / Christianity alive."

..............

From a class on Declaring the Gospel:

"Struggling sometimes, feeling weak sometimes but I want to trust my good Lord to help me more in all my life. Amen"

"I have to go and make disciples in all the villages."

"I am part of the Great Commission now because I am beginning to sense changes in my life that I can't understand and I want to help others to know about God also."

..............

You don't know these students / pastors as I do but I hope you can hear something of their hearts. Let that guide your prayers for them!

Be blessed!

Ray & Becki

FUTURE WORLD CURRENCY - HERE TODAY!

Our Aim ( As printed on the Future World Currency website)

The world in a coin. This is our vision, our hope. It is a necessity and a challenge. What seems an impossible dream becomes an inevitable historic, economic and social process. It is an event which is intertwined with the fate of human evolution.
A single currency becomes the premise for an increasingly global planet. A virtual currency capable of speaking a single, comprehensible language to foster humankind's innate desire to go farther, to surpass boundaries, and move towards true principles of peace, freedom, brotherhood and understanding beyond issues of race, political and religious beliefs and party interests.

We are presenting the peoples of nations, governments, institutions, intellectuals, ordinary people, pragmatists and idealists, scholars and, above all, young people - the real protagonists of the future - with a simple, ingenuous yet determined long-term vision for building an ideal bridge with tomorrow and interpreting a dream to transform into reality.

In this program, currency yet again assumes the principle goal which it has had since its invention centuries ago: to facilitate and codify human commercial and social exchange. And become a form of pure "communication" between different peoples - a communication of ideas, ideals, information and culture. This constitutes progress, development and well being.

- -- - - - - --

What is more, there is already a request that has been sent out to create a 'smart coin'. One that would interact with wireless electronic devices. To avoid fakes and other reasons...

Interesting, very interesting...

Is history unfolding yet another chapter right in front of us?

Curious - somehow I still think Christ will be the Transformer of reality!

Ray

Excavators Doing Ballet!!

You probably never thought you would even see that sentence. The thought did not occur to me either until I watched it happen last Thursday night. I had been in the southern part of the country teaching and was headed towards home. Unfortunately the bridge was still under water - which was receding at least...but was also covered by a humongous log jam!

Once the water had gone down enough, calls were made and slowly machines started to appear and weave their way through the long, long lines of trucks and vehicles that were parked on both sides of the road, waiting for nature to allow us to continue. It had been an ALL DAY wait for some as the water had risen quickly in the morning, barely enabling the first bus of the morning to pass while the citrus truck right behind it was stopped!

Once in position, it was an amazing sight to me to see three excavators begin working to make the bridge passable again. One was digging rock from the river to fill in the hugs gap that had been washed away between the bridge and the shore. The other two positioned themselves on the bridge - and from opposite sides began to nip away at the log jam. Truly the log jam seemed to grow bigger once these massive machines got close to it. Entire trees were caught up in the firmly mashed entanglement.

It was a sight to behold as the operators of these mechanical creatures began their work. Dusk was settling in, and the lights from the long protracted arms scanned beautifully across the flowing waters or the river. I watched, as did everyone, as the large mouths attached to the end of the steel arms begin to bite away at the wooden mass blocking our way.

I realized at one point that the two men were in complete harmony and a beautiful sort of mechanized ballet was going on before me. I could almost hear the music in my mind as I observed each one, in synchronous motion, grab a bucketful of debris, swing to the opposite side of the river, dip slightly, drop their catch into the river and continue the arching movement to grab another chunk. I was surprised - and amazed and so glad, that these men had such skill. They were so good at what they did that it truly made it a joy to watch their work. The perfectly matched movements made this difficult work look so simple. The complete circles of the excavator arms brought about the wonder of this mechanical ballet! You should have seen it!

Now, maybe you think I had been sitting by the river watching the flood waters too long - maybe so. but truly, this was a moment of beauty in an otherwise challenging day. So, after much patience (what else would we do?!) we passed over the once flooded and completely blocked bridge at 10:00 pm, weary but happy to be on our way.

Thank You Lord for that moment - and for all the answered prayer of holding off the rain while the men and machines worked, and for keeping everyone safe in a rather complicated procedure, for keeping people safe as they hurriedly traveled home again (even the drunk ones!), for bringing out some of the starry host to encourage me while lightning flickered menancingly across the sky and dark clouds hovered low. Lord, thank You that you prompted me to pray these things, over and over, until the work was thoroughly completed. You are a great God, concerned for all the little moments in our lives!

Grateful for the 'ballet' and the "Conductor"!

~ Ray

Housework is NEVER done...!

I know it has been said and said again and again but I am finding out all over again how very true this really is!

Becki left last week to Rachel back to the U.S. and I am fending for myself. It's not too bad, although I really miss my wife! 

I am eating, although the food is not near as good as when my wife fixes it! 

I am cleaning, although probably not as neatly as my wife would do (don't tell her!)

I am washing the clothes and hanging them on the line (yep, outside air dried = cheaper!)

I am washing the dishes (how do they keep piling up like that? where do they come from?!)

I am feeding and bathing the dog (sometimes it is a spray off with the hose outside!)

I am finding out where some of the food is kept (and some I have not found...hmm....)

I did find a Snickers bar I bought for Becki which she did not eat...  :-)

I am keeping things basically in order, I think...my wife will let me know when she gets back!

In addition to all this everyday normal stuff, I am trying to keep up with ministry things, 

- a church plant that needs help

- an established church that needs help

- a Bible study that is learning to grow on its own (some)

- a ladies study in a new church plant area that wanted a visit

- prepping for the next class - reading the 250 plus pages and editing and copying and copying and copying and c o p y i n  g..... (sorry I dozed off!)

- teaching the other classes in between this

what? what is that in the kitchen...? a pile of dishes...?!

How? Where did they come from?!

I thought I already did the laundry - where did all these dirty clothes come from?!

Hey, there's a dust bunny over there....hmm, wonder if it has any friends?

Yeeesh! Apparently there's a whole colony of dust bunnies in here somewhere! 

They're everyWHERE!

ah - please don't tell my wife, I'll get this all in order before she gets back...

after all - she's not gonna be back for another 6 weeks!

So, if she's only been gone 1 week, how did all this happen so fast?

What are all those tools doing in the dining area? You know that's not where they go!

wait - who said that?!

hmm....I really miss my wife!

( psst - Hi Becki ! )

Ray