First things first - we APOLOGIZE for being so tardy in keeping in touch with updates - ! It is my fault really, I have been pretty busy teaching and some of the schedules have been changing a bit which makes preparation different, etc...all excuses though, so I apologize....

Training of the pastors is our main purpose in being here in Belize. That, I am glad to say is going pretty well. Each of the 3 locations where I teach has its own personality and mix of personalities. We do one subject per month. The entire course of study can be completed in 3 years. Missing a class can have serious delays but we are also committed to doing all we can to move pastors through the courses.

It is interesting teaching full time like this. It is challenging to keep up on all the different courses. The material prepared by the Church of the Nazarene denomination is very good. This means I do not have to make my own lessons for all of these subjects - which is VERY GOOD! Otherwise, I would not get anything done and would constantly be stressing over the next class.

As it is, there is very little downtime. By the time I finish one subject, I am already late in preparing for the next one, as the 3 locations meet at different times of the month, so I go directly from one place to the next and change subjects at the beginning of every month.

A positive note about all the different subjects is that I get to relearn these things all over again. The biggest challenge comes in making it clear enough and easy to apply so that the students can use the information to do more than just past a test - we want to see their churches and their people benefit as well.

It is a blessing to see some of them really grabbing what is being taught 

 - and applying it 

 - and see the effects on some of the local leaders and churches.

Pray that this continues - 

pray that we see more and more attend the classes

pray that they will understand and gain not just knowledge but the wisdom to apply what they are learning

pray that more people will accept Christ

and that the church in Belize will be transformed into the image of Christ that God desires to see!

Also - please pray for District Assembly this weekend. This is a crucial election year.

Belizean blessings to you all !!

~Ray & Becki

ps - if you are not already - can we encourage you to get  a free Facebook account?

We have found recently that it is a great way to keep in touch with a LOT of people.

Just go to www.facebook.com and sign up - then come find us as 'Friends'

In fact, go to this address to see some pictures we just loaded:

http://facebook.com/album.php?aid=16187&id=1077338799&l=f0967

(cut and paste that address to see the pics!)