February Update

Greetings from Belize,

2010 has started off to be a fantastic year! January was very busy with teams and a lot of activity. The construction teams completed the ceiling in the church at More Tomorrow as well as wiring the building for electricity and installing lights and ceiling fans. How wonderful it is to be able to walk into the building at night and just flip a switch to have lights and fans to help stir the mosquitoes and the air. The team also installed windows and doors in the internet café in Valley of Peace so now it is ready for paint, furnishings, and computer equipment. Last but certainly not least, the construction crew built a new front porch on our dorm at the northern campus and took care of several maintenance projects around the facility to get us started off right for the New Year.

While the men were busy working on all of the building and maintenance projects, the ladies from the team were ministering to the women in More Tomorrow. They held a Women’s Bible study during the week while the children were in school, and the response was amazing. These ladies really made a huge impact on that village. After the team had to go back to the states, the ladies in the village decided to have a Bible study on their own in each other’s homes.

Besides all the building projects that have been taking place, God is continuing to build His Kingdom in villages throughout Belize. We now have a new church in the village of Bella Vista. With the addition of an eighth church we are in awe at how God is growing His ministry here in Belize.

As people are coming to know the Lord, they are recognizing that God’s plan is for them to be united in marriage versus the common practice of just living together. Therefore, Randy has been very busy with weddings since the first of the year. On January 31^st he even conducted his first triple wedding as three different couples all requested to be married at the same time. A triple wedding means triple cake…just keep that white shirt clean!

Regarding family news, the Gaithers are enjoying nice warm temperatures while our family and friends are enduring a lot of ice and snow back in the states (we are so glad God called us to a warm climate). We did have to dig out some long sleeve shirts when the temperatures dipped into the 60’s in January, but everyone has to suffer a little from time to time…ha. Otherwise, we are learning that “backup” refers to something other than moving in the reverse direction when a computer is involved and how not doing so can bring everything to a screeching halt when the computer becomes fatally ill…and dies. Some of us have to learn everything the hard way which is why it has been a little while since many of you have heard from us.

As far as other family news, Brandon completed his first semester of 9^th grade with straight A’s (he must have a brilliant teacher). He also passed his driving test and is now armed with a driver’s permit. Micah celebrates his first birthday this month and is walking everywhere as well as dancing and climbing on anything he sees. The only thing that slows him down is putting shoes on his feet, but he has learned to take them off with little difficulty. Hmmm…what can we think of next…

Blessings,

Randy, Sheila, Brandon, and Micah Gaither

December Update

Greetings,

It is amazing how quickly the year has passed. 2009 has truly been a tremendous time as God has done so much in our lives and ministry. There were so many things that seemed impossible yet God made it possible, and opportunities provided by God that without Him would have never been available. Most of all lives have been forever changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His love and salvation.

Throughout this year it has been such a blessing to work with a number of different teams, ministries, and individuals who came to share the love of Christ in Belize. So many great and mighty things have been accomplished through the dedicated “hands-on” work of those who came to Belize and used their talents and abilities for the ministry of the Lord. We are not only grateful for the laborers, but also for those of you who so faithfully pray for the work and ministry in Belize. It is in the prayer closet that you are affecting both time and eternity. We especially thank the Lord for your gifts and offerings to the ministry enabling the work to not only continue but to expand and grow. Currently there are several needs that we would like you to pray with us about. Some of the specific needs are: 1) Thompson Chain reference Bibles for our pastors; 2) sound systems and generators for 3 new churches; 3) a van to transport people to and from church services, transport teams, and to be used for food distribution; 4) finances to purchase a house for our family; and 5) ten villages who are asking for us to establish a church in their location.

One young lady in particular came to Belize with her family this past summer to help with several aspects of the ministry. After returning to the states she was so burdened for the people of Belize that she began to think of what she could do to continue to help the people. Bethany Kirkland, 12, of Van Buren, AR put her creative talent to work and has been making beautiful (and very professional looking) greeting cards for all occasions. Bethany sells these cards at craft shows, church events, etc. with the proceeds going to support the ministry in Belize. Thank you Bethany for your service to the Lord and your heart for the people of Belize!

We would also like to thank the people of Crestline Church in Birmingham, AL for their wonderful generosity during this holiday season. The pastor and members of Crestline have purchased Christmas gifts for all of the children at our church in More Tomorrow and shipped them to Belize. We are looking forward to a wonderful celebration of
Jesus’ Birthday with these children, and we hope to have some great photos to share with you next month.

The Lord continues to move in the villages of San Isidro and San Pablo. In addition to the 6 people that were baptized and 8 children that were dedicated last month, there are several other new Christians who will be baptized in the next few weeks. Also, this Sunday there will be another child dedication service as more parents who are coming to the Lord want to commit their children to God and teach them to love and follow Him.

As far as Gaither family news, the Gaithers are busy decorating the Christmas tree...again…and again…and again. It is a daily event with a curious 10 month old in the house. Micah is certain he must taste each ornament and no one can convince him otherwise. Brandon is working on getting his driver’s permit. We thought Micah in a walker was bad, now we have Brandon in a car! Randy and Sheila? Well, we are just hanging in there enjoying the ride and thanking God every day that He is in control.

Thank you for being a part of making this year such a success through your prayers, love, encouragement, and giving! We would also like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Blessings,
Randy, Sheila, Brandon, and Micah Gaither

November Update

Greetings,

It is truly amazing to see all the awesome things that the Lord is doing. God continues to make the impossible not only possible, but a reality! He demonstrates His greatness each and every day as we are seeing growth in the churches and in the ministry as a whole.

There is no greater joy than seeing people saved and lives changed through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Just last week six more new Christians from the church in San Isidro were baptized in the nearby river (pictured at left). There were also eight children dedicated to the Lord as whole families are coming to Christ. Praise the Lord that the churches are not only growing but they are fulfilling the Great Commission!

As we have mentioned in previous newsletters, God is expanding the ministry in Belize faster than we ever imagined. Many of you know that in addition to operating Gaither Evangelistic Ministries, we have been utilizing the facilities of River of Life Ministries (ROL) as well as directing their ministry in Belize. Approximately one year ago the founders of ROL told us that they had been praying for someone to take over the ministry they have operated for the past 30 years. Two weeks ago meetings were held with the Boards of Directors for both ROL and GEM. At the conclusion of these meetings everything was finalized as ROL has turned over their facilities, churches, and ministry to GEM. There was no doubt that the Holy Spirit has moved in this direction so that we might continue to reach many more people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and have a strong base to facilitate the ministry to which He has called us.

Although we have acquired the ministry facilities during this transition, the house that we have been renting has now been made available for us to purchase. The house is located adjacent to the northern facility which is an excellent situation for being right there at the campus for teams, employees, and oversight of the ministry in general. We are blessed to have been given the first option to buy the house. Please pray with us that God will provide the finances for a down payment to make this purchase.

Another exciting facet of this transition involves the expansion of GEM into Thailand. A young man from Belize and his wife are operating an orphanage in Thailand as part of ROL. This has now become a ministry of GEM and we are believing God to mightily bless and expand our outreach into that country.

On a more personal note, Brandon has successfully survived the first nine weeks of the 9th grade and almost survived the first nine months of having a little brother. It didn’t take Brandon long to figure out that solving algebraic equations and balancing chemical
formulas is far easier than keeping a mobile (and quick) little brother out of his room and away from his “stuff”. Besides exploring everything he sees, Micah has developed quite a taste for shoe soles, paper, plastic, rubber, wood, metal, and virtually any other substance known to man while trying to get his first teeth to break through. Since he is now cruising along the furniture and trying to walk, the task of keeping things out of his reach is even greater. And by the way, who told Micah that “No, no!” means turn around and give Mommy or Daddy a huge grin that completely wipes away the stern look of a disciplinarian? Randy and Sheila, on the other hand, have begun a new personal Bible study about Abraham and Sarah and how they survived Isaac in their old age. Maybe kids were different back then and that is why people lived so much longer….hmmm. Seriously, we are all enjoying the new challenges and excitement that each day brings.

We would also like to express our gratitude for all of the prayers, cards, and memorials as Randy’s dad went home to be with the Lord. Your encouragement and love has meant so much to us especially during this time.

Blessings,
Randy, Sheila, Brandon, and Micah Gaither

October Update

Greetings,

It has been a wonderful year so far as we have seen many great and mighty things. To date we have hosted 12 different teams in 2009 who have worked on a variety of projects including mechanical work, construction work, medical/dental services, VBS, evangelism, food distribution, etc. Each and every team has been a tremendous blessing to the people of Belize as they shared the love of Jesus Christ through their various avenues. What a privilege and joy it is to be a part of seeing souls saved, lives changed, and churches being established! You are such a vital part of what is happening and we are so grateful for your love, prayers, and support.

The planning has already begun on the 2010 calendar and scheduling teams for next year in Belize. If you are interested in bringing a group down for hands on ministry of any type, please contact us by email at gem3737@gmail.com. We would love to introduce you to the people of Belize so that you can experience firsthand the amazing things God is doing.

One thing in particular that brings us great joy is working with the children in various villages. We are very proud of the preschool children in Valley of Peace. Spanish and Ketchi are the primary languages of many of the children. Our two teachers, Ms. Elba and Ms. Mabel, are doing a great job teaching English and preparing the students for primary school. We are using a Christian curriculum that is not only making an impact with the children themselves but also in their homes. Plans are under way to open two additional preschools in other villages.

As we have mentioned before, we now have seven churches throughout the country of Belize. One of the churches is located in the Ketchi Indian village of Jalacte´. Recently we were approached by the leadership of two other churches in that village requesting to bring their congregations to join ours. They are so excited about what God is doing and want to be a part of it. There is now a need for a sound system and instruments to facilitate the ministry of the growing church. There are a number of good musicians and singers who have joined the church family in Jalacte´.

The Lord moved on the hearts of two young men from Arkansas to come on board temporarily to help us in Belize. Ben Smith and Andrew Brock are in Belize for 2 to 3 months assisting with the day to day operations of the ministry. This has helped make it possible for us to come back to the states in lieu of Randy’s dad’s current medical condition.

As far as family news, Randy has been hopping back and forth across the “big pond” between Belize and the US trying to take care of business as well as spending as much time with his dad as possible. Sheila’s main job has been to keep the laundry clean and suitcases packed along with keeping Micah corralled (especially in all the new places). Brandon has been a good sport about keeping up with his school work on the go…his new motto is “have books, will travel.” He is also learning that “my little brother ate my homework” is not such a ridiculous statement after all. Micah is…well…into everything! Nothing is safe from his hands (or his mouth), and he loudly proclaims full ownership of anything in his sight. Woe to anyone who tries to convince him otherwise. There is never a dull moment with the Gaither clan, but we are enjoying every minute.


Blessings,
Randy, Sheila, Brandon, and Micah Gaither

September Update

Greetings,

God continues to pour out His blessings upon the ministry here in Belize. In recent weeks we were able to complete the doors, windows, plaster and front porch of our new church building in More Tomorrow. There were over 100 people (and over 10,000 mosquitoes) from the village in attendance for the celebration service where we had a great time with singing, preaching and sharing a fellowship meal. We continue to have a children’s service on Sunday mornings, and with the power of a generator we are able to hold evening services each Sunday night. Currently we are using borrowed chairs from the community center, but we believe that God will provide benches, electric wiring, and even a sound system in the near future.

The people of More Tomorrow have been so excited about what God is doing in their village as they have longed for a church and are seeing God answer their prayers. One precious lady was so thrilled that she donated to the ministry a parcel of property adjacent to the church property that includes a partial building which can be used for a preschool once we are able to complete the floor, windows, doors, and roof. In addition, the village chairman met with the people of the village and they voted to sign over another parcel of property adjacent to the church on the opposite side to be used for a playground area and/or expansion.

With the start of a new school year, our preschool in Valley of Peace opened on August 31st. We currently have over 25 students enrolled, full of energy, and ready to learn. The preschool uses a Christian curriculum to teach the children English and school readiness skills to enable them to enable them to be successful once they reach primary school. There is no charge for the children to attend preschool as it is funded 100% through ministry contributions.

Speaking of the start of a new school year, we are very grateful for all of the generous contributions from many of you for school sponsorship. Through your donations, we were able to assist 35 students who would not have been able to attend school otherwise. Many families who often times cannot afford to buy food are unable to pay the costs required for their children to receive and education. The parents of 35 children are now seeing that dream come true.

Regarding the Gaither four, we are doing well. Brandon is surviving another year of home school. Micah is crawling now and saying “mama” and “dada”. We have been working with him on saying “Brandon” but so far his brother’s name sounds like “blah” (we’ll keep working…and maybe we need a different speech pathologist…ha).
Many of you know that as this newsletter is being written we have made an emergency trip back to the states due to Randy’s dad being recently diagnosed with cancer and the unfortunate rapid progression. The entire family would like to express our appreciation for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls and emails. It is the love and prayers of our Christian family that helps us through the more difficult times. We love you all!

Blessings,
Randy, Sheila, Brandon, and Micah Gaither

August Update

Greetings from Belize,

Wow! So many amazing things have taken place this past month it’s hard to know where to begin. Once again we have had several great teams here in the past few weeks who have worked on construction projects, vacation Bible school, door to door ministry, dental care, and food distribution.

We started off the month of July with a construction team from South Carolina. This group did a great job working on the internet café in Valley of Peace. Thanks to all of their hard work the only things the building lacks now are doors, windows, paint, and chairs. After that it will be ready for the installation of the computer equipment which will help the young folks in the village with their education.

The second team this month was from TN. They ministered to the children in More
Tomorrow and Valley of Peace through Vacation Bible School. What a blessing they were to both villages! Attendance averaged 51 in More Tomorrow and 220 in Valley of Peace. Believe it or not, the team did not run away at the sight of 220 children in one location. Instead, they worked great with the children and everyone had a wonderful time. Members of this team also went house to house in the two villages sharing the love of Christ with people in the homes. Through these combined efforts there were 7 folks saved in More Tomorrow and 24 folks saved in Valley of Peace.

As mentioned in our June newsletter, a young man from Fort Smith, AR took on the task of constructing our church building in More Tomorrow as an Eagle Scout project. You can see from the picture that we now have a very nice church building in that village.
We are currently working on plaster, doors, windows, and facer boards and hope to have it completed by the end of this week in time for a dedication service on Sunday. The people in the village are so proud of their new church building that one man has even been sleeping in the church to make sure nothing is bothered until the building can be completed and secured. That’s one time it is ok to sleep in church…ha!

One of the great things about being a part of God’s family is getting to work with your brothers and sisters in Christ. We have been fortunate to meet some wonderful people that work with neighboring ministries here in Belize. This last month three different ministries worked together to meet several needs in the village of More Tomorrow. We were hosting a team from AR on our northern campus at the same time a nearby ministry was hosting a team from AL. Prior to their arrival, a dentist traveling with the AL team contacted Randy about providing dental care to the people in the villages. Randy was able to make arrangements with a third ministry that has dental facilities/equipment available so that people were able to receive much needed dental services free of charge. Some members of the AL team held a vacation Bible school for the children in More Tomorrow while the other members of their team helped the construction team from AR with our new church building. In the evenings we held revival services, and the last night of the revival the AL team distributed beans, rice, mosquito nets, and shoes to everyone in the village. It was wonderful to see so many people from different ministries and different places working together to share the love of Jesus Christ.

As far as family news is concerned, the four of us are doing great…a little tired at times, but having a great time. Micah is sitting up, trying to crawl, and in to everything he can roll his walker near. The other three of us are like athletes in training learning to leap over obstacles in a single bound, snatch things before little fingers get there, and change a diaper on a rolling baby in less than 30 seconds. Otherwise, Brandon is counting the days on the calendar until home school starts back again…not with excitement but with dread.

Blessings,
Randy, Sheila, Brandon, and Micah Gaither

July Update

Greetings from Belize,

June proved to be a very busy and exciting month including 1 wedding, 2 graduations, and 3 work teams...all in just 4 weeks. Randy preached his first Belizean wedding a few weeks ago in a Ketchi Indian village in the southern part of the country. Through the assistance of a translator, Randy had a crash course on the Ketchi wedding traditions and the happy couple tied the knot.

Because of our involvement with the people in the village of More Tomorrow, Randy was asked to speak at the school graduation. Several of the young people that attend our church graduated and plan to begin high school in the fall. We also held a nice graduation ceremony for the 26 children who successfully completed the preschool program at our preschool in Valley of Peace (pictured at left). Those children have been taught English and school readiness skills through a Christian curriculum to prepare them for primary school when school starts in September.

Furthermore, we had the privilege of hosting 3 great groups during June. These teams covered a variety of projects from evangelism, discipleship training, sports camps, door to door visitation, food distribution, and construction. One family not only assisted in ministry but also took on several maintenance projects around the northern campus and our house. Through all the efforts mentioned above there were a number of decisions made for Christ. There were 7 professions of faith in the village of Jalacte' alone. Praise the Lord!

God has also blessed us with another church start which is located in San Pablo. These people are very excited about the gospel and being a part of what God has in store. With this addition, we now have 3 new church starts under our ministry as well as 4 existing churches. Some men from a village in Guatemala have also contacted us about starting a church in their village. Please pray with us that God will send ministers to assist with all the churches as He continues to expand His reach into the remote villages.

We are looking forward to some wonderful weeks ahead this month as we have teams scheduled to conduct Vacation Bible Schools for the children, distribute food, and complete construction on the church/preschool building in More Tomorrow. We are planning a big celebration for the end of this month to dedicate the new building to God's service.

As far as family news, we are all four doing well. Along with everything else, Randy is working on learning the Ketchi language and praying that God will divinely intervene. Sheila is trying to keep up with the house work, secretarial work, and entertaining Micah. Brandon is enjoying his summer break from school while trying to learn the Maya Mopan language and getting a dark enough tan that he now looks like the native Maya and Ketchi Indians. Micah enjoys eating, sleeping, continual interaction and sitting in front of a fan to stay cool. He is really starting to get around well in his walker...look out world, here he comes!

We continue to thank God for each and every one of you and pray that God will richly bless you. Please keep us in your prayers also as the work here in great and expanding faster than we ever imagined.

Blessings,
Randy, Sheila, Brandon, and Micah Gaither