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