December Newsletter

Greetings,

There is nothing more powerful than a personal testimony when telling others about Christ.  In recent months we have seen many lives in Belize changed through the love and labor of our churches and teams sharing the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ.  A few people filled with the love of our Savior taking a few moments to share that love has had a tremendous impact on several villages throughout Belize as well as the Kingdom of God.  There have been so many great things taking place that in our last newsletter we literally ran out of space to print everything.

                 

River of Life Church at Santa Rosa

River of Life Church at Maya Mopan

As more and more people are coming to know Christ, the requests for churches continue to grow.  In the United States we no longer think much about having a neighborhood church within walking distance from our homes.  However, in a country where roads and vehicles are limited and in villages where the primary mode of transportation is walking, a “neighborhood church” becomes very important.   It is a place where Christians can learn, grow, mature in their faith, and reach others.  In response to some of these requests we have recently started two new churches.  One of these is located in Santa Rosa in the central part of Belize and it is primarily a Kekchi congregation.  The other church is located in Maya Mopan just outside the capitol city of Belmopan and is a multicultural congregation including Maya, Kekchi, and Spanish. 

Speaking of new churches, we are excited to share with everyone that we now have a church building in Hope Creek.  The congregation has been meeting in homes for over a year now since we did not have a building.  We were able to acquire some land and God put it on the hearts of the people of Hopewell Baptist Church in Parsons, TN to provide the funds and build a building.  The Hopewell team has dubbed their project “Hope to Hope” as they are working in Hope Creek, Belize.  The Hope to Hope team completed the foundation and walls of the new building in the summer of 2011.  In July of this year, the team returned to Belize to put the roof on the building and we have since added the windows and doors.  The team actually finished the roof just in time to have a huge celebration service during the Thursday night service of that week and the crowd was so large it was standing room only with many people standing outside the building just to hear the Word of God and rejoice in the new building He provided.

In August we were privileged to host a first-time team from Milan CP Church in Milan, TN.  This team was comprised of physicians, nurses, ministers, and several other professionals who volunteered their services providing much needed medical care in remote villages in the southern part of Belize.  These guys did a fantastic job and we are looking forward already to them being back in Belize in the summer of 2013.

In this season of giving we would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to all of you who have given and those of you who continue to give faithfully to the ministry in Belize.  Your prayers and financial support have helped in making so many great things possible.  The ministry and work is growing so rapidly that now more than ever we are in need of your continued financial support to reach as many people as possible for Christ.  There are a number of villages we are reaching with the gospel that are waiting for us to start a church.  We are also asking that if you have not already done so, you would prayerfully consider being a part of the ministry through monthly support or a one-time gift.  It is because of you and your heart for missions that we are able to carry on the work to which God has called us.    

As far as family news, the Gaither family has been buried under boxes.  Not Christmas boxes…moving boxes.  With Sheila, Brandon, and Micah remaining in the states for the duration of the school year, we have moved our home office to Bismarck, AR.  This location puts us much closer to family as well as an airport Randy can fly in and out of on his trips back and forth between the US and Belize without an overnight stay in Miami or Dallas as he continues the work in Belize.  Please note that our new office mailing address is PO Box 348, Bismarck, AR  71929 and our new phone number is 501-865-2257. 

Otherwise in the Gaither household we are getting ready for Christmas and trying to figure out how to stay warm when the mercury drops below 70° F.  Brrrrrrrrr…..  Though the four of us prefer to believe that living in a tropical climate for several years caused our bodies to be altered physically so that we are unable to withstand colder temperatures, the common comment from the rest of the world is that we are just wimps.  Nevertheless, we are enjoying the changing seasons and Micah is hoping to see snow for the first time in his life.      

Merry Christmas!

 

from the Gaithers