Finishing the first week back in the field and finally figured out that my pictures were way too large to upload......actually fixed it after praying about it several times!!  This week was a great week to really see the heart of the Belize Unity Church and Preschool.  It is really amazing to see the love of Christ in the eyes.  I posted a few of my favorite pictures for everyone to see how beautiful the children are here.  The blue school posted is the school that our team came and helped with a year ago and it has been such a blessing to work in the classrooms this week:  to hear the laughter, hear the love of teaching from the teachers, hearing the many sweet voices saying, "teacher, I love you!".  The children call me "teacher" and they are so intentional about relationship.  I wanted to come here this week and really be a helper, however, as with most mission trips I have been surprised.  The surprise is not what God is doing but how much He is still teaching me through the ones He is so fond of.  How we respond to each person we encounter is a direct reflection of our priorities.  It is most evident that the priorities of Unity Church and School in Belize City is one of LOVE.

I will be visiting Corozal over the week-end and will be posting some pictures and updates about the village and then back at Unity a few days before I leave.    My prayer is that God will lead the volunteers needed for this area.  It is a joy and humble honor to be here!

editing this post and adding pictures after the fact:  Join the Heal Ministries Facebook group or join my personal facebook, Tina Weir and you can see all the pictures from the Belize City Unity church and school.  It has been such a blessing to be here:  as such a time as this.  I'm not sure if I am helping them nearly as much as they are helping me.  

It is great to be back in the field where the focus is totally God and looking at the children through the eyes of Jesus, listening to what they are saying through the ears of Jesus and praying for God to use me as Jesus in the skin is humbling.  I continue to pray daily that God would give me His ears, His eyes, His mouth and His direction in all that I do.  I will be blogging about the school, church and orphanage in Belize City, Corozal and Orange Walk.

Belize City has a school and church that Heal Ministries is partnering with:  Unity Presbyterian Church and School.  It is located in the burial grounds of Belize City and is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country.   Most of the students live in the neighborhood and walk to school.   The school teaches education in a Christian setting and has many needs that I have discovered while I am here.  The majority of the students have uniforms, but there is a need for about a dozen students to have uniforms.  The cost is $25 Belizean, which equals 1/2 of that in U.S. dollars.  They are in desperate need of a feeding program at lunch time.  The school gives a 1-1/2 hour break for lunch so that the students can go home to eat.   However, many children do not go home.  They stay around the school to play and usually eat a popcicle for lunch or maybe a piece of fruit.  There is no money for extra food.  I have purchased a meal from a lady that bakes beans and rice for only $2 a plate.  It would probably only costs about one U.S. dollar to feed every kid a nutritional meal.  While I am here, I am looking into this.  The principal is going to help me look into getting some moms of the school to cook which would help them get a little money for their family while providing a nutritional meal for every student in the school.   We could get volunteers to help sponsor a student:  for $225 a year one person could provide a uniform and a meal five days a week for one student.  That is changing one heart at a time!

Another need the school has is volunteers.  They have about 200 students:  145 students are in the primary classrooms and the remaining 50 are in the preschool.  The classroom size is large:  averaging 25 students to one teacher.  Each teacher is in need of a teacher's aid.  Please pray that God would send volunteers to help the school.

There is alot of love at Unity.  One can easily see how happy the students are while assisting in the classroom.  The children are eager to love, eager to smile and hug, eager to feel loved by someone.  Many children are babysitting their siblings and going home to an empty house and the attention they receive at this school is priceless.  Learning about God's unconditional love is the primary focus.  It is so amazing to me that these children that come from difficult circumstances are so eager to be kind and show love.  Their laughter is contagious and I have seen Jesus in their smiles and felt His warmth in their hugs.  It makes me eager to help, eager to pray, eager to remain faithful and eager to follow God's lead.

Please look at the pictures in the Heal Ministries Facebook group.  I apologize that the service here is slow and I cannot upload pictures tonight onto the blog.  Blessings and please pray for the children of Belize tonight!

Today is a day that I have waited on since I first heard the word "cancer" in May.  I can honestly say that when I look back, it was the true sadness of how it would effect my family and how I would have to post pone and cancel many mission trips this year.  Missing out on serving God in the field was the hardest part to swallow for me.  

However, in God's perfect planning, He allowed this cancer to slow me down and even stop me long enough to reflect on Him and put all focus of His ministry back where it needed to be.  I am pleased that God loves me so much that He would yearn for my one on one time.  

I am in Belize City tonight and I am most happy that God has allowed me to serve Him, once again, in the field.  As I landed I was reminded of the reflection and changes that have taken place this year:  many changes with my health, with my home and family, with the Heal Ministries board, and all of it came full circle today as I was greeted by Earnest.  He is the pastor of Unity Church here in Belize City with his wife, Carolyn.  They were a sight for soar eyes!  Jesus shines through them and as I am sitting here I can't help but think praises to God for healing me, healing the people in His ministry and finishing the work that He started.  

I will be posting pictures tomorrow of the school and church and the children.  Truly, some of the happiest people that I have ever met are hanging out with me this week!  It is a joy to be back serving and planning teams for 2010.  Thanks to everyone for your prayers, support and encouragment that NEVER stopped during this season:  for such a time as this.  Heal Ministries will be changing one heart at a time, making a difference for God's kingdom, one focus, one heart at a time.  The impact is HUGE when we focus on Him.