His Body…His Blood [/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]What a great way to celebrate Easter at Loforna when we acted on Alicia’s idea of bagging food and taking them to the poor, sick, and elderly in the village. With the Pop children in tow, off we went to share these gifts on the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
In one situation, the husband was not home. He got very sick while working at a low paying, temporary job. Eventually, he sought medical help which he could not afford. It was too late. The cancer was terminal. He died two days after we dropped off the food.
While climbing up a narrow and steep pathway to one home, we turned and took in an awesome panoramic view of the village below nestled within the Maya Mountains. In the midst of great need, we marveled at the beauty of His creation.
Thank you, Emmanuel Christian School/Youth for Christ (Montreal) for initiating the Bread and Honey outreach. Alicia, bless your compassionate heart in reaching out to the most vulnerable within your community.
Giving a gift of food was not the only thing we shared. We were blessed to share the sacrificial love of Christ through His death and resurrection which feeds our souls eternally. Blessed Easter to you all![/vc_column_text][mk_blockquote style=”quote-style” font_family=”none” text_size=”16″ align=”left”]
You make a living out of what you can get. You make a life out of what you can give.
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Founts of Living Water [/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Something very special happened at the Armenia grade school to resolve a critical need…clean drinking water. During the dry season, the lack of water in the village is a major problem. The school solved theirs by trucking water up from the river. Drinking water is purchased expensively at the store and rationed out.
Under the very capable leadership of Brenda McKee, the Water Ambassadors showed up to fix the problem. This Toronto-based ministry is dedicated to providing water solutions in impoverished countries. Systems used range from low cost, pail-mounted, reusable filters to chlorination systems capable of purifying large quantities in short order. With donated equipment worth thousands of dollars, they blessed IHF and the school abundantly.
They also came alongside Grant Donovan (US Peace Corp) and local health care workers in facilitating a workshop for mothers and their babies at Loforna. The teachings included proper preparation and storage of baby food, hygiene and much more. They also held workshops at the school with the ‘ tippy-tap ’ being a major highlight. A jug with a hole just below the rim is attached to a stand. A string is tied to the handle and to a board below acting like a gas pedal. When pushed down, the jug tips and water drips out. A second string has a bar of soap hanging from it. Simply tip the jug to get your hands wet, apply soap and rinse off.
They also connected with the village council and the school administration learning more about the water issues each faced and sharing ways to resolved them.
Brenda, Nancy, Ken, and Jen, IHF cannot thank you enough for the passionate love you shared with IHF, the village school, and the Pop family. You truly, like Christ, have left things better than the way you found them.
If you want to find out more about W.A., check out their website at www.waterambassadorscanada.org/ or contact Brenda at bmckee@waterambassadorscanada.org[/vc_column_text][mk_gallery images=”8345,8347,8344″ style=”grid” column=”4″ image_size=”crop” height=”174″ hover_scenarios=”fadebox” item_spacing=”8″ margin_bottom=”20″ frame_style=”simple” disable_title=”false” image_quality=”1″ pagination=”false” count=”10″ pagination_style=”1″ order=”ASC” orderby=”post__in” item_id=”1494959725-591b466dc062a”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][mk_fancy_title tag_name=”h2″ style=”false” color=”#dd3333″ size=”16″ font_weight=”inherit” font_style=”inhert” letter_spacing=”0″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”10″ font_family=”none” align=”left”]
Greatly Blessed for a Third Time [/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]Returning for the third time, Emmanuel Christian School/Youth Unlimited (Montreal) continued to develop the outreaches that they initiated. Words cannot express the powerful ways they reflect Christ each time they come. Below is a quote taken from our IHF appreciation letter, giving you a snapshot of their time spent with us.
“ IHF wishes to thank you for what we witnessed again this year…
The generosity of donations that you blessed Loforna and the children of the village with.
Your team’s determination in making sure that not one of you was unappreciated or left out.
Your amazing presentations that you performed so well at numerous places.
Your hard work in constructing the new playground equipment at the preschool.
The fun you had playing with the cute little children at the preschool.
Your organizing and implementing the second youth retreat on our Loforna base. What an amazing time that was, and it was so much appreciated by our local church.
Your beautiful group singing while traveling on the bus.
Your meaningful discussions and prayers during your ‘ F and or Follower ’ devotional times.
Your exceptional leaders who totally poured themselves into making sure that your trip was a positive and memorable experience.
The special love you shared with the poor, sick and elderly doing your ‘ Bread and Honey ’ ministry.
The joy and laughter that you blessed the precious girls at Marla ’ s House of Hope with twice.
The precious time you took to express your love and gratitude towards the Pop family and others.
Your support of the Pops and especially Lazarus ’ mother and father in buying their special crafts.
The hard work you did on the base by helping out in the kitchen, building the new wall, unplugging the boy ’ s toilet and much more.
The special times when your team leader, Mr. Tracy, shared the blog responses from loved ones and sponsors back home. …and so much more! ”
Not only does your school teach a Christ-centered curriculum but also it puts it into action sending you out to serve in Montreal, Belize and wherever God plants you. Combined with Youth Unlimited mentoring skills, this powerful combination brings a Spirit-filled blessing of eternal hope into a world of darkness and despair. Thank you again for being obedient to the callings of Christ in your lives and especially for the time you spent with us in Belize.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][mk_fancy_title tag_name=”h2″ style=”false” color=”#dd3333″ size=”16″ font_weight=”inherit” font_style=”inhert” letter_spacing=”0″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”10″ font_family=”none” align=”left”]
A Man for All Seasons
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IHF wishes to thank Jim Pot for his tenure as IHF director and chairman. Jim began his involvement by joining his son Lucas and Eric on their return trip to Belize in August 2012. He must have been shocked when arriving at the base because construction was still in progress. His accommodations were no more than swinging in a hammock in an open air cabaña with his suitcase on the ground. One night, we were plagued with thousands of frogs croaking unceasingly while mating in the rain-drenched field. In spite of the primitive accommodations, he fell in love with Armenia and the IHF vision. Three years ago, Jim signed on as an IHF director allowing us non-profit status. Using his pastoral gifts, we were blessed by his patient determination to put healthy and healing relationships as first priorities. He was also instrumental in discerning and shaping our vision and mission statements. His leadership of a group that he took to Belize has resulted in two members joining the board who now replace him. Jim, we wish you well as you continue to grow into your new role as pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church in Ottawa. Words cannot express our deepest gratitude for your friendship and wise council. With no reflection of his magnitude of presence on the board, Jim’s position is filled by two new directors…Peter VanderMeulen and Zach Fennema. Thank you to the both of you for stepping up. We thank God for blessings us with quality leadership to continue His work.
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At the Top of their Lungs
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They gave it their very best but had to concede defeat! The Emmanuel/Youth Unlimited team was challenged to a national anthems singing contest. Seventeen of them would attempt to sing ‘ Oh Canada ’ louder than four hundred, Belizean students singing theirs. Need we say who won? What blew us all away was how a little competition resulted in young people singing with absolute fervor. I ’ m sure that even Queen Elizabeth, regent of both countries, heard it across the pond. Long live the British Commonwealth!
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Come and See for Yourself [/mk_fancy_title][vc_column_text disable_pattern=”true” align=”left” margin_bottom=”0″]IHF has been greatly blessed by so many of you that have joined us in Belize. Not only did you build our Loforna base but also established our outreach programs.
For those of you interested in joining us here, we offer you a large variety of ways to plug in. Not being limited to short term teams, we also host individuals, gap year students, couples, friends, families etc. for as long as you wish.
If you wish to find out more about costs and service opportunities, contact us at info@footprintsbelize.org or check out our website at www.footprintsbelize.org.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]