Belize you Me!!!

Belize was awesome. I could have stayed there the rest of my life. I loved the people I worked with. I loved the fast pace. I loved the work. Everything about it I loved.

SO the ministry I went to work with is called LOL ministries. (aka Laugh out Loud) Ministries. They are building an orphanage in Belize by the town or city of Punta Gorda. The couple that is running and started the ministry is Jervis and Melissa. Man Melissa and I became quick and close friends. I wish we could live together and work along side each other she is just so awesome. They have 2 kids who are adopted one is an orphan and the other two they had together.

Melissa and I in our last moments together (tear tear)

They have groups come down once or twice a month to help them out and the groups go and evangelize in the local tribes. My job was to help serve the group. My main job was breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There was 42 in the group of Grade 12 (Seniors) who were on there mission trip. It was required for them to go on it to graduate. They were so awesome. I totally fell in love with them. They are such great kids. They always said thank you and please. They were really great with the locals especially the kids from Belize. Man I just loved them. They stole my heart.

So I was located in the jungle or in the woods near Punta Gorda. I was able to go in to a village or tribe near where I was staying at. I was taken to a home of a lady named Margarita. She has 9 kids. In Belize it cost 1,000 dollars Belizean money (500 U.S. Dollars) to send your kid to High school. That is not including fund raising and other odds and ends needed for your child to go to High school. So Margarita makes purses and necklaces and sells them to send her kids to school. Her husband works for LOL ministries. Margarita was so nice letting us come into her home. Most of the buildings I saw in the villages were one room. Melissa told me that is to have wind flow because it gets so hot in Belize. So Margarita lived in a one room hut with her 9 kids and husband. She and her husband slept in one hammock while her kids slept on a floor or what we would consider a table with no matteress and I didn’t see any blackest.

Margarita with her youngest Kelly. Ms. Irma is sitting on one of their beds.

Their Stove they cook on.

I also worked with 3 ladies: Ms. Irma (Her husband paid for my trip to Belize) Ms. Carol, and Ms. Bonnie. Man I loves those ladies. They are all on fire for the Lord. I learned a lot from them. And listened to them as much as possible to try and learn as much as I could. So wise, so on fire: I just love it!!!

I also got sick in Belize. The bug or virus was going around the kids (I guess one was already sick before they came and spread it around.) I got it from them. Yuck. So the last two full days I was there I wasn’t feeling so hot. My stomach was killing me. But I really wanted to work. I just can’t sit still. So the first day I got sick the kids were on their way to a village to minister and bring hot dogs. The bus broke down just before they got there. So Melissa asked if I was felling well enough to help take 3 vehicles to help them out. Oh man was I. I loved that trip. Deep in the jungle on dirt roads. On our way there a bridge was being worked on. Now our bridges and their bridges are completely different. There bridges are wood planks. Nailed down. Very narrow. Very narrow with no railing on a lot of them. I wish I could have gotten a picture. SO any way the people working on the “bridge” decided that they would let us go without finishing the bridge. Now there was a bus, a van (that I was driving) and a pick-up truck. The bus was in the lead so I had thought if the bus can make it so can I. The 4x4 planks of wood was not nailed down yet. And as the bus drove on it you could see the planks move. But it made it through and then I went and then the truck . . . NO PROBLEM . . . “Thank you Jesus” is the moral of this story!!!

We got the vehicles there and Melissa and I turned right back around in the van. What a wonderful adventure.

Also the animals in belize are so skin and bones it is so sad to me. But I kept reminding myself if the animals are this bad you know the people are not well fed either.

Okay so the things I learned. I learned about the Heart of the Leader. How important it is to know why they do what they do. There was a lot of miscommunication at times and the Lord really blessed me with knowing the heart of both sides of the story. And I found when you know the Heart of the person it is easier to do what they want or it is easier to see why they do what they do. So communicating the heart. That was the biggest thing I learned. Oh Don’t get me wrong I learned other things about leadership like why for some people it is easier to accept every one than it is for others. And when a person who is under leadership is healthy it is easier for them to do what you ask them to do. I am not going into details but I learned a lot about leadership and why it is so important to find out where people are truly at.

So that is the gist of my trip. I had the most wonderful time. I hope soon God will send me back or at least let Joel go and maybe even together.

Thanks for all your prayers and asking about it. I love all ya’ll.

Love love love,

Dess

Ms. Bonnie, Ms. Irma, and Ms Carol: I love these Girls!!!

Typical House in the Villages

Supplying Needs and Belize

So life is pretty crazy right now. Things have slowed down in regards to passing out food. On March 1st we gave out the last of our huge food donation to a church that gives to 10,000 households. Wow I was blown away by that number. I wanted to ask if I had miss heard them but when I saw they had three 40 foot long containers full of food I thought better of my question. A few days later another Christian group called and said they heard that we were giving away food. I told them we were out but they kept insisting they wanted to trade with us and asked to be put on our list of people we give to. Then they offered us food they had cantaloupe, pears, potatoes, and egg plant. We ended up going and giving them office and household supplies as well as picking up cases of the food they had for us.

SO we were able to give all the food that the grocery store with the fire had given us to about 11 groups. Pretty amazing what God can do in a blink of an eye. Each group has their own testimony of what Jesus is doing.

Right now our main focus is PAPERWORK. Our ministry has a fiscal year end which ends in February. We are now doing paperwork that we have to do at the end of EVERY year. Joel and I have been spending hours and days trying to understand and complete the long tedious work. But it is worth it if we want to stay up and running.

It has also shown me the provision GOd has done in less than a year in regards to starting our ministry. In a matter of 11 months we have received 43,013 dollars worth of product and fincial support. This includes our refrigerated box truck, the 23,000 dollars worth of food from the grocery store that had the fire, a mini bus and much much more. It is mind blowing what GOd can do with two people who do not have income coming in (aka no paying job) and with other people to help out that believe in the vision as much as we do!!! Thank you Jesus!!! And thank you every one that has supported through this. We could not be doing what we are doing with out you.

Last I am heading to Belize tomorrow. The man that gave us the refrigerated box truck asked if i would accompany his wife to Belize. She goes down 2 or 3 times a year to do mission work with a group called LOL Ministries. www.lolministry.com. I will be gone for 12 days. I am pretty excited. Sad to be gone from Joel but all the same adventure is an adventure. I don't know exactly what I will be doing but this is what God wants me to do so I am excited for what He has in mind.

WEll that is it from us. Thank you again for all your love and support. GOd has used you in a mighty way to help further his Kingdom.

To God Be the Glory

Love love love,
The Butlers