Hello Sarasota! I hope all is well back at home. Things are going very well here in Belize. Day 3 was a long day, but it was a huge blessing for us as well as the Belizians we have be working with.

Today began with Sunday morning service. We met at the church for worship. The congregation was small, however, what they lacked in numbers they more than made up for in hospitality and spirit. Alice, the pastor's wife led the music while Pastor Ric and another member, joe, accompanied her with a guitar and small keyboard. We sang in English and in Spanish, and then she threw us for a loop when she said she was going to sing some songs in Chinese. Thank goodness she was only joking.

Everyone had an opportunity to request a favorite from the hymn to be sung and then she opened the stage to our musicians if they wanted to share some "rock n' roll" with them. Erik and some other members from the Seattle team did a great job as the led us in a few of our favorite worship songs. We then greeted each other with hugs while we sang "God loves you and I love you. That's the way is should be!" Just before we were seated we turned to each other and said "I love you and there is nothing you can do about it." Pastor Ric then preached from Phillipians 3 about the strongholds of sin and the importance of having God create a new life in you. He then shared his testimony and praised God for changing his life.

The people here are very gracious and strive to be a blessing to us. Their love and hospitality shines through every word they speak, every action, and every meal the prepare. Following service the Pastor and his family were so excited to share one of their favorite Mayn meals with us, tamales. They were very delicious. Although, it was kid of funny seeing some of the kids trying to eat through the banana leaf because they didn't know to unwrap their tamale. 

After lunch we returned to the hotel and we were able to rest for a little bit before we returned for evening service.

Evening service was a lot like morning service and the congregation was even more excited to hear from us. We sang some more of their favorite hymns and but they mainly wanted to hear the teens sing their songs. Megan shared her testimony and expressed her desire to become a missionary. One of our team leaders, Kassy, sang an amazing song and I preached from Philippians 2 about the importance of being united in love and in Christ, despite our different backgrounds and nationalities.

Once we returned to our hotel we met as a whole group of Pelicans (an adopted term for our whole team since we are traveling with Praying Pelican Missions) and re-capped the whole day, sang, prayed, and discussed some details for the next day.

All in all, Day 3 was a great day. We were welcomed by a congregation with hospitality and love. We grew closer as a team. we were able to honor God by sharing in our gifts and abilities. And we began to make some life-long friendships.

Tomorrow is the first day of construction and VBS. It is going to be a long and hot one tomorrow, but we are excited with anticipation to work with the children from Orange Walk Town. Please keep praying for our mission and for God to stretch us and use us to further His Kingdom. And don't forget to keep posting messages; the teens look forward to me reading your posts to them and are curious how things are back in the US. Karen is especially anxious to hear how the Sunday morning service went at SCC.

We love you all. We miss you all. And we are all so grateful for your support and sacrifices to make this adventure possible for us. Even though you might not be here physically, your prayers and support are what have allowed us to be able to do what we are doing. You all have played a major role.

Until tomorrow, God Bless and enjoy the pictures.

As teenagers, we are one of the most stereotyped groups out there. Adults expect nothing but trouble from teenagers. This really aggravated me last week in Spanish class. I had just finished a test, and my good friend Death Ray texted me, saying that he was too sick to lead worship that night. The teacher saw the phone, confiscated it, and said I would get a zero on the test, because the official school policy is that if you have a phone out, you’re cheating. I understand that texting in class is against the rules, but it is aggravating that their first assumption is that I am cheating. Unfortunately, this is only one of many examples of teenager stereotyping, from my experience alone. I could spend all day telling stories about the many times our youth group has been kicked out of the mall for an innocent scavenger hunt, or the “no groups of 3 or more” rule (which only applies to teenagers), and many, many others. And whenever teenagers do prove adults wrong and do something special, the reward we get is, “that’s such a great thing they did…….for kids their age.” Why can’t it just be a great thing, period, end of story. Why does “for kids their age” or something to that affect always have to be attached.

            So that leaves us with the question, what do we do about it? Complain? Sulk? Write an angry blog? I believe that the main problem of stereotyping is that today’s teenagers are victims of low expectations. After all, a hundred years ago, you went from kid to adult, with a family, job, and everything, and society still functioned. Today nothing is expected from teenagers, and many of us have sank to meet those low expectations. So what we have to do is surpass adults’ expectations. Jesus said in Matthew 5:41 “If someone makes you go one mile, go with him two miles.” This may sound like self-torture at first, but with a little background knowledge it makes more sense.

            There was a law in ancient Rome that if a Roman soldier was traveling, he was allowed to force a citizen of an occupied territory (in this case, a Jew) to carry his things, and the maximum distance was one mile. The purpose of this law was not just to make things easier on the soldiers, but to dehumanize the Jews. The maximum distance of one mile was to not make them too mad and start a rebellion. If a Jew in this circumstance was to surpass the one mile limit and choose to go a second mile, then they reassert their humanity and force the Romans to respect them.

            This same concept applies to us today. If we do more than we are asked of adults, we can leave a lasting impact, and change their opinion of our generation.

1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.”

May I have your attention, please. Stop what you are doing and join the crowd of 100 MILLION people worldwide who have been inspired, moved, and/or encouraged by this video:

Susan Boyle - Singer – Britain's Got Talent 2009

Of course most of you have probably already seen this viral phenomenon that chronicles a moment on Britain's Got Talent that has captured worldwide attention.

But if you are really honest with yourself, I would guess that you had the same initial reaction to Susan Boyle that the audience, judges, and probably everyone else in the known universe had - which would be:

"Are you serious? A 47 year old classic example of a 'cat lady' who has never been kissed and thinks she has a shot at competing on this show???"

Then, at the 1:56 mark, Susan belts out the first notes of "I Dreamed a Dream" and dropped a talent BOMB on the judges that blew away any previous doubt.

And did you see that Simon Cowell actually smiled??? Now you know that miracles are possible!

And so now Susan skyrockets from unemployed church volunteer to a worldwide hope for achieving her dream and becoming a singing sensation.

When I think about this whole Susan Boyle juggernaut, one word keeps coming to mind-

Judgment

There are judges on Britain's Got Talent. There were judging looks from the audience, and there were judging thoughts inside of you and me.

And they were obviously wrong. People judged Susan from the outside in, but that judgment turned from rolling eyes and ridicule to smiles and praise in less than 2 minutes when her angelic voice crashed through the stereotypes and created a very cool moment for the world to enjoy.

So, teenagers...what can we learn from all this Boyle-Mania? Well for me, I saw an ugly side of my heart that goes directly against God's simple guide for how we should look at and treat each other:

Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults- unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbor's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor (Matthew 7:1-5 The Message).

It really didn't take any time at all after I first clicked the play button to judge Susan by outward appearances and guessing how big of a train wreck her audition would probably turn out to be.

Why is it that we have this awful tendency to judge people by appearances, stereotypes, and uninformed opinions? Because we all have an element to us that we'd rather not admit to owning. Out of insecurity and lack of self confidence, we use others less 'attractive' and 'talented' to artificially boost our weak egos. That's why Jesus gives us a plain and simple warning:

The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged (Matthew 7:2).

In other words, what goes around, comes around. And when we let the judgmental voices sing superior songs in our heads, you can bet there will be judgment coming back our way.

What kind of world would it be if we took this simple principle from Jesus and made it a daily habit not to judge others by appearance or in a hypocritical way? Well, it would be a world without hatred, fear, racism, and prejudices.

It would be a world that feels like the Susan Boyle video - when everyone realized they were wrong to judge and found joy in the fact that they were sharing in a moment of beauty that has nothing to do with outward appearances.

So the next time you hear the name Susan Boyle, remember that there is pure value and magnificence inside each and every person, because we are made in God's image, and truly we are all the same on the inside.

And that's a dream worth dreaming!

Do you ever wish you could go back in time? Where would you go? What would you do?

Some would go back and attempt to change history. You know, make sure Adolph Hitler never gets to purchase that 'how to be an evil dictator kit.' Or the folks that doubted that Mt. Vesuvius was going to blow would make it out of Pompeii in time to avoid the lava bath.

Others would go back in time to make easy money. Simple plan, just head back to the 1970's and put some serious bank in the little known company called Microsoft, and you're pretty much set for life. Or you could really impress your friends by knowing every Super Bowl and World Series champion year after year after year.

But then there are the people like me who would go back for a very different reason...which would be this:

Change

We look back in time and see all the forks in the road of life where we took the wrong turn, and permanent damage was done. All the unkind things we said, all the bad choices that we now regret, all the amazing opportunities that were given, but wasted.

That's kinda the premise of the film 17 Again starring 'I'm not just the High School Musical star' Zac Efron (Vanessa Hudgens not included). Zac plays a character that regrets missed opportunities from High School and is transformed into a 17 year old and given a second chance to be a basketball rock star.

Of course, this is just a movie, right? But in real life, we can't go back and change our mistakes. Maybe that's what makes this film intriguing to so many...because it's captivating to think that there is a way we could unload guilt and regret from the past.

I have some great news for you. There actually is a way to change your past. It doesn't involve a time machine or an age transformation; it is actually much more radical change. What I'm talking about is a deeply personal experience that is a complete renovation of your soul and perspective on your past.

Are you in? If so, read through the promises listed below that come from God Himself:

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:9).

For his unfailing love toward those who fear Him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:11-12).

Once again you will have compassion on us.
You will trample our sins under your feet
and throw them into the depths of the ocean! (Micah 7:19).

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17).

These passages from the Bible are more than just words. They are pledges from the God of the universe who does not lie and who does not change. When you trust Jesus as your only hope of salvation, your past is dissolved like a drop of ink in a sea of pure water.

And now, here's the best part. Not only is your past forgiven, but even the things that haunt you in quiet moments can be used by God for your ultimate good:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (Romans 8:28).

Isn't this amazing? The stupid things we've done, the hurts we've caused, even the opportunities we missed are dark colors that God takes and transforms into a beautiful and bright picture when we leave it in His hands.

Bottom line: we can't go back and physically change the things that have happened, and we can't be transformed into a kid...but...we can gather all the sadness and remorse from our past and give it to the God who truly makes all things new.

So are you ready to be forgiven...again?