The Fashion of Theology and Hearts

Belize City.
Belize is just one of those countries that majority of us could never find on a map, that's just the way it is.
it's a beautiful world, tainted and twisted in full effect of the Fall of Sin in the World.

Rape.
Domestic Abuse.
Murders.
Drug abuse.
Child Abuse.
Poverty.
Thievery.

Come one, Come all.

statistics say that belize city has one of the highest murders rates per capita.
Port Loyola is considered to be one of the highest density of crime for Belize city, a part of town that is rival to another neighborhood. that's where the Calvary Chapel is.
But people nowadays don't quite understand the reality of statistics, we're desensitized.
so here's some physical evidence:
we missed a drive-by shooting, that transpired only a few minutes before we drove into town.
While witness to a guy a lil older than me, i saw 3-5 drug deals, and at least 2 instances of illicit drug use.

those are just some examples.

this is what we do, since we do not war against flesh and blood.
We wake up to Jesus, and spend time hearing from Him and speaking to Him
We have time as a group, getting into His Word and worshipping Him.
We go to Port Loyola and spend time, working on the church, playing with kids, walking around asking people if they want prayer and telling them not just about Jesus, they know a lot of Jesus. What they don't know is a lot about what He said, such as, "pick up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Me".
We pray and intercede for these people.
We hear the voice of the Lord concerning them.
We uplift other missionaries with encouragement.
We also play futbol in lightning storms with dozens of kids, to prove them that we love them, and to prove to them that God loves them.

We're not crazy, nor special, most of the time we're just people that move dirt around.
But we do it for the Lord, and we do it to see these people come to a deep relationship, intimate with their Creator.

that's just a small bit of what's going on.
but i think that all requires another update, perhaps in guatemala, or at least not 2 in the morning, besides, i think there's a rat in the house that i have to go kill before he gets in our bags (coincidently, i just watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - i'm sorry, splinter!!)

week one, day 2, saturday, july 24
- well, i've been in belize long enough to make my first landmark. but not of land. but of time. but i'm too tired to remember the word.
i'm going to try to explain the schedule here, for Rhythm, hence the lack of eloquent descriptive element.
Belize, Belize City
-Sunday, we split into two groups, a smaller group goes to South Belize (Seine Bight) where the Pastor of Port Loyola (which is where we are based out of here while being here in Belize) is currently teaching at a smaller church and a school in a smaller village in those areas, covering for another pastor who is away.
-last monday, we had a very different mission, but which will require more information, so i'll skip it, but we typically will do work projects on monday through wednesday,
        -have a fun night with the church group called VOLUME,
        -and eat dinner with some of the creole(kriol) families from the church,
        -then have the actual service on wednesday.
-thursday is our fun day, to go explore belize and do something... tourist-y. it's kinda sweet, but then i feel kinda tourist-y which isn't sweet. but who can complain about seeing mayan ruins? well, i can. it was hot and the monuments were way too high.
-friday can be either going door to door evangelism in Port Loyola (did i mention that Belize city is one of the most dangerous cities per capita in the world and Port Loyola is one of the two most dangerous areas? food for thought) or a work day before we do an evangelic small outreach in the area.
-saturday is our team day, to come together, and to intercede for the country, and to just get stuff done.

at the end of our time here in Belize, we will actually go south, to Bible Boot Camp, which is a conference for people to study and grow in the scriptures, They are going through Acts, and through Judges, as well as doing a worship class, and an Inductive Bible Study class, among a few others. we are going to help facilitate and basically be camp counselors.
from there it's Guatemala, which we have only heard bad things about, ever.
i'll write another blog later with some of the stories and descriptions, and hopefully i'll regain my sense and my writing flair which apparently dissipates with extreme heat and humidity.
-erik mason

oh snap.
in Belize.
outside of belize city.
supposedly, extremely dangerous.
but we're alright.
we've only been here a day so i don't really got anything to say, other than.
we are so desperate need for prayer.
me specifically.
i'm out on a limb, down deep in a pit, and just trying not to get thrashed so hard by everything going on in life, including myself.

but hey, we're alive and well, the spirit is within us, because He died and rose again.

it's going to be wild, it's going to be great, it's going to be full of ME.

i know i'm being told all this.
but it's hard to really believe sometimes, or accept, or understand.
or just something.
a lot of times i just feel like a kid.
a kid with a lot of overdraft fees.
who doesn't like to wear shoes
who doesn't have the best hygiene
who sometimes feels alone
that doesn't own much
and hasn't really accomplished much
but who really really wants to know God and hear His Voice, so much.

Lord, i know you are calling me to be the man of God you want.
so help me, please.
over and out, social world.

this isn't anything more to say.
goodbye, in advance.
because when the hammer falls, there will be no time for anything other than preparing for the percussion.
yea.
just one thought-
it says in some ancient book scribed through the account of a young man (if not adolescent), that a group of mismatched transient men were following after a well-known teacher, accordingly, they called Him "Rabboni". They were going up to an ancient city that still can be located today, and all that the account recollects about their passing is this: He was walking on ahead of them; and they (the group of men) were amazed, and those who followed were fearful.

it doesn't say that He was doing anything.
they were walking, following, not even talking.
but the personage of who this was and the situation of surrounding events, some of which to come, were causing these formerly ordinary men, (who, had seen themselves and more so this Man pour of the Power of God in immense humility, and much more in days to come, but that is foreshadowing), to simply be amazed at this personage of unfathomable wonder.

now, if you didn't know who this is referring to, (of whom, you really don't know, i'll just tell you that it's Jesus Christ of Nazareth), wouldn't this beg some sort of question? something, to the extent of:

what about or concerning this man would make these men simply be amazed at His presence?

now that begs a much more relevant but, for some undisclosed reason, seemingly less intriguing question:

If this man promised that He would make his dwellings inside of us (proverbially, insinuates the spirit of man), why are we so often not amazed at His presence?

why are we not amazed in the same way that these formerly ordinary men, who eventually would be so amazed by this one, Jesus Christ, that they died horrible deaths rather than denying him?

Jesus Christ is amazing.

Just following Him up a hill is incredible, not because the things He does necessitates amazement necessarily, but because of the person Jesus Christ is, innately.

He is like fire.
He is like water.
He is like wind.
He is like earth.
He is like light.
He is like honey.
He is like oil.
He is love.
He is mercy.
He is grace.
He is power.
He is forever.
He is all.

He is God.

if i'm not amazed by Him, something has gone horribly awry.