The WHOLE TEAM is here! We celebrated the arrival of Rob E., Carleel C., and Carolyn E. last night with hugs and welcomes…and quick changes to head out to the meetings. Rob and Carleel are both preachers at sites, and so they had only a few minutes between getting out of the vehicle from the airport and into the vehicle toward the churches. Of all the suitcases we checked, Rob’s is still missing. With borrowed church clothes from Rhett H., he headed out to begin meetings that are happening in the center of a little village park under a tent. Though he must have been tired and maybe even a little rushed and nervous, he greeted the people with enthusiasm and I could hear their laughter and singing even as I pulled away to visit another site.

Three of our students, Roxana G., Dianna V., and Arianna M., are preaching in Spanish and although the language is natural to them, they are discovering that the words drawn from Scripture or used to describe spiritual themes are not words that are used every day in conversational terms. All of our students are to practice their sermon out loud three times each day before they arrive at the church so that they can know their sermon well and preach it without struggling with pronunciations and phrasing. They are learning that discipline must be incorporated into their day to balance their desire for socializing and jumping in the swimming pool.

I am working with the local pastors to purchase paint and supplies for the students to work on painting one of the local churches. It was built as a “one-day” church through Maranatha, but there was not time to seal and paint the sanctuary. They are anxious to get started with that project as well. Painting should begin tomorrow morning. Not a moment too soon for some of our excited workers.

Rain clouds roll in each day about 1:30 and a gentle rain clears away the dust from the streets. But in just a few minutes the sun is out again and we are able to congregate outside at picnic tables, in hammocks and in the garden. It is such a strange juxtaposition to see all the laptops lined up in this primitive, tropical setting. But it is beautiful to me, knowing that these students are learning and preparing so that they can share the good news about Jesus Christ with all the visitors at their church each night.

Prayer Needs:
• Please continue to pray that the Holy Spirit will draw visitors in and convict people to make a choice for His Kingdom.
• Please pray for our equipment to be reliable and that each person will become more and more comfortable with the technology they are using.
• Please pray for the student’s balance and discipline. They are realizing, more every day, the incredible task that has been placed on them in sharing the Gospel. A few have struggled with the typical sniffles and upset stomachs that often accompany international travel, and they must take extra care of themselves to be strong preachers.

I woke up this morning to the sound of 5 or 6 different bird calls.
Some I did not recognize, but there was a wild jungle call, a sweet
melody, and…a rooster. I showered and dressed quickly so I could
get out to the balcony and scan the tops of the trees in our hotel’s
garden. As my eyes swept the view, I did notice what looked like a
grackle (crow!) and I was disappointed that it was the only thing I
saw at first. Then it puffed up its stomach, spread open its
scalloped tail feathers, threw back its head and started singing some
of the same amazing notes that had drawn me out of bed. I was
immediately reminded not to take anything in this new place at face
value. The symphony of praise our God has from His creation is
amazing.

It was cooler, but still humid as we departed for our separate
speaking engagements. There was so much joy and excitement as people
met their pastors and elders and made their way out the door armed
with computers, projectors, Bibles and water bottles (just the
essentials, of course!). I traveled just a couple miles from the
hotel to the Maranatha Church of Orange Walk Town, Belize. They are
eagerly awaiting the arrival of their evangelist, Carleel C. tomorrow,
but they made this substitute preacher feel very welcome. I love that
no matter where I travel in the world, the local SDA church can feel
like coming home. We have such a consistent and familial relationship
within the SDA church worldwide and I know that is one of gifts that
God has given our church for the work that we are called to do. The
members were very friendly. Shy children smiled from behind their
parents at first, but by the time church was over, I had a beautiful
baby in my arms and a circle of friendly faces grinning at me. As I
made friends with the little ones, I listened as their parents and
other members worked out their plan for community visitation to invite
as many as they could to the evangelistic series for the next few
weeks. They were planning to spend the whole afternoon between the
worship service and the evening meeting out on the streets surrounding
the church to spread out flyers.

One of our student missionaries, Emely F., returned to the hotel in
the afternoon bouncy and happy. Calling out how excited she was even
before she rounded the corner of the hall. Now, this is a very
changed demeanor than Emely has had all week. She was nearly overcome
by nerves and fear. Knowing that she was going to be preaching in
front of a group of people for the first time seemed overwhelming to
her. We had been praying together for quite some time about it, but
she was so scared that I was becoming nervous that she might back out.
But when I saw her face after church, she was practically shining!
“It was so amazing! I LOVE my church – this is awesome!” Her reports
and exuberance brought tears to my eyes. How often do we quit
something big, or something hard just moments before God presses play
on a miracle? She said that she told her church right from the start
that she was nervous, but that she believed God wanted her to come.
Her testimony opened the door for people to reach out to her and
reassure her so much so that she said the rest was just God – she
doesn’t even remember what she said – just that she knows He was using
her. As an added blessing to her, the McKey’s – our sponsors from
Share Him, told her that they had been at a Pastor’s house for lunch,
and mid-meal he received a text saying “God sent us the perfect
evangelist for our church”. What an affirmation of what God is
already doing – and a real boost for Emely as she prepares her sermon
for tonight.

We meet tonight after our meeting to share stories and prayer
requests. I’m sure that we’re just scratching the surface of what God
has planned. I pray that your Sabbath was as happy as ours, but that
would be pretty hard to match.

Miracle upon miracle as we arrive here in Belize. Students all the time have nicknames and hyphens and all sorts of flourishes in the way they address each other. And in registering for our tickets, one student called me to his agent saying, “She can’t find my
reservation”. I pulled out the paper copy of our e-tickets and she said, “Who is this?” I pointed to the student to my left and she
replied that his passport didn’t say so. As I looked at the passport and the reservation I realized that not only did the first name on the passport not match, but the last name as well! This is typically a NO
FLY situation. We had a ticket with both first and last name
different from that which was on the passport. She asked for a birth
certificate – we didn’t have one. She advised us on the serious
nature of our mistake. Then she reissued the ticket! They have no
obligation to do that! As a matter of fact, they DON’T do that, and
yet, all 16 of us got on the plane, and he has a shiny new return
ticket that matches his passport!

Never in all my mission trips have I have been stopped by immigration,
but today was the exception. Being the sponsor traveling with 15
students is a daunting responsibility. We have many forms and
identifications that must be carried to maneuver from our little
corner of Arkansas to the field of our mission. One of the forms that our
school requires is a notarized letter for all students under the age
of 18, giving permission for the student to travel internationally
with the staff from the school. This form is usually carried, but
never looked at. But today, I was stopped on my very first student
and asked to provide permission from their parent. Automatically on
alert, I then began watching for students to come through so I could
step up with the letter. As I looked down the lines to see who was
coming next, I realized that as I thumbed through my binder, I could
not find a letter for one student. I know that it was turned in, but
somewhere in the gathering process, her letter didn’t make the cut…
She had no idea the explosion that was going off in my head as she
bounced happily toward the officer. I watched from a distance as they
had a pleasant interaction, he stamped her passport and she made her
way toward our group at the baggage claim. The one letter I misplaced
and they didn’t ask for it. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

For several students this was their first trip out of the US, and for
at least one, it was their first time on a plane. Spirits are high
and the students are working hard to understand the doctrines they
will begin preaching tomorrow and getting their equipment together.
We talked about Abraham tonight in our worship time and how he “went
out without knowing where he was going, or what God was going to do
for him”. We are at that same place tonight and we covet your prayers
as we stay close to Him and keep each divine appointment He has
arranged for this trip. God is Good! All the time!

The Campus Ministries Department is buzzing with excitement and everyone is working toward one goal this week: GET READY FOR MISSION TRIP! God has blessed so tremendously this year by calling forward a strong team of student missionaries, giving us an awesome mission field, and providing for all of our financial needs for this trip.

Our mission trip this year is to Orange Walk Town, Belize. We have at least 12 preachers, each one preaching a full evangelistic series in a separate location. There is also a group of students who will be painting a church and school, and working to help finish a One Day Church that was started by another group.

Please pray for our missionaries and claim God’s promise to put His words in their mouth. Pray that they make the most of every opportunity to share God’s love as Ephesians challenges us to do. Pray for them by name, asking that God’s Spirit will fill them for the tasks that lie ahead:

Megan A.
Brianna B.
Marquan B.
Carleel C.
Chaplain Rob E.
Carolyn E.
Emely F.
Azzy F.
Lizzy G.
Roxana G.
Rhett H.
Arianna M.
Jae Min P.
Tierra R.
Aileen R.
Pastor Renee S.
Nico T.
Diana V.
Serena W.

Already, students are claiming God’s promises and praising Him for miracles. Just last night, a student came to me to have the sermons set up on her computer. I was able to check everything and noted that it was all loaded on correctly. However, I couldn’t figure out how to set it up so that she could practice the sermon without hooking up to a projector. I called several reference people to ask for help, and none of us could remember the “magic button” that would set it up. After I hung up the phone, I said a quick prayer as I kept pushing buttons. Suddenly, the screen changed and the notes came up for practice. I still don’t know which button turned the notes on, but my student and I were reminded that prayer makes all the difference. God has gotten passports expedited that should have taken months, bolstered up the weak of heart, and given us a mission that inspires us to serve.

We ask for your prayers as we leave on Friday, January 27, 2012 and throughout the trip. Keep checking back under the Campus Ministries tab on www.ozarkacademy.org for updates throughout the trip.

Excited to see God’s next move!
Pastor Renee Stepp