“As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.” Proverbs 25:25.
Belize (formerly British Honduras until the name of the country was changed in 1973) is one of the smallest countries in Central America. It lies on the eastern or Caribbean coast of Central America, bounded on the north and part of the west by Mexico, and on the south and the remainder of the west by Guatemala. English is the predominant language and the country gained its independence in 1981.
In 2002 the leaders of the West Central American Union decided to pioneer a campaign in the seaport town of Punta Gorda, a town with a population of about 2,500. At the beginning of this year the leaders invited me to conduct evangelistic meetings there.
On February 5, brother Pat Atencio and I flew from Sacramento, California, to Guatemala City. Arriving before dawn, we were warmly welcomed by brother Humberto Ajucum, the leader of the West Central American Union, and several of his coworkers. We traveled by minibus to the church headquarters in Guatemala City to rest and prepare for the next leg of our journey to Belize. While brother Atencio and I rested at the church headquarters, brother Ajucum went to purchase a large quantity of English Bibles to be used in the campaign in Punta Gorda. The special monetary gift from the Hayward Church in California made the purchase of the Bibles possible. I am very thankful to the believers in Hayward for their generous support.
After saying good-bye to the believers at the church office, brothers Atencio,
Ajucun, sister Rosaura Valdez, and I began our long journey over the mountainous terrain toward the Caribbean Sea. The single lane highway was congested with trucks and cars that were moving very slowly all the while spewing out their noxious smoke into the warm, subtropical air. Nevertheless, the four missionaries did survive the five-and-a-half-hour journey to the sea to fight another day!
The following day we were to travel by boat across the mirror-like Caribbean Sea to Belize and I expected it to be a king-size transport ship. To my surprise, the “ship” turned out to be an old and very small speedboat with two outboard engines. With this “rocket ship speed boat” we all nervously experienced our ride-of-a-life to Belize. It was a great joy to reach land again and stand on terra firma. Thank the Lord the old boat did not sink!
Upon our arrival, it was necessary to pass through the immigration office and then to proceed by taxi to a vast field where the missionary tent had been set up. The colorful orange-green tent was purchased for $5,000 and could accommodate about 300 people.
Before our arrival in Punta Gorda, our missionary brother Ivan Rizzo, and his coworkers had invited the whole town to our seminar on Daniel and Revelation. He had used various methods to invite the public to the seminar: 1) radio announcements were broadcast periodically; 2) fliers were distributed from house to house; 3) a three-wheel bicycle with a battery and loudspeaker was used to loudly announce the meetings; and 4) personal invitations were given to people to come to the tent for the seminars.
Already at the very beginning of the meetings, there was a good number of people who attended. Each evening meeting lasted about three hours, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. A good and dedicated team of about twenty coworkers who came from several countries contributed to the success of the prophecy seminar. There were medical missionaries, cooks, translators, and gospel workers who helped tremendously in educating the visitors in understanding the Bible.
The English Bibles from Guatemala were distributed among the visitors. Those who received the “Bread of Life” experienced and expressed great joy! I must also thank the Good Samaritan Department which helped in the collection and distribution of clothing. “Naked, and ye clothed me….Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:36, 40.
Here is a list of activities undertaken during the seminar: 1) All the children participated in singing to God’s honor and glory; 2) A video of the life of Jesus was shown; 3) Sister Rosaura Valdez gave a health lecture each evening; 4) There were special musical presentations; 5) Natural medicinal herbs were distributed; and 6) Computer-generated video slide presentations were shown. The two ancient prophetic books were studied and made meaningful in our time.
One Pentecostal minister who came to all the meetings was convicted of the Sabbath truth. He now wishes to take Bible studies and to search for deeper truth. Praise God! May the Lord help and bless brother Ivan Rizzo and the Pentecostal minister as they study together! Twice the minister cordially invited some of the “tent team” members to his home. It was wonderful discussing the present truth with him.
The final evangelistic meeting under the tent was attended by an overflowing audience. There was no room to accommodate all the people, so many visitors watched through the open windows of the tent.
Now that the public meetings in Punta Gorda, Belize, have ended, the work of God continues in this area. About sixty people have asked to have Bible studies and a few have indicated their desire to be baptized. Brother I van Rizzo is asking for special prayers so that the Third Angel’s message will convict the honest in heart. The West Central American Union is appealing to all the believers to contribute generously to the Gospel work in Belize. More tents need to be purchased so more places can be entered and the Gospel can reach hungry souls who want to be saved. What a grand work has been started in a small fishing village! May God richly bless all the work that was done in Punta Gorda and the follow-up work that is being done today!
Meetings held in a tent
Some of the people present during the public lectures in Belize
Bibles distributed to children