What a month! I (Sarah) have been so BLESSED to be part of several ministries. I attended not one, not two, but THREE women’s retreats nearly back-to-back. Mark has been such a loving husband to not only allow me to be away for these retreats, but to insist that I go. He's had a lot of good father-daughter time in my absence. The first retreat was for ladies from Gales Point, Belmopan, Belize City and other towns in the region. The weekend was all about growing in faith. I bunked with nearly 20 ladies from the village. Fun times in fellowship!

Group photos of the Gales Point ladies.

The second retreat was a complete Godsend! It was put on by an organization called Pure Joy International. This group organizes a couple retreats per year in various locations across the world to encourage and counsel missionary women. Not only was I encouraged, but inspired and also blessed to meet fellow missionaries from around Belize! The whole weekend was offered at no cost to missionary women. Ministering to missionaries so they can go out and be more effective results in quite an impact in our world!! Learn more about this amazing ministry at http://www.purejoyinternational.org. Some of us will be getting back together this Friday for lunch.

Me and Sharon Smith, a speaker at the conference. Sharon and her husband were missionaries in Quito, Ecuador for 30 years. Her daughter started a children's home there for abandoned children, called Precious Miracles.

The third retreat was put together by a church in the states for the ladies who faithfully attend Bible Study in Gales Point. This church team does annual retreats both for the ladies and men of Gales Point. It was this retreat that really helped me to make some connections with ladies in the village. There were approximately 25 of us from Gales Point. We enjoyed times of worship, small groups and praying together. It was absolutely amazing. I am so grateful for the friends I am making in the village.

This is the small group I participated in. It was a great time to bond and get to know each other better.

The latest event we want to share is our short trip to the Toledo district in Southern Belize. We visited an orphanage ministry called, “LOL.” Mark, Avi and I thoroughly enjoyed hours of play with the children at this home. They have a beautiful facility and it is clearly evident that the Lord is blessing this ministry. Things are happening there that just don’t happen easily in Belize. We would encourage you to pray for this ministry and the children there. We cannot share pictures of the children due to privacy issues, but the Lord knows them all by name and will hear your prayers for them. The leaders of this ministry have quite a lot of responsibility and also need your prayers as they are caring for such precious children.

More is happening, but to keep this update from getting too long, I will share about these in the format of prayer requests…

Vera deKlerk's (co-founder of Belize Mission and Retreat) mother passed away earlier in May
More teams are needed (none scheduled beyond July)

Continued growth for the new believers in Gales Point
Improved understanding of the Creole language for Sarah