Date and Time Posted: Tuesday October 19, 2010 - 9:51:41 pm

So my attempt at a daily blog is a work in progress. It is not that there are not things going on it is just that there are things going on. Does that make any sense? Terry and I have been so fortunate to be lead by God each day that we wake up. Honestly, He tells us what to do each day. This is answered by a phone call received asking for help or someone walking up to the fence expressing a need. We try our very best to meet each need. God provides for us and this ministry daily. One of the big things that has been weighing on our mind is a very expensive water bill. We went to pay the September bill and they informed us that this upcoming bill is very high. And when I say high I mean in the thousands, and not just a few thousand either. We came straight home to check the meter for ourselves and sure enough it was high. We have tracked the cause and think we have it fixed. So, Satan gave us a pretty big hurdle to jump over, but we know that our God will supply our need. He cares for even the birds in the air, so we know He cares for us. People are working and trying to raise money to cover the cost and we are going to try to talk to the water company and see if there is something we can work out. Just pray, pray, pray. We have also been joined this past week by a very good friend from our hometown, Stephen Gillen. He has come to help with the small projects that need to be done around here. I know he will receive a blessing by his visit. Please pray for him as he adjust to this weather and food. Satan has also tried to slow him down by making him not feel too good. He is on the mend and doing fine now. This past week we have had the opportunity to talk, via Skype, with our home church, Kingsway Baptist, and the Lebanon Baptist Association. We are so thankful for the technology we have been blessed with and it's consistency. We were able to answer some question for the congregations and share what God is doing and has been doing here in Belize. We want to share with you also that Terry has answered God's call to become a preacher. He will be ordained here in Belize and Kingsway Baptist will also have an ordination service as well. This does not come as a surprise to many of us, especially those who have heard Terry speak. He has a gift and allows God to lead his words so that he is transparent before the Almighty God. We are very excited to move forward with new roles God has chosen for us. News about the family. On the 8th of October, my brother and his wife welcomed their newest addition into the world. Miss Braeleigh Jianna Hayter. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. They are currently in Italy, stationed with the US Navy. I am so proud of them and they sure make beautiful babies. So another week has begun and we are continually improving the compound to make it better for teams to come and stay. We also are cleaning and reorganizing so the we may better serve the people here. In the process of reorganinzing some books shelves, God showed me new literature that can be used for teaching the youth and adults here. The next team to come is the Shoebox Distribution Team. They arrive December 11th to give out the Christmas Shoeboxes being sent to Belize. Unfortunately, Terry and I will be visitng Bristol during that time so we will not be able to assist. We are excited to see family and friends during our visit and have already been asked to speak at a few churches. The holidays are a wonderful time to gather and fellowship. Sharing stories of what God is up to in each persons life. We are looking forward to this time and maybe being able to relax a bit. I will try to post the speking engagements we have currently. If you think your church would be interested in hearing about Belize and how God is moving here, just let us know and we will do our best to accommodate. Again, I must say thank you. There are not enough words to say how much love we continue to feel even so far away from you. Your prayers and support are the only thing that keeps us going some days. Satan has been trying to cause enough trouble so we know that God's plan is big. You all are missionaries too. The Great Commission says "go and make disciples of all nations..." and you are doing that by helping us. Whether you will ever step foot on this country's soil, you have discipled here. May God bless and keep you until His return.

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Tuesday October 5, 2010 - 10:20:35 am

I think of you guys often and pray for you and your mission in Belize. I know, you don't know who I am. But, I have fallen in love with missions, especially medical missions in Belize. And, I am so excited to serve God in such a way. This excites me for you guys to be there and doing His work. And, as I think about missions, I always recall one of my favorite passages, Matthew 25:34-40. You know that whomever we meet in our life, whomever we touch, help, pray for, feed, or visit...It is Christ we are touching. We are spreading His love and mercy. This is so aweinspiring for me as a christian. My prayers continue and will continue for you. I am so excited to be preparing for my return to Belize in March 2011. And, I am excited to have the chance to pray for you guys and prayerfully meet you then. God Bless. In Christ's love, Renee

Posted By:Renee Easter

Date and Time Posted: Friday October 1, 2010 - 1:33:07 am

As I sit here and work on this blog, I am reminded of how important it is to let you know what is going on here in Belize. You all are the reason we are able to come to this place. God is using you to give us the chance to influence lives, so, you are influencing lives. Looking back at this past week, which has been full, has been a blessing. We were able to get together with some of the other missionaries and spend some time just in fellowship. I believe God is bringing us together as friends for a reason. It was a great time and we look forward to spending time with them in the future. Terry's sister, Sherry, came to visit this week. She has been planning for this trip since the day we told her we were moving. It has been so nice to get up to the face of a family member, and to listen to that country accent. Work this week has been focused on the clinic and getting it cleaned out and sprayed for bugs. There are very small, itty bitty ants or termites, I'm not sure, that have decided to make a HUGE home in the plywood shelves of the clinic. It has been an experience to say the least!! We finished today, however, and it really looks great. I am very excited for this next team to come and work in it. A big thanks goes to Terry, Sherry and Bill for all of their help. Today we delivered the bicycles to the Jaimi Kingsway Kids. They were so excited, and their mother was very grateful as well. We also took some food to a family that has really touched mine and Terry's hearts. It was a great blessing from God to be able to help them. Tomorrow we go to begin buying the food for this next mission team. We are anxious to see what God has in store for them in the week to come. I have a feeling, its going to be big. Thank you again for you continued support in prayers and finances. We love you all

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Wednesday September 22, 2010 - 11:46:38 pm

Well let me assure you GOD is doing great things here in Belize. I was able to witness one of the greatest things ever. All the churches in the surrounding areas get together the night before independence day which is sep. 20, and have an all christian parade. And the most special thing is you are in this parade, and everybody has there own sound system and you stop at every village and pray. If you can imagine 20 floats of going down the road then they stop with all on the same radio station, and prayer is lifted up for that village, not only does God hear these prayers, but they are also heard them for miles.I couldnt help but think of the states were you would be offending someone if you prayed for them. The people here were amazed at the number of people that came out for this parade, keep in mind was 4 hours long and went for about 12 miles. I am still amazed. These people take there independence very serious. The devil has tried to take over Belize, and the prayer here is to take there land back.The name of the parade is, Takeing back the land parade. God has been so good to us, we leave everyday at his feet and he takes care of it. We have had our battles with the devil and God always comes out on top. We are adjusting to the Belize culture very well, the heat is getting much easier to handle. The way of living is so different, we dont have much, but we have so much. We havent seen a tv since we left the states and dont miss it at all. There is so much we think we have to have, but we really dont. God always reminds me the worldly things mean nothing. We have a mission team coming down Oct.2 from Tri-Cites christian schools to do many different things.Sherril Dunn will be holding revival at Faith Baptist Church sun thru wed. Please be in prayer for that. We are still waiting on the final paper work to come through on our house, when it does we will start the building process. Please be in prayer about the finances and the teams to help finish this house. We know that God has and will supply all our needs, and he will use you if you allow him to. Thank You all for your prayers and support,as we continue to be the hands and feet of Christ. (MOVING FORWARD,UNITED AND PROUD, WE ARE BELIZE

Posted By:Terry Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Monday September 20, 2010 - 12:49:57 am

"I will enter His gates with Thanksgiving in my heart, I will enter His courts with Praise. I will say this is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice for He has made me Glad." Terry and I are so thankful to be a part of God's plan here in Belize. The people continue to welcome us with arms open and smiling faces. We are beginning to focus on preparation for the Tricity Christian Team that arrives in just under 2 weeks. We are very excited for them to come. They have been a part of the Body and Soul Mission calendar for a few years and have a very large team coming. We know that God plans something great for them. God continues to move in Roaring Creek as the churches plan the "Take Back the Land" Parade for Monday evening. This symbolizes the people of Roaring Creek being strengthen and saying no to evil things. The float is coming together nicely and the people are very excited. We continue to ask for God's direction each day, to show us His plan. Everyday something different comes up and He says, "Yes, this is what I want you to do." We are so thankful for all of you that continue to support and pray for us. I hope to be able to get some more pictures up soon. I pass to you a compliment given to us. "We have no money to pay back all that you have done, but our Father in Heaven will pay you abundantly with His blessings." God Bless you all, In His Service,

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Monday September 13, 2010 - 12:59:36 am

Blessings to everyone reading this. I am so thankful for all of you and your prayers for us. They are truly felt. Things are beginning to quieten down here with school well underway. However, that does not mean that we are getting bored. It just gives us a chance to start on the "To Do List" and as we cross things off we realize there are five more things to do to take it's place. God will always work His people who are willing and will not let them be idle. We began work on the 21st of September float. Faith Baptist Church is part of a Christian parade on the 20th to celebrate the independence of Belize. I am forever amazed at the traditions here that begin with Christ and not worried about what other people think or might say, or those that might get offended. All of the churches in Roaring Creek will have some part in the parade. Our float is a replica of the compound. A structure with a thatch roof like the dining hall and a white fence all the way around. I will post pictures soon of the progress and then the finished product. We are going to have big speakers on it and play lots of great music to praise our living God, the whole reason for our being. Everyone is very excited. We have also had the chance to meet a lot of other missionaries here in Belize and begin working with them. Satan always tries to make it a competition but we keep reminding him that we are here for the same purpose and there is strength in numbers. Of course, he is not too crazy about that so pray that the spirit of teamwork continues. So far, it is awesome. I must tell you about the children. Terry and I have been so blessed in just the simples things. Whether they just come up and hug you at church or jump up on your lap and end up falling asleep. Their smiles are huge and their hearts even bigger. As we drive through the village, you hear yells of "Hello Terry Samanta" I love how they see us as one, as a team, like you can't have one without the other. It makes the rough days where you have fought Satan all day long, worth it. It reminds us that it is all for His kingdom and glory. It is humbling to think that they see that in us. Terry and I continue to thank God that He doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Terry had mentioned the air conditioner on facebook and we thank you for all of your prayers in this matter. We know that God will provide but do not worry, we traded a unit from another room so we are still able to sleep comfortably. Just have to get it replaced before a team comes. When I started this blog tonight, I thought, "What in the world am I going to write?" but again Jehovah Jireh. He has helped the words just flow right through my fingers. I cannot express how much Terry and I appreciate all that is being done for us there in the states. Our family and friends could never be replaced. The prayer warriors, faithful to pray for us daily, these prayers are felt and answers are seen. God still confirms to us our decision, there are no regrets or questions. We know this is His plan for our lives in this time. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. In His Service,

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Saturday September 4, 2010 - 2:26:03 pm

So again a whole week has past since I have been here. Maybe instead of Daily narrative it can be weekly. Seems like the weekend is the only time I get a chance to do this. We really have had a great week, got a lot of things done. I started the week visiting some of the schools and just touching base with them since we have had so many problems this year. Most were very happy to see me and thankful for the ministry and God's work. Many of the schools have God in their mission and values statement. We, well mostly Terry, completely gutted the kitchen and cleaned and paint the floor. It looks great and looks like a brand new kitchen. I made some progress with the uniforms and have a pretty accurate count of how many are left and how long that will take. Last night we attended Roaring Creek's kick off to the month of September. Their independence day is September 21st and they celebrate all month long. Terry and I will have fireworks for our anniversary!!! Thought that was cool and the fact the God knew the day we got married would be celebrated in Belize how many years after??? Coincidence, I think not, just Grace as Joy Munsey would say. So the awesome part is that the Village Chairmen got together with all of the pastors, no matter the denomination, in Roaring Creek to put God first in the celebrations. Now when was the last time we did that in the US. Just a thought and a challenge. It was a great celebration and many of the people from the village came to show their support. There was music and preaching and speaking and awards. It really was a great time and inspiring to see that this village is taking a stand to start with God. For those that do not know, Roaring Creek is known for being the roughest village but I believe that the power of God is changing that. Please pray with us for the continued empowerment these people have and that the momentum will not stop at the end of this month. There is still crime but God is working and moving and these people are tired of living in fear. They want their village back. It is just awesome to me. We are finding ourselves at home and can't wait to get into our house once it is finished. Please help us pray about that as well as God will have to provide the finances, but we know that He will, He always does. Praise God for that assurance. Hope that you have had a great week as well and we are praying for you daily. In His Service,

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Friday August 27, 2010 - 10:05:44 pm

Well, a whole week has almost come and gone and what can I say. Well, first of all if it was not for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ we would have not survived this week. Satan has been on the war path and we have fought him all the way. God has a huge plan for us and the Devil is not happy about it. The presence of God through Body & Soul's School Sponsorship Program reaches out many miles to help many children go to school. People are so grateful for what this ministry is doing. However, some challenges have arose this year with uniforms and books. With no one here full time we have had some catch up work to do. God has blessed us with wonderful resources to advise and go with us to the different places to get things in order. We ask that you continue to pray as this finishes out. Terry and I are doing well, I have a little cold at the moment but it will pass. We are making ourselves at home and making personal connections with people around us, as we do business with them. The food is great, especially with Yvette cooking. I have tried to make a few things with her supervision. Not nearly as good. The weather is hot and humid, even the locals comment on how hot it is. We are making sure to drink plenty of water and take breaks in the afternoon so that we do not overheat. Terry attended a men's bible study Thursday morning with Estuardo that he really enjoyed. We are so thankful for this path of life that God is taking us on and He shows us everyday why we are here. No matter the frustrations or confusion it is all worth it when you make a child and their parent smile because they have the supplies they need. Or when you sit and talk and cry with a friend. Love to all and thank you, thank you, thank you. Without you all this would not be possible for us. Rianna says Hi!

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Sunday August 22, 2010 - 11:16:33 pm

Well, all is quiet for the night. God has been so good this past week. I apologize for not posting more often. So let me try and catch up. 600 children cam through the comound this week to get their supplies to start school tomorrow morning. We still have a little bit to do as some of the books and uniforms were ot ready but will be soon. Wednesday night Roaring Creek welcomed us during the church service where the chairman of the village came and spoke. It is a high honor to be welcomed in such a way. He is a believer, praise God and shows us that we are considered family. Another night, a familiy came to the gate of the compound with their 13 month old child haveing wheezes. The mother said she ahd been told there was a nurse here and wanted to see if I could help. I did and her breathing was better when she left. It's amazing to see how quick God uses His servants. He does not waste any time. We do have a lot ahead of us. This whole week we continually saw things that need to be done just to the compound alone. The wonderful words of wisdom from pastor Layton keeps us focused. "Just do it one board at a time." Joel Richardson as well reminded us that the ministry is for the people and to be careful not to get caught up in things. God has been so gracious and shown such mercy and grace. I can never say thank you enough to Him or you, His servants for making this possible. Love to all. In His Sevice,

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Saturday August 14, 2010 - 11:00:04 pm

Such a full day of helping the people of Belize. Right after breakfast the whole team went out to give rice and beans to the people in a nearby village. they were such a blessing. Terry and I have been able to also make some changes to our room so that it is a bit more comfortable. We had started out with bunk beds and now have a full size bed to sleep on. Dash is adjusting well and playing and eating and sleeping. Terry just got in from fixing the door on the back of one of the vans in preparation for the medical team arriving tomorrow. I am very excited to talk more in depth with Dr. Smiddy about my duties. All is well and we are settling in without any problems. Thank you all again for your continued support and prayers. God bless you all and we are praying for you as well. WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Thursday August 12, 2010 - 10:22:54 pm

Well we have made it!!! God has been so good and was with us throughout our trip. First, I want to say a BIG, HUGE, THANK YOU to everyone that has helped to make this possible for us. We could not have done it without each of you. We have felt your prayers through this whole process and are just thankful for the privilege to serve our Savior full time in this place. After making it through customs without many problems, and yes, Dash made it too, we began moving our supplies for this upcoming week to the Body & Soul compound so we can get organized and be ready for the children next week. We are expecting over 1000 for school book distribution. Over 650 have sponsors but, you do the math, there is still a need. Terry and I are settling in just fine and will sleep very well tonight. We are that tired. Again love to all and thank you. God bless. In His Service

Posted By:Samantha Stinson

Date and Time Posted: Tuesday July 27, 2010 - 10:21:48 am

Terry and I are so excited to become part of the Body & Soul Family, not that we are not already. From the first time I met anyone involved, I felt like family. Thank you to all who support and pray for us. God has been so good during this process, protecting us from most of Satan's attempts to discourage us. God confirms this decision to us everyday in a new and different way. He is so good. We look forward to getting down there and settling into the work God has prepared for us. We are honored that He would choose us to be a part of His plan. Thank you again and God bless you all. In His Service,

Posted By:Samantha Stinson