As the world continues to be unsettled, our God reminds us that everything is in His hands. Who would have thought last Christmas that this Christmas would be so different? What a pleasant thought it is to know that God and His Word are the same yesterday, today, and forever. We encourage you to jump into the New Year with both feet. The future may be uncertain in many ways, but God’s sovereignty remains steadfast.
During this time of uncertainty, we have seen God’s hand upon us.
Our family came to the USA at the end of October to visit our families. Tonya’s mother has been very ill, and we wanted to spend time with her, letting her see and play with the grandkids. We plan to spend the Christmas holidays near my family in Los Angeles, California.
The restrictions concerning COVID are very strict in Belize. The borders remain closed. Churches are not permitted to have meetings with more than 10 people. While we are here in the States, our church men continue to have several services a week, giving everyone an opportunity to attend, should they wish. They are not able to have the normal Christmas activities or outreaches. However, the church leaders will be delivering groceries and gifts to needy families within the church. Please pray that God would direct the men to people to whom the church might be a blessing.
We are asking prayer for a new ministry opportunity. This ministry would set out to provide school lunches for local school children during their lunch break at school. Here in Belize, the children are given an hour lunch break and return home to eat. Our church would provide a hot meal each school day for children who are unable to go home to eat due to distance or finances. During the lunch hour, the children will eat at our church and hear a devotional. This is a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the young people of our community. Since the schools have not yet reopened, right now our church people take groceries to the families of these children. When the schools reopen, we will begin preparing the hot lunches daily.
Our goal is to return to Belize the first week of January. Right now, the airports remain open. The numbers of COVID cases are increasing daily, so there is a slight chance of the airports closing. Please pray for our return to be smooth and uninterrupted. We have enjoyed the time here with family but are anxious to return home.
I am enclosing an update video of the ministries that the Lord has given us the opportunity to have during our 11 years on the mission field. Also included are our new prayer cards.
Thank you!
We would like to say thank you to the churches that have sent extra money during the COVID crisis. We have been able to distribute hundreds of bags of groceries to needy families in our community.
We would like to thank each church and some individuals that have contributed to our ministry for many years.
In Christ,
Israel , Tonya, Alyssa, Analea, Isabella and Timothy Alvarez