Arensman Update - December '08

Sarah’s parents just returned home after spending 9 days with us. It was a great visit and really brightened our holiday to have family here. We were able to do some traveling together with them and saw some beautiful natural monuments and Mayan sites in southern Belize. Spiritually, it was a good time of refreshing as we were able to spend time in prayer and studying God’s Word together. It was hard to take them back to the airport and watch them leave. The kids are feeling the separation from friends and family intensely right now and we all cried together as we drove home.

As soon as the holidays are over we will be launching some Bible study and discipleship groups. These groups will be diverse. Some will be within the church in a Sunday school or weekly small group setting. Others will be home-based groups. For these groups we have been seeking the Lord about what kind of study to do. One problem with much of the material available is that is written from an American culture perspective. Even for Belizeans who are fluent English speakers, many times written material can be difficult to understand. So we have decided that rather than using some pre-written topical material, we will attempt to teach some very basic principles for how to read the Bible. We are studying this for ourselves using a variety of resources including some material written by two professors from Gordon-Cromwell Theological Seminary. In turn, we will take what we have learned and communicate it to the groups in a way that is easy to understand and apply. After laying down some basic foundational concepts in class, then we will turn to God’s Word and “practice” what we have learned by studying together as a group. In addition, we desire to have at least one home group focused on inviting unbelievers or seekers into a non-threatening environment to answer the question “What does it mean to be a ‘Christian’?”

Besides launching these new groups we will continue working on our language study using an online study course as well as having a Spanish language helper in the house two days per week.

Please pray for the Lord’s timing on starting the small groups and for the right opportunities for inviting people to be a part of them. Also pray that we would be sensitive to God’s leading and preparation for us - we feel like He is calling us further into perhaps a more narrowly-focused ministry. He is certainly working in our hearts and giving us a passion for the un-reached and un-churched around us that we never had before. We can only describe it as almost a physical pain when we consider the lost around us. We feel very inadequate to make any kind of difference, so pray that others would see Christ increase through our weakness and that we would be faithful to proclaim His name here in Belize.

Thank you all for your continued support. We know that you are the means that God has provided for us to be here and to be living out the call He has placed on our life. Please remember us in your year-end giving and send any gifts to the address below.

We pray that each of you will have a blessed Christmas and will see the love of God demonstrated in the birth and life of Christ Jesus.