May our Lord be with us all in this time of uncertainty. A truth we hold dear is the fact that God is still in control of the world no matter how quickly events and times change. We rest in His promises each day, each hour, each moment. We’d like to encourage you, our dear supporters, to choose faith over fear, to choose the Almighty over anxiety.
We thank our Lord for good health for our family. We live in a small town, and the virus has finally reached us here. There are hundreds of cases, with the numbers still rising. We try to comply with the social distancing while we endeavor to help and encourage our members. Since we aren’t allowed to hold church services, we have done sermons online. We have continued to visit people in their homes to try to encourage those who are unable to get out and about. It’s so easy for folks to become anxious and depressed when the regular pattern of life is disrupted. Sometimes an email or a message is all it takes to revive a hurting heart.
Our Vacation Bible School in August went very well. We kept it very low-key since there were restrictions in place. VBS took place before the outbreak of the virus cases, so the limitations were not as bad as they are now. We had around 60 kids and 7 mothers attend each day. Our hearts were very encouraged to have 14 of our teens and adults show up each day to run the program and take care of the kids. Each person present was given a clear explanation of the Gospel, and 20 children and adults raised their hands in a profession of faith. Wonderful is the only word to describe our joy!
Our mission church in Corozal celebrated its 2-year anniversary in August. We were not allowed more than 25 people per service, so we hosted services in different locations at the same time. In total, we had 60 people attend a service, with 25 being first-time visitors. Many people trusted Christ as their Saviour.
In August, we also took on another children’s ministry. In Belize, the children have an hour lunch break in which they go home to eat. They then return to school to finish the school day. This program seeks to help kids who may not be getting lunch during that time. Our church volunteers will make a lunch each day, and any kid who needs to can come eat at the church, which is very close to a big primary school. During the lunch hour, we will also provide a Bible lesson and fellowship with the children. Since the schools here have yet to reopen, we have been delivering groceries to the families of the kids instead. Please pray that when the schools reopen, this ministry can be a blessing to those in need.
On October 4, our main church here in Orange Walk will celebrate its 11-year anniversary. We greatly desire to hold in-person services for this event. Please join us in praying that the social-distancing restrictions would be lifted enough to have services again.
We are very thankful for your love for us and our family.
May our God bless you all richly,
The Alvarez Family
Israel, Tonya, Alyssa, Analea, Isabella, and Timothy
