We had the opportunity to have Evangelist Darrell Ratcliff and his family visit Belize. The goal was to get the Gospel out in our area schools. In 5 days, we were able to go to 8 schools, and more than 3,000 children, teens, and adults heard the Gospel. The principals graciously allowed us to participate in their open assemblies to present the plan of salvation. Praise the Lord for those who trusted Christ; we saw more than 1,000 raise their hands. Giving the good news never gets old!

The Lord has blessed our church services with many new teens and families; it is always encouraging to see new people. Pray that our church can help these new converts grow in their faith. We are especially grateful to have entire families attending together. This is not very common in Belize. Pray that these husbands and fathers would remain faithful and help their families stay the course.

A young teen girl from our church asked me to go to her high school as her guest to give a devotional. This opportunity allowed me to teach about 300 students and teachers. This young lady is very faithful to church. She is helping Tonya in the children’s classes. Pray for her to continue to stay strong in her faith.

Our tri-monthly Youth Rally went very well. A fellow missionary hosted the rally this time around. One of the biggest blessings on the field is to have friends in ministry who desire to work together and have a great spirit. Ministry is so much sweeter when good fellowship is available. Pray that these Youth Rallies would yield the fruit of committed young people who love the Lord. Our vision is to see these teens grow up and reach their communities for Christ.

Last month, we started a new youth Sunday school class. The teacher, Mr. Arturo, is a younger man who grew up in our church. He and his wife Linda are faithful servants who love the Lord. Please pray that this class would bring honor to the Lord, as well as help train up our young people in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

During the last school year, we started a school scholarship program for some young people going into high school. High school in Belize is not an option for many whose families cannot afford the tuition. If you would like to sponsor a student for this year, please contact me at gcbaptistschool@yahoo.com.

Our family is doing well. Our second daughter Analea recently moved up from the children’s classes to the teen class. This makes two teenagers in the house now. This is a bittersweet transition for us as parents. Pray that our children would seek the Lord and His ways. That would be the greatest joy to us.

Thank you so much for your prayers and your support. We count it a blessing to be your missionaries.

In Christ,

Israel and Tonya Alvarez