Lighthouse Christian Radio celebrates 6 years of broadcasting in San Pedro Town.
“Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your Holy hill and to Your tabernacle.” Psalms 43:3
Lighthouse Christian Radio Ministry celebrated its sixth anniversary of broadcasting in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye on July 16. Over the past years we have gained the trust and confidence of our listeners by providing them with some of the best in Bible teaching programs, music, news reports locally and internationally, weather, storm and hurricane watches and community events. Each year we seek to celebrate our anniversary in a way that reveals the vision and purpose of our ministry. This year we were able to do just that through the four weeks of Summer Sports Camps with the help of three teams who reflected God’s light and love to the children and families of San Pedro Town! God used sports to open doors of opportunities and building of unique relationships with the 3 teams as they shared the love of Christ with some of the neediest children of the island who would have otherwise roamed the streets looking for something to do and through boredom or idleness could have gotten in mischief or trouble.
Week One: Ultimate Frisbee and friendship
Nick teaching how to throw the frisbee to eager learners!
The first team consisting of Tommy & Nick from Chico, California; Jaron & Mikaela from Santa Barbara, California; Ben from Las Vegas, Nevada; Kyle from Albuquerque, New Mexico (who stayed the entire month) and Ruel from Cayo District, Belize introduced the children of San Pedro to Ultimate Frisbee for the first time. After the morning of sport activities, they met with the kids at the beach for swimming and spontaneous water activities where relationships were further developed and the kids soaked up the love and attention that so many of them craved. It was a great blessing for me to observe the interaction and witness that each team member, with their varying gifts, poured into these hungry for love hearts. Over the course of the month, the teams observed the harsh interaction the kids have with each other with outbreak of anger, cursing and fights which were strong indications of lots of hurts and pains that exist in their hearts and lives. Here is what Mikaela shared from her observation:
Afternoon events in Central Park!
“We spent our afternoons with the kids either at the beach or the park and there we created our deeper connections. It was there that I learned of one boy whose grandmother was sick in Honduras and how his family was working extra hard to be able to send her money for her medication while they lived in poverty. Another lived without a father figure and basically roamed the streets and raised himself. And this happened time after time. I learned about deep hurts in these kids’ families and with this I began to see where the tension, foul language, brutal competition, and anger on the field came from. Sometimes it was heartbreaking and too much to bear, but the sweetness of some of the kids despite obvious hurts brought such a deep joy.”
Week two: Role Models and examplesThe second team of 22 from Calvary of Albuquerque, New Mexico picked up where the first team left off and it was good to see the unique ways that this team reached out to the kids with the varied ages of its members. We had an 83 year old man, a great brother in the Lord, who became the respected grandfather to the kids and the others became aunts, uncles, big brothers and big sisters. The Sports Camp was for ages 7 – 14 but many of the kids brought their younger siblings and one of the team members quickly jumped in and began ministering to them with singing, scripture memorizations and storytelling. Many kids made profession of faith in Christ and many seeds were planted in the fertile soil of hearts.
Vivian, team leader, using the opportunity to share before giving out candy to the children in Central Park!
Along with the 5 mornings of Sports Camps, and 2 nights of Family Movie Nights in the Park, the Albuquerque team was able to assist in a VBS at Brighter Tomorrow Christian Preschool two afternoons and had over 100 kids on one occasion. This Preschool is in one of the poorest neighborhood and a special relationship has developed over the years with the Albuquerque team and the Preschool and it was a blessing to see this relationship strengthen this trip.
Night of Worship in Central Park, many passing by stopped and participated both locals and tourist!
Week three & four: Examples and Witnesses
The High School Ministry of Calvary Chapel West Grove, California jumped right in for the third and fourth week of Sports Camp and worked hard in the hot sun each morning with volleyball and soccer while a group was in the local high school auditorium playing basketball. We had several events in Central Park, including two Worship Nights in the park where the gospel was preached and several responded to the call to surrender their lives to Christ. A few nights were dedicated to developing relationships with the kids and their parents in the park with face painting, ballooning, football tossing, Frisbee, candy tossing and lots of fun. That provided good wholesome fun for kids as their parents look on with gratitude and appreciation for the love and attention that their children were receiving. The CC West Grove team also participated in another VBS for the Brighter Tomorrow Preschool and blessed them greatly with needed material for the upcoming school year. Again, seeing the impact that each team made on the residence of San Pedro Town through loving their children is going to bear lasting fruit. We ended the 4 weeks of Sports Camp with a party on Friday night where food was served and the children won prizes when winning numbers were called. They collected tickets throughout the month for participating; being on the winning team, best display of attitude, most improved etc.
Sports Camp party where food and prizes were given out to all who participated!
Over 58 new balls were given out as prizes; soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs as well as school bags, school materials, and bicycles donated by the teams and local businesses. We will conclude the evening with our final Family Movie Night in the Park showing “Fury to Freedom”, the true life story of Pastor Raul Reis was shown while the younger kids were getting face painted and playing games at the far end of the park.
Please pray for the children of San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye!
What’s next?
The month of facilitating back to back teams; making arrangements for meals, accommodations, daily schedules and the responsibility of a total of 66 people along with the daily duties of Lighthouse Christian Radio has been a challenge yet an amazing blessing. Now comes the harder work of following up with those who responded to gospel as well as continuing watering the many seeds that has been sown. The need is ever more so obvious for a church to be established to disciple and nurture the new believers and continue to reach out to the poor and needy. I have been overwhelmed by the amount of kids that go hungry daily and are very ashamed to make it know that they haven’t eaten. A recent conversation with a Social Service worker on the island broke my heart is many pieces as she described some of the circumstances surrounding many that is brought to her. She shared with me some of the things that I knew was going on but never knew the intensity and enormity. There are no facilities on the island to meet these needs and again I am deeply provoked to do something about it but where do we start!
Pray, pray, pray!
Please pray for workers, media missionary, technical person to assist with the radio station operations, we are very short handed and are in great need in the day to day operations.
Please pray for a ministry team to be raised up to further the work here in San Pedro Town in planting a healthy church.
Please pray for my monthly support and financial provisions!
Please pray for the hurting children in San Pedro Town; abuse of every kind!
Pray for Eric, an 11 year old whose father is incarcerated for double murder. He was not able to attend a week of Sports Camp because he was working to help support his mother and sister!
Pray for Cardinal who gave his life to the Lord at the Night of Worship in the Park. I found out that he walks an hour to get to the sports camp each morning arriving at 7 AM.
Pray for Mario whose family struggles to make ends meet financially.
Pray for Pierre, gave his life to Jesus last week. He said that every time I would share with him he felt a stirring in his heart that he couldn’t explained. I’ve been sharing with him for several months now and today he realized that God was calling him to the fellowship of His Son Jesus and he responded!
Thank you, thank you, and thank you!
My heart is overjoyed with gratitude to the Lord for allowing me to be a part of what He is doing here in Belize and especially with Lighthouse Christian Radio Ministry in San Pedro Town. I’m so thankful for those who offered themselves to the Lord and then to the ministry for the Sports Camps; for their love for Jesus that motivated them to come down to love on those who are so desperately in need of God’s love. It has been a blessing working alongside the guys from California, Nevada, and New Mexico for the first week; the Calvary of Albuquerque team and the Calvary Chapel West Grove team. Also, a special thanks to Kyle O’Hea and Ruel Cruz who assisted me greatly with the day to day work of facilitating the teams for the entire month of July. What a blessings these guys have been! I’d like to especially thank those of you, who prayed fervently for us this past month, please know that this is fruit to your account. Thank you also to those who responded to my financial situation as my support has been very low over the past months!
In His love and grace,
Clive Welsh
Contact information in Belize:
Clive Welsh
PO Box 653
Belmopan, Belize
Central America
Phone: 011-501-605-6123
Lighthouse Christian Radio FM 101.3
PO Box 166
San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye
Belize, Central America
Phone: 011-501-226-4673
Facebook: Lighthouse Caribbean Christian Ministry
Email: Lighthouseradio@aol.com
Website: http://www.lighthouseradio.org/
Contact information in US:
Saving Grace World Mission
17451 Bastanchury Rd. #203
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
714) 993-4801
In Memo: Welsh/Belize or Belize General.
Evening of fun and friendship around ballons and face-painting!