Belize Archives - Page 12 of 16

Matching Gift Update

You did it! Thanks to everybody who helped PathLight fulfill the matching gift challenge! This means a deserving student will now receive a full one-year sponsorship. An education, all the supplies, discipleship, mentoring … it’s an opportunity to transform the life of a student so that she becomes a future leader.

If you have not yet given, there is still time to get it on the matching gift challenge. The donor has agreed to match every $30 gift between now and the end of the year. So there is no better time to support PathLight.

Thank you!…

Give $30, put a student through school!

As we wrap up 2011, a long-time supporter of PathLight has given a unique matching gift opportunity. The goal? To send one student to school. While that may not seem like much, consider this: PathLight’s program provides after-school tutoring, mentoring, and encouragement of faith in Christ. The effect of nurturing the whole person is what allows these children to become leaders in their communities. That one child we send to school could be a leader who transforms their village and inspires the next generation.

So here’s what we’re asking: If you can spare $30 for a student in need, your …

Annual Christmas Post

Two years ago I sent a letter to friends of PathLight, and it was so well received that I reposted it last Christmas. It seems to still strike a chord, so I’m posting it again. Consider it as my Christmas wish to you. I hope you enjoy it.
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David L. Fleming writes, “The son of God became poor by becoming incarnate. He embraced poverty in the circumstances of his earthly life. God was born in a stable manger and was given the name Jesus. His parents fled with him as refugees to escape a murderous tyrant. Later he …

The signature on the paper napkin

It was humid and hot, as it almost always is, and the ceiling fan was struggling to cool the restaurant. The room was noisy from the hustle and bustle of travelers coming and going through the airport. Occasionally a small airplane would take off from the runway outside. When the big jets taxied to the terminal, we could hardly hear each other.

I sat at the restaurant table with Mark and Adrienne Parcher. Our friend Mike Egusa joined us. The last few days had been spent together at Jaguar Creek in Belize, and the whole time we had talked about …

George Cadle Price, 1919-2011

George Price died last week. This probably means little to you, but in Belize it is major news. George Price was commonly known as the Father of the Nation in Belize. He was 92-years old and passed just two days before the 30th anniversary of Belize’s independence.

For years George Price diligently worked for independence and was one of the nationalist pioneers that set a new course for a post-colonial world. Sometimes controversial, often criticized, he persevered through it all with a burning passion to see his country free of colonial rule. In 1981, he was successful when Belize attained …

Don’t Trust Anybody Over Thirty?

This has been a year to celebrate the thirtieth year.

“The thirtieth year of what?”, you might ask.

The answer: several things, but one big thing.

It’s the thirtieth anniversary of my first day at Goble Properties. Not a big deal, but when was the last time you met somebody who had the same job for 30-years?

It’s also the thirtieth anniversary of our college graduation. D’Aun and I both went to Westmont, and we look forward to the October reunion.

I lost thirty pounds this year. Actually, this summer. And actually, I’m not done losing yet. …

How Does PathLight Choose Their Students?

It’s a great question. I hear it from donors all the time. “How do you decide which students receive a sponsorship?”

Truth is that we have to be selective because we have far more worthy students than we have sponsors. But this recent post on the PathLight website is a great explanation:

July 2011 Student Selection Process
This summer marks the fifth year that we have gone through the process of selecting students for our sponsorship program.

Just as our program takes a holistic approach in building the students academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually, our selection process is designed to …

Biblical CQ

As far back as Sunday School I’ve been taught to consider the cultural context of a Bible story. It wasn’t explained that way to me, of course, but cultural understanding was critical for understanding the sometimes bizarre stories of Scripture. In college my religious studies courses emphasized this over and over.

Here’s an example of how important it is. Our church just started a series on Ruth. In the first sermon, the pastor had to spend half his time explaining the cultural context for the book. He couldn’t get past even one verse without having to paint the cultural backdrop!…