Browsing Tag

Belize

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 …

Belize, PathLight,

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 …

Belize, PathLight,

Transforming a Village, One Student at a Time

The transformation of a village started last night. One might say it began four years ago when a few students shyly stepped onto a bus and headed to their first day of high school. But that was the beginning of their personal transformation, not the village.

The village transformation began last night when Amalia, Danald, Concepciona, and Sulema graduated from high school during a traditional ceremony at the Belmopan Civic Center. All four live in Armenia Village, a small community on the edge of the Belize rainforest, created twenty or so years ago to handle the influx of refugees from …

Belize, PathLight,

Off to Belize!

I’m off to Belize tomorrow for the first ever PathLight International graduating class! Hard to believe it was four years ago that we selected our first group of students. They have put in a lot of hard work leading up to the commencement ceremony.

The ceremony is on Tuesday night, but our big PathLight blowout graduation party is Sunday night. It’s going to be fun to see the proud parents and excited students! Hopefully I can post pictures soon afterward.

The kids have overcome a lot of odds. Born into poverty, living in a rural setting, and attending poor schools …

Belize, PathLight,

Building Our PathLight Team

For the last nine months PathLight has been searching for a new Belize Program Director. The search was international in scope and included dozens of good candidates. The process took longer than we anticipated, but that’s common when it is so important to find the right person.

The great news is that an incredible young leader has filled the position. Bryant Kong is our new Belize Program Director. He and his wife Hyojung, along with their young son, will be moving to Belize in late June.

Bryant brings great passion and energy to this position. Born and raised in San …

Belize, PathLight,

Hurricane Update, Year End Request

Hey all! You have probably heard about the hurricane damage done to the PathLight mission and conference center in Belize. Well, I have great news: the funds needed to repair the hurricane damage have been received or pledged! The response has been so fast and so encouraging … all of us at PathLight have smiles on our faces! Thanks to everybody who helped in this effort. The repairs are well underway and will be done in time for the busy season. Thank you again!

A special word of thanks to Paul Qualls, a friend of PathLight and member of our …

Belize, PathLight,

Christmas Gift for PathLight

Many of us are running around the malls and stores these last few days before Christmas. In the midst of the chaos, why not stop and think about a gift for the truly needy? I like how PathLight has set up a special Christmas gift page on their website. Simple, easy, affordable (as little as $10). For a season when we celebrate the King of Kings coming to Earth as a poor child … doesn’t this just make sense?

…

Belize, Family, PathLight,

PathLight Christmas Letter

A year ago I sent a letter to friends of PathLight, and it was so well received that I’m posting it here 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 lived a simple workman’s life in Nazareth. He became an itinerant preacher and teacher, without wife …