What More Can I Say?

Youth Retreat

Thank you for your prayers! The youth retreat was a huge success and tons of fun. I wish I had the eloquence of writing to make you understand the depth of joy I feel at the major accomplishments that took place last weekend. There seems to be no way to accurately describe them, but I pray that God will give you understanding of the ways that He so greatly worked. It was a truly beautiful time.

Some of the accomplishments were in the following areas…

• Spiritual – We taught specific lessons on spiritual disciplines that help us know God: praying, reading your Bible, worshipping, and journaling. Many students understood these disciplines for the first time and practiced them at the retreat.


• Outreach – We did a last-minute children’s outreach in the slums of San Jose in a town called “Little Hell.” I was shocked at how our students stepped out of their typical shy behavior & stepped up to the plate. Sebastián led the kids in children’s worship songs (no idea where he learned those!); Jóse opened and closed the event in prayer; Jordan, Davis, & others led the kids in games; and Dexter shared his testimony! (he’s never done that before) – and all of this was in front of at least 100 people! For many of them, this was the first time doing anything like this!


• Work Ethic – we spent one entire morning helping with a digging project at the farm. The kids were so thankful for the opportunity to be there that they did more work than expected and did it with great attitudes.
  
• Overall fun – We simply had a blast together & it was great hanging out with the kids rafting & doing late-night sock skating (sliding on ones socks and knees on a smooth surface).
  

Baptisms

Upon our return to Puerto Viejo, 2 people asked to get baptized, recognizing this outward expression of the work God is working inside of them. This past Sunday, Peace (28) and Dexter (18) were baptized in the Caribbean ocean. Peace has beena a Christian for 3 months and can’t wait for God to teach him more about Himself. Dexter has been a Christian for 1 year now and is even interested in learning how to lead Bible studies! (Until now, Dexter has been one of the shyest members at house church).
God is truly working in the hearts of the youth, which is pretty strategic. The youth are the core members of the English house church & are the ones ready for change. Puerto Viejo has a very legalistic view of God and how to be a Christian—what a beautiful work to begin in the lives of the future leaders of this town.

Please, keep praying for Peace, Dexter and the rest of the youth. Your prayers are a valuable part of God’s work.

Joyfully Serving,
TJ Gause

Prayer Needs

1st Ever Youth Retreat

This weekend, we will take 15 youth from the skate park to the mountains in San Jose for an experience they’ve never had before. With the help of a visiting team, we will host a retreat involving lessons about the basics of having a relationship with God. We’ll also spend time doing service work in the slums of San Jose and have a fun day of river rafting.
This is a HUGE step forward in the youth ministry & in the lives of each student. Most of the students coming have made a decision to follow Christ, but not all of them have; and for most of them, they’re in the process of learning what that means. Each participating student is in a different place in their lives and in their faith. For example, one girl, Anastasia just began coming to House Church a month ago. God and Christianity is so new to her that two days ago was her first time hearing the whole story of Christ, from the beginning of the Bible to the end. On the other end of the spectrum is a 19-year-old boy named Davis. Davis gave his life to Christ almost one year ago & has learned to depend on God and scripture for the difficulties he faces. In fact, just last Sunday, his parents, who are active Jehova’s Witnesses, told him he must stop being a Christian or they would disown him. Davis’ response was to choose Christ and recall specific scriptures he has learned, ready to face the difficult consequences.
Again, the potential for what this weekend means in light of eternity is astounding, but I can’t believe that it won’t be met without resistance from the enemy. We have been battling in prayer on behalf of each youth participant and ask that you would join us in prayer.

How to Pray

Below, I’ve listed some prayer needs that I have recognized; but I know there are need I am not aware of. Please pray according to how the Spirit leads you…(Eph. 6:12 & 18)

· Pray that all obstacles would be removed that would hinder any youth from coming
· Pray that all students would learn to fall in love with a Savior.
· Pray that the youth would understand the depth of the love & forgiveness God offers them. Also that they would learn how to turn to the Bible and to prayer for the tough situations they face in life.
· Pray that those who have proving themselves as leaders would learn how to lead by loving and serving one another.
· Pray for us as staff & for the visiting team helping host this retreat. We need wisdom in every aspect of this retreat and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in His leading.
· Pray for meaningful conversations to happen in addition to the teaching sessions—that students would be real & share with us and that God would grant us wisdom in giving counsel & bring to remembrance specific Bible verses to respond with.
· For safety and protection during the work day and river rafting.

Thank you for your prayers!

Joyfully Serving,
TJ Gause

God at Work

Exciting Growth in the Youth Ministry

It’s only 7:00am here in Puerto Viejo, and I can’t wait another minute to share with you the evidence that God is at work in the lives of the youth! Do you remember when I wrote in a previous email to pray for me, Sebas, and Jetsie as I was beginning to teach them how to lead worship for Sunday night house church? Well, as a result of our prayers, they are actually learning how to worship God themselves. And not only Sebas and Jetsie, but many of the youth who regularly attend house church. I don’t know how to explain it but within the last month and a half, there has been a distinct difference in our worship time together at house church – not only have they learned the words to the songs, but more importantly, they are growing in their knowledge of the One to whom they are offering their worship. It’s beautiful and so much fun to see happening! But wait, there’s more…
During Youth Club at the skate park one recent Friday night, we had a visiting team from a youth group in Arizona. They were playing couple of worship songs to advertise for the music clinic they were going to teach during the week. While they were playing, I was standing in the back next to Sebas (17) and Jordan (14) translating some of the words and talking about the music. Suddenly, Jordan turned to me and said, “TJ, how come you don’t go up and play….and Sebas can play the other guitar, and I’ll play the congas and Jetsie can sing?” !!!! Ok, let me just interject and say that this is NOT normal for our shy, small-town, too-cool surfer kids to want to get up in front of strangers, let alone their own peers, to lead in a worship song and definitively mark themselves as “the Christians.” I think they surprised themselves that we actually went through with it.

Wait, There's More...

Not only is their desire to worship God and be labeled as Christians evidence that they are growing in their relationship with God, but they are learning to serve as well. Now, in this culture, no one ever gives something for nothing. It’s actually a cultural norm that we’re constantly fighting against – always wanting to receive for free, never wanting to earn something for themselves, and absolutely never wanting to work for almost nothing in return. And yet, last week, this is exactly what took place for a few of our youth.
We had another visiting team from Christ for Life Sk8 Church in Colorado. This team was completely unlike any we’ve hosted before as their ministry almost exactly reflects ours. This team was a combination of Christians and non-Christians that stood at every point on the spectrum of their relationship to Christ. For some, their outreach was an opportunity to serve God, for others, it was a week to remain sober and learn about God themselves. It would be exactly like us taking our youth on a mission trip and that’s what made the week so much fun. For the first time, it was an opportunity for our kids to play a different role – they got to be both on the receiving and the giving end.
Together, the skaters from Colorado and our youth hung out and learned how to serve one another. The visiting team helped put on skate clinics throughout the week, teaching new tricks and bringing cool skate material. In return, our youth taught the visiting team how to surf, almost completely on their own accord!! It took some encouragement on our part, but we weren’t around when they decided to meet the team at the beach and spent hours teaching the mountain-folk how to surf. In fact, for the visiting team, this was the highlight of their week. One girl, who had difficulty getting the hang of it, told me how great it made her feel that someone took so much of their time to invest in her and make sure she learned. She was talking about Dexter (18), one of the youth from the skate park who attends house church regularly and is growing in his faith. He, Jordan, and Davis (20) spent time giving of themselves.

I hope these stories are as exciting to you as they are to me as we’ve invested in these youth together – you through prayer and financial giving and me by teaching and living alongside of them. Our youth don’t always make the best decisions…they’re very much learning how to trust God enough to let Him into their hearts and begin making changes on the inside before there is evidence on the outside. This is why seeing them make good decisions is so encouraging and brings to light what the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

Thanks for doing this with me! Let’s continue to be praying for Jordan, Jetsie, Dexter, Sebas and Davis as God continues to work in them. Please pray for the friends that they bring to house church – there is always at least one new face every Sunday night.

Also, please be praying for our first attempt at hosting a youth camp in July. We’re very excited to take our youth up to the mountains with a visiting team and spend time away from Puerto Viejo in deeper teaching, growth, and service time. I’ll fill you in with more details later!

Serving Joyfully,
TJ Gause

Personal Contact Info:
TJ Gause
Codigo Postal 141-7304, Puerto Viejo –Talamanca, Costa Rica, Centroamerica
TJ@alternativemissions.com

Financial Giving:
Send tax-deductible checks to:
Alternative Missions
P.O. Box 5838
Goodyear, AZ 85338
(800) 507-4873

Or donate online at:

http://www.egivingsystems.org/support42705/

Belize & Beyond Mission: July 07

Belize and Beyond Mission Update: July 2007

Over the past six months, I began transporting plants to the Radio Station on Ambergris Caye from the mainland of Belize. Since then the entire third floor of the Apartment building has been transformed as we filled the two 12 ft planters with various plants and rose bushes. It has really transformed the place with beautiful greenery. As I tended to my ‘mini jungle on the third floor’ it has become a sweet time of prayer and meditation as I escape from the stress of the day. God speaks to my heart daily through these plants. Today for example, I was pruning, transplanting and rearranging when God began to show me how He used difficult times and seasons of our lives to bring forth beauty. I was reminded of a year ago this time when I was franticly wrapping up my busy summer of ministry teams and making preparations for my lengthy absences from Belize for my surgery. Not knowing when or if I would be returning back to Belize and the pending changes that might take place as a result of the surgery. As I reflected back to that time and see all the Lord has done in my life and ministry since then and the fruits that budded from that season of difficulties.

Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship, Spanish Lookout:

Work has begun on the property to prepare it for constructing the temporary meeting place for Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship. We have been meeting for several years in the garage of one of the families that attend the fellowship. We have outgrown the garage and needed more room for the children as well. Two 30X40 buildings will be built and joined together which will be the sanctuary and children ministry. The men of the fellowship have been helping out on the preparation and enjoying fellowship and laughter every step of the way. If you have some construction skill and would like to come down and assist in this undertaking, please contact me for more information!

Rudy and Rachael have settled down in Canada and are greatly missed in Belize and in his absence Ronald, Jacob and myself have been rotating teaching at the Sunday Morning Worship Service. We are currently using DVDs for the Wednesday evening Bible Study. Please continue to pray for an interim pastor/teacher to come down and assist in this time. If your heart is moved to serve in this capacity for any duration of time, please pray about it and contact me for more information.

Lighthouse Christian Radio, Ambergris Caye:

On July 16, 2004 we flipped the switch of the transmitter and Lighthouse Christian Radio was birth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ began to ‘shine the Light in darkness’ in San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye! We thank the Lord for all of you who have played such a major part in the ministry of Lighthouse Christian Radio over the past 3 years through your prayers, encouragement, visit, and financial support. We are grateful to all who has assisted us, you know who you are and most importantly, God knows who you are and we pray His riches blessings upon you. Thanks so much!

We had a visit from an officer from Civil Aviation regarding our proposal for a 40 foot tower to be erected on the roof of the building that houses the radio station. We are located ½ mile from the San Pedro Airstrip and permission must be granted before we proceed with plans. The initial report was very favorable and now we wait for final approval. Please pray for approval from all of the authorities involve.

As we reach out to the communities on Ambergris Caye and seek to make a difference with the hope that is in Christ for those infected and affected with HIV/AIDS, a chapter of He Intends Victory has been formed in San Pedro Town. Four pastors, 3 Spanish speaking and one English speaking, are currently involved and have been praying about how to minister to those with this disease. We will be starting a weekly support group on July 18 and Lighthouse Christian Radio will be hosting it. “Living Hope Consoling Group” is what we will be calling the support group. Please pray for us as we begin this vital outreach to those with HIV/AIDS and their families!

Upcoming Events:

Happy 3rd Birthday Lighthouse Christian Radio Ministry, July 16.

Living Hope Consolation Group (HIV/AIDS) support group begins, July 18.

Children Bible Camp in neighboring villages of Spanish Lookout, July 25 – 29.

Traveling to California for follow-up doctor’s appointment at the end of July.

Planning and preparation for the Sunday School/Children Ministry training for churches in the Belmopan/Spanish Lookout areas by Ocean Hills Church Team in August.

Please pray for:

The Body of Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship as they will be hosting two Children Bible Camp for the neighboring Villages in July.

The He Intends Victory San Pedro (Living Hope Consolation) support group for those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; the first meeting will be July 18.

Approval from Civil Aviation for 40 ft. tower on building.

My monthly financial support as well as finances for Permanent Antenna and Tower.

Contact information in US for tax-deductible donation/support:

Saving Grace World Mission 714) 993-4801 Ext. 106
17451 Bastanchury Rd. #203
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
In Memo: Welsh/Belize

Or website for online donations: http://www.sgwm.com/welsh.html

Contact information in Belize:

PO Box 653 011-501-605-6123
Belmopan, Belize
Central America

Lighthouse Christian Radio 011-501-226-4673
PO Box 166
San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye
Belize, Central America