But I thought.....

2Co 10:5 casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;
Our mind is a very special instrument, but at times it can be our worst enemy. It's in our mind that the battle seems to be the biggest. We think "what if this happens" "What if it does'nt happen", "why did they say that to me", why did he/she look at me like that.
And off we go into a world of a million different possibilities.
Our mind is consumend with fear, doubt, anger and worry. We live under its imaginary scenarios. Thats why the WORD of GOD is sooo beautiful, it tells me exactly how things really are. Like I always say, "Hassan, it doesnt matter what you think...What does GOD say about it".

National Center for Chaplain Development

This past month both myself and Les Palmer (one of our board members) attended the International Fellowship of Chaplains (IFOC) Annual Conference located in Tiffin, OH at Heidelberg College for Instructor Training. IFOC has been in existence for over 12 years with over 2000 chaplains internationally providing a 47 hour chaplain certification course which National Center for Chaplain Development both endorses and teaches.

We were able to meet Dr. Joseph Adeosun from Nigeria who informed us of the overwhelming desire and need for chaplains within his country. "Chaplaincy has exploded in Nigeria. There is a saying, "Where Nigeria goes so does the rest of Africa." The reason for this is the bulk of the population in Africa resides in Nigeria. He went on to tell us in both photos and words that they have developed, "Kiddy Chaplains" where they are working with the youth in the country to be "ministers in the workplace."

National Center for Chaplain Development will be taking IFOC certified chaplains with IFOC to Nigeria in March 2009 to both teach and support the development of both the youth and adults in Chaplaincy.

National Center for Chaplain Development is proud to affiliate with the International Fellowship of Chaplains as a Charter Affiliate and will closely be working with IFOC for the development of Chaplains in the State of California and throughout the nation.

If you are interested in becoming a member of National Center for Chaplain Development, a charter affiliate of IFOC, please contact us at info@nccdat.org

*************************************************************************************

Chaplain Vorce is a 38 year veteran in ministry. He currently holds a national and state post as Chaplaincy Coordinator in his denomination.

A father of six children, Chaplain Vorce is a former US Marine, Psychiatric Nurse, and a Retired Lieutant with the Saginaw County Sheriff Department where he served in the Special Operations Division. He has 22 years experience as a Police Chaplain and 36 years as a martial ares instructor.

Dr. Vorce has a Doctor of Education with a minor in Family Counseling, a Master's degree in Counseling, and a Bachelor's Degree in Biblical Studies. He is FBI Certified in the areas of Critical Incident Stress, CISD, and CISM with membership in the following:

* American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers (ASLET)
* International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF)
* International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analyst
* American Association of Christian Counselors
* Michigan Association of Suicidology

American Cancer Society Relay for Life

By Mike Lopez
San Juan Capistrano, CA

On Friday, July 25, 2008, the National Center of Chaplain Development started a three-part journey and took the lead for the spiritual care for the 2008 American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in San Juan Capistrano. I want to personally thank Sr Chaplain Ken Schlenker, Executive Director National Center for Chaplain Development (NCCD) and the following Chaplains for their love, concern and service to the community of San Juan Capistrano and the American Cancer Society: Chaplain's Toni Sutton, Hal Henderson, Maggie Neeley, Diana Torrence and the leadership skills of Chaplain Kevin Torrence, Director of Operations National Center for Chaplain Development. This three day event was an experience of a lifetime and we are very grateful to NCCD. We also would like to give thanks to Ocean Hills Church without whose help this journey could not have been made possible. Specifically Senior Pastor Jim Nicols, Pastor Rick Myers and Steve Sharp as well as the prayers offered by the entire body of Ocean Hills Community Church, San Juan Capistrano. Lastly, we would be remiss without giving the ultimate praise to our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST.

The start of this journey started back on Sunday, May 11, 2008, when Joanna Reed presented the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life to the Ocean Hills church body. Many people were touched through what Joanna spoke about and what Pastor Jim preached. Two people, Terri White and Michael Lopez, in particular were touch in a way that Gods sovereignty would manifest itself in a way that was not expected.

After attending the first planning meeting for the 2008 Relay for Life, San Juan Capistrano, both Terri and I (Michael Lopez) realized a huge need and opportunity to provide spiritual care for this event. It was very clear that the National Center of Chaplain Development would be the organization to fit this need. Contact was made with the founder Senior Chaplain Ken Schlenker and this need soon became a reality.

As this event drew near and the final details were put in to place, it was time to put this journey into motion. So, on Friday, July 25, 2008 at 6:30pm, with the help of Steve Sharp from Ocean Hills Community Church, NCCD rolled out to participate in the 2008 American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, San Juan Capistrano. As the big 22 foot white box-truck, aka “Mighty Whitey,” started to roll out at the San Juan Capistrano Sports Complex, we met up with Chaplain Toni Sutton and touched the banks of the Jordan (kind of sounds familiar doesn’t it). By 10:30pm the EZ-up shelters, tables, chairs, food and the gas BBQ were setup and NCCD was ready to begin serving.

The day started at 6am on Saturday July 26, 2008, and ended somewhere around midnight…boy was that a long day, but a great day well spent serving the Lord. At approximately 6am the fragrance of bacon being cooked on the BBQ emanated throughout the entire venue. Boy were we a hit with everybody! Think about it, a breakfast burrito with freshly cooked bacon and a crisp Saturday morning walk with your friends what more can you ask for?

As the day went on, we once again met up with the NCCD Chaplains. Chaplain Toni Sutton managed the NCCD prayer tent, Terri White handled the volunteer check in and I handled the logistics and all the cooking and meal preparations. Through-out the day we were blessed by the presence of Chaplain's Hal Henderson, Maggie Neeley, and Kevin & Dianna Torrence .

The day was filled with many blessings, from the opportunity for prayer to the feeding of the “five thousand”; we actually fed the Reserve Fire Fighters from the Orange County Fire Authority along with numerous members of one of the other disaster teams, so much for being prepared!

On Sunday July 27, 2008 the day started with a morning devotion given by Pastor Mike Evans from Iglesia El Buen Pastor a Hispanic Church located at Ocean Hills Community Church.

The mere presence of the NCCD Chaplains made this event a very special one. To see, God’s hand in every opportunity that was presented to the NCCD team, was a sight to behold and knowing the fact that the American Cancer Society’s staff was extremely pleased with the service.

On behalf of the American Cancer Society, "Well done good and faithful servants!"

News from France

Hi folks,

A few lines to say that the "office" has been well used for counselling / teaching since June time. We're seeing a steady flow of Christians and non-christians coming for help.
We're talking about opening up a question night for those interested in getting to know God better (as He really is!).
We managed to pull together the finances to purchase a small motorbike for Erwin's ministry travels in the region.
A recent trip over to Corsica proved very fruitful for counselling and teaching with one local church & leaders. A return trip is preview 20 - 22 November to continue the work. The ground on the island is much harder than France. The churches are in general small and very fragile. It is a hard mentality to break into with the Kingdom. Do pray for God to move & for our input.
A prayer news letter is due out soon for more info.
The translation of our web site into English has just been completed. You may want to take a look: www.ccmaison.com/english

Blessings

erwin & Del Henderson

Update from Belize: October 2007!

Belize and Beyond Mission Update: October 2007

“You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips.” Psalms 21: 2

Lighthouse Christian Radio, San Pedro Town:

(Abner Sanchez, Dennis Requena and Clive Welsh in the studio of Lighthouse Christian Radio.)


We received approval by the Belize Civil Aviation for the erection of a 40 foot tower on the building that houses Lighthouse Christian Radio station! We rejoice in the Lord for this answer to prayers and now we are proceeding with plans to acquire the necessary materials to start the work. Because we are still in the peak hurricane season, we’ll wait until it is over before starting the actual construction of the tower. How excited we are to be so much closer to upgrading our equipment so we can reach into Belize City and other areas with the teaching of God’s Word. If you would like to participate in this project in any way, please contact me for further information.

Our slogan: “Shining the Light in Darkness, Lighthouse Christian Radio FM 101.3.”

A faithful listener stopped by the radio station a few weeks ago to tell us how much she appreciates the teaching programs and how she turns on her radio before 6 o’clock in the mornings waiting for us to sign on. She was so excited when I told her that we are looking into broadcasting 24 hours and hoping to do that soon. Another thrilled listener called when we announced our desire to soon be on 24/7 and vowed to pray until it happens. And finally, we received a report about a local pastor who in his astonishment asked why he never heard us asking or pleading for money on the radio for the upgrade and extension of our signal. It blesses me so much when I heard this because that is not normal for radio ministries in Belize as many are constantly begging and threatening listeners if they do not give support. I shared with him about the reality of the saying that I’ve grown up hearing and seen practiced by Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, ‘where God guides, He provides’. Thanks so much for being apart of God’s provision and the allowing us to be a good example of a radio ministry that seeks to give freely as we have received freely. God’s Word is truly making a difference in Belize!

Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship, Spanish Lookout:

The fellowship continues to grow in grace and knowledge as we rotate teachers for the Sunday Morning Worship service; Ronald, Jacob and I. On Wednesday evenings we play the DVD series, “The Bible at 30,000 Feet” with Pastor Skip Heitzig of Calvary Albuquerque, New Mexico. We receive the DVDs from their current series and are behind about a month and are being greatly blessed going through the Bible in a year with Pastor Skip. As you know, we have prayed for months for an Interim Pastor to take Rudy’s place and the Lord provided for us in a way we would never had imagined through the means of media. We get to be apart of the fellowship of Calvary Albuquerque weekly and enjoy the teaching of God’s Word.

Beyond our Borders:

Several weeks ago, Ben, Peter, Abner and I boarded a small bus and traveled 13 hours to visit the Calvary Chapel El Salvador in San Salvador, Central America! I met Pastor Carols Bautista several years ago at the Central American Pastors Conference in Guatemala and immediately a bond developed as I listened to him teaching the Word (through a translator) in an expositional way. That is something very rare in most Central American churches. Last year, we invited him to Belize to teach the Spanish Pastors in the surrounding villages of the Mennonite Community and the pastors were greatly blessed as they learned how to teach the Bible chapter by chapter and verse by verse. We’ve heard great reports of what God is doing in the church in Salvador so we went to see for ourselves and to further our fellowship and friendship with Pastor Carlos. The half had not been told to us as we saw first hand the work that God is doing there. We were able to see the various ministries; schools, orphanages, church plants and radio ministry to name a few. We were interviewed both on their radio station and at the mid-week services where we shared the needs of the Spanish speaking population in Belize. As a result of our time there, the Calvary Chapel El Salvador is looking into bringing a team down to Belize around Easter time next year to minister alongside Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship, Spanish Lookout and Lighthouse Christian Radio, San Pedro Town where most of the residents are Spanish speaking. How thrilling it is for me to see one of my heart’s desires being fulfilled as we’re knit together hearts and hands in the fields in Central America for the Kingdom of God, truly Belize and beyond. My prayer is that one day soon both an English and Spanish speaking Calvary Chapel would be establish on Ambergris Caye.



Ben and Clive being interviewed by Pastor Carlos before mid-week Bible Study at CC El Salvador.








Upcoming events:

October 1 – 15
Vacation

October 18 – 21
Central American Pastors Conference, El Salvador

November 3 – 10
He Intends Victory: HIV/AIDS Ministry team in Belize.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for Dennis as he oversees the Radio Ministry in my absence, for protection on the equipment and provision to broadcast 24/7, the 40ft. tower and antennas.

Please pray for a time of rest and refreshment; physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Pray for fresh vision and direction in the work in Belize.

Please pray for the friends I will be spending time with on this vacation, for mutual encouragement and fellowship in the gospel.

Continual blessing on the believers at Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship and safe delivery of Ronald and Tina’s first child.

Contact information in US:

Saving Grace World Mission
17451 Bastanchury Rd. #203
Yorba Linda, CA 92886
714) 993-4801

In Memo: Welsh/Belize

Or website for online tax-deductible donation/support and current pictures and video updates: http://www.sgwm.com/welsh.html

Contact information in Belize:

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

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

Your prayerful support and standing with us in the work here in Belize as well as your encouragement, means so much. If you are interested in coming to Belize and be apart in any way or just to visit, please contact me for details.

In His undying love and unfailing grace,

Clive Welsh










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Update from Belize, Central America

Belize and Beyond Mission Update: September 2007

Active Hurricane Season:

Hurricane Dean made landfall in the Yucatan a couple weeks ago, just north of Belize and the Northern Districts of Orange Walk and Corozal was affected as homes and large potions of the papaya industry were destroyed. San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye where Lighthouse Christian Radio is located experienced little damage; flooding in some areas, uprooted trees and some pier damaged. Dennis Requena, station manager chose to weather the hurricane on the Island and housed several families in the Lighthouse Apartments. We were off the air for a period of 24 hours before electricity was restored. We thank the Lord for His protection and grateful for the limited damaged.

We were spared another hurricane just 10 days after Dean passed by us making it an all time record of 2 category 5 hurricanes in such short period of time to threated Belize. God was merciful and hurricane Felix was diverted away from Belize and made landfall in an unpopulated area of Nicaragua. Please pray for those affected there and for those in the northern districts of Belize who are still recovering from Hurricane Dean.



Ocean Hills Church Mission Trip:

The team of 4 men worked very hard to lay the foundation for a covered area for the residents of Marla’s House of Hope while the 6 women spent precious moments teaching, playing with and loving on the children. Several of the boys worked alongside of the men and a great bond developed as they received the influence of godly men who showered them with the love of the Lord. I was moved to tears several times as I observed the affect these men had on these fatherless boys as they worked together.



The men of Ocean Hills joined in with the men of Amazing Grace as they worked 2 days on the interior of the new church building. It was a great time of fellowship and special friendships were developed. Both men’s group closed off their time together at the Men’s Prayer Meeting on Friday evening in the almost finished building. We had a great time of sharing, praying and laughter.



The women of Ocean Hills Church blessed the ladies and their invited guest to a special Women’s Faspa (Snack) where they lavished love on the ladies with all of the trimmings. They transformed the meeting room into something that only ladies can do with all the fluff and dainties. The times they spent individually with the folks from Ocean Hills turned out to be one of the highlights for them both.



And finally, the Sunday School Teacher’s Training was a great success as some 15 churches participated by sending 60 teachers to the half day training. Many who attended expressed such gratitude for the time of fellowship, sharing resources and learning how to better minister to the children in their churches. I am so thankful for the servant hearts of the OHC team and all of the hard work that went into the preparation of the training, their time at Marla’s House of Hope and with the church body of Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship!

Praise and thanksgiving:

I received an email from the Belize Civil Aviation informing us that we were approved for the 40 foot tower to go on the roof of the building. We thank the Lord for this open door as we now have the opportunity to reach more people with the teaching of God’s Word on Lighthouse Christian Radio. Our desire is to have our signal reach into Belize City where over 80,000 people resides. Thank you for your consistence prayers and support in this venture.

We are also thankful for the almost completed church building for Amazing Grace Christian Fellowship, Spanish Lookout. It has been a thrill to watch the Lord work in the lives of the brothers in the fellowship as they worked feverishly together on the building in their spare time amidst their busy schedules.

So grateful to God for His provisions, protection, power and proven faithfulness to us in the hurricane season!

Points of Interest:

Belize celebrates its 26th birthday as a nation on September 21.

It will be 13 years since I returned to Belize on September 27.

September 2003, the radio station was handed over to me by its previous owner.

Prayer Request:

Please pray for protection from Hurricane Felix as it heads toward Belize.

Please pray for provisions for those still recovering from Hurricane Dean.

Please pray that God would use these hurricanes to turn the leaders of the Nation to a real revival of hearts and a turning away from sin.

Please pray for provisions for the upgrade of equipment for Radio Station; tower, antennas, generator and broadcast console/mixing board.

Please pray for a much needed vacation; a time of rest, refreshment and renewal.

Contact information in US:

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

Or website for online tax-deductible donation/support and current pictures and video updates: 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

With a heart for thankfulness to the Lord for allowing me to serve Him and for blessing me with family and friends like you who faithfully support His work in Belize over these past 13 years! Much love, grace and gratitude,

Clive Welsh

Final post from Costa

This will be my final update on Costa Rica until we land. The trip has continued to run smoothly and God is taking special care of us. I did a partial update yesterday after our free day so let me update you on what has taken place since.

Awards: due to missing awards for 2 days ( skate night and me being sick) we had an extra large serving of ice cream...

Savannah: Won an award for sharing her testimony at the skate night, I have already posted the story, but she did an awesome job. It is always difficult to share such a personal thing, especially through a translator, but she rocked the house

Kim Nicol: Also previously mentioned, but she dropped in on a skate board which was something very few non skaters tried to do and after lots of determination and practice she accomplished it

Kimberly Schlenker: Won the award of valor and courage on the zipline. She was able to overcome all her fears and soared like the eagles through the jungle

Chris F: I brought 4 sets of snorkeling gear on the trip to take out 3 students at a time on snorkeling excursions. Well I loaned my stuff out yesterday and Chase lost one of my masks, so Chris tried to help him find it, only to lose that one. So i probably shouldn't reward people losing my stuff, but hey why not

Chase: When we got to the zip line, one of the guides asked if I was "woozie" for going on the zip line (scared) (think rasta accent) and I told him no, that I had done it before, but that Chase was "woozie" so the guide got everyone else to call Chase woozie all day, it was quite hilarious. The cherry on top however was when Madison came and she became known as "Woozie's Sister"

Chris Nicol: Well on the zip line when we were on the platform with the howler monkey Chris and i decided to play with the howler monkey, I mean monkeys need to make new friends. So I was imitating his call and Chris was grabbing the branch he was on and shaking it to and fro. I think the monkey really liked it because he made more noise and moved about a lot more!

Last night was a really great night and I heard from many that it was their favorite night. We set up a rocking chair in the middle of the group and i asked for students to sit in the chair, share what is going on in their lives and how we can pray for them. We would then have 2 other students immediately pray for them. It was an amazing night that more than 90% of everyone were willing to get up the courage to share what was going on. And now as believers we can support one another. It was really cool and freeing for many students.

Tonight is another special night and not jest because it is our last night. Weather permitting, we are having worship and a bonfire on the beach and following that with a baptism. I am very excited to see what the Lord has in store for us this evening. So please keep that in your prayers.

PICKUP CREW: thanks so much to those that signed up to pick us up at the airport. Also if you desire to pick us up but didnt sign up you are more than welcome to meet us at the airport. Our plane lands at LAX at 11:15pm and I am guessing at least 45 minutes for baggage and customs. You can click here for real time tracking of our flight and the most up to date details on it. Also if you are tech savvy you can register here and get a text message when our plane lands. I also plan on updating the webpage the moment we land (can do it from my cell phone) but that is dependent on the battery life of my phone.

Thank you all for your prayers and we will see you tomorrow!