Can a nation be saved in a single day? More than 3,000 years ago, a prophet asked an intriguing question: Can a nation be saved in a day? (Is. 66:8). We believe the answer is “Yes!” In a few weeks, a team of nine evangelists, a multitude of over 200 missionaries and hundreds of local churches will join together to make this prophecy a reality in the nation of Belize. We are invading the nation with an army of people who will demonstrate the love of Jesus in tangible ways.
On July 22, 2017, the Belize Festival of Hope will be held at a park next to the ocean in Belize City. The festival will feature music, extreme sports, a strength team, dances, dramas and games for the children. Special musical guests include: Papa San, Christafari, Evan Craft and White Ribbon Day. Speakers will include Daniel King, Jack Myers, Todd Delay, Will Jones, Nate Tanner, Kevin Stark, Andrew Friesen, Michael Moonoo, Keith Cook and Chas Stevenson. Each of these speakers is a pastor or evangelist who will bring a message of the hope that can be found in Jesus Christ.
In the week before the festival, teams of young people from the United States, Costa Rica and Guatemala will conduct a Festival of Hope in the nine major population centers of Belize, including Belmopan, San Ignacio, Punta Gorda, Dangriga, Orange Walk, Corozal and San Pedro Island.
Here are some of the activities that are going on:
Children’s Fiesta: We want to bring hope to every age group, starting with the children and the youth of Belize. In Belize City, we will host a two-day Kids’ Fest. We expect over 5,000 children to attend. We will be sending buses to dozens of local villages and bringing the children together for fun and games and to hear the Gospel.
Youth Concerts: 50 percent of the population in Belize is under age of 17, 65 percent is under age of 25, 75 percent is under the age of 35. We are attracting the youth by using music and extreme sports.
Free Medical Exams: A team of 20 doctors and nurses will offer free medical exams in the poorest neighborhoods of Belize. $700,000 worth of medicine will be given away.
Food for the Hungry: The team will be giving away over 270,000 meals to the children of Belize. These highly nutritious meals are being shipped into Belize via a 40-foot container and will be distributed at the events in each city.
Business and Political Leader’s Seminar: We are inviting the top business leaders in the country together for a leadership seminar at one of the nicest hotels in Belize. Successful American business leaders, led by Victor Blanco, will share principles of business success, and at the end of the seminar, we will share the greatest secret of success, which is to serve Jesus Christ.
Pastor’s Meetings: On our first night in Belize, we will gather the pastors together for a banquet. Our team will serve food to every pastor and pray for them. We will also be giving each pastor a box full of commentaries and study books.
Television and Radio: God has given us the opportunity to air our entire outreach on live television across the nation of Belize.
Follow-Up Material: Over 30,000 Bibles have been donated, and follow-up material is ready for us to give away to the people who get saved at all of our events in Belize.
This outreach is a lot of work, but the investment will be worthwhile if we can change the trajectory of an entire nation. We expect thousands of people to be saved! We believe that Belize will never be the same again. We are claiming the nation of Belize for the kingdom of God.
About Belize
Belize is a unique country located south of Mexico and next to Guatemala. It was originally called British Honduras until gaining its independence in 1981. To this day, it is part of the British Commonwealth, and Queen Elizabeth’s portrait is on their currency. It is the only country in Central America where English is the official language.
Belize is a small country. According to the CIA Factbook, the population was 353,858 in 2016. The size of this nation is part of the reason we believe we can reach the entire nation with the gospel in one day.
For centuries, Belize was the center of the Mayan civilization, and Mayan ruins can be found all over the country. In the 1700s and 1800s, Belize was a refuge for pirates and buccaneers. They hid behind the reef and sailed out to prey on merchant ships. Today, Belize is a popular stop for cruise ships and tourists.
There are several unique language groups and cultures in Belize:
Creole Speakers: Belize feels like a Caribbean nation because many of the people in Belize are dark-skinned and love reggae music. About half of the people in Belize speak English mixed with a version of Caribbean Creole.
Spanish Speakers: Belize also has a Hispanic flavor. Because of its proximity to the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, the other half of the nation speaks Spanish. I
The Garifuna: It is said this people group descended from a slave ship that wrecked off the coast of Belize. The slaves escaped and swam to shore. They still speak a unique dialect that has been traced back to a tribe in modern day Sierra Leone. Many of the Garifuna people go to church on Sunday but mix African tribal religions with Christianity. Pray for an end to syncretism and black magic.
The Maya: In the south of Belize there are 72 Mayan villages. Some of the villages speak Kekchi Mayan, and some speak Mopan Mayan. The villagers are very poor. They cook over campfires and hunt in the jungle for food. Pray for God to prosper the Maya people.
Mennonites: Originally, they come from Dutch and German backgrounds. For religious reasons, many of them refuse to use modern technology. Often they are seen on the roads of Belize driving a horse and wagon full of watermelons to sell at the market. They speak Plautditsch, a form of Low German. Pray for an end to religious legalism and a revelation of God’s grace for them.
Chinese people: There are about 10,000 Chinese immigrants who have settled in Belize. Pray for those who are Buddhist to be open to hearing about Jesus.
Because of the diversity in Belize, we face unique challenges in reaching each group with the gospel. We are asking God to give us the right strategies to effectively present the good news to each of these language groups. Some of our services will be translated into Spanish; others will be translated into Mayan. Our goal is to saturate the nation of Belize with the Word of God. Please pray that God will touch the heart of every person in Belize. {eoa}
Daniel King (www.kingministries.com) is a missionary evangelist who has preached the gospel in over 60 nations. He has led over 2 million people to Jesus in face-to-face meetings. Daniel and his wife Jessica live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His newest book is How To Grow Your Church: 300 Innovative Ways to Reach Your Community for Jesus.
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