In 2012, a partnership with missionaries in Belize and a local church was born. At ages 12 and 14, my girls were excited at the possibility of going on a church mission trip to Belize. They were too young to go without a parent so the only way they could go is if I went too. I was a nervous wreck! Yet, in hindsight, this was the best parenting decision I ever made. Because of this trip, my girls understood life in a way they would never learn in a classroom or Sunday school room. It was a great trip and we learned a lot. The girls wanted to return the next year and I was not reluctant, but I wasn?t super thrilled about going until we stepped off of the bus in the village and dozens of children ran up to us shouting our names; full of joy at our return. We cared enough to come back! Our faith is about a genuine relationship with God where day by day we understand the overwhelming love He has for us ? God?s love initiates, His love sacrifices, His love stays. This is what our return trip demonstrated to these children. It was this second year that God began to transform my heart and ignite my passion for sharing God?s extravagant love with others. This passion led me to take the next steps which included forming and training the team, fundraising, writing curriculum. God took a shy, ?comfortable in her very Christian world? girl and equipped her to lead and disciple a team to share the love of Jesus with others.

Because we stay in the village where we serve and have returned every year since 2012, it is not a typical mission trip - it is truly a partnership where we do life together. God has used this ministry to impact Pomona for Jesus ? we have made many improvements to the local school, taught hundreds of children how much God loves them, guided teen girls to believe in their value, and poured into the lives of each person in the village.

We looked forward to our time in the village each year but, just when we get comfortable, God gives us opportunities for growth. We completed our 8th trip in 2019 and upon return from our mission, God called me to dream big and to trust him in ways that I had not been able to before. As I spent time in prayer talking and listening, I surrendered my thoughts and ideas to God?s. God showed me in this verse Psalm 32:8 -- ?I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you?. I knew that I needed to be still and wait. Over the next few days, God spoke clearly and said ?Go? and he directed me to Matthew 28:19. ?Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.? This was it! I was in awe of God?s timing and faithfulness. I called upon others who share a passion for missions and we met together. It was then that 28:19 Ministries was born. God had been speaking to these individuals calling them to take next steps in kingdom building. When God has a plan, it is unstoppable. He was at work all along and in so many hearts.

We feel strongly that God has called us to serve and to share and to love. God has used this ministry in Belize to teach us many things and to develop skills that we did not know we had. 

28:19 will go where God leads.

You can follow this ministry from the first year by reading this blog written Taylor Bell www.belizemissions2012.wordpress.com

? Amy Gordon, Chairman of the Board