International Outreaches distributing mobility items and medical supplies as well as story and pictures of lives touch by Christ through this program
Hey there boys and girls of all ages and abilities!
We had some great Access-Life volunteers here in Umatilla, FL this past weekend who folded and stuffed a lot of our Spring Newsletters to go in the mail.
However, we want everyone to see the great things God is doing through the ministry so here it is attached for you guys to read and share as God leads!
You can even donate directly by texting the word “give” to 352-309-1455. 
God bless and enjoy God’s goodness!
Wow, what a great time of ministry it was in Belize this year! It was a long journey to get there this year, but God was so gracious in providing all we needed to reach out, serve and share the Love and Gospel of Jesus with individuals and families living there. He opened doors, made ways and even did several miracles [especially at airports] for it all to happen. It is amazing the good things that happen when God’s people answer His call to pray, serve and give.
We are so thankful for the folks in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who took the first step of our journey by coming out to inventory our five storage units in Texas full of mobility equipment and medical supplies in March as well as those who came back out for step two to load everything into a forty-foot container to be shipped to Belize in April. This is on top of our great Hearts of Christ mission partners who secured a charity exemption for our items in between these two big steps.
Eleven days after our container weighed down with 16,940 pounds of mobility equipment and medical items set sail, Doug, Hannah, Marcus, Jim and Rhena loaded planes and headed to Belize. It was the start of step three of our mission to fit individuals and families living with disabilities to the mobility items and medical supplies that had arrived in Belize City, Belize and then were transported two hours in land to the Hearts of Christ mission in Roaring Creek, Belize.
An Access-Life team had not been to Belize since January 2020 so we had a lot of items to give out and a lot of people needing things which kept our small team [the smallest we have ever taken] busy as bees. However, God gave us all we needed as always and we ended up giving out seventy-nine wheelchairs [including over thirty power wheelchairs] as well as rolators, walkers, crutches, canes, diapers, chux and more!
God is so faithful in keeping His promises and we hope this news and the attached collage and pictures encourage you to know He is always working good and bringing more of Heaven to earth each day.
The Access-Life Belize mission trip and outreach got a big boost from our good friends at Moody Radio South Florida with a live interview on the morning show with Eric and Bridget! Attached is the audio link so check it out and find out more about Belize. Thank you so much friends at WRMB for your many years of support!
God was on the move this past Saturday as we had ministry going on in two different places on the same day. That’s right, in East Tennessee Shady Grove Methodist church and New Freedom Missionary Baptist church came together to lead our East Tennessee Access-Life Outpost team to host our first but not last Fall arm Day. In Central Florida, we had a group from Live Oaks Community church help us transfer our 15×15 storage unit full of mobility and medical supplies for our annual Belize mission trip [we actually have not been able to go since 2020 because of medical challenges] into one of our ministry trailers. This not only saves us monthly fees but take the first big step in us going back to Belize!
Now there were both two totally different types of ministry work but both important works for God’s Kingdom. In East Tennessee, the goal was to share the love ad gospel of Jesus with individuals and families living with disabilities. We wanted to bless those we attended with respite, fun, fellowship and hope, all in the name of Jesus. There were animals including horses, archery, arts, crafts, games, airsoft, hay rides, candied apples, food and more. It was a real Farmabalooza!
In Central Florida, we were preparing to share the love and gospel of Jesus with individuals and families living with disabilities by moving and staging mobility items and medical supplies that will be shipped to Belize and fitted and distributed to those in need at the Hearts of Christ mission. Two totally different types of work but both with the same goal: sharing the love and gospel of Jesus with individuals and families living with disabilities that are in need.
So there you have it. Sweaty, fun, hard, hopeful, engaging, fruitful God blessed ministry work in two different places on the same day and even at the same time. NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL A REAL HEAVENLY DOUBLE HEADER! Special thanks goes to Kenneth Graves, Karen Stryker and Hannah Spalding for seeing that God work got done as He worked through the hearts and minds of His people to do amazing things. We hope you enjoy the pictures and see you at another Access-Life activity soon. :)
Access-Life is made up of volunteers with many different gifts and talents. Some may never go on a trip to Belize, but things that they create are a big part of the work that is done there.
Every year in Belize, we distribute hygiene kits to families in need. These bags have soap, shampoo, conditioner, and toothbrush/toothpaste that are collected by Central Baptist Church in Clovis, NM. Pat Moody and Anne Linville head up that effort among the church and community. Included in these kits are wash cloths, usually hand made with care. Several people spend time each year crocheting wash cloths and this brings them so much joy to give in this way. One volunteer is Ruth Stewart, from Dandridge, TN Her daughter, Wanda was a part of this year’s Access-Life team in Belize. Wanda shared that her mother loves to crochet and views making the wash cloths as her gift and contribution. She has a humble attitude about it, not really wanting to be in the spotlight, but just wanting to serve in her own way. Wanda said that her mother uses donated yarn, but also will buy the yarn that she uses. Access-Life and Hearts of Christ volunteer, Deb Struble, is another crocheter who shares her gifts and talents. Deb is also a great advocate of Access-Life, collecting numerous medical supplies and equipment from people in her community that gets shipped to Belize each year.
Another example of special items that are donated are the pillowcase dresses and boys’ shorts that are handmade by women at First Methodist Church in Jefferson City, TN. Linda Schumann heads up this effort and the dresses and shorts were given to children in Belize at our outreach event at Camp Se Konsa, as well as at the Expo in Roaring Creek.
The wash cloths, dresses and shorts are a good reminder to all of us that God uses all of the gifts and talents of the Body of Christ to fulfill His work in the world.
While every day of our week in Belize is spent on worthwhile activities, the culmination is the Expo Day on Saturday, when we welcome people to come and enjoy activities and we distribute wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and canes and other medical supplies that are donated and shipped from the U.S. This year on Saturday we woke up to a rain storm that continued throughout the set-up As the participants started to arrive before the Expo began, we helped them to a covered area to wait.
Once the Expo got underway, the rain stopped and things started to dry out. Many people came to the Expo carried in the arms of care-givers and volunteers who helped to get them to the seating area. Others left their homes at 3:00 in the morning and traveled many miles to attend the Expo. To see the joy on their faces once they received a wheelchair or walked to help them be more mobile was a priceless gift no matter how many times it occurred.
We also provided games, crafts, art and prayer/care stations for participants to enjoy while they waited to receive medical equipment.
Two young girls, both with physical disabilities, and are best friends came with their mothers. As each girl was fitted with a power chair, their faces lit up as they realized that their friend was getting a chair too! Receiving a chair changed their outlook on life and will impact their ability to gain independence as they grow up. One of the moms commented that now she could let her daughter go to the store and to school on her own. Parents of children with disabilities can have a lighter burden.
Twin brothers in their early twenties who have Cerebral Palsy also came to the Expo and were fitted with power chairs to replace manual chairs that no longer fit their bodies. Their mother shared that her sons attend university and one of the boys will be graduating with his Associates degree in Information Technology in the Spring.
One of the ways that volunteers touch lives on Expo Day is at the Prayer and Care tent. Participants usually come to the tent and are able to share prayer requests and receive prayer, as well as other activities like having their nails done. This year, some of the volunteers saw that participants were unable to come to the tent or didn’t want to miss hearing their name being called when it was their turn to get fitted for medical equipment. The volunteers decided to go to the people and offer a listening ear and prayer and many requests and praises were shared.
At the end of Expo Day, we were able to distribute 63 wheelchairs and counted 235 participants and volunteers who came to the event.
In the team share time on Sunday morning, one team member said that seeing people come in being carried and then leave rejoicing reminded her of her own challenges and used the analogy of climbing a mountain and finally reaching the top to see the beautiful view. It is the heart of Access-Life to be able to lift the burden and remove the barriers for people and to help them to come to Jesus (Luke 5:17-21).
Preparing for the Expo:
Throughout the week in Belize, the team spent many hours sorting equipment and getting it ready for the Expo. After spending many hours in the shipping container, all of the wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and bedside commodes needed a good cleaning and some also needed repair. Team members pitched in with rags and spray cleaner to wipe down every piece of equipment that would be given out later in the week.
Norm, Korie, Nancy, Janet, and Tiffanie did some repairs on the various chairs. The dynamic duo, Nancy and Kaila, along with Tiffanie, assembled four manual chairs that were purchased from another ministry. Some may have doubted their ability, but they persevered and showed that they had what it took to get the job done!
The team also sorted through the supplies for the activities for the Expo, such as Arts, Crafts, Games and Prayer/Care. Sand crosses, gospel bracelets and picture frames were prepared for assembly by participants. There were also items to sort and prepare to put in the goody bags that each participant received when they arrived. Everyone came to the team with unique gifts and talents and all were used for God good work in the preparation for the Expo event.
All tallied, we had the following equipment available to distribute: 90 wheelchairs, including manual chairs, power chairs, and scooters – 90 walkers (plus 7 pediatric walkers) = 29 rollators (plus 5 3-wheel rollators) – 70 pairs of crutches – 4 knee scooters – 17 bedside commodes – 6 shower chairs – Misc: adult diapers, bed pads
2019 Belize Expo Stories:
Edwin Chavez, Jr., is a boy who needed a chair so that he could go to school. He has a birth defect that disabled his arms. We were able to give him a manual chair with wheels that he could propel on his own.
Ryan Foster, a three-year-old boy born with Spina Bifida. He captured the hearts of those who were helping him get fitted with a chair and his smile would light up his face. He received a pediatric manual chair that he was able to propel on his own almost immediately, as well as a pediatric walker that would help him move around by himself.
Sherlene Cal, a patient referred by Dr. Mike, who lives in remote southern Belize. She was severely paralyzed from being given a wrong medication as a baby and was not able to move on her own. Her family drove several hours to come to the Expo, arriving before sunrise on Saturday. She was able to go home with a pediatric chair with tilt function to help her parents care for her.
Jacquine Welby, a 37-year-old woman, with severe disabilities, who had never had a wheelchair. After Jacquine was fitted with a manual chair, her mother Serita was so moved and thankful to be able to have some of her burden lifted. Serita also had suffered a mini-stroke and diabetes and was able to get a cane to help her get around easier. Debbie was able to offer hugs of comfort to Serita when she was overwhelmed with emotion.
Carnie Hyde, a woman who had suffered a stroke and had her left leg amputated. She is a mom of three daughters and received a power chair that would help her to have greater mobility. Carnie was also overwhelmed with the generosity of Access-Life and the help she was able to receive.
Wallace Tillett, a man who waited over five hours to have his turn in the wheelchair distribution area. He told Leanne that he kept watching people come out of the door with a manual or power chair and thought that there wouldn’t be any left for him. When his name was called and he was able to receive a chair power chair, he was overwhelmed with gratitude to the team and also recognized that God was at work at the Expo. He said, “I didn’t know you would have one for me!” He also was able to get a new cushion to help to relieve pressure causing a sore. His new chair also tilts, which will help him to change positions more often while he is using the chair.
Jesslyn is a girl with CP who has severe mobility issues. We were first able to help her in 2017 with giving her a pediatric gait trainer and then in 2018, she received a stroller. This year, she has grown and brought the stroller back in good condition to trade in for a larger one that fits her better. As God had worked out in advance, the very next girl who came in needed a stroller the exact size that Jesslyn had brought back.
Another example of God’s divine intervention was told by team member, Norm Clark. In working to repair a power chair, he had broken a part and was frustrated. On the Expo day, a man came in with a power chair to be fixed and we were able to give him a different chair. His old chair had the exact part that Norm needed to complete the repair on the chair that he had been working on earlier.
PRAISE GOD FOR HIS GRACIOUS BLESSINGS ON US AND OTHERS. :)
What a great day of ministry God gave us Saturday in Belize! He put so many smiles on the faces of both the young and old at the Expo that the joy of His presence blessed everyone attending.
From our estimates, God brought out about 200 folks to the outreach there including the 28 of us and 15 other in country volunteers which is pretty much identical numbers to the turn out last time we held the Expo at the Hearts of Christ facility in Roaring Creek in 2016.
While we had already given out over 12 wheelchairs and various other mobility items and medical supplies during the days leading up to the big event through visits to schools and homes as well as to those who came to the mission facility earlier, the over 40 wheelchairs and countless walkers, crutches, canes and medical supplies distributed that day kept everyone busy well before, during and after the posted Expo times.
The art, craft, prayer, picture and game activities also greatly blessed folks that day as they hopefully were able to take a deep breath and relax a bit enjoying the good gifts of fellowship and fun God brought in some unique ways. However, the best gift, both given and received, was the one little girl who prayed to receive Jesus as Savior on Expo day!
We’ll be sharing more Belize Expo and outreach stories on Ms Fani, Elmer and Wilson among others soon in our newsletter but pray you enjoy the above collage and pictures here until then. :)
One of the joys of coming to Belize year after year is getting to see people who we helped and find out how they are doing. This year on Tuesday, the team went to Cotton Tree School with plans to meet up with Wilson and Sierra, two children we met in 2017. Both of them attend the school and needed ramps to make their classrooms wheelchair accessible.
When we arrived at the school, children were arriving for the day and were excited to see a group coming to visit. At first, it seemed that neither Wilson nor Sierra was coming to school that day, so our team spread out visiting classrooms as they did their morning devotions. After a few minutes, Wilson’s parents came, carrying Wilson in their arms. The wheels on the stroller we had given him last year had broken due to the rough gravel roads. We heard from Sierra’s mom that she was not going to be at school for the day.
Once Wilson was settled in his classroom, Korie and some of the guys on the team began working on the ramp into his classroom. The original plan was for a simple ramp that would be attached to the sidewalk with concrete screws that could be removed and moved with him to other classrooms each year. After seeing the layout of the school and the sidewalks, the plans were enhanced to make a “three-way” ramp so that Wilson could go all directions coming out of his classroom.
While the ramp was being built, Nancy, the team PT and Pam, an OT on the team, evaluated Wilson in his classroom how to make the chair work best for him. Helen and Tiffanie helped Nancy and Pam to get the chair cleaned up and adjusted, and then the real fun began!
We brought Wilson to a picnic pavilion near his classroom and let him try out the chair. The look that spread across Wilson’s face when he realized that he could propel the chair on his own was priceless! Nancy and Pam made slight adjustments and showed Wilson’s parents how the chair worked, and then Wilson was off! He wanted to race with Doug and the two of them had fun wheeling down the sidewalks.
Others on the team were also able to adapt a desk for Wilson to be able to roll right under it and got it moved into his classroom. All of the teachers and staff at school were so helpful and it was great to see how they and the children all loved Wilson and were happy that he was able to get a chair!
In the aftenoon, the team went to visit Armenia Government School to bring a chair to a girl named, Neymi. She had come to the Access-Life Expo in 2015 and received a chair, but it was getting too small for her and it was not in good shape after three years of use. We found Neymi in her classroom and asked if she’d like a new chair. Her face lit up and she was excited to get fitted for the chair that had been chosen for her.
Korie and the guys got to work on building a simple ramp for Neymi to be able to get to her classroom. Things went quickly with that ramp and it was completed just as school was getting out for the day. Neymi tried it out in the chair and her brother and cousin were there to help take her home.
While the ramp was being built, some of our team put together packets of rice and beans and Bibles to distribute to the school families at dismissal. Many families came to get the packets and were thankful to receive the food. All capping off a great 1st full day in Belize.
The plan for the day was to build a tiered ramp for Edward Roland, who had recently had his right leg amputated. He and his family live in Roaring Creek Village, not far from the Hearts of Christ mission, so Korie and the building guys went to get the materials and headed to the house to get started. Alicia brought Nancy and Nanette over to meet Mr. Roland and to access his need for crutches, walker, wheelchair or a combination of the three. Edward’s wife, Juanita, also cares for their eleven year old granddaughter, Sherise, who has hydrocephalus and his blind.
After meeting the Rolands, Alicia brought Nancy and Nanette to visit Ms. Marcelina to see if she might have a need for a new cane. We found her in a neighbor’s house where she goes during the day, and Nancy talked with her about what would work best for her. Later in the afternoon, we were able to bring her a new cane that had pretty designs on it, which Nancy picked out after seeing some of Ms. Marcelina’s beautiful embroidery work. She loved her new cane and was happy to get it!
After lunch, the team all went back to the Roland’s to deliver a wheelchair, walker and cane, as well as some supplies to help with the care of Sherise. Nancy and Pam showed Edward how to use the equipment to get around in his house and then rolled him to the other side of the house so he could see the ramp that was being finished up. While the guys finished the ramp, Leanne and Sally spent time visiting with the Rolands, while the rest of the team walked around the neighborhood to give out rice. It was great to come back and see the finished ramp and to take a team picture with Edward and Juanita on the ramp.
Access-Life Belize 2017, Day Six (Sat.):
On Saturday morning, we drove back to San Ignacio for the Expo. As we drove up, we saw that people had already started to arrive, several hours ahead of the announced start time. As we finished getting everything set up, more people came and by the 10:00 start time, we had a line of people waiting to get in, mostly to see if there was any equipment that we could give to them. We had lots of activities available for the participants, from painting to games and adaptive fitness to crafts and face painting. We also offered a prayer and care booth and a photo booth.
At the art booth, Beth, Carolyn and Sheila were able to help many children and adults to paint, some for the first time in their lives. Especially some of the adults were reluctant to paint, thinking that they were not creative or artistic. After they tried it, they found that it was very relaxing and that it was something that they could do. One man named Antonio came to the art booth in a power chair, unable to use his arms. His caregiver and Beth were able to assist him in writing his name and then painting “God is good” on the paper. He told Beth that this was the first time that he had been able to use his hand in over a year and it had given him hope. Another boy named Edwin, who had a shriveled hand, came to paint and his friend and Sheila were able to help him to paint. Afterward, they helped him to toss the football and when he was able to do it, they all did a “happy dance.”
Sharon, Mike and Jimmy enjoyed their time at the adaptive fitness booth, helping people learn to do ladder drills and use the battle ropes, and teaching them how they could do exercises at home. Jimmy and Mike were able to visit with a man who was a double amputee and a soldier who was wounded in Guyana. Both of the men they met were encouraged to meet some people who lived with disabilites and were able to be active. They also met Jalen and Jaden, twin brothers who were in power chairs. They were students at the college and were both excited that we had come to do the Expo there.
On the medical equipment side of the gym, John, Lisa, Ashley, Cindy, Helen, Janet, Dave, Rick, and Korie were kept busy throughout the Expo with trying to match people with equipment that would best meet their needs. It took a lot of adjustment and fitting to make things work for each person. Some who came were not able to get exactly what they wanted, but everyone got was was best for their situation and need. We also had a lot of equipment that had been donated that was very intensive and user-specific or needed a therapist to assist with it. God sent a man named Juan who is one of only four or five physical therapists in Belize. He is starting some therapy facilities and needed equipment to get it up and running. He plans to treat children free of charge and we were able to give him several pieces of equipment that he can use for therapy, as well as some mats and adaptive fitness equipment.
A large group of disabled people came from Belize City and they had to take taxis and a bus to get to San Ignacio, but God provided for them to get there and we were able to give all of them medical supplies and equipment that they could use. Other families brought children with cognitive disabilities who were able to enjoy the activities and get resources. Over 250 people attended the Expo (including volunteers), making it a larger turn out than the two previous years in Roaring Creek Village. All in all nearly 60 wheelchairs were given away as well as over 100 walkers, crutches, canes and gate trainers and countless bed pad, diapers, bath aides and other medical supplies. WHAT A GOD BLESSED DAY!
As many of the team expressed in our debriefing time, the interactions we had at the Expo and all week long were not always easy and the people we met lived in some difficult conditions and circumstances. Over and over again, we saw that people had a resilient and grateful spirit and were so appreciative that we had come to help them. We may never know the impact that we are having on others, but God is with us and with them and goes before us to prepare the way as we are obedient to Him.
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