The Perfect Plan

          Hello all, how are you? Can I just start by giving you a big {HUG} and a Thank you! Carl and I are just blown away by YOU, and how God is using you to encourage and love us well.

For those of you who don’t know, the journey to Thailand only began about 5-6 months ago when Carl was actively pursuing our next step as a family and his calling in ministry. Carl, being the God fearing man that he is, began praying and seeking wisdom for what God would have for us. On a number of different occasions God used different men in Carl’s life to point us towards this opportunity with SCPI in Thailand in order for Carl to pursue his passion for global missions. At this point in life we had just taken on a five year old foster child, I had begun a second job with Florida Virtual School (With hopes of staying home with our kids next year), and we had a 5 month old.—So clearly these suggestions were just meant to amuse us… Very funny God.

    As time passed and with Thailand not being a ‘real’ option for our family, Carl began to pursue other avenues for our family, maybe an associate pastor? Maybe a church plant? Or finish his Masters in Divinity? None of these felt like where God wanted us right now.

Carl and I have stated that as a family we would posture ourselves with a “blank check” mentality. Whatever the cost, if God called, we would go… BUT THAILAND? Really God?-- God slowly broke our hearts for his calling. The Word of God convicted both of us, at different points in time. Would we be the Rich Ruler in Luke not willing to sell everything and go? Had the “blank check” been something we were saying for these years but not willing to act on? God, in only the way he can, slowly brought us both to a posture of surrender. On March 8^th, 2015 we both agreed, no matter the mess it will bring, we are ready to be sent. In God’s perfect grace he turned our reluctant submission into abounding joy. Carl and I could not be more thrilled to have an opportunity to be a part of the great works God is already doing in South Asia. How great is HE? That he would not just call us, but provide for us the mercies of his Godly Joy?

Tripp helping me pack

Now if that were not enough God has continued to amaze us by providing us with every earthly need to be able to go in such a short time. By God’s grace, I already have a contracted position with an international school teaching 6^th grade, we have a contract on our house and are slated to close on June 23^rd, and we have been overwhelmed by the financial support that God has already provided through many of you. Thank you Lord!

God Is Good! And we are thankful. Moving forward in this journey we would continue to ask you for a few things-

1.    Would you continue to Pray for us?

a.    Pray that God would continue to give us grace in the moving process.

b.    Pray that the closing of our house would go seamlessly and we could be free of that burden

c.    Pray for us to find an apartment in Thailand & childcare for Tripp

2.    Would you continue to Share our story and what SCPI is doing in Asia?

3.    Would you consider supporting us financially? (reliant.org/carl.belcher) 

Thank you again for all of your love and support. We will update you again soon on more details of the move.

Blessings,

Carl, Leeza and Tripp Belcher

Family and Friends,

We are excited to announce that in July Leeza and I will moving to Bangkok to be a part of what God is doing through Saturation Church Planting International (SCPI) in South Asia.

Bangkok has 14 million people who desperately need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Bangkok is the world’s #1 tourist destination and has over 1 million expats. But only 0.3% of the 14 million people in Bangkok are Evangelical Christians. Through our partnership with Reliant/GCM we will be serving with SCPI in Bangkok and the surrounding nations including India, Sri Lanka, and China. In Bangkok our ministry focus is to plant a church for the nearly 6 million people in Bangkok who speak English. Our hope in planting this church is to give every man, woman, and child in Bangkok a repeated opportunity to see, hear, and respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ, without having to come or go anywhere. We will also be partnering with indigenous pastors all throughout South Asia, envisioning, training, and coaching them to mobilize their churches to saturate their nation with the gospel. In the last 20 years we have helped to facilitate the planting of thousands of churches through these trainings and the relationships.

Reliant/GCM partners with missional churches and gospel-centered non-profits to mobilize support-based missionaries for the Great Commission. God has called us to the nations and to go and serve him in Bangkok and throughout South Asia. But in order for us to do this, we need a team of people who believe in what we’re doing in South Asia to prayerfully and financially support the ministry. SCPI would not exist without the support of these ministry partners.

We are trusting God to provide individuals who will make monthly investments of $100, $50, or $35 in the critical work of reaching South Asia for Christ. We do have a wide range of gifts however, ranging from $25 to $500 per month. A one time special gift can also be made and is very helpful as well. We are currently trying to raise $35,300 per year. We would like to challenge you to give as the Lord leads and know that any gift will be greatly appreciated and will help us get to Bangkok. Gifts can be made at Reliant.org/carl.belcher If you have any questions you can call us at (863)381-9010 or email us at carl@summitlife.com. Thank you for your prayerful consideration in this matter, and God Bless.

Sincerely,

Carl and Leeza Belcher

Belcher Spring Update

Belcher Spring Update

Hello All. And Happy May! Here we are at June 1st  and we thought…. it’s time for an update.  The past month and a half have flown by! We can’t believe that we are just a month out of meeting our new little one. Any guesses for what the gender is? I think girl and Carl thinks (only because of statistics) that it might be a boy. Either way we are going to be thrilled and are just so thankful for God trusting us with one of his blessings.

            April, 2014- wow it’s already over? April ended the 2014 Ignite Spring semester.  (Check Ignite wrap up for more details on the ministry) In April we celebrated Easter, a baby shower in Sebring, a quick trip to Haiti for Carl, and a leadership retreat for me with my Key Club officers.  I personally loved April- Loved the weather-Loved the experiences, just don’t ask me too many details about them because May has been so consuming that I have lost most recollections from April. 

May in the Belcher family has been exciting (Hints why April is already fuzzy)! We are in overdrive (Carl calls it nesting) in preparation for the baby, I am finishing up my school year, and we are completing our foster care certification classes.  May was kick started with a quick fun trip to The Kentucky Derby for Carl’s mom’s (?!) birthday.  Since arriving back to Fort Myers we have been preparing our home (and hearts) for this new little one. And I must interject that Carl has selflessly served me this month in all of my crazy home décor requests.  So far we (He) has completed repainting the kitchen, swapped couches in the library/living room, put the guest room together, hung/rehung multiple wall art and worked in the baby’s room (Can I call him super husband).  I am so thankful for the way he serves me.

Also this month Carl and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary, and we celebrated 9 years together at the end of the month. I can speak for both of us when I say God truly continues to bless our marriage and we love each other more today than yesterday.  In reflecting on these past three years Carl and I are so thankful for the growth that we have had in our ministry. We know that our relationships and life would not be the same without your love and support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

 

Blessings-

The Belchers

 

March Maddness (Ministry Update)

Hello All... Happy April,

      This has been a great Spring semester, full of growth and experiences. The highlight for me would have to be our Spring break trips to Syracuse, NY and Asheville, NC. We were able to send 22 students on these two trips, 12 to Syracuse and 10 to Asheville, with the purpose being to grow our students in evangelism and missional living. We spent the week going out into these cities and engaging in conversation with people. We wanted to BLESS people in the name of Jesus, PRAY with people in the name of Jesus, and SHARE the Gospel or our testimony with them. Throughout the week we were able to engage with nearly 250 people. And I have to share one story with you!

One of our students named Collin was talking with a young man in his early twenties. The young man proceeded to tell Collin about all the trials in his life, how he had been in prison, been shot 3 times, and about some of the losses he had experienced in life. Collin then asked the young man “How do you find hope in the midst of all the bad things that have happened in your life?” The young man responded by saying, “My hope died when my grandfather died last year. I wouldn’t know hope if hit me in the face.” One tool we were using to share with people was a small paperback Gospel of John, so Collin pulled the booklet out of his back pocket and I kid you not, he gently but very seriously slapped the man in the face with the Gospel of John and said, “It just did!” Collin then opened up the Gospel of John and they began to read the Scriptures together for about 20 minutes. Collin then prayed with the young man and we left.

I don’t know what has happened to that young man since we left Syracuse, but I know this… the Gospel was proclaimed and God was glorified! Collin, and all the other students that went on these trips, came back to FGCU with a new boldness and passion for sharing the good news of the gospel with their peers and professors. I hope hearing that story challenges you to approach life with a similar boldness.

 

  On the home front Ignite has had the opportunity to have a great presence on campus for the last couple of weeks. In the final week of March Ignite met on the  campus of FGCU for our Tuesday night gathering. That night I had the privilege to preach the gospel on "the green" in the center of the school. What an opportunity to read the word of God in a lost place for all to hear!


  We also had the  opportunity to partner with other campus ministries at FGCU to do a 72 hour prayer event. Students were interceding to God on behalf of their peers and professors for 72 consecutive hours. During this time we were able to encounter Gods presence on campus and even got to see a student give her life to Christ.

 Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers. The life change that we are seeing take place in Ignite would not be possible without you.

The Belcher's

Hello Friends! Its time, time we joined the wide world of blogging. We are hoping that this would be the outlet we could use to update, celebrate, and communicate all things new from our family to yours!
     
         Before we have any subject specific posts we though it best to get you caught up on life in general.  God has Leeza and I in such a sweet season of life where he continues to pursue us so lovingly and stretch us so intentionally. If you are unaware, we are three months away from meeting our first child. In preparation of this season we are learning so much....Who knew babies would truly change EVERYTHING! We are overflowing with excitement and anticipation of what this child will bring and thank God daily for entrusting us with him/her.
     
        In preparation for #belcherbaby1 we are trying to be more intentional with our family culture. As of the first Saturday in January Leeza and I sat down and created a list of family priorities as well as a family mission statement. One of my favorite new family activities are our Saturday morning family worship breakfasts (GOD+FOOD=AMAZING). It is in this time that we have been intentionally reading scriptures together. The discussions between the two of us as well as with other friends and family that we have invited to join us have been such a blessing. We are grateful for the grace and fruit that continues to flow from this time.

      Friends and family we just want to thank you for your continued support of our family and ministry. We truly could not do it without you........soon to come a ministry update :)

                                                                                    God Bless,
                                                                                  The Belchers