June 2008

On June 14, I am going to fly from Atlanta to Belmopan, Belize where I will be the project leader for two short term ministry (STM) teams. One of the STM teams is from Landenberg, Pennsylvania. The second STM team is from Mountain View, California. These two teams will arrive in Belize on June 16 and return to the U.S. on June 27. The Landenberg STM team has nineteen on it – mostly high school age. The California team has thirteen on it – mostly adults. The California team is from a Chinese church.

Connie is going to join me in Belize. Connie and a good friend will arrive in Belize the same day that the two STM teams arrive. Because she has done so much over the years as a youth pastor working with high school age young people, Connie is going to be an invaluable help to me. One of the tasks that Connie will do for me is to post the every other day blog updates that AIM asks that a project leader posts.

After receiving an invitation to help one of Nancy’s aunts celebrate on May 31 her 95th birthday, we decided to make a quick trip to Delaware. It gave us the chance to spend three days with our grandkids and to catch up with most everyone on Nancy’s side of the family who lives in the Delaware area. Because the leader of the Landenberg STM team lives less than four miles from where the birthday party was held, we were able to meet Cindy and one of her daughters who is going to Belize with her on the team.


Our time last month to help bring closure for the Matamoros FYM (First Year Missionary) team went well. Rooms in a condominium on South Padre Island were rented for a couple of days for us to take the team in a retreat setting through several sessions that hopefully have helped each FYM participant return to living again outside a team community. There was a sense that everyone on the Matamoros FYM team was finishing well – with their last three months in Matamoros being their best months there. We drove the van that the Matamoros FYM team was using back to Georgia so that it can be used for training that is now ongoing here in Gainesville on AIM’s property.

Matamoros FYM Team


World Racers in Costa Rica

Our time last month in San Jose, Costa Rica with the September 2007 World Race team – which is known as D Squad, was a very enjoyable time for us. This squad has already finished nine months of the eleven months of their World Race. During their time in Costa Rica, the D Squad teams stayed at the YWAM center that is located in San Jose. Most of my time with D Squad was spent talking with individual squad members while Nancy spent most of her time doing ‘life planning’ exercises to

help prepare the World Race participants for their reentry at the end of next month into the U.S. It has been a blessing for Nancy and me to be D Squad coaches.

Ontario STM team was also staying there. The Matamoros FYM team was asked to partner with the St. Catharines STM team through worshipping with them, through working alongside them on some work projects at the Gateway and by going with them to their ministry sites. Much of our time was spent with the Matamoros FYM team leader. As Naomi has become a very good friend over the past year, we felt very blessed to be asked to help her.

The tickets have already been purchased for Nancy and me to fly into Managua, Nicaragua on July 18 to help D Squad bring closure to their World Race. We are very much looking forward to being with our ‘kids’ again. Squad D has become like family to us. We will spend about five days in Grenada, Nicaragua with this squad during their closure time. Our prayer is that each World Race participant will finish strong.

We continue to be very grateful for your prayers. This has been a very hectic but a very rewarding season for us. It has been a wonderful blessing to be a resource for young people who are committed to serving their Lord in whatever way that they can. We do want to ask that you keep our support needs in your prayers as well as our health and our trips. Thank you.


Sincerely,

Gary and Nancy Lengkeek

 

More Information:

Prayer Letters

Contact Gary and Nancy

Pictures from recent short-term missions trips