Thirst Missions Announces Changes in Leadership and Ministry Support for Pastors in 2017
By Jason Pfingsten
Since Thirst Missions’ start in 2008, ministering to the people of Belize has been our focus. Over the years we have been blessed to work with over 100 churches throughout the country, from dozens of tiny villages to towns like Orange Walk and Corozal to Belize City and Belmopan. Each mission trip to these churches has a unique story. Ministries are planned special for each trip, and the teams have been able to be a blessing to the Belizean people while being very blessed themselves.
Over the years we have had many people go into ministry or purse long-term missions or developing world medical practice as a result of life changes that have happened on our trips. Many, many lives in Belize have been changed as people have decided to follow Christ for the first time or have been called into a deeper walk with Him, and called into Christian community in their local church.
We are blessed and humbled by God’s favor as we seek to be faithful to the calling he has given us to further this kingdom work in Belize.
As we expand to Alaska and England in 2017, Belize continues to be our main focus. We will have 70+ teams serving throughout Belize this next year. As we continue to grow we need better and better leadership, ministry planning, and follow-up.
Thirst Missions Leadership in Belize
It is with this in mind that we are excited to announce that Perla Fernandez and Ludimir Nah have accepted the positions of Co-Directors of Belize Operations. They have each spent eight-plus years serving Thirst Missions teams, first as assistant leaders and in the last six years as trip leaders, leading over 50 trips each! Their love for the Lord and their leadership abilities are evident to all who meet them. They will oversee and lead trips, staffing, supplies, busing, ministry partnerships and dozens of other areas for all our trips. Many of you already know Perla and Luda and they look forward to leading our organization in Belize to an amazing year in 2017.
Ministry and Support for Belizean Pastors
As we continue to grow our work with churches in Belize we also see a continual need to work with our 100+ pastors and church partners in an ongoing basis. So we are expanding our ministry to pastors in 2017 by announcing Pastor Ramon Castellanos and Pastor Paul Williams as our Co-Directors of Church Partnership for Belize.
Both Ramon and Paul are exceptional pastors in their own right, leading growing and healthy congregations in Belize. They have hosted numerous teams and been vital staff members in recent years and are excited to take on this new role.
Ramon and Paul will be putting more emphasis on working with pastors prior to their mission trips, following up on trips, and ministering to every one of our 100+ partner pastors throughout the year. Whether it’s stopping by to pray for them, holding them accountable, providing resources and ideas, or just giving personal and professional support, their goal is to help pastors succeed in life and ministry.
Being a pastor in Belize is extremely challenging but vital work. The foundation of our mission trips and ministry is the local church, so we are very excited to put additional focus on helping the local churches and pastors we support and partner with as we move forward.
We invite you!
There are many Belizean churches that don’t yet have a trip coming to their church in 2017. On
behalf of these dozens of local Belizean pastors who would benefit greatly from a group like yours, we invite churches throughout the United States and Canada to come to Belize, to partner with local churches and pastors, and to minister in an amazing country alongside amazing people. Your group will be blessed and you will be a huge blessing as you serve in Belize. Keep an eye on our website as we will soon be adding profiles of outstanding Belizean churches we do not yet have partners for.
We pray that as you seek to grow missions in your own church that you might feel led to pursue a partnership with one of these churches. A rich adventure in ministry, travel, and friendship comes along with such a partnership! Sign up today at www.thirstmissions.org for your 2017 or 2018 mission trip to Belize and be a part of all that God is doing in beautiful Belize.
Jason Pfingsten is the founder and CEO of Thirst Missions. He has loved Belize ever since going there 25 years ago on a short-term mission trip in college.
