%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 20 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250901032258+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250901032258+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1757 >> stream xX]}-0ч%6 t-DIPKJzFZ 7z&abX#ݯsɳ<6_'oGNї]< '" uNɓ0}^yoIO_66+x*YoվɶN*~[6\d2Δ='p6EVz OYɳ"^8V'7&mV֜kUU4mCW\sޠZ Vp8h=|XZ^TY#5g:Fz}3gjkL rML$ jbfwy3Ii%keʤ\lk.z$ed/tbUh oIvjhS]Vۄ©#LҪ&Ŕmջ2tf;М@;2g",fδJrE'Cb$+u #OJNhנz>[a&;wx@}"<àI7^X4{ ޽SÈڞ͢W7ceIpwm3f2g[sC9~[EsRuBڇ:zu=&Ν'f]:Ԅ C9w?ջ endstream endobj 8 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F1 /BaseFont /Helvetica /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 21 0 R >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1047 >> stream xuV6+&l؀[^*V%Aa# {{ |jzR fzzG,޿tt 3'"IzyO<~I)R}Mڽb"+"x]Ǚ+sRKpkj:!^:o͹dGz"N*T &r.iIr 3[k.o*}"A􍮑eULdoW[o깄,aRM*GEW((${D_bMtZs7$\CϝA3HjKduksESMj4pOcb|z_Xt8*YN^M^NDp bUD>U!Ȯ|e S̒::}&f~E[|C/&EfuN=!*")bRc/)i$4Cw >,8\8op"A9)h{=²+p1dZӘJ{uBiZYtFR+7 ͉yhQ{! N(ڡ?Z:z  sz #额g9KQʇ"ޟii#*?b~/|KkxV[&-eGD~VfO8Bɽͽ)Y|Zdz endstream endobj xref 0 22 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000401 00000 n 0000000430 00000 n 0000000579 00000 n 0000000682 00000 n 0000002512 00000 n 0000002619 00000 n 0000002727 00000 n 0000002837 00000 n 0000002950 00000 n 0000003066 00000 n 0000003095 00000 n 0000003205 00000 n 0000003262 00000 n 0000003319 00000 n 0000003378 00000 n 0000003437 00000 n 0000003466 00000 n 0000003571 00000 n trailer << /Size 22 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[] >> startxref 4692 %%EOF Sharper Focus "Belize—Mayan dreams and Christian faith" | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Sharper Focus “Belize—Mayan dreams and Christian faith”

October 24, 2012
3 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

Victor Leslie, Lt. Colonel

Belize, a country that boasts miles of coastline, rain forests, ruggedly beautiful landscape and laid-back Caribbean lifestyle. Belize, a developing country that offers tropical beaches with blue water, ancient Mayan caves and myriad waterfalls, thick emerald jungles and a mind-boggling barrier reef, can capture your heart and slowly transform your life.

Unparalleled in natural beauty, Belize is more than a mere change of scenery. With its eastern seashore cuddling the Caribbean Sea and its western border resting in the Central American rainforest, this sanctuary of Mayan culture, religion and history is a place that provokes a change in the way you think about life.

My immersion in the local culture of Belize began in April, and I returned in August to sample another taste of a society intimately connected to the Mayan historical legacy but strongly influenced by generations of Christian missionaries. On the menu this time was the prophecy referred to on the famous Mayan calendar for millennia and publicly hyped in movie trailers, documentaries and Internet end-time schemes as the possible end of civilization and the promised return of Christ by December 21.

To my amazement, in a country where Mayan descendants still live, and religion is more than a noun, there were no signs of hysterical fear or fright about the fulfilment of this Mayan 2012 prediction. Instead, there is an air of confidence about the future. People are not anxious or afraid.

Belize, with all its mystical Mayan temples, is also a place of soul-stirring steadfast Christian faith. Amidst the colorful wooden buildings on stilts, a plethora of churches have left their own mark on the minds and lives of the people. The Mayans may make their predictions, but for the most part, the people’s assurance is in their dauntless Christian faith, founded on an understanding and acceptance of Scripture.

They are secure in the message found in 1 Thessalonians 5:2: You know as well as I that the day of the Master’s coming can’t be posted on our calendars. He won’t call ahead and make an appointment.

They obey Matthew 24:6: See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come, and are not openly disturbed by the ongoing catastrophic natural events that might make it appear as though “the end” were indeed near. They confidently accept that no one knows when the end of the age will come.

And yet, with this show of confidence there is also an air of anticipation. They know that Jesus said in Matthew 24:44: You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

And so, life is lived with the watchword: be ready! Be ready, like the servants in the parable of the talents, by being faithful in the things entrusted to us. Be ready, like the five wise virgins, not just with excitement, but with the tools needed to enter the kingdom of heaven. Be ready, by feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the prisoners (Matt. 25). Be ready, by living our days differently, using every moment as a time of rebirth, reflection and renewal.

If my time in Belize taught me anything, it is that faith in God is woven into the natural fiber of their society. Mayan dreams or not, believers are staying alert and ready, walking out into the daylight…dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation (1 Thess. 5:8).

 

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like