Declaration of Independence

Some Americans celebrate the 4th by reading the Declaration of Independence. I read it this morning, but not because of the holiday. I was doing a little research for my upcoming series on Galatians. It got me thinking of another Declaration of Independence. This one from the Springfield Presbytery. I appreciate the ideals expressed here. It's one of the reasons I still answer "non-denominational" when people ask "What kind of church is Maury Hills?" (note...to keep the length of this post reasonable I only included select items, you can read the entire document here )

Last Will and Testament of Springfield Presbytery

The Presbytery of Springfield sitting at Cane Ridge, in the county of Bourbon, being, through a gracious Providence, in more than ordinary bodily health, growing in strength and size daily; and in perfect soundness and composure of mind; but knowing that it is appointed for all delegated bodies once to die; and considering that the life of every such body is very uncertain, do make and ordain this our last Will and Testament, in manner and form following, viz:

Imprimis. We will, that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large; for there is but one body, and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling.

Item. We will that our name of distinction, with its Reverend title, be forgotten, that there be but one Lord over God's heritage, and his name one.

Item. We will, that our power of making laws for the government of the church, and executing them by delegated authority, forever cease; that the people may have free course to the Bible, and adopt the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

Item. We will, that each particular church, as a body, actuated by the same spirit, choose her own preacher, and support him by a free-will offering, without a written call or subscription--admit members--remove offenses; and never henceforth delegate her right of government to any man or set of men whatever.

Item. We will, that preachers and people cultivate a spirit of mutual forbearance; pray more and dispute less; and while they behold the signs of the times, look up, and confidently expect that redemption draweth nigh.

Item. We will, that our weak brethren, who may have been wishing to make the Presbytery of Springfield their king, and wot not what is now become of it, betake themselves to the Rock of Ages, and follow Jesus for the future.

Item. We will, the Synod of Kentucky examine every member who may be suspected of having departed from the Confession of Faith, and suspend every such suspected heretic immediately, in order that the oppressed may go free, and taste the sweets of Gospel liberty.

Springfield Presbytery, June 28th, 1804

Did You Believe That I Loved You?

Day Four

Blogging live here from a bar in Belize City watching Micheal Jackson tributes on TV. It's taking me back to my childhood years (the Jackson tributes, not the bar).

Last day of the clinic and it was a little hectic. Not really that crowded but we had a lot of places to go and the schedule kept changing. A team went to Los Flores, another to Burrell Boom, another to the orphanage and another back to the prison.

I stayed behind at Burrell Boom for the morning. They were very happy to have us. Check out the sign they posted in front of the clinic (www.facebook.com/russadcox). Lincoln, the preacher there and one of my favorite Belizeans, has been talking the "Grand Muppet Show" for months! The team did a clinic there and then had the VBS around 2:00 pm.

Brian, Tiffany, Doug & Julie went back to the prison for a clinic. They set up dental and medical. The needs are great there. Doug ended up giving a guy the shoes off his feet. Literally. He went back to the hotel in his sock feet. Fann also took some money a guy named Anthony who I promised a phone card to on Monday. He got it and gave me and Fann some of his orginial writings. I might share them in a later post.

I dedicated today to exploring options for future plans here. First my Mom and I met with Bill Amason and Lincoln Jones about the work in Burrell Boom. We then had a chance to meet with Anna, the nurse at the local health clinic. Dr. Chaney joined us for that one. Anna is the only medical professional in a community of 3,000. She sutures wounds, delivers babies, diagnoses illnesses, etc. She does it all. If she refers someone to a doctor in Belize City only about half can afford to go. We toured the clinic and talked about how we could arrange for help. Also got to talk briefly with Dawn Flowers, one of the teachers at the school there.

Next, we headed back to the Liberty Learning Center in Ladyville to meet again with the principal (Ms. Tillet). Max & Marsha Boren went with me. We met for about an hour and then held an impromptu meeting with the Director of the orphanage (the school is located on their grounds). There's a lot of info to share. Too much for this post. We'll meet with everybody when we get back and come up with some options. There's some opportunity here!

Oh yeah...the home building team stayed behind in Belmopan today and finished the house! They put a roof on the house and prepared it for siding. The young couple they built it for are very appreciative. Several neighbors came up and asked "How do you get on the home building list?"

Overall, I would guess we treated well over 1,000 patients in the medical clinics and pulled over 300 teeth. Now we head to the island for a little rest. I probably won't blog after tonight. Just some Twitter updates to keep you informed. Check out the pics on Facebook and thanks for reading my ramblings.

In closing I would encourage you to consider that no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change.

Day Three

Another day in Belmopan. We cut off registrations for the dental clinic after only 45 minutes and we still didn't get to all of them. There is so much need here. We could bring as many dentists as we want and pull teeth all day! Fann works hard while he's here.

The team went in several different directions today. A group went into the village to build a new floor for a young family. When they got there they found out that they were rented the home (I use the term "home" loosely. It was a 10x10 shack with a dirt floor). It was $45 a month. Long story short. They discovered that her sister owned a home nearby and they agreed to build them a room off of her home. They got the floor and posts in today. Tomorrow they'll add a roof and purchase the siding for the family to put up. Pictures are on facebook. www.facebook.com/russdcox (friend me).

Jenna and a small medical team did a home visit for a 90 year old lady who could not walk to the clinic. It was several miles into the village and they took the van as far as they could (until the road ran out). Then it was two miles through the jungle on a small path. The family lived on a farm that grew sugar cane. Sounded like an interesting trip.

Several "God's Twenty" stories are coming in. It's amazing to see what God can do with something as small as $20. Some real blessings (both for the giver and the receiver).

We had a VBS after the clinic today with a huge turnout. Tomorrow it's too the prison, the orphanage and the Burrell Boom community. By the way, last night, Anthony & Ira Booker led Bible studies at the church. Forgot to mention that.

The weather has been great here. It's in the mid-90s but there's a bit of a breeze and its much better than years past. Cooler than Tennessee from what I can tell.

That's about all I got for now. I need to let one of the newcomers blog one night. My observations aren't quite the same as someone who's seeing it for the first time.

Day Two

We had a busy day at Belmopan today. There were about 100 people lined up outside when we arrived. Within minutes of opening the clinic was packed with folks! Organized chaos.

We cut off registrations for the dentist after about an hour. By then we already had more than we could see. Dr. Fann pulled teeth from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM straight. Very hard work. Dr. Adcox (myself) and Dr. Kinnard (Doug) were allowed to pull a few. That's a big deal for me because the last time I worked in the dental clinic I passed out.

I'm really in the dark about a lot of what happened in the rest of the clinic because I was couped up with the dental team. I know that it was really busy.

The electricity just went out at our hotel. Nothing like sitting in the dark in the middle of a city in Central America. I'm reminded of that travel warning from the Embassy about now.

Tonight the team went to eat at the Banana Bank. Enchiladas and rice. Awesome! Then we had a devo and planned out the VBS for tomorrow.

Meet briefly today with Jason, the minister of the church in Belmopan. He also happens to be a school teacher at the high school. He said there is a great need for school sponsorships. It costs $15 a month for families to send their kids to school and many cannot afford it. He'd be willing to send us pics of the kids, bios, even their report cards. This idea is starting to take root.

Turns out I'm not going to the preschool graduation tomorrow. I'm staying in the dental clinic because things are really busy there, plus I didn't have a shirt and tie for the program (they don't know about my aversion to ties). Rick Tribby is taking my place.

Things are going well. You're prayers are appreciated. We expect another busy day tomorrow. Check out my facebook page for pictures (www.facebook.com/russadcox). If you're not a member then sign up (it's free) and send me a friend request.