COVENANT NEWS

“Making The Connection Between Those Who Desire To be Helped With Those Who Can Help”

Matthew 9:36 “He was moved with Compassion on them”

Elder Larry Johnson and Sister Ann Johnson Organized “Covenant of Love CMI” in 2013. Since the inception of Covenant of Love, involvement with the Belize Mission work has been the main objective. In 2015 Elder and Sister Johnson officially took over the work as their part to continue the legacy and fulfill the vision of the work started by Founding Father, Elder Lincoln Berry, Sr.

              VISION 2020

Covenant of Love is petitioning God to provide a much needed vehicle while we are there serving in Belize. We are putting forth an effort to reach other areas of the country, but it’s been very difficult without transportation. Along with our current supporters, our prayer is that many others will come alongside to aid Covenant of Love with this much needed request. 

NEWS LETTER

AUGUST 2020

Friends and supporters, we are so grateful for your support and prayers. You may never know how many times a hungry child was able to receive a meal or how many families in need received aid because of your generosity. You are such an important part of everything we do in Belize. Along with our current supporters, our prayer is that many others will come alongside to aid Covenant of Love. We are yet in need of much funding. (Donations can be made by selecting the donation button)

Year 2020 has been a challenging one for us all, but God has proven that he’s yet faithful. Not knowing what lied ahead of us as far as the COVID-19, we pushed forward with our March mission trip and it was one of the best that we’ve had. Though the team traveling with us was smaller than usual, we were able touch many areas in a short period of time. God’s protection was with us all the way.  Members who traveled with Ann and I were Sister Lois Steward, Pastor and Overseer Dr. Johnny Hood, and our New Missionary, Charity Nance who was an outstanding addition to the team.  In spite of all the uncertainty, God blessed us to be a blessing to our host pastor in Ontario, Pastor Ernest Tate, founder of Cayo Christian Academy. We also had the opportunity to bless our newly opened sewing center in Las Flores honoring Mother Ann Johnson, and a couple of pastor’s in Roaring Creek.

 Praise Report 1: During our stay in Belize we normally take a day trip to a different part of the country.  This year we were on our way to a place called Hopkins Bay when a problem developed with the van.  We were about three hours out from Belmopan, the capital, when Pastor Tate, our host pastor, noticed something was wrong.. It just so happened that we were just a few miles from Stan Creek where Pastor Tate’s brother-in-law (Sister Tate’s brother) lives.  By the grace of God, we were able to make it to his home without being stranded along the highway. There are no auto part stores in abundance as in the U.S., but God…through the son of the brother-in-law, God provided the mechanic and the parts! In less than two hours and after having a wonderful lunch served to us, we were back on the highway heading to our planned destination. What a mighty God we serve!

Praise Report 2: Right after we returned home on March 16, 2020, Belize was shutdown including all flights into the Airport due to the Corona virus. Pastor Alfredo Jaime, who Pastors in Las Flores, came to Ada Oklahoma to minister on the 8th of March and was not able to return to Belize due to the shutdown there.  He was stranded here in the U.S. for 5 months. The airport was to re-open on August 15th.  Pastor Jaime was scheduled to go home on August 18th. The week of August 10th, the government of Belize extend the shutdown indefinitely as the surge had increased.  People returning to Belize failed to quarantine.  From the beginning of March until Monday, August 1st there were only 56 reported COVID-19 cases in Belize. By August 7th the reported cases had reached 114. Pastor Jaime’s visa was set to expire on the 17th of August. Due to COVID, immigration’s extended his visa.  Ann and I made a special request to the Covenant team members and others to first pray for Pastor Jaime’s predicament, then for his family and the church. The Belize Airport was finally reopened and Pastor Jaime was able to schedule a flight back home. There was now a need of funds to aid in his return home. Once Pastor Jaime received a letter of repatriation, he was required by Belize authorities, and everyone else who came from the U.S. and other areas, to quarantine for 14 days at a specific location in Belize City.  All of this was going to be very costly for him including the extended visa. Team members and supporters came to the rescue.  Praise God, because of them Pastor Jaime was able to return home on August 28th with all expenses taken care of.               

Pictured above: 1st picture in top row: Pastor Johnson and Pastor Tate’s brother in law looking on as his son the mechanic works on the van, 2nd picture is Host Pastor Tate and wife Barbara. 3rd picture is Pastor Jaime and wife Anna. Second row: Sister Johnson standing next to the Sewing Center Sign, and then giving Sister Anna one of the sewing kits for students; last picture students in sewing class.
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NEWS LETTER UPDATE

JUNE, 2019

To our Friends and supporters, we are so grateful for your support and prayers. There are several projects that Covenant of Love is assisting the Belizean ministries with. Our most urgent project is to assist Pastor and Sister Jaime in Las Flores, Belize with sewing machines for training single parents to produce income for their families. Sister Jaime needs at least four (4) sewing machines to start with so she can train the single mothers how to sow uniforms for school children and have an income to support their own children. One of the aspects of our founding father, Elder Lincoln Berry, was to train the people to provide for themselves a sustainable income.

Medical Supplies Needed: The scarcity of diabetic medical supplies such as blood glucose meters and test strips makes it very difficult for diabetic patients to test their A1C levels. Covenant of Love CMI was blessed to provide supplies to our host Pastor’s son-in-law and also Pastor Gentle who suffered a stroke and was diagnosed as having diabetes. There are so many more that need this medical assistance. Here in the US these medical supplies can be purchased at a very reasonable cost. The cost is inflated up to 300-400% in the country of Belize when they’re available, and supplies are not in abundance when they are available.

Another project we would like to have completed by the time we take our next trip to Belize is; to purchase a vehicle for transportation during our stay there. There are many villages we yet need to connect with, but are unable to make the connections without transportation. Our host pastor, Pastor Tate, is very gracious about transporting us to areas that are close to our accommodations. His busy schedule in overseeing the school and other pastoral tasks confines him to the local areas during our stay.

                    CHRISTMAS 2018

Real gifts under the tree!  Beautifully wrapped gifts! Students had fun games! Delicious food and drinks, cookies and ice cream, all provided by Covenant of Love CMI. You, our supporters have helped to make this a special day. We are grateful, and we thank and praise God for you and His goodness.

The Belize press released this statement April 10, 2019: The ministry of finances announced regular gas prices will increase by .39 from $10.21 to $10.61 per gallon. This will hurt so many of our ministry partners there, especially the ones that have a bus ministry, in some cases more than one bus. The economic crisis affect so many with other prevalent needs to be met.

In March of 2019, we were blessed to minister in Punta Gorda, the southern part of Belize. Pastor Victor Hernandez was one of the first pastors Elder Berry took under his wings to help build his ministry. He has such a deep gratitude for his tutelage under Elder Berry.  Pastor Hernandez is doing a great work in that part of the country, but still needs much help. He is in the middle of a huge project building a new church and disaster relief center for the southern part of the country.  He is also one of the pastors that have a large bus ministry being affected by the increased gas prices.

Below are photos of the current Toledo Faith Outreach Christian Center (TFOCC) and the new Church and Disaster relief shelter under construction

Covenant of Love CMI is promoting with hopes of supporting Dianna Shaw with a ministry called “Children’s Development Foundation” (CDF). She’s a faithful member of O3C under Pastor Tate.  She has a law office in Belmopan and one in Belize City.  She has written a law that says; if anyone knows of child abuse, abduction or sex/human trafficking and they don’t report it, they will be prosecuted.  

Her organization has been working since 2008 to educate the public on the issues relating to child sexual abuse, commercial sexual exploitation of children and human trafficking in Belize.

There are many needs coming to Covenant of Love that we would love to help with, but can only do so much with limited funds.  We need compassionate and willing hearts to join with us in helping to meet some of the needs.  Would you consider partnering with Covenant of Love CMI?  If so, you can donate through Pay Pal by going to the donation button on this site.  If you wish to donate by mail, please make checks payable to Covenant of Love CMI and send to: P.O. Box 280367, Memphis, TN 38168-0367 ~~ You can also give through CASH APP: $Covenantlove77