About Our Ministry
BIRTH OF A VISION
History
I (Dino) was born into a poor Catholic family. My dad was an alcoholic and epileptic who was not able to keep a job, thus I worked from any early age to help the family and my mom, who was the main source of income. She died when I was 11 years old. I moved in with various relatives until choosing to move back with my Dad. I took care of myself by working on farms through high school and college.
I joined the Air Force, and while in Technical Training, was introduced to Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Upon completing my training, I took a job in Dallas, Texas and in 1980, I married Melissa. We became involved at Denton Bible Church and I soon became the Small Groups Director.
In 1989, Melissa and I went to Mexico and were trained as Jesus Film Project Associates for Campus Crusade. We began taking groups into Mexico showing the Jesus Film. I was asked by church leaders to attend Dallas Theological Seminary and join the church staff as Adult Ministries Pastor.
After completing DTS, we took a camping trip to Arkansas and while there we had a vision for establishing a Ministry Training Center in Mexico using all the experiences we had to train others for ministry.
This vision was embraced by the church and in 1993 we began to meet with a group for discipleship and training as missionaries. This led to our group attending Rio Grande Bible Institute Spanish Missionary Language School in 1994.
Death OF A VISION
Our family and team were completely involved in the vision for establishing a Ministry Outreach Center in Mexico. We were doing outreach in Tampico, Mexico and were looking at property in that area. Our plan was to complete the outreach in Tampico and then go to Saltillo, Mexico to look at property where we had several previous outreaches.
In Tampico, Melissa became very ill and only got worse as we completed the outreach. We determined to head back to Texas to seek medical help.
We flew Melissa to Dallas and doctors determined she was having major problems with her liver and had acquired various diseases. It was determined we would not be able to return to Mexico and her main doctor recommended moving to an area that would promote better healing.
Our vision had come to an untimely end.
At the end of 1996, I took a job as Systems Engineer for Avant Technology in Dallas and in '97 we planted Family Bible Church.
In 2001, I became Director of Engineering for Avant Technology in Austin, while serving as Associate Pastor with Grace Bible Church in Georgetown, Texas.
Melissa’s health took a turn for the worse and Rebekah our daughter returned from her career in England to help take care of her mom. Rebekah began to have similar symptoms. Melissa and Rebekah would go to the beach in Corpus Christi, Texas and find relief from some of their symptoms.
In 2006, Melissa asked me to consider moving to Corpus. I said if God would sell our house, I would be open to it.
God sold our house the first day on the market.
I commuted back and forth from Corpus to Austin for my job at Avant Technology. Over the course of time, Melissa and Rebekah’s health continued to decline and various doctors were at a loss to determine what to do next.
miraculous fulfilling OF A VISION
In 2010, after years of various doctors, diagnoses and treatments, Melissa and Rebekah had a confirmed diagnosis of Lyme Disease.
It was then that we realized they were infected in Arkansas, when we had the original vision birth during our camping trip. In the process of treating the disease, we recognized that environmental changes dramatically affected Melissa and Rebekah.
Over the course of time, God opened the door to send Melissa and Rebekah to Belize to be with a friend who we had been on staff with at Grace Bible Church. The environment in Belize for Melissa and Rebekah was very healing. Many of their symptoms were minimized as a result of the fresh air, fresh water, fresh food and lack of environmental pollutants so prevalent in the United States.
We now saw that God had used their disease to renew and revise the vision for a Ministry Outreach Center, but now in Belize.
We began planning a ministry to at-risk children and their families.
After many days of prayer and seeking God, I discussed with Tim Peddecord, CEO of Avant Technology, about how Melissa and Rebekah had done in Belize. I asked if I could work remote from Belize. He did not hesitate to approve the request.
We moved to Belize in June 2011 and God has graciously allowed us to start Samuel’s Sanctuary Ministries. Samuel’s Sanctuary is an 18.5+ acre farm with goats, chickens and facilities to host staff, teams and other ministry opportunities.
In May 2014, God also provided a 45 acre dairy farm, now called The Country Barn, with a storefront that serves almost 4,000 people from around the world each month.
We are ministering to our local village, including our primary school with almost 400 children. We are also helping support other ministries in Belize as God is miraculously fulfilling the vision He has placed in our heart.
Let's Meet The Team
Dino & Melissa Roseland
Directors
Dino and Melissa have been married for over 40 years and have three grown children, five grandchildren and many spiritual children and grandchildren.
Dino is a full-time Engineer while serving as the Director of Operations for Samuel's Sanctuary Ministries. Melissa is the Director of Operations for The Country Barn our 45 acre Dairy Farm, Dairy Store and Restaurant.
Malkien & Rebekah Espino
Malkien and Rebekah have been married for over six years and have two small children, Malkiel and Shalom.
They both serve as Director of Operations for Samuel's Sanctuary, our 18.5 acre team-hosting facilities and farm.
A Closer Look
U.S. Statistics
85%
High School graduation rate
3.6%
Unemployment rate
50%
Population 38 years or older
Belize Statistics
16%
High School
graduation rate
45%
Unemployment rate on the mainland
50%
Population 17 years old and under
Learn What We Do
The ministry is rooted in a Lifestyle Discipleship process that starts when children are three and moves them through adulthood.