Frequently Asked Questions

Why Belize?

  • In 2009, several children’s homes were forced to shut down due to lack of funding. These children are now in short-term foster care.

  • Belize has the 4th fastest population growth rate in the world.

  • Belizeans are a diverse people consisting of Hispanic, Maya, African descent, and a growing number of Taiwanese and East Indians.

  • English is the official language of Belize, although most Belizeans are tri-lingual and also speak Spanish, Kriol, or Mayan.

Why this location?

Six months before moving to Belize, God gave us this verse: “But the land into which you are about to cross to possess it, a land of hills and valleys, drinks water from the rain of heaven, a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it from the beginning even to the end of the year.” Deuteronomy 11:11-12. When we saw this land we knew it fulfilled the promise of these verses. Little did we know, the owners of the land, N.T. and Joy Dellinger, have been missionaries here in Belize for almost 50 years and had been praying for someone to buy the land who would use it for God’s glory. The Dellingers’ have always referred to this location as “The most beautiful place in the world” and we wholeheartedly agree!

Why the name Samuel's Sanctuary?

In the Bible, Samuel was dedicated to the Lord even before his birth. He served in the Lord’s sanctuary as a young boy and grew to be a mighty prophet of the Lord (1 Samuel 1:27-28).
On December 26th 1996, Samuel Isaac Roseland came into the world. Only four months into the pregnancy he was stillborn, but a perfectly formed tiny baby boy. Before he was even conceived, God gave us the name Samuel and we knew he would be a child dedicated to the Lord. God had a purpose for his short life and He led us to give his body to the Crisis Pregnancy Center as a visual to women considering abortion, since most occur at 3-4 months. Because of Samuel, many women chose life for their unborn babies.
Our desire for Samuel’s Sanctuary is that it be a sacred place of refuge for people of all ages as they come to understand they were dedicated to the Lord from before birth and He has a purpose for each of their lives.

How are we staffed?

Currently, our staff consists of three members of the Roseland family: Dino, Melissa, and their daughter Rebekah. God has been drawing others to join us even before we moved to Belize and it will be exciting to see who will be working with us in the future.