NEWS

Prayer Request

1st case of Coronavirus in Panama

Isaiah 45:6-7 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.’

God is in control

Let me share what is happening here in Panama. Monday, two days ago, the government confirmed the first case of Coronavirus. Yesterday, they confirmed 8 cases and one death. As I am writing, there are now 14 cases. All schools and universities in the country are closed until March 20th and in Panama City until April 7th. Even the Wednesday youth group is canceled until the 7th. It seems like drastic measures until you remember that Texas is 9 times bigger than the whole country of Panama with 1.8 million people in the city! That's a lot of people in a little space. People are worried and sharing false information everywhere. But God is in control! It is concerning but as a believer of THE God who created the heavens and earth we believe that He is in control. As a christian we know we are not exempt of suffering but that suffering is part our a christian life.

This weekend a pastor and his wife were going to go to the village of Puerto Gavilana to minister for a week. With everything going on we have decided it is best not to send them. We will use this time for prayer, enjoy family and share Christ as he opens opportunities through social media.

As some of you know I, Max, am in the process of becoming a US citizen. My next appointment is at the end of the month in Houston. So far the airport is still open but we will be monitoring the situation and decide if I should/can go in a couple of weeks. Also Clara can only stay in Panama six months at a time. Her six months are up on April 23rd. We don't want her to travel (being on the older side😀) if things aren't normal by then. We ask for your prayers and we will keep you updated. We are also praying for you and are keeping up to date with Fox News. Verna, Saraí and Misael are doing good. Verna has started teaching English online to kids in China and is really enjoying it. Anyway, tks again and if you have any question you can reply to this email.

1st Two Weeks of March

This girl has been Saraí's friend since the first time she went to the village when they were 5 years old. Her husband, they marry young, accepted Christ! God led me to talk to him and he seemed very attentive. After I shared the gospel, I asked if he wanted to follow Christ. He said yes. I explained that he would have to leave everything, drinking, smoking, lying and everything. Again, I asked him if he wanted to follow Christ. He still said yes. Then I shared how following Christ is not easy; but, he still wanted to do it. I told him that he has to repent for all he has done against God. He will forgive you and give you life through Jesus Christ. After all that he was sure and said a simple prayer!

February Newsletter 2020

“Sweating for Jesus because He bled for me.”

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12‭-‬13

Clara's Thoughts:

I am so blessed to be living in Panama and serving with my family in the mission field. Living here versus taking a mission trip for a week or two are completely different. In 2001, I went on my first mission trip to Panama with four other people. The heat and humidity in Panama felt hotter than in Texas. During that first mission trip, God gave us a saying for our ministry, “sweating for Jesus because He bled for me”.

When I was living in Texas, I took a lot of things for granted like electricity, drinkable water, plenty of food to eat and water for a shower. If I was hot or cold all I had to do was adjust the thermostat to make me comfortable. In Panama, that is not the case. Electricity cost twice as much as in Texas. At 10:00 AM it is around 93 degrees plus the humidity makes it feel hotter, while the inside temperature is 90 degrees. Since electricity is expensive we only turn the air-condition on for a couple of hours at the hottest part of the day and at night for a couple of hours to cool down our bedrooms before we go to bed. Then we use our fans the rest of the night. I’m not complaining, I’m just trying to put everything in perspective, how I took everything for granted living in Texas.

Living in the village is completely different from living in the city. They live in huts with no fans or air condition. The huts share a water faucet and bathroom. Water faucets and restrooms are placed outside the huts so several huts can use them. The only refrigerator that I've seen in the village is in their little store. The village is three hours from the city. To get to the city, they have to walk a mile or take a pick up taxi to take them to a bus that takes them three or more hours to get them to the city.

When we bring people from the village or the island to the city, they stay with us. Last month we had two young men from the village staying with us while they attended a seminar teaching God’s Word. They enjoyed being with us and all the conveniences the city has to offer. Flipping a switch to turn on the lights, sleeping in a bed without bats or mosquitoes flying around them, having air conditioning and fans, and eating food they didn’t have to go out and kill. But the look on their face when Max showed them the washing machine and how to use it was priceless! In the village the women wash their clothes by hand. This was the first time for them to use a washing machine and dryer. They were worried it would eat or tear up their clothes!

Yes, it is hard leaving the United States with all its conveniences, family and friends, but the blessing we receive when one more person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior is well worth all the conveniences of this world. I choose to “sweat for Jesus because He bled for me”. Blessings

Bringing Leaders from the Village and the Island to be Trained

Your donations help us to bring leaders It is always a blessing to bring them. They

from the church in the village and the get excited about learning God's word and

church in Urgandi / Mamardup, to the are eager to share with their churches what

city so they can participate in training they have learned when they go back. Not

seminars and fellowship with other believers. only do they learn how to study the Bible

and teach others but our relationship is

strengthened. They trust us more!

House Church, Iglesia Bautista Getsemani, Traveled to Puerto Gavilana to Teach VBS

Around fifteen members of Getsemani went The church of Puerto Gavilana hosted the

to the village for the weekend to have a VBS. people of Getsemani in various huts.

There were 14 young adults that made Usually one hut houses all of people

decisions to either renew their life for Christ visiting. It is a blessing to see their spiritual

or to accept Christ! growth and to see more families opening

up their huts to serve the body of Christ.

The Church in Urgandi/Mamardup

Pastor Josef and his wife went to visit and disciple the church for a few days. The church is currently looking for a new pastor. Pray for discernment as they search for a Godly leader.

Every month we are taking trips to the To lower the cost of trips, we have decided to

island and every weekend to the village. travel by bus and train. We have groups that

Our goal is to disciple them so they can take turns traveling to the village every week.

other communities. We also bring some A couple from Getsemani, my daughter, and I

other communities. We also bring some went this past weekend. We had a great time

of the leaders to the city when there are with the children and the church. However,

all of these with two house churches. pray for a young boy. He was bitten by an

all of these with two house churches. alligator. There is no hospital near the village

We want to see vibrant churches that so he is being treated by a Kuna medicine

seek God and multiply for God's glory. man with natural medicine. Infection is the

Thank you for your prayers! biggest concern right now.

January Newsletter

First of all we want to apologize for getting the newsletter out late. We have been trying to send updates more often on facebook and instagram. Ok, let me share one of the highlights of last month. It is dry season (summer) here in Panama. The public school kids are enjoying their break and traffic is a bit less congested! During this season there is a lot of wind. The wind has been so strong lately that the port where we take our boat ride to the island was closed for 3 days last month. The water from the waves has flooded some islands forcing them to escape to the mountains. The first picture is the house where we usually stay. The right side of the picture was the kitchen now covered by the ocean. There have been 7 homes damaged from the water so far. Because of the high winds and waves, many families were not able to go fish or get drinking water from the river. You could feel a sense of fear in the community. After we arrived at the island on Friday, we were informed that the port had been closed again and may not be opened until Wednesday. We were a little concerned and had only planned to stay for 2 nights. We said, “ok God, if you need us to stay longer, we will”. Saturday you could see the water was still creeping farther into houses but at a much slower rate.

We were able to leave on Sunday as planned. There was a lady we didn’t know who rode back with us from the port to the city. When she found out that we were part of the church from the island she said, "Oh you are the ones that were singing". Praise God! We are glad the people heard praises to God even in the middle of trials. Please help us pray for all the islands that have been affected.

This is the typical dress for Kuna ladies, We are having a time of prayer, worship some wear nose rings also. From the left and Bible study on the island.

is ,Dora (Pastor Josef's mom), the rest are

members of the church.