Seminar 2022
A women's ministry here called "Tabita" felt the burden to focus on making disciples. So, we held our first seminar called "ID" ("GO" in English) focusing on the Great Commission.
We spoke about cosmovision (worldviews) and Mathew 28:16-20 along with having time for games and testimonies.
The seminar was bilingual (Spanish/Kuna) with about 30 people from four churches in attendance. We had a great time of laughter and learning as we challenged the church to "ID" and make disciples.
There were so much to talk about; we are looking forward to the next one we have.
We want to see a discipleship movement in Panama. Pray for God to give us wisdom in making disciples.
God Works in the Village even when we are not there
On one of our trips to Puerto Gavilana, we visited house by house to see what God was doing. We took time to talk, listen and pray with and for them. Below is our experience with two people during our visits.
Jacinto
Wearing his boots, Jacinto was leaving to search for a specific type of plant they use to make a broom. He is a believer we know well, so we stopped and asked him how could we pray for him. He shared that his son, who was born sick, is doing better.
Then he asked for prayer for the community. As he was speaking about what has been happening in the community, he started to break down. He even turned away trying not to cry. You could see how much he cared about his community.
Speaking with Jacinto reminded me of Mathew 19:41, "When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it.". Our hearts need to break for the things that breaks God's heart. It made me evaluate my heart. I said, "Lord, make me see the things that I cannot see, break my heart for what breaks yours." May this be our prayer. God allowed us to see his heart using Jacinto.
Lorena
We have known Lorena for a long time. She doesn't know how to read or write but her desire to seek God is visible.
A few months ago we taught her the gospel using the Evangelistic Cube.
When we went to her house to talk to her, we showed it to her. We wanted to see if she still remembered what it meant.
We asked her if she remembered it and she quickly said, "No". When we showed her the first picture, she suddenly remembered. Then we showed her the next picture and she explained what it meant.
It was amazing and encouraging to see that even though she can not read or write, she could still remember and share the gospel!
Our prayer is to see the gospel not only to change her but to teach others.
Car Prayer Request
One of the ongoing challenges of going to the village is transportation. There are several ways we are able to go the villages.
Public transportation is the cheapest but it takes half a day and it's difficult taking all the supplies needed on the metro and bus.
Renting a vehicle is convenient but expensive and not always available.
We have had to cancel many trips because we could not find available transportation or the transportation reserved canceled on us.
The third way is to use our own vehicle for transportation.
We have used our vehicle many times but it has resulted in needing major repairs.
The roads are rough and it is not a 4x4. There are a lot of holes in the main paved road and the village's entrance is on a dirt road.
During the six months of rainy season, the entrance gets really muddy making parts of the road look like a river.
When we have taken our vehicle, we had to park, unload our supplies, and take the pick-up truck taxi down the 30 minute dirt road.
So, please help us pray for a 4x4 vehicle big enough to take our supplies and people to minister to hard to reach villages.
Mission House Update
We are still searching for a mission house and are currently renting while we search.
We have looked at so many houses and properties in various price ranges and locations. Of course, the good ones disappear quickly.
Since we finally have a Panamanian bank account we tried to get pre-approved for a loan so that we would be ready when we find what we're looking for. Unfortunately, because Soul Seekers and its income comes from the states, they require us to put 50% down. At this time, the amount we have for a down payment will not buy a mission house.
We know God will provide in His time but it's hard to have patience after being here almost 4 years.
Pray that we can find a mission house or land to build. Pray that we will have the funds to buy it when it's available. Pray for us to be patient as we wait on God to provide.
