"As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. But the crowds heard where he was headed and followed on foot from many towns. Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
That evening the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves."
But Jesus said, "That isn't necessary-you feed them."
"But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!" thay answered.
"Bring them here," he said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.
About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children.
~Matthew 14:13-21
i love this story in the book of Matthew, it again reminds me that God is in control and can do all things! i was reminded of this story during our trip to Panama.
i was chosen, along with kerri, to be the "leaders" of this year's group. a lot of the work is done behind the scenes, and let me tell you, its a lot of hard work. i was the one in charge of all the money, booking the flights, making sure we had enough money, etc.....
about a month before the trip, i was feeling a bit hesitant about the money and i shared my concerns with kerri. we decided that we would add $100 to each person's amount. after sending all the emails out i had several who shared their concerns of raising even more money. i knew we definitely needed to leave it in God's hands. i prayed that those He wanted to go on the trip would somehow get the money together.
a couple of weeks before the trip kerri and i met over dinner while i was visiting in indiana. we crunched some numbers that were given by eliezel and came up with a plan of action when it came with the money. we felt good about being able to pay for everthing but were still a bit discouraged with the lack of money we had for supplies. we decided to trust God and just plan with the money we had....
when we arrived we again double checked with eliezel and sat down and finalized the money. it looked like we were ahead around $2000, but that still left us short with tips, monetary gifts, etc. that we hadn't thought of.....trust God.....trust God!
after spending a few days there i had a conversation with eliezel about going home and visiting his family. i found out through our conversations reasons why he is not able to go home often. main reason: money! we knew that we would be giving eliezel a gift of some sort at the end of the trip, but how amazing would it be to be able to help send him back home! my mind began to race as i began to make plans on how it was possible.
so as kerri and i continued to shell out the money for food, travel, and lodging we began to see a lot of money being saved here and there....was it possible?
supply money seemed to be multiplying as we went through our week....we were able to continue the plaster work, dirt work, painting, electrical, and windows all week, with money to spare for more supplies.
thurday evening kerri and i sat down once again to figure out the supply money on our last day. what could we do? we had plenty of money left....so after talking it over with eliezel we decided to pay off a debt to the supply store, and also buy all the materials for the plastering of two of the outer walls, and the ceiling in the sanctuary. we were also left with extra money to leave for labor expenses. PRAISE GOD! how was that possible? only GOD!
throughout the trip we continued to save money and we trusted that at the end we would have something to leave for our two missionaries. the last evening was a wonderful, emotional evening that i wouldn't want the memory of it to be any other way. we fellowshipped, sang songs, and shared stories. many had shared that they had almost backed out of the trip for many personal reasons, including financial issues. God knew what he was doing with bringing this group together.
after the stories were told it was my turn to speak in behalf of the team. i felt like God had laid it on my heart what to say to those that work so hard to be on a W&W team but also those who sacrifice their time and lives to be our leaders.
after making sure we had visa money to go home on, kerri and i came up with so much more money than we could have ever imagined. we couldn't believe that the money that i held on so tightly to throughout the week had practically tripled in a weeks time....only God.....
we were so thankful to be able to present Manny a monetary gift, along with Eliezel. our main goal was to send him back home, and i believe we were able to give him the funds to do that.
what did i learn from this year's trip? its not about the building......i love that physical church like everyone else....i have worked in the sewer and i have laid block on every level of that church. and this year was the icing on the cake as i was honored to paint the nazarene symbol on the front of the church.....i love that church......but when it comes down to it, its about the people. the people in the church, in the community, and also those in the group.
i am so thankful to be able to be a part of such an amazing group of people that have sacrificed so much to go to panama. i am thankful to be able to connect with the people of panama and show Jesus to them through my life. its an opportunity to walk around the town and invite the locals to see the Jesus film or work alongside them at the worksite and invite them to come to the service. there is always an opportunity to show Jesus....
at home we tend to live an even faster pace of life. we work, take care of our homes, and sleep and sometime in the week we attend a church. face it, we are busy people. to have an opportunity to witness to somebody is not as easy as it is in panama. in panama, there are people everywhere...in the US, we could spend days not seeing anyone if we wanted to....that's why i have found it important to ask God to show me an opportunity each day to show him to somebody whether its at the local walmart, restaurant, or even on the computer. i pray God shows me someone daily that just needs to hear that God is there. its that simple.....
i hope that you will continue to pray for the people in Changuinola, Panama, for our favorite missionaries, Eliezel and Manny, and for our group that every year can't imagine not going the next.
i, in return, pray that each day God gives us each an opportunity to share Christ with someone and that we would be open to do so.....
thank you again for all your prayers during our trip and after....its amazing what God is doing in our lives. i can't wait to see what will happen next year. this year tops the years before and i am sure the stories from next year will be even better....
please continue to watch this blog as i plan on blogging to share how God is working in my life through missions....God Bless you all!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
last day....morovia here we come!....
so when you are the leaders of a group, you make sure you get to go where you want.....for kerri and i that is SHOPPING IN MOROVIA!!!!!!!!
we began our day headed up the mountain to Poas volcano. its a beautiful place and amazing weather. we spent a couple of hours there and then headed to a coffee plantation and cafe. we were so fortunate for amazing weather that day, just a perfect way to end our trip. we stopped at a fruit stand for fresh strawberries and prickly fruit (okay so i can't remember the name of it...what's new?) i just know its super good!!!
after being "tourists" for the day, we headed into town for shopping!!!!! karen, kerri, and i headed for our favorite store and purchased birds, a tradition. jeremy, the kids, and i spent the day together shopping and hanging out. we even found a cafe in the back of a shop that was the nicest place. i loved it...it was quiet, and beautiful scenery....very peaceful! the kids enjoyed having a few moments to play around.
we bought some nice things....several gifts, a couple of birds, a mobile for ainsley's room, a drum for cabot.
we went to the platter place for dinner, a favorite of many.....a platter of costa rican food shared with a couple of people. it was a great time of fellowship for most, and a great way to be together one last time for heading out in the morning....
now its off to devotions and sharing .....one last time!......
we began our day headed up the mountain to Poas volcano. its a beautiful place and amazing weather. we spent a couple of hours there and then headed to a coffee plantation and cafe. we were so fortunate for amazing weather that day, just a perfect way to end our trip. we stopped at a fruit stand for fresh strawberries and prickly fruit (okay so i can't remember the name of it...what's new?) i just know its super good!!!
after being "tourists" for the day, we headed into town for shopping!!!!! karen, kerri, and i headed for our favorite store and purchased birds, a tradition. jeremy, the kids, and i spent the day together shopping and hanging out. we even found a cafe in the back of a shop that was the nicest place. i loved it...it was quiet, and beautiful scenery....very peaceful! the kids enjoyed having a few moments to play around.
we bought some nice things....several gifts, a couple of birds, a mobile for ainsley's room, a drum for cabot.
we went to the platter place for dinner, a favorite of many.....a platter of costa rican food shared with a couple of people. it was a great time of fellowship for most, and a great way to be together one last time for heading out in the morning....
now its off to devotions and sharing .....one last time!......
leaving changuinola....
i was thinking of the song about "leaving your heart in San Francisco" and i think they meant to sing "leaving your heart in Changuinola".....that's how i feel every year i leave. its sad and every year it gets harder....i know if kerri and i could convince our husbands to move we would in a heartbeat. (we've even found a shack to sell stuff in to support ourselves....) its such a burning passion in my heart, i can't describe unless you have experienced it.
saturday morning we headed down to the church after loading the bus with our bags. we met some of the church people, local workers, and the pastor's family for prayer time. its so touching to janice every year at the end of the trip. some times i don't feel like i have done much, but she continues to bless us with her words, love, and tears....it helps me to see that i DO make a difference...
last year she read to us out of the book of Psalm, its always a great reminder for me when i reread it. i will post it soon....
after prayers, hugs, and well wishes til next time, we headed down the road to the border. the border is only a half hour away form changuinola, so before we even were able to get comfortable, we were out of the bus heading across the rickety bridge....good times! :o)
we spent the day mostly traveling by bus and stopping at the beach before we arrived at the seminary in costa rica. i think this day is probably the longest and most exhausting day of the whole trip. nothing gets done this day except a lot of riding in a bus, you are emotionally exhausted because you are leaving something you love, and there is not much shopping going on! HA!
next day.....much better........
saturday morning we headed down to the church after loading the bus with our bags. we met some of the church people, local workers, and the pastor's family for prayer time. its so touching to janice every year at the end of the trip. some times i don't feel like i have done much, but she continues to bless us with her words, love, and tears....it helps me to see that i DO make a difference...
last year she read to us out of the book of Psalm, its always a great reminder for me when i reread it. i will post it soon....
after prayers, hugs, and well wishes til next time, we headed down the road to the border. the border is only a half hour away form changuinola, so before we even were able to get comfortable, we were out of the bus heading across the rickety bridge....good times! :o)
we spent the day mostly traveling by bus and stopping at the beach before we arrived at the seminary in costa rica. i think this day is probably the longest and most exhausting day of the whole trip. nothing gets done this day except a lot of riding in a bus, you are emotionally exhausted because you are leaving something you love, and there is not much shopping going on! HA!
next day.....much better........
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
last day of work..... :o(
well i woke up sad on friday knowing it was our last day of work. even though i know we accomplished a lot of work during the week, it was sad to know that it was coming to an end. we woke up to a rainy day, but was still positive with the last work day.
during the prayer time at the site we hung up a wrought iron cross and a plaque in memory of harold windmiller. it was a great way to end our work week, and a time of reflecting and prayer.
the work day was a lot of finishing up projects and cleaning. i spent the entire day finishing the symbol painting and the second coat of paint was put on the walls of the sanctuary.
it was an amazing moment when light bulbs lit up the sanctuary! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! never in a million years would i have imagined seeing lights in the sanctuary.
the last day of work was a successful one that allowed us to think back on all the projects that were accomplished during the week.
after showering once again in cold water jeremy, kerri, and i along with the kiddos headed to the kuna center to get our annual kuna bracelet. we had a great visit with the kunas and were happy to hear they would be joining us at the farewell service.
we headed to the church for the last service. it was an exciting time with several people in attendance. Miss Silvia had a couple groups of kids come and perform for the service. it was very sweet....Several of us testified and jeremy sang "the King is Coming". we had a great service with a great sermon that ended with gifts, and communion.
this year was the first time we shared communion with our friends in changuinola, panama. it was extremely meaningful, especially to have Fresca, our kuna friend, up there with us taking the Lord's Supper!
our evening ended with lots of hugs, kisses, and photos. it was once again a great ending to a great week!
during the prayer time at the site we hung up a wrought iron cross and a plaque in memory of harold windmiller. it was a great way to end our work week, and a time of reflecting and prayer.
the work day was a lot of finishing up projects and cleaning. i spent the entire day finishing the symbol painting and the second coat of paint was put on the walls of the sanctuary.
it was an amazing moment when light bulbs lit up the sanctuary! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! never in a million years would i have imagined seeing lights in the sanctuary.
the last day of work was a successful one that allowed us to think back on all the projects that were accomplished during the week.
after showering once again in cold water jeremy, kerri, and i along with the kiddos headed to the kuna center to get our annual kuna bracelet. we had a great visit with the kunas and were happy to hear they would be joining us at the farewell service.
we headed to the church for the last service. it was an exciting time with several people in attendance. Miss Silvia had a couple groups of kids come and perform for the service. it was very sweet....Several of us testified and jeremy sang "the King is Coming". we had a great service with a great sermon that ended with gifts, and communion.
this year was the first time we shared communion with our friends in changuinola, panama. it was extremely meaningful, especially to have Fresca, our kuna friend, up there with us taking the Lord's Supper!
our evening ended with lots of hugs, kisses, and photos. it was once again a great ending to a great week!
day 4 work day....
thursday brought a lot more work and then a fabulous panamanian style birthday party.
its interesting to reflect on the work we started 5 years ago and how hard we worked then.
i remember barely getting out of bed the next day after working in the sewer muck, or blocklaying all day.
this year brought a lot of hard work, but it wasn't labor intensity. thursday we continued the electrical work, welding, and painting. most of the dirt was moved and we were able to put on the first coat of paint in the sanctuary.
i spent the entire day going up and down the ladder to paint the nazarene symbol, what a blessing to be able to paint the emblem on the front of the church.
again, another successful day at the worksite! :o)
thursday night we had planned a surprise birthday party for karen wenger and marianne new. they both had birthdays while on the trip. kerri and i bought a pinata while pastor nieves took care of the cake.
we invited several people from the local church for pizza and then we spent the evening singing songs and playing games! it was so much fun!!!! karen and marianne were both very surprised and appreciative of the party!
its interesting to reflect on the work we started 5 years ago and how hard we worked then.
i remember barely getting out of bed the next day after working in the sewer muck, or blocklaying all day.
this year brought a lot of hard work, but it wasn't labor intensity. thursday we continued the electrical work, welding, and painting. most of the dirt was moved and we were able to put on the first coat of paint in the sanctuary.
i spent the entire day going up and down the ladder to paint the nazarene symbol, what a blessing to be able to paint the emblem on the front of the church.
again, another successful day at the worksite! :o)
thursday night we had planned a surprise birthday party for karen wenger and marianne new. they both had birthdays while on the trip. kerri and i bought a pinata while pastor nieves took care of the cake.
we invited several people from the local church for pizza and then we spent the evening singing songs and playing games! it was so much fun!!!! karen and marianne were both very surprised and appreciative of the party!
so sorry.....
well unfortunately being in a different country without secured internet didn't help me with keeping up a blog, so i apologize with that, but i am going to update it now so you will know how our trip went.....
enjoy and thank you for all your prayers! they were definitely answered! GOD IS GOOD!
enjoy and thank you for all your prayers! they were definitely answered! GOD IS GOOD!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
photos....
mike and cabot loading up the dirt....
jeremy painting the inside of the sanctuary...or ainsley?
ainsley wondering what on earth is wrong with michelledebbie, and marianne....
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
day 3 at worksite....
so today was a lot of hard work, we were able to accomplish quite a bit!
tim and kent have been working hard on the welding of the windows, while paul, theda, mike worked on electrical work.
jeremy was able to put the base coat on the back wall behind the platform/altar...it looks really nice!
most of us did the dirt work and finished the pile of dirt.
i spent most of the on top of a very tall ladder to which i painted the wall the base color and then traced the holiness unto the Lord symbol onto the outer wall. i will finish that tomorrow and then begin to paint.
i had to really trust my fellow workers and eliezel as they harnessed me up on the church!
it was quite an experience.....
we still have no hot water, barely any water if that but i have been bathing gallons of water in the sun to heat up for my shower water.....today it was even super caliente! :o)....
tomorrow will be much of the same kind of work....
tonight we went to another part of the town and helped show the Jesus film. it was super exciting to walk around and invite people to the Jesus film, in Spanish even!!! we had many people come and around 15 people give their hearts to Christ.
while we have been here we have been praying for a dear friends Jaime and Joel as they haven't been going to church regularly.
tonight Joel and his wife went to rededicate their lives to Christ! PRAISE GOD!!!!
please continue your prayers...we will be working a partial day tomorrow and then going to an orphanage......
i promise photos will be coming soon.....we've been super busy!!!! :o)
tim and kent have been working hard on the welding of the windows, while paul, theda, mike worked on electrical work.
jeremy was able to put the base coat on the back wall behind the platform/altar...it looks really nice!
most of us did the dirt work and finished the pile of dirt.
i spent most of the on top of a very tall ladder to which i painted the wall the base color and then traced the holiness unto the Lord symbol onto the outer wall. i will finish that tomorrow and then begin to paint.
i had to really trust my fellow workers and eliezel as they harnessed me up on the church!
it was quite an experience.....
we still have no hot water, barely any water if that but i have been bathing gallons of water in the sun to heat up for my shower water.....today it was even super caliente! :o)....
tomorrow will be much of the same kind of work....
tonight we went to another part of the town and helped show the Jesus film. it was super exciting to walk around and invite people to the Jesus film, in Spanish even!!! we had many people come and around 15 people give their hearts to Christ.
while we have been here we have been praying for a dear friends Jaime and Joel as they haven't been going to church regularly.
tonight Joel and his wife went to rededicate their lives to Christ! PRAISE GOD!!!!
please continue your prayers...we will be working a partial day tomorrow and then going to an orphanage......
i promise photos will be coming soon.....we've been super busy!!!! :o)
day 2 of work....
day 2 was pretty much the same as day 1 at the worksite. jeremy moved a lot of dirt to the side of the church, while kerri and i with others sifted a lot of rocks out of sand.....funnnnnn funnnnn....
theda and paul are continuing the electrical work in the sanctuary. and the locals worked on finishing the plastering of the walls.
its been exciting to see the work being completed....slowly but surely! :o)
last evening kerri and i had a euchre rematch with jeremy and eliezel! last year we played every night and beat them quite a bit. so .....last evening we had to play a rematch....and of course we won! :o) there were wages this time....if we lost we had to wear funny face masks and only speak in spanish (which meant a lot of silence for me!:o)) and if they lost they had to wear our fancified hard hats (with tiaras) and the funny masks for 30 minutes at the worksite! of course we won!
it was sweet victory!!!!
theda and paul are continuing the electrical work in the sanctuary. and the locals worked on finishing the plastering of the walls.
its been exciting to see the work being completed....slowly but surely! :o)
last evening kerri and i had a euchre rematch with jeremy and eliezel! last year we played every night and beat them quite a bit. so .....last evening we had to play a rematch....and of course we won! :o) there were wages this time....if we lost we had to wear funny face masks and only speak in spanish (which meant a lot of silence for me!:o)) and if they lost they had to wear our fancified hard hats (with tiaras) and the funny masks for 30 minutes at the worksite! of course we won!
it was sweet victory!!!!
Monday, August 10, 2009
day 2 in changuinola....
well we just finished up our first work day at the church. it was a slow process, but we accomplished many tasks. we received a load of dirt to fill in on the left side of the church and will receive another one tomorrow.
jeremy began painting with primer in the sanctuary, it was exciting to see something besides block or plaster! :o) the church is going to be cream and green with black iron on the doors and windows.
i worked mostly on the "holiness unto the Lord" symbol. i had to enlarge it (by hand). tomorrow i am hoping that the first coat of cream will go on the front of the church so i will be able to paint the symbol maybe wednesday.
there was no electricity so tim and kent was not able to weld the windows today...hopefully tomorrow....we'll see! :o)
joel came to see us on his lunch break so that was nice to see him. please pray for joel and jaime (and their families) as they haven't been coming to church regularly....
also pray that we have hot water sometime this week! :o) we barely have had any water, but definitely no hot water!
yesterday we went to la gloria and it was a great time! it was very muddy and the road to get there was at one point crumbling down the mountain, but we made it safely! there were around 30-40 kids and we were able to perform the vbs program for them. we toured the "town" and spent some time with the locals before heading back. they loved ainsley and one lady asked if she could stay with them! :o) (i told them no, but they could have cabot! HA!!)
i am going to try to post some more photos and maybe a few videos tonight after supper....continue to keep us in your prayers!
jeremy began painting with primer in the sanctuary, it was exciting to see something besides block or plaster! :o) the church is going to be cream and green with black iron on the doors and windows.
i worked mostly on the "holiness unto the Lord" symbol. i had to enlarge it (by hand). tomorrow i am hoping that the first coat of cream will go on the front of the church so i will be able to paint the symbol maybe wednesday.
there was no electricity so tim and kent was not able to weld the windows today...hopefully tomorrow....we'll see! :o)
joel came to see us on his lunch break so that was nice to see him. please pray for joel and jaime (and their families) as they haven't been coming to church regularly....
also pray that we have hot water sometime this week! :o) we barely have had any water, but definitely no hot water!
yesterday we went to la gloria and it was a great time! it was very muddy and the road to get there was at one point crumbling down the mountain, but we made it safely! there were around 30-40 kids and we were able to perform the vbs program for them. we toured the "town" and spent some time with the locals before heading back. they loved ainsley and one lady asked if she could stay with them! :o) (i told them no, but they could have cabot! HA!!)
i am going to try to post some more photos and maybe a few videos tonight after supper....continue to keep us in your prayers!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
1st photo of the church...
this is what the church looks like right now. as you can see there is a roof and they have the front plastered. they have beautiful wooden doors at the top and the sanctuary (top) is being plastered this week. they are also wanting us to work on the staircase going up the left hand side...
i will post more photos later....have to get ready for la gloria!!! :o)
i will post more photos later....have to get ready for la gloria!!! :o)
our trip to bocas del toro
these are photos from our trip to Bocas del Toro.....
karen prepared for the boat ride! :o)
karen prepared for the boat ride! :o)
our volunteer missionary, juan manuel (manny) "reflecting" :o)
there were lots of starfish...this is our missionary eliezel showing cabot one.
jeremy and ainsley with a starfish
ainsley's first steps in the ocean....
jeremy, kim, and i in bocas...
jeremy and i walking the beach
silvia and i on the beach
kent and i being silly....what's new?
me with a monkey...he was super friendly!
cabot with a monkey on his backSunday August 9th....
good day friends! i hope this post finds you all well....
its sunday and we just finished up lunch. so sorry i haven't been able to post. my computer will not connect to the internet, but karen saved the day and loaned me her computer.
we arrived in chaguinola, panama on Friday safely on a bus ride with our trusty driver, Abel. he is doing well and speaking a bit more english. he actually stayed here and will be here with us until tomorrow morning.
after arriving we were able to go to the baptist church and have supper with Pastor Nieves and his family!
we met with mendosa (contractor), and Pastor Nieves that evening to plan on supplies. we decided to meet Saturday morning and order supplies and work a half day! (kerri and i were itching to work!!! :o)).....it was a good thing to do so we could iron out the wrinkles before monday and get straight to work! (if you have been here, you understand what the first morning is like...a lot of waiting! )
we will be welding together some window pieces, tiling the bathrooms, painting the inside, and i will be painting the "holiness unto the Lord" emblem on the front of the church!
we are very excited at how God is going to mulitiply our efforts this week!
yesterday afternoon we all went to Bocas del Toro, by boat.... it was a nice, peaceful time on the beach...
today we had our morning service. we were a bit dissapointed in the attendance of the people, but we had a massive storm last night and i think between that and many other things the people just weren't there.
tonight we will be heading up to another church, La Gloria for a service. jeremy will be going with manny (juan manuel...we just renamed him! :o)) to a radio station and jeremy is going to be preaching and manny interpreting...should be interesting! :o)
tomorrow begins work and vbs. again, we never know until we get there, but we know that the work that will be done is exactly what God wants done. tuesday will be headed to another part of town and participating in the Jesus film. we are super excited about spreading Jesus to others!!!
please continue to be in prayer with us through this great trip! we just couldn't do it without all of the prayers!!!
i am going to try to post some photos....wish me luck!!! :o)
its sunday and we just finished up lunch. so sorry i haven't been able to post. my computer will not connect to the internet, but karen saved the day and loaned me her computer.
we arrived in chaguinola, panama on Friday safely on a bus ride with our trusty driver, Abel. he is doing well and speaking a bit more english. he actually stayed here and will be here with us until tomorrow morning.
after arriving we were able to go to the baptist church and have supper with Pastor Nieves and his family!
we met with mendosa (contractor), and Pastor Nieves that evening to plan on supplies. we decided to meet Saturday morning and order supplies and work a half day! (kerri and i were itching to work!!! :o)).....it was a good thing to do so we could iron out the wrinkles before monday and get straight to work! (if you have been here, you understand what the first morning is like...a lot of waiting! )
we will be welding together some window pieces, tiling the bathrooms, painting the inside, and i will be painting the "holiness unto the Lord" emblem on the front of the church!
we are very excited at how God is going to mulitiply our efforts this week!
yesterday afternoon we all went to Bocas del Toro, by boat.... it was a nice, peaceful time on the beach...
today we had our morning service. we were a bit dissapointed in the attendance of the people, but we had a massive storm last night and i think between that and many other things the people just weren't there.
tonight we will be heading up to another church, La Gloria for a service. jeremy will be going with manny (juan manuel...we just renamed him! :o)) to a radio station and jeremy is going to be preaching and manny interpreting...should be interesting! :o)
tomorrow begins work and vbs. again, we never know until we get there, but we know that the work that will be done is exactly what God wants done. tuesday will be headed to another part of town and participating in the Jesus film. we are super excited about spreading Jesus to others!!!
please continue to be in prayer with us through this great trip! we just couldn't do it without all of the prayers!!!
i am going to try to post some photos....wish me luck!!! :o)
Thursday, August 6, 2009
we have arrived....
i am getting on kent's nerves.....and the feeling is mutual! :o):o)
anyways,....we have arrived in san jose, costa rica. the sky was black and it was raining when we came out of the airport, but it eventually cleared up! the team from indiana arrived a bit late after circling the airport for quite some time before landing...kent said they almost fell out of the sky! :o)......
we were met by eliezel and juan manuel, and was picked up by our infamous bus driver, abel (abelardo). we stopped for lunch and then headed to the seminary.
we are all exhausted, but just finished up supper and getting ready to head for bed in a bit.
we will be headed to changuinola, panama in the morning. we are anticipating our arrival to find our how the church looks! can't wait to see the kunas also!!!!
please continue your prayers for us! we are so excited to see how God is going to work through this trip!
gabe....kerri is alive and well and has taken jeremy's place as my roomie! she has already lysoled our beds for tonight! :o).....
kim has survived and the butterflies are out of her stomach! she is enjoying herself and liking the people from indiana......she has not needed her directions to the embassy yet! :o) HA!
i will hopefully be able to update tomorrow when we get to changuinola....have a great night! :o)
anyways,....we have arrived in san jose, costa rica. the sky was black and it was raining when we came out of the airport, but it eventually cleared up! the team from indiana arrived a bit late after circling the airport for quite some time before landing...kent said they almost fell out of the sky! :o)......
we were met by eliezel and juan manuel, and was picked up by our infamous bus driver, abel (abelardo). we stopped for lunch and then headed to the seminary.
we are all exhausted, but just finished up supper and getting ready to head for bed in a bit.
we will be headed to changuinola, panama in the morning. we are anticipating our arrival to find our how the church looks! can't wait to see the kunas also!!!!
please continue your prayers for us! we are so excited to see how God is going to work through this trip!
gabe....kerri is alive and well and has taken jeremy's place as my roomie! she has already lysoled our beds for tonight! :o).....
kim has survived and the butterflies are out of her stomach! she is enjoying herself and liking the people from indiana......she has not needed her directions to the embassy yet! :o) HA!
i will hopefully be able to update tomorrow when we get to changuinola....have a great night! :o)
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
ainsley and i are ready for panama!!!
ainsley and i are ready for panama....we have our hardhat and our "frog" shoes! that's all we need right? :o)
Monday, August 3, 2009
heading to panama in a few days!
okay so i am super excited about this year's trip to chaguinola, panama. i can't believe that this is my 5th year....its amazing how each year i get more and more excited!!!
This will be jeremy's 4th year, cabot's 3rd year, and ainsley's 2nd year....how amazing that we have been able to go as a family these past few years!
jeremy pulled out our passports today and we were looking at the photos! HA! jeremy and cabot were a bit on the chubby side, i just looked a bit silly, and ainsley was only 2 months old!
well wednesday evening we will be headed down to houston, texas along with jeremy's parents and a lady from our church here, kim. thursday morning we fly out to san jose, costa rica where we will be meeting the Indiana team at the airport! i can't wait to see the other part of the team, and also to see eliezel, our missionary.....
we also will be having a volunteer missionary along with eliezel, Juan Manuel, from mexico. it will be great to meet him also.
Friday we will be headed to chaguinola, panama! i can't wait to throw my bags down, head a few blocks around the corner to see the church, and then head a few more blocks down the road to the kuna center to visit and order our yearly bracelets. just the thought brings a smile to my face!!!
well i hope you will enjoy keeping up with this blog. i can't wait to post photos and videos so you can follow along with our amazing trip!
please continue to pray for us and the team. Pray that the Lord will go before us and prepare the way for us to tell the people of panama about Jesus.
i can't wait!!!!!!
This will be jeremy's 4th year, cabot's 3rd year, and ainsley's 2nd year....how amazing that we have been able to go as a family these past few years!
jeremy pulled out our passports today and we were looking at the photos! HA! jeremy and cabot were a bit on the chubby side, i just looked a bit silly, and ainsley was only 2 months old!
well wednesday evening we will be headed down to houston, texas along with jeremy's parents and a lady from our church here, kim. thursday morning we fly out to san jose, costa rica where we will be meeting the Indiana team at the airport! i can't wait to see the other part of the team, and also to see eliezel, our missionary.....
we also will be having a volunteer missionary along with eliezel, Juan Manuel, from mexico. it will be great to meet him also.
Friday we will be headed to chaguinola, panama! i can't wait to throw my bags down, head a few blocks around the corner to see the church, and then head a few more blocks down the road to the kuna center to visit and order our yearly bracelets. just the thought brings a smile to my face!!!
well i hope you will enjoy keeping up with this blog. i can't wait to post photos and videos so you can follow along with our amazing trip!
please continue to pray for us and the team. Pray that the Lord will go before us and prepare the way for us to tell the people of panama about Jesus.
i can't wait!!!!!!
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