Weekend Prayer Getaway

The weekend between Christmas and New Years passed with us having the opportunity to get away to the mountains east of the city.

It was a brief retreat away from the noise of the city, the hustle and bustle, and a chance to see trees, hear birds, and breath cool mountain air.  

We went with our friends and that gave us time to talk about ministry plans for 2009.

Most of all, it was a great place to have a morning quiet time before the rest of the house was up.

Quiet Time with God

I had my morning devotion on this open porch, spending time praying with God about plans for 2009 for our ministry.  

The clean mountain air reminded me of the Appalachian mountains, and the cool morning climate occasionally mentally transported me there.

We have some amazing opportunities in front of us that drive our prayer: invitations from different countries, ministry in Nicaragua, Panama, United States, and inquiries from Columbia, Guatemala, and Venezuela.  

As the Lord opens the doors, we believe He will provide.

We are praying about working with a church planter here in Panama to lauch a new church in 2009 in our walking area.  There are very few evangelical churches in the four neighboorhoods we walk in.  One neighborhood has zero churches.

Playing in the Mountains

Later that morning, we went to a local park with a mountain stream and spent time swimming and having a picnic.

 The coolness of the morning changed into a refreshingly warm day that allowed us to spend it frolicking in a mountain stream.   See our full album at Facebook.

Waterfalls, cool streams, all refreshing sounds before returning to the city.  A little recharged and ready for 2009.

Amazing Opportunities Before Us

Venezuela Ministry

We have amazing opportunities in our ministry to teach on evangelism and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Requests for evangelism and pastor training events have come from multiple nations: Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Panama and the United States.

Through our partnership with PRMI, we can assemble teams of trained teachers to help fulfill and respond to this international demand.

We can focus on regional and local leaders who can continue the vision of igniting the church in the power of the Holy Spirit to passionately reach their corner of the world.

One person shared with me: “I kept thinking of the question you posed to us in the workshop: What if discussing your faith was a normal, everyday thing?”

We know you desire to be effective in your own faith sharing and for your church to be effective in reaching its neighbors.

Imagine that desire multiplied by thousands of pastors in all 17 countries of Latin America, who want their churches passionate about God’s call to reach the nations.

Imagine church leaders that see evangelism as a normal everyday lifestyle and can train others to see it the same way.

But this dream is beyond the reach of ordinary means. The demand for training is beyond anything we can handle alone.

Our ministry needs to grow in funding and support staff to reach this goal. Most of our travel is paid for by the organization that invites us, but not all the time. At some events, we receive generous love offerings to further our vision, but other love offerings don’t cover our expenses.

We also rely on the ongoing regular support of God’s people to fulfill this dream.

We need your help.

1. We need intercessory prayer. People who pray for us regularly, at least weekly. This is a vision that can only be fulfilled prayerfully as we seek God’s direction for the growth of this ministry.  Join our Intercessors List if you feel led to pray for us regularly and consistently.
2. We need your financial support. Regular gifts of $10, $25, $100, and $500 a month through PRMI go a long way towards fulfilling this dream.  You can donate online now at Support our Work.  Automatic monthly contributions can be setup on your credit card.  Any gift will further advance our ministry.
3. Donate airline Miles.  We can use these to travel back to the US as needed for personal and family visits.

Pray for our Vision

Prayerfully consider how you might participate in our dream to train pastors and church leaders in Latin America. We know that times are tough in the US economy, but we believe that God can use you to further our calling.

We are excited about the opportunities in front of us and are grateful for your investment in this work.

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Ongoing Mission Networking

I had a 2 hour meeting in Spanish with the leader of a parachurch missionary training ministry here in Panama. 

His mission’s work is to call forth missionaries from Panama to go to other countries, and to work with immigrants coming here.  I’m still not yet sure of the name of his ministry because today’s meeting was as much about simply getting to know one another personally as it was me introducing myself and our work to him.  I know that he is connected to several pastors in this country and church planters.

I used the PRMI Dunamis description in Spanish, and gave him the Spanish Language PRMI brochure, plus samples from the material that we have used in Nicaragua and samples of my evangelism material. 

We talked about how a PRMI team could come for a 1x conference to get to be known, like another one of our members did in Guatemala.  He was thrilled with the idea that team members are members of the Dunamis Fellowship and have completed the entire course. 

Quickly, he got into asking me details in terms of a minimum conference size, how the offerings would be processed, and the costs ownership (who covers what) and the like.  I think there will be further interest here.  There will be further discussions. 

We were together last night at a Christmas party where our families got to meet each other along with families from 7 other countries (I love it here)! 

They are pursuing more friendship with us, in that they are taking us to church Christmas eve for a "Traditional" service (see: http://www.missiontopanama.org/2008/12/a-2nd-christmas-in-panama/ for what I miss about Christmas) and spending a Christmas eve dinner with us in our house. 

At breakfast this morning I was simply describing how I missed some of the traditions of Christmas, and this invitation was his family’s response. 

A 2nd Christmas in Panama

I’ll be the one of the many ex-pats to admit it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. 

Spending more than 3 decades, but not quite 4, in US, the Christmas season is full of carols, noisy background music, retail shopping, Christmas stories on TV, and then customs like Advent candles, caroling and Christmas eve services.  Mailing of Christmas cards and writing a Christmas letter.

Of course, the cold weather, warm drinks, and the possibility of snow.

I still laugh when I hear songs like “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” or “Outside the snow is falling and we’ll sing a chorus or two. . “ 

It’s 85-90 and snow is highly unlikely.  There are no chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and jack frost is no where near.

It just feels weird to see Santa in shorts during the Christmas parade.

A musical cantata:

 
However, Sunday night was different. 

We attended “Looking for the Star” put on by Crossroads Bible Church.  In a darkened theatre, I was treated to wonderful performance of costumes, and dance, story telling, carols and worship songs, done in both English and Spanish.  The narrative was in Spanish, but the songs were in both languages. 

The only word I had for it at the end of the night was “speechless.” 

To hear the same familiar chorus well sung in both languages. 

To hear carols and choruses that have been missing for the last two Christmas seasons. 

To feel like Christmas is coming. 

To hear a choir and orchestration that I’ve never experienced before. 

To see the exaltation of Jesus Christ as the true star of Christmas.

Christmas is here.

I realize that I miss some of the trappings of Christmas. 

I miss some of the traditions that support the ambiance of the season. 

But I’m glad I was reminded Sunday night not only of what I miss, but of the Child, for whom we are living in this country and working among this people. 

The proclamation of His forgiveness freely available is what propels us to work here. 

Because of this Child’s birth, we left our nets.  Because of His birth, we have given all. 

Merry Christmas friends.

(parade photo courtesy of Panama-Guide.com)

Prayer for our Time in Nicaragua

Here is how you can pray for our time in Nicaragua:

1. Pray for the teachers as we finalize the teaching schedule — that we focus on what the Nicaraguans need; that we are guided in making handouts, that the technology works.
2. Pray for safe travel for all, and for Susan & Lydia staying alone in Managua the first night.  Pray for us to be able to sleep at night and to feel the presence of Jesus there.
3. Pray for us to really connect with all the new North American Young Life staff as well as renew our love & connections with the Nicaraguans.
4. Pray for our physical health prior to & during the trip, especially Chris with his allergies.
5. Pray for unity among our team; that we model team ministry in a way that delights Jesus and that we can offer this as a gift to them. This was one of the big ways we impacted them before and I pray that any attempted attacks of the enemy on our love & unity would not even be allowed to get close.
6. Pray for the Nicaraguans to be open to learning a new style of prayer/healing ministry; that there will be no offense.  The PRMI style is very different from what they may be used to.
7. Finally, pray for God to heal people in significant, measurable and powerful ways!!

Annual Report 2008

This year has been a success and has been challenging in many ways.

Because of the significant overlap with our work with Evangelismcoach.org, we are branding everything we do as Evangelism Coach International.

This allows Brenda’s work in evangelism training through crafts and Sunday School training to fall under the same branding: from Alaska to Chile.

Together, we did a total of 27 conference events in 3 different countries.

I released my first book for purchase on how to welcome church visitors, (see http://www.welcomechurchvisitors.com) and launched the www.EvangelismBookstore.com. 

I provided coaching for 3 individuals and two churches.

During the summer of 2007, our family was in the US for 6 weeks to raise funds, supporters, and attend the PRMI family camp.

Networking

Most of our time in Panama this year was focused on  networking and giving conferences as they come.  We encountered a huge setback last year when the ministry that invited us here closed down, leaving us to have to rebuild our own network. I’ve been seeking to connect with people who can open doors for us.

We have to adjust from our original plan and we’ve been discerning our next steps.

I continue to work on language acquisition.

Plans for 2009

Our target is to plan for 15 events in Panama, 12 events in the United States, and up to 3 events in other countries in Latin Americas.  We did 30 events last year, but the majority was in the US. 

We seek to grow more events here as our network grows.  We realize this plan may be very aggressive, but it is our dream to minister in this part of the world.

I will continue to pursue language acquisition and certification.

We plan on releasing at least three more e-books, and developing a CD/DVD distribution strategy to repurpose a lot of my teaching to generate revenue from online sales.

It is also our goal develop our support base to a sustainable level that supplements our speaking fees and online sales in the US.

Pioneering for PRMI

Part of my plan is to network for PRMI into Latin America on the back of the networking that we are doing on our own. PRMI material is part of my ethos and I would like to have PRMI teams join me.

Right now it’s a season of networking and introducing the ministry of PRMI through the connections that I build through evangelism training.

Continue to pray for the growth and impact of our work.  We are grateful to our supporters who pray for us and invest in our work.

Caimito Children’s Congress

Brenda and I finished our workshop at the 1st Children’s Ministry congress for the area of La Camima. 

This congress was an outgrowth of the Teaching Children’s Workers in Arraijan in July of this year. 

Because of common issues lack of finances and accessible transportation not every one can come to a leadership conference like the one in January which was about 2 hours outside of the city, or the one in July that was about 30 minutes away from the city. 

As Brenda and I were praying this morning, it dawned on us that nearly all the attended arrived by foot, or by taxi.  In the very small parking lot (which is plot of land), it was just our car, and the car for the other speaker.

Meet Raquel

One of those attendees, however, Raquel, was inspired to organize one for her local area.  She managed to gather about 40-50 men and women from approximately 10-15 different churches.  I am unaware of the final count.

Raquel is the children’s pastor of this little church.  She’s been investing in that church for 12 years, and now some of her students from 12 years ago are now sending their children to Raquel to participate in the Children’s ministry.

Getting to the Congress

Though we rented a car, at times we felt like a 4×4 was more suitable for the road conditions. Heavy construction equipment from a local mine has destroyed what may have been a road.  Potholes, washouts, missing pavement marked this road once we left the developed area. 

The area would be considered rural.  Google maps doesn’t do well out there.  I tried embeding one, but the embed didn’t work.

The Children’s Leadership Workshop

Brenda did a 2 hour workshop on creativity for creating crafts and object lessons.  

In this country where more than 1/3 live on under $100 a month, money to buy craft ideas is not easy to spend.  It’s not as if you can go to Wal-Mart or a Michael’s.  

Instead, Brenda helps children’s workers use stuff that is already in a house: toilet roll tubes, styrofoam trays, egg cartons.   This particular lesson was on creativity — how to find the ideas and how to brainstorm.  Almost as close to costing $0.00 as you can get.

For example: Brenda made this scene out of paper towel tubes, paper towels, a cut up toilet roll tube, some rubber bands and some shredded paper.  I think the total cost may hae been under $1.00 for the yellow paper.

I gave a 1 hour lecture in “heavy” Spanish on getting and maintaining a vision for Children’s ministry.  It was a challenge to prepare that in Spanish, and I was grateful to have gotten it done.  This makes the 5th workshop I have given entirely in Spanish.  I’m growing in confidence and I’m told growing in fluency.

How do you keep a vision for ministry even when kids rebel, when there are no resources?  

How do you perservere in your vision when the going gets tough?

I focused on getting filled again with the Holy Spirit, praying for your vision, and recruiting others to pray for you and serve with you.  It may seem basic to some of us, but these things always serve as a good reminder to refresh the weary.

Our video

Finally, I’ve put together a brief video that I hope will give you a feel for what we did.

To do a workshop like this, we have to rent a car for the weekend.  Continue to pray that we’ll receive more workshop opportunities as well as funds to pay for our expenses.   To advance our work in Latin America, see directions at Donate Online to Support our Work

Panama City Traffic Contrast

The other day, we took a journey to our kid’s school to hear our son’s book report. 

It took a combination of 4 buses, and because of construction and holiday traffic, about 5 hours round trip.  Traffic volume is a known problem here and this time of year is the worst it gets as people do their Christmas shopping.  Going to the mall on Saturday is a bad idea.  Did that.

I’m not complaining, but simply describing for our friends and supporters a picture of our life.

Near our house, a new interchange is being built as part of a highway project to facilitate traffic flow.  Because of land locking, the only way to rebuild the interchange is up.  This causes all sorts of traffic flow issues during construction, particularly when lanes have to be closed to move these beams or to put the supports in for the concrete forms.

The image here is the new set of bridges being built to elevate a highway around one of the local malls.

You can get a feel of the traffic around it in this picture.

The volume of traffic is heavy though these photos may not show it well.  It moves at a snails pace as several lanes of traffic (I think condense into 3 in front of the mall.  There at the mall are hundreds of people daily being dropped off by taxis and getting on/off buses.  Not a well designed intersection and thus the elevated highways being constructed.

We play Frogger when we cross the streets to walk to church or to the hardware store.  Traffic moves slow enough that you simply take your life into your own hands, step into it and hope you don’t get hit.  It’s like parting the Red Sea.

Most times traffic is a jammed as what you see in this photo from our big window:

Imagine this scene with impatient drivers, lots of horns blowing, and sometimes 3 lanes coming from the two side streets (from the bottom and the top). 

The street from the top is a two way street, but often, impatient drivers will pull into the oncoming lane to rush up ahead of the line.

If someone turns off the main artery (from the right side of the picture) and there is a car there going the wrong way, no one moves anywhere and angry drivers blow their horn.  This time of year, that road stays packed like that almost from 7am through 6pm at night.  If the traffic light at the end of the main artery is not working it might take 30 minutes to an hour to move a few feet, as cops try to their best to faciliate traffic flow.

However, on Mother’s day and on 3 days weekends, the same interchange  looks like this:

One can get around the city quite easily because a great number of people have gone to the interior to celebrate the three day weekend.  This is the second 3 day weekend in a row. December has many holidays here.

Just a glimpse of our life.  Continue to pray for us that we get a car so we too can get out of the city on weekends like this, and to faciliate our work here.