One Word: Panama!
Two words: we’re here. 😉 Well everyone, we made it. We are currently in Panama City, Panama staying with friends on the YWAM Chilibre base. We are safe and sound and feel very blessed in our travels today. At 4:20am we arose with our sleepy children packed in Janelle and Seth’s van with a crazy amount of luggage, which was handled great and nothing was broken (that we know of), the kids did great, the planes were on-time, TSA was pleasant, the plane even had a changing table! A great, yet tiring day of travel – Praise You Lord! Thank you sooooo much for your prayers, this trip was flooded in prayer and we felt it. We will be making our final leg of the trip to Bocas del Toro in two to three days – we’ll keep you...
CHE
This week I attended a full week of CHE training. No, this is not a guerrilla warfare training school led by the former rebel leader Che. CHE (Community Health Evangelism) is a plan for individual and community development through physical and spiritual teaching. CHE reaches people holistically: spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically – just as Jesus did. Teaching how to help people, not hurt them. As always, after a full week of training in any area I feel as though I’ve reached a point of information saturation and hope that I absorbed what I learned. CHE principles are both very simple and yet completely profound in this day and age of missions and humanitarian movements. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to...
EE-TAOW!
Incredible story of a missionary family who shared the Gospel with the Mouk People of Papua New Guinea. I love the celebration of the people after receiving Jesus – awesome! In this next video the same missionary family teaches the new believers how to share the Gospel with other villages. Multiplying, just as Jesus...
Wild Bill Cortez
The American William Dathan Holbert, a.k.a. “Wild Bill” along with his partner Laura Michelle Reese, will face trial on 7, 21 and 29 May before the Superior Tribunal in Chiriqui, for the alleged commission of the crime of homicide to the detriment of five people. The hearing on 7 May 2012 will be for the murders of Michael Watson Brown (real name Michael Francis Salem), his wife Manchittha Nankratoke “Nan” Brown, and their teenage son Watson Brown. The next hearing, on 21 May 2012, is for the murder of Cheryl Lynn Hughes. The last hearing, on 29 May 2012, is for the murder of Bo Icelar. All of the murders took place in Bocas del Toro, Panama. http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20120306173805733 These murders happened in the area we...
Pride Goes Before… A Fall
Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. I have been reflecting heavily on this verse. Last week, I sold a dozer to a gentleman who came a few days later with a professional equipment transporter. As the professional arrived, he parked, tilted his trailer and proceeded to hop up into the driver’s seat of the dozer. I stood up on the track and asked him if he wanted me to load the cat onto the trailer. He replied with, “I got this, I’ve driven hundreds of different kinds of equipment.” I stepped back and told him if he needed anything to let me know. I watched as he fumbled with the controls trying to figure out what lever does what. I walked over to show him the lever he was...
In Newport News, Virgina!
Well, we made it! We’re here at our second home with our good friends in Newport News, Virginia. Thank you so much Seth & Janelle for hosting us again! I will say, travel with children in one word, brutal. Shirlene and I were commenting on how easy travel is when you are single or as a couple, its a breeze, almost a joy. And don’t get me wrong, we LOVE our kiddos, it is just exhausting traveling with children (those of you with kiddos know exactly what I’m talking about). Our trip was fairly eventful, in summation, on the plane from Portland to DC, which is about 5 hours, Ethan slept about 20 minutes, pretty much as we landed, he leaked through his diaper on the plane onto me and when I went to change him I found the plane had no...
Sharing @ Cherry Grove Friends Church
We were blessed to share with our brothers and sisters in Christ at Cherry Grove Friends Church yesterday. Here’s the recording: http://cherrygrovefriends.org/sermons/?sermon_id=111
Holding On
More and more I find things within myself I do not like. Things that are not Godly, things that are worldly, fleshly and hindrances to my faith. One of these many things has been certain material things I have been holding on to. Specifically some “survival” gear. While in the barn I was really feeling the prompting of the Holy Spirit to let go of these things, things I was trying to figure out how to hold on to. I asked the Lord for scripture as confirmation. He spoke Galations 5: Galations 5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. The more I sell, get rid of and let go, the more free I feel. This has been comforting and scary at the same time. We have now gotten...
Our Soon To Be Home In Panama
We have been praying God would make it very clear where we are to live initially as we move down to Panama. On my scouting trip I searched out options and what I found was we could live in town, in a very expensive gringo vacation home, or live on the YWAM base on Isla Bastimentos. After exploring the options we really think the clearest choice is the YWAM base. That was until about four days ago. I received a call from Danny, he has a 1-bedroom, approx 500 sq ft house on 8 acres, on the mainland (but only accessible by boat) which is on the market. He called to say that he was thinking of our family and wanted to offer their home to us to live in, fully furnished at a very low price per month. When he first offered I said I would talk with Shirlene about...
Panama Scouting
I spent about two and one half weeks in Panama. From Panama City to the Bocas del Toro area. I stayed on the YWAM Panama City base when I arrived and then stayed on the YWAM Bocas base on Isla Bastimentos for the majority of my trip, then stayed at the home of David & Cerrita (our new found friends) in Panama city the day before I left. I learned so much about Panama and the people of Pamama. The strongholds of the enemy are great, as they are in many places in the world and Panama is no exception. My time in Panama City was sobering, I met with quite a few people my first day there, and each one of them, separately warned me not to take my young family to the Bocas area. They told me of many murders, sexual immorality, drugs, animism, which...
Bram and Pam
After the ECHO week long course I set a course for Bram and Pam’s house about two hours away from ECHO. I first met Bram here. Since then we have talked on a regular basis, I consider him a friend. I got a hotel room near their home, we spent time together eating, talking, sharing and boating. Bram is a expert boater and he was gracious enough to show me the ropes. This is quite a gift considering we are moving to an area in Panama where a boat is your car, no roads, buses, or planes, just boats. Bram’s property in Panama is about a half an hour by boat to the nearest town that has power. I learned quite a bit and Bram was a great teacher, Pam was a great host – it was a great time. Just a side note, in a previous post I kept...
ECHO School
ECHO – Tropical Farming School I just finished my one week ECHO Tropical Agricultural Development I course, and I loved it! Community health ed, poverty mentality, solar power, water purification, rockets stoves, seeds, planting, cuttings, farming, animals, fellowship and God’s Word. This was an awesome course! I can’t recommend it more highly, it has greatly prepared us for Panama in serving the people there. More information on the course:...
Date Confirmation!
I posted on November 29th that God gave me a specific date… Well tonight it was confirmed by my oldest daughter Ellie! On our way home from Johann & Teresa’s Ellie asked me when I thought we were moving to Panama. I told her I think sometime in February or March. Ellie then says “I just prayed and asked God when we are supposed to go and He said the 26th, what I don’t know is whether it is February or March, but for sure the 26th.” Rewinding to November 29th when I prayed for a specific date and God delivered a specific date… What I heard God say was: “118 days from today you will be leaving for Panama” – that date is March 26th. Ellie has a proven track record in hearing from God, I trust God and...
The Gun Show
Well, not quite this gun show, a real gun show. I decided to get 3 tables at a local gun show to sell off my survival, hunting and camping gear. I spent some time with the Lord and this is a necessary step in trusting Him completely in our transition to Panama. So, I loaded up the truck, totally filled it, from the full size bed to the extended cab and headed North with my dad to sell off my safety net. I had more than 3 tables worth of stuff, for sure. I filled the tops of the tables and under the tables, filling in the spaces as things sold. I prayed that God would confirm I was doing the right thing by allowing everything to sell, every last thing (which is pretty unheard of at the gun show). The word starting spreading about the “missionary to...
Another Date?
I’m a little confused. As I have prayed for clarity and just spent time with the Lord I feel I am now hearing another date, January 17th. I hear it many times during the day, even in my dreams. Is this the “new” date God? Sometimes discerning God’s will takes time and sometimes things don’t make sense. But, I love you God, here am I, send me – whenever Your perfect timing is. Stay tuned…
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