Today we had a new record attendance, 34. That’s 10 more than our old record of 24 last week. Fourteen of these were under 12 years. Bruce led the singing and prayers and Gilberto preached and taught the adult class. Anna and I taught the niños class. We fixed chili with rice. Most had never had chili. For desert Anna brought a big banana cake and Lynn had made about 90 corn flake marshmallow balls (And adaptation of rice krispy treats). He is fast becoming a sweet treat chef! Everyone is asking what he has made when they come. Every Friday he tries it out on the bible class, and it is never quite right, then it works beautifully on Sundays!

34 just about maxed out our room. We started thinking about more room, more bibles, more glasses, more spoons and more chairs. This is a wonderful problem. Of course we were already thinking about what to do for next Winter, and that we needed a building that was not also our home, but today it really hit home that we NEED to be building. God is providing the increase, and we need to follow His lead!

I asked Lynn today what he felt was the reason for our new arrivals today (there were two new families) and he said that he thought it was just because we have been friendly. I have to agree. Both families live beyond our house, further into the country. When they pass, we always greet them, and on occasion I have given one family a ride home in the rain (mom and two small children). Just showing Jesus’ love works wonders! And that is, for the most part, very easy! Look at what Riverside has done with the tornado victims – just showing Jesus has planted lots of seeds!

Speaking of seed planting. We took a trip out to Caña Blanca last Friday. We had heard that the school had reopened and wanted to see for ourselves. We knew that it would be a small school – it had been closed last year because of the 10 student rule. If there are less than 10 students the government would not provide a teacher. Apparently, this year – as it is an election year – they changed the rules and said if there were 3 students they would provide a teacher. So, indeed, they have reopened the school with 7 students. A few of these children were traveling in to El Valle last year, but could no longer afford the long trek, so were staying home. Now, as of last week, they are back in school.

We were thrilled to see that they could again attend classes, but then appalled to find they had no books, no pencils, no colors, no notebooks, no….nothing. The teacher explained that when the school closed the supervisor took all the materials and gave them to other schools, so nothing was left. So, they have had classes going on 2 weeks, with nothing but 2 pair of scissors and some old newspapers. I asked when she expected to get supplies, and she said that she had been told there was no money for more than her pay. She is a young teacher who lives in Puerto Armuelles, 4 hours away. She has been given a room in the house of a widow in the village that she uses through the week, then goes home to her family on the weekends – when she can find a ride.

So, we are trusting that God will provide the funds for us to help out this tiny school. We bought pencils, colors, paper, notebooks, glue, pencil sharpeners, markers, playdough etc.. that we will take out to them tomorrow morning. We also bought 4 math books for the first graders, and a writing book for the other grades. That is all we could find here. All the stores have put away their school books, so we will have to search to find more. The teacher, as in Gariche’ asked specifically for Bibles and Bible story activities. We will put together these for them as well. We remain convinced that God is using these acts of kindness to plant seeds that will bear fruit.

The church contribution today was $22.15. We held our first business meeting two weeks ago, and decided as a congregation to save our offering until a need arose. Since that time, I believe that they are all giving more. In the past they had no idea what happened to the offering, and thus, did not give at all much of the time. Now everyone puts in something. It may only be a dime, but remember the widow’s mite!

The whole church is studying and growing in Christ. It is such a blessing to watch.

Salinda’s husband has returned from his ‘vacation’. We are thrilled and relieved! He has been gone for two weeks, and left the family with no money or food. We have been providing for them since he left, but did not want to ‘enable’ them by continuing indefinitely. He was with them today, and the whole family seemed happier. He had gone to visit his sister in his home village – quite a ways from here.

Lynn just said that I needn’t write a book. I am taking that as a hint to quit for now. There are a couple of photos from the new little school in Caña Blanca. Aren’t they precious? What a blessing to help these little ones in the name of Jesus!

Richest blessings, dear ones!

While it seems that we will never 'catch up', the place is looking better all the time. We are staying very busy, and are thrilled to have Ben here helping us. In the midst of all the repairs we have also managed to take a group to David church every Wednesday night for dinner at McDonalds (always a favorite), a short class, and lots of singing. Our youth really enjoy the chance to visit with the youth at David.

We have also visited with the tiny school in Gariche, and been asked to help them provide Bibles for their students (all 8 of them). We said we would absolutely LOVE to do that, so have ordered some NVI version Bilengual Bibles to help the teacher share Bible stories with the youngsters. I have also copied out Bible lessons which we will take out this week.

We have also fed the students at El Valle well every week since we have been back. Our relationship with the school continues to be strong and beneficial, both to them and to the church. I was amazed that when we first went to Gariche the teacher knew just who we were, what we believed, and where we lived! Word travels fast here, and when you feed someone's children you become a friend fast.

The photos were taken this past Sunday during classes. We had 24 present, with 6 visitors. 4 of the visitors were indigens - G'Nobe Bugle Indians. We have long felt a need to focus on this downtrodden, very poor group of people, so we are thrilled to have more in attendance. Of course we realize that part of the reason they come is because we share a meal together, but Jesus fed people He taught, so we feel that is a good starting place!

On Saturday I got to babysit the beautiful Miss Anna Valery. I was quite appalled to find that she enjoyed Ben's company more than my own, but was also very glad that he was there to help! While she is beautiful, she is also very spoiled - she felt the need to be carried 100% of the time! We had fun!

English classes are going well. I have 10 students through out the week. With preparation time and class time I am keeping pretty busy. Our classes have become more aggressive this year. I am demanding that they talk alot more English, and I am speaking alot less Spanish. So far, so good!

We are eagerly preparing for the teams to come in June. Lots left to do, but God is in charge, and it will all be done according to His plan!

We love you all, and have a a bed ready whenever you are ready to visit!

May God bless you richly!

What a Day!

We ended last night with one of the youth saying that his mother did not think he was ready to be baptized. We were disappointed, but understood that this was a big move for the whole family. The decision to be baptized in to the church can very well ostracize the person from their entire extended family. It is a ‘no turning back’ decision, for more reasons that for most North Americans consider. Catholicism is the official religion, not that they practice it much, but if you are Panamanian, you are Catholic. If you are not Catholic, you are Pentecostal. If you are not Pentecostal you are a heathen. Not really, but almost. At any rate it is a decision that affects the whole family, and his mother felt he should talk with them more about it before he made the commitment. He is 12, and God willing, he will have time to consider and discuss this with his family. We went to bed excited about 3 baptisms for today.

At 7:00 this morning Yessi came over to tell us that her father had forbidden her baptism. He also said that he wanted to talk with her more about it later. We assumed that her brother had been given the same instructions, so thought we were down to one baptism. We understood that the angels would still have a great party for the one, so we would too! I told Yessi that we understood and that when her father was ok with her being baptized, day or night, we would be ready to take her to the river. She went to tell Marlene, the only one left to be baptized today, and we feared that there would be no baptisms, but Yessi returned and said that Marlene did not want to wait (Marlene is Yessi’s aunt) so we planned to head to the river right after services.

At 9:00 I walked to Dany’s house ( and Yessi and Olmedito’s house) to ask how to fry the vegetables for our lunch (Arroz con Pollo). She reminded me what to do, and as I walked away Yessi came running up and said, “Señora Joy! I talked with my father more and I convinced him that I should be baptized today!” She was radiant, and I could only smile as my eyes filled with tears at her fervent desire to obey God. So the tone for the day was set. It has been a joyful day since before classes started. My ‘Arroz con Pollo’ even turned out good!

Brother Norman Ponce, the son of our beloved Brother Ponce in David, came up to teach the class today. We had asked him to speak on baptism so that those in preparation for this afternoon could completely understand what they were about to do. He did a wonderful job. I swear it could have been Tim Martin, speaking with an immense love of God and of these beautiful souls. He explained, with Scripture, all the reasons for baptism, and what promises it held. Marlene and I were already crying in anticipation. I should tell you that Marlene is about 40 years old, and has been very sick for over a year. The very act of her walking to our house for church is often very painful, but she has been faithful to come.

Sister Anna taught the children’s class today for me so that I could hear what Norman was sharing. The children all knew their memory verse again. This is the third week in a row that they have aced it! I am very proud of them and their work!

Brother Gilberto taught the sermon. I wish I could tell you what it was about. I am sure it was good, but I couldn’t help sitting there smiling across the room at Yessi, Olmedito and Marlene, and thinking about the change they were about to make. The new life they were about to enjoy. The help from within they were about to experience. The Holy Spirit coming to dwell in them personally. My what great things are ahead for them! I had asked Gilberto to keep it short because here in this area, we need to beat the rain or the water will be really muddy, and more dangerous if it is raining. He was brief and to the point. We shared the Holy Supper and headed to the river. We loaded our truck with 12 people and Gilberto’s car with 6 and off we went. No rain, thank you Lord! At the river we sang songs and prayed. Norman took the confession of each of the three, and baptized them, Marlene first, then Yessi, then Olmedito. This served as more than 3 new babes being born into Christ, which is plenty of reason to celebrate. It also served as a renewal for the church – a reminder of what the church is supposed to be – and a refocus on being salt and light, and moving forward, in faith. God is so good!

Once everyone was good and wet we got back in the cars and went back to the house for lunch (where we ate the Arroz con Pollo). Lynn had made two batches of Lisa Hammett’s no-bake cookies last night and they were a huge hit! We enjoyed great fellowship then had our first church business meeting.

This is a new thing here, both for the church at David, and especially for this new church who are just beginning their own traditions of the church of Christ. This is both very exciting, and very humbling. We so want to avoid some of the problems that have arisen for the church in the States from not discerning the difference between tradition and biblical mandate. Every step we make is a brand new step, fresh and pure, if it is done with much prayer and diligence seeking God’s desire. We are so blessed that our brothers from David are supportive of our work, and not insistent that we follow the traditions of even their congregation. As of today, we have our first male baptized member (other than Lynn) so there are many traditions that simply cannot be followed in what we gringos would call the ‘normal’ way. As I said, this is both exciting and loaded with huge responsibility.

So, for this first business meeting, we needed to begin by getting the church to accept responsibility for decision making. This is a very new concept in general here. First, there is the mentality that all Gringos (North Americans) are the boss of whatever they are involved in. Then we have to overcome the idea that they have no choice in their circumstances. This is a typical mentality in Latin America – that what happens happens and we can neither change nor control any of it. This tends to be a two edged sword for the church; Because of this belief, the people are far more likely to depend on God, and give Him total power, and consequently, total honor and gratitude. It also causes them to remain reactive and not proactive. They are hesitant to go out and try any new thing because, it will happen if it should, and won’t if it shouldn’t. Therefore, there is no need for much decision making, as God will do what he will do, and all will be fine in the end. We also face the obstacle of the female mentality – that the men will make all the decisions regardless of what the women feel is best. To get these women to accept the challenge of both the decision-making and the responsibility for those decisions will be an on-going task.

Okay, I am through talking missiology, sorry about the lecture! We introduced the idea, in deference to the men from David who were with us, that normally in the churches of Christ the men facilitated the meetings, but because Lynn’s Spanish is not quite ready, I would be speaking on his behalf. If there were any ruffled feathers to sooth, this calmed them before we began. We proceeded to tell them what we, as a church should be discussing and deciding. The group consisted of about 10 members of this congregation and 5 from David. It took awhile for the Riverside folks to warm up, but they were actively participating before we were through, and any decisions were made. Brother Gilberto helped explain several times when he had something to offer to help the new church members understand what was being discussed. My Spanish is still rudimentary, but after the third time he re-explained what I said, one of the ladies said,” We are very accustomed to the way Joy talks, and understand her very well.” It tickled me to no end, and Gilberto was satisfied, so he only offered his own thoughts after that. Norman sat quietly, saying nothing unless asked directly. He was being respectful of our need to be united as a congregation, I believe, and I appreciated that.

After about an hour, the David gang headed back to the heat below, and the rest of the church sat and visited, and came to some decisions that frankly, surprised me. As a whole they decided that they would like to save the entire offering each week until a need arose. It was suggested that the ladies might want to attend the Convention in Panama City in August, and that part might be used for this, and part for the Youth convention next February. Most importantly, they felt that it should be saved for a time when someone might have a need- a sick child, for example. It was decided that should that type need arise, each family should be consulted as to how to help. It would not be the decision or responsibility of any individual, but of the church as a whole. We are thrilled with this first step. It takes us (Lynn and I) a little further out of the leadership role, which we believe is a necessary step for the church to grow and flourish. It simply cannot remain our responsibility forever. We believe we see this example in the Apostle Paul. He taught and raised leaders in the church, then moved on. While we intend to remain as a part of this church, we do not intend be any more significant than the other members of the church.

It was also agreed that we would meet every second Sunday afternoon after lunch. We ended with a prayer led by Lynn in English and translated by me. This was also a first for us, and as long a he keeps it simple, it will not be the last!

Earlier in the week we visited with Salinda, our dear sister with 9 children (now). She missed last Sunday and we were afraid that the baby was ill, but she had gone to Tole to see her mother who was sick, and her children were/are all healthy for the moment. Remember that 5 of her children are in the Riverside Beka program, so we provide uniforms and materials for school to them. We found that her children were lacking in many areas.

A need that she specifically mentioned was that they rarely had breakfast in the house, which means they rarely have breakfast at all. The school provides them a cup of ‘crema’ at 10:00 in the morning, and the children from Riverside in Gassville provide them lunch at 11:30, but Salinda’s children are getting nothing to sustain them before this. With the money provided by individuals to sponsor these Beka children, we will begin to provide breakfast foods for the family. The uniforms and other things that they need will be provided as well, but this weekly gift of breakfast will help all the children in the house, as well as Salinda. The extra cost will be about $5 each week. This is a way that we can help her, without feeling that we are enabling her. It is part of the Beka package that we offer her children.

This afternoon we took the children new uniforms – skirts, shirts, socks, shoes (both black uniform shoes and tennis shoes). We will also purchase some notebooks and pencils this week. They were thrilled, to put it lightly! When we got to the house Emelia ran to greet us. She is the middle daughter at 8 years old. She begged our forgiveness that she was not at church this morning and explained that her only pair of shoes had lost its sole and she could not walk the mile to our house without shoes. Certainly God knew that she had an immediate need, and sent us to take care of it! The girls jumped up and down like our kids would if they had been given a new car for Christmas. They were thrilled with the shoes – we had chosen the favorite colors for each, the skirts were “just perfect” they said, and even the socks were “the prettiest they had seen, so clean and white.” Salinda was equally thrilled with the oats and milk.

So, had it not been a perfectly wonderful day already, it certainly was after that visit. Shortly after we arrived home Jairo came for a visit and brought his sister, Tatiana with him. We were so pleased. Tatiana had not come to see us since we asked Ez to leave. Her whole family had heard from Ez that we had said he could no longer visit with or speak to their family, and they were hurt and angry, understandably. We had explained earlier today to their mother that this was not true, that we only asked that, if he were to remain working with us, he should not spend time alone with Jairo. So, this afternoon Tatiana came to visit, and we had a great visit. She had been one of my favorite English students last year, and I love her dearly. We feel that we are truly beginning to rise above the harm that Ez caused us, as a church and as individuals. We realize that it is not over, that more things will probably come to light, but we can see True Light at the end of the dark tunnel. If this family can begin to heal, then the church can heal as well. We are very grateful to God for His mercy and peace.

We were blessed by another visit later today. Marlene and her husband, Jose came to see and share photos of the baptisms. Jose does not attend church with us, and has not seriously considered it before, but God is at work! He is becoming more comfortable with us, and we enjoyed a great visit. We feel that soon he will try out the church here on a Sunday, and we are excited about that! He is a good man, a good husband and provider for his family, he just lacks God’s guidance. No, he just needs to acknowledge God’s guidance, and accept His lordship.

The day would have been perfect had not the internet and phone gone out. I really wanted to talk to my young son, and to share all this with you, my dear sisters and brothers, right away. God is always having to remind me to WAIT on His timing! Patience is not my greatest quality! Ah well! We have been able to share in this manner, and will post as soon as we have internet again. We love you all. Please keep praying because God is moving mountains here because of our prayers together!

Richest of Blessings!

Joy & Lynn

You think God is sitting by doing nothing???

Tonight we had our first midweek class without Ezequias. I was the facilitator, Lynn, the coffee and cookie maker, and God, the giver of inspiration and the lesson. We were discussing the third fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5; Peace. There were 8 present, 9 counting Yeimi, who is only 7 years old. I was worried about my feeble Spanish abilities, but should not have been. God had it all worked out and the class was great. Everyone took part in the discussion, read aloud, and seemed to enjoy the lesson. During the discussion of Isaiah 48:22, Psalms 85:8 and Romans 2:9-10, Marlene brought up a question that really moved the conversation. She said that she had been studying about Baptism and did not understand how she could have been baptized correctly when she was only a baby. Marlene began attending classes here last December, so we had not known her well before our return. I pointed out Scriptures that show examples of baptism, including that of Christ, and said that I knew of no babies being baptized for the remission of sins. She agreed, and then said, “So I want to be baptized.” Before I could say “Hallelujah!” Zavier said, “me too!”, then Yessenia said, “me too!”, and Jairo piped in, “me too!” I sat back and said…absolutely nothing for a minute, and then said, “Well, Why not?” We discussed the whys, whens and hows, and all four continued to say they were ready to be baptized, and for the right reasons. All four were christened in the Catholic Church as infants. They seemed to have a concern for being baptized in the tank out back, which no longer holds water anyway, but their reasoning has given me pause for consideration. They want to be baptized like Jesus was – in a river where the water flows, and can carry their sins away from them. Even Yaritza, who was baptized last year here in the tank out back, said she felt as if she only gave her sins to Dania, who was baptized just after her. So, we are planning a multiple baptism – possibly for Sunday. I do want to wait for Gilberto to come and speak to them in perfect Spanish, and be sure they are ready to make this very serious commitment. I believe that they are all ready. I believe that their lives will change forever in just a day or two, and I am very excited for them all. Can you imagine? In the midst of the conflict this little church has been going through, God is at work convicting hearts of His desire for their lives! Ain’t He awesome!!!! He can use just anybody He wants to bring glory to His name! What an awesome God! I just can not wait till Sunday! We will have to rent a van to get everyone to the river (or possibly the sea), and will be thrilled to do so!!!

Okay, so I am flying right now, I know. Other than this news, the house is coming along. We continue to find more ways that Ezequias harmed the church, and become more certain every day that God had his hand in our decision to let him go. The community and church are responding to our return, and his leaving in a very favorable way. God continues to have great plans for this church, and these people. Just see how He is working!!

I went to Las Perlas School today to confirm our team coming in June to teach Bible classes for 4 days. The school has 150 students, and only 4 small classrooms. The Director is very happy that we are coming, and everything is looking good for us to get to tell all the children about Jesus and His love for them.

I also visited with the teachers at El Valle today. The food is stretching throughout the week now. We have added $10 weekly to the budget to accommodate the extra 30 children. Mothers and teacher alike all stop me to say thank you, so I pass that on to the children at Riverside in Gassville – Thank you!!!

The children at El Valle are also excited for the team to come back there. They are always asking me when we will be back in the school teaching them. I tell them to be patient until June. They just smile and say ok.

One 8 year old boy who attends services here faithfully stopped me as I was leaving the school today. He said he knew his memory verse for Sunday school. I asked him to tell me. He did, word for word, then I asked where it was in the Bible, and he told me. I clapped and said “Very good!!!” At the same time I heard a roar from the office just behind him – the director’s office- and the Director came out clapping and praising young Juan Carlos’s recitation. It was a great witness to both the director, and the others who were nearby. I had not realized that anyone else was listening, but God was using this small boy to plant seeds! How marvelous!

We have discovered another very small school about an hour past our house on out in no-man’s land. The name of the school and community is ‘Gariche’. The school has 1 teacher and 10 children, ranging from Kindergarten to 6^th grade. We traveled out to see the school earlier this week, but found that the teacher was already gone, and classes dismissed for the day. The teacher rides out to the school house in the back of a milk truck every morning, and hitches a ride back with another truck. We are eager to meet with her and see what we can do to help this tiny school group. We are told that the school will be closed if the attendance goes below 10. Another school out past our house was closed last year when only 7 students registered for classes. When the school closes, 90% of the children are finished with their education. Very few will be able to get to El Valle for classes. It is simply too far, and too expensive for these very poor families. Furthermore, the schools who have the fewest children also receive the smallest amount of government help. At El Valle, there are not enough students to warrant feeding them lunch – only 250. Can you imagine what Gariche must be without? So, as I said, we want to see what we can do to help. We plan to get together some school supplies and take them out next week if possible, just as a way of introducing ourselves, and assessing their needs. We will let you know how that goes.

Going to bed now, praising the Almighty for His abundant love, His unfailing faithfulness, and His peace that He gives that passes all understanding.

May God bless you Richly!

Joy & Lynn

The Lord’s Day

Let me very clear – God is faithful. I am not always. I doubt at times, I worry. I feel sorry for myself and bury myself in my pain and sorrow. God just keeps on blessing. God keeps on forgiving. God keep on…keeping on. Praise His Holy Name! God is ever faithful.

This week God sent angels in the form of phone calls from our brothers and sisters in the U.S. to comfort and encourage us when we were in despair. This week God provided significant words through Max Lucado’s Daily Devotion. This week God kept us very busy with cleaning, repairing and planning. This week God gave us peace in our hearts, when we could accept it. God even saw fit to let me see my Dad this week through the internet! Is He awesome or what? Lots of things continue to go wrong in many areas (the water heater blew up on Wednesday) but God remains steadfast. When we pray, he gives peace and discernment. He has not answered all the questions we have had, but he has showed us how to wait, just putting one foot in front of the other until His will comes to fruition.

Today God brought six dear brothers and sisters from David to our little church here in El Valle. Brother Gilberto taught the adult/youth class while Sister Anna and I taught the children about Jonah. She brought the lesson to life like I never could in Spanish. It was wonderful. Then Brother Bruce led beautiful songs and Gilberto taught a wonderful lesson on how we show the light that is Christ in our lives – through our love of others, both friends and enemies. It was a perfectly timed lesson for us all. We finished the meeting with hotdogs, chips, cookies and pineapple juice. The kids really loved the hotdogs and chips – quite a treat for them. We cannot afford to do that often, but it made for a perfect ending today.

Attendance was down a little. Salinda and her family were not here. Jairo and his family were not here. We will be certain to visit with both this week to insure that they know that we missed them, and that they are always welcome. I suspect that Salinda had a sick child, so will try to go soon to check on her. It may be that we have lost Jairo and his family, but we will continue to make them welcome. God has all these things, and these people, under control. He loves each one, and will care for us all. We will wait on Him.

For now, God has blessed us with faithful members, and family in David who are willing to help us as long as necessary. I will endeavor to do the midweek class. I must study more Spanish to do this. Please pray that I will be able to convey God’s glory, and His love to these very earnest students of the Bible. We realize that this is not the best situation for them, but it is the best we can do right now.

We continue to learn more about Ezequias’s behavior while we were gone, and continue to be saddened and shocked, but God has shown us that we must take it in, give it to Him, and put it away. We believe that Ez is leaving town today. We are praying that he will find a way to renew his relationship with God, and change his ways. We grow more certain every day that the decision we made was the best for the church. God has given us peace in this, and we are grateful.

The work continues, paso a paso (step by step). Our neighbor, whom we do not know well, came yesterday to ask if he could make a ‘trato’ with us. I had to ask what is a trato, and he told me, so I will tell you; It is a bargain. Isn’t that cool? Ah well, at any rate, he needed to borrow our weedeater to cut his grass, and said if he could use it he would also cut our yard for us. This has been a topic of concern for us for a couple of reasons. One, we have no time to get it cut, and two, it really hurts Lynn’s shoulder to use the weedeater. So, our lawn now is beautiful, as is his, and we are both quite happy, and plan to continue this arrangement. It also gave us a chance to talk with him and his wife at length, so we have closer friends now. God continues to amaze this slow-learning believer. He is so good to me and I am so undeserving. May I never cease to praise Him and serve Him!

Thanks for your prayers and love. We love you all dearly!

Joy & Lynn

Panama City and back in Record time!

We spoke with a new lawyer last week. Have you heard the story of the old lawyer? Well, he was a very nice, English speaking friend of the church in David. We were thrilled last year to find him, and he set out to help us get our ‘Pensionada Visa’. This will enable us to stay in the country indefinitely, as well as afford us discounts for our utility bills. Our main purpose is to be able to stay in the country without having to spend 3 days every month is Costa Rica, which we have had to do in the past. Well, Carlos, our very nice, and good-looking lawyer, told us what all we needed to do, what papers we had to have, etc. We called Heather, Lynn’s daughter, and she ran her tail off to get everything authenticated and sent down to us last September. It was all done but our health exam, which Carlos was setting up for us, He called to say there might be a problem because we were leaving the country so soon, but he had a friend in the government, and would let us know as soon as he talked with the friend. Then Carlos dropped out of sight. I mean, we could not find him anywhere. He did not answer his phone, he was not in his house (which served as his office as well), we spent the last two weeks of our time here unable to reach him, so left without the Visas, or our papers, or anything.

We returned, went to his house and he explained that we could not use an ‘Apostille’ document in Panama. Well, we knew several people who did use them just fine. He said that he talked with the woman who took the applications and she said it could not be done by Apostille. No excuses as to why he had not called, or where he had been, or why he did not answer our calls. Lynn stood tall (well as tall as he can at 5’6”) and fired that lawyer. He got our ‘power of attorney’ back, and all of our papers, but none of our money. Carlos later spoke to a friend in the church and asked him to tell us that he found out he was wrong about the Apostille, and would do the rest of our work for free if we would let him. Tempting, but we went to a new lawyer.

Okay, so the new lawyer actually knew what an Apostille was, and said he could help us. Several of the documents that we had we did not need (sorry, Heather!) One was not done correctly and needed to be redone. But all in all we were in pretty good shape except one thing. My passport will expire in December of this year. (on another note, that means that I have been coming to Latin America for ten years now!) The lawyer, who graduated with a doctorate from Tulane University, said that should the process be delayed for any reason, and my passport expire before the Visa is granted, we would have to start all over. So….we had to go to Panama City!

We left last Monday night on the last bus to David, then on the midnight bus to Panama. We arrived at 6:30 am, had to find a place that could take ‘carnet photos’ (for the passport). We got them and headed to the Embassy across town. Got through all the security, took a number, and waited for our turn. After some time we were called up and found that the photos were the wrong size. Well, let me tell you, if you think I looked bad before I spent the night on a bus, I looked a lot worse when we got the first photos taken. The second time around I did not even care. There was a tent – yes, a tent – set up outside the Embassy gates for all the stupid people who did not have the right size photos. God is always taking care of this fool, I know! Okay, so we get my picture taken again. We have now spent $8 on ugly pictures of me. We went back in, paid our $75, and completed the application process. We walked out, hailed a cab, went directly back to the bus terminal, bought tickets and got on a bus to come home. We arrived back in David at 5:30 and were here at the house by 8:00, totally exhausted, but feeling like we had accomplished something.

We have a choice of how to receive the passport – we can return to Panama City in two weeks, or we can take my current passport to DHL in David, ask them to get it to the Embassy, where they will mark it invalid and send it with my new one back in just a few days. Remember this is Panama, and the last time I ordered anything through DHL it was supposed to take 6 days and ended up taking 17. Needless to say, I am not terribly confident in DHL here. The trip cost about $85, and the DHL service will probably be close to the same, so the decision is really whether to avoid the discomfort of another trip or give up having a passport in a foreign country for several days to a very unreliable transport company. We are still deliberating. The Embassy will call when the passport with the ugly photo is ready. We will decide then.

On a more serious note, the situation with Ezequias continued to deteriorate until we asked him to leave. He has done some significant harm to the church here, and we are not sure the total extent yet. We were far too trusting, and are paying a great price for it now. One of the areas in which he was irresponsible was with the funds you sent for the children here. We beg the forgiveness of those of you who trusted us to be responsible stewards. The children at the school have faithfully been fed, but those who received assistance from many of you for school uniforms and materials have not received all you gave. Lynn and I will take care of that difference, we promise you. We are ashamed that we did not provide better safeguards to ensure the use of the funds, and promise to do all in our power to make sure it does not happen again.

We ask you to pray for Ezequias. While he had done grievous harm, he has many qualities that could at some point serve God well. We do love him dearly and pray that God will forgive him, and change his heart. At this point he says that he will never again work with the church. He does not see his errors, and blames both us and the church in general for his loss of a job.

While things will continue to be difficult here for some time, we are confident that God will continue His work here, and that this church will be stronger because of these trials. The church at David has offered to send us a preacher on Sundays, and we will try our best to have midweek classes on our own. We are still assessing what is still lacking for the Beka students, but will address those needs as they arise.

This is life in Panama. We remain grateful that God placed in our hearts a desire to work here, with these people, and God willing, we will continue to claim the name of Christ to all who will listen.

All because of Jesus!

Joy & Lynn

27 Abril 2008

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Today was a good day, thank you Lord! We had 23 in attendance this morning; 8 children in children’s class, and 15 youth and adults. Ezequias taught about the fruit of the spirit for the second week. I have not been in the class, but Lynn is in there and feels he is doing a good job with teaching.

Yesenia helped with the children’s class again. She is a little unsure of herself, but does a good job when I specify what she should do. Of the 8 children, 7 had their memory verse down. The eighth is only 3 so I cut her a little slack. I was thrilled. Today we talked about Daniel and the Lion’s Den. It was the first time they had heard the story. This was humbling for me. Can you remember when you first heard that story? Not me, I was too young. They were excited and worried, and then happy for Daniel. It was all over their faces. Maybe God knew that I needed to remember why we are here. Not that I have thought of quitting, I have just been discouraged.

We had ‘rib soup’ for lunch with rice. What is up with the rice thing there? Last Fall the price skyrocketed here, jumping almost $4 for 25 pounds. It was a terrible blow for the people here. Rice is their staple, and sometimes the only thing they can afford. There were protests in the City, but it changed nothing. The price here, however has not risen since then. Back to the soup – it is a quite traditional meal here. It has beef ribs, but only a few, ῆame, otoi, yuka (these are root vegetables something like potatoes, but better), pumpkin, onions, peppers, cilantro and garlic. Then of course there is lots of water. If you want to be formal, you take a spoon of rice and dip it into the soup, pull it up and eat it. If you don’t care, you just dump your rice into the soup and chow down. I lean toward the latter. We feel certain that Salinda’s children had not eaten at all today. They each had 3 servings. The youngest girl cried through services, asking her mom for ‘teat’ but Salinda has a baby 3 months old and needs all her milk for him. I spoke with Ezequias this afternoon about their situation. He said that the step-father still has a job, but spends his money on alcohol as soon as he is paid. This is the same family that we gave the beds last year, and the same family whose children generous folks from Riverside are sponsoring so that they may attend school. We are considering how best to help with this situation, as we do not want the husband to decide that we can be responsible so he has an easier time not providing for his family. We will help, but just not sure how yet.

The young folks still hang out here when they can, but because school was postponed for three weeks due to a teacher strike, they are hitting the books hard and heavy and don’t have much free time right now.

We are very busy, and miss the folks at home more than we would like, but God is faithful, and He will see this pass. We look forward to Ben coming down as soon as he finishes up his classes in two weeks. Then before we know it the groups from Riverside will be with us.

Other important news: The cow is bred – we will have a calf in 3 months!!! Fresh milk for us and our neighbors! The dog is being bred. We will have Dalmatian puppies mixed with chocolate Labrador in about 9 weeks!

Ok, maybe not really important to you so far away, but what a gift to share with neighbors (the milk), and what joy puppies always bring.

Until next time, may god bless you richly!

Joy & Lynn

2008 The Work Begins Anew!

We have been here one full week today. There are so many wonderful friends and family here to visit and get reacquainted with. And some new faces as well. We are grateful to be home, and part of the church here. We miss the rest of the church in Gassville, but feel very loved and needed here.

The church has grown some. We have a new sister in Christ, Marleni. She lives just up the road, is about 35 years old, and participates quite a bit in the class discussion. You can tell by her responses that she is hungry for understanding of God's will. We look forward to getting to know her better. Another new addition - Salinda has a new baby! Yes, that is the Salinda who already has 8 children. This one is a boy, 3 months old. He is gorgeous, and she is quite proud of him. This is the first boy with her husband of 4 years. This is a significant child for their marriage.

There have been some things that we were unaware of happen while we were in the States. We are still still trying to get it all straight in our heads and hearts. We have concerns for our future with Ezequias, and are praying fervently for God's guidance as we put together the pieces from the last 6 months. We beg you for your prayers concerning this. If you would just pray for God's will in our lives, we know He will guide us through this difficult and uncomfortable time.

Of course, all of the girls first question for me was " and Hannah? When is she coming?" I assured them all that she will be here in June. My almost grand-daughter has grown so much! she is now 7 months old, beautiful, and spoiled. We are told that all children should be spoiled until they begin school, then they will begin to change. Not sure if that is best, but they certainly follow that rule! Anna Valery is no exception! I will do my best to follow this rule for her, at least for this 6 month period!

Our washing machine had to be replaced. the motor had been burnt up. We went shopping yesterday and actually went with an automatic - fully automatic. We don't have to change over for the spin, or re-enter the water for rinse. Quite uptown! Many from the group last year will appreciate this. The biggest draw for us was that it is a Frigidaire; a name we know. All the others were either Japanese or Chinese, as was our last one. We will see how it goes. It certainly will be faster!

We also bought our new pickup yesterday. We received word that both of the old cars are being sold on Friday (We go to sign them over on Friday). As is the Nelson custom - we bought high and sold low. Actually we got a pretty good deal on the truck. It is a 2006 Mitsubichi 4 door, 4x4 in very good condition. It's only owner is a veterinarian for a single farm near David. He had the truck maintained at the dealership, so it is really clean running. We paid $14,700. How did we do? The Niva we bought for $1200 and sold for $850. It was a piece of junk, and we are glad to be rid of it at any price. the Nissan headgasket blew just before we headed home. Javier was able to get it going again but said if it happened again the motor would need to be replaced. it did, and he did a patch job again. So, we bought it for $3000 and sold it for $1000. Actually we sold the Nissan to Javier, our brother in Christ, and mechanic. If he can fix it and sell it for more, the church will benefit, as he is one of their best supporters. he supplies the bus, the gas for the bus, as well as his time to get everyone to the building (in David) on Sundays.

We are cleaning and repairing the house. Dany is a great help. She continues to work for us part time. She is paid $5 per day, and usually works 5 hours a day. We are blessed to have her help, and to be able to help her. This keeps her family fed. Two of her children are in our Beka program.

Though we have encountered problems, we are ever grateful to God for bringing us here, and for allowing us to help these people know and understand God's love and plan for them. We are very blessed.

May God bless you richly,
Joy & Lynn

Our second year in Panama begins!

We are on our way back to our home in Volcan, Panama. It seems like years ago that we left, yet seems like we just got back to our home here in Yellville. With the exception of our vacation, we have not posted any news since we returned to the States. That is not to say that nothing has happened in our ministry in that time, just that we have been living and not writing about it.

We will begin with the work in Volcan. Ezequias has been hard at work with continued Bible studies, regular weekly meetings and lots of youth activities. Especially throughout the school vacation – December through March – when he took the youth group to summer camp in Herrera. Nine of our youth went on the trip and all said it was a life-changing experience.

There are between 20 and 25 members attending weekly meetings at the house. There are also anywhere from 50 to 75 kids spending Sunday afternoons playing futball at the house. Ezequias is coordinating that program.

Ez’s mom came to visit him last fall and again in March. His nephew came and spent a week with him in March as well. He spent December and January quite ill, and lame. He contracted a fungus from an open blister on his foot that spread and caused a great deal of pain, as well as expense. He literally could not walk for several weeks. One of our young members, Jairo (12years old) came and stayed with him, preparing meals, cleaning and nursing him back to health. Jairo is an exceptional young man.

About two weeks after he finished his last injection for the foot fungus he was out playing futball with the kids and twisted his other foot badly and was back on crutches again for a few weeks. At this moment, thank God, he is up and healthy.

In March, as the students prepared to go back to school, we were able to help 8 of them who might not have been able to, purchase uniforms and materials so that they could attend classes. Ezequias helped with the shopping as well. In addition, he helped 2 other young men financially – one so that he could go to a local private school, where he could learn a trade along with his regular schoolwork, and the other so that he might better prepare for University. He did this with the meager funds that we provide him for living expenses. Both young men are faithful members of the church at El Valle, and are in High school. The 8 students we are assisting are in both high school and elementary. Generous individuals from local stateside congregations sponsor them each independently. Thanks!

One further note from the El Valle front; our Dalmatian, Saly, had three pups last December. Ez took one, named him King, and now he rules the house! He is adorable! Saly has been staying with friends, and will come home when we get home.


Stateside news:

We returned home last October to find my dad in poor health. Not sure what exactly started it all, but it looks as though he had a stomach virus that weakened him so that he became seriously ill. He has emphysema, so any small sickness can become life-threatening. We spent several weeks helping him out as he slowly recovered, and are very grateful to God for allowing us to be here at that time. I am always amazed how God always has a plan- a good plan that works, and am always thrilled when I figure that out before I start questioning Him too deeply. The obvious question is why I don’t just remember it from the last time His plan was better than mine. I am foolish. That’s the only answer.

In November we had the opportunity to go with several members of the church to Tulsa, Oklahoma and help out Contact Church. This is the wonderful inner-city ministry that Todd Box works with. We were all blessed far beyond the little bit of work that we were able to do for them. The work there is producing opportunities for spiritual growth and offering second and third chances to lost souls seeking a Savior. What a wonderful ministry, and we commend Todd and the others working there. God bless you all!

We hurried through the Holidays. Ben struggled with classes the whole semester and with life in general. He is at times overcome with depression, and, as with Lynn, it rules over every aspect of life. The Fall semester was ruled by depression for Ben. He did …very poorly. This semester, however, he is doing better. He smiles, and thus so do we. We are very grateful to God for His faithfulness. I am reminded of His promise in 1 Corinthians; He is faithful and will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, but will provide a way of escape for us. He has proven himself too many times in my life for me to doubt. My prayer is that Ben, and others who struggle with similar problems will grow to depend on this promise as well.

Just as I began to wonder why God was keeping us in Arkansas so long, tragedy struck our church community. A tornado came through on February 5th and destroyed the small town of Gassville. Over 130 homes were damaged or destroyed. Riverside began to feed those displaced, without electricity or heat. We delivered meals to homes and shells of homes as they tried to find the pieces of their lives among the rubble. We handed out checks to any who needed money, and removed debris as the community began to dig out. This work kept Lynn and I busy for over a month. We were very grateful that we had the time and abilities to serve. The devastation is still quite obvious, but people are getting back to a more normal existence, or maybe they have just adapted.

Lynn and I were able to work for the 5 weeks full time, and then we headed off for our first vacation in 18 years. As a retirement gift for Lynn, and an anniversary gift for us both we spent 2 weeks in Europe traveling by train through 14 countries. It was wonderful. The trip was not a relaxing one, with several connections to be made daily, but it was refreshing and absolutely beautiful. We enjoyed the whole trip immensely, and are grateful that we were able to do it once in our lifetime.

We are anxious to return home and see everyone there. It seems far more difficult for me to leave this time. I think my Dad’s illness, and seeing Lynn’s mom grow a bit older have made me consider that we will not always have them to come home to, and that is not easy. I know that we are doing what God has planned for us. He blesses us daily, to be sure. I know that both God and Lynn and Joy want these wonderful people to know God’s love, and His Son. I know that the work, though difficult, is doing good for the people here, and I know that I love them dearly as well. So, we return to many we love praying that those we leave behind understand God’s call for us, and know we love them as well.

Enough for now. We are headed back to the work! Please pray for God to be glorified through us.

All because of Jesus,
Lynn & Joy

My Computer's name is 'Two Homes Now"

We are sitting in the airport waiting to return to Riverside and home. We have been asked many times,”Where is home now?”. The answer is that we have two homes and we love them both. I can not say that the little orange house in Volcan isn’t home. Truly, home is where your heart is, and our hearts are torn daily. There are so many that we love in Arkansas, and we miss them terribly when we are here in Panama, but it was surely difficult to leave home yesterday; saying goodbye for a long 6 months. I remember crying when we left Lynn’s mom 6 months ago, thinking I could not bear the time away from her so recently after losing her husband, James. Now, here we sit waiting for our flight to Houston, and I can not wait to see her again, but I wonder that I can bear being away from Kathy, Anna Valery, Yaritz, and Ezequias for even a month.

I realize the answer, of course, lies completely in God’s hands. He placed in our hearts a love for the people of Panama years ago, and long before that, love for our family in the States, both our blood family and our Riverside family. He has it all figured out. I will tell you that now, in this moment, but don’t think I haven’t fussed at Him about it. Why would He do this to me? Knowing how I love so completely, and lose my heart so fully, why would He purposely tear my heart in two? Truth be told, Lynn is just like me, he just puts on a braver, he-man face for the public. So, yes, we have wondered, but really we know. Jesus told us that he would require sacrifice, that we would suffer for his name. He didn’t lie. (Of course, He never lies)

I think sometimes that I paint too rosy of a picture for you. I want you to see the progress, and the good things that God is doing here. That is very important, but then I think you need to understand that it is not all wonderful, picture perfect. I am not talking about the worms in the water. That is an inconvenience. I wonder if you need to know that sometimes Lynn and I fight. That sometimes I do stupid stuff that causes significant problems. That at times, I unintentionally offend with my ignorance of culture. Beyond my mistakes, my sins, other things go wrong. We place faith in someone who turns out to be very untrustworthy. We are disappointed in Ez’s immaturity at times, stuff like that. Some things are more important than others, but all are problems, all opportunities for us to fail, in God’s eyes, and in yours. I really don’t want you thinking we are perfect. Those of you who know us well don’t have any doubts about that! (Please Ben and Josh, do not respond to this part of the blog!) We strive to paint a picture that shows you the successes of this work, and there are many. I just wonder if you can see the whole picture. God is definitely VERY GOOD! He is doing marvelous things in the hearts of these people, and in our hearts. We are very grateful for His love and guidance. We know that He has complete control, if we just stay out of His way!

Calling our flight, will write more later.

Batteries died, so now we are home, safe and sound.

When the team left last June, they left money with us and asked us to buy something special for Dany, who had taken care of the team all week. We bought her a pressure cooker, but had money left to spend. We could not come up with a good idea, so asked her daughter, Yesenia to try to think of something. Two weeks before we were scheduled to come home she finally did. She said her mom had wanted a floor for her house for over a year. The house has dirt floors, and mud is a big problem. So, we looked into prices of cement and sand, but realized we could not just surprise her with a new floor. She would need to get moved out while it was being laid, and so we invited her over and told her what we wanted to do. She was shocked, and then she cried. She said that would be wonderful. Yemi, the youngest had been having constant colds and she believed that the floor would help her with that a lot. Well, the floor went in the Sunday before we left. They had to stay off it until the day after we left, but were staying in a lean-to at the neighbors. Dany is thrilled. She is such a good woman. Thanks Riverside in Panama 07 team!!! Once again we get the hugs and thanks for your gifts!

Our first meeting without the David congregation went very well. We had 21 people present, a good lesson, a 30-minute class, just discussing one Bible passage, and we shared a meal together. We had no idea what to expect, but were very pleased with the turnout, and the participation. Ez did a great job of including everyone in the lesson and the class. We are really happy with his heart and attitude toward the church and Christ. He is a fine teacher, with a great love of the Lord. We are grateful that God sent him to Riverside.

2000 more things to share, but my emotions are tumultuous at best right now. I will close by asking God’s richest blessings on you, our dear friends.

All because of Jesus!

joy

Friendship Evangelism

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Lynn's Thoughts...

My first encounter with “Friendship Evangelism” was with Brother Bill Jordan at Riverside. Joy and I believed that this was the course we wanted to pursue in Panama.

I’m reading a book that Joy had purchased for one of her “Masters of Ministries” courses – “Christ Plays In Ten Thousand Places” by Eugene H. Peterson, a Presbyterian minister. The following are some quotes from Mr. Peterson’s book. I believe these principles are just as valid in Yellville, Mountain Home and Gassville as Volcan.

It is striking how much of Jesus’ life is told in settings defined by meals. Early on people noticed how frequently Jesus was seen at meals with people who were outsiders, men and women not considered acceptable in religious circles. Our term would probably be “the unsaved.” He got a reputation for eating and drinking outside conventional settings and for not being very particular with whom he ate: “Look a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Luke 7:34)

The frequency of hospitality references in the Epistles – Acts 4:32-35; Romans 16:23; Hebrews 13:1-3; 1 Peter 4:9; 1 John 3: 16-18; 3 John 5-8 –shows how thoroughly the meal became a focal practice in the early church for participating in Jesus’ work of salvation. The final citation 3 John 5-8, is particularly instructive as it contrasts two church leaders, Gaius and Diotrephes, on the grounds of their practice of hospitality. Gaius was a hospitable man, sacrificial and generous in his hospitality to strangers, welcoming those who showed up as “fellow workers in the truth” (RSV). Diotrephes, by contrast, was full of himself, arrogantly refusing hospitality.

The most frequent North American way of giving witness to the salvation that Christ accomplished on the cross (which is to say, evangelism) is verbal.

It is the devil’s own work to detach the language of salvation from the setting of salvation, to separate words from personal relationships, to make salvation a “cause” or a “project” that can be conducted as efficiently and impersonally as possible. But the gospel will not permit it. In the story of our salvation, we find the Architect of our salvation going about his salvation work in the thick textures of place and person, and to a surprising extent, in the settings of a meal.

First Day

Sunday October 7, 2007

Lynn's thoughts...

When I write about the people and their ways, I’m not ‘making fun’ but merely to show you differences in culture, specifically Panama. I really admire some of the simplistic ways and count them as superior. For example, we were walking down the main drag this last week and spotted a water department maintenance crew. It consisted of two men on a motorcycle carrying a shovel and a 2 gallon bucket filled with multiple sizes of PVC pipe.

Joy failed to pay our water bill on time last month so we were assessed a late fee of 43 cents. The bill was still less than five dollars, but we do still have the grubworm problem.

Our neighbor on one side got a haircut Friday night. The barber was a young fellow on a bicycle carrying a small bag. He came to the neighbors’ house and did the job on the front porch. I didn’t know you could do it that way. I went to a shop downtown and paid $2.

Killed a snake this week in our front yard, about 20 feet from our front door. Sally, our Dalmatian dog, had it cornered in the flowerbed. Got several opinions from neighbors. All agreed that it was highly poisonous, one of the 10 poisonous kinds in Panama. This is the second one of these we have killed in the yard. The upside is that these little snakes are about 16-18 inches long with tiny mouths that make it difficult for them to bite.

Still no car. It’s been over 2 weeks now. Walking to town tends to make one thoughtfully consider one’s legitimate needs. Taxis are a way of life here since the vast majority of people do not own vehicles. We had to take a taxi to Concepcion, about 40 minutes away, last week to buy and haul a pressure tank and jet valve for our water system plus a baptistery for the church. The baptistery is a 500 liter plastic water tank that we set on top of the septic tank in the back yard and fill with a hose. Back to the taxi. That trip cost $22.50 and took over 2 hours. Friday we had another 2 hour taxi trip to haul 65 chairs, pick up veggies at the co-op and then go grocery shopping. That trip cost $17. Joy probably won’t tell you about the chairs, so I will. We had previously bought 40 chairs for the church, but since we expected over a hundred at our first service we started to try to find rental chairs. The only place here in Volcan that we found was a funeral home. We paid $19.70 to rent 65 fiberglass stackables. We have to take them back tomorrow. There’s another taxi trip. In case you wondered what kind of taxi hauled all this stuff, a lot are 4 door pickups. That’s what we use. We are on a first name basis with Javier now.

These are my thoughts for now, knowing Joy will tell you all about today.

Joy's thoughts...

Wow! What a day! What a weekend! We want to tell you all about it, but first we want to express our sincere love and condolences to Sister Kim and all the family of Rick Bell. He was a good man while on this earth, and we are certain he is at peace, pain free, and totally content at the feet of our Savior now. Praise God! The tough part now begins for Kim. We are praying daily, several times a day for you, Sister. Hang tough, and cry when you need to. Remember that your Riverside family is just a phone call away. That isn’t just an empty, feel-good thing with us at Riverside. It is a reality. Use us!

I woke up praying for our first meeting day, and was worrying (yes, I know that is not a good thing) about all the little things that needed to be done when I read the news from Kim. Reality check! Let’s put things in perspective here. It really did not matter if the tang had enough water added, or whether we had to borrow pailas from the neighbors to cook the meal, what matters most is the people who get to understand God just a little better before their opportunity passes. So, even in death, Rick impacted my thinking, and thus my attitude with the precious folks who came to worship God today. Thanks Rick!

Our day actually began yesterday at about 9 AM. That is when 4 sisters from the David congregation and 1 brother arrived to begin preparing for the noon meal for today. The ladies, along with Yaritza and me peeled, sliced and cooked 50 pounds of potatoes, 15 pounds of carrots, 22 onions (Yaritza and I counted and cried over every stinking one!), 8 heads of celery, 12 heads of cabbage, and several other veggies, but I think you get the picture. We had all the prep work done at 10 pm last night. Lynn constructed a 50 x 26’ lean-to on the side of the house to protect from rain or sun. After he finished that little job (in the rain) he deboned 35 pounds of chicken breasts before collapsing into his bed at 10:30. (That’s my man!) Okay, so all but two of these helpers spent the night in bunks. The younger ones stayed up till who knows how late watching a movie on the computer. At 10:45 I was snoring I am sure.

Today began at 6 am. Coffee and crema and we were on our way again. Cooking began at 7 when 2 carloads of ladies from David showed up to prepare the meal. Everything is kind of a blur between then and when the bus arrived. We had sufficient food for 125 people and sufficient pans to cook for about 50. It was interesting, but because of the note from Kim, it was all just little stuff to take care of and forget. I did.

The bus – a school bus that one of our dear brothers, Javier, drives through David picking up any who need a ride to church on Sundays. It is a 66 passenger that came up the mountain this morning with more than full capacity. The entirety of our sister congregation was here to offer support and congratulations for our first day. It was a sight to behold as they piled out of the bus! Just after they arrived our first visitors arrived. I should say that we had several from Volcan already here. About 7 youth have helped all week door knocking and whatever needed done. They are not considered visitors, but the first regulars for our little church.

When the singing first began I was a little disappointed, I must admit. There were a few, maybe 10 or so from the community. I had expected, hoped for more. But it was as if the singing was the first bell, and before the lesson began in earnest there were over 40 of our Volcan neighbors here. If many more would have come we would not have had food for them all.

We sang and sang. I bet there were more than 15 songs. Is that ok? I mean, are we good with breaking the 2 songs/ prayer/ 1 song/ Lord’s Supper/ Sermon… thing? Must be - I learned that at Riverside!!! It was great! I will be the first to tell you that most of our youth can not hold a tune in a HUGE bucket! But they do sing with gusto! And they certainly make a joyful noise. (I have had reason to stop and ponder that verse – must it be joyful to others who hear it as well?) Just kidding! They sound like angels to me!

Brother Ponce, who has been here every day this past week evangelizing and inviting folks to come today, spoke first about the first church, the purpose of the church, and whose church it was. He was not exactly brief : ) but we did not expect him to be. After that we sang a bit more, then Ez got up to preach/ teach. That was my cue to leave with all the kiddos.

Ez mentioned to me a few days ago that he thought the children needed to have a class of some kind because they would get tired of sitting for the lesson. I told him to make the lesson brief. He just laughed, so I got together an introduction to Jesus to go along with why we had a church here. I had over 40 kids in the class. We colored and discussed some of the amazing things that Jesus did. I was amazed at how little they knew of his life, so was even more excited to share. I spoke in Spanish for a good part of the time, and used Urian to translate the rest. I enjoyed it immensely and was glad that Ez insisted on it. The kids from Volcan each left a picture here for me to bring home next week to the kids who have been paying for their lunches.

Afterward Ez introduced Lynn and I before we broke for lunch. Lynn talked up a blue streak and I just smiled and said welcome. If you believe that, you really don’t know us very well! Actually I just said that we were grateful to God for the opportunity to serve them, and that we appreciated the David folks coming up. Lynn just smiled. Ez told them that he would ask Lynn to speak but Lynn did not like to speak – in Spanish or English. Those who knew Lynn all laughed. He just smiled bigger.

The lunch went well. We had great food, and plenty of it. I really would like to incorporate a meal every Sunday here. It is quite normal here to share a meal at noontime, so it will not be a big hurtle. The thing I did not get across today was that everyone should bring something. Pot luck is different here. At David everyone brings the same thing ( Arroz con Pollo for example) So, we will work on that! At any rate the food was delicious, and most folks came back for seconds and thirds.

The really big news of the day is that we had 2 baptisms. I mentioned earlier that Yaritza wanted to be baptized, and she was. I am eager to help her begin this new stage in her life. Can you remember how awesome it was when you first began to walk with God? She is ready! The other was Dania, a 14 year old from David. She went with us to the waterfall before, and has been attending in David for some time. Her mother and aunts were on hand for the big day, and both were submersed and brought up into a new life, new creatures in Christ!

Salinda and most of her family came. It was the first time I had met her husband. He seems like an ok guy. The oldest daughter with the baby did not come. It was rainy and neither needed to be out in the weather. The daughter is very weak. WE believe she is quite undernourished, and are looking at ways to help with that on a more long term basis. Today when plates of food were passed out Salinda took one plate for herself and one for her husband. She felt her family was too large to each get a plate, so they were sharing. When Ez realized this he sent her in to get a plate for each child. Everyone else had already had seconds and sometimes thirds. I filled their plates extra high, and gave her two extra plates for her and her husband. I feel so strongly that I want to just take them in and give them all that we have, but I know that is not best for them, for us, or for others. Please pray for us that we do the right thing with this humble family. Ez took the beds over to her house yesterday, and then later returned again with sheets and blankets. She cried when she saw the beds. Ez said she made him cry too. We mustn’t forget how fortunate we are; how much we have, and how little others have.

Back to today – neighbors stayed to help us clean up. Dani was here for over an hour. Ok, a little tangent again; we are putting a concrete floor in her house tomorrow. The money many of you left for a gift for her is being used, ultimately, to get her feet off the dirt floor! This was Yessenia’s idea. I had asked her for some time what her mom might like as a gift. WE gave her a pressure cooker, and have been taking veggies every week, but wanted to do something bigger. Now we are doing it. She is elated! She was just here again to confirm that the workers would start in the morning if there is not rain. You should see her face! She is like a child with a favorite toy. You guys did good!

Well, the house finally emptied around 4:30 totally. Ez went to bed for awhile, Lynn dozed in his chair, and I began writing to you! Now it is after 7 and I am ready for my bed! Other neighbors have come and gone – you remember the neighbor who took us to get pineapples a few months ago? He came by with a fresh batch, apologizing because he missed church. He had to work on his farm down below. He said he will be here next week, Lord willing!

Can you hear it? My bed is calling out to me! Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for this work in progress. We believe that God has big plans for this church, but we constantly need His guidance to get it done!

More news later, and see you all soon!

All because of Jesus!

Lynn y Joy