Thomasville Team Wrap Up

The week is over and our time in Panama is done. We have experienced so many emotions this week because God has shown up in some big ways. Our team had the privilege of working closely with a fantastic team of missionaries who are passionate about leading people to the Lord. During the week we were able to play and love on children who were thankful for our attention because they live without lots of the things that our American children take for granted. We were able to go into a school and teach about the 10 Commandments and love of God. That certainly doesn't happen in public schools in America. We were able to witness walls and strongholds come down as Baptist ministers from all over Panama City met with the Urban Panama team to discuss God's love and how they must work together to spread that message. God allowed us to lay hands on two young men who surrendered to the call of missions. What was most amazing about this event was that we were able to worship and sing the same song, "Open the Eyes Of My Heart Lord," while singing it in three different languages. Although we couldn't understand what the other Panamanians were singing, God heard a beautiful choir of voices lifting their praises to Him. The stories of God's goodness could continue, but I simply want to end by saying that God is real. God is good. God is faithful, and God is mine. I hope He's yours too.

Thanks for praying for us. Your prayers helped us to plant seeds all over Panama City.

Leigh

Final Day in Panama

Today we met with the members of the UP Team and some Panamanian translators to go into a small public school in a neighborhood called San Fransisco. According to Panamanian law, Religion has to be taught in the public schools. The Lord opened a door for the UP Team to teach the Gospel to over 200 elementary school children. The principal of the school welcomed us in to spend the morning teaching the 10 commandments and singing about Jesus. We were so blessed to be part of the day! ~ Debby


From Amy~
It is difficult to express the bridge built tonight between the Urban Panama team and the local Baptist pastors in Panama. In fact, I believe it will be impossible this side of heaven to glimpse just where or how far it will extend in reaching others for Christ. A banquet was held tonight in appreciation for those pastors and their wives to encourage them in their ministry, introduce them to each other, and encourage a working relationship which promotes a unified effort in reaching Panama for Christ. The pastors and their wives were SO APPRECIATIVE. Joy radiated their faces as they expressed their desire to work together to plant more churches in this city of 1.2 million people.

Serving

How do I put into words the things of today? God already did Matthew 20:28 - "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." This is our heart and this is why we came. Today was absolutely indescribable. Our plans changed today due to unforeseen events, but our resolve was quick. We were able to go to a community center and play with children and perform some construction. It is so sweet to serve. The afternoon was full, both spiritually and time wise. We attended one of the most eloquent services we've all ever experienced. We laid hands on two brothers in Christ, named Ariel and Wika, who are leaving for the mission field on Friday. These men have received training from Tim, Cavin and Derek through a Church Planting program that they created. Last Tuesday Ariel decided to quit his job and go into the mission field. He will be leaving his family on Friday to go with Wika to Bocas Del Toro and then into a remote jungle for two months. The church they attend have 10-15 members. They are sending two of their own. Fantastic percentages!!

God is good and again isn't it GOOD TO SERVE! - Steven H

Ariel and Wika, 2 new missionaries

Tuesday in Santa Fe

We had a full day in the hot Panama sun! A few weeks ago God opened the doors for us to work in an area here called Santa Fe. It is a family community with a large community center and several parks in the area. This morning, we prayer walked the area and were able to have some great conversations with some of the local families. The people were so friendly and we can see so much potential for house churches in this area. This afternoon we handed out fliers for an upcoming movie night we will host in the community in a few weeks. It was a very productive day.
The Thomasville team has 3 young men who have joined their parents to minister to the people of Panama this week. Caleb, Ben and Brady have been such assets to the team. The have been such troopers and worked so hard!

We asked each of them to share their favorite part about the day. Here are their thoughts. :)

"I really liked how people were so friendly when we talked to them. No one was ever rude to us. They always wanted to hear what we had to say. I also liked getting pulled over by the police." (that is a whole other story!) Brady-8th grade

"We got to talk to 4 girls who were my age in the park. They had lots of fun having their pictures taken and trying to say English words." Ben-7th grade

"I liked prayer walking the town and the school. We prayed that when the school is finished being built, the missionaries here would be able to go there and talk about Jesus with the kids." Caleb-5th grade

The Living Water

Hola!! Today was our first day on the mission field in Panama. We started the day at the Louderback house for a meeting with the Urban Team (Tim, Tina, Cavin, Charlotte, Audrey and Derek). We learned a lot of interesting information about Panama City. Out of the 1.2 million people who live in the city, only about 2% are Evangelicals. With this in mind, we all went to Ancon Hill to pray over the city of Panama. We are really praying for God to use us to do some amazing things this week. After praying over the city, we went to Omar Park to give out water to people. On the bottles we had labels that explained how Jesus is the Living Water. We had great conversations with lots of Panamanians. Hopefully lots of seeds were planted today. Tomorrow is another great day full of many mission opportunities. Please pray for our team. We love all of you and have already felt your prayers. ~ Leigh

FBC Thomasville Georgia Visits Panama!!!

We are getting ready to head to the airport to pick up a group of friendly faces! Our home church, FBC Thomasville, Georgia, is sending a mission team to work with us for the week. We are BEYOND EXCITED! We are not only excited about seeing our friends and getting to serve with them this week in beautiful Panama, but about what God is going to do through our work. We are going to update the blog throughout the week, so be sure and check back in. Please pray for the Urban Panama (UP) Team this week along with our Georgia friends:

Leigh
Ben
Steve
Amy
Caleb
Brady
Lori
Stephen
and Debbie