A few hours in Miami

As I write this, I am sitting in a corner of the Miami airport catching up on my world and sipping Starbucks.  Ahhh, life is good.  Meanwhile, my hubby is out and about exploring Miami.  Further proof that indeed, opposites attract. :)

Tim and I are headed to Georgia to share in a mission conference with our home church.  We are super excited to share with these sweet people all that God has been doing in Panama.  They have had a large part in our ministry and we are excited to be with them for a few days.  We are not excited that our kids are back in Panama though.  It was not an option for them to be away from school right now so our friends have moved in to stay with them for a few days.  I hope that we are all still friends at the end.  Just kidding, surely my kids will be on their best behavior.  Right???

Miami is an interesting mix of English and Spanish.  I am pretty sure it is a 50/50 split.  Which is rather tiring to the brain I might add.

Off to get lost in a good book while I have time......

Back in the swing of things

After a month off of school, the kids returned this past week and we are back in the swing of normal life. We had an amazing holiday season.  We were able to travel, rest and just enjoy each other.  Although, I have to say that I am pretty happy to be back in some kind of routine. 

In January our job here took a shift.  Our primary job is to connect US churches to church planters and Panamanian churches in a partnership so that they can plant more churches and tell more people about the saving grace of Jesus.  There is lots more to it than that, but you get the idea. :)  

Until now, all of our work has been done in the city.  So, we have lots of rural Panama to explore and get to know.  To that end, Tim headed out for a few days to meet and explore with a couple of other guys. 

 

I have been holding down the fort and running the taxi service at home.  My kids and their social lives sure do keep me busy. 

Current Life of the Louderback's

Tim has been BUSY keeping up with lots of exciting things God is doing here in Panama! The team has just wrapped up two weekly church planting classes and are preparing to start another one in a new area of the city in a few weeks. We are constantly amazed at how God is opening doors to train Panamanian church planters and start house churches. Tim also enjoys discipling several of the guys who have graduated from the class and are now working in their own areas. In his free time he is taking a seminary class and of course still is in the running for Dad of the century!

Trinity has settled into life as a high school student. She is enjoying singing in weekly chapel at her school as well as her youth praise team. She is a great student and spends lots of time hitting the books. We are navigating our way through the scary teenage years and all in all, I think we are fairing pretty well. :) She is an amazing Godly young woman and we could not be more proud of her.

Noah is enjoying being top dog in the middle school this year. 8th grade has it's privileges you know. Currently, he is a basketball fanatic and spends every waking moment possible with a basketball in his hands. He is enjoying playing on his school team and God has given him the opportunity to have some really great coaches who teach him life lessons as well as basketball techniques. Noah seems to be following in his Dad's footsteps and does not meet a stranger! He is the life of the party and only slows down to sleep.

Sweet Gracie Lynn is just as happy and carefree as ever. To her delight she is on the cheerleading squad at school this semester. She loves school and does great. She is so creative in so many ways and really loves art class this year. She is also leaning lots about Latin American history so she always has stories to teach the rest of us. She is such an amazing big sister to Eden. They have the sweetest sister bond.

Speaking of Eden, she is enjoying being a first grader. She is learning so much and loves to read to us each night. She is still quiet at school but has a sweet group of friends that she enjoys being with each day. Eden asked if she could take violin lessons this year so we found a teacher and she LOVES it. She practices each day and the teacher tells us every week how amazed she is at her progress. She looks so sweet and dainty holding her little violin.

Finally, as you can tell Mom stays pretty busy keeping up with this crazy crew! I really do love being a wife and Mom to my family. I enjoy working alongside Tim with our church planters and also enjoy doing some research for the IMB on different church planting movements in Urban cities in Latin America. I have also been able to attend a Women's Bible study in recent weeks that has been such a blessing to me. It is an eclectic group of women from so many different walks of life. In fact, last week I looked around in the area I was sitting and there was a young lady with a Chinese Bible and on the other side of me was a friend with a Spanish Bible. What a beautiful picture of God working in all the Nations!

As you can tell, the Louderback's are doing great and are living large as my husband likes to say down here in Panama. We cannot thank you enough for your prayers! Keep them coming!

Summer Wrap Up

As we finish up the Summer, and look back upon the eight mission teams from the States that we have enjoyed working alongside the past two months, we are thankful and very blessed to be a part of what God is doing in this beautiful city on the Canal!  

We currently have national church planters with new works going on in 10 focus areas of the city, and 3 more areas that we will be starting new works in over the next few weeks! 

All of our work is done inside the city limits, but there are more than 1.2 million people living within it, so it is a God sized task for sure! God gave our team a vision for creating the “Church Planting Institute” a year ago. This is a class where we teach, train and disciple Panamanian’s who desire to plant churches and see lost people come to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Thus far, we have 15 graduates, with 32 more graduating in September!

 Please join us in praying for the specific areas that we are working in:

Las Acacias, Los Rosios, Boca la Caja, San Francisco, Villa Graciella, Chanis, Curundu, Bella Vista, Bethania, and Santa Fe. 

The map above is a picture of Panama City and the areas that Panamanian church planters are starting work. What an exciting time to live and work in Panama! 

A quick update

Just a quick note to remind you to jump on over to the team blog this week to hear all about the amazing Team Thomasville! God has been doing some exciting things!  Check it out at Urban Panama Team Blog

Team Thomasville

I will be updating the Urban Panama Blog this week with stories of how God uses the team from FBC Thomasville to share Jesus with Panama.  Hop on over and take a peek. 

Blogging this week over at the team blog

Our home church is sending a group of amazing teens to work with us this week!  We are so looking forward to our time with them.  We will be posting about what God is doing each day over at the 
Urban Panama Team Blog.  So, come on over and see how you can pray for the team as they serve each day.

Prince Avenue Christian School

I want to send a huge shout out to our new friends at Prince Avenue Christian School in Georgia.  Each year, the Senior class of Prince Avenue takes a Senior trip to minister overseas.  This year, it was our privilege to host them in Panama. The class divided into two groups, so we got to hang with them for 2 different weeks.  These kids arrived in Panama and hit the ground running!  They worked with our local church planters in communities where we are currently ministering and church planting.  They prayed, mapped out areas, performed dramas and skits and most importantly, showed the love of Jesus to the folks they came in contact with.  

Their sweet spirits were such an encouragement to us.  We really enjoyed getting to know them!  We are so thankful for their willingness to come and serve with us! 

                  

Church Planting Institute Graduation

One of our main goals here in Panama is to start Bible studies and new churches in areas of the city that are unreached. God has allowed us, the Urban Panama Team, to do that in a neat way. Rather than just us do the work, we have had the chance to teach Panamanians about church planting and do the work alongside them. For the past 6 months we have had a class of passionate Panamanian Christians who have been training to church plant in an area of the city that they have chosen to work in. Having completed the training, we had a graduation celebration to honor them.  It was a special day for our team, the students and their families. 

                                       Graduates 

We began a new class this past week and had 23 new excited Panamanians show up to learn how to start churches! We had planned on 5 to 10 folks showing up. God has blown our expectations out of the water!  

Peeks into Panama:Medical Fair

Peeks into Panama: Medical Fair

Recently, we were able to participate in a medical fair in an area we have been working called Santa Fe.  The day was a success on so many levels! Over 250 people were able to receive medical attention and medicine free of charge. Those same families had the chance to hear about how much God loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.  This picture is a group of children gathered to hear about the love of Jesus.  Precious faces and hearts!

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

Thanks to our new Oklahoma City friends!!!

Tim with some new friends in one of our ministry areas.

The Urban Panama Team has officially hosted and lived through our first mission team! In reality those wonderful folks from Capital City Baptist Association in Oklahoma City survived us! :) The team was beyond gracious and ever so flexible! We had an amazing time getting to know them and most importantly, lots of work was done for the Lord! We sent them home good and tired. In the time they were here, they canvased a large area prayer walking, completed several construction projects and we were able to provide an amazing family block party in an area of Panama City we are working in. With their help, the UP Team saw work completed that would have taken months to do alone.

Thanks to all of our new Oklahoma City friends, you blessed us with your time and sweet spirits.

The Best Pizza in Costa Rica!

Shortly after moving to Costa Rica, we found an amazing pizza restaurant close to our home. We all agreed that it was the best pizza we had every eaten! So, we began going to Paulista's Pizza every Sunday after church. We told all of of friends about it too. The owner and the employees of Paulista's soon became friends. We began hanging out with them outside of the restaurant. They helped us with language and culture.
Each time we went to Paulista's we ordered the same thing. However, the pizza that Tim wanted was not on the menu. So, they made a special pizza for him and joked about naming it the Timoteo pizza. Timoteo is the Spanish word for Timothy.
Christmas eve we went to eat at our favorite pizza place. The owner and the employees presented Tim with a gift. It was a new menu for the upcoming year. On the new menu was a new pizza. The TIMOTEO pizza! As you can imagine, Tim was very excited as well as honored.
So, come down to Costa Rica and enjoy some of the best pizza in the world with us!

Two graduates and a hospital patient

Let's talk about the good news first. Tim and I have officially graduated from language school! Amazing! After a year of full time school and homework, we have now completed our language requirements. It feels so good to look back at how far we have come. God has been so faithful to equip us for what He has called us to do. We can speak in Spanish! Wow, who would have thought!

So, now the more challenging news. Several weeks ago, I had a bone biopsy to remove some cysts that were found in the lower part of my leg. The surgery seemed simple enough. However, a few days after the surgery it became apparent that something was not right with my leg. I spent 6 nights in the hospital trying to get a handle on what was going on. At this point it has been determined that I have significant nerve damage. This is proving to be a challenging situation in many ways. Our new life consists of me going to physical therapy every day. Also, I have to use a wheelchair any time lots of walking is involved. Since we do not have a car and walk everywhere we go, the wheelchair is getting used frequently. The doctors feel that the damage is reversible. I am working really hard in therapy to do my part. We have been told that we have a long road ahead of us, so we are trying to take one day at a time. We appreciate your prayers so much!

I will end on a positive note. :) God has a way of making lemonade when you feel like you have been handed lemons! While I was in the hospital my mom was able to come to Costa Rica and spend time with me. It was so nice to have her here. She stayed with me at the hospital, and helped me get all set up at home once I was dismissed. It was a special treat to have this time with her. The timing of this situation could not be better. If it had to happen, this is the perfect time. Our schooling is complete and we have a few weeks off before we begin our ministry work. Truly, looking back at the past few weeks, I see God's hand in so many things. I am so thankful that none of this is a shock to Him! Daily I am trying to remember that He has a plan and a purpose for all of this.

A Different Kind of Christmas

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. This Christmas is going to be different than any other. This will be the first Christmas in my entire life that I have not been with my mother and brother. So as you might imagine, this Christmas is going to be difficult in many ways. However, I am determined to be proactive and make this Christmas special in different ways! So, let me share with you something our family is excited about this Christmas season.

This year, we are participating in Advent Conspiracy, a global challenge to return Christmas to it's original purpose. We're committed to worship fully, spend less, give more and love all this Christmas season in the hopes that we can help change the world by focusing less on the stuff of Christmas and more on the spirit of Christmas. We'll still celebrate in many of the same ways we always do, but we've also chosen, this month, to be more purposeful about using the blessings God has given us to make a practical and eternal difference in the lives of others. We'll be making personal "sacrifices" so that we can give to those who need and don't just want.

Take a look for yourself. I think you will be challenged.