Today was a work day to bless the church. We repainted CC Panama inside and out and worked on lots of other projects as well. Later in the afternoon we drove through thick Panama City traffic to attend Wednesday night service in Las Margaritas. Bert taught the message and then introduced us to his Missionary friend who now pastors the church. Praise God the expositional teaching of the Bible is spreading throughout Panama.
So the guys from the work team ended up spending the night in the jungle with the indigenous Embera tribe at “Zacchaeus’ house”. After breakfast Dr Moots was able to see another 70+ people and Bert was passing out prescription glasses. The other guys prayed over people after they received treatment. Tony finished helping the men from the tribe install the lighting and electrical in the new church building and they headed back to meet up with the rest of us in Piriati.
The majority of our group spent the day with the Kuna Tribe. They are a beautiful people committed to preserving their traditions and language. We walked through the village going door to door inviting all the children to meet us at the church for fun and games. God opened the door for us to share the gospel with the adults and we were able to lead some to Christ. We had an amazing turn out of over 100 kids! The Lord multiplied our snack supplies to accommodate everyone. We played soccer and did relays, and then met in the church for music and the Gospel. The kids were very well behaved and listened intently and we got to spend hours making balloons, painting their faces, and just showing them Gods love. Once the team all met back up together, we had dinner with the local christian pastor. then got back into our vans for the long trip home to La Chorrera. Pray for Panama!! Today after breakfast and prayer we loaded up the vans for an amazing day of ministry here in Panama. After a 2 hour drive the manual labor and medical team (Bert, Steve, Mike, Cesar, Mark, Tony, Carl, & the Dr) broke off from the rest of the group to head out into the jungle to serve the remote Embera tribe. On the way there they stopped at a check point and shared the gospel with 2 of the national police who both asked Jesus into their hearts. Then they rode in a solid wood canoe up river for about 20 minutes and were met with open arms and a lot of food. The guys helped lay out the blueprints for the electrical needs in the church building and Dr Moots and the team saw over 100 patients with various needs. The tribe put together a special church service at which the Dr and Cesar shared followed by spirit filled worship in the native language.
The rest of us drove to Piriati to meet others from the Embera Tribe. We had a good time sharing with the adults about Jesus and a few of us even got the tribes traditional tattoo markings on our arms (temporary of course). We went to the local school and invited the children to come meet us at the church for VBS. We played games, made balloon animals, had snack time, and an opportunity to share the gospel message with them(50+ kids). Rene and his wife Annabelle, along with their children Aaron and Moses, helped us translate. Many kids made professions of faith today!! I also wanted to bring attention to a young man named Otoniel from the Embera tribe who Bert originally mentored back in 2013.He is now being discipled by Rene and serves at CC Panama. He has been pivotal in the ministry to the tribes and God is using him greatly. We ended the day with a tribal dance presentation by the young ladies from the tribe. I know God used us today to show His love with these precious people and the seeds of faith were planted. Thank you again for all your prayers for our trip. We look forward to all that God has in store for us tomorrow. Today was great! We got to spend the day with our brothers and sisters in Christ. First we had church service at CC Panama. Rene lead worship with his wife and a few of the teens and Pastor Bert taught a study on living for Jesus and dying to ourselves. Pastor Cesar was ordained by Bert and Steve and will now be leading Calvary Chapel Panama. Alexa, Elle, and Tiana (our high school girls from Beachside) helped serve in the children's ministry and Carl and Mike fired up the BBQs to make lunch for the congregation. The fellowship was sweet and our conversations were a blessing. They have made us all feel so welcome and loved. Also, Bert lead a security guard to the lord in the parking lot where we stopped to eat dinner. God is really uniting us as a team and i know we are all eager to head out to the school tomorrow in Piriati to do a vacation bible school with the kids. Thanks for your prayers!
Today Pastor Bert and the guys from Calvary Chapel Panama (Rene, Cesar, Rolando) took us out to see the sights. After we stopped by the Panama Canal, we drove into Panama City and walked around the historic district for a while. God opened the door for us to share the gospel with some teens and Bert prayed with them to receive Christ! It was a beautiful hot day with a heavy rain/lightning storm during our lunch outing at the air conditioned mall food court.
Please PRAY for us: Boldness, Safety, Discernment, Servants hearts, We are all adjusting to the heat as best as possible and trying to stay hydrated. I'm really looking forward to spending time with our extended church family in La Chorrera. God Bless you all, and thank you for taking the time to stop by and stay updated. Pastor Jeff Departed form LAX and arrived in Panama. Tomorrow we will have time to meet the servants from the local church in La Chorrera and see the Panama Canal. Keep us in your prayers. God Bless!
Well, we are just about 1 week away from our Mission Trip to Panama! Please remember to keep the whole team in prayer as well as the local church in Panama that we will be working with. Ephesians 2:10 says "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them". God already has great opportunities set up for us to share His love through our words and our actions. All we need to do is step out in faith and shine as lights in this dark world. Matthew 5:16 says "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven".
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