So, it took a while to finally post...

¡Buenas!
It has already been a week since we arrived in the chaos that is la ciudad de Panama! It´s cliche to say, but I cannot believe it! This week has been interesting, as we have been waiting for the missionaries to return from the states so that we can officially start working. So, this week we have been getting settled, familiarizing ourselves with the area, practicing our Spanish, and reviewing our LST materials, as well as the book of Luke, which will serve as our text for our reading sessions.
Rachel and I boarded the plane in Cincinnati having very little idea about what was in store for us down south. We had the name of an American man who was soppussedly going to pick us up at the airport, but that was literally all the information that we had. We arrived, and were quickly greeted and adopted by Larry and Karen Jones, recent retirees who moved to Panama with their 17 year old daughter, Lauren. The room Rachel and are renting while we are here was not ready until Monday, so the Jones took us in for the weekend. They have been more than hospitable, feeding us, guiding us, housing us, and coming to our rescue. God has truly blessed us with this family and we are forever grateful for them and their presence here.
As most of you know, mission work has been my dream for many years now, ever since I took my first trip to Thailand in 2000. The idea of living abroad, in an environment very different from the the one in which I was raised and sharing the love of Christ with those who are desperate to discover Him has been on my heart for years now, and I cannot express how excited I am to finally get to dive in and explore what I have yearned to do for so long! If you don´t already know, Rachel and I are Let´s Start Talking interns. We will conduct English lessons using the book the of Luke for free to non-Christians who are wanting to improve thier already exisiting English skills. These lessons will not be in a classroom setting, but rather will be one-on-one reading times where we will be able to guide the conversation to meaningful topics, while discovering the reader´s level of faith, and hopefully, to plant seeds. It is a very nonaggressive approach. We will never argue, never tell someone they are wrong, simply share our lives with them and their´s with us, and point them towards the love of our Father that has sent us here.
LST is a great tool to help bring people into the church who might otherwise never come near. Although language lessons is not the mission work that I have always had in mind, I believe that God is going to mold me and shape me while I am here, and that this experience will prepare me for other ways to serve Him in the future. Most importantly, I pray that it will bring someone, anyone, to Christ.
Rachel and I are living with a non-Christian family. The mother, Noris, did some LST readings in the past, and speaks some English. She is a very hard worker, and has been very hospitable to us. We have already fallen in love with her and her 4 year old daughter, Noris Maria, and 4 month son, Ulissis (like his dad!). This morning Noris told us that she would like to do LST with us every night for thirty minutes and that she wants little Noris to do it with us, so that she can learn English, and learn about Jesus!! This second part thrilled us, and we are anxious to begin. Please pray for Noris and her family. We hope they will join us for church services this Sunday.

For New Year´s Eve, I was blessed with the opportunity to join the congregation in San Miguelito for their celebration. The church in Curundu, our host congregation, did not have plans for the holiday, so I went with Erika, a recent HU grad who came this week to stay for a year and who is also living with us, to San Miguelito. I cannot even begin to express all that my heart felt when I stepped of El Diablo Rojo (the city bus--translated, The Red Devil). Rachel and I are staying in the area formerly known as the Canal Zone, which for decades, was completely controlled by the U.S.--five miles on both side of the canal. It is a very safe area, but also a very wealthy area. The family with whom we are staying is middle-class, but their home is nice, and was built by the Americans. Walking in our neighborhood, one does not feel too far from the US, minus the tropical birds and the occassional sloth or rumored monkey swinging from a tree.If you know me at all though, you know that this is not the population nearest to my heart. I want to love the people that are desperate, that have so little, but that are somehow have such a strong spirit. Welcome to San Miguelito, an area that actually looks like the rest of Central America, an area where it is not safe to walk alone, an area that some might describe as a ghetto. I got off that bus and oddly enough, felt at home. The congregation there was full of life and is uniquely made up of very rich and very poor, but watching their interactions, you would never know that there was such socioeconimic differences. I got to spend time with several of the members and learned a great deal about Panamanian culture, tourism, and way of life. I pray that I have the opportunity to worship with them again. I could go on and on about San Miguelito, but I will stop, because I have already written so much, and it is only my first entry! One more thing though that was perhaps one of the most encouraging was a brother in the church there who is now one of their most prominent church leaders, who was brought to Christ through LST English lessons. I have thought much about this program and how it works within an already Christian-Catholic culture, and have struggled with my own personal dilemma of wanting to serve the people here in other capacities, and I feel that God brought me to this man to show me the tremendous work that is possible through His means, and not my own. I know that He has brought me here, to this place, to do this thing, and I pray, oh I pray so strongly, that He will make many more new, and that through this effort, He will raise up numerous leaders for His kingdom. I ask that you will pray this as well.
It has also been encouraging to have met various people this past week who are more than excited to have LST reading sessions. I know that God will use this program for His glory! On the other side of Panama City, in Brisas del Golf, the congregation there is preparing to welcome a couple who will be completing a short LST project. The minister there approached Rachel and me about helping them in their effort there, while we are pulling together the work at Curundu, as they have 60, yes, SIXTY, people who are reading and earnest to study the Bible in order to improve their English skills. Lord willing, we will join them in this work in Brisas starting this Sunday. Please pray for this ministry there, and pray for Rachel and me as we quickly prepare to begin these studies.
That was a lot! I will try for future entries to not be so long!! If you want to be on our email update list, please shoot me an email and I will add you!!
May God bless you all. Thank you so much for your support and your prayers. I can truly say that they have been very felt and answered. They mean more than you will ever know!
Love and blessings to you all!!