Finally, a few moments of rest...Tomorrow!! Rachel and I have been non-stop for the last few weeks. We had a very successful VBS last week--we started Monday with 29 kids and ended on Thursday with over 50! It was beyond exhausting--we easily put in around 15 hours a day, and maybe got 6 hours of sleep a night, plus add the whole "Speaking in Spanish" thing on top of it, and we were beyond beat at the end of the week. But, it was more than worth it. We pray, and ask that you will too, that the stories of Noah, Jonah, the Paralitic, and the Resurrection of Christ will be on those children's hearts for forever and will spark curiosity and discussion between them and their parents, and help raise them up to be future leaders of Christ's church. Furthermore, we pray that it was another way that the church showed the community that their doors are always open and that the church herself, learned more about the importance of evangelism and teaching.
We spent Friday through Sunday in the Darien and Chepo provinces of Panama. If you know anything about Panama, you know that tourists and most Panamanians never travel to Darien, because of the common violent sprees between the Colombian terrorists and civilians. For one day, we were accompanied by two policemen with very large guns. Although it sounds scary, because of this trip, there is potentially an entire village of Embera and Wounaan indians who will now be receiving humanitarian aid from the church, and Lord willing, will have strengthened faiths and lives. It's a good lesson in conquering the fear that Satan so often puts in us--God will conquer, He always does, and despite the potential consequencies, we, Christians, have to tell the world about Him who lives, or they may die without ever knowing their Lord.
I want to write more, but it is already very late and I am beyond tired. Rachel and I have the rest of this week off and we are going to be hiding in the mountains for a few days in an area that I can only compare to Gatlinburg, but a million times better--we hope to be hiking in the rainforest, taking a mud bath for $1, horseback riding, and maybe, if Rachel's dreams come true, zip-lining through the jungle. But, we also are planning to use this time to really reflect what God is doing in our lives here in this place, and how we can better server His people here. I plan to bury myself into a cave with CS Lewis' Mere Christianity (thanks to Coleman for helping me pick it out last fall), my journal, and my Bible. Please pray for us, that we will grow closer to Him and the path that He has before us, working always to help make His perfect will complete. Pray also for our readers, that they will not forget the words of the Lord that they were studying. Also, Rachel's throat is not feeling too well, and we are a little concerned that she might have caught what I had two weeks ago and am still fighting the remains of, so please pray for her health and for both of our bodies that are so very tired!
Love to you all! Thank you for all your encouraging notes, emails, and posts. Even though we can't write you back all the time, know that we thank God for your prayers, smiles, and time that you share with us!
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Here are two more links for pictures!
Vacation Bible School--Mi Dios es Tan Grande (My God is So Big) http://harding.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064121&l=9ccb6&id=71000688
Darien and Torti (Where we spent the night where there is one of the only congregations in Panama that has elders)--http://harding.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2064224&l=2ef3a&id=71000688
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