A week and a half to go...

These last few weeks in Panama have been very busy. It's been a time of seeing old friends again, meeting new friends, sharing what God has been teaching me this last year, sharing where God is leading me for the present future, eating food that I have missed for the last 4 years, going to the beach, enjoying the torrential downpours of rainy season, and seeing what God is doing in Panama in Crossroads Bible Church and among my friends. It's an exciting ride!
July 22nd, Crossroads Bible Church sent out another of their own - Andres & Diana Galvez. A few years ago, Andres went on a medical missions trip to the Jahango people in Guinea, Africa. The Lord worked in their lives and put a desire in them to go back to work full-time with the Jahango to bring them the Gospel. They left a week ago and are learning French for these first 6 months after which they'll move into a Jahango village to learn the Jahango language. Please pray for them in this transition as they learn the Guinean culture & French and then the Jahango language & culture.Their last Sunday, we had a Despedida to "send them off" to Guinea. Here they are surrounded by their extended family.
I have also had the privilege of sharing with the young adults group at the church in Chame, where I grew up.
Enjoying the aguacero - torrential downpour with friends. We had just returned from the beach, so we took advantage of the rain to take our showers.I am enjoying once again all the fresh, tropical fruit and the fresh seafood that abound in Panama. Passion fruit juice, fresh sea bass right out of sea, plaintain chips, and fried yucca! Mmm...
Here I am preparing a little to speak to the youth in Chame. Perfect place to think. :)

Cristo-pagan worldview

data from the Joshua Project
The people of Las Moras are a small group of approximately 1,300 people, who live in a remote area in the Western Sierra Madre mountains. They grow crops and raise livestock. Corn, squash and amaranth form the basis of their diet, though they also hunt game and gather wild fruits.Although they have incorporated various elements of Catholicism into their religion, they’ve retained their pre-Columbian worship practices with regard to the sun and moon, Venus, the eagle, and the deer. More than 10 years ago, a process of pre-evangelism through community service was initiated. A Bible translation project has also been started in this language.
The pre-evangelism work done by co-workers has opened the door wide open for us to be able to move into the village and live with the people. Please pray for us as we

• build houses (September - ?)
  
• move into the village of Las Moras (after 2 houses are finished)
  
• learn the language & culture of the people (next few years)
  

so that we can teach the the truth of the Bible and confront the erroneous beliefs that have been passed down for thousands of years. These people are a lost people. Dying without ever hearing the Gospel. Pray that they will soon have a chance.

Arrived

Praise the Lord I'm in Panama! Thank you for praying. For Saturday's flight, there were 27 seats available, but I was number 33 on the standby list, so I figured I wouldn’t get to go on that flight, and was hoping that Lord-willing I would be able to go the following flight. For the second flight, there were 13 seats available and I would be #6 in line after the 27 people in front of me had left on the first flight.
Well, the agents gave the 27 people seats, and then the monitor said they had “dispatched” the plane. They were packing things up & stuff, not calling more standby’s on, so I figured that flight was done. All of a sudden, one of the agents grabs the mic & calls “So –and-so and Chapman” I went up to the counter with my carry-on & they said, “the flight attendants say there are 2 more seats, get on down there.” I asked what seat, and they said “Just pick one of the empty ones!” So, I “got on down there” and sat between two flight attendants who were heading to Atlanta to work later that day.
It was God, because there were 6 people ahead of me on the standby list! I don’t know why they called me. 3 of the others were traveling together, but I don’t think the others were.
Anyway, thanks for praying. I arrived safely and was met at the airport by a friend.
I've enjoyed seeing old friends, remembering old favorites, and seeing new things - there are some things that are the same as they have been for oh-so-many years and others things have completely changed in the last 4 years. It's good to be back.

fly Saturday?

Well, I was hoping to be on a plane right now, flying to Atlanta, and then to Panama. However, I'm flying on a space available basis. When I made the reservations, today looked good. But now, there are no empty seats leaving Dallas today or tomorrow. So, the next chance is Saturday. The chances are SLIM that day, though, so would you pray with me that God would open up the way for me to fly on Saturday?
Thanks.

I'm leaving on a jet plane!

Well, not quite this caliber, although this jet plane would be much more fun!

Thursday I will be heading to Panama on an airliner! I would appreciate it if you would pray for safety and that I would be a blessing to those around me.
Thanks.