Mission to the Americas

Serving Ministries and Missions in Latin America

Archives for December 2008

Weekend Prayer Getaway

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december08-300The weekend between Christmas and New Years passed with us having the opportunity to get away to the mountains east of the city.

It was a brief retreat away from the noise of the city, the hustle and bustle, and a chance to see trees, hear birds, and breath cool mountain air.  

We went with our friends and that gave us time to talk about ministry plans for 2009.

Most of all, it was a great place to have a morning quiet time before the rest of the house was up.

Quiet Time with God

Cerro Azul

I had my morning devotion on this open porch, spending time praying with God about plans for 2009 for our ministry.  

The clean mountain air reminded me of the Appalachian mountains, and the cool morning climate occasionally mentally transported me there.

We have some amazing opportunities in front of us that drive our prayer: invitations from different countries, ministry in Nicaragua, Panama, United States, and inquiries from Columbia, Guatemala, and Venezuela.  

As the Lord opens the doors, we believe He will provide.

We are praying about working with a church planter here in Panama to lauch a new church in 2009 in our walking area.  There are very few evangelical churches in the four neighboorhoods we walk in.  One neighborhood has zero churches.

Playing in the Mountains

december08-282Later that morning, we went to a local park with a mountain stream and spent time swimming and having a picnic.

 The coolness of the morning changed into a refreshingly warm day that allowed us to spend it frolicking in a mountain stream.   See our full album at Facebook.

Waterfalls, cool streams, all refreshing sounds before returning to the city.  A little recharged and ready for 2009.

Amazing Opportunities Before Us

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Venezuela Ministry
Venezuela Ministry

We have amazing opportunities in our ministry to teach on evangelism and the work of the Holy Spirit.

Requests for evangelism and pastor training events have come from multiple nations: Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Panama and the United States.

Through our partnership with PRMI, we can assemble teams of trained teachers to help fulfill and respond to this international demand.

We can focus on regional and local leaders who can continue the vision of igniting the church in the power of the Holy Spirit to passionately reach their corner of the world.

One person shared with me: “I kept thinking of the question you posed to us in the workshop: What if discussing your faith was a normal, everyday thing?”

We know you desire to be effective in your own faith sharing and for your church to be effective in reaching its neighbors.

Imagine that desire multiplied by thousands of pastors in all 17 countries of Latin America, who want their churches passionate about God’s call to reach the nations.

Imagine church leaders that see evangelism as a normal everyday lifestyle and can train others to see it the same way.

But this dream is beyond the reach of ordinary means. The demand for training is beyond anything we can handle alone.

Our ministry needs to grow in funding and support staff to reach this goal. Most of our travel is paid for by the organization that invites us, but not all the time. At some events, we receive generous love offerings to further our vision, but other love offerings don’t cover our expenses.

We also rely on the ongoing regular support of God’s people to fulfill this dream.

We need your help.

  1. We need intercessory prayer. People who pray for us regularly, at least weekly. This is a vision that can only be fulfilled prayerfully as we seek God’s direction for the growth of this ministry.  Join our Intercessors List if you feel led to pray for us regularly and consistently.
  2. We need your financial support. Regular gifts of $10, $25, $100, and $500 a month through PRMI go a long way towards fulfilling this dream.  You can donate online now at Support our Work.  Automatic monthly contributions can be setup on your credit card.  Any gift will further advance our ministry.
  3. Donate airline Miles.  We can use these to travel back to the US as needed for personal and family visits.
Pray for our Vision
Pray for our Vision

Prayerfully consider how you might participate in our dream to train pastors and church leaders in Latin America. We know that times are tough in the US economy, but we believe that God can use you to further our calling.

We are excited about the opportunities in front of us and are grateful for your investment in this work.

Ongoing Mission Networking

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I had a 2 hour meeting in Spanish with the leader of a parachurch missionary training ministry here in Panama. 

His mission’s work is to call forth missionaries from Panama to go to other countries, and to work with immigrants coming here.  I’m still not yet sure of the name of his ministry because today’s meeting was as much about simply getting to know one another personally as it was me introducing myself and our work to him.  I know that he is connected to several pastors in this country and church planters.

I used the PRMI Dunamis description in Spanish, and gave him the Spanish Language PRMI brochure, plus samples from the material that we have used in Nicaragua and samples of my evangelism material. 

We talked about how a PRMI team could come for a 1x conference to get to be known, like another one of our members did in Guatemala.  He was thrilled with the idea that team members are members of the Dunamis Fellowship and have completed the entire course. 

Quickly, he got into asking me details in terms of a minimum conference size, how the offerings would be processed, and the costs ownership (who covers what) and the like.  I think there will be further interest here.  There will be further discussions. 

We were together last night at a Christmas party where our families got to meet each other along with families from 7 other countries (I love it here)! 

They are pursuing more friendship with us, in that they are taking us to church Christmas eve for a "Traditional" service (see: http://www.missiontotheamericas.org/2008/12/a-2nd-christmas-in-panama/ for what I miss about Christmas) and spending a Christmas eve dinner with us in our house. 

At breakfast this morning I was simply describing how I missed some of the traditions of Christmas, and this invitation was his family’s response. 

A 2nd Christmas in Panama

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christmasparade I’ll be the one of the many ex-pats to admit it just doesn’t feel like Christmas. 

Spending more than 3 decades, but not quite 4, in US, the Christmas season is full of carols, noisy background music, retail shopping, Christmas stories on TV, and then customs like Advent candles, caroling and Christmas eve services.  Mailing of Christmas cards and writing a Christmas letter.

Of course, the cold weather, warm drinks, and the possibility of snow.

I still laugh when I hear songs like “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” or “Outside the snow is falling and we’ll sing a chorus or two. . ” 

It’s 85-90 and snow is highly unlikely.  There are no chestnuts roasting on an open fire, and jack frost is no where near.

It just feels weird to see Santa in shorts during the Christmas parade.

A musical cantata:

December08 146
 
However, Sunday night was different. 

We attended “Looking for the Star” put on by Crossroads Bible Church.  In a darkened theatre, I was treated to wonderful performance of costumes, and dance, story telling, carols and worship songs, done in both English and Spanish.  The narrative was in Spanish, but the songs were in both languages. 

The only word I had for it at the end of the night was “speechless.” 

To hear the same familiar chorus well sung in both languages. 

To hear carols and choruses that have been missing for the last two Christmas seasons. 

To feel like Christmas is coming. 

To hear a choir and orchestration that I’ve never experienced before. 

To see the exaltation of Jesus Christ as the true star of Christmas.

Christmas is here.

I realize that I miss some of the trappings of Christmas. 

I miss some of the traditions that support the ambiance of the season. 

But I’m glad I was reminded Sunday night not only of what I miss, but of the Child, for whom we are living in this country and working among this people. 

The proclamation of His forgiveness freely available is what propels us to work here. 

Because of this Child’s birth, we left our nets.  Because of His birth, we have given all. 

Merry Christmas friends.

(parade photo courtesy of Panama-Guide.com)

Prayer for our Time in Nicaragua

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2137899069_548d8abb6a Here is how you can pray for our time in Nicaragua:

  1. Pray for the teachers as we finalize the teaching schedule — that we focus on what the Nicaraguans need; that we are guided in making handouts, that the technology works.
  2. Pray for safe travel for all, and for Susan & Lydia staying alone in Managua the first night.  Pray for us to be able to sleep at night and to feel the presence of Jesus there.
  3. Pray for us to really connect with all the new North American Young Life staff as well as renew our love & connections with the Nicaraguans.
  4. Pray for our physical health prior to & during the trip, especially Chris with his allergies.
  5. Pray for unity among our team; that we model team ministry in a way that delights Jesus and that we can offer this as a gift to them. This was one of the big ways we impacted them before and I pray that any attempted attacks of the enemy on our love & unity would not even be allowed to get close.
  6. Pray for the Nicaraguans to be open to learning a new style of prayer/healing ministry; that there will be no offense.  The PRMI style is very different from what they may be used to.
  7. Finally, pray for God to heal people in significant, measurable and powerful ways!!

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