December 2010 Newsletter

Lottie Moon Christmas Offering

This is the time of year to give to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Because people faithfully give to LMCO, the Cawthons are able to minister and live in Panama City, Panama. Lives are being changed because of your giving.

This past year has been amazing. Cavin and Charlotte were living in Costa Rica. They were attending a Spanish language school. They completed the year long course in April. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering made it possible for the Cawthons to attend the school and learn Spanish.

At this same time last year. Cavin was coaching a Men’s Football team in San Jose, Costa Rica. There were 50 men on the team. Cavin was able to share Christ with all of them and some accepted Christ. The team had three different Bible studies and a once a month worship service. The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering provided Bibles, sound system, video projector, and fellowships for this special ministry.

The Cawthons moved to Panama City, Panama in April. The van they drive and the house they live in is all because of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. As a matter of fact, Cavin calls the van the Lottie Van.

The Cawthons are working with the Panama Baptist Convention and The Panama Baptist Seminary. The Seminary and Convention offices were built because of the giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

Cavin has started the Church Planting Institute of Panama. They meet in a building that was built through the gifts to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. The books that the students are using are from your giving.

The Cawthons are truly amazed at the work that is going on in Panama because of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. They would not be able to live or do the ministries that they are doing in Panama if it were not for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GIVING!

Who is Lottie Moon?

Lottie Moon - the namesake of the international missions offering - has become something of a legend to the Cawthons. But in her time, Lottie was anything but an untouchable hero. She was a hard-working,

deep-loving Southern Baptist who labored tirelessly so her people group in China could know Jesus. Because of her love for the Chinese she gave away her last food and on Christmas Eve 1912, she died of starvation.

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More Pictures from Trip to Guabo

Visit to Guabo 2010

This past weekend Derek Tucker, 5 Panamanians and I went to a remote village about 12 hours away from Panama City. We went to check on 2 students from the Church Planting Institute of Panama. The two guys have been living in the village for 1 month and are starting a church.

This trip was way out of my comfort zone. There was no electricity and no running water. We left last Friday and returned on Monday. I am so glad that God has called me to Urban work. Here are some pictures to show the fun.

October 2010

The Urban Panama Team is seeing many wonderful things in Panama. Two students from the Church Planting Institute of Panama went to a remote village to start a church. Pray for these two young men as they are serving the Lord in such a great way. Derek Tucker and I will be visiting them in a few weeks.

The UP Team has been mapping and doing block parties in a new community called Santa Fe. There will be a new small group started this month in this area that has no churches.

I had the opportunity to preach at Calvary Baptist Church, First Baptist Church Panama and The Baptist Seminary of Panama last month. God moved in all of the services with several people making commitments to Jesus.

The UP Team got together and ate chicken that would have had Truett Cathy leaving Chick-fil-A and working for Charlotte.

Please continue to pray for the us and the UP Team has we start churches in Panama City. 1.2 million people are in the city with only 22 Baptist Churches to reach them.

The Past Month has been Amazing

The Urban Panama Team has been able to see many amazing things that God is doing this past month. The three biggest things are the starting of the Church Planting Institute of Panama, an open door in a new community called Santa Fe, and The Pastor’s Banquet. The UP Team is so excited about what God is doing through us.

The Church Planting Institute of Panama classes started in September. These classes are training 12 people to be church planters. The program is every Tuesday night and one day of on the field training and will continue for 6 months. Most of the people in the class are in their early 20s. I believe that God is going to use them to see a church planting movement in Panama.

One of the team members of the UP Team, Tim Louderback, has been working with a land developer who has given the team permission to work without any restrictions in a new community that they are building, The new community, Santa Fe, has 5,000 new homes in it. October 16 we will be having a movie night in the community. The UP Team believes that God will open a door for them to start house churches in the area.

One of the responsibilities of the UP Team is to build relationships with pastors and churches. The team from First Baptist Church Thomasville, GA hosted a Pastors and Wives Banquet for 20 pastors in the city. The purpose of this meeting was to share the vision of the UP Team. God did that and much more. The pastors and their wives had a great time of fellowship and prayer at the banquet, and they are excited about what God is doing in the city.

About 300 people attended Seminary Day which is an annual celebration. Cavin got to preach the sermon for the service. During the invitation, 11 men and women dedicated their lives to ministry and desire to enroll in the seminary. Please pray for the seminary as they are facing many changes in the year ahead.

The Cawthons are having a great time in Panama. Every day is a new opportunity to see God’s love and power.

Please keep the Cawthons in your prayers as they strive to be a light in Panama. Pray for Cavin as a Johnny Rocket’s Restaurant has recently opened in Panama. The workers now know him by name as he is becoming a regular customer!

God is Opening Doors

Teaching Church Planters

PAAM is a mission sending agency in Panama. The director of Panama has asked the UP Team to teach specialized training for Church Planters in January 2011. This will be for PAAM Missionaries as anyone that feels called to be a church planter.

Also the UP Team is starting a class for people that have been called into church planting. This is opened for all Baptist church planters. It will start in the next couple of weeks two nights a week. We have about 5 people interested in taking the class.

Working with City Council in Panama City

Through a connection with the City Council here in Panama, The UP Team was asked to host a Block Party. All supplies were paid for by the City. 400 people attend and 300 people heard the Gospel - one on one. The City Councilman has asked us to do it all over the City. GOD IS GREAT!!!

Team from Oklahoma City

A team came from Capital City Baptist Association in Oklahoma City. They really worked hard with the UP Team through prayer walking, construction and witnessing. With their help the UP Team saw work completed that would have taken 4 months to do alone.

Please consider coming to Panama City and joining the UP Team in their work.

Promotion Video

Panama Vision Trip from Scotty Davis on Vimeo.

Thanks Scotty Davis for creating this video!

Prayer Needs July 30, 2010

Please join us in prayer for

1. Wisdom to reach the middle class of Panama City

2. The partnership with Noonday Baptist Association

3. Small group on Sunday night (we have had at least one new person every week)

4. Derek and Audrey Tucker as they are working in a village just outside of the heart of the city.

5. God to open the door for new relationships

6. The kids as they prepare to start school on Thursday

Great Week with Scotty Davis

In the past week, the Urban Panama Team and Scotty Davis of Noonday Baptist Association and Mission Team, Inc., have been seeking a vision of cooperation and partnership in the city of Panama. I believe that God is giving both the UP Team and Noonday an opportunity to work together in the work that God is doing here in Panama.

Prayer Needs for 7/22/10

1. Partnership of UP Team and Noonday Baptist Association

2. The area of San Francisco in Panama City

3. The leadership of the Panama Baptist Convention

4. Fellow missionaries Calvin and Devra Morris

5. Sunday Night Small Group

6. Calvary Baptist Church in Panama City.

7. John Robert to receive a scholarship to attend FSU here in Panama.

Prayer Needs 7/7/2010

Please Pray

1. Sunday night small group time.

2. Panama Baptist Seminary

3. Francisco Medina - President of the Panama Baptist Convention

4. Christian and Preston from being stir crazy of summer boredom.

5. Scotty Davis of Noonday Baptist Association up coming vision trip.

6. Next week's CPM Conference

7. John Robert visiting in the States.

8. Jeff Fields, missionary, working in Hawaii

9. Bobby Jones, minister of music, working in Georgia

10. Kris Mullis, pastor, in Elba, AL

BIG NEWS

I am so proud of my son, John Robert. John Robert took a test last week to skip 11th and 12th grade. He passed it with flying colors. So this fall John Robert will be a freshmen at Florida State University. FSU has a campus here in Panama so he can live at home. We are very excited with what God has for John Robert. I guess I am now an FSU fan since that is where my money will be going.

From the July Newsletter

God’s plan is amazing.

In the month of June, the Cawthons have seen God connect them with people that come from many different backgrounds. They have built relationships with doctors, retirees, teachers, computer specialists, pastors and professors. Through these relationships, God is connecting The Cawthons with people that will help them start new churches. Please pray that God will continue to put new people in the path of the Cawthons. Pray for their new small group Bible study which will begin July 11th.

The Up Team (Urban Panama)is in full function in Panama. The team is made up of three families, the Cawthons, the Louderbacks and the Tuckers. This team’s main purpose is to start new churches in Panama City. The Cawthons are connecting with different people groups to start churches, the Tuckers are working with University Students and the Louderbacks are seeking out people groups that are unreached. God has brought this team together to turn the City of Panama upside down. Please pray that God will continue to give opportunities for relationships for all the team members.

Panama Baptist Seminary is one of the areas that God has opened up for the Cawthons to work in Panama. Over the last several years, the Seminary has declined. Cavin will be teaching classes at the Seminary in the Fall. He has been meeting with the leadership of the Seminary to improve the very important work of educating men and women who will be serving in Baptist churches in Panama. Please be in prayer for the seminary in this time of transition and opportunity. Caivn covets your prayers for wisdom.

The Cawthon Family are doing great. John Robert has been in the USA visiting family and going to youth camp with Temple Baptist Church. John Robert has many changes in the next month. Pray for him as he goes through these changes.. Christian and Preston are having a good summer but can’t wait for school to start. Pray for them as they get ready for their new school. Charlotte and Cavin are loving the work in Panama. They can’t wait to see what God is going to do next

Prayer Needs 6/21/2010

Please pray for the following matters

- The Louderbacks as they are getting settled in their new home.

- Our new friends Carlos and Marielos

- New small groups

- Our health (Preston is sick)

- Meeting I have with Panama Baptist Seminary on Friday. Plans for next term.

- Reaching the Middle Class of Panama City

- John Robert as he travels and visits in the USA

Prayer Walking

Over the past several weeks, I have been prayer walking the city of Panama. I have completed about 15% of the city. Through this time, with God, lifting up the areas that I have been walking through, He has shown me so much. In the city there is very little, if any at all, Evangelical presence. There are 100s of thousands of people that are in need of the truth of the Gospel. Please be in prayer with me as God reveals how the UP Team (Urban Panama Team) is to reach so many people in a very short period of time (2 years).

The door is starting to open. We are talking with three different couples about having Bible studies in their homes. Please pray that they will be receptive and bold.

Weekly Prayer Needs

Please join with us as we pray for:

1. The Pastor at First Baptist Church Panama - We visited with First Baptist Church Panama this past Sunday. The Pastor shared that he wanted to work with us as we start churches in the city.

2. A couple from North Carolina that have just moved here - They believe that the Lord is leading them to start a church in an area that has very little work going on.

3. Panama Baptist Seminary

4. Revival this weekend for young people led by Panamanian young people.

5. The Louderbacks as they move to Panama - They are on the Urban Team Panama with us. They leave Costa Rica 19 June.

Greetings from Panama City, Panama

We have now been in Panama for well over a month. We are adjusting to the HEAT and TRAFFIC which are both unlike anything we have ever experienced. We are now settled into our home, and are excited about what God has ahead for us here in Panama. We have been busy meeting people and learning about the City of Panama. As we prayer walk the city streets, we are observing the lack of evangelical churches in this city of over a million people. It is evident that these people need Jesus. Please join us in praying for the city. Pray that we will find people of peace as we seek to transform the city for Jesus Christ.

The kids have all been accepted into Crossroads Christian Academy and will be starting there in August. They are anxious to become involved and start making friends here.

WE ARE IN PANAMA

Yesterday was an extremely busy day. Charlotte and I graduated from language school in the morning at 9:00 AM, and were picked up at 1:00 PM to go to the airport to fly to Panama City, Panama. We arrived safely with our 10 suitcases and 5 backpacks. We had to give away a lot of stuff to get down to that amount.

Our first impressions of Panama City, Panama are very positive. We are looking forward to see what God has ahead. We will be attending "La Boca Iglesia" tomorrow morning.

La Despedida ("The Farewell Party")

Here are some photos from the farewell party that the team gave John Robert and me. The Jaguares are a great group of men. It has been an honor to be their coach for the year. I believe God has great plans for all of them.

Changes Ahead

We are in the process of packing, saying goodbye to people here, and preparing to move to Panama City, Panama in just 9 days. It's been a good year but also a hard one at times. We are well on our way to learning Spanish, and can definitely accomplish a lot more with the language than when we arrived.

Today Charlotte led her last Women's Bible Study with her group here in Costa Rica, and tonight I will have my last practice with my football team. I pray that we have impacted their lives for Christ during our short time here. They are definitely special to us since they were the first people we were able to minister to on the mission field.

We will graduate from language school on April 23rd in the morning, and will fly to Panama City, Panama in the afternoon! Whew! I'm tired just thinking about that day!

Please keep us in your prayers with the transition, but most of all pray that God is already preparing hearts in Panama to be receptive to His message. We are excited about our team which consists of two other families - Tim and Tina Louderback and their 4 children, and Derek and Audrey Tucker. Pray that God will use all of us in our own unique ways as we work together to make a difference for Him!

Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Costa Rica

This week is Semana Santa "Holy Week". We are enjoying a few days off from our language studies as the school is closed all week. This is an important week for us to remember, as Christians, the price that Jesus paid for us on the cross. Sadly, many people get caught up in this week's ceremonies and processions, but don't focus on the true meaning. That's true here in Costa Rica, but it's also true in the states - even with Christians.

As we have shared with some people here: "!El es resucitado! !El es resucitado en verdad!" or in English "He is risen! He is risen indeed!" Let that be your focus!

News from Costa Rica

We've gotten a little behind in writing on the blog. We've become very busy with life here in Costa Rica!

I do have some exciting news to share.... Praise the Lord, one of my players on the football team that I coach accepted Christ last week! I'm so excited about his decision. I see the Lord working in quite a few of the players lives, and am very excited to be a part of this. Please pray that this work will continue after I leave for Panama.

Speaking of Panama, we now have our airline tickets. We will be leaving Costa Rica on April 23rd. This is actually the same day that we graduate from language school. We will graduate that morning and fly out that afternoon. Pray for us as we make yet another transition.

Pray that God is already preparing hearts to be receptive to the Truth, and that lives will be changed for eternity!

Prayer Requests for Fellow Missionaries

We are sad to see several missionary families going through tough times, and would like to ask all of you to pray for them. First of all, please pray for the Louderback family who are here in Costa Rica with us now, and will be on our team in Panama. Anyway, Tina has been suffering from nerve damage in her leg due to some damage done during a biopsy 2 months ago. After 2 months of physical therapy, there has been no improvement. Also, their son Noah who is in the 6th grade has just been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. Tina and Noah left Costa Rica on Friday and have appointments in Houston this week. Please remember them in your prayers. If you are interested, their blog is lyricsofamom.blogspot.com.

Also another missionary friend of ours - Amanda Hodge - has had problems with her pancreas throughout most of the time they have been in language school here in Costa Rica. We met them during our Missionary Candidate Conference in July 2008, went through orientation with them in Virginia and arrived here with their family last April. Amanda has had three surgeries during her short time here, and is actually in the hospital here in Costa Rica right now. Their family will be leaving for South Carolina later this week and will be having surgery in Charleston later this month. Please remember Michael and Amanda Hodge and their family. They are called to Argentina and have plans to arrive there when Amanda is able. To read more about their story, their blog is thehodgefamily.wordpress.com

Another request is for Audrey Tucker. She presently is in the states as well due to the loss of her grandmother. Audrey and her husband Derek will also be serving with us in Panama. Please remember their family in your prayers.

As far as our family is concerned, we are all well and trying to learn as much Spanish as we can before leaving for Panama at the end of April. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We would not be here without the prayer support of so many people.

My Niece Jessi Ann

El Dia de Amor y Amistad (AKA Valentine's Day)

Today is El Dia de Amor y Amistad ("The Day of Love and Friendship") here in Costa Rica. We have seen a lot of pink and red, flowers, balloons, chocolate candy, etc. much like what is going on in the United States today!

We are well into our third - and last - trimester of language school. We have been thinking more about the ministry we will have in Panama, but are also sad to leave the people we have ministered to and with here in Costa Rica. We will graduate from language school April 23rd and will leave most likely on April 24th for Panama.

Once again we will be going through changes and more transitions as we have quite a few times already during our journey. Many people say the life of a missionary is a life of "hellos" and "goodbyes". We are always meeting new people, getting to spend time with them, and then often it seems we have to say goodbye and move on. The kids have already started mentioning that they are dreading moving and leaving friends behind. Please pray for them as they transition to a new place, new school, new friends, etc.

Jan 2010 Video Update

Last Night was a Fun Night!

Last night, I invited my football team for a pizza party, and had about 40 guys come. I also showed some football videos and talked to them a little about football. However, the most exciting part for me was that I took time to share my testimony with them. I told them how football had been so important to me when I was growing up, and how that was taken away from me through an injury. I also shared some other struggles I have had in my life. I used these stories to lead up to why I am here in Costa Rica, and how I have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. I told them I am not about "religion" because religion is full of rules and things you have to do to please God. But I told them I am all about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. I explained how they could have this same relationship and told them I am available to talk to them at anytime. Though, I did not have anyone approach me last night to be saved, I am praying that through building friendships with these guys, seeds are being planted and that some will receive Christ. Please join with me in doing this. We plan to do more of these events and have others share their testimonies with these guys.