Friday, October 28, 2011

Cavin's Birthday Weekend

Well, tomorrow is Cavin's 42nd birthday!  I guess we're not so young anymore!  We started celebrating today by going to one of our favorite restaurants - New York Bagel and by ordering from Wing Zone tonight.  We will continue eating tomorrow by going to lunch at another favorite restaurant - The Market and tomorrow we'll boil shrimp for supper and have ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.  If you can't tell, we enjoy eating good food!  We are not going hungry here in Panama!  I guess we'll have to quit eating on Sunday for the rest of next week!

On a serious note, this week Cavin is highlighted in the Missions Mosaic - the WMU monthly magazine that focuses on missionaries and lists missionaries who are having birthdays each day.  If you have access to a copy, please check it out.  There is a picture of him and a brief article about our work here in Panama. It means so much to know that Southern Baptists all over the world are praying for us on our birthdays.

We have a team arriving Tuesday from Oklahoma.  This is one of our teams who partner with us.  Many of the team members were here last year working with us!  We are excited about seeing them and working with them again.  Please pray for them as they work with two of our church planters in two different parts of the City.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Cawthon Update

As soon as I finish writing this blog entry, Cavin and I will be leaving to attend a small group of one of our church planters.  This group has been growing and is at the point of multiplying and starting a new group.  This is very exciting to see the multiplication process take place.   Pray for this group and for the leadership necessary to start a new group.

Tomorrow morning, we will be having a worship service in a park of a neighborhood where a group of church planters have been working.  This will be the first time this group has met together for Sunday morning worship.  It's exciting to be a part of what God is doing in the neighborhood of Don Bosco.

Friday, October 14, 2011

The Week in Review

Cavin returned Saturday from his meeting in Peru.  We immediately went to a birthday party of a friend of ours where the gospel was shared unashamedly with many of her friends who are lost.  It was a pretty eventful evening.  See the blog of Derek and Audrey Tucker for more details derekandaudrey.wordpress.com

It's been a pretty normal week this week with our UP Team meeting, Selah Group Bible Study, the church planting class, and meetings with church planters.  Charlotte is excited to have started mentoring a new Christian this week one-on-one.  Pray that this young lady will truly grasp what it means to be a Christian, grow in her faith, and live out what Christ has done in her life!

Today, we had a chance to slow down and enjoy some family time.  The younger kids have been out of school for the past three days due to a teacher conference that the teachers were attending.  It was nice for them to have a little break from the rush of the school week, sleep a little later and just relax.  Today we took time to go out to lunch; play tennis which turned into "Tennis Baseball" because the tennis courts were locked; and watch some movies we had rented.

Friday, October 7, 2011

This Week's Happenings

I've learned a little about being a single mom this week.  Cavin's been in Peru at a meeting for Urban Strategists.  I think he's had a good trip and has been able to hear and share what God is doing in different areas.  They've also talked a lot about strategies to reach people in urban areas.  I'm sure he will come back to Panama energized!  We've been able to "Face Time"  (similar to Skype) everyday, but it will be nice to have him back home.

He will return tomorrow evening - just in time to attend a birthday celebration of a young lady in our Selah group.  She is a professional singer here in Panama and is actually on a local show here called "Cantando por un SueƱo"  ("Singing for a Dream").  The sole purpose of her birthday celebration is to share her faith with her friends in the media.  We are excited to be a part of this!  Please pray that those who hear her message will want what she has in her life!

The team from FBC Thomasville, Georgia worked hard this week.  The area of Don Bosco was touched with the gospel and many have shown interest in being a part of the new church that is being planted there. The outreach Monday night for our Selah group was also a great success.  About 50 people came out for this worship event.  We are praying that some of these will begin attending the Selah small group that meets each Monday night.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Thankful for U.S. Partners

Yesterday we had the joy of meeting the Bledsoe family (Chris, Teri, Hannah and Dan) from Stockbridge, GA.  They are members of Eagles Landing Baptist Church (one of our US partner churches).  We had the joy of sharing with them some of what God is doing here in Panama.  We shared with them that God is working here and amazing us with what He's doing!  This is a family that is seeking to know how God would have them be involved in the work here in Panama and possibly other places in the world.  It is so encouraging to us to have people like the Bledsoe family who are willing to come to Panama, pray for Panama and who are truly seeking God in their lives.

Another of our U.S. Partner churches will be arriving tonight - First Baptist Church of Thomasville, GA.  This is the home church of fellow UP Team members - Tim and Tina Louderback.  This church has been so supportive and has sent several teams during the past year.  This week, the team will be working in an area of the city called Don Bosco doing a community event, backyard Bible clubs, prayer walking and mapping.  They will also be assisting us with an outreach event with our Selah group on Monday night.  Pray that God will be glorified in all that we do during this upcoming week and that lives will be changed.

We also greatly appreciate our other partners - Olive Springs Baptist Church in Marietta, GA; Temple Baptist Church in White House, TN; Catawba Springs Baptist Church in Brewton, AL; Noonday Baptist Association in Marietta, GA;  Burnt Hickory Baptist Church in Powder Springs, GA; and Central Baptist Association in Oklahoma City, OK - who partner with us through prayer, sending mission teams or through financial assistance with specific ministry projects.

We are thankful for the churches, associations and individuals who are involved in our ministry here in Panama.  It takes everyone working together, doing what God leads each of us to do to reach Panama and the World for Him!