Thanksgiving 2011

Greetings from Panama!  We hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving and truly reflected on all of your blessings.  Even though Thanksgiving is not an official holiday here in Panama, this did not keep us from celebrating complete with a Thanksgiving feast with our mission family.  It was a great day of eating, fellowshipping and just enjoying the day!  We are thankful first and foremost for salvation, for family and friends, the ministry that God has given us here in Panama, and also that we have family coming to visit in just 6 days!

Tomorrow we will be watching the most important game of the year - the annual Auburn/Alabama game.  We have blocked out the afternoon to (hopefully) pull our Auburn Tigers to victory!  WAR EAGLE!!!!

Ethnecity Conference - Houston, TX

Cavin left Wednesday morning to go to a conference in Houston and will return on Sunday evening.  The focus of the conference is "reaching the unreached in the urban center." For more information on this conference, go to www.ethnecity.com.  I have talked to him several times since he's been gone.  He is really enjoying ever aspect of the meeting and I can tell he is getting very excited and the ideas are really churning in his head.  Urban ministry is truly his passion.  I love to see him excited.  I only wish I could be there with him to see him truly in his element and talking about this subject that is so dear to his heart.

On another note, we are excited to be having two sets of visitors over the Christmas holidays.  Reed and Jenni (Cavin's brother and wife) and their little girl Jessi will be arriving December 1 and staying until December 8.  My parents are coming after Christmas - January 5 through 12th.  We were feeling a little sad, not being able to visit family during the holidays, so we are thrilled to have these upcoming visits from these special people!

Baptism Pictures

Holidays in Panama and the U.S.

November and December are full of holidays in Panama.  

• November 3. Separation Day (from Colombia).
• November 4. Flag Day
• November 5. Colon Day
• November 10. "Primer Grito de Independencia de la Villa de los Santos" The uprising in the Villa de los Santos against Spain.
• November 28. Independence Day (from Spain).
• December 8. Mothers' Day.
• December 25. Christmas.

The kids only go to school one full week in November and one in December.  It's actually been nice for them to be out of school.  They were able to work with us last week when the Oklahoma team was here, and yesterday we were able to enjoy a family day!

Today is Veteran's Day in the U.S.  We are thankful for everyone who has or is serving our country through the armed forces.  Soon we will be celebrating Thanksgiving.  Although it's not an official holiday here in Panama, it is increasingly becoming a day that is celebrated - especially among Christians. I hope you are reflecting on all of the blessings you have in your life.  Our family is certainly blessed beyond measure.

If you have made Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life, you truly have the greatest blessing.  It is a blessing in your life now, but also for eternity.  If you haven't made this important decision, what better time than now to take this step?  To accept this free gift, all that is necessary is to believe that Jesus died for you, repent of your sins, and make Jesus #1 in your life.  I promise this will be the greatest decision you ever make and your life will never be the same.

See John 3:16, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9, Ephesians 2:4-6, Ephesians 2:8-9

Update on Yesterday's Baptismal Service

In my last post, I said there were 2 to be baptized.  Praise the Lord, there were actually 4 who were baptized yesterday in the river!  I kept wanting to break out in song with, "Shall we gather at the river.... the beautiful, the beautiful river......"!!!  It was a great service in spite of getting rained on.  The most touching part to me was when one of the women who was baptized gave testimony in the Kuna language which was then translated to Spanish, and then to English!  Several of the members of the Oklahoma Mission Team participated in the service.  Two shared their testimonies and one preached.  I was so glad that they could be a part of this special time with us!

Working with Mission Team from Oklahoma

This week the UP Team has hosted our last mission team of 2011.  They are a great group from Central Baptist Association in Oklahoma.  They are made up of 16 people from 5 churches.  They have come to Panama with a desire to see people come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior, and we have seen this happen!!! Praise the Lord! They have prayer walked, mapped, hosted children's events, evangelized, and have truly served God with their whole hearts.  Some are going through personal struggles, yet they truly felt God wanted them in Panama this week and they are here!  Tomorrow we will work with them again in two different areas of the City.  Sunday will be an exciting day as the Oklahoma Team will accompany the UP Team to witness 2 baptisms in a river.  These two are from the church plant that has been started in an area of the City called Santa Fe.  There are others who need to be baptized, yet struggle with fully understanding what baptism truly is.  They have come from a Catholic background and believe they have already been baptized because they were baptized as infants.  It is our desire that these individuals come to understand that believer's baptism is truly a step of obedience after making Jesus the Lord of our lives.