MISSION PANAMA

Video Blog - 28 January 2012

2012-01-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

Approaching a New Week

2012-01-22T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday morning.... it's calm right now, but like your house, it won't stay this way. As I begin waking the kids, there will be the hustle and bustle, and rush to get out of the house and to church on time. By the time we do get to church, we will be exhausted. I've always said I think Satan works overtime on Sunday mornings with Christians as they prepare to go to church to worship our Lord and Savior. He wants to take away our attitude of worship and praise, and better yet, keep us from being in church at all.

This morning we will be worshipping in La Iglesia de Las Americas (The Church of The Americas). This is a great church that has been very supportive of our ministry here in Panama. Currently, our weekly Thursday night class is meeting in their building. The class started back this past Thursday with 22 students in attendance. We are excited about this great group of of students.

Derek and Cavin on a MISSION TRIP

2012-01-16T12:47:00.000-08:00

One of my students, Cesar Guerra, from last year's church planting class at the seminary is starting a church in the jungle. He called me a couple of months ago and told me about his new work in a small village about 4 hours from the city. Cesar said that he was using the information that I shared during the class. Cesar, Derek Tucker and I met and talked about the work. Even though the UP Team's focus is only on the city, I told him that Derek and I would come to the village and visit his work.
Sunday, Derek and I left the city and went on a "Mission Trip." The new church is only 3 months old and has about 30 people in attendance. God is using Cesar Guerra in an amazing way.

The above photo is during the worship service on the front porch of one of the members house.

Cesar is the one with the white hat on the left side of the above picture.

The trip to the village was sometimes scary. Here we are going through a river. This was not the worst section of the road.

Weekly Update

2012-01-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

It's been a good week. We enjoyed our visit with my parents. They left Thursday morning and made it home safely. We are so glad that we were able to have this time with them and show them Panama!

2012 is off to a good start with our ministry. As I write this, Cavin is in a training session with some of our church planters. Tomorrow morning he will leave very early in the morning to travel outside of the city to what we might call "the boonies" to be involved in a worship service at a new church that one of our church planters has started. It will be a long day of traveling several hours outside of the city and then going on a road that can only be traveled in a 4 wheel drive.

Next week, the church planting courses will start back. We are praying that God will put the people in these classes that He wants to use to impact Panama.

After a VERY long Christmas break, things are finally getting back into a routine. John Robert started back to school on Tuesday. This will be his last semester at Florida State - Panama. Christian and Preston will start back to school on Monday. I know it will be very hard to get them up so early because they (especially Christian) have been sleeping late every morning.

Bob and June Martin arrive in Panama

2012-01-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

After a long day of traveling, my parents Bob and June Martin arrived safely in Panama. We have enjoyed showing them some of the ministry we do here in Panama, introducing them to friends and other missionaries, and showing them around this great city. Today we took them to view the Miraflores Locks and see how the big ships go through the Panama Canal. Tomorrow Cavin will be preaching at La Comunidad Iglesia (The Community Church). We are looking forward to worshipping and sharing with this sweet group of believers.

2011 Ends, 2012 Begins

2011-12-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of 2011. What a great year of ministry we have had here in Panama. We have trained 60+ church planters, 15 new groups have been started, mission teams from the U.S. have come and worked with us, and lives have been changed for eternity as people have come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

On a personal note, this has also been a good year. Just this week on the 28th, Cavin and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We have now officially started on the next 20 years! Our children are growing and changing right before our eyes. John Robert is in his second year of college at Florida State University - Panama campus; Christian is an 8th grader at Crossroads Christian Academy; and Preston is a 4th grader at Crossroads.

We know that 2012 will bring lots of changes for our family. John Robert will be leaving in early May following the completion of this upcoming semester. We pray that we have prepared him for the future and that he will make wise choices and allow Jesus to lead him through every decision. Christian and Preston will also face changes as we leave Panama and they go to a different school next year. We pray that that all of us are able to allow Jesus to help us through the changes that lie ahead.

Even though we will be leaving Panama in July, there is still a lot of work to do here in Panama before that time. Two new church planting classes will be started in January. We pray that new churches will be started as church planters are trained. We have a lot of mission teams already scheduled to come to Panama to work with the UP Team and church planters.

It is our deepest prayer that people will come to know Christ this year in Panama. We have several people we are working with on a one-to-one basis as we witness to them and share with them the truth of the gospel. Please pray for God to work in hearts and lives of people that He longs to have a relationship with here in Panama.

Family Day #5

2011-12-31T06:58:00.000-08:00

We finally got to do our Family Day #5 yesterday (Friday). Christian was in charge of planning the details for this day. We went to a restaurant we had heard about but had never been. It's called "Fire and Ice." It's a restaurant where you pick out your raw meat, then you pick out a seasoning and then they cook it right before your eyes. It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed sharing this new experience together. Later that day we went home and rented a movie and watched it together at home. All in all, a good day!

Family Day 3 & 4

2011-12-27T17:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we resumed our family days with Preston taking charge of Day 3. He planned that we go to his favorite restaurant here in Panama - Wing Zone - to of course, eat hot wings. After that he wanted to go bowling. We were able to go to Wing Zone and had a great time, but when we arrived at the bowling place, we found that it was closed, so we went home and played a very competitive game of Uno with Cavin coming out on top.

Today we went to the beach with fellow UP Team members Derek and Audrey. This was what Cavin wanted to do on his day. We had a good time of fun in the sun at Isla Grande which is about 2 hours from the city.

See below for some of the photos of the last two days.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T07:26:00.001-08:00

Today is Christmas Eve. We are excited to focus on Jesus - the reason for the season! We are thankful for the Greatest Gift ever given. He is the reason we live; He is the reason our family is here in Panama; He is the reason we have hope in this world; He is the reason we have assurance of eternal life! Praise Him, Praise Him!

Whatever you are doing today, whoever you are spending this day with, and whereever you may be, I pray that you are reflecting on Jesus in your life and thanking Him!

Have a Merry Christmas - from Cavin, Charlotte, John Robert, Christian and Preston

Family Fun Day #3 - postponed due to sickness

2011-12-24T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well, during our Family Fun Day #2 Christian began to feel sick and woke up the next day with a fever and chills. I took her to the doctor and got medicine for her, but we had to postpone Preston's day until after Christmas. Stay tuned to see what he has planned for his day! Also, pray that Christian will feel better and be able to fully enjoy Christmas.

Family Fun Day #2 (Charlotte's Day)

2011-12-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

Today we ate lunch at KFC and then took the kids to do their Christmas shopping at one of our favorite stores - Discovery Center. It was a nice day for them to think of their siblings and parents and not only themselves. It will be interesting to see the gifts they came up with! See pictures below.

Family Christmas

2011-12-21T18:56:00.000-08:00

The kids are now all out of school and with Christmas just a few days away everything is a little bit slower for all of us, so we started today by allowing each family member to choose one day to plan a family outing. We wanted to think of a way to make this Christmas special and memorable for our family. 2012 will be bringing lots of changes to our family as John Robert will be going away to college. We know that it may not be as easy to have all of our family together to just have fun. Cavin and I talked about what we could do and we decided that we would allow each family member to plan a day to do something together as a family (within reason, of course). Each of the kids threw out a lot of ideas and some we couldn't possibly do. Each idea had to be approved by us to be able to do it. Today was John Robert's Day. He chose to go to lunch at Benihana (a Japanese restaurant where they cook the food in front of you) and then to see the movie Mission Impossible 4. We had a good time spending time together as a family. You can see pictures below. Tomorrow is my day (Charlotte's). Read tomorrow to see what family fun I plan for my day!

Dia de Juan Roberto (John Robert's Day)

2011-12-21T18:36:00.000-08:00

2011-12-15T12:23:00.001-08:00

Cawthon News

2011-12-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

Reed, Jenni, and Jessi left on Thursday. We were sad to see them go, but thankful to have had time to spend together and make memories. We are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of my parents - Bob and June Martin - in a little less than 4 weeks!

Monday night we will be hosting a Christmas party for our Selah group at our home. We are praying this will be a time of fun and fellowship and also that we will have guests who may want to be a part of this group. Continue to pray for this group. We are planning some big things for 2012! Stay tuned!

During the past couple of weeks some things have occurred that will change our stateside plans a little. Originally, we thought we would be here in Panama until December 2012. However, through praying, reflecting on what God is doing here and talking with supervisors, it has been determined that July 2012 is going to be the time for us to leave Panama.

Several factors have gone into making this decision. For one thing, our teammates Derek and Audrey Tucker will be ending their time of service here at that time. The other couple on our team - Tim and Tina Louderback - will be changing their focus somewhat in January (2012) and they will work more with joining US teams with churches in Panama. They will continue to work with the UP Team until July when the UP Team disbands. We have seen God work mightily here in Panama through the Church Planting Institute and we are excited about the work our Panamanian brothers and sisters are doing. Kenny and Cheryl Morris (fellow IMB missionaries here in Panama) will continue to work with the church planters after we leave. Their focus is on mobilization of Panamanians throughout Panama.

Our plan for stateside is to live in a mission house on the campus of First Baptist Church of Eagles's Landing in Stockbridge, GA (Atlanta Metro). This is one of our U.S. partner churches. It is truly a blessing to be able to use their "Oasis House" during our stateside.

The Week in Review

2011-12-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

This week was a good week. Plans are being put into place to teach another church planting course. This one will be for the Kuna people. The Kuna are one of the seven indigenous groups here in Panama. God is truly doing a work among the Kuna people and they are on fire for the Lord and want to reach their people for Him. This group will be starting after the first of the year and we are expecting it to be our largest class thus far. Please start praying now for this class and that God will speak to those who He wants in this class.

Tomorrow afternoon, we will be heading out to Santa Fe to assist in some follow up with some of our church planters. They will be visiting several homes where the people have made a decision for Christ or expressed interest in Bible study or the new church in that community.

We are also excited to have Reed, Jenni and Jessi here in Panama. We've had fun showing them this beautiful country and just catching up with them. This is the most time we've gotten to spend with Jessi since she was born. She was born while we were living in Costa Rica so it's been fun getting to know her. She will be 2 next month. She is truly a sweet little girl and has made us laugh a lot!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

Holidays in Panama and the U.S.

2011-11-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-07T08:47:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-04T19:22:00.001-07:00

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.

Cavin's Birthday Weekend

2011-10-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

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.

Cawthon Update

2011-10-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

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.

The Week in Review

2011-10-14T18:30:00.000-07:00

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.

This Week's Happenings

2011-10-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

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 Sueño" ("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.

Thankful for U.S. Partners

2011-10-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

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!

This Week's Reflections

2011-09-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

Well, another week is coming to an end. Preston's birthday was yesterday. We had a good time celebrating as a family, but the real celebration is today as he is having a party with the boys in his class. We will pick them up after school and bring them home with us for the party. He has been looking forward to this for several weeks, and woke up earlier than usual to get ready for school! It's hard to believe that the baby of the family is 10 years old!

The years truly do go by so fast. I was reflecting on our life over the last 10 years. A lot has changed. Who would have thought 10 years ago, we would be living in Panama City, Panama. God has guided us and directed our path through everything we have encountered. He has been faithful, and I know He will continue to be faithful - no matter what comes our way or where He leads us. Life as a Christian is certainly not a boring existence. If you allow Him to lead you, you will be amazed what He will do and the adventure you can have with Him! I challenge you to live each day for Him! You may not wind up in Panama or another country, but He will give you fulfilling experiences as you share with those around you the gospel message. You will be amazed at the people He brings into your life and He will fulfill you in ways you never imagined! Jesus said in John 10:10 says, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

19 Graduate from the Church Planting Institute of Panama

2011-09-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Last night, we had a special service to recognize the students who have completed the coursework for the 6 month Church Planting Class. It was a special time to charge the students to put in practice what they have learned. Quite a few are already doing exactly that. Small groups and churches are being started all over the City. We heard a testimony from one young man who has gone into a dangerous area of Panama and is training others in church planting using the Kuna language. Through his work, lives are being changed. He reported that there are 13 who have accepted Christ and are ready to be baptized! Praise the Lord!

Please go to our UP Team blog to see more of what's going on with our team http://urbanpanamateam.blogspot.com/

On this site, you can also see a map which shows all the places that churches have been started through our team. You can also read about some of the specific areas where we or our church planters are working.

Thanks for keeping up with our blog, and most of all thanks for praying! We could not be here without prayer!

Happy 80th Birthday, Daddy!!!

2011-09-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today is my (Charlotte's) dad's 80th birthday! Tomorrow he will be celebrating with a party with family and friends. This will be one of the days that when you go on the mission field you know will come, but it's still sad when you can't be there on those special occasions. Thanks to modern technology, I will be able to Skype with him during the party, and maybe chat with some of the people who are there, but it's still not quite the same as being there. All in all, though, I'm happy that he is getting to celebrate this happy day! 80!!!!! I'm so happy to still have him here to call and talk to, share what's going on in our lives here in Panama, and know that he's thrilled that we are here sharing the gospel with the people in Panama!

Selah

2011-09-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

"Selah" is the name our Monday night small group has given itself. This word is from Psalms and we chose it because this group is focused on praise. Several of the members of this group are professional singers here in Panama. The group is made up of young Panamanian professionals who want to see the worship culture changed here in Panama. The group is growing. It is currently meeting in the home of one of the couples on the UP Team (Tim and Tina Louderback) but we are praying for a bigger place to meet soon because we are close to outgrowing their house! Please pray for this group to continue to grow and reach the young, urban professionals of Panama for Christ!

Getting settled!

2011-08-26T11:52:00.000-07:00

This week we have been getting settled in our new apartment, getting used to our new surroundings, and meeting new people. We have found a new place for most of our things, but still have a few more things to unpack. Continue to pray that God will use us here in San Francisco - in the heart of Panama City.

The second 6 month course of the Church Planting Institute ended last night, and a new one will be started in another area of the city the first week of October. The 3 week intensive course continues to be taught each Sunday with this week being the last week of intensive training, but we will continue to meet once a month to continue the training. In total, there are 42 students in some phase of the training, whether they are doing the coursework or being coached in church planting. The coaching lasts for one year after the coursework is completed. The students are coached once a month by one of the couples on the UP Team. Pray that the whole city will be impacted by these church planters who are eager to see God work in miraculous ways.

It's Friday!

2011-08-19T07:32:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy - but good - week! We are in the process of moving into the city. We currently live on the edge of the city, but have been praying since our arrival in Panama about the area of the city called San Francisco. This week the contract was signed for us us to move into a high rise apartment building. We will be living on the 22nd floor overlooking San Francisco and Panama City. We are excited to be in the heart of this area that has very little evangelistic presence. Pray that God will use us to impact lives for Him! Pray that we will meet people with whom we can share the good news of Jesus! Pray also for innovative ways in which we can witness and build relationships. This is an area of the city where many people have financial means, but they don't have Jesus - so in essence, they have nothing.

Monday is MOVING DAY. Pray that all will go well as we get settled in our new home.

Prayer Request

2011-08-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

Please be in prayer for Josiah Dover. He is 7 years old and has just been diagnosed with Leukemia. His parents are friends of ours (Charlie and Jennifer Dover) and were serving in Macedonia. They returned to the States just over a week ago because of concerns about Josiah. He was diagnosed last Friday. They are now in Memphis, TN at St. Jude's Hospital. A Facebook page has been established entitled "Pray for Josiah". Please join in praying for healing for Josiah, strength during this journey both physically and in their faith, and that they could be a witness to others who see their faith during this difficult time. They also have two younger boys. Thank you for praying for this sweet family.

Greetings from Panama!

2011-08-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, but that doesn't mean rest this weekend. We are gearing up for a busy weekend of ministry for the UP Team. Cavin will be leading a Pastor's Conference all day Saturday focused on expository preaching. Pray for him as he finished his preparation and then as he teaches. Sunday, a new Church Planting training will begin. The UP Team will be teaching a 3 week intensive course which will be 3 Sundays for 5 hours each day. It is exciting to see a new group of eager students ready to learn and start churches!

The kids are winding up the first full week of school, and I guarded say, "so far, so good!" Christian has been enjoying being back with her group of friends - and oh, of course she is excited about the learning aspect, as well! Preston would prefer not having to wake up so early and he doesn't like having to write all of his assignments in cursive this year, but he's excited that he will have an opportunity to be involved in track and field for the next few weeks. He practices today for the first time and has a meet on August 27th.

John Robert is back in the routine of working with UP Team. He has had time to do this since he still has a few weeks until his classes start back.

Weekly Update

2011-08-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

We are striving to do better on updating our blog. The goal is to update it every Friday. This has been a good week. The kids (Christian and Preston) started back to school yesterday. What a quick summer! We are praying for a good year this year and it seems to be off to a good start. Christian is in the 8th grade and Preston is in the 4th grade.

John Robert will be starting his second year of college at Florida State Panama. He registered for classes this week, but will not begin classes until Aug. 29.

Cavin is in the States right now. He is working on building a partnership with First Baptist Eagles' Landing in McDonough, GA. We are excited about what God will do through this partnership. Cavin will return to Panama on Monday.

Update from Panama

2011-07-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Panama! We have had a great almost two months since we last posted. We went to Guatemala for a mission meeting and had a great time worshipping and spending time with other missionaries. After that we had a little time to spend with family in the States. It was great to reconnect with many family members and friends during this time. We have also had several teams from the States that were here connecting with Panamanian church planters in prayer walking, mapping, community surveys, and community events including backyard Bible clubs and block parties. It's great to have these U.S. partner churches who are willing to give their time to come to Panama and serve.

Cavin has completed the Church Planting class he was teaching at the Panama Baptist Seminary and the class continues with the Church Planting Institute of Panama with 3 more classes being planned to start very soon. At least 30 more students will be involved in these new classes. Through the Church Planting Institute we have seen 15 new churches started, and as a result we are seeing lives changed as people come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

We are also excited about a brand new group that has just been started. This group is made up primarily of young professionals who want to see a strong worship movement in Panama! Just in the two weeks that we have met, we are seeing growth in this group. It will be exciting to see what God does!

John Robert the King of Groups

2011-06-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks John Robert has been an intern for Derek Tucker. They have been working with teams from the States. This week John Robert and Derek have been working with a team from Kentucky. John Robert has really stepped up and became a strong leader. Last night John Robert was the lead at movie night. They had over 75 people at the movie. God is really using John Robert.
Pray for John Robert as he grows in his relationship with Christ. He will be starting his 2nd year at Florida State in August. Pray that he will be a light for Christ on the FSU campus.

Cawthon Update

2011-05-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Things are going well, and we are staying very busy. God is working in Panama and it's so exciting. We are well into the second class of The Church Planting Institute and we are anticipating that at least 4 new churches will be started as a result of this class. This will give us a total of 9 churches that have been started through the UP Team. There are many areas of the city that we are seeing evangelistic work being started that previously had none.

Cavin is also teaching a church planting class at the Panama Baptist Seminary. It's been great to see these 16 students learning and eagerly applying the principles that we are discussing in class. God is preparing these students and is already using them to impact lives in Panama.

We are gearing up for a Summer full of mission teams coming from various Southern Baptist Churches in the States. We are partnering each team with a national church planter to assist in the work in specific areas of the city. Some of the work these teams will be doing will be prayer walking, community evangelistic events, and mapping with the ultimate goal of starting churches so that many people will come to have a true relationship with Christ.

Great Week with Noonday Team

2011-04-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

The above photo is the Panamanian Baptist Seminary Building which the team was yesterday afternoon. The Class that I am teaching is on Church Planting. The text is of course the Book of Acts. 15 Students were there to learn how and why and what to do about how to plant new churches. How to give your personal testimony was emphasized and practiced by the class including the special guest students from the USA.

The visit to the Seminary gave the team the opportunity to see first hand the great need for help in the areas of maintenance and repairs that the buildings are in desperate need of at this time. Painting, Plumbing,electrical and concrete work are badly needed to improve the quality and atmosphere of this place of learning and life change.

The team will be starting their 4th day in Panama and have now become well adapt at prayer walking, mapping, the culture and the need of the city for churches. The team has been able to see the strategy of the missionaries and now are in the last two days of this trip looking for ways and the places that they may be able to plug into the work of the Urban Panama Team.

Yesterday also included a mapping of about one square mile of city streets. It was a unique experience as the team had traveled the area but there was so much that was not noticed until we actually walked thre through the streets with a very intentional goal of seeing what is there.

What was found? People lots of people. Lots of businesses and apartments. And mixed in are lots of nice homes. It is not uncommon for a beautiful home with a nice fenced yard with lavish landscaping to be next door to a 40 story high rise apartment building. You can see this in the top right corner of the photo of Linda walking with mapping in hand. And across the street from here is a fence where there is yet another high rise under construction.

New UP Team Blig

2011-04-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

Tina Louderback and Audrey Tucker of the UP team are doing an UP team blog. The focus of the blog is for mission team's churches, families, and friends to be able to see the work that the teams from the states are doing here in Panama.

http://urbanpanamateam.blogspot.com/

Start of Seminary - April 6, 2011

2011-04-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last night was the start of Seminary classes. I am teaching a Church Planting class. I have 16 students in the class. This is very exciting because last year the Seminary only had 9 students. Teaching the Seminary class is a little different than teaching in the Church Planting Institute. The main reason is that the students get grades. For all my friends that had Dr. Lee for Old Testament at BCF, I am having a "pop-test" at the beginning of each class. "Please, take out a half sheet of paper."

Our first trip back to the States

2011-03-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

As of now, we are waiting to board our plane back to Panama. It's been a crazy, whirlwind of a trip back to the States for the first time in almost two years. We packed a lot in and spent time with both sets of parents and many friends with Cavin speaking in 3 of our prayer partner churches. John Robert FINALLY got his drivers' license, we surprised Cavin's parents, ate way too much and had "climate culture shock" from the frigid cold ranging from the 30's to the 50's. Remember, it was 98 degrees the day we left Panama.

We want to thank Olive Springs Baptist Church in Marietta, GA; Catawba Springs Baptist Church in Brewton, AL; and Temple Baptist Church in White House, TN for allowing us to share and for your continued prayer support. This truly means more than you can know.

We had a great time visiting but look forward to what God has ahead with our ministry in Panama. We have a team arriving Saturday night so it will be back to work as soon as we get back!

Church Planting Institute of Panama

2011-02-21T11:59:00.000-08:00

The Church Planting Institute of Panama (CPI) is going real well. This coming Sunday, 9 students are graduating from the Institute. These students worked through the CPI for 6 months of training. Out of this group 6 new church are being started in Panama. Please pray for the graduates as they are working to start these new churches.
The Church Planting Institute of Panama has started the second class this past Thursday night. We have 23 new students. I believe that God is doing something amazing in Panama. Pray for the new students as they are starting this course. Pray for at least 15 new churches to be started through this class.
I will start teaching at the Panama Baptist Seminary in April. I will be teaching the 6 month course in 2 semesters. All of the students and professors are required to take the classes. Again, God is doing something amazing in Panama.
CPI also has been asked to teach the course to 2 different churches. One of the churches is in the Northern part of Panama City and the other is with an indigenous group of pastors. Pray for the planning of these two new classes.
In May, the CPI will be teaming up with PAAM, the mission sending agency of Panama, to train Panamanean missionaries to start churches. This seminar will be for one week for 8 hours a day. God is doing something amazing in the WORLD.

Operation Christmas Child

2011-02-16T13:20:00.000-08:00

Many people that follow our blog make and give shoe boxes to Operation Christmas Child. Here are some pictures of giving the boxes here in Panama. I think Charlotte had just as much fun opening the boxes as the kids.

Medical Fair

2011-02-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

Saturday we were at a medical fair in Santa Fe. We were working with one of the church planters from the Church Planting Institute of Panama, Carlos. 50 people received Christ and over 250 people were seen by the doctors.

Group from Bogart GA

2011-02-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

We had a group last week from Prince Ave Christian School near Athens GA. They are half of the senior class. The next half come in March.

A Long Overdue Update!

2011-01-25T09:56:00.000-08:00

First, I want to apologize for not updating the blog in quite a while. We are all doing well here in Panama City, Panama. We had a nice Christmas and 2011 is off to a good start. We were blessed to start out the year with a visit from my parents and niece. The kids enjoyed a nice break from school over Christmas and New Year. They are now back in school for the second half of the school year.

We continue to be involved in many areas of ministry and are excited to see what God is doing in, through us, and all around us! He is opening many doors for us and this gives us great joy and excitement. The first course of the Church Planting Institute is nearing completion, and God has opened the door for three more courses to be taught. Through the Church Planting Institute of Panama, God is preparing young men and women to start churches. It is evident that God is working in their lives through their dedication and excitement. Each of the students has identified and have begun working in specific areas of the city to start churches. Please keep the students and the Institute in your prayers as this city is changed for God's glory.

We are also gearing up to host quite a few mission teams from the States who will work with us, as well as the students in the Institute, to assist with our Church Planting goals. These teams will assist through one on one evangelism, mapping specific areas of the city, prayer walking, hosting community events, starting small group Bible studies and much more. We are thankful for these individuals and churches who are willing to come to Panama to work for the purpose of seeing lives changed.

December 2010 Newsletter

2010-12-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

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.

More Pictures from Trip to Guabo

2010-11-26T19:54:00.000-08:00

Visit to Guabo 2010

2010-11-26T19:44:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

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

2010-10-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-08-09T13:49:00.000-07:00

Promotion Video

2010-08-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Panama Vision Trip from Scotty Davis on Vimeo.

Thanks Scotty Davis for creating this video!

Prayer Needs July 30, 2010

2010-07-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

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

2010-07-22T07:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-02T10:16:00.001-07:00

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

2010-06-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-08T13:50:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-02T20:00:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-05-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

2010-05-06T21:21:00.001-07:00

WE ARE IN PANAMA

2010-04-24T20:37:00.000-07:00

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")

2010-04-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-02-28T13:32:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-16T13:34:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-14T13:23:00.001-08:00

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

2010-01-26T17:01:00.000-08:00

Last Night was a Fun Night!

2010-01-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

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.

A Memorable Day

2009-12-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today has been a memorable day in many ways. First of all, today is mine and Charlotte's 18th anniversary! We have had a great life together, and I am looking forward to many more wonderful years! I thank God for the wife He has given me!

Since my parents are here in Costa Rica with us, we all decided to go downtown today and show them the city of San Jose. To get the whole experience, we decided to ride the bus. Well, this turned out to be not such a wise choice, because as we were getting off the bus (at least we think this is where it happened), my dad was robbed by a pick pocket. His wallet was stolen with his credit cards and military ID, and by the time we were able to report it, almost $2000 had been charged on his credit cards. Fortunately, the credit card companies canceled the cards and my parents will not have to pay for the charges. However, I am sorry to say that we have now been affected by crime here in Costa Rica. We try to be very careful in everything we do, but still sometimes things do happen.

Later this afternoon, I learned something new that I am very excited about. I found out that today is "El Dia de Inocentes" - what we would call April Fools Day in the U.S. Those who know me, know that I love to play practical jokes and really look forward to April Fools Day every year. I am excited that now every year on December 28th, I will not only be celebrating my anniversary, but will get to play practical jokes on my friends and family! And what's more - now I have two days of the year to do it! I even managed to play a few jokes today on some of our fellow IMB language student missionaries!

Merry Christmas from Costa Rica!

2009-12-19T20:13:00.000-08:00

We have completed our orality training for this week. We studied intensely the book of Acts, and learned how to "tell" the book of Acts in story form. This approach is being used all over the world to tell the stories of the Bible - both from the Old and New Testament, and many are coming to the Lord. However, we want to be sure we are true to the scriptures and never add or take away.

We are now gearing up to celebrate Jesus' birthday! We pray that you are focusing on the true reason that we celebrate Christmas, and that you have a Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas)!

We also want to thank you for your faithful giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Through this offering, we are able to be here in Costa Rica learning Spanish and ministering here, while preparing to go to Panama City, Panama next year to serve on the Urban Team. This offering allows over 5000 missionaries all over the world to serve through the International Mission Board. Many independent missionaries are forced to regularly leave the field to return to the states to raise support, but because of the giving of Southern Baptists, we are able to focus on the call God has placed on our lives. However, last year the the goal of the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering was not met, and IMB has had to cut the number of missionaries they were able to send to the field. That means there are people who are called, but are not able to go at this time. It is our prayer that the goal will be met this year so that more missionaries can be sent out to tell the story of Jesus - because there are still so many who are untold, waiting to hear. If you haven't given, please consider giving to this offering through any local Southern Baptist Church.

A Busy (but good) Week!!

2009-12-12T18:09:00.000-08:00

We have been very busy over the past several weeks, and this past week has been an exceptionally busy week! We have now completed our second trimester of language school, which means that we are 2/3 of the way finished with language school! What a great feeling!!

We also had a visit from Charlotte's parents - Bob and June Martin! We had a great time showing them San Jose, taking them to our Spanish church, showing them the language school, introducing them to other missionaries, and we even took them on a short trip outside of San Jose to beautiful Manuel Antonio. I think they enjoyed seeing a little of what our lives are like here, and experiencing "life" in Costa Rica! They have now arrived safely back in the U.S. and are at home in Brewton, Alabama.

Now that we are finished with this trimester of language school, all IMB missionaries here in Costa Rica will be having a special conference on "Orality" - which means telling the Bible orally which is useful for sharing with people who do not read or have access to Bibles. This conference will be Monday through Friday of next week.

On Monday, my parents Zed and ReDel Cawthon will be arriving and will be spending Christmas with us. We are looking forward to their visit! It has been so nice to have family here since this will be the first Christmas of our lives to be outside of the U.S.

2009-11-27T15:56:00.001-08:00

Practice

2009-11-17T11:44:00.000-08:00

THis is a photo of last Saturday's practice/

Language Update from Charlotte

2009-11-15T20:38:00.000-08:00

Well, we are past the halfway mark of this trimester, and are so ready for this one to end. We had heard going into this one, that the second trimester was the hardest and most intense out of the three, and I believe it. I have two very hard classes. Thankfully, I have now learned - at least on paper - the 14 verb tenses. That is in my grammar class, and in the conversation class, I have had presentations to present almost everyday! Hopefully, we are making progress, though it's hard to tell sometimes, especially on a day to day basis. But we can look back to when we first got here, and see that we have made a lot of progress. We have actually gotten to the point where we can discuss the sermons on Sunday after church. I would estimate that today I got about 75% of what went on at church, compared to probably 2% when we first got here - so I know we've made progress. Please continue to pray that we will continue to progress. One day - maybe we'll get 100% of the sermon - although I don't know if I get 100% even in when it's in English!

November 2009 Video Blog

2009-11-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

Cawthons in Costa Rica

An Update!

2009-10-28T06:14:00.000-07:00

We have had a particularly busy couple of weeks here in Costa Rica. Last week was "Spiritual Emphasis Week" which is basically revival services which they have during every trimester. A group from Tennessee came and did Bible School for the children. In a crazy turn of events, my mother - ReDel Cawthon - was invited to come with the team. The group was from her town but a different church. They also had several other mission projects that they were involved in during the trip. The rest of the team left last Friday, but my mother was able to stay a few extra days. She is actually still here and will be leaving this Friday. She is staying to celebrate my 40th birthday with us!

The Movie Night

2009-10-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

The movie night went great. I had 41 men show up for "Facing the Giants." I believe that God is working in a powerful way. Many had questions and others had comments about the movie. We are preparing for "rain." (If you have seen the movie you know what I am talking about. If you don't know, then you need to rent and watch "Facing the Giants.") I am working on a video that I will be posting in the next few days.

Please pray....!!!!!

2009-10-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

I am very excited about tomorrow night because I am having a special event for the football team I coach - The Jaguares (pronounced "hog war es" in Spanish). During the event, I will be showing the Christian film "Facing the Giants" - in Spanish, of course. Please pray that this event will open doors for sharing the Gospel and possibly for beginning a small group Bible study. The event will begin at 6 pm Costa Rica time which is 7 pm Central Time/8 pm Eastern Time.

Our Team in Panama

2009-10-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

A lot has changed since we arrived in Costa Rica. When we arrived, we were expecting to remain in Costa Rica after language school. Now we know that we will be going to Panama to live and work after language school. We will graduate (hopefully!!) from language school on April 23rd of next year and will leave for Panama City, Panama somewhere around May 1st. We have been getting to know our team members pretty well over the last few weeks. They are here with us in language school. They are Tim and Tina Louderback from Thomasville, GA. They are a neat, fun couple and have four children who are intertwined with the ages of our children. If you have a chance, check out their blog at lyricsofamom.blogspot.com. Another couple who will be on our team will be arriving in Costa Rica later this month. They already have a good bit of Spanish and will only spend one trimester in language school. We are looking forward to getting to know them, as well. All three families will leave at the same time to move to Panama! We are getting very excited about what God has ahead. In fact, please begin praying for the people we will minister to in Panama City.

5 months in Costa Rica

2009-09-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

As of yesterday, we have now been in Costa Rica for five months! In some ways, it seems like much longer and in other ways it has flown by. We are now almost a month into the second trimester of language school and are having some unique ministry experiences. The Lord has humbled us greatly in our attempt to learn Spanish, but at the same time He gently reminds us that we are still usable in spite of - and possibly because of - our weaknesses. We are constantly being reminded of 2 Corinthians 12: 9 "My [Jesus'] grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness."

Charlotte began leading the Spanish Bible study last Wednesday. It is hard but God is using her. I am still coaching the football team and praying that God will use me with these young men. On this team of approximately 50 men, there are only three Christians. We have also begun working on a church planting project in a nearby neighborhood. We are at the very beginning stages right now and praying that God will open doors to build relationships in this middle to upper class neighborhood. Please pray for all of these areas of ministry. We are very weak - but we serve a mighty God who is more than able!

Last week, I had the opportunity to go with another missionary to a church about two hours away! He preached that night in Spanish, and the best part was two teenage girls accepted Christ! It was great to hear the sinners prayer prayed in Spanish!

Beach 2009

2009-09-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

This is our trip to one of the many Beaches in Costa Rica. The video was take the last week of August 2009

Update from Costa Rica

2009-09-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we started our 2nd Trimester of language school this past week. It already seems that we are speaking so much more than in the first trimester. This trimester has the reputation of being the most difficult of the three, but also the one where your Spanish grows the most. Time will tell if that is an accurate assessment.

We have also had several ministry opportunities to arise. Yesterday, I had one of the best days that I have had in Costa Rica. I was invited to be an assistant coach of an adult American Football team. The team ranges from ages 18-40, and they all need Jesus. I am praying that God will use me to minster to this group of men! There are only 7 American Football teams in Costa Rica, so as you can imagine they have a lot to learn about the sport.

The next thing that God is allowing me to do is mentor a new pastor here in Costa Rica. He is the new pastor of San Pedro Community Fellowship and has never pastored before. God is allowing me to meet with him and teach him from a Biblical perspective what it means to be a pastor. I was also able to preach today at San Pedro Community Fellowship. This is an English speaking congregation.

Charlotte is also becoming involved in a ministry. At our school, there is a weekly Costa Rican Women's Bible Study that meets every Wednesday afternoon. Charlotte has been attending the Bible study for over a month, and the leaders are finishing language school and will be leaving Costa Rica. Charlotte and a fellow IMB missionary will be leading the group beginning in October. This Bible study is done completely in Spanish. Pray for her that God will give her the ability to co-lead this Bible study group.

Oh, and by the way "War Eagle"!! We were able to watch the Alabama game last night on our cable. It's neat to get to watch college football all the way down here in "Futball Country" (Futball is "Soccer" in Costa Rica!)

August 2009 Video Blog Post

2009-08-27T15:42:00.000-07:00

One Down, Two to Go!

2009-08-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

We are now officially 1/3 of the way finished with language school! Yesterday was our last day of school for the first trimester! We are pleased with our progress, but of course the more we learn, the more we realize how much more we need to know. It's hard to believe we have been in Costa Rica for 3 1/2 months. When we think back to what we knew in regard to Spanish when we got here and what we know now, we can definitely see progress. It is only through the Lord's strength that we have progressed at all. Learning a foreign language is not an easy task, but we know that God has called us, and He will equip us!

A Rough Week, with a Glimpse of Hope (posted by Charlotte)

2009-08-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we knew when we came here, there would be things we would miss and not get to be with people we love during happy and sad times.... Well, this was one of those sad times when I wanted to be with my family, but I was many miles away in Costa Rica. This past Wednesday, my uncle passed away in South Carolina. I longed to be with my family during this time. His daughter and I have been very close since childhood, and I really wanted to be with her and the rest of the family. Please pray for the family of Lester Martin. I have many fond memories of him taking my cousin and me to the beach on so many occasions! He will definitely be missed by many!

On a lighter note.... I understood more of the sermons today than I have during the last three months! I have been so excited and thanking God for my break through! I, by no means, got everything, but I actually heard whole sentences, and even got some of the sermon points, unlike most weeks when I only get a word here and there and can't put any of it together to make sense! Please continue to pray that our language acquisition will continue to increase!

This week is our last week of the first trimester. It's a great feeling to know we are almost 1/3 of the way finished with language school! We will have a few days off, and are actually going to work in a trip to the beach for a few days! We are very excited about seeing a little more of Costa Rica and having some time of rest and relaxation!

Our First Visitor in Costa Rica

2009-08-04T18:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we've been quite busy lately. We have now had our first guest since arriving in Costa Rica. Sarah Williams - from Marietta, GA- came to visit us for 12 days! Her father, Glenn Williams and I served together at Olive Springs Baptist Church for several years, and Sarah used to babysit our younger children. We really enjoyed having her during this time. She arrived on July 23rd, and left this morning! We packed a lot into the time she was here, and really strived to give her a feel of what our life is really like here in Costa Rica. She went to some of our classes, helped out in the preschool area (Rayitos) which is part of Sojourn Academy where our children go to school - and have been attending their summer camp program this summer. Sarah also was able to join with a mission team from Ohio and go with them on two days to a women's rehabilitation center for unwed mothers who have been on drugs. We showed her around the city of San Jose which included hitting some of our favorite restaurants, and shopping areas, going to the zoo, and going downtown to the Central Market and the Gold Museum. She also went with Charlotte to a Bible Study which is in Spanish and went to church services with us which were in Spanish. She had an opportunity to meet many of the missionaries who are living here in San Jose - some who are in language school and others who are living long term in Costa Rica ministering in the ways that God has called them. She quickly realized that like us - all of the other missionaries are just plain people that God has called to serve him in this capacity. We also worked in some fun while she was here. We went on a canopy tour and whitewater rafting at a place called Pozo Azul. We had a blast doing that! I posted the video a couple of days ago - so take a look at it, if you haven't already!

Sarah has been studying Spanish for the last several years in high school and college. Sarah was able to utilize her Spanish skills and gain confidence in her ability. It will be exciting to see how God uses her talents and abilities for His glory!

Part of Saturday's trip August 1, 2009

2009-08-02T20:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday we (cawthons and sarah williams) went on a canopy tour and whitewater rafting. We had a great time.

Out in the Jungle (well at the zoo)

2009-07-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

Video Blog July 2009

2009-07-19T21:12:00.000-07:00

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Please pray for our safety

2009-07-07T07:02:00.000-07:00

We have known from the beginning that safety was an issue, and that robberies do occur in the area that we live in. However, last week seemed to be worse than it has been. Thankfully, we have not been directly affected. Last week, there was an American shot in the leg. He was in the park on the same street as our house. The next day, a female student was robbed near the language school. The school was broken into another night. We heard that a Costa Rican woman was robbed another day. Then Friday, we witnessed a robbery. A Costa Rican man's wallet was taken; then three men chased the robber down hitting him twice with a car, and then getting out, beating him up and demanding the wallet back. All of this happened just outside the language school as we stood waiting for a taxi. God sent some fellow students by in a vehicle just as everything began happening. We were with another family and we began pushing the children into the vehicle, and then the adults climbed in, too. We had 13 people in a vehicle that holds 9! We are thankful that God protected us that day, and ask for your continued prayers for our safety.

Spiritual Emphasis Week

2009-07-01T19:32:00.001-07:00

This week has been Spiritual Emphasis Week at the language school. The guest preacher has been Dr. Stan May who is a pastor and seminary professor in Memphis, TN. His wife has been with him, also - Iva May. During the morning chapel hour, Dr. May leads the men, and his wife leads the women. We also have a special service each evening in which he preaches. It has been a great week just to focus on the reason we are here, and remind ourselves of the bigger picture. It's easy to get bogged down - and sometimes discouraged - with learning Spanish. Another good part about this week is that we don't have tests or homework in our classes!