So a group of us woke up at 5 am to watch the sun come up over the ocean, and it was absolutely beautiful! I am always amazed at the show our Creator so lovingly puts on for display every single morning!
Sorry this took so long to get posted, the last couple of weeks have been nuts but such a blast! Yesterday (saturday) I coordinated a training day for the canadian and panamanian students. It was awesome to see so many of them come to be trained and equipped to go out, sharing their faith and developing their relationship with God. So many things have been happening in the lives of the students and its been amazing to see how God continues to work in the lives of everyone that we come into contact with. Eric, the faculty leader for the architecture faculty has connected us with some of the other leaders on campus in an effort to put together a leadership lunch next week. I had the opportunity to meet with a guy named Fidel from the economics faculty. My friend Jon and I had lunch with him last week and got to share the gospel with him. It was awesome to see how he was thinking his way through it and really taking the time to understand what we were telling him. He prayed to recieve Christ right there and it was so encouraging and exciting to see.
I think that one of the major things I have been learning this trip is took take every opportunity to share the gospel when I am presented with one. Thursday, I had a break for about half an hour and was planning on going to work on a session that I had to present on Saturday. Eric pulled me over to introduce me to a group of his friends and we got talking about nothing in particular. All of a sudden I had a thought and whipped out the 4 Spiritual Laws booklets that we use to present the gospel. None of them had ever seen it so we went through it together and the entire group of 5 prayed to recieve Christ. It was nuts you guys! Nothing planned and I was heading to do something completely different, but I believe that its moments like those that God has planned for us to step out in faith and live a life worthy of the calling that he has placed on our lives.
Tuesday night in all-team training, we put together a list of mature Christians and new believers in preparation to pass all of our contacts over to the Panamanian staff. There were over 100 contacts of mature Christians we had been meeting with to do discipleship and vision casting and probably over 150 new Christians, but that statistic will be way higher than that now. My friend Eryn commmented that we were handing them over a Crusade (for Christ), and she was totally correct. We came to Panama to start a movement by turning lost students into Christ centered laborers, and we have seen this prayer answered in so many ways. From scratch we started, and at times it was scary to think that maybe everything we had worked on would end once we left. But, the more and more that I prayed about, the more I relaized that it is so much out of my control. God, I believe with all my heart, knows the specific plans for each and every student on the university campus here and at home. He has big plans for all of us and I'm starting to see that becoming revealed in my life.
There is so much I want to tell you all, but I think those are the highlights. I know that for some of you reading this, this might not make complete sense. But, I've been learning over the last weeks that as a Christian, God commands us to go and make discples, by giving us the Great Comission. So many students here ask us whether we have to be sharing our faith or why we came. I think that we've all come to the conclusion, I know that I have, that this is something that I want to do. The greatest thing I can do for those around me to show them that I love them is to share the love of Christ with them. He has great and loving plans for each of our lives, we are seperated from him through our sin and sinful nature BUT because he loves us so much, he paid the price with sending his only son Jesus Christ to die for those sins. Think about it, a god that loves us that much. I still can't even begin to comprehend this love, but as I sat by the ocean this morning watching the sun come up, I was reminded how special and how precious I am to my heavenly Father.
Well... if you made it this far, thanks so much for me keeping me in your thoughts and prayers. We have 4 more days on campus and if you're praying, pray that I can push hard until the end. I love you all so much and I will see you in less than 3 weeks, craziness I tell you!
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Friday, May 12, 2006
Hey all,
So another week on campus has come and gone and simply awesome! There are so many crazy things happening and God is simply working everything out perfectly! Our team is in the Architecture faculty at the University of Panama, its the national university and... they only pay 27.50 (!!!!) a semester for school.
The student faculty president, named Eric, accepted Christ on Tuesday and he is awesome! Well first it was crazy that it happened because he has every single connection and knows every person in the faculty and he is such a great guy! He has become such a friend and although my Spanish is so little and his English is little too, we have become good friends. And now onto my favorite story of the week..... and probably my favorite moment so far on this trip....
Last Thursday we did some talks on integrity in a couple of classes and I met a girl named Estefania, I also ran into her the next day at the cafeteria but we did not know if my team was going to be in the architecture faculty so we swapped contact information and left it at that. But (!!) my team is in the faculty and so I connected with her and her friends on Monday. My friend and sharing partner Heather shared with Estefania and her friend Ana the 4 Spiritual Laws and they both said that they would think about it which was really cool. Wednesday I ran into Estefania and she did not look like she was having a great day. I did not have time to talk but prayed for her.. then I find out she talked to Heather and asked if she could meet up with us on Thursday to talk. Thursday we talked and I was absolutely blown away, she told us that she wanted to know how to be close to Jesus and that she didnt want to live her life all by herself ever again. I was so choked up and teary that I could barely lead her through the sinners prayer, but we said it and in that moment I knew that I could go home happy. God had such a hand in working in her heart and drawing her to him it was so amazing to see!
In other amazing news...
1. We had our first weekly meeting today on campus with all the Panamanian students and it was packed out, which was amazing to see!
2. We saw the Panama canal Saturday and it was honestly smaller than I had imagined it!
3. We are heading into the rainforest tommorrow...
4. I went to an elemnetary school this morning to help with showing the Jesus film to some classes and the kids were so cute! I wanted to pack them all home with me, haha I talked a bit to them in Spanish and then they all decided I knew the language and started yelling at me all at once, I laughed so hard!
5. God is amazing!!
Love you all so much! Keep me in your thoughts and more importantly your prayers, I will see you all in a month or so... sorry this was so long!
Lins
So another week on campus has come and gone and simply awesome! There are so many crazy things happening and God is simply working everything out perfectly! Our team is in the Architecture faculty at the University of Panama, its the national university and... they only pay 27.50 (!!!!) a semester for school.
The student faculty president, named Eric, accepted Christ on Tuesday and he is awesome! Well first it was crazy that it happened because he has every single connection and knows every person in the faculty and he is such a great guy! He has become such a friend and although my Spanish is so little and his English is little too, we have become good friends. And now onto my favorite story of the week..... and probably my favorite moment so far on this trip....
Last Thursday we did some talks on integrity in a couple of classes and I met a girl named Estefania, I also ran into her the next day at the cafeteria but we did not know if my team was going to be in the architecture faculty so we swapped contact information and left it at that. But (!!) my team is in the faculty and so I connected with her and her friends on Monday. My friend and sharing partner Heather shared with Estefania and her friend Ana the 4 Spiritual Laws and they both said that they would think about it which was really cool. Wednesday I ran into Estefania and she did not look like she was having a great day. I did not have time to talk but prayed for her.. then I find out she talked to Heather and asked if she could meet up with us on Thursday to talk. Thursday we talked and I was absolutely blown away, she told us that she wanted to know how to be close to Jesus and that she didnt want to live her life all by herself ever again. I was so choked up and teary that I could barely lead her through the sinners prayer, but we said it and in that moment I knew that I could go home happy. God had such a hand in working in her heart and drawing her to him it was so amazing to see!
In other amazing news...
1. We had our first weekly meeting today on campus with all the Panamanian students and it was packed out, which was amazing to see!
2. We saw the Panama canal Saturday and it was honestly smaller than I had imagined it!
3. We are heading into the rainforest tommorrow...
4. I went to an elemnetary school this morning to help with showing the Jesus film to some classes and the kids were so cute! I wanted to pack them all home with me, haha I talked a bit to them in Spanish and then they all decided I knew the language and started yelling at me all at once, I laughed so hard!
5. God is amazing!!
Love you all so much! Keep me in your thoughts and more importantly your prayers, I will see you all in a month or so... sorry this was so long!
Lins
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Hey all!
The first post I tried didn´t work at all so this one might be shorter!
Panama is absolutely amazing! I was thinking yesterday as I was walking back to out hotel that "I absolutely love it here!" The people are amazing and the traffic is absolutely insane. I think that I´ve sweat more in the last four days than I have in my whole entire life.. maybe I´ll acclimatize soon. We´ve been in training and team building exercises for the last three days but finally got onto the National University yesterday and it was great. The students are so open to talking and although they laugh at the small bits of Spanish I´ve been picking up, we´ve been able to communicate amazingly well! I met a guy name Elizier, Ali for short yesterday and he was a Christian. I introduced him to the Panamanian Campus for Christ staff and hes going to be helping us with an outreach on campus next week! It was just so cool to meet someone so passionate about Christ on the first day! The students are just so cool, I´ve enjoyed getting out on campus and simply talking, I forgot how much I loved being out sharing my faith until yesterday!
Last night we had a pool party at the hotel and were able to connect with the Campus for Christ Panamanian staff and volunteers. It was a blast! Tanya, one of translators shared the other night her heart for campus and what she desires to see happen on the universities and in her country. Last night too, even in prayer and although we couldn´t understand the language and everything that was happening, we were able to agree with them and really support them, they are such an amazing group of people! Guitars got pulled out and everyone just starting praising God. I honestly can´t even begin to explain how beautiful of a sound it was. Some in Spanish and some in English but all just glorifying God! It was a late night but oh so worth it!
Next week we start more evangelism and getting organized for outreaches. We´re still not sure whihc campus our team will be on but my team is amazing. It´s such a great group of people! I´m going to be in the role of special events manager and am so excited to get going on planning outreaches campus wide and in our specific faculties!
So please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers, both for our team and just too that God would continue to work in the hearts of the students that we come into contact with!
Love you all!
Lins
The first post I tried didn´t work at all so this one might be shorter!
Panama is absolutely amazing! I was thinking yesterday as I was walking back to out hotel that "I absolutely love it here!" The people are amazing and the traffic is absolutely insane. I think that I´ve sweat more in the last four days than I have in my whole entire life.. maybe I´ll acclimatize soon. We´ve been in training and team building exercises for the last three days but finally got onto the National University yesterday and it was great. The students are so open to talking and although they laugh at the small bits of Spanish I´ve been picking up, we´ve been able to communicate amazingly well! I met a guy name Elizier, Ali for short yesterday and he was a Christian. I introduced him to the Panamanian Campus for Christ staff and hes going to be helping us with an outreach on campus next week! It was just so cool to meet someone so passionate about Christ on the first day! The students are just so cool, I´ve enjoyed getting out on campus and simply talking, I forgot how much I loved being out sharing my faith until yesterday!
Last night we had a pool party at the hotel and were able to connect with the Campus for Christ Panamanian staff and volunteers. It was a blast! Tanya, one of translators shared the other night her heart for campus and what she desires to see happen on the universities and in her country. Last night too, even in prayer and although we couldn´t understand the language and everything that was happening, we were able to agree with them and really support them, they are such an amazing group of people! Guitars got pulled out and everyone just starting praising God. I honestly can´t even begin to explain how beautiful of a sound it was. Some in Spanish and some in English but all just glorifying God! It was a late night but oh so worth it!
Next week we start more evangelism and getting organized for outreaches. We´re still not sure whihc campus our team will be on but my team is amazing. It´s such a great group of people! I´m going to be in the role of special events manager and am so excited to get going on planning outreaches campus wide and in our specific faculties!
So please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers, both for our team and just too that God would continue to work in the hearts of the students that we come into contact with!
Love you all!
Lins
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