frosh continues and another note..

Frosh weeks, the weeks where activities are focusing on interacting with first year students and exposing them to the vision of Vida Estudiantil, have seemed to continue and continue, as the a unique class schedule on the national campus made us change our plans. Last week we were able to set up tables in the various faculties and have some great interactions with the students. Later on that week we had been debating how effective the tables had been. Some good conversations had happened but we hadn't had the traffic at the tables we had expected. Last Thursday rolled around and we prepared for our first weekly meeting of the semester. No one quite knew what to expect. But as I arrived at TUAL (the ampitheater where we have our meeting) I was surprised to see Juan Carlos sitting with a group of new students, many of whom we had met that very week at the information tables. We had 28 people in attendence which for us was one of the highest numbers ever. We've been praying that we would see the weekly meeting grow to a constant attendence of 40 and with that, we were well on our way. Many, if not all of the students there signed up to get involved in a discipleship group. And so, this upcoming Monday morning we're kicking off our guys and gals disicpleship groups. Please be praying that the students would remember to come and that we would have a great time of fellowship and growing in the word together. Your prayers are so important to us! One of the things that I've been learning is that I need to be persistant in my prayers... check out Luke 11:1-13. We need to keep on asking!
On a completely different note, this last weekend my missionary visa and the teams tourists visas were expiring so we needed to leave the country. God totally blessed our team with super cheap tickets to El Salvador and so we were able to travel there over the weekend. We stayed with Raquels grandmother and had a great time getting to know her and the rest of Raquel's (and some of Juan's) extended families. We also had a chance to visit Selegna, a friend of ours and a Panamanian missionary serving with Campus Crusade for Christ in El Salvador. Another highlight was getting to meet the American stint team serving in El Salvador. We had a great day hanging out with the other stinter's! It was amazing to get to connect with them and I left our day today super encouraged and excited about what God is continuing to do both here in Central America but also at home in Canada and the States.

For more pics of our trip check out the following link!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=243306&id=523285093&l=981db7f264

it all started with a balloon.

Today was one of the days of frosh week on the national campus. We had an information table set-up in the walkway in front of Chemistry. Unlike in Architecture the day before not a lot of people were stopping and we weren't getting into a tonne of conversations with a lot of students. Later on a young lady approached me and asked for a balloon. I asked her why and she said that she needed it for a chemistry lab. We began to chat and suddenly there was a group of 7 or 8 first year chemistry students surrounding the table. Derek and I got talking with a young man named Javier and his friend Vanessa. Both of them were Christians and super interested in getting involved. Javier even said that he wanted to take advantage of the time that he had in university to grow in his faith. It was super encouraging for both Derek and I to talk with some first year students when we had been praying to meet first year students. For me too, to see their hearts for the Lord and their desire to get connected in and growing in their faith was amazing! And to think it all started with them seeing a balloon on a wall... it made me smile!

whats coming next...

I just emailed out this update about plans for next year but if you're not on the list here it is just in case! Let me know what you think!

There’s not a day that I walk down the street in Panama City without being faced with the poverty that is so rampant here and around the world. As I finished my first year in Panama God began to work on my heart in a new way. I had always wanted to reach the poor and the outcast of society and felt that best way I could do that was through reaching future leaders on the university campus. Campus ministry does a spectacular job of reaching the leaders that will decide and change their nation from the top of society to the bottom years down the road. But the more I began to question God about what He was doing in my heart, the more I realized He was calling me into a different step of faith. Over the last year and a half I’ve begun a process of asking questions. Questions about my own heart and attitude towards the poor, what Power to Change as a ministry is doing about it and most importantly what Gods heart is for these people. This drove me into the word and the answer of what my reactions should be to the poor couldn’t have been clearer than when I read the words, “give to everyone who begs from you...” (Luke 6:30 ESV). And so I began to ask myself, “what does it look like for me to give?” The more time that I spent in prayer, the more I realized that I wanted my life, in every day, to be invested in reaching the poor in a concrete way.

As I looked at what Power to Change was doing internationally in the field of relief and development I was floored by the mission statement of the humanitarian branch of Power to Change, Global Aid Network (GAiN); “to demonstrate the love of God, in word and deed, to hurting and needy people around the world, through relief and development projects.” Jesus demonstrated through both word and deed his compassion and love for the poor and outcast, and GAiN is striving to do the same. I had the blessing of meeting with GAiN last summer and also when I was home in January. I began to ask questions about what they were doing, to share what was on my heart and to see if there was a place for me to put my passion for building into people and for reaching the poor into practice.

As of July when my stint is over, I’ll be transitioning out of campus ministry to work with GAiN at Power to Change headquarters in Langley, BC. I’m stepping into a new role as the coordinator of International LIFE teams, teams of individuals who have a vision for the ministry and are committed to investing their labour, influence, finances and expertise. This could be on a water well project, a project working with orphans or a relief or development project. My role will include working with the new development of the LIFE team office so it can effectively serve the various departments of GAiN. I’ll also at times have the opportunity to join these teams in the field. I’m amazed at how God has provided an opportunity to use my passion for building into the lives of people, for mission work, for working with the local church body and for demonstrating the love of Christ to the poor through tangible action, into a cohesive role within an international development agency.

Within Power to Change, whether in campus ministry or in GAiN, we talk a lot about faith adventures; a dynamic journey where people discover a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, experience the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit by helping someone else discover Jesus, and inspire others to do the same. What I love about this is that we are all called to be a part of this; to be on a faith adventure ourselves and to bring other with us on this faith adventure. As I begin a new step on my faith adventure I pray that you will continue to be a part of that with me. Over the last two years, you have continued to blow me away and encourage me with your faithful love and support, whether through prayer or financial support. Panama has been eternally changed because of you! As I prepare return home, I will need to raise a full staff salary to be able to move to Langley and begin work with GAiN. Currently, I am slightly below 50% of the monthly support I will need. Would you purpose to pray about continuing with your support as well as possibly increasing your support as we take this new step together?

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your faithfulness both in prayer and finances. I know I say this often but it is so true, none of this could happen without you. I’m looking forward to taking this next step because I know that I’m not taking it alone! Lets go change the world together!

frosh frosh frosh

In Panama we have many crazy opportunities that we don't have doing ministry in Canada. Take last week for example. Last week was the first week of classes at the Universidad de Panama, or "national" as we call it. Monday was spent sorting out last minute details and trying to sort out the class schedules for the different faculties that we're focusing in this semester, architecture, law and science. Unlike Canada each year of students is seperated into groups. The students stay in the same goups throughout the year, going to the same classes and having the same professors. Which makes life a little simpler for us! Over frosh week, our goal was to expose every first year student to the vision of Vida Estudiantil (VE) and give them an opportunity to get involved. So what better way to do that then to talk in each of there classes. Tuesday morning rolled around and found our team with Secundina split into two groups on campus. Each group would sit outside the classrooms where we knew the first years were and wait for the class to change. As soon as the prof would exit the room or as soon as the students stood up we would enter the class and ask to make a quick announcement. Then we'd get a chance to quickly share with the students the vision of VE, give them a schedule and an invitation to our Connection Night and the weekly meeting held on campus. It was a quick way to connect with all the first year students. As we had a chance to enter all 13 of the first year classes we'd targeted it was neat to think that we'd been able to acheive one of our goals of exposing the first year students to VE.

Frosh week (well more like frosh month... :) )activities are continuing this week with a focused drive to evangelize and then next week with a blitz of information tables situated in four focus faculties on campus. The feedback from the tables at UTP last week has been great and we've been seeing students get involved and hooked in on that campus. Please pray that we would have the same positive response next week on the national campus!

The team is also traveling to Boquete this Easter weekend for the annual Cruzada church conference. Please pray for safe travel and a restful weekend with the church and staff up there!

On a personal note... I was quite sick last week with a combination of migraines and nausea which led to me needing to take a full day off campus. After a restful weekend I'm feeling better but still not 100%. Please pray that over this busy time I would be able to heal completely and wouldn't be plaqued by any more migraines!!