Howdy Family!!!
Well here we are in Panama, after spending a good month in Costa Rica. 
Our journey here has just begun…and really, I’m not sure exactly what all will go on while we’re here. I’m not sure what God will do in this place while we are here. And at the same time I’m not worried about it.
Ministry ideas and things set in place are being tossed around and talked about and we’re doing them, but the biggest thing is that I want to be doing whatever brings life, whatever brings joy, whatever brings peace, whatever brings change to a situation or circumstance in a person’s life…even at the cost of my own will and desire…whether it’s the lives of one of my team mates or squad members or my family back home or people here, I want to be available to minister to them in a capacity that brings them to a change in their lives. I want God to use me in a capacity to plant seeds in peoples lives, and whether I see the fruit of it now or not makes no difference to me. Seeds take time to grow, so if in this life I don’t see the fruit, it’s ok…I will see in the next.
I have found that it’s easy to sit back, to always look at how “I” feel or to look at the fact that “I” really don’t ‘feel’ like doing anything. It’s so easy to fall into that…atleast for me. The more “American” a place is or seems, the more “American” I feel. And by this I mean that it’s easy to fall into the selfish ambition mode…to fall into the “what’s in it for me” mode. Now, granted, all Americans are not like this…I know that, but there sure are a lot who are. And it’s not just Americans…I’m only speaking of a culture that I’m quite familiar with. The easiest way to find out if you’re one of these type of people is if you find in your heart…even now…that you’re taking offense at these words…taking offense because you believe i called you selfish.
Anyway, so tomorrow is Tuesday the 27th of May. Some will be meeting together concerning going to a mens prison to do ministry. And to tell you the truth, I’m still not quite sure exactly what I’ll be doing…but that’s the beauty of the adventure of the journey.
Today we had a family squad day where we went into town, visited sites like the Panama Canal, we went to the Cause Way, took a lot of taxis, went to the mall, relaxed, hung out, enjoyed one another’s company, enjoyed competitions…team against team, shared meals together, went bowling, went to the arcade, did a lot of laughing…some running through the mall, seeing what we could see, acting goofy…which i absolutely love to do. I enjoyed almost every minute of it. And through it all, some of the best memories come from these types of experiences…yes being with one another and enjoying it…but also the moments where you walk around in a foreign place, greet the people in their native tongue and hold a broken English/broken Spanish conversation. For me, these are the best moments. A wonderful lady from Costa Rica named Guiselle told me, while we were still in Costa Rica, that people really take it to heart to see a foreigner come from where they live and try to communicate to them in Spanish the Gospel or what people would deem as small talk on the bus while you’re traveling. Actually taking the time to share a piece of your life and time with them are precious moments. So I look forward to the everyday experiences that will go on here and wherever we go.
Chris Rice has a song in which the lyrics say, “Everyday is a journal page. Every man holds a quill and ink. And there’s plenty of room for writing in all we do and believe and think. So will you compose a curse or will today bring you blessing? Fill the page with a rhyming verse or some random sketching? Teach us to count the days. Teach us to make the days count. Lead us in better ways. Somehow our soul has forgot. Life means so much. Life means so much. Life means so much. Everyday is a bank account and time is our currency. So, no one’s rich, nobody’s poor. We get twenty-four hours each. So how are you going to spend? Will you invest or squander? Try to get ahead or help someone who’s under? Teach us to count the days. Teach us to make the days count. Lead us in better ways. Somehow our soul has forgot. Life means so much. Life means so much. Life means so much.”
Yeah, life means so much! I see it everyday being on this race. It becomes clearer and clearer the more time you spend in a place where people are sitting and begging in the streets, when you see them calling out to you begging for food, when you see them with the look of dispair and a hard life on their face, and when you see their faces light up with hope because someone took the time to just sit and talk with them… Ministry opportunities are anywhere and everywhere you have people.
So here we go!
Blessings to you all!!
Enjoy the Journey!!!
