Snapshots of Project....

Panama Project: what an awesome time!!! Its been insane as we try to balance an intense schedule with our normal life here in Panama. However, I absolutely am loving it and having a blast ministering on campus alongside my team and the other Canadians in other faculties/campuses. God has blessed me with an awesome team in the Business faculty that I've been able to work with over the past month.

My team! L-R: Lisa, Mona, Andres, Kathleen and I!

Overall, on project, we minister on the University campus for 4 weeks in total. That sure isnt a lot of time, so we've created a 'strategy' to maximize our focus and work there:

Week 1: Focus on evangelism, or helping students discover a relationship with Jesus (through Initiative evangelism, classroom talks, outreaches etc)

Week 2: Focus on evangelism and also beginning to build into the students we've seen come to Christ in the previous week (help them experience Jesus in their lives). This is done through follow up meetings, a precoursor to personal discipleship

Week 3: Focus on the building into students through follow up meetings, and helping inspire them to go out & reach others for Christ (preparing them to get involved in reaching their campus through involvement with Vida Estudiantil and also to reach their friends, family, country and ultimately world)

Week 4: Focus on inspiring the students to go out and reach others for Christ, through involvement with Vida Estudiantil and equipping them to share their faith while growing in their personal relationship with Christ.

Weeks one & two were super encouraging, as our team was able to organize and hold 7 different outreach classroom talks, and exposed about 140 students to the gospel. Out of those students, 98 indicated decisions to accept Christ into their hearts!!! Praise GOD! So, as a result of these decisions, this past week was spent meeting up with students who indicated such decisions to build them in their new faith. We were able to have about 10 follow up meetings with interested students, which is amazing!!! In the past it has been a challenge to have such meetings, as students simply aren't interested or forget. Its been a real answer to prayer to see such attendance and interest!

One of our classroom talks in the Business Faculty
Mona & Lisa with some girls from the Business Faculty we met through classroom talks...we're hoping to do follow-up with them!

As we look ahead to this upcoming week, we're preparing for a Commitment Dinner on June 4th. So, both the days prior and also at this dinner we will be challenging key Panamanian students, either from this year or our month on project , to commit to 4 things:
1. Walk with God in Obedience
2. Personal Evangelism & Discipleship
3. Involvement in Vida Estudiantil
4. Help fulfill the Great Commission in this Generation
We’re praying 40 students will make this commitment, and get hooked up with Panamanian staff to help build the Vida Estudiantil movement here. Please join us in praying for these students!

On another note...each Friday night we've been having whats called "Noche de Connexion," or Connection Night. Its a time for Panamanian students from each campus to come together (along with our Canadian team) for some fellowship, worship and crazy fun times. Below are some pics of the games we've played...

Psalm 72:19 - "Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does MARVELOUS deeds."

Project so far...

The past two weeks have been a flurry of activity, with the Canadians here on Panama Project 2009! This project is for University students across Canada to come down and partner with the Panamanian ministry in doing evangelism & discipleship, to both help the ministry here and also train them so they can reach their campuses more effectively back in Canada.

Last week (May 5-9) we had a training week for the Canadian students. Wednesday & Thursday were spent hearing sessions on topics such as how to have a quiet time, how to construct a personal testimony, how to share the gospel and how to live the Spirit Filled Life (and so many more...). Training is so important, as the concepts are basic for all Christians (its good for us all to know how to share our faith etc), and are very transferrable, meaning the students will use the concepts here in their ministry on Panamanian campuses and also when they return back to their Universities to Canada. The week finished off with a morning sharing their faith on campus, an amazing race across Panama City, and a tour of the Panama Canal, Causeway and the market on Saturday.

This week was the first week on campus!!! (Mon-Fri, May 11-15). It definitely was not what I expected at all, as I ended up getting sick with a sinus infection/cold over the weekend, which made me stay home & rest both Monday & Tuesday. However, my team made the trek to campus each day, and began our work in the Faculty of Business Administration and Accounting (Facultad de Administracion de Empresas y Contabilidad, FAECO).
My team is: Me, Andres (co-leader), Maria Jose, Lisa and Kathleen. Pictures to come...

And, some crazy things happened that first morning...as the team stepped out to go sharing, a couple profs approached them, seeing they clearly werent from Panama, to ask what they were doing there. After some dialog on our purpose on being on campus, the team met with the student in charge of the student club, and an influential professor in the faculty. And then, they organized a meeting with the dean of the business faculty the next day, to discuss ways we from Vida Estudiantil, could partner with the faculty to give helpful talks to the students (such as how to receive better grades at university, which ties the academic side, into the spiritual side of their lives.).
The meeting with the dean took place on Tuesday, and was incredible. So many doors were opened for us to enter into the classrooms and give talks to many 2nd, 3rd and 4th years next week (May 18-22). At first they wanted us to give 8 talks per day, at one hour each...whoa. But, after discussing a bit more, it was decided that we'd hold about 4 talks in the morning, each day next week. Thats an incredible outreach opportunity, as many classes have atleast 40 students in them...so, the potential gospel presentations could be as many as 4 talks*5 days*40 students per class = 400 students! WHOA.

My STINT teammates are leading teams at UTP, Santiago and in the Architucture/Law faculties...and they too have seen God work in crazy ways this week! Check out their blogs for some cool stories.

Ps. 66:3a - "Say to God 'how awesome are your deeds! So great is your power..."

Please be praying for our team, as we organize details for these talks, and also come up with strategies to follow up with the interested students. Follow up is so key to helping students really understand the Gospel and getting them hooked in with Vida Estudiantil, an environment they can grow in their faith.

Today is the day

Today is the day that will begin a "different" life for us over the next 6 weeks.

From May 5-June 15, a group of 17 Canadian students are coming down to Panama to do ministry a long side us in whats called Panama Project. And, 3 staff from Canada are coming down to help lead the project...and they arrive tonight, just in time for some staff orientation to start tomorrow. I cant believe its time for the Canadians to come already!!

Here's how project is split up:
May 5-10 --Student orientation and training
May 11-June 4 -- Campus Cycle: 4 weeks are spent on campus, doing evangelism & discipleship. We'll have 2 teams at Univ de Panama, 1 at UTP and 1 in Santiago. Each of us STINTers will be leading or co-leading one of these teams.
June 5-7 --Rest & Relaxation weekend
June 7-12 -- Missions Experience: A week of serving the people in Panama's interior
June 12-15 --Debrief: A project review, time for reflection and to make some future faith goals.

This project is the same 6 week trip like the one I came on in 2007. It definitely changed my life, as I grew closer with the Lord, gained a larger heart for campus ministry, formed many lasting relationships and it ultimately was the catalyst in my decision to serve here for a year.

In short, Project is one impacting & amazing time.

If you could be praying for the Canadian students, our team & the staff from Canada over these 6 weeks that'd be stellar! And, especially for this upcoming orientation week, as we'll be in sessions and training from 8:30am-9pm each day...its gonna be a long but awesome week.

Some huge blessin' went on

1 Sam 12:24 - "But be sure to fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you."

One day per month, we have a Day Alone with God (DAWG), to read our Bibles, pray, worship and generally spend time with the Lord. Its also a huge refuelling day, as at times, you can feel dry when always doing ministry.

This past Friday we had our April DAWG. It was so refreshing and I enjoyed it immensely. God was able to show me numerous things from His Word over the 8 or so hours we hung out together, and among the items was this 1 Sam 12:24 verse. I really liked it, as it talks about being obedient to God (fear of the Lord is equated to obedience), serving Him faithfully and also meditating on the sweet stuff He's done in your life.

Sometimes we dont take enough time to really consider our blessings from the Lord and genuinely thank Him for those. Atleast I know I dont. When good things happen, sometimes I only give God half the credit He's actually due. I enjoy the moment, but dont necessarily allow God to enjoy it with me. I want to get better at viewing everything as a great thing He's done for me.

On the topic of great things God has done, our Visa Renewal trip to El Salvador was a HUGE one!!!

To give a bit of background, to live here in Panama we either need tourist visas, which are good for 90 days, or we need to go through the extensive and expensive immigration system to get temporary one year visas. We decided to go with tourist visas, cause they were cheaper and we had to leave the country for Dominican Rep project, Christmas etc. So, with our tourist visas expiring on the 17th of April, we knew we had to leave. We looked into El Salvador, as Raquel and Juan Carlos both have family there. God totally provided us with cheap $22 each way flights, and we were able to be hosted by Raquel's family in San Salvador.

It was such a great thing to even just be there. To see the country; taste the DELICIOUS food (namely pupusas); to visit Raquel's uncle's beach house; to go to the beach; to see a Panamanian friend who is on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ there; to hang out with the American STINT team who is serving in San Salvador with Vida Estudiantil; to visit a volcano; and to drink the best coffee at a shop since my last Starbucks in August. It was such a great 4 day trip - there was some huge blessing going on. And, all from our loving Heavenly Father. Thanks God.

Photos: Top - Two STINT teams from Panama & El Salvador

Middle - The beach we visited

Bottom - At the top of a volcano with Raquel's grandma, Mama Ethel.