This past year has been one of the hardest since we hit the field… it has stretched us, twisted us and definitely tested us. Has everything been bad? Of course not. The past months have been littered with God’s goodness, the joy of working with short-term teams, laughter, and much fruit in the ministry here. But even through these times, there has been a heaviness of things happened and a heaviness of things to come. Honestly, this year has been a conglomerate of victories, challenges, changes and plans…

With the victories come gratitude and thankfulness for the provision and faithfulness of the Lord. With the challenges come the reminder of constant dependence and need for faith. With the changes come apprehension but also anticipation of something new. And with the plans come excitement as well as the hope of more to come.

Victories…

This year has been a blur of camps, construction projects, VBS, medical clinics, family days, etc! We are so thankful for the groups who give of their time and resources to serve with us here. What a blessing these groups have become to us personally and to our pastors and partners here on the ground.

God has moved in big ways this year as we have seen kids and adults come to know the Lord. That is what it is about. That is the victory that 1 John 5:4 promises. Faith in Christ is our true hope and victory. Please pray with us that the Lord will continue to draw people to a trusting faith in Him. Pray for those who are new believers that the Lord will grow them in incredible ways. Pray protection for our pastors and partners as they continue to venture out into tough places to share the love of Christ. And praise the Lord with us for the victories that have happened here in Panama!

Challenges…

As many of you know, Matt’s sister suddenly passed away in early 2023. This loss left Matt as the primary caretaker of his dad. Earlier this year, Hink’s health began to decline. Thus began the juggling act of caring for Hink from afar. Matt made several trips to Austin, a few of them after receiving the call of “you need to be here now.” In May, Matt received a call and flew out early the next day. Thankfully, he was able to spend a bit of time with his dad before he passed away the next morning. God was good in that Matt was able to say a good goodbye to his dad. However, this was the culmination of much loss. Matt lost his mom late 2020, his sister in 2023 and now his dad. This was a hard truth to digest and walk through.

Change…

It is crazy that Ian is a junior in university. What is even more crazy is that Reeves is a senior in high school! This will be her last year here in Panama and this is hard for all of us. Obviously, we will soon be empty nesters and miss her greatly. However, for Reeves, there are a plethora of emotions.

Reeves is a third-culture kid. At 9 years old, she moved away from her normal in the US to live in a new country. However, Panama became her home. It is what she knows and what she loves. As we talk through her leaving for the States, she is of course excited, but there is also a great sadness and even a bit of dread when she thinks of leaving.

Pray for all of us as this change looms ahead. Yes, it is months away so pray for Reeves to have peace about the “what will be” so she can enjoy the “what is now.” Pray that the Lord will continue to grow her and ready her for the future.

Happy New Year! Yes, the plan was to send this out the first week of January, not the last, but it kept getting pushed back due to other responsibilities. We pray that 2024 has started well and that the Lord will continue to bless you and grow you in beautiful ways throughout the year.

As with all things, ministry has its own ebb and flow. I think of Ephesians 3 that states, “There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens.” Thankfully, 2023 has been a time of fruitfulness. The Lord has allowed us the privilege of seeing some fruit from many years of labor. For example, our GF team has been faithfully pouring into the family of one of our GF kids for the last 7 years; this year the entire family made a decision to seek the Lord. Matt and I have been building relationships in the Emberá community for over 6 years. The end of 2023, one of the men shared that he has seen the joy in Matt’s life and this was part of what led him to accept Christ as his Savior. It is humbling and incredible to see God breaking down barriers and moving in the hearts of people.

Pray with us that God will continue to draw people to Him. Pray for the strength and faithfulness of us and our team here to continue pushing forward with confidence in the one who “ is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”

GlobalFingerprints Training…

The group pictured above is truly the heartbeat of our ministry! Each of them gives sacrificially to serve and love kids and families throughout Panama. They are truly the hands and feet of Christ and we thank the Lord for their lives and their service. We had a great training time last week. We gathered together for a few days to learn, fellowship, pray and enjoy some good food and fun.

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Protests in Panama have been ongoing for 26 days now!  The people are protesting against the government approval of a mining contract and are calling for it to be deemed unconstitutional. As of yesterday, the Supreme Court announced that they will reconvene on November 24 (after the 10-day period the public has to give their opinions) and will remain in session until a decision is reached. The protest leaders continue to hold fast that they will not reopen the roads until the contract is ruled unconstitutional.

The protests have closed major thoroughfares throughout the entire country. This has been devastating to many farmers located in West Panama as roads have been completely blocked, preventing them from moving their goods; this also means there has been a huge shortage of fresh vegetables, fruit and potatoes throughout Panama. Also, there have been fuel and propane shortages in several parts of the country. Public schools and universities are in their 4th week of closure.

Pray for Panama. Pray for resolution and protection for the people. Please pray that schools will be able to open so the kids can finish out the school year, which ends just before Christmas in Panama.

Protests in Panama have been ongoing for 9 days now in response to the government approval of a mining contract. The protests have closed major thoroughfares throughout the country, meaning some areas are without fuel and are beginning to see food shortages. Schools and universities remain closed, many stores have boarded their windows for protection, and farmers have lost millions of dollars in produce. The people are demanding to be heard.

Today, President Cortizo called the National Assembly into extraordinary sessions. As of now, the protests continue. The majority of the protests have been peaceful, although the police have used tear gas and force at times to clear the crowds. Also, there have been acts of vandalism and aggression throughout the past week. Pray for Panama. Pray for resolution and protection for the people.

Will we protest?

We have been asked on several occasions if we will take part in the protests. We have noticed that the current protests are much different than those that occurred in the summer of 2022. This is a cause that has affected the majority of Panamanians. We have had many friends and neighbors who have taken to the streets to make a difference. Legally, as “non-passport Panamanians” we are not permitted to act in defiance of the government. Therefore, we will not be protesting.

trans·for·ma·tion
noun
a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance

It is hard to believe that it is already July and we are in the back half of 2023. Although it has passed quickly, this year is no doubt a year filled with transformation, both physically and spiritually. We have seen the Lord use short-term teams to help make lasting improvements in the churches we partner with. We have seen walls painted, roofs raised and hearts changed….

Growing pains!
The churches that we work with have been growing little by little. Yes, this is a huge blessing, but it also brought along the need for more space. Thankfully, through a GF grant and the generosity of a few churches from the US, we were able to add roofs to two of our churches, creating more meeting space. We love hosting teams and seeing what the Lord can achieve in just a short week. We see the physical transformation here in Panama, but we also see people return home to the US with transformed minds and lives. God is working and His work does not return void!

Iglesia Bautista Shahah, Lidice

Iglesia Shahah has been serving alongside us for the last 6 years. What a blessing to work with groups from California, Minnesota and Wisconsin and members of the Shahah congregation to transform this building in big ways.

Windows and doors were added to secure the church; now they do not have the setup and tear down the sound equipment each time they meet. The inside and the outside of the church were painted, and we even had a few of the kiddos help out with the painting! Finally, a large roof was added to the side of the church to create additional meeting space and a covered play area for the kids!

The pastor also had a great idea to take one of the small rooms and transform it into a safe place for toddlers and babies. Praise the Lord that the church is continuing to grow and this new space is needed. Pray with us that the Lord will continue to transform the hearts of the people and the church will continue to spread the love of Christ.

Iglesia Bautista Torre Fuerte, Chicá

Iglesia Bautista Luz y Vida, Santa Clara

It is amazing the difference a day can make. We had a great group from Pepperdine University come and serve with us. The pastor wanted a church that was “peachy” colored, and the group was able to make that happen in a few hours. It may just be paint, but it also is an encouragement to the pastor and congregation to know that a group of students want to serve them with the love of Christ.

Transformed hearts!
One of the most beautiful parts of serving with short-term teams is getting to witness the transformation of hearts. From pastors crying thankful tears for answered prayers, to moms excited about reading the Word of God to their children, to young people gaining a newfound excitement of how God is working…. these are the moments that we cherish. We pray that God will continue transforming hearts!

GlobalFingerprints Medical Clinics…

One important focus of the GlobalFingerprints Program is the health of the children. Although healthcare is available here in Panama, the process of simply seeing a doctor for an annual checkup can be a very time-consuming and tedious process. Thanks to our partners at Springs Church, we were able to provide medical checkups for over 200 of our GF kids. Here’s a peek at what that looks like.

STATION 1: Registration

During the week, we had clinics in 5 different locations. Our GF careworkers worked alongside with us to greet the parents and kids and help keep the process running smoothly. They are such a blessing to this ministry!

STATION 2: Vitals and measurements

STATION 3: Anti-Parasite meds

STATION 4: Medical Evaluations

As we are approaching our 6th year in GF, we can see improvements in many of the kids. PRAISE THE LORD! There were a lot fewer stomach problems noted; I believe this is due to the distribution of water filters and the periodical parasite treatment. God is good!

STATION 5: Vision Testing

This year we saw several children with vision issues and/or headaches when reading. Thanks to the program, these kids will see an optometrist and receive glasses if needed.

STATION 6: Sponsor Letters and Arts & Crafts

The kids were happy to reach the last station where they each filled in a letter for their sponsors and made a craft to take home. The Springs team even made sure to have a craft for the moms to remind them of God’s truth for their lives.

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FELIZ NAVIDAD! This is the time of year that kids make their Christmas lists and dream about presents under the tree on Christmas morning. However, this is not a reality for many of our GlobalFingerprints kids. THANKS to our incredible sponsors, all of the GF kids were able to have a Christmas party and celebrate the reason for the season!

Christmas down the river…
I have always loved shopping for my kids to find that special present. Well, this year I decided to ask the moms at the Embera village exactly what gift and clothing item their kid would like to receive this Christmas.
Once the list was made, Matt and I had the crazy pleasure of battling Christmas crowds at the mall to shop for 42 kids!! Superhero t-shirts, Little Mermaid gowns, Hulk pjs, baby dolls, soccer balls, frisbees, tea sets, cars, trucks, etc…. What a joy for us to be a part of this!
After the shopping, we had a plethora of gifts to wrap. Praise the Lord for Reeves’ friends. We had a wrapping party here at the house and all the gifts were wrapped up in a few hours.
Then, we headed to the village with presents, hot dogs, piñatas, and a Christmas cake. Our national partner joined us in this adventure and 3 of the GF workers even dressed as clowns! We had dancing, games, songs and a Bible story for the kids. What a blessing. God is good!

The GlobalFingerprints program has been an incredible blessing to the kids in the Embera community. Our first focus was to make sure all the kids had personal hygiene items. Secondly, we found out that many of the kids were sleeping on the wood floors. So, we began the process of delivering 42 mattresses down the river in a canoe! Once that was accomplished, we made sure each child had a pillow and a set of sheets.

Of course, the kids were happy to receive the mattresses, but seriously the kids were beyond excited to have a pillow. It made our hearts smile. Thanks to each of you who helps to meet the real needs of vulnerable children while showing them the love of Christ. These smiles are for you!

The first to fly…

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Matt in Florida…

When Hurricane Ian hit Florida, ReachGlobal put out a call looking for people to join with Crisis Response. Crisis Response is a ministry of ReachGlobal. Their heart is, “When crisis creates a new mission field, we’re there to share the love of Christ with those in need.”

Matt left for Naples, Florida the beginning of October and is still there serving with Crisis Response. Not only is Matt gifted with the knowledge of what to do from a demo and construction point of view, he has the heart to bring encouragement, hope and, of course, laughter into the lives of people. There is so much devastation and destruction. The days have been long and the work has been hard. Please join us in praying for those who have lost so much. Pray that the Lord would open their hearts and fill them with the hope of Christ!

If you are interested in serving with Crisis Response, please email Matt with the dates that you are available. You can come as an individual or bring a team. Matt will return to Panama at the end of this month, but hopes to serve with Crisis Response again in the future.

Pray for Panama…

Many of you may be unaware that the country of Panama has had serious protests and demonstrations throughout the country for the past two weeks. The people have blockaded the major roads and are demanding an array of things from lower fuel and food prices to increased funding for the educational system and decreased funding for government officials. Their requests are not without merit, and for the past several days the leaders of the protests have been meeting with government leaders to reach resolution. Protests are not an uncommon way for the Panamanians to be heard. Overall, most of the protesting has been peaceful. However, due to the length of time that the protests have continued and the inability for the transport of goods due to the road blockades, the country is beginning to experience shortages in fresh produce, propane, and other items. We have seen limits on fuel and even on rice. Tonight in the western part of the country, the protests became violent. Several were injured and the intensity of what is happening in this beautiful country is growing. Please pray with us for resolution. Pray that the protest leaders and the government officials can reach an agreement and that the roads would reopen. The headline tonight read “News: The Catholic Church is the Mediator.” Pray with us that in this mediation the Lord would be glorified and peace will follow.