Bocas del Toro - Daira 2, Centro Daira and Guabal Report - July 2018

DAIRA 2, CENTRO DAIRA AND GUABAL

Hello my brothers in Christ, we love you and sorry for the delay on writing about what God is doing in our country.

Two weeks ago, came back from a mission trip with a dear partner church from the USA to the Bocas del Toro area in two places for a full week of work and the last day we came to Guabal as our meeting place. 

Daira2. 

God is doing something very interesting in this place, we saw how people believe in Jesus but they are afraid to place their faith in Him for eternal life. In the area lives a person, his name is Rogelio and his family, they trusted in the Lord and were baptized last year, they are the ones that are taking the lead on preaching God’s word, while we were in the area we were able to see how he works hard to study the Bible and tries his best to understand more and more the Bible.  Remember that their educational level is not that high.

In Daira 2, the team was able to share the Gospel 78 in the 20 homes visited in the area.  The group of men and women had a constant attendance of 12 to 15 in each group.  Working with the kids is always a joy, for they are so open and the only POF in the night meeting was of a young boy that came forward and attended the men’s group.  

Centro Daira. 

We worked with the men, women and children, in the men meeting around 35 men came every day to the meeting, and we have strong conversation of who is God, and what kept holding them from taking the step to follow Jesus; some times the talk went on for 3 hours, about the Bible and them making questions.  

The children were a blessed time to work with them, sometimes I think that it will require a new generation like this kids that are growing with a different way of thinking, been exposed to teachings about the world and the Word of God.  The work will continue through the disciples that are been raised in the area.

Guabal

Guabal is doing very well is amazing how the church in Guabal adopted the vision of mission and how hard they work for it, the church is healthy and strong. Our missionary Mateo, God has given him a very beautiful ministry, please pray for him a lot he needs all our prayers.

Even though there were no POF in this area, there were about 7 people getting baptize, all of them youth that opened their mouth giving testimony of their determination of following Jesus.

We thank the Lord for the team of disciples that Mateo has developed in the area, the vision casted to the Church in Guabal and for the schools, they have always opened the doors for us to stay, to use the kitchen and in some cases the teachers allow us to use their shower (this is a big plus).  

The portable equipment received last year was used to show the Jesus film and the life of Paul as a way of showing how the early church started.  I spend two days in each village with the purpose of getting the taste of both and showing the film.  My mom served in Dayra 2.

Blessings,

David / Mission starts with you.

Edited by Talsidia Vega

Mission to Hacha - June, 2018

HACHA REPORT - JUNE 16-24, 2018

God bless you.  It is good for us to be able to give this report.  

Last year around this time of the year a team from Alabama came to join forces with the ministry in Panama in order to go to Hacha, a small village that is about two hours hiking from where the road stops up on the mountain chain of Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro.  They   went with us trusting in the information given to them, that is one step of faith, camped and ate with the nationals; there was a small number of believers that through years have been getting together to hear the Word in the midst of a  village to be MamaTata.  

By the end of that week a piece of land was donated, that is another miracle.  Through out 2017 another piece of land was donated which was almost in the middle of the village, now that is a big miracle, for the first piece of land was way too far.  The news was given to the USA church and they got to raise the funds to consider the possibility of building the house of prayer in Hacha!!!  It was muddy and cloudy but the work was done.  Only one day the sun came out as to give the time to try hard to finish, Aleluya!

This year another youth team got together and made the trip to Hacha with MGPanama with the purpose of sharing God’s love through the work with kids, the women and men but mainly to start building the so long awaited house of prayer.  The weather did not help much but was generous enough to allow the team (USA, nationals and Latins) to finish 90% of the building, the rest would be finished by the mother church that has been coming to  Hacha for several years now and the group that follows Jesus in Hacha.  The USA team took turns on the outreach and on the building.  God is good.

The result was awesome, 7 POF from all the visits made and the last day 2 took the brave decision of getting baptized in the river that passes through the village, the water was very cold but that did not stop them.  Loudly gave testimony of what is to follow Jesus.  The church that helped us to build the church is committed to send a pastor to look after this baby church that has been established now. 

Being able to come back from the mountains with all the team in one piece is always a blessing.  We had 14 from USA, 13 of them got sick but God gave them strength to keep going and work hard to share Jesus.  On the last day we were able to hike back out, no one was left behind, Praise the Lord!!!!

Your prayers were of great value and we deeply appreciate them.  Thanks once again for your faithfulness to our King by praying, giving and as time allows, going.

Blessings

DAVID VEGA / Mission starts with you

Edited by Talsidia Vega

Hacha Report - June 11-16, 2017

Hello, good to greet you.  This last week we had a team from Alabama, Asbury, whom we love deeply,  the purpose was to go to Hacha and brake ground and for that, using VBS with the kids was important.  A new generation needs to be impacted in order to change the future of a people group with their own.  Hacha is a Mama tata/mama chi governed area and, a new group among them has arisen, they call themselves as “cruzo ley” or the law of the cross; it is more as a denomination within the mamatatas.

The results overwhelmed us and we rejoice for them as we saw:

New born christians: 23.
Children that attended the VBS: approximately 140.
Number of people opened to receive Bible Studies: 7.

There was a great spiritual warfare for we were in the midst of three believes and they have control over many villages in the area; they came to visit us the first day, all dress in many color tunics; that was their first contact and visit of our arrival day.  

But the Lord had something even greater in store.  The first night a young man, Ishmael, stood up and received Christ (not common among them).  When the team went out hut to hut we could see the hunger there is, for hearing, learning and believing in Jesus but because of fear it is difficult for them to step in faith. That was our first experience.

On our third day while I was giving the cooks what was needed for that day, a woman and her husband came requesting prayers for a son whom was ill, I asked them when would they like us to go there, they said “now”, so at once we went to their home to pray for their little one.  

At our arrival to their home we shared a few stories of how Jesus healed the sick and the importance of Faith; we got ready to pray for the family, when I saw Rosa with tears in her eyes, at first, I thought that an insect had bitten her eye but then I noticed that she had tears in both eyes, mmm this is strange, one insect in both eyes? Strange; but no, !she was crying!, so I asked them if there was something we needed to know before praying?  Luis, her husband, said “yes, I have something to say, my wife believes the same as you do but I am not fully convinced” so we stayed and conversed with them and made a few questions, he said “I believe” and received the Lord, him and his household.  After that, we kept talking about Jesus as the only way and how important is having Him in our lives as Lord and Savior.  

Luis removing the mama tata crosses.

I noticed crosses from the mamatata witch-man around his house, so I talked with Luis that now that he has Jesus in his heart he needed to get rid of things that can avoid him from following the Lord fully, for example those crosses, Luis got up at once and said “then, let’s go and throw them away.”  Wow, my heart cried and burst for the Lord was allowing us to see this (the first time for me to see).  It was raining hard, but that did not stop our cleaning up of the crosses, since then that family attended every meeting held, they are hungry for the Word.  So much to share and little space do so, but pray you are bless as much as we were.  

“Our God is greater than any other god”  He touches the deepest of one’s heart and brings forth radical changes as we could see in Luis and Rosa.  Thanks so much for Asbury team and Carl for coming and serving alongside with us and your prayers, so much needed; indeed, thanks so much for your generous giving, that allows us to do what He has called us to. 

Our Savior peace be with you.

Written by David V. / MGPanama

Balsa Report - June 6, 2017

Rebuilding the Church Building

It is good to greet you my friends, we have one week and half before the next team comes in, and it is a good moment to share with you a few things our Lord allowed us to see and do during these days.

Balsa is three hours hike from Raton (mother church) and we were called there with the purpose of rebuilding the church building destroyed by the summer strong winds, to start a discipleship process with the kids and to do hut to hut visitations. 

At the end of this arduous week we could see the following results:

People that said “yes” Jesus: 10.
People that started a follow up program: 20.
Gospel presented to: 20.
Church Building finished: 90%.   

This outreach was a special time for the team as well as for the community, both were captivated by God’s love as they witnessed life’s being change and in the way to a discipleship walk.  There is hunger to learn more and more about our Saviours’s words.  Overwhelming was the moment of our departure as they cried and prayed over us, not a cry of sadness but of joy that brothers from other culture and language came together in Christ.  Enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed living the moment. 

In Him and until He comes back again,

David and team