News From Terry Hoffman

Sunday August 16th

I am writing this on a blank page in the back of my bible, on the plane from Panama City to Miami. It is 6:00 PM Panama time. We were supposed to be almost to San Francisco by this time. Jaclyn and I will have to spend the night either in the Miami airport or a hotel as all flights to the west have long since departed. We left on time this morning only to have the plane return to Panama due to the smell of smoke in the rear of the cabin. It took 9 hours to determine what happened, fix it reload us and our baggage and get us on our way again. It amazes us to see how a mission trip can make a day as stressful as this one, an almost fun experience. We talked to people and laughed, we marveled at the patience of three year old children stuck 10 hours with only crayons. One girl about 10 passed the time by reading a “Lets Start Talking” workbook we gave her while standing in line. Her father could not believe we would teach English for free, using our own time and money to get here. He took my number because an associate of his needs English teachers to train the staff of the Panama canal expansion. I pray that he will contact me so I can pass it on to the Richardson’s. Jaclyn has been a blessing to travel with. She is patient and mature beyond her years and considers not knowing when we will make it home an adventure. We all forget so easily how precious life is and do not take the time to stop or even slow down to see how God is working all around us. We both wished Taylor and Sarah were with us to share in the adventure.

Tuesday August 25th

Now that I have been home for a while (not a long while because T and I went to Mississippi and Colorado) I have had some time to reflect on Panama again. There is so much opportunity for us to reach people in every walk of life. I miss the fellowship of morning devotion, the excitement in Sarah and Jaclyn’s voices when they talk about their day. I miss how Taylor seems to attract everyone to her when they discover she can speak Spanish. The teachers in the school could not stop talking to her. I even miss the time spent with Mike. We had lots of time to talk, which as everyone knows is rare in Modesto with so much going on. I hope he learned a little something from me, because I learned a whole lot from him. I know team two is having a really busy time, and I wish that Taylor and I could be there to help and share in the reward God will provide for their efforts. We are praying for team two’s safe passage home, that God will grant peace and comfort to the Leonard family, and that God will allow us the opportunity to return to Panama soon.

Terry and Taylor Hoffman