I honestly can't tell you all how much fun we are having here in Panama ! We have come across so many interesting things. I'm going to share a few with you. Every day we get into Delores' van and wonder why there is a spoon wedged in the window. Terry decided to take it out once and the window almost dropped through the door. It was so hilarious! Now we know how they hold up their broken windows...with the magic spoon. Our team also gets a kick at Raul. Every time we see him, he gets Terry and Taylor backwards. He will come in and say "Hi Taylor," to Terry, and then say "Hi Terry", to Taylor. He can never get it right. :) We have also come to the conclusion that Taylor cannot keep her eyes open to take a picture. Almost every picture we take of Taylor, we have to try again because she closes her eyes every time. We make fun of her because of it. (Love you Taylor!) One of the cool things about having a one on one session with the students at the school, is that you build relationships.
Jaclyn had a reader today that shared his life story and all the struggles that he and his Mom are going through right now. Jaclyn felt so honored to have been chosen to be the listening ear for her reader. He made it clear that he had never told anyone the true story about his life. When he left, Jaclyn felt a calling to invite him to church with us on Sunday. She tried to go find him to give him the information he will need, but he was no where to be seen. She came in and I told her that hopefully we can see him tomorrow. Well, just then here he comes back in the door, telling Jaclyn, "Hey, I have your pen, Jaclyn," Praise God for directing this special reader back to us. I know this wasn't the power of the pen...this was the power of our great and almighty God. Jaclyn and I decided that wasn't just coincidence. We thanked the Lord after the reader left, again. During one of my sessions I worked with 2 students. Our topic was about believing what we don't see or hear. It was focused on prayer. We said that sometimes it's hard to pray when you don't see or hear the answer, or at the time we want it. Following that great conversation, the teens needed to go study for exams they were about to take. They seemed really nervous and unsure about the exam. So, I offered to pray with them at that moment and they said yes. Because one of the teens probably wouldn't have understood my words during the prayer, I had the other teen, who was more fluent, translate for him. They seemed very thankful and a lot more relaxed about the test. I thanked the Lord for putting it on my heart to pray with those teens. Today, again was a successful day for our team. Our morning was busy, but once we hit 2:00, we come to a 3 hour gap in our schedule. During that time, Taylor made a relationship with one of the teachers, while Terry relaxed. Jaclyn and I watched a movie on her laptop, when we all decided to go to the quick stop across the street from the school. As we walked across the street a man stopped us, and in Spanish, asked us if we taught English classes at the school. We told him we did, and then we connected that he has a son that reads with Jaclyn during the week. The father said that his son comes home and talks about us and all about the sessions and the Bible stories we read together. It was a very neat time for us to hear that the teens do report to their parents what goes on during the English classes. Praise God for that assurance that we are making a difference in the teens and their parents' lives! Tonight was another one of those nights where we got to experience more of Delores' cooking. There was chopped up chicken, mixed with veggies, and delicious red rice. Mmmm! Well, I'm in the mood for popcorn and a movie, so Jaclyn and I are going to bed early tonight. We miss you all! Sleep tight.
With Christian Love,
Sarah
