First Week on Campus

This week, the week of the 26th of October was our first week on campus doing ministry. We shared the gospel with many students and made some really good contacts with various students. I think the really cool thing about this week has been the response of the students and also that we've finally fully moved into our apartment. Let me tell you about the apartment first.

As I had written on my last post, the hunt for an apartment was a difficult one. We spent a lot of our effort trying to obtain a certain apartment only to find out in the end that the people we wanted to rent from were not totally trustworthy. After making many arrangements with them on how we were going to rent this apartment, they suddenly demanded three months of rent in advance plus a deposit and processing fee, which is not what we had agreed upon at the very beginning of our dealings and there was no way we were going to pay that kind of money, we didn't even have that kind of money! Something cool happened that same day though. Wes and I were both discouraged about the situation and we had a meeting at the office when all of a sudden, my landlord from last year called the office asking for me. I was a little surprised, but he almost begged me to come back to the apartment at $200 less of of the original price. We are now living there and so far it's been great to be back to what was home for me last year. Even the decision to move here was somewhat of a hard decision, since Wes and I didn't totally agree on the same choice, but after going through some more troubles with other apartments and one year minimum contracts, we finally came to decide on this apartment, since the landlord here doesn't care how long we stay, he just cares that we are responsible guys. In the end, it was really funny, because the apartment found us even though we were looking for the apartment. Glory to God

Our first week on campus was awesome. We were able to do a good amount of sharing with students in the faculties of Architecture and Business and today we have some follow up to do one with some of those students. There were some really receptive people and there were others that very closed off, but I know that God is working. This year, we've decided to focus our efforts on two faculties: Architecture and Business. We really want a movements to happen in these places and so far, we've seen a good response from the students.

This next week coming up will be a Panamanian holiday filled week and that means no school for student, but it doesn't mean we won't be working with students. The Crusade ministry over here has organized a missions trip to the interior of Panama to a place called Los Machos. We will work alongside students in sharing their faith with people who live in what we would consider in Canada to be poverty. We will also be sharing in their work too! We will probably do things such as crop harvesting, washing clothes, cutting weed with machetes and a lot of hiking to get around places. We'll also be sleeping on dusty grounds and sleeping bags. It's going to be an adventure for sure! Please be praying for our safety while we're out there. Hope that you guys all have a great week, Blessings to all of you :)

Your brother in Christ,

The Hunt of the Year

I'm now halfway through my second week of STINT in Panama! This should be exciting right? Well yes, it is exciting! But it hasn't only been exciting, it's also been a bit frustrating amongst other things. I titled this entry "The Hunt of the Year" precisely because since our arrival in Panama we've been on the hunt for a place to live in. Today it is day thirteen of our STINT year and we are still homeless; game-less so to speak in this game of point and shoot where we trudge through the wild jungle of Panamanian cyberspace in our pursuit of rare apartment prices and locations. Timing is everything though, and if you don't get that right you lose the scent of the trail you were following or worse; that scent you followed led you to sick and diseased game, the type you can't take home with you. The clock is ticking for us now and as more time passes by without a hit, the louder the ticking gets in my head. Wes and I both know that we have to bring this one home soon so we can focus on the main task, but we ultimately know that God will bring us home on this one. Rest assured, we are trying our best and we're not flaking out on this strenuous search, but we've unfortunately run into people promising an apartment with uncompromising demands (such as three months pay in advance!). I definitely feel that we're close to finding an apartment, so please pray alongside us as we continue our search for a place where we can rest our minds, our bodies and find time to spend with God in private. The greatest hunt of the year, has turned out to be the greatest times of trusting in the Lord!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3.5-6


Blessings

We Made it to Panama

We landed in Panama on Sunday the fourth of October and since then, my teammate Wes and I have been on the apartment hunt around Panama city. We've actually signed up for one already in an awesome location very close to the University and we ask that you pray alongside us for this apartment to be ours without any big problems. The location we're looking at right now is called Cangrejo and the cost of rent is very reasonable considering the location we are in. At the moment, we are waiting to hear back from the Realtor so that we can get accepted to be tenants for the apartment. It's a very exciting time since we are eager to get settled in so that we can start our ministry on campus as soon as possible.

Our flight over to Panama was a bit of an adventure. We were actually forced to stay an extra night in Toronto because our flight got delayed and our connecting flight was not going to connect on time, so we stayed at the Airport Sheraton Hotel courtesy of Continental Airlines. If you would like to see a video of our wait at the Airport, check it out at: http://juanwherethelightisvideo.blogspot.com/
We are in good health and both Wes and I feel totally blessed to be here. I will keep you updated on how the apartment hunting is going.

Blessings

I fly to Panama tomorrow
the country, the people I know
I'll be flying amongst stars
forgetting long gone scars
I feel great

Two times now I'll be gone
two times now too long
and I'm taking time, I'm learning life
streets and paths undiscovered, no less strife
but I'm coming back to see them unfold

I'll kiss the ground once I'm here
knowing my loved ones are near
but I'll kiss the earth when I'm there
knowing that God is everywhere
even with things familiar, but untold

And now I'm going back to the country of my dreams
where I left my mind and broke apart the seams
to dream dreams untold to any
that will be lived out by many
I feel great