Making Everyday a Day for Jesus in Coronado, Panama!

HELLO to all our people in Canada!!! We are doing well in Panama, and we are thankful for this amazing opportunity in such a beautiful part of God’s creation!

Life has been plugging along here fairly well, as we have been adjusting to daily life here in Panama. The kids are back at home with me, Suzanne, for school, which is healthiest for our family and the kids at this point. Oh well, we lasted three weeks, and it was not for us….maybe when the kids are older….we’ll see.

So, with the kids back at home, they have been exploring different things that interest them after their regular schoolwork is done. Sammy has been into the recorder and origami, and Justice has been drawing up a storm. It is really cool to see their gifts as they explore different avenues of learning. 🙂

They have also been enjoying some extra-curricular activities. Justice is in gymnastics, and Sammy is in crossfit.

The kids have also been doing field trips with some homeschool friends from church, and they have been having a ball!!!

One more thing I’d like to share is that the kids were able to use their craft of origami to bless others. We made 130 origami crosses, and wrote scriptures on them for the women in the prison here in an area called Penenome. We wanted to give them hope and remind them that God has not forgotten them. I love what God can do even just with a sheet of paper!!

Sam and I have been busy beginning a ministry God has placed on our hearts here. God has put an amazing opportunity of opening a fitness club in our path, and we are humbled that he would use us in this way. Our vision is to see many youth and ex-pats come to Christ through getting healthy. The construction is underway, and we will give more information as we progress, but please keep this ministry in your prayers, as opening a business in a foreign country does not come without MANY challenges!!! The language barrier alone has been daunting! We have all been busy, (with Sam leading the way), learning Spanish to help with our transition. I never thought we would be learning another language at this stage of our lives, but here we are! Knowing Spanish allows us to connect with the people here and share the gospel. We have been saying, “Dios lo bendiga” a lot here, which means, “God bless you”. We are grateful to be able to share our faith even with our broken Spanglish!! Thank you in advance for your prayers for this crazy transition!

The purposes and people he continues to put in our path is sometimes mind boggling. He provides what we need, when we need it! This journey is a daily walk of faith! Our church has indeed been a blessing, and our business partners from Columbia have been such a source of inspiration and support as well. We praise God for how he guides and leads us daily, and for the people he brings to walk alongside us on this road!

Sam and I were leading youth for a few weeks while the pastor and his wife were busy during Spanish camp season, and we had a ball! I, (Suzanne), had an opportunity to speak to the youth back in February, and it really allowed me to pour into them and remind them to face their fears and live for Jesus. What a privilege to be able to be a blessing to youth through our experiences and hardships. God, continue to use us mightily for your kingdom!

For those who have been praying for Lia, she is back out of the hospital and home with her family. We continue to thank God for the time she has been given here with us, and thank you to those who gave towards her treatment! We are so blessed to have such caring people in our lives back home!! Keep living your life of purpose wherever you are in the world, and keep inspiring us to do the same!!

I would like to finish this blog with a YouTube Link to an interview with a wonderful lady from our church named Rennie. She shared her story of grief with me and how she lost not one, but BOTH of her sons in a car accident back in 1999. Through her faith, it has allowed her to use her grief to help so many people and has given hope to a broken and sad world. My prayer is that we would all be able to ask God in the midst of hard times, trauma, or valleys how we can bring others hope. God can always use our situations to draw others closer to Jesus! I see it as us being an instrument used for HIS GLORY. We are carefully placed in his hands, and we must trust that he will lovingly hold us and give us purpose through our pain. Thank you, Rennie, for reminding me of this through your story!

Blessings and love from all of us to all of you. We will most likely be back in Canada in the next 4 to 6 weeks. Again, thank you for your continued prayers and support.