First Time Back Since June

Well, here I am back in Peru for the first since we finished up the Water Project in June.  I am currently in Lima, but will be heading to Lucumo and Lunahuana tomorrow morning sometime.  I find myself anxious and happy at the same time to be reunited with the friends I came to know and love while I was here working the whole month of June.  Due to the limited ability to communicate and lack of those same types of communication tools, the times I have been able to get in touch with the people of Lucumo have been few and far between.  They know we are arriving there tomorrow to see them and talk about the future!  Such an exciting time to see what God has done over the last few months.  I pray that he will give us (Jorge, Olga and Me) the words necessary to encourage them in the faith.

Lord, you allowed for many people to be touched by your Word in June, both Peruvian and Americans.  I ask that you would bless our time together this week and that we will find amazing ways to serve you together as we continue down this road.  I thank you for bringing Anthony into the team and I pray that you will guide his time of preparation in Panama over the next few months.  Lord, use us to your benefit, to share your gospel without leaving anything out.  Let us be beacons of your truth. Amen!

Amazed

I hope that you will take the time to watch the videos that I posted below. There are 5 clips that are about 10 minutes long. Start with the post that has 3 clips in it and then move up to the post with two clips.

We watched this the other night during a Bible Study and it's just amazing how involved and concerned for our lives that God is. He has created us and the whole universe. I especially love the 3rd video in the first post about our conception and creation. So amazing.

We've really messed up, we humans, and don't deserve the love and grace that he pours out on us. We think we are so big in our own lives and we do whatever we can to lift ourselves up and get what we want, while in the whole scheme of things, we are these puny little nothings. We think that we can save the world...we think we can change the order of things in this life on our own. We are such a silly people.

We are totally at the disposal of God. He could crush us in a second. But he won't. He crushed someone else in our place; His Son, Jesus Christ, so that we don't have to bare the weight of God's wrath, because we repent of our sins and believe in him as our Savior. Where are you in the grand scheme of things?

Second Set of Videos

Watch these!

Coordination and Planning

It's been a week or two since I last blogged so I am writing as I think of things this time around.  Since we returned to Panama from furlough many things have taken place.

One of the major accomplishments is the near completion of the Regional Mission office in Panama City.  The only step left is to install some small office divisions to give privacy to some of our staff.  We have a newly set up conference room where we will be able to hold Regional Team meetings and conferences with our partner churches and other organizations.  I have to say that I am proud of the work.  I will have to post more pictures at a later date!

Another big thing in my agenda lately is planning the first Latin American and Caribbean missionary retreat since 2004.  We will be hosting all of our LCMS WM Missionaries and alliance (partner church) missionaries in Panama, December 1st-6th.  We will have 4 full days of worship, fellowship, and plenty of information sharing.  There will also be plenty of time to relax and rejuvenate and just be with God, as we all know ministry, unfortunately,  sometimes gets in the way of that.  Many of you probably don't know this but most of our missionaries are on their own in their host country.  Granted our missionaries have great relationships and are integrated into the life of the local church where they work, but contact between missionaries on a regular basis can be very miniscule and at times we may feel very isolated and alone.  A regional retreat like this is meant to make each of us aware that we are not alone in our work and that many others are going through the same things. 

So I have been busy planning this event, from the hotel to the transportation, to the food, to making sure everyone has their tickets purchased.  I am really enjoying doing all of this coordination...I think I inherited this trait from my father. :-)

Well, I will sign off for now!  Give praise to Him from whom all blessings flow!

In Christ,

Jon

Here we are painting what is now the conference room in the regional office.  It took a good three coats to cover the once bright green walls.