Thoughts on a crisp fall day

I sit today in surroundings far different from “home”.  Outside I can hear the sound of my dad cutting firewood with the chainsaw.  It’s a crisp fall afternoon in Oregon, a great day for picking wild black berries, a day for my daughters to play with cousins, and have some apple cider and sweet corn.

Our minds stray often to our little house in Panama, our Wounaan neighbors, and our hopes for the months ahead.  It’s also been a great time to reflect back on the months since moving to Chepo and the time we have shared with the Wounaan there.

One of my favorite things has been getting to share in the lives of the families there. As I have shared with the women who make up the congregation, gotten to know the children, as Alex has shared with the men and seen up close the challenges facing  the young people, our vision has grown greatly for what God wants to do among the Wounaan.

I love to come to church a Sunday morning and find all the children dressed for church and sitting in a circle, waiting for Sunday school to start.  Even during the evening services they are eager for a class, and little hands will grab mine as large dark eyes look up at me and ask, “are you doing Sunday school today?” (even if it’s Friday).  Their curiosity is a constant challenge for me to look outside my already busy schedule and take time to let the little children come to Jesus.

Teaching the children and inspiring others to do the same has become a passion for me as I have seen first hand the condition of the younger generation in many communities.  We have one chance to reach this emerging generation for Christ. 

As we met together with the Wounaan women in our Bible study, we began to talk about our plans and vision for the next year. One women suggested we plan a Christmas party for the children (the only Christmas celebration they would have) and another made a statement that humbled me, “Us adults already know the truth. Now it’s up to us to focus on teaching the children.”  While my eyes were on developing a women’s group that would encourage us and provide teaching and fellowship, they were looking further,  more desirous to be a blessing to others than to receive blessing themselves.  The conversation took an excited turn as the ladies discussed how they could raise money; not to invest back in themselves, but in our children.

The truth is, as they do that, they will find themselves more blessed than ever.