Jennifer and Alex Cabezon

Most missionaries will probably tell you that ministry is often full of lots of just plain hard work, with a few moments interspirsed that are pure joy, when you get to see something extraordinary, or connect with someone in a special way. Last night was on of those moments. Nothing spectacular happened, at lease it wouldn't seem so to one looking in from the outside. But for us, it was a sweet moment of fellowship and friendship.  Alex had helped put together a potluck, so after a brief service, everyone got their plate of rice, plantains and Panamanian style chicken spagetti, and sat around, sharing and talking.  I enjoyed talking with one of the young ladies in church as we made lemonade with raspadura together.  She told me that she has an English entrance exam coming up for University, and we agreed to study together this coming week to help her get ready. One of the girls in the youth group had a birthday yesterday and surprise party had been put together for h...

As I wrote earlier, Alex has been investing a lot of time in the youth group at the local Wounaan church, helping them get together, get organized, and start reaching out to others. One of the big obstacles in their minds is the lack of funds.  Every time anyone starts talking about doing an activity our outreach, the first big objection that comes up is that there isn't any money.  Most of the kids are students, and some of them are working to pay for their own schooling; their parents are at home in the village, and unable to contribute much.  For them, just having bus money for the week is a big deal.  One young lady missed school for a week because her shoes had broken and she couldn't buy another pair.  At another house we visited, the young man who was home was having a cup of coffee and crackers for supper, while the girls had bought one hot dog to share for supper. So the thought of having them money to do an outreach, visit another village, or plan ...