Jennifer and Alex Cabezon

Last week our base had the opportunity to host a great team from Vancouver, BC. They came in with lots of energy and passion and definately made an impact. The last evening they were here, we shared a wonderful time of worship and lots of thank-yous were said. The organizer of the group said some very encouraging word and mentioned the passage in the Bible where is says that iron sharpens iron. It's so true. Having groups like them visit is an encouragement to us. They were so excited to be here serving Jesus, it reminds us why we are here. Please check out this inspiring video of their time here. Thanks! http://vimeo.com/28290926

The row of small faces watched Linda intently, the dark brown eyes only leaving her to catch the translation of her story. Behind them, several adults with babies listened as well. I tried to take them all in as I translated, letting them know the story was for them as well. At the end of the row sat Abigail and Carolyn, also intent on the story of a man who disobeyed God and got eaten by a large fish. Pretty impacting. When Linda got out the paper and showed them how to make a simple origami whale, the children eagerly took the sheets of light blue paper. Soon the mothers with babies came forward, apparently wanting to make one for their child. Amusingly, the men were not far behind, wanting to make one themselves. A gruff 60-year-old had to come closer to see how the folds were to be made. The dirt floor became a seat and the wooden bench a table. Markers came out, and the whales were decorated with scary large teeth (by the men) and flowers (by the little girls). As we mounted...

Alex's parents teared up as they we dedicated their newly built home this past week. We hosted a wonderful team from Homes of Hope (a YWAM ministry) who built a new house to replace their old home which is on it's last legs. The village of San Antonio was overrun with teenagers eager to lend a hand as they put up the structure of the house and built a playground for the community. The village children were eager to try their new playground, giving it a test run even before it was completed. Abigail and Carolyn were not to be left behind and gave it their mark of approval. Several YWAM staff, including Alex, put in long hours of work for this project to come together. Thanks to all involved!

To me one of the great irony's of mission work, is that when you have lots to write home about, you lack the time. So has been the last 6 months. We started training our staff team to lead the DTS on January 2nd, and it feels like we have been on a 100 mile and hour ride that we just managed to get off of. This last Sunday we had the change to share at Gamboa Union Church about our outreach. It was a good opportunity for me to reflect back a little on all that was accomplished. As we heard the many testimonies of the students; what they learned, how they saw God work, new insights, amazing experiences, one in particular really stuck out to me. Yariani is 18 years old, just finished her highschool (she went through our program for indigenous youth). She and Alex are cousins on both sides (they share both mother's and father's last names). She can at times be moody, hard to get along with, and doesn't mind letting you know her mind. No cultural sensitivity here. But I...