Wayfaring Strangers

As you might imagine, leaving Natal, Brazil was very hard for me and Greg. For almost a year we had been planning and preparing (along with Lacy Hefley) to live and work there for a full year. When we found out that wasn't going to be a possibility because of problems with our Brazilian visas, we were very disappointed but resigned ourselves to make the most of whatever time God allowed us to have there. We feel blessed and honored to have had three months to work with Comunidate de Cristo and our little LST family (Cris Carpenter, Lacy, Greg and I). From the first day, we were warmly welcomed and felt immediate connections with our christian family. Since our time there was limited we got to work right away. Over the course of the 3 months, I was able to meet with 22 different people for reading sessions, many of whom will be life long friends. I can't say exactly what God will do in their lives or how He will use my efforts, but I can say that I feel I was being obedient to Him by reading His Word with people and being an illustration of that Word as I shared my beliefs and my life with them. A bit of my heart will always be in Natal, Brazil.

Now, Greg and I have a new work to do. When we realized that we could not serve our entire LST year in Natal, we started searching for another site to work. (Actually, Craig and Leslee Altrock started searching for a site for us). LST works with churches all over the world and there are many that need long-term workers or interns. We prayed over the choices presented to us and after looking at the needs, we all decided that Panama City, Panama was a good place for us to go for the remainder of our year. We have been in PC for a little over 3 days so far and we feel a real peace over our situation. Although this year has not worked out the way we planned, we trust in God and his plan for us. So, we are striving to submit to his will with joy.

Because of the holiday season and the fact that students in Panama have just begun their 3 month summer break, we can not immediately begin our work here. That is o.k. because we have a lot of settling in to do. We are spending our time apartment hunting (We are currently staying in the apartment of American missionaries that went home for Christmas. Thanks, David and Lisa Carter!), familiarizing ourselves with the area, getting to know some of the church members and studying Spanish. Not to mention catching up on rest! We are excited at the opportunity to experience a Christmas celebration in another culture. It will be hard to go through a family oriented time without our family, but maybe this will give us an opportunity to grow closer to our christian family here in PC. We learned in Natal, when you are a child of God, you've got family all over the world.

"The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." Psalms 37:23&24

May we all be aware of His Hand in ours and trust Him like children.