I can’t believe summer arrived and is now half way over (for us)! Summers here don’t seem to last long, but a lot is always done. During December a whopping six music concerts were carried out and even if you doesn’t play an instrument someone needs to witness afterwards, which is what Jennifer and I did. We also coordinated a Christmas program where we challenged the congregation to see Christmas through “different eyes”. The children’s hospital invited us to put on the Christmas play there as well.
January was no slower. A few months ago, the owner of the commercial building where our church is at was forced to ask us to leave. It’s a really long story but in the end, he gave us an old parking lot for us to turn into a sanctuary. We did the transformation in January with the help of two work teams, one from North Carolina and the other from Missouri. The temporary sanctuary looks great, but the work is far from over. The owner also gave us the place next to the parking lot. In the end, the new location is about three times bigger than the old place! Isn’t God Awesome! When we were stumped, He was making provisions. So in April we will be working again to make a more adequate sanctuary and a YOUTH ROOM! Any volunteers for work?
We are excited about having our own youth place, but it will be mostly empty at first. We want it to be a place where the teenagers will want to be and be confronted with the Word of God. So if you have a spare pool table, foosball table, or an extra pulpit, it would quickly find a home in Panama. Pray.
Bible camps are not quite over; unfortunately Jenny and I can’t be counselors this year. We still make the trip once a week to the camp grounds. We check up on the work staff since most of them are our teenagers. With them gone and this being the first year we have Bible Club during summer, attendance has been low. However, God has still surprised us with what he is doing in their lives. I started a new discipleship last week with a young teenager who has a very teachable heart. Jennifer and I are also expecting a very teachable and young heart. Dr. Karnakis said baby Ethan could arrive any day! We are so excited and nervous about our first son. I’m sure many of you know the feeling. His crib and room are ready. There are stuffed cars on the wall, and he has a bunch of baby clothes from the baby shower. He will probably out grow most of it in three months. Please pray for what God is doing in church, in us, and in Ethan Allen Morales. Expect another email soon announcing his birth!