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Friday, December 28th
After lunch today, we headed on to Mamitupu (island #6 for us) which was less than 30 minutes away. The dock is really bad, so the guys are hoping to leave tomorrow before dark because the next island is close too!
I went around the island trying to find some water for Ronald, but there was none! I finally came back to the boat to let him know. (That's the other reason that they don't like this island, they can't usually find very much to eat or drink here.)
After we'd been at the docks 2 hours or so, Hno Abraham came to take us to visit the pastor. Lonnie had been here too, so they were on the look out! We went with Hno Abraham to the church where they were having a 5-on-5 soccer tournament. They like to do a basketball tournament too, but they don't have any goals right now. (The salt water is really hard on stuff!) We met Pastor Juan at the church. Chris was enjoying the opportunity to at least see a little soccer! Then Pastor Juan took us to his house so that we could talk a little more. He's a really sweet man...they really want to start going out from the island to other communities this year to share Jesus! This has been a common theme that we have heard on several of the islands now! How exciting?! They are beginning to understand that we have to look outside of where we are to where there is more need for Jesus!! We spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Pastor Juan, Hno Abraham, and Hno Eliseo. That evening we spoke to the young men about marriage, and they played lots of games. No power on this island either, so we were in bed again really early!
Saturday, December 29th
We watched the boat this morning while Ronald went out to collect. Normally, Ronald has to wait until all of the other guys finish collecting before he can go out, but since we are here, we can watch things for him.
This morning, we spent some more time with Pastor Juan and Hno Abraham. We were able so share some of the vision that God is giving us for the future, and they shared what the see God calling them to in this year. We also were able to play a little with their kids. Isn't this picture so cute? Our little boys play with cars and trucks...these guys have little wooden canoes and paddles!! After lunch, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the boat. We don't ever want the guys to have to wait on us!
This afternoon, we went back to the boat to work with the guys collecting coconuts. Late afternoon, they finished collecting coconuts and the money that was owed them and we headed on to Ustupu (island # 7).
In Ustupu we learned that the island is actually two communities, Ustupu and Ogubsucun. Apparently in the time that communities were coming from the coast to the islands, two different communities arrived to this island. So there is an imaginary line what divides the island. This is the island with the largest population in the Comarca...nearly 8,000 people! They do not have power on the island...only people who or businesses that have purchased their own generators. They have 4 phones on the entire island!!
When we went to report to the island police, we asked if they knew a police officer that we met in Playón Chico. He's from Ogubsucun, and we thought he might be home for Christmas vacation. They laughed and told us that he was sitting right outside! So we went out and greeted Mani!! It was so good to see a familiar face!!
Mani wanted to show us all over the island, so off we went! First he took us to the Baptist church parsonage in Ustupu where we met Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina. There is a missionary couple who supports the pastors of the Baptist churches in the Comarca Kuna Yala, and they are working to plant several new churches. They were at Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina's house, so we met Hno Francisco and Hna Odilia too! From there, Mani took us to his home church to meet Pastor Enrique and Hna Olimpia. Then he took us to meet his family!! Wow...we were worn out!! Time to hit the hammock!
Sunday, December 30th
Today is Capitan's birthday! Chris and I found some sweet bread, and we all sang to him Happy Birthday in Spanish and English!!
We went to church in Ogubsucun this morning...they were celebrating Christmas/New Year's with the kids, so we helped hand out candy while Hna Olimpia and several of the teens gave out cookies and cereal and milk. Then we had Sunday school with the youth! Pastor Enrique translated for us.
This afternoon, we worked with the coconuts on the boat and prepared for our time with the teenagers of Ustupu. Pastor Edgar invited us to share with the teens after church tonight, so we were excited to be a part of that!!
Monday, December 31st
Today we visited back and forth a lot! We spent time on the boat helping with the coconuts, at Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina's house, and with Hna Olimpia. We learned that Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina are spending their last few days in Ustupu. On Jan 3rd, they are going to Panama City to see their family, and in March, they will begin a new work in Mulatupu (the next island we will be visiting). God has laid discipleship on their hearts. They want to support pastors and leaders with training and Bible studies! What an exciting time in their lives?!!
I visited with Hna Olimpia today, and she shared how she and Pastor Enrique started dating. They had a long distance relationship for 2 years or so, and then Pastor Enrique came back from Panama City and studying at the Baptist seminary. Within one week, they were married and pastoring the very first Baptist church in the islands on Ailigandi! So they were good friends with Lonnie's parents!! I also learned that Pastor Enrique was the pastor who Pastor Aris told us about....the one who invested his time and discipled him! Wow!! We met Timothy and now we were getting to meet Paul!
Tonight we went to visit Hna Odilia's family because her grandmother had passed away. This was the 2nd time that we have gone to a house under these conditions. There's a lot of really loud crying and chanting. They also have incense burning at one end of the coffin.
From there, we went to the church in Ogubsucun to see the drama that the youth were putting on to celebrate the New Year, and then we went to the service in Ustupu to see the new year in. I didn't make it though. I wasn't feeling very good and I was really sleepy, so Chris and I went back to the boat. I asked him to wake me up at midnight. So he woke me up and gave me a kiss to tell me that is was 2008!
Tuesday, January 1st--Happy New Year!!
Chris helped today with a little bit different work...he crushed cans with Capitan and Enider. Then he helped haul 100 lb sacks of flour, 20 lb sacks of rice or of sugar, and crates of drinks. (A much needed cargo ship had just come in!!) While he was doing all of that, I decided to wash our clothes. Oh my...what an ordeal! It was as if no one on the island had seen someone wash clothes, so I had a large group of men, women, and children gathered around watching me wash our clothes! Aaaahhh!!
The teens from Ogubsucun invited Chris to go swimming in the river with them, so he went them. I took a nap...still not feeling 100%, but Eiris put up a plastic tarp last night to block the wind off of our hammocks and Hna Florina gave me a sheet to cover up with at night. We should be much better off from here on out!! Praise God!!
We visited this afternoon with Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina again. We were all sharing about what God is doing in our lives. Hna Florina said something that really helped me a lot! She told us that she has peace about the next step because she knows that it's what God's calling her to, so she just doesn't worry about the future. I've started to feel some anxiety about what things will be like when we are in the United States again...but I have no worries about where we'll stay or what we'll eat tomorrow. Why? because I know God is faithful and I know He's called us to this. So I need to let the future worry about itself...by the time we get to that point, it will just be the next step, and I'll have peace!!!
Wednesday, January 2nd
Today we talked to Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina along with Missionary Francisco about the future of missions in the Comarca Kuna Yala! God had great things planned!! We also had another of our many Kuna language lessons with them and the teens from the church!! Tonight we shared testimony at the prayer service in Ustupu.
After church tonight, we went to Ogubsucun because we were pretty sure that we were leaving tomorrow. The guys were almost done collecting and the tides are relatively low for this time of year. We wanted to tell Pastor Enrique and Hna Olympia goodbye before we left. While we were there, he shared of how God had healed his heart. A year ago, he couldn't do anything including stand up without getting winded and having pain in his chest. He had been undergoing treatment in Panama City, but nothing seemed to help. One day when he was praying, he felt God touch him. When the doctor's examined him again, they couldn't find anything. The time that he and Hna Olympia were in Panama City, they prayed and prayed and prayed for their church. When they left it was struggling and there were very few teenagers. When they got off the plane after the doctor had given him a clean bill of health, they were greeted by tons of teenagers. Imagine their surprise to hear that these teens were attending church and serving the Lord faithfully! So God not only healed Pastor Enrique's heart, but He also brought revival to the church!!
Thursday, January 3rd
We woke up super early this morning to call Mrs. Embler. Her birthday is tomorrow, but we heard that this next island (Mulatupu) doesn't have any phones. The best time to make a call is at 6 am...there's only about a 30 minute wait then!!
When we got back to the boat, we learned that the tide had come up A LOT in the night. We would have to wait until later in the day to leave, IF we could leave at all today! We didn't really know what to do since we had told all of our friends goodbye, so we were just hanging around the boat. The guys were walking around on the island trying to kill time until after lunch.
While we were waiting, a man named Gaspar came up. He is friends with Pastor Edgar, and he wanted to meet us. He shared with us how God had healed him from a terrible fall. He also told us about being in jail in Panama City. He wanted to know more about God, so he decided to fast for 3 days. God honored that desire, and He has begun to send people into Gaspar's life to teach him from God's Word! Wow!!! I've never done a 3 day fast...and this guy who's not even a Christian understood that it was a way to seek God and know Him more. I need to get a clue!!
We saw this really pretty sailboat anchored between the island and the mainland today. Chris took a picture of it to show to his dad. We had no idea that we would meet the owners!! They are from Holland, and another couple (also from Holland) is visiting them!! We talked the most with Inga (the owner). She's really sweet, but very confused about the Bible. She thinks it's just a intricately woven together fairytale. So sad...please pray for her, her husband's, and their friend's salvation...that God will reveal truth to them!!
We aren't leaving today...the tide is too high to see where the coral reef is. It's 3 hours to the next island, and it's too unsafe. BUT the good thing is that the guys don't have anything to do today. We've been able to talk to Cesar, Lewis, Ronald, and Capitan a lot! Plus, Cesar had time to cut Chris's hair!!
While Chris was taking his daily bucket bath, I met an older gentleman who speaks English. Tomas worked on the Panama Canal in the canal zone where all of the English speakers worked, so he learned to speak English. He's traveled all over the world! Chris was excited to meet him too...always nice to be able to speak a little English!!
Tonight we were able to talk to Cesar for a long time. Chris shared how Jesus changed his life, and we talked about how God would like to strengthen his marriage. It was a really good time of sharing, and Cesar was really receptive. Not time yet to ask if he's ready to accept, but we know that his heart is getting close!! We can't wait to see how God's going to do it!!
Well, we are hoping to travel tomorrow, but we won't know until we see how the tide is in the morning. (I'm feeling much better by the way...I think it was just a cold.) We should be in touch again soon. We only have 2-3 more islands with the guys, so be praying for open doors to talk to them about Jesus and for an open door for us to get to the mainland. God bless you and protect you! We hope that God reveals Himself to you in this year in ways that you have never believed possible. 2007 is over...what are you going to do for Him in 2008?! We love you and miss you!
About living on a boat...
We have lots of time to look at the stars
• From the angle of the sky where we are, the little dipper is teeny, tiny! I never thought about how the sky changes depending on where we are on the planet.
• Cesar told us that God left us a reminder of His peace in the sky. It's true...after careful observation, we saw the P, A, and Z. (Paz is the Spanish word for peace.)
We have a different understanding of the Bible now when it talks about shipwrecks and Jesus calming the sea...especially after hearing the stories that the guys shared with us.
• Paul talked about wintering in a port because the high tides and huge waves of the winter can cause shipwrecks.
• A port isn't suitable if the waves rock the boat all night.
Friday, December 28th
After lunch today, we headed on to Mamitupu (island #6 for us) which was less than 30 minutes away. The dock is really bad, so the guys are hoping to leave tomorrow before dark because the next island is close too!
I went around the island trying to find some water for Ronald, but there was none! I finally came back to the boat to let him know. (That's the other reason that they don't like this island, they can't usually find very much to eat or drink here.)
After we'd been at the docks 2 hours or so, Hno Abraham came to take us to visit the pastor. Lonnie had been here too, so they were on the look out! We went with Hno Abraham to the church where they were having a 5-on-5 soccer tournament. They like to do a basketball tournament too, but they don't have any goals right now. (The salt water is really hard on stuff!) We met Pastor Juan at the church. Chris was enjoying the opportunity to at least see a little soccer! Then Pastor Juan took us to his house so that we could talk a little more. He's a really sweet man...they really want to start going out from the island to other communities this year to share Jesus! This has been a common theme that we have heard on several of the islands now! How exciting?! They are beginning to understand that we have to look outside of where we are to where there is more need for Jesus!! We spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Pastor Juan, Hno Abraham, and Hno Eliseo. That evening we spoke to the young men about marriage, and they played lots of games. No power on this island either, so we were in bed again really early!
Saturday, December 29th
We watched the boat this morning while Ronald went out to collect. Normally, Ronald has to wait until all of the other guys finish collecting before he can go out, but since we are here, we can watch things for him.
This morning, we spent some more time with Pastor Juan and Hno Abraham. We were able so share some of the vision that God is giving us for the future, and they shared what the see God calling them to in this year. We also were able to play a little with their kids. Isn't this picture so cute? Our little boys play with cars and trucks...these guys have little wooden canoes and paddles!! After lunch, we said our goodbyes and headed back to the boat. We don't ever want the guys to have to wait on us!
This afternoon, we went back to the boat to work with the guys collecting coconuts. Late afternoon, they finished collecting coconuts and the money that was owed them and we headed on to Ustupu (island # 7).
In Ustupu we learned that the island is actually two communities, Ustupu and Ogubsucun. Apparently in the time that communities were coming from the coast to the islands, two different communities arrived to this island. So there is an imaginary line what divides the island. This is the island with the largest population in the Comarca...nearly 8,000 people! They do not have power on the island...only people who or businesses that have purchased their own generators. They have 4 phones on the entire island!!
When we went to report to the island police, we asked if they knew a police officer that we met in Playón Chico. He's from Ogubsucun, and we thought he might be home for Christmas vacation. They laughed and told us that he was sitting right outside! So we went out and greeted Mani!! It was so good to see a familiar face!!
Mani wanted to show us all over the island, so off we went! First he took us to the Baptist church parsonage in Ustupu where we met Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina. There is a missionary couple who supports the pastors of the Baptist churches in the Comarca Kuna Yala, and they are working to plant several new churches. They were at Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina's house, so we met Hno Francisco and Hna Odilia too! From there, Mani took us to his home church to meet Pastor Enrique and Hna Olimpia. Then he took us to meet his family!! Wow...we were worn out!! Time to hit the hammock!
Sunday, December 30th
Today is Capitan's birthday! Chris and I found some sweet bread, and we all sang to him Happy Birthday in Spanish and English!!
We went to church in Ogubsucun this morning...they were celebrating Christmas/New Year's with the kids, so we helped hand out candy while Hna Olimpia and several of the teens gave out cookies and cereal and milk. Then we had Sunday school with the youth! Pastor Enrique translated for us.
This afternoon, we worked with the coconuts on the boat and prepared for our time with the teenagers of Ustupu. Pastor Edgar invited us to share with the teens after church tonight, so we were excited to be a part of that!!
Monday, December 31st
Today we visited back and forth a lot! We spent time on the boat helping with the coconuts, at Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina's house, and with Hna Olimpia. We learned that Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina are spending their last few days in Ustupu. On Jan 3rd, they are going to Panama City to see their family, and in March, they will begin a new work in Mulatupu (the next island we will be visiting). God has laid discipleship on their hearts. They want to support pastors and leaders with training and Bible studies! What an exciting time in their lives?!!
I visited with Hna Olimpia today, and she shared how she and Pastor Enrique started dating. They had a long distance relationship for 2 years or so, and then Pastor Enrique came back from Panama City and studying at the Baptist seminary. Within one week, they were married and pastoring the very first Baptist church in the islands on Ailigandi! So they were good friends with Lonnie's parents!! I also learned that Pastor Enrique was the pastor who Pastor Aris told us about....the one who invested his time and discipled him! Wow!! We met Timothy and now we were getting to meet Paul!
Tonight we went to visit Hna Odilia's family because her grandmother had passed away. This was the 2nd time that we have gone to a house under these conditions. There's a lot of really loud crying and chanting. They also have incense burning at one end of the coffin.
From there, we went to the church in Ogubsucun to see the drama that the youth were putting on to celebrate the New Year, and then we went to the service in Ustupu to see the new year in. I didn't make it though. I wasn't feeling very good and I was really sleepy, so Chris and I went back to the boat. I asked him to wake me up at midnight. So he woke me up and gave me a kiss to tell me that is was 2008!
Tuesday, January 1st--Happy New Year!!
Chris helped today with a little bit different work...he crushed cans with Capitan and Enider. Then he helped haul 100 lb sacks of flour, 20 lb sacks of rice or of sugar, and crates of drinks. (A much needed cargo ship had just come in!!) While he was doing all of that, I decided to wash our clothes. Oh my...what an ordeal! It was as if no one on the island had seen someone wash clothes, so I had a large group of men, women, and children gathered around watching me wash our clothes! Aaaahhh!!
The teens from Ogubsucun invited Chris to go swimming in the river with them, so he went them. I took a nap...still not feeling 100%, but Eiris put up a plastic tarp last night to block the wind off of our hammocks and Hna Florina gave me a sheet to cover up with at night. We should be much better off from here on out!! Praise God!!
We visited this afternoon with Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina again. We were all sharing about what God is doing in our lives. Hna Florina said something that really helped me a lot! She told us that she has peace about the next step because she knows that it's what God's calling her to, so she just doesn't worry about the future. I've started to feel some anxiety about what things will be like when we are in the United States again...but I have no worries about where we'll stay or what we'll eat tomorrow. Why? because I know God is faithful and I know He's called us to this. So I need to let the future worry about itself...by the time we get to that point, it will just be the next step, and I'll have peace!!!
Wednesday, January 2nd
Today we talked to Pastor Edgar and Hna Florina along with Missionary Francisco about the future of missions in the Comarca Kuna Yala! God had great things planned!! We also had another of our many Kuna language lessons with them and the teens from the church!! Tonight we shared testimony at the prayer service in Ustupu.
After church tonight, we went to Ogubsucun because we were pretty sure that we were leaving tomorrow. The guys were almost done collecting and the tides are relatively low for this time of year. We wanted to tell Pastor Enrique and Hna Olympia goodbye before we left. While we were there, he shared of how God had healed his heart. A year ago, he couldn't do anything including stand up without getting winded and having pain in his chest. He had been undergoing treatment in Panama City, but nothing seemed to help. One day when he was praying, he felt God touch him. When the doctor's examined him again, they couldn't find anything. The time that he and Hna Olympia were in Panama City, they prayed and prayed and prayed for their church. When they left it was struggling and there were very few teenagers. When they got off the plane after the doctor had given him a clean bill of health, they were greeted by tons of teenagers. Imagine their surprise to hear that these teens were attending church and serving the Lord faithfully! So God not only healed Pastor Enrique's heart, but He also brought revival to the church!!
Thursday, January 3rd
We woke up super early this morning to call Mrs. Embler. Her birthday is tomorrow, but we heard that this next island (Mulatupu) doesn't have any phones. The best time to make a call is at 6 am...there's only about a 30 minute wait then!!
When we got back to the boat, we learned that the tide had come up A LOT in the night. We would have to wait until later in the day to leave, IF we could leave at all today! We didn't really know what to do since we had told all of our friends goodbye, so we were just hanging around the boat. The guys were walking around on the island trying to kill time until after lunch.
While we were waiting, a man named Gaspar came up. He is friends with Pastor Edgar, and he wanted to meet us. He shared with us how God had healed him from a terrible fall. He also told us about being in jail in Panama City. He wanted to know more about God, so he decided to fast for 3 days. God honored that desire, and He has begun to send people into Gaspar's life to teach him from God's Word! Wow!!! I've never done a 3 day fast...and this guy who's not even a Christian understood that it was a way to seek God and know Him more. I need to get a clue!!
We saw this really pretty sailboat anchored between the island and the mainland today. Chris took a picture of it to show to his dad. We had no idea that we would meet the owners!! They are from Holland, and another couple (also from Holland) is visiting them!! We talked the most with Inga (the owner). She's really sweet, but very confused about the Bible. She thinks it's just a intricately woven together fairytale. So sad...please pray for her, her husband's, and their friend's salvation...that God will reveal truth to them!!
We aren't leaving today...the tide is too high to see where the coral reef is. It's 3 hours to the next island, and it's too unsafe. BUT the good thing is that the guys don't have anything to do today. We've been able to talk to Cesar, Lewis, Ronald, and Capitan a lot! Plus, Cesar had time to cut Chris's hair!!
While Chris was taking his daily bucket bath, I met an older gentleman who speaks English. Tomas worked on the Panama Canal in the canal zone where all of the English speakers worked, so he learned to speak English. He's traveled all over the world! Chris was excited to meet him too...always nice to be able to speak a little English!!
Tonight we were able to talk to Cesar for a long time. Chris shared how Jesus changed his life, and we talked about how God would like to strengthen his marriage. It was a really good time of sharing, and Cesar was really receptive. Not time yet to ask if he's ready to accept, but we know that his heart is getting close!! We can't wait to see how God's going to do it!!
Well, we are hoping to travel tomorrow, but we won't know until we see how the tide is in the morning. (I'm feeling much better by the way...I think it was just a cold.) We should be in touch again soon. We only have 2-3 more islands with the guys, so be praying for open doors to talk to them about Jesus and for an open door for us to get to the mainland. God bless you and protect you! We hope that God reveals Himself to you in this year in ways that you have never believed possible. 2007 is over...what are you going to do for Him in 2008?! We love you and miss you!
About living on a boat...
We have lots of time to look at the stars
• From the angle of the sky where we are, the little dipper is teeny, tiny! I never thought about how the sky changes depending on where we are on the planet.
• Cesar told us that God left us a reminder of His peace in the sky. It's true...after careful observation, we saw the P, A, and Z. (Paz is the Spanish word for peace.)
We have a different understanding of the Bible now when it talks about shipwrecks and Jesus calming the sea...especially after hearing the stories that the guys shared with us.
• Paul talked about wintering in a port because the high tides and huge waves of the winter can cause shipwrecks.
• A port isn't suitable if the waves rock the boat all night.
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