Our New Journey Begins

What I love about God is that it seems that God allows for so many new beginnings.  And in actuality, I wouldn’t even say this was a “new beginning.”  It’s more like, a new chapter in the same story . . . how life with Jesus Christ transforms everything.

That’s true for our ministry here in Central America.  Our ministry has been transformed into something even more exciting.  Well, I know it’s exciting for us and we pray it’s exciting for those who journey with us.  I do know it will be exciting for those here in Panama because we are freed up to excercise our ministry in much more creative and innovative ways to meet the needs that we encounter.  I wonder if this is how Jesus felt when he walked the Holy Land from region to region, healing, preaching, and visiting those people who were marginalized and unaccepted.  It seems that Jesus’ approach was practical not contrained so much by His jewish tradition.

I have often wondered why Jesus’ ministry took the route that it did.  It wasn’t a “traditional” ministry nor a commonplace strategy of the “church” of the day.  But what he did do was remain practical, met the needs of those He encountered and loved the people.  Jesus wasn’t swayed by a political agenda, visions of grandeur, nor trying to blaze a career path for himself.  No, he simply was on mission because he loved people.  At least, this is what John said, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jh. 3:16.

Now that’s cool.  What being on mission for me means is to be able to remain creative and innovative in meeting the needs of those people in my world.  So, as this new chapter of the same story begins, I pray that “we” together journey hand in hand in doing what Jesus did, love the people and use our creativity in demonstrating the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

Santiago Panama Mission Adventures (SPMA) affords us this very opportunity to respond, like we have not been able to do in the past, to the needs we encounter where it matters the most. Together with our volunteer teams, we can make a difference in this world, changing the world one life at a time.

My prayer is that you will come on down, walk with us and ignite or reignite that flame to “be on mission” and take it back where you live.  Experience what God is doing here in Panama.

Blessing to all of you from Cindy and me.