England

We left Panama EARLY Monday morning and after a short 4 hour flight we arrived in HOT-lanta!

I was UBER excited that we had gotten a 5 hour layover in Atlanta because mine and Mark's families were able to come to the airport to see us! We were

greeted in the terminal by my mom, dad, brother, and grandmother, and Mark's dad, stepmom, and brother, also our niece and my best friend!!!

Our time together was precious. We were finally able to talk to each other face to face. We got to spend about 3 hours together. As we left them we boarded the plane for England. The flight was long but good. Each person controlled a small tv screen on the headrest of the chair in front of them. You could pick your own movies, games, or watch the progress of the flight. It was incredible to fly over the southern tip of Ireland at night and see

the lights below glowing.

Early Tuesday morning we landed at Gatwick Airport in Englan

d. We were greeted by two memebers of the YWAM Holmsted staff. After loading all the luggage we were off to the base....on the wrong side of the road!

YWAM Holmsted is AMAZING!! The house is beautiful and has SO much history.

This is the entrance hall of the main house.

This is where we would have all our meals.

We settled into our rooms and then had a meeting with the staff to discuss what we would be doing during the week.

The next hour was the most encouraging orientation that we've had. They explained to us that they haven't had a team on outreach in over a year. They ha

d several ministries that are on their heart to pioneer, but the just didn't have the man power to get them ready. They had begun praying for the Lord to send people to help, and then they received our e mail about wanting to come.

We were an answer to their prayers.

THe first project they had for us was to help with the harvest of some of the fruit that they grow there on the grounds. It was apple picking time!

Their current project is preparing a building to house a preschool. They were getting it ready so that when the inspector came by it would pass inspection with flying colors and they would be able to move forward in getting more room for the current preschool.

When we arrived the building looked like this:

That open door off to the right was actually FILLED with stuff as well. So after a few hours of "cleaning" it looked like this:

But after about a billion trips to the trash pile and one trip from the scrap yard to pick stuff up we were done and it looked like this:

We also helped get the road to the preschool cleaned up and ready for parents to view. There were some giant hedges that they allowed L.T. to cut back.

The rest of us did a lot of raking, bagging, and moving to the trash pile.

THEY EVEN LET ME DRIVE THE TRACTOR!!!!!!!

In addition to serving the base in whatever way we could we were also given the chance to go to the nearest town to pray and talk to people. We traveled about 15 minutes away to a town called Crawley and were able to walk through the square there and pray. While we weren't able to really speak to anyone I was encouraged through the fact that we have been told all this time that "the battle is won on our knees."

Our schedules are REALLY full, but we're enjoying the time together getting to actually DO what we've been learning about all this time.

It's not all hard work though, we do make plenty of time to play too. Mark was REALLY excited that he found someone who was willing to let him drive their right hand drive car! Our "host" for the week Jarod allowed Mark to get behind the wheel. (He's a little nuts because he's Canadian!)

On Monday of the next week we went had a free day. Several of us went into London.

It was a really exciting and exhausting day!

We rode the train into London.

Right there in the train station I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm not sure why there's not one of these on every corner in the states!!!

Coming up out of the train station was the most incredible feeling I've ever had.....WE WERE IN LONDON!!!!!!

Things that I've only seen in pictures were suddenly alive before my eyes

We walked about 8 blocks to Buckingham Palace. The kids thought that the best part was the guards with funny hats.

About 6 blocks away from there was Westminster Abbey.

I was breathless!! I was even more encouraged when we read on the sign that every day at a specific time the chapel closes to "tourists" (people who want to take pictures) and is only open for worship! It was so good to know that the reason behind the church hasn't been completely lost!

Right behind Westminster Abbey are the Houses of Parliament. (This is the building that Big Ben is attached to.) They sit right on the River Thames.

After seeing most of old London we decided to hop on the subway and ride to the other side of town and check out the Natural History Museum. Cooper was VERY excited as they had a HUGE dinosaur exhibit!

Out of the WHOLE trip Cooper is still talking about the "guards with the funny hats and that dinosaur."

It has been amazing and we can't wait to see what else God wants to show us!

Leavin' on aJet Plane

I can't believe that it's been 3 months already.

On Thursday we finished the lecture phase of our DTS (discipleship training School). We are currently sitting at Tocumen airport in Panama City, Panama waiting to board a plane to EUROPE!

We started this "outreach" journey knowing that God had called us to a European tour, but we needed to raise $60,000 to even go.

As of this moment we will depart for Europe in less than an hour having raised about half of what we need.

We are anxiously awaiting how God is going to provide!

Thank you again for your prayers and support. To know that you've partnered with us is amazing!

As you are going....

Mark 16:15 says "Go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone." (NLT)

I was told once that the actual translation of that first word, "Go," is really "as you are going."

We're not called to keep our mouths shut until we get to our destination, we are to proclaim boldly AS WE ARE GOING.

Here are some of the things that we've been doing to share the gospel as we are in this journey that is the DTS.

We were able to go into an old folks home and paint a mural on their cafeteria wall. One of the girls in the group got a picture of the world, as God sees it. The sun, and the stars, and other celestial bodies. She felt that the picture should include the reference in John 8:12 where he says "I am the light of the world."

We were also very blessed to be able to go to a nearby village and do a 3-4 hour VBS with the children. I am constantly amazed at how open people here are to the gospel. We contacted the village and said that we wanted to come, so they invited us to just come during school hours that Friday, and instead of school we would present our program!!

We told them about who God is and how he shows his love for us through his creation.

We had a page for them to color that reminded them that God loves them.

We sang a song in their native language, Ngobera, about how Jesus is my friend. We also sang in Spanish and were able to teach some of them the English version!

It was a great chance for us to explain that God is SO big and powerful and smart that it doesn't even matter what language we talk to him in, because he understands us!

Then the kids were able to play some games. The boys made a jump rope out of an old extension cord, and we brought some twine so they could do a 3-legged race.

We all had a great time and we were glad to have been able to share this important message with them!

Reaching Out

Well ladies and gentlemen, we have a destination for outreach. Well, we have destinations.

We, as a group, have been praying long and hard about this, and this is what God has laid on our hearts. Some saw pictures, some heard words, but it's all the same to God.

We're going on a European tour.

We will be visiting:

London, England

Norway

Hamburg, Germany

Paris, France

Switzerland

Milan, Italy

Barcelona, Spain

While in these countries we feel we will be working with orphans, prostitutes, people trapped/ involved in human trafficking, and Muslims.

I can't say exactly what will be needed in the long run, because the official budget hasn't been calculated yet, but I can tell you what we need now.

Please pray.

Pray for the team. (20 people previously introduced to you)

Pray for the people that we will encounter.

Pray for divine appointments in our travels and in every day lives.

Pray for funding.

We will be doing fund raising as a team, so either everyone will go or no one will go! Ask God if you can be involved. If he allows, ask him what you can give. If you would like information on where you can send a donation directly to YWAM Panama I would be happy to supply you with the address.

Thank you in advance for your prayers. I know that the battle is already won because of people who are even now on their knees!!!

Canopy Tour

There is a resort that is about a 5 minute boat ride away from us called Red Frog Beach. (You can learn more about them here.) This is where we travel to go to the beach (mainly because they have AMAZING showers!!!!!)

On our first trip there we noticed that there is a zip line called "The Canopy Tour." Several classmates commented on how fun it looked, and how it would be cool to go. We had our host, Dale, contact the owner of the resort to see if we could get some sort of discount for having a large group and he gave us $15 off for a group of 10 or more. Mark and I both really wanted this experience so we asked if anyone would be willing to watch the kiddos while we toured the canopy :D

(THANKS MIKE AND LAUREN!!!!!)

We came home from church quickly on Sunday and prepared to head out. We arrived at Red Frog and signed our consent forms, paid and we were off.

Our guides were AMAZING!!!!!

We arrived at our starting point and began to gear up. It was uncomfortable to say the least, especially for the boys.

After getting all our stuff together and going over safety orientation we were ready for our first zip. To get to the first platform you had to climb a suspended bridge.

I don't really remember the first zip much...LOL....I had my eyes closed most of the time! But I arrived safely at the other side and walked up the hill for zip #2. Little to my knowledge the guide informed me there that this would be the last time I was on the ground for the rest of the tour!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We did zip #2 and landed on the platform, that looked like the rest of the platforms, BUT there was a 3 foot by 3 foot section cut out. Through this hole our guide was going to lower us, one by one, to the platform about 50 feet below it.

At the lower platform you could continue and just do zip lines, or you could split off and do the ropes course.

The ropes course was a series of obstacles suspended about 200 feet above ground. There was a log bridge:

a monkey swing:

a spider web:

and a suspended bridge:

I wasn't able to do the monkey swing, so I was able to just zip that line. But I was surprised at the other things that I WAS able to accomplish!!

At the top of the suspended bridge, about 150 feet above ground, we reached the highest point of our tour. We only had 3 zips to go. This next zip was longer than the others and I was really able to look around and see the forest below. It was amazing! When I landed on the platform the others that were there pointed out that You can't even see the next landing space.

One guide got on the line and made his way to the next point to be ready to receive us. it was then that we realized how long this line was. about a minute later we realized that he had FINALLY arrived at the platform!!! This zip line was .25 miles long and lasted for about 1 minute. While on it (depending on weight) you could reach speeds of up to 45 mph!!!

While coming in for my landing I apparently didn't break hard enough and I crashed into the guide who then crashed into the tree. Thankfully neither of us was really hurt. This was going to be our last zip. it was a "no hands no break" zip. All we had to do was jump and there was a little of a "free fall" and then the line would catch and swing you to the last platform. Everyone else was able to jump off any way they please, but our sweet sweet guide (notice my sarcasm) advised me that I needed to "turn around, put your toes on the edge, and just trust me." as he PUSHED me off this platform!!!

I'd like to say it was graceful and beautiful, but I felt like a duck that had been shot out of the sky!!

It WAS the most amazing experience that I've ever had, and I can't wait to do it again!

Life in Bocas del Toro

GREETINGS from Bocas del Toro!!!

Bocas del Toro is a region in Panama, but we’re not staying on the main land. We’re on the island of Bastimentos.



It’s amazing here, but it’s actually hard work!!!
We do get to see this every day:

To get anywhere we have to take a boat. We travel about 20 minutes to Isla Colon to do all grocery shopping. (Yes, that is as much of a production as it sounds!)

The house itself is BEAUTIFUL!! It’s completely run with solar power and the water supply is with rain water. If it rains you’re good on water, but that causes a problem for the batteries that operate the house not getting charged enough to power. If it’s sunny out then the solar batteries get charged, but you run the risk of getting low on water!

**PLEASE pray for sunny days and rainy nights**

Here lately it’s been beautiful (but hot), which means water supply runs short and we have to conserve more than usual. Thankfully there is a river nearby that we can wash ourselves and clothes in.



We also bring the river water up the hill in buckets so that we can have water to flush toilets.

I say all of this to let you know HOW thankful I am to be able to take a hot shower without having to turn the water off while soaping up. I am thankful for toilets that just flush. I am thankful for lights that turn on, and a computer that can be charged any time I please. I am thankful for being able to get in a car and drive where I need to and find the products that I’m used to. I’m thankful for cold pasteurized milk (ours here is off a shelf).
This entire experience has made me even more aware of how spoiled I am, and how many luxuries I really take for granted. I am SOOO thankful to God for the opportunity to experience these things firsthand!


Please continue to pray for our group. We are piecing together God’s will for our outreach phase (which will start in about 5 weeks.)

We know that these experiences that we’re having right now are only preparing us for what God has in store for us all!

Thank you SOOO much for your continued prayers, they are felt!

Talamanca, Costa Rica

On Sunday morning at 5 am we left the base in san Jose headed for Talamanca, Costa Rica. One of the families on staff at the base in Panama had recently moved from there. This was where we were to do our NIKO.

We loaded up the bus and headed out.

Because it was early and we were tired, most of us fell fast asleep. We stopped for a restroom break and one of my classmates (Mr. BLT) told me that Cooper told him that he had asked Jesus into his heart. He’s been asking question for a while, and we knew that he had all the head knowledge, but it just needed to be heart knowledge. (We also knew that Cooper does EVERYTHING on Coper time!!) So it was JUST like him to pray for salvation when HE was ready on a bus full of sleeping people with no one’s help at all!!!

Six hours later we arrived in BriBri. We got off the bus and David found a taxi (truck) driver to take us into Tallamanca (so we didn’t have to carry all our luggage on the public transport bus!) Two guys went with the luggage and the rest of us waited for about 1 ½ hours for a bus. It was about 30-45 minutes away on a 1 lane dirt/rock/gravel road. We crossed over a river a couple of times (only about 1 foot or less deep) and we FINALLY arrived at YWAM Tallamanca. It’s beautiful! This base is 1 building (upstairs are bunks and showers and downstairs is where the church meets). It’s set right in the rain forest and less than 1 mile from the river. We all went down to the river and our leader David, and Mr. BLT were able to baptize Cooper right there!!

We returned to the base and started pulling out all the stuff that we had brought for the NIKO, just to be prepared! I wish I could tell you exactly what a NIKO is, but it’s a discipleship tool that has to be discovered by the individual. I CAN tell you that I’ve never been so physically challenged in my life!!! (and that’s AFTER having 2 kids)

The week was intense. I was exhausted and thought that I was going to die most o the trip. God dealt a lot with my pride. I like to be able to prove to people that I CAN handle things that they think I can’t. I want to show that I AM strong, and that I’m NOT what you think!!

But God spoke SOOOOOO strongly to me on that Wednesday. We were hiking and it was getting dark. I was dehydrated and had already gotten really sick, so we were on our way back to the base. Where we were was very muddy and quite slick and I was shaky at best. Our leader, Alex (who is 23 years old and has done 24 NIKO’s) got out in front of the group and started to lead us back. He knew the way. He’d been down that path 1000 times. He knew that I was shaky and scared. Even before I knew that something tough was coming he had already turned around and given me his hand.

Y’all….that’s what God does with us!!! He already knows our path….he’s been UP AND DOWN it. He know before you do that something that might rattle you is coming. His hand is already outstretched. Can you give up your pride enough to take it?

This is who you're praying for!

I thought I'd take a minute and introduce you to the YWAM Panama July- December DTS and where they're from:

Our fearless leaders:

David and Cerrita

(and baby Anne)

Panama City, Panama

Dale and Kim

Bocas del Toro, Panama

The Students:

Mike and Lauren

Wisconsin

L.T.

(or Mr. BLT according to Cooper)

Minnesota

Elli

Finland

Ale`

Mexico

Andrea

Wisconsin

C.J.

Texas

Lauren ("Ren")

California

Ciara

Washington

Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words.

On Thursday, August 12^th (our 10^th wedding anniversary) we teamed up with the DTS in San Jose to do a little outreach in the city.

The DTS leader there, Morgan, had this vision of a “flash dance” (let me explain before you burst out into into “What A Feeling”)

Instead of a dance we were going to do an exercise. First one person would start doing this routine, then people from our group would join in at random (making it seem like we didn’t know each other, just strangers in the same place) and by doing this we would draw a crowd.

After a crowd had come they were going to do a drama called “Everything” so that we could portray to the people of San Jose that God wants to be your everything!

I thought that the idea sounded a little crazy, but we decided to go anyway to take pictures and just get off base.

We took the bus to downtown San Jose and met up in this little town square. When we got there I was surprised to see 80 billion pigeons!!!!!

There were even people selling dried corn so that you could feed them. Of course our kids had a field day with that!!! Camber even got smart enough to catch them! She would put corn in one hand and then when they would land to eat she would grab them by the leg. She did this at least 4 times!!!

After playing with the birds (and recreating Alfred Hitchcock films in my head) for a while Dash started out the “flash exercise.” Everyone joined in and it really drew a crowd!!!!

To end the flash exercise they quoted Philippians 4:13 in Spanish and English.

Then they moved on to the drama everything.

Here’s the video, I was surprised at how powerful it was!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0mHSg1KOU4