Please Pray for Dale and the Panama area.

We would really appreciate all prayers concerning the safety of the people in Panama right now. There was an earthquake in November that caused floods and landslides. Dale is still there, in Bocas del Toro, and there is a food and gasoline shortage because of the traffic conditions of getting supplies to the main island. Here is a little article on the earthquake:


Five people died in flooding and landslides in western Panama provoked by heavy rains. Hundreds fled the province of Chiriqui and thousands were cut off by washed out roads in Bocas del Toro. The provinces are located along Panama's northern coast. Civil protection official Armando Palacios said victims in Chiriqui included a child and three adults killed in an mudslide. He said 600 people were evacuated in the province after two rivers overflowed their banks. Another person died in Bocas del Toro, Vice President Ruben Arosemena told journalists. In neighboring Costa Rica, more than 3,000 people were forced from their homes by flooding. In Bocas everything runs on small little boats with outboard motors. Gasoline comes in the same way as the diesel fuel, and so far the little gas station that normally sells gas to the boat drivers has been closed. Forrest didn't know if he was closed due to lack of fuel or because of some kind of damage to his facilities - but in any case the guy is not selling gas. Normally gasoline comes in via a giant cayuco carrying dozens of 5 gallon gas cans, and so far that has not happened, either. There's one other gas station on Isla Colon and Forrest didn't know if they were open or not.


Things are better than they were when this article was written, but it's still very difficult.

Family From California!

The Philips family offered to come and stay a month with us in July and help with ministry. Linda was an artist and was more than happy to sit and paint or draw with the Indigenous kids. She even gave a couple of the older girls a few materials to keep painting or drawing in their homes. Steve was a paramedic. He was a great help to Dale while they worked together to get the roof finished on the building and other things around the base that needed to be done. They had two kids, Jacob [17] and David [14], who were very helpful to us as well. David knew some Spanish, so he got along with the Indigenous very well. They both liked to fish and even made us a lobster trap that we put at the bottom of a mangrove. We worked with the Indigenous a lot during this month, holding church services and planning things to do with them. They had a great gift of hospitality and we were happy to have some of their new friends to come and spend time with us. We also got to share our faith and our purpose with a girl who was touring the Bocas del Toro area and spent the night at our house.

New Jersey Visits Panama

We call our next team from New Jersey the “Disaster Relief Dream Team” to come to Panama. I will try to describe some of our week together. Dale just returned the day before they arrived from a total hip replacement. I was very nervous about driving the boat as I had not really done it much for fear of the engine breaking. My son Kellen, 20, flew down from the states and just learned to drive the boat. The first day, after picking up the team from Isla Colon, just upon reaching our dock the steering cable broke. Pete, one of the leaders of the team, though he had never worked on a boat before, spent the day figuring out what happened, and we were able to jump on a water taxi to the mainland and get the cable which he promptly replaced. This is a miracle, nothing is easy to find in Panama.

That was the start of the week. They walked through the jungle right after a rain storm to visit the school next door. They were not only allowed to come and present their gospel message, they were invited to present it DURING school. All through the week one thing after another broke. The bathroom sink leaked, and was fixed by Lee. We got a mule, a small utility vehicle so that my husband would no longer have to walk up and down the long hill. It came on a barge, but the road wasn’t quite right. They worked long, grueling hours in extreme heat and humidity to get the mule unstuck, and then fixed the road everyplace that it needed to be widened. Everyone worked, the girls right alongside the guys.

Then came the visit to Pedro’s village. We wanted to show the Jesus Film for children brought by Ginny. First the speakers blew, so it was quiet. Then the DVD drive suddenly didn’t work, but thankfully the DVD was shown. Afterwards, stepping way out of their comfort zone, they boldly prayed for everyone in the room, as well as some teens outside. It wasn’t a generic prayer, they literally went around and touched each person, and all the guys prayed for the leader of the village, Pedro. One of the teens was too “cool” to come in, but shimmied up a tree and peered through the opening to watch the video. They even went outside and prayed for him. Heading home, the boat engine conked out. Instead of complaining, or even showing fear, they sang praises as we rowed ashore, and once again the Dream Team came to the rescue and fixed the problem, a clogged fuel line.

This is just some of what they did, but who they really were was a blessing to us. They never complained. Through every trial, they loved on one another and us. They apologized when they even began to get snippy. They encouraged our family beyond what words can express. They lifted us up in prayer and they worshiped every day and every night. They recognized the attack for what it really was, things were changed in the heavens because they were here, and the enemy didn’t like it. They rejoiced with us, because we all knew that kingdom ground was taken.

Truly, if they weren’t here when they were I don’t know what we would have done. They were an answer to prayer, and we are so grateful for them.
Thanks again New Jersey team!! We miss you all!

Andrew Burnett and Mission Trek International team

June 14th Andrew Burnett and his team called Mission Trek International come down and do ministry for a while. Andrew worked for months helping to figure out the best clean water system for a nearby village. His team provided the funding and manpower to work alongside the Indigenous, teaching how to utilize and maintain the system. Please watch the video, as Andrew plans several mission treks a year and ask the Lord if you should be involved in one of them.
The team also worked around the base in whatever capacity they were needed.
We also delivered Bibles at village called Salt Creek, located down a river at the end of the island. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the videos will show more of the excellence of this team.

http://www.travelistic.com/video/show/9839/Salt-Creek-Indigenous-Village-Outreach---Isle-de-Bastimentos Hope you enjoy the video.

Biola Team

In early June we had a team from the Biola college in California offer to come and help us. They were really great and accomplished so much. We delivered Bibles to a village down a remote river and we were able to pray with some of the people there. They were also able to hand out Bibles to the kids leaving the school next to us, putting them in plastic bags so they wouldn't get wet with water in their canoes. The girls of the group helped with gardening while the guys helped with the roofing of the building that is currently being made into a school/dorms/church area. They also hand-mixed cement with the help of two Christian surfer guys who were willing to lend a hand. They poured the floor in an area under the house that had been completely dug out by hand which took over a year. This area is for providing future housing for full-time staff. The team planned a "game day" to help continue building a relationship with the local people. Erin Elmore, one of the girls from the team, gave her testimony at the church service we hold for the locals. They also did worship. The kids loved this team and I believe the adults learned so much from them as well.
Thank you team Biola!