We continue with outreaches, mainly with children and youth. We still get a good number of adults in on Sunday evenings for the preaching of the gospel, but it's the younger ones that don't have years of religious confusion and baggage to sort through. Just a couple of weeks ago a teenage girl, whose mother is saved and baptized, told us that she is now sure she is saved. Those words bring much joy after years of preaching.
Weekly personal bible studies continue in our home with younger believers. We find that one on one studies can be very helpful in addressing personal needs and questions that often go unnoticed or can't be addressed in a public way.
Children and youth work in Valle Hermoso, Panama
This past August, as in other years, a group of young ladies came down to help us and experience life on a mission field. They brought a number of suitcases that were filled with clothing, baby supplies, hygiene items and numerous other useful things. With these items, we were able to make up packages for babies and new mothers and distribute them in the maternity ward in the local hospital, as well as hygiene packages for the women's ward. These packages are well received, and we are known in their "medical community" for this act of kindness to patients and staff. They know who we are and the message we bring, we sow the seed and leave the reaping to the Lord.
Children and youth work in Valle Hermoso, Panama
We continue with the weekly bible class at the orphanage along with an activity for the children with help from the ladies. New shoes and other useful items were given to the children, and the house mother was very appreciative. We visited some schools and gave out several thousand gospel texts. We also had a BBQ at the building where we gather and gave out several hundred hotdogs along with gospel literature package. It was hard to believe the number of people who rejected the free food as well as the literature. They would be hungry, but too proud to admit they needed anything. This would apply to the physical as well as the spiritual.
The Lord opened a door that had been on our hearts for some time. We received permission from the Minister of Education of our province to enter every school and give out the Seed Sower gospel texts. There are more than 400 public and private schools in the province. We are thankful for this new opportunity as the orphanage where we have labored for a number of years is soon to be closed by the government. They say it's a stain against the country's image, for if you have orphanages, then you have poverty and social problems. This affects outside investment on which Panama is dependent. Sadly, the plan doesn't go any further than closing the boys home. The children will just have to live with a distant relative or friend; which up until now the government said was not capable of caring for them. Its all about investment and money, so it doesn't matter about the future of these little souls. The love of money is the root of all evil!
Our fellow workers, Marcos and Sara Sequera that labor in Dolega (the Province of Chiriqui), have been encouraged working with the youth as well. They have a nice group of teenagers that attend regularly and have also been able to have bible classes in one of the public schools in a nearby town called Boquete.
During the third week in September, when the children were off for a week between semesters, we had some bible activity classes at the hall. Due to the presence of several new churches in the area, our Sunday School attendance has dropped. It's hard to compete with bands, videos, dance classes and bouncy castles all in the name of bible classes for kids. Its all a distraction instead of an attraction to the bible and God's way of salvation. We were very encouraged by the number of children, teens and adults that came along and some new visitors said they would come back to the Friday night youth class and the Sunday School.
Autumn 2017 Written by Byrnell and Lois Foreshew - Panama byrnell_foreshew@hotmail.com
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