Dear Friends,

Greetings from Panama!

For the last two months, the members of our church have been praying daily for the recuperation of Beatriz, a beloved member and director of the choir at Resurrection Methodist Church who was involved in a terrible automobile accident. Each night at 8:00 p.m. we joined together, wherever we were, to pray for her healing. Since she was in intensive care, only her immediate family was able to visit, but her brother sent out an update via e-mail late each evening. He never lost faith that she would make a full recovery. Often he compared the situation to a storm that raged and threatened to destroy, but he never failed to express his firm conviction that the storm clouds would one day give way to the promised rainbow of salvation and wholeness. We all shared that conviction, even in the darkest moments.

A few days ago Betty's brother sent out the following message: "Finally the storm has moved away from Betty's life, for she has taken flight, at the hand of her Lord, towards the long awaited rainbow where there is no longer any kind of suffering, and I want to believe that the Lord has taken her because he needed her in the heavenly choir. I am now more than convinced that she is together with the Lord because the Almighty gave us this assurance this afternoon. As I prepared to send out this message to all those who have been accompanying us with their love throughout this difficult journey, my son Beto called me to come outside. There I was assured once again that the love of God is eternal and his mercy is everlasting. As we stood in front of Betty's house and looked towards the horizon we saw in the heavens, with a background of white clouds, a splendid and brilliant rainbow, just as I had asked the Lord where we would find Betty totally healed of all of her terrible wounds. The rainbow was totally illuminated with such magnificent colors that it lifted our spirits and of course brought a flood of consoling tears to us all. The whole family gathered in front of the house and we sang a hymn of thanksgiving as we contemplated the spectacle, and in prayer we gave thanks to the Lord for that grand sign that Betty was in the safe refuge we had been praying for all these long days. That rainbow was the promise of the Lord's salvation and he had fulfilled his promise."

As I write these lines, sharing the story of one family's tragedy and triumph I am following the news of an ongoing national tragedy in Panama and across the region. Torrential rains continue to pour from the skies, a product of an unusual cold front that has reached the Caribbean costs of Central and South America. Rivers have overflowed their banks washing away homes, bridges, roadways, crops and aqueducts. The provinces of Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro as well as the Ngobe Bugle Indian Reservation have been especially hard hit. Members of the church have joined the rest of the populace to collect food and medicine to send to the affected areas. The full extent of the damage is yet to be known.

There are so many things to share since my last letter but I will be brief. Back in July we held our first Methodist Men's Retreat. The Methodist Women's Federation has always been a strong organization in Panama, but the men of the church have never been organized on a national level. The retreat is a modest beginning. Men from most of our local churches participated in the weekend at the Volcan Training Center in the mountains of the Chiriqui Province. Spirited singing, worship and Bible study, food and fellowship and a round table discussion were among the highlights of the weekend.

Just a few weekends ago, we organized a Marriage Enrichment Workshop in Panama City. The event was held at a local hotel, setting the tone for something different from the daily routine. A team from the Institute of the Sciences of the Couple led twenty couples in a day-long workshop to strengthen their relationship as a couple. Our most newly wed couple had been married for only 3 months, while two couples had been married for 42 years. Activities included an opening icebreaker that created an atmosphere of camaraderie, plenary teaching and feedback sessions, time to dialogue as a couple, verbal and nonverbal communication exercises, a walk through an obstacle course guided only by the words or nudges of the partner (no hands nor specific directions allowed), a contest to compete for door prizes, creation of love letters, a delicious buffet lunch and a time to commit to continuing to work on building a better relationship.

Progress continues to be made at Camp Cielito. We have 5 cabins near completion. The sewage treatment plant is complete. The sinks, toilets and showers have been installed in all 5 cabins and are in working order. The cabins have been wired but we have not yet been connected to the power grid. In January of 2009 we will begin construction of Cabin No. 6 and later in the year begin construction of the kitchen and dining hall. We expect several UMVIM teams to help us with this project in the coming year.

About a month ago, we received an individual volunteer in mission, Mowry McClure, from Pell City, Alabama. She is doing an excellent job teaching English to the children at the Walter Reitz Child Development Center at Resurrection Methodist. She spends time daily with each of the groups (2-3 year olds, 4 year K, 5 year K and the after school study group). She also works with our youth group at the church in Pedregal on the weekends.

This month we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Walter Reitz CDC. It hardly seems possible that many of the children we first served are now college students. It has not been easy to keep the Center open in the face of challenging economic times as well as transformations being experienced in the neighborhood, but God has been faithful. A service of thanksgiving was held earlier this month to mark this special occasion and a more extensive celebration was held on a recent Saturday afternoon. The children and teachers presented an entertaining program of song and dance, poetry and drama to an audience of church members and parents.

As this year draws to a close and we face an uncertain future in the wake of the current worldwide financial crisis that only increases the ongoing suffering of so many of the world's people, I am reminded of something our beloved Betty said after an earlier accident had left her unable to walk for many months as she underwent extensive reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation. When someone was expressing to her their condolences, she simply responded, "I'm going to be happy regardless of the circumstances." And she was. But not only was she happy, she made other people happy as she showered us all with love and humble service. On the Sunday after her funeral, I accompanied the family on a small craft that made its way out into the Bay of Panama where Betty had requested that her ashes be scattered. Our sadness is tempered by the legacy of unconditional love which she leaves behind and our knowledge that Betty had discovered the secret that Horatio G. Spafford had expressed in his famous hymn:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well, with my soul.

May God bless you and keep you all.

Peace,