We are back from NIKO and preparing for the next part of this adventure- Panama! NIKO was a very cool experience, and something I'll definitely never forget. Because of it's purpose, we are not supposed to talk about it to anyone who might possibly take a YWAM school, so unfortunately I can't really post anything about it. But I'll just say I'm exhausted, sore, covered in a variety of bug bites, bruises, and blisters, and very very thankful for food, a mattress, a bathroom, and clean clothes now that I'm back in San Jose. :) We saw some cool creatures in the Talamanca jungle, and got to experience many things that none of us had ever done before. It was awesome!

On Monday at 10 am we take a 18 hour bus ride to Panama City. I'm not sure of our schedule while there for October, but I will periodically have access to internet and will post updates whenever possible. Please pray for traveling mercies and an impacting start for our ministry in Panama. We're all really excited to leave!

As for this weekend, I'm off to do laundry from NIKO, pack for the next two months, and take it easy before the chaos of our outreach begins...:)

The location has changed for our outreach-here's the new plan:
We were unable to raise funds for us all to go to Mexico, and so instead...we are going to Panama and Nicaragua! These countries are within driving distance (18 hrs to Panama City, 7 hrs to Nicaragua) and will be less expensive. Though we were all a little disappointed initially, I think most of us are pretty excited to see these other countries. We are trusting that God has different plans and although we may not understand why, we know that He has a purpose. As a team, we've been very challenged the past few weeks and it's been difficult to be unified for various reasons, all having to do with finances. Many of the obstacles we've overcome and the lessons learned would not have happened if our destination had been Panama/Nicaragua all along. So we are trying to see the reasons for this change of plans and look at the positive sides (which are many) to this whole situation. We've all been stretched and challenged in the past week....for sure. But hey, that's a good thing- it's how we build character.

Speaking of being stretched and challenged.... :)

This past week we talked about Evangelism, and yesterday we put it to the test. We headed downtown and split up into small groups to talk to people around the city. Here is us getting ready to catch the bus:

Once we got down there, we had some time to sit with our group and share our testimonies. It was pretty cool, just sitting out in the middle of downtown talking about how our lives have changed...a lot of people slowed down to listen to what we were saying.

Afterwards I walked around with Chove, and we ended up talking to an old, homeless man (about 80 yrs) named Oliver. He had a hump in his neck, causing him to not be able to look up or even straight ahead. So he held up his head with his hand and talked with us for awhile. He told us he didn't really believe in God and that his purpose in life was to be a drunk, as he had always been. It was really heartbreaking to talk with someone so hopeless, lost, and physically broken. But he was kind and listened to us as we told him how much he is loved. I asked him if I could pray for him, and he scooted close and closed his eyes. It's amazing how powerful prayer is, even to those who don't know what they believe. I think it's because even if you don't have a relationship with God, you innately know someone is listening to your prayers. Anyways, after we were done praying he wiped away some tears from his eyes (breaking my heart a little more) and we said our goodbyes. I couldn't stop thinking about Oliver and people like him the rest of the day...which means that outreach will be incredibly difficult in some ways. We're going to be getting to know people like him every day. It's hard to describe the feeling I got talking to Oliver, or when working in the women's shelter in Mexicali, or even when I just think of doing misson work. Those who have done mission type stuff know what I'm trying to put into words right now....it's just a different experience than anything else. In those moments you feel so small, and almost frozen in time. You realize how much pain and desperation there is, and you see how precious each person God created is. You feel helpless and passionate to help all at the same time, and it's really overwhelming. But amidst the difficulties of these situations, there is something that kind of ignites inside of you. A desire to talk to more people, help more people. To do whatever it takes. It's how God created us, it's how He wants us to love each other and support one another.

Here is a link to a short video I put together of our group http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuBsfRvoQ7Q...it's kind of a spoof on MTV's "The Real World." We also made one exactly the same but in Espanol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ADKH3y_n6U&feature=related

It's just a fun video with some pictures of us goofing off and a little explanation of what the past few months have been about. We also have another video that I'll try and post on here soon, with a little video from our classes.

An update from my blog a few days ago:
We’ve been busy fundraising this past week, and have made some progress….

Between selling baked goods, washing cars, and making a video to show at local churches, our group has been doing what we can to raise money for our outreach. This is a little of what we did yesterday:

And last night we attended Paola’s church (the one I’ve been to a few times) to sell Ice Cream for donations. We made about $120, but hey-every bit counts right? And afterwards the pastor told Paola that as a church, they want to support us. He didn’t specify what that means as far as an amount, but I think it’s something he and the other members of the church will pray over this week. Awesome, yeah? So if you can continue praying about the finances for our team as we continue fundraising this week, and also about Vineyard church for their support. Here are a couple pics from the service last night:

One more thing to pray about…we live in a decent neighborhood, but there is some crime lately. House 2, where we have classes, has been broken into twice in the past couple weeks, and things have been stolen from those that live/are staying there. Also, today one of our staff was robbed walking over from house 2 to the base. I’m not sure at this point, but from what I hear, the robber was caught—and hopefully Chove will get his stuff back; he was carrying his ipod, laptop, and wallet. Just something else our community could use prayer for…thanks!

A Prayer Need

Our team is in need of prayer for our outreach trip. Currently only half the students and staff have the financial means to go on the trip. All together, we need to come up with over $16,000 by September 12th in order for the whole team to go to Mexico. While this figure seems overwhelming, we are trusting that God will release these funds to us.

One of the hardest things about this is that the ones who have the money are all from North America, and all who have no funds are from Latin America. It's harder in Latin American countries to raise support, and so this is a challenge for them whenever trying to go to other nations for ministry. But we believe that God will provide for us, and that He wants us to go to Mexico as a team representing many nations. So please, pray that we will see the ways we can raise funds in the next week and a half. Some of our ideas so far are car washes, cultural night with the neighborhood, an auction, and visiting nearby churches. We have a saying here that we do the possible, and God will do the impossible. So that means to do everything in our power to raise funds, even in small ways, and God will provide the rest. It's taking a leap of faith, for sure. But part of this process is removing the doubt and replacing it with confidence in God.

Specifically, please pray for:

*The funds to come in within the next 10 days

*That there would not be division within our group depending on funds

*Each person, whether or not they have outreach money so far, to do all that's possible to help raise funds-through prayer, giving of time and ideas, etc.

*That we would not doubt God's ability to provide

Thank you SO much for all your prayers...I'll post an update on this within the week!