Sun and Rain

hello everyone!

sorry about the late update this week, it's been quite the crazy week! crazy in a sense that it's just been quite an emotional roller coaster for me. 4 people on our project have been getting sick and stayed home (or hotel) while the rest of us were really feeling the fatigue coming through. the energy level was pretty low and frankly speaking i was feeling pretty discouraged on campus. there seriously is a spiritual battle going on down here and i constantly feel negative thoughts going through my head and things that were focused on attacking my weaknesses and making me feel really sad. i was feeling like i had no value on this team and that God wasn't really using me because i didn't feel as spiritual as the other students on the project and so even when i heard crazy amazing things happening to other people, i could barely feel happy that God is using our team as a whole. i was so focused on myself and wanting to see things happen for myself that i kept bringing myself down.

but last night we had team fun night and Raquel, our STINT team leader told us something that encouraged me greatly. she said that even though our campus haven't been seeing all these crazy things happening, we've actually been able to raise up a core group within the UTP Vida Estudiantil with students who have been regularly coming out sharing with us and translating and just hanging out with us whenever they had free time. and this was something that we on project didn't know because we just assumed that they've always been so involved but it's actually not the case. so it's really cool because now there's students who have been inspired by us coming and are passionate about sharing the gospel as well! there was even this guy who started discipling this other guy all by himself! it's so awesome to see how God is just raising up students, even students who have only been christians for a couple of months! plus, they've also started to become really good friends with each other which is cool because when we leave Panama, what we really want to leave Vida Estudiantil with are students who are committed to sharing their faith and walking closely with God and not just a huge bunch of contacts for them to follow up with. so that really encouraged me because God's been working in ways that i haven't been able to see and just using us in a totally different way than i had expected. plus, that's totally an answered prayer because we've been praying for the local students to get involved too and He's doing just that so praise God!!! :)

anyways so we have exactly 1 week left on campus before leaving for R&R and the adventure cycle (which will be in the interior) so please continue praying for us that God will keep working through us till the very last minute on campus!

ciao! :)