Happy New Year!

Hello everyone,

I am finally settling back to my life in Panama. As a team we had about three weeks vacation and are now back to full swing ministry at the university.

I trust that you all had a wonderful New Year. I was blessed to get to spend it with a Panamanian family that has become like a family to our team. The Santanas made sure that Derek, Juan and I would not spend New Years by ourselves and took us to the house of some of their friends. Then on January 2, 2009 I traveled to El Salvador to visit my extended family. It was a blessing to see all my cousins, uncles and grandparents again and to eat all of the yummy Salvadorian food! On January 13th I flew directly from El Salvador to Costa Rica where I was reunited with my team. We spent four days on the beach in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Costa Rica, reconnecting as a team and relaxing before heading back to Panama to begin work again.

I had some really good quiet times during my holidays. I was able to reflect on the past five months and am looking forward to the next five months. It's interesting to think that I am at the half way point of STINT. I have mixed feelings about returning to Canada. I will miss my life down here and all the wonderful friends I have made in Panama, but I'm also excited to get to see my family, friends and church in Canada once again.

Please continue to pray for our team as we begin a new semester on campus. Right now it's the summer semester and there are less students on campus, which has actually been nice as the university is not as crowded.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man... Colossians 3:23

With my friends Andrea and Jose Andres Santana during New Years.

My maternal grandmother and I in El Salvador.

A Volcano in El Salvador.

Some of my team members and I in Costa Rica enjoying a delcious breakfast from "Caribeans Coffee." The owners are Christian missionaries.
www.caribeanscoffee.com