Dear friends,
I have been thinking a lot lately about life after STINT (my short term internship international here in Panama). A few months ago I didn´t know what I was going to be doing afterwards but I was okay with that, knowing that God has good plans for my life. However, as time has progressed and I realize that I have a little less than two months before I leave this beautiful country, fear has crept in. I know in my head that God will direct my steps and take care of me, but worry has entered my heart like a rushing river.
My friend Emily flew down to visit me for a few days this past week. During my whole time on STINT she had been trying to come down but for some reason God kept saying no. And this time God opened the doors wide and said yes. I am convinced that God´s timing is perfect. During her visit I began to process my departure. She was a great friend as she listened to my mixed emotions, my apprehensions, as I reminisced about my experience in Panama, etc. I guess my most dreaded question when I get home is ¨So what are you going to do next with your life?¨ Honestly, I don´t know. I´m in the midst of trying to figure that out. I am asking God for the answer as I pray, read his word and seek wise counsel.
This is what I do know. I love God. I want to live for him and serve him the rest of my days. I want to give him every area of my life. I know that I always want to be involved in ministry, whether it´s in a career capacity or as a volunteer is something I still need to discover. In the meantime as I continue to search and seek I am trying to hold onto truths. My campus team did an inductive Bible study on John 14 this week and a verse that I need to stand upon is the following:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27
Please pray that God would give me his peace, and that he would iluminate my next steps. Also, please pray that God would prepare my heart as I leave Panama soon. I really love my life here and my friends. It´s been a hard and challenging year but also a year of beautiful blessings. It´s going to be extremely difficult to say goodbye to what has been my life for almost a year. One afternoon Emily and I went to one of my favourite cafes here in Panama City called ¨New York Bagel Cafe¨ and she comforted me as I wept and grieved for the loss that I will be experiencing. I can already feel that life is changing with the missions trip taking place now. But I do know God is good and I know that change is a necessary part of life. I am excited for what´s to come and I know that whatever happens God will never leave me nor forsake me.
Thank you to all who have been reading my blog and newsletters this year, and to all who faithfully pray for me and the ministry here. I wouldn´t be where I am without you.
I love you all.
Raquel
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Future...
"Do not let your hearts be troubled..." John 14:1
Sunday, May 3, 2009
One Body.
Our tourist visas expire every 90 days, therefore on Friday, April 17, 2009 my STINT (short term internship international) team and I left Panama and arrived in my homeland of El Salvador. My teammate Juan is also Salvadorian. All six of us stayed at my grandmother's house. Although our time in El Salvador was short (we returned to Panama Tuesday, April 21), everyone had a wonderful time. With the exception of Juan and I my team members had never been to El Salvador before so it was cool showing them around the country where I was born. We went to an art museum, saw a volcano, visited the ruins, ate pupusas, reconnected with a Panamanian friend, and more.
The highlight of the trip for me was exactly two Sundays ago when the Panama STINT team (my group) and the Salvadorian STINT team met. We have a Panamanian friend Selegna who is a missionary in El Salvador working as Staff with Campus for Christ. We went to her church the Sunday morning and then as a team we went out to lunch with her. After lunch, 5 out of the 9 Salvadorian STINTers came to the fast food restaurant we were at and hopped into the van that we were renting so we could all travel to see the ruins together. The ruins are about an hour and a half from San Salvador so we had plenty of time to get to know the El Salvador STINT team that is composed of Americans. An interesting bit of information, all 9 stinters are from the state of California.
It always blows my mind how Christians who are strangers can have instant connections and depths of conversation that you can't have with non believers. Christ can unite and connect people like no one else can. And that is what happened during our ride to the ruins. All of us were talking about our experiences being on STINT in Latin America and it was encouraging to know that the two STINT teams understood each other. We talked about ministry and also about what God was doing in our own lives. I spent the majority of the time conversing with a girl named Jenna and I was so encouraged by her. I stopped her during the middle of our conversation because it hit me how special it was that we had just met each other and there we were talking about God and connecting on a deep spiritual level. I told her what a blessing that was and she agreed. She then went on to tell me how they used to be a team of 10 (6 girls and 4 guys), but that a few weeks ago one of their girls due to health reasons had to immediately leave the country. It shoke the team up and Jenna explained that it was extremely difficult because it was like loosing a member of the body...like all of a sudden a leg had been ripped apart. What she said really struck a cord with me.
Each member of the body is extremely vital. I know that we know this, but sometimes I honestly feel like we forget or we act like we don't care. This past Wednesday during a team meeting I asked Derek if he could read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (the section about One Body, Many Parts) because I felt that we all needed to be reminded of this. Later on this week I had a rough night and a fellow team member of mine took the time to come sit down with me, listen, pray for me and just be my friend. His actions said you are an important member of the body of Christ and when you suffer the rest of the body suffers. We are the body of Christ. As hard as it is sometimes to get along or understand each other we need one another. There is no way around it. Every part is valuable.
But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corinthians 12:24b-26
5 out of the 9 U.S. stinters that are working in El Salvador and 2 staff members
El Salvador and Panama stinters and El Salvador staff
P.S. Feel free to check out Jenna Lewis' blog at http://jennainelsalvador.blogspot.com Jenna is serving God in El Salvador with Campus for Christ. She's the Stinter that I wrote about in this blog entry.
The highlight of the trip for me was exactly two Sundays ago when the Panama STINT team (my group) and the Salvadorian STINT team met. We have a Panamanian friend Selegna who is a missionary in El Salvador working as Staff with Campus for Christ. We went to her church the Sunday morning and then as a team we went out to lunch with her. After lunch, 5 out of the 9 Salvadorian STINTers came to the fast food restaurant we were at and hopped into the van that we were renting so we could all travel to see the ruins together. The ruins are about an hour and a half from San Salvador so we had plenty of time to get to know the El Salvador STINT team that is composed of Americans. An interesting bit of information, all 9 stinters are from the state of California.
It always blows my mind how Christians who are strangers can have instant connections and depths of conversation that you can't have with non believers. Christ can unite and connect people like no one else can. And that is what happened during our ride to the ruins. All of us were talking about our experiences being on STINT in Latin America and it was encouraging to know that the two STINT teams understood each other. We talked about ministry and also about what God was doing in our own lives. I spent the majority of the time conversing with a girl named Jenna and I was so encouraged by her. I stopped her during the middle of our conversation because it hit me how special it was that we had just met each other and there we were talking about God and connecting on a deep spiritual level. I told her what a blessing that was and she agreed. She then went on to tell me how they used to be a team of 10 (6 girls and 4 guys), but that a few weeks ago one of their girls due to health reasons had to immediately leave the country. It shoke the team up and Jenna explained that it was extremely difficult because it was like loosing a member of the body...like all of a sudden a leg had been ripped apart. What she said really struck a cord with me.
Each member of the body is extremely vital. I know that we know this, but sometimes I honestly feel like we forget or we act like we don't care. This past Wednesday during a team meeting I asked Derek if he could read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (the section about One Body, Many Parts) because I felt that we all needed to be reminded of this. Later on this week I had a rough night and a fellow team member of mine took the time to come sit down with me, listen, pray for me and just be my friend. His actions said you are an important member of the body of Christ and when you suffer the rest of the body suffers. We are the body of Christ. As hard as it is sometimes to get along or understand each other we need one another. There is no way around it. Every part is valuable.
But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 1 Corinthians 12:24b-26
5 out of the 9 U.S. stinters that are working in El Salvador and 2 staff members
El Salvador and Panama stinters and El Salvador staffP.S. Feel free to check out Jenna Lewis' blog at http://jennainelsalvador.blogspot.com Jenna is serving God in El Salvador with Campus for Christ. She's the Stinter that I wrote about in this blog entry.
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