Our grand opening is two weeks away. Is it really so? Yes, yes it is. We never imagined last January that it would be the middle of July when this announcement was made. It has been a ride, that is for sure. And yet, Isaiah 55:8 comes to mind: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways...." That verse ends with "declares the Lord." Let us never forget that He is Lord. We have surrendered our lives completely and said yes to Him.
We came to Panama with great vision and lots and lots of plans! We landed and were ready to take this city by storm. Ah, what a romanticized vision it was. But, isn't that how it goes when we make big plans? We are so certain of how everything is going to happen; if things don't go according to plan, no worries--there is a Plan B. Back in January we were sure that this work would be going by the month of April! Well, let's just say that by April we didn't know up from down and were laughing at any kind of plan. These past six months have treated us to a variety of obstacles that made us declare the cliche: What doesn't kill us will make us stronger. And if we are completely honest, we weren't always declaring it. Often it was an unsure whisper.
So, what are you going to do when life isn't working out as you want it to? We all find ourselves in this position day-after-day. Hey, what about the mind battles when you know you are a child of God that is sincerely doing His will and life still isn't working out? These are the moments when we must remember that He is Lord and He has a plan; it is a perfect plan that far outdoes our own and it will not fail us. Thank God for this.
Unexpectedly we found our locale. God opened the door, we began to see action and Centro Cristiano Victoria will have its first service on 25 July at 10:00 am. We are going to leave our expectations at the door and simply expect God.
It is a busy time right now. We are getting things ready. Here are a few pictures of us painting the walls of the church. That is now complete and this next week will give a thorough cleaning and set up the sanctuary. It is so close now.
KEEP ON PRAYING! That is the force that is going to make this work go. We cannot say thank you enough for those prayers. We will do our very best to keep this blog current. We love you.
