Thank You Letter to Pastor in Panama

Dear Pastor Saldana,

It was a real honor for me to be able to participate in your church as the speaker for the ShareHim campaign. My personal experiences on this mission trip left deep impressions on my heart and the memories of your church will stay with me forever. The truth that we live in the time of the end when Christ is calling workers to His harvest became so relevant to me on this mission trip. I came to realize what a high calling and a privilege it is that we can be coworkers with Christ in reaching out to our fellow humans. I was really blessed with the strong support of the members of your church in Concepcion-Santa Fe. The singers that assisted with special music prepared the hearts of the people for the appeals to making a commitment to follow Christ. The health presentations were very useful and perhaps even the Adventist members learned many new things about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I really appreciated the way the elders have contributed actively in welcoming the visitors, praying for the audience and physically standing besides those who responded to the appeals. The prayers of all those who joined our prayer group at the beginning and at the end of the meetings were answered and we have experienced the Lord’s abundant blessings on this campaign.

I am very grateful to the translators who made the effort to be there and convey the message in the language of the congregation. There was a good team of church members that made sure that things ran smoothly. The deaconesses have worked tirelessly in preparation for the meetings by making beautiful flower arrangements, welcoming the guests and preparing a potluck dinner. Many thanks for all those who supported the campaign in any capacity. Another highlight of my mission trip was the response I had from children. Many young ones came every night and it was such a joy to see them listening to stories and participating actively in activities that were meant to teach a particular spiritual lesson. It was a blessing for me to participate in some visitations, an enriching opportunity that allowed me to understand the background and the spiritual needs of those who expressed their desire to accept Jesus. Among those who attended the meetings, two adults and two children made the decision to be baptized in the near future. My heart is full of praise when I think of these precious souls who are contemplating baptism.

Perhaps my greatest experience in Panama was witnessing the commitment of a young couple whom I visited in their home. They shared with me their testimony. After moving into their new home the gentleman felt impressed to find out more about God. He believed and prayed, yet he was searching for something more. He prayed one day that the Lord would show them if it is His will for them to join a church. On the same day he was walking in a park toward the school of his son. All of a sudden his attention was caught by something shiny in the grass. He reached down to observe what it was and found a tiny golden cross. To him that was God's answer to his prayer and his quest for God's will in their lives. Around that time they met a very friendly neighbor who was a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church. She invited them to church but for a while the young family was hesitant. Then the lady repeated her invitation to them as a new evangelistic campaign was to be held by the pastor of Iglesia de Santa Fe. They accepted the invitation and from the first occasion they felt so impressed by the message that they decided to attend all of the evangelistic meetings. After the pastor's campaign was concluded, the ShareHim campaign started and this family continued attending the meetings on a regular basis. When I visited them and asked if they had questions they replied that their many questions were being answered one by one throughout the evangelistic campaigns. Indeed there are many precious souls around us who are searching for meaning in their lives and it is wonderful to know that God can use each person who is willing to be His ambassador and reach out to their neighbor or friend with the good news about Jesus.

A major obstacle that prevented people from coming out to the evangelistic meetings had to do with the adverse weather conditions. The time of the campaign coincided with the rainy season in Panama and around the time when our meetings were scheduled we had tropical rains repeatedly. One night our faith was really tested as the rain was so heavy that it sounded like hail hitting the roof of the church. The sound of the rain made it very difficult for the audience to hear the message. I am sure that many people prayed like me very earnestly that the rain would not be a hindrance in conveying the message that night, and God worked a miracle. As the presentation began the rain was almost completely gone. Several minutes after the presentation started, the rain stopped. At the conclusion of the service the rain started again. God will do great things for us when we are totally dependent on Him.

One time we had a special prayer for two sick individuals in the audience as requested by a church elder. As part of the appeal I invited everyone who had a particular need or prayer request to come forward for a special prayer. The majority of the people in the audience came forward for the prayer for healing and for consecration, expressing their commitment to follow Christ. The Lord truly blessed and as an answer to prayer one of the people we prayed for continued coming to the meetings on a regular basis. There is hoping that both individuals are on their way to recovering. I praise the Lord for His miraculous interventions!

I continue to pray for you and for all those who attended the meetings and were moved by the Holy Spirit to commit their lives to Jesus. I trust that you will continue encouraging, supporting and praying for all the sincere souls and I know that our Heavenly Father will grant a special blessing on your congregation in Iglesia de Santa Fe! Que Dios le bendiga!

Andrea Nagy