August 15' Newsletter

Greetings from Panama! We hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying the last bit of summer. As you know, Corey and I arrived in Panama after our trip to the US for Corey’s surgery at the end of July. Since then, we have continued developing the farm, as well as, hosting a group from Parkview Christian Church and Northside Christian Church in Missouri. The group came to work on the dorms that will house students, missionaries, or Ngobe that will be training on the farm.  This is a huge blessing because both the manpower for the construction and funds were desperately needed. The group spent the next week working on the exterior walls of the dorm. In addition to the dorm, the group also continued work on animal pens that will be used to house rabbits, or possibly quail for the small animal projects. The whole group did a wonderful job on the construction work. 

They also had the opportunity to visit with a local Ngobe pastor in the Comarca, or Indian reservation area, that LHI has worked with for over a decade. Corey and Matthew drove the group through the area showing them some of the poverty and need for such aquaculture/agricultural projects that are offered by LHI. It is hard to truly explain the poverty of the Ngobe without some hands-on experience, and the life of the Ngobe is quite different from that of the Latins. Through the LHI demonstration farm, we will be able to bring in the Ngobe for training both in the classroom and through the first-hand experience of working on a farm. By addressing the physical needs of the people, we will then have an opportunity share Christ with them and if the indigenous that come are Christians, then we are able to help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ better provide for their families and their community. And, it is because of short term teams like this one, that we are finally getting to a place where we can house people on the farm. Their hard work will be leaving a lasting impact for years to come. That is why we love having groups come to Panama. Not only are their lives changed by the experience, but they are also changing the lives of the people here in Panama for years to come.

UTV fundraiser

As our August is coming to an end, we want to thank everyone who has given to the matching challenge and helped us raise over the amount we needed for the UTV!  We are in the process of getting the UTV, and we look forward to having it to accomplish work on the farm. This is a huge blessing for LHI, and we are so grateful for everyone’s generosity and the Lord’s provision.

Other News

We continue with the dorm construction and planting various plant projects. We also are continuing the finishing touches on many of the animal pens. It is also during this time of year, that we begin to plan our time in the US for support raising and recruiting. Once we have a better idea of our schedule, we will be sending that out in a newsletter in hopefully September. Please keep us in your prayers as we plan our time in the States.

In September, we will be welcoming a team from my (Bethany) home church in Atlanta this September. The group was canceled in July due to Corey’s back surgery, so we thank the Lord for working out the details for the group to reschedule and continue helping us with dorm and farm development. Please keep us in your prayers as we also prepare for this next group.

We also are excited to announce the new logo for Lasting Harvest. As you can see below, we have updated our logo and this is now the logo you can look for when you want to identify LHI. We are sad to see the old logo go, but are happy to have a logo personally and uniquely designed for Lasting Harvest.

Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support. We really appreciate all the encouraging emails we receive, the prayers, and the financial gifts. God is working to do a wonderful expansion here in Panama, and we are excited to be parting with you to make this a reality. For frequent updates on life and work here in Panama, check out our Facebook page.

Your partners in reaching the world,

Bethany and Corey Courtwright

Follower of Christ: A Higher Standard and Lots of Grace

I am so thankful today is Friday. It has been a really long last few months full of exciting things, but physically and spiritually taxing. There never seems to be enough time in the day to get things done or there are a 100 distractions that keep you from accomplishing a task. Needless to say, life can be hard and busy where ever you are, and sometimes you spread yourself too thin and lets be honest, you get nothing accomplished. Or, if you do, it isn't done to a high standard. It is just a completed task to check off your list and many times leaves you regretting it wasn't done better. Well....this has got me thinking on the Christian life and how our crazy schedules, demands, etc. can cause us to fall short of a higher standard....God's standard. Now, granted, many times it is good, Godly things that can take up our time, but what is more important really....Doing as many "good" things as possible? Or, setting an example of excellence and quality with less?

I don't know about you, but I am thinking I would do better to do less with excellence than more that lacks quality. Granted, I tend to get caught up and not apply this principle, but I think this is something that we all need to pay attention to and change in our lives. In Luke 16:10, the writer states,“Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. If you cheat even a little, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.” I find that when we are tired, overworked, and stressed, the small things go first. We tell a little white lie, we don't do what we say we will do, and we make excuses for our shortcomings. Then, when the big things come, we have set ourselves up for failure because we have started a trend of unfaithfulness. How can we be faithful in big things, when we are not in small things.....the answer is....you CANNOT be! And what is worse, it harms you, the people you love, and your witness. If as Christians we can't be different from the rest of the world in the every day, then what is the difference? Not that God calls us to be super humans. In fact, He doesn't. He call us to be faithful in the small, so that we cultivate a life of faithfulness, so that when big things come along, we can handle (with His help of course) what life throws at us.

Jesus says in Matthew 11:29-30, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I am thinking that is the best news I have heard all week. I feel a weight being lifted from my shoulders as I read this. But honestly, life doesn't feel this way at times, and as Christians, we tend to not embrace this and apply it to our lives. If the world sees no peace, joy or quality in our lives, why in the world would they want what we have? I know I wouldn't. But the good news is that if we focus on this verse, and allow it to guide our daily lives, we will be showing the rest of the world that we do adhere to a higher standard and it is one that actually simplifies and lessens our stress.

Let us take time this weekend to remember the Word of God and rest and relax in God's grace. May we not allow "our" schedule to take the place of God's schedule and may we do faithfully what God has for us today. Whether it is taking care of your child, preaching to the lost, or going to work and doing what needs to be done for the day, let us do it all with excellence and joy, and not worry for tomorrow. We have more than enough to deal with today! Have a wonderful weekend!

April 15' Newsletter



Before work on the dorm.

April has passed so quickly here in Panama. We have made much progress this month on the dorms, farm projects, and the small house we occupy on the farm. When the farm was purchased, we were blessed to also have a small house for Corey and me to live as the property’s overseers. Theft is pretty common here, so having a mostly ready-made place for someone to live and guard the property and various other items on the farm was a huge blessing. 

One of our biggest praises this month was having a group of men from Missouri come to work on the dorm for the farm. Not only did these men bring the skills we needed to get the renovations on the dorm started, but also a heart to serve the Lord through their giftings. In just 4 days of work, the men were able to construct a second floor to the building and various other things that were needed. Check out our Facebook post to see how much work the men did on the dorm. The team also blessed us both by their skill and encouragement. It is amazing what God can accomplish when people have a heart to serve. The amount of progress on the infrastructure on the farm in just a few months is so encouraging, and we thank the Lord for both His provision of finances and workers to accomplish this task with excellence.

In regards to the projects on the farm, we are hoping to begin digging ponds very soon. We already have planted 35 different types of crops, and we will be continuing to add to their numbers throughout the year. Matthew, who joined LHI at the end of last year, has begun working on terracing one of our fields, that will be used to teach students how to do gardening on steep hillsides using mountain terrace farming. Corey and Matthew have also begun to lay water lines that will be used for the fish demonstrations. Needless to say this is not an easy process due to the extreme slope of the property; however, this will be a wonderful example of how to make agriculture projects work in the developing world where the terrain is less than ideal.  

We have been so encouraged these past two months by the Lord’s faithfulness and provision. The work at times can be discouraging, but we know we serve a risen Savior who meets all our needs according to His will and timing. Thank you for all your support and prayers. We look forward to sharing with you more over this year what God is accomplishing through LHI and your partnership with us.

Your partners in reaching the world,

Corey and Bethany Courtwright

 



4 days later!

February and March Newsletter Update

Greetings from Panama. We have had one busy February. We were able to take part in our church in David’s VBS at the beginning of the month. Corey led one of the small groups of upper elementary students in the daily lesson. There was about 150 children that participated in the VBS, and we pray this week of learning about Jesus left a lasting impact on their lives.

Throughout February, we have been working on recruiting students and preparing for upcoming teams this spring and summer. We have to do a great deal of preliminary work in regards to receiving teams and a lot of that takes place months before they arrive. Along with organizing teams, we are planning curriculum as well as farm development.

 Another highlight from February was participating in my (Bethany) church’s mission’s festival in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a wonderful time of connecting with other missionaries, getting to know both church members and staff, and networking with other ministries. It was so refreshing to be with such an encouraging group of people, who truly know the importance of supporting and praying for one another. We were also able to meet with one mission team leader that will be bringing a group in 2016, another leader that is bring a group this summer, as well as, visit the church we attended when we lived in Alabama. Needless to say it was a busy trip, but it was a productive and encouraging one.

Missouri group making progress on the dorm.

With a new month upon us, we are continuing the farm development and are hoping to make significant strides in building construction with one team coming at the end of March. We are so excited that God has provided us with short term teams to contribute to the development of the farm. In missions, it is important to remember that more is accomplished for the Lord through team work and support of one another in the body of Christ, then in our separate groups. During the mission’s festival in Atlanta, it was so rewarding to see that attitude of unity among the body of believers. Remember, united as followers of Christ we can change the world. We are so thankful for all of you that pray for us and support us. You are making the vision of Lasting Harvest possible, and God will bless your generosity. Let us always remember the words of Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Thank you for your partnership and prayers.

Your partners in reaching the world,

Corey and Bethany Courtwright

New Year and New Beginnings: Jan 15'

Dear family and friends,

We hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying 2015! We are so excited for a new year here at LHI and look forward to sharing with you what is happening here with the ministry in Panama. We had a good recruiting/support raising time in the States this winter, and were able to raise a good bit of support for the farm, as well as, speak with a number of people interested in doing a training program with us in Panama.  We are however still in need of funds to develop the farm.

After a month in the US support raising this past winter, we returned to Panama and began the process of moving to the demonstration farm. We are presently living in a small house on the farm and will be acting as care-takers. This saves us from having to rent in David, and helps LHI have people to look after the farm. The new demonstration farm is an hour from where we lived in David, so it was quiet a process moving everything back and forth.

Thankfully, we have successfully moved out of our place in David and now reside on the farm. We are still in process of unpacking and doing maintenance both on our home and the little shed that will be Corey’s office. Our move has been a ton of work, but we are excited and blessed to have a place on the farm to live since this was something we hadn’t expected to be able to accomplish for a few years. God is good!

 Along with our move to the new demonstration farm, we are planning for three groups that will be coming this summer (US summer) to help us with building the farm’s dorms and kitchen as well as various other fish, plant, and animal projects. At times it is overwhelming to think about the amount of work to be done to develop this property.  But it is so exciting to already have three groups coming to help this summer, and it is only January.

In February, Corey and I will be volunteering in the week long VBS our church in David has every Panamanian summer. This is a wonderful chance to reach out to local children and their families. We will also be traveling to Atlanta, Georgia because we have been asked to take part in my (Bethany) home church’s missions’ festival at the end of February. It is a great opportunity for us as they will be highlighting Lasting Harvest’s work along with several other missions.  We are excited to be a part of this week of connecting with people at this supporting church and with other missionaries.  After this very short time in the States, we will be returning to Panama and continuing the farm’s development before receiving teams this summer.

We are so excited and blessed to be in this new phase of developing the demonstration farm and preparing for training programs with Bible college students in 2016. We have a lot to do this year in development of farm projects, construction, curriculum, recruiting, and support raising, but we know that God is faithful and will meet our needs and plan our steps according to His will. For frequent updates and information on the recent happenings in Panama, visit our website or follow us on Facebook.

Your partners in reaching the world,

Corey and Bethany Courtwright