LHI Newsletter: October - December 2018

Greetings from Panama!

It is amazing to think that in just a few weeks we will be welcoming in 2019. The end of this year has been shaping up to be a quite interesting one for us at Lasting Harvest. God has provided for us in some amazing ways both in ministry and our family. Financial stress continues, but God has provided for us through many generous donations these past few months. These donations have helped us keep paying the bills and maintaining the demonstration farm. To all of you who gave or prayed for our finances these past few months, we cannot thank you enough. We received so much encouragement from your generosity.

Since our last newsletter, we have welcomed the newest member into our family. Our little boy Benjamin Jeremiah was born on October 8 at 8.25 pounds and arriving a week before his due date via cesarean. Little Benjamin had some issues with clearing liquid out of his lungs post birth, but thankfully he recovered quickly and the next day Corey and I were able to hold him and have him in the room with us. Corey’s parents were able to come to Panama to help watch Annie while we were in the hospital. This was a huge blessing and helped relieve a lot of stress for us knowing our daughter was happily playing with family. We had also found out a week before Ben’s arrival that our doctor would be in Germany when our son was due to arrive. One of the main comforts about the decision to stay in Panama for his delivery was our doctor, but God provided and our new doctor gave us an equally good experience.

A couple of weeks after Benjamin’s birth, Corey flew to the capital (Panama City) to start the process of changing our little man’s last name to only one name.  In Panama, like many Latin American countries, a child receives both his mother and father’s last names. The problem is I, like many US women, took Corey’s last name when we married so we only have one last name to give our children as is the culture in the U.S. but here in Panama that causes some problems. We had to register Ben having two last names, Courtwright Courtwright, which can cause some confusion both in Panama and the US. The process to get this name change is a quite lengthy one, which involves a lot of trips to the capital and pestering government officials to do the paperwork in a relatively timely manner. Upon speaking with the officials in the capital, Corey learned that the process had changed again and that David (the city near us) had given us the wrong information; therefore complicating the process. We were very frustrated, but kept visiting government offices to hurry along the process and made a US embassy appointment in Panama City for the day Corey’s parents left for the US. We knew that it was a long shot that any of the paperwork would be ready on time, but when we got to Panama City, some very kind officials were willing to help us push the process through. The Panamanian officials said they would try to have everything done by our US embassy appointment, but they could not promise anything as the paperwork had to pass MANY steps and finally be signed by an official three positions under the nation’s president. Multiple visits later, and through the kindness and grace of Panamanian officials, we had all of our son’s paperwork in hand within two minutes of needing to leave the Panamanian government offices to drive to the US embassy. We made it to the embassy just in time to apply for Ben’s US passport. God was so good in this process. This is something that can take many months or even years to get fixed, and God made it happen in 2.5 months and just minutes before our US appointment. We still marvel at God’s provision.

In the midst of this crazy time of changing Ben’s name, Corey ended up hurting his shoulder. He has now been to an orthopedist here in Panama, and the MRI shows tears and damage to several ligaments.  We are in the process of deciding the best treatment options and how long healing will take.  Please pray for wisdom in this process as we look at the possibilities of changing our travel plans if Ben’s passport comes through soon.

These past few months God has provided for us in ways we couldn’t imagine. Through our son’s birth and paperwork, Corey’s shoulder having less pain than one would imagine, and the provision for LHI expenses, God has shown himself to be the one who truly provides and that His timing is perfect. Our son’s name “Jeremiah” means Jehovah provides. How wonderful to see this playing out in his precious little life even from birth. These last couple of months have truly been a reminder of God’s goodness in our lives, and we are truly thankful this Christmas season for these wonderful characteristics of our Savior.

Work on the farm continues slowly, mostly looking for projects that need labor and not materials, since LHI still does not have the funds to continue to develop the farm or to conduct Ngobe training programs.  Due to all of your generous extra donations, we have been able to pay the bills these past few months; however our funding is still very low with some very big expenses coming in the next few months.  As we finish this year and look ahead to next year, we still are in need of substantial funds to keep the ministry afloat. As we have seen these past couple of months, God will provide in one way or another, but we need your help to make this possible. This has been a year of financial struggles for the mission, and it has been a major point of stress for us as missionaries. We will be honest with you, it has really burdened and frustrated us as we have been serving this year in Panama, and yet to see old friends from around the world give to participate in what God is doing here in Panama has encouraged us more than we know how to express.  

Please prayerfully consider giving to us this Christmas season and helping us spread the Gospel among the people of Panama in Word and deed. If you would like to make a donation please make checks payable to Lasting Harvest International, and send checks to 45 NE E Hwy, Warrensburg, MO 64093, or visit our website to donate via PayPal. Please remember that when donating via PayPal, they do take a small service charge. We are also looking for new churches and people to partner with LHI, as we are trying to expand our support base. If someone you know would be interested in having us speak in their small group or church, please contact us via our email at lastingharvest@gmail.com. We hope you all have a very blessed Christmas season celebrating our Savior. May God bless you all abundantly in the new year.

Your partners in reaching the world,

Corey, Bethany, Anne and Ben Courtwright

LHI Newsletter: June - September 2018

Greetings from Panama!

We hope this letter finds you all well and enjoying the start to a new season. Here in Panama we have been “enjoying” rainy season since May and will continue with this type of weather until “summer” begins in December. This year seems to have been a truer rainy season, whereas my (Bethany) past 4 years here has not been the norm. I personally prefer all the beautiful sunshine, but the rainy days bring cooler temperatures like 74F where we live, and that is a blessing.

This has been an interesting year thus far to say the least. Financial support has been very low this year, which has added a great deal of stress and has put us in a position of having to slow (and at times stop) development on the farm, as well as projects in the mountains, to keep costs in check. After our last newsletter it was very encouraging to see old friends send unexpected gifts that really helped us through some unplanned truck repairs and other expenses.  However, as we look ahead to the end of the year, yes, even in September, we see a number of large bills coming due for Lasting Harvest and right now the finances are not there to pay them. Every missionary has those seasons of support loss or lack, and God is faithful and will provide; however, we need your support, whether financially or through prayer. We have our land payment we must pay or we will lose the property. We have insurance to be paid, farm upkeep, materials for training programs, worker pay, etc. that must all be paid. We like to be open and honest with our supporters, so we are bringing this need to you and pray that God moves in your hearts to answer in whatever way He leads you.

We are also about a month from welcoming a new little one into our family. Due to baby Courtwright’s arrival being in the fall, we will not be back in the US until the end of February for our yearly support raising trip. With our low funding, this does not help our already anxious hearts, so please pray for God’s provision for us. We will be spending the rest of the year developing some of the farm, adjusting to our new addition to the family, and trying to get all of baby Courtwright’s papers in order (both for Panama and the U.S.), so we can travel in February. Please pray for this for it is quite a process and will involve a number of long trips to Panama City (the capital) to deal with getting these documents processed.

In other news, we are happy to announce that we have been given a grant for research work on the farm, and in the Comarca, from a development fund administered by Auburn University. This is a huge blessing because it provides funding for some equipment on the farm, and the research will help further knowledge of fish production methods at high altitudes here in Panama. We are very excited about this wonderful opportunity and look forward to sharing with you as the research unfolds. The funds from the grant will not be available to buy equipment for the farm or to begin the research until next year Therefore, We will be conducting research from 2019 until 2020.

As I mentioned above, farm development has slowed due to finances; however, we have found some other ways to creatively continue development. One of the biggest developments has been terraces on one of our many mountainsides. Fermin and Oracio, our fellow co-labors on the farm, have done some hard work hand digging terraces that will serve as an example for those around the world who live in impoverished, mountainous regions. This project was very time consuming, but has yielded some excellent results.

Please also be praying for me (Bethany) as I will most likely be undergoing another cesarean delivery with our little guy. The recovery is long and will be harder with a little toddler involved. We are however so incredibly thankful to have Corey’s parents coming to Panama to help take care of us all, but specifically Annie, during my hospital stay. Please pray for things to go well with Annie as we add a new little one. She is very excited to be welcoming her new brother into the family soon.

We so appreciate all of your prayers and financial support. We have really had a lot of people step up and help us out with a number of projects this year, and we are so grateful for their sacrificial service. If the Lord is leading you to give financially to LHI, you can make checks payable to Lasting Harvest International, and send checks to 45 NE E Hwy, Warrensburg, MO 64093, or visit our website to donate via PayPal. Please remember that when donating via PayPal, they do take a small service charge. Please remember that giving to LHI provides an opportunity for you to impact the people of Panama, as well as, those who come from other ministries to train on the demonstration farm. Our goal is to glorify the Lord and serve people as we make His name known among the nations.

Your partners in reaching the world,
Corey, Bethany and Anne Courtwright