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
