John Roberts Family
The charge that God has given us for Panama
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. 2Timothy 2:2
In 2013 the Lord led us to Boquete, a little town in the mountains of Chiriquí, Panama. Boquete is a rough and rugged yet very fruitful part of the country. This region is a large producer of vegetables and coffee. Because of the rough terrain, the majority of the field work has to be done by hand, which of course requires lots of field laborers. We are also located in very close proximity to the Gnobe-Bugle Indian Reservation, the largest Indian tribe in the country. Their large reservation covers some of the most inaccessible, remote parts of Panama. Severe poverty and a desire for a better life cause many of them to leave their native land and seek work in the fields of Boquete. These people come needy and searching. We know Christ is the answer for their needs.
Since arriving in Boquete we have been holding regular outdoor services in several of the work camps that house these precious souls. What a joy it has been to see God do such a mighty work in those that have surrendered their hearts to Him. We are excited to see that several of the new converts are spiritually maturing and showing great leadership potential. Even during the few months out of the year that we have to return to the U.S. they still faithfully gather to preach, pray, sing, and worship God.
When God sent us here we did not know a soul in this town nor did we know that the Indian work camps existed. We stand in awe when we look at what God has done in such a short amount of time. By the grace of God, there are now two established groups on two separate mountains. On one mountain (Jaramillo) the plantation owner has graciously allowed us to have church in a very nice open air pavilion. On the other mountain (Alto Quiel) we have been able to rent an old house and convert it into a church.
The Children in these camps hold a very special place in our hearts. The huge smiles on their dirty little faces and shouts of “Pastor” when we arrive for every service melts our hearts. We felt like God let us see from the beginning that in order to see some of the changes that need to take place within this tribe we needed to start while they were young and tender. At least once a week we have a special hour long children’s service. In this service along with singing and bible stories we learn a memory verse. A big majority of the children can still recite the memory verse for a prize the following Sunday. With the help from the sponsorship program of One Child’s Chance we are able to meet a lot of the physical needs (food, clothing, vitamins, bedding, school transportation, etc…) of these Precious children. We are overwhelmed by the love and appreciation we receive from these children.
Our desire is to fulfill 2 Timothy 2:2. We are working to commit to these new converts and the children the word of God so they in turn can go back and teach it to their own people deep in the jungles of the reservation. Please help us pray that God will daily guide our footsteps in His will.
