New Blog

Hi everyone,

We have decided to create a separate blog to write stories of our adventures. This first entry is about the last trip to the mountains. It is rather long so we divided it into several parts. Check it out if you have some time.
http://soundsofthejungleadventures.blogspot.com/

August Newsletter

WHAT VACATION? This newsletter is long overdue; please accept our apologies. Our 6 week trip to Alaska was very productive, busy, and successful. John did some roofing at his old company. Kristina helped her mom with a few fundraisers and garage sales for the ministry. We also met with various ministry partners and potential partners. When we got back to Panama people asked how our vacation went, and we said: “What vacation?

BACK IN PANAMA We arrived in Panama and hit the ground running. There was a building team from the Young Presidents Organization. We were able to assist these teenagers whose parents represent the wealthy businessmen and C.E.O.’s of the world. We built a house and a community kitchen for an indigenous village that YWAM works with. It was a great experience.

ROLE SHIFTING Coming back to YWAM Panama, there had been much change in the weeks that we were gone. The director is taking an extended trip to the U.S. for health reasons. Now generally the Director of Operations, John, would have taken this place temporarily. But, since we were gone, they needed to make a decision. Two very able men from our leadership team stepped up to the task of the directing and administration of all the different ministries here at YWAM Panama. There was also a change in the accounting department, where Kristina was helping. Someone who has the training and desire to be in the position full-time has taken over that area.

So when we came back, the leaders invited us to begin to mainly focus on our ministry, Sounds of the Jungle, which, up until recently has not been big enough of a task to take up a full workweek. However, in the last few months, we have been asked left and right by indigenous leaders and other missionaries who work full-time among the different people groups to do song-writing workshops and teaching with the indigenous peoples!

Between Sounds of the Jungle and also leading worship for the YWAM Panama community we keep very busy. And the best part is, these are the two things Kristina and I have been created to do. This is where our passion lies and this is where we can be most effective.

John will continue to be on the leadership team and involved in that arena. Kristina has started a mom’s group for all of the young mothers on the base. They will be sharing questions, insights, and also pray for all the different ministries.

ADVENTURE IN THE MOUNTAINS 

Shortly after arriving back in Panama I (John) found out that I had to make an emergency trip to the mountains of the interior of Panama. There was a delicate situation that required myself and another staff member to hike to a remote village to talk to the parents of one of the children attending our “Hogar” boarding school for indigenous youth. So with one day’s notice I packed everything I thought I would need and headed out. (I will take some time this week and write a full account of my adventures if you would like to read it). 16 hours of hiking later we arrived at the village and everything went well. We even got to talk with the pastor of the church there of the Buglere (Boog-LEH-deh) people group and set up a potential song-writing workshop with their people in September. More on all this in the next newsletter.

PRAYER REQUESTS 

We so very much appreciate those of you who are so faithful to pray for our family and our ministry. It is the backbone of everything that we do.
Please pray for:
• For Kristina and I to begin to adjust and thrive in our new roles.
• For our future song-writing workshops and ministry trips to the jungles and mountains.
• For the health of our family.

May God Bless you all as you serve Him this month,

In Christ,
John and Kristina Henry