June 2014 Newsletter

Greetings Friends and Family,


It has been almost a year since I've written a newsletter and it feels great to be back at it! I just got back from a nine day mission trip to Panama, which was a precursor to moving back there to continue working with YWAM. Karmy and the kids are already in Panama, preparing the way for me to come back so we will have a jump start on things.

During this trip we showed movies every night, prayed for people, and saw God touch many people.

On our best night we showed a movie to close to one hundred people! Over the course of the trip at least four people received Jesus into their lives, dozens heard the Gospel, some for the first time ever!

Also, on the night in this picture, at the end of the service we had a man come who asked for prayer for chronic kidney pain. We prayed for him, and the next day he hiked back to our camp asking to share his testimony because after we prayed for him all the pain vanished!

The team also performed multiple dramas and skits, told Bible stories, played softball (which they won), did crafts, and a wide array of other activities. Physically it was a tough trip. All the tents were flooded, some hammocks were soaked, and every one of us was dirty and muddy by the end of it, but it was a life changing experience not only for the Ngobe, but for many of us on the team as well.

Now, those of you who have known me for a while, know that this is not something I do very often, but because of this transition we are in the middle of, and because several people have asked, I feel like it is necessary to make known my families' need for financial support.



As you know, we spent over a decade on the mission field, and as time goes by, prices increase and inflation forces the need for more support.

For the past five years or so, Karmy and I have had basically the same amount of financial support, and until about a year before coming back to Texas we did alright with that. But as I said, prices are rising and we need to raise more. To give you an example of the changes, when I first moved to Panama I rented a three bedroom house for $80 a month. That is super cheap right? Of course it is! But, today, that exact same house is being rented for $200 a month. The last house Karmy and I rented, a two bedroom house, cost us $275 a month not including utilities and internet, which put it at about $340 a month for housing.

Our income on average for over five years has been about $600 a month. If you do the math, $340 for housing doesn't leave much for gas, food, baby supplies, and ministry on top of that. Yet, if you have read my newsletters over the years you know that we have always made it work, and we have reached tens of thousands of people in sixteen different nations. That is all because God is faithful to us.

So we are moving back to Panama now. I will be leaving on July 14^th, and I want to ask that you would please consider praying supporting us financially as we go. I know it is a big commitment, but it is a partnership, and you can truly make a serious impact on the unreached by partnering with us. There are missionaries and leaders all over the world that have been trained through the ministry Karmy and I have done. And the growth has only grown as we obtain more experience.

We are not asking for any set amount. Whatever God puts in your heart is what we ask. We have had people support us in all kinds of different ways over the years. From $5 to $30 to $100 a month, and yet even $5 a month is enough to make a difference. If you would like to join us as we go on this journey, the information on how to do that will be below, or you can feel free to write me a message at the contact info below that. Thank you so much for your prayers and consideration. If you do decide to support on a monthly basis, please let me know for budgeting purposes.

Donation Info: There are three ways you can donate 1. Online at the following link: https://www.meigiving.com/MEIpayment2/form/form.php In the box asking for an account number please put 9052. 2. By check to the same organization at the following address, please add a note with our account number (9052) with the check: MEI P.O. Box 1311 Fayetteville, AR 72702 All donations are tax deductible, and you will receive a receipt from Mission Enablers. 3. If you are part of Faith Fellowship Lucas you can donate through the church, which is also tax deductible.

Email: alan.crookham@gmail.com
Facebook: Alan Crookham

YouTube: Alan Crookham

Back From the Mountains!

Our dual team from Cottonwood Creek Baptist Church and Faith Fellowship Lucas has come down from the mountain at the end of a nine day trip here in Panama.  We did so much, saw multiple people give their lives to Christ, even had a man healed of chronic kidney pain, and had great adventures.  I am excited to recount all our tales when I can get to my camera to upload the pictures, but we still have a lot bus ride and flight ahead of us.  Stay tuned for more in the coming days!

The Beginning and Continuation of a New Missionary Journey

As many of you have heard, after eight months of being in Texas, God has called Karmy, myself, and our kids back to the mission field in Panama.  This was one of the tougher decisions we have ever had to make.  It started around March when we began feeling God stirring in our hearts the call to the mission field.  At first I was surprised, because although we always knew our stay here wasn't permanent, I did expect us to be here for a few years, but God knows what He is doing.

After so many confirmations and encouragement from our friends, family, and pastoral staff, we made the decision to return.  Even though we spent eight years in Central America before this, and have only been here in Texas for eight months, it still feels like starting over again.  We are even buying everything to furnish a house because we sold everything when we came here.

The timeline is quick and fairly simple.  We are taking a team of 40+ people to Panama on Monday where we will be returning to work in Tugri, the Capitol of the Ngobe tribe land for nine days.  On our return Karmy will stay in Panama with the kids, and I will return to Texas to start transitioning out of my position in the church.  I will go to church camp with the teens, and continue as usual until July 13th which will be my last official day here.  I will fly out to Panama on July 14th.

So what will we be doing?  Great question!  We are going to be returning to work with Youth With a Mission in Potrerillos, Chiriqui.  You can see more about that at www.ywamchiriqui.org.  We will continue to work with the Ngobe tribe, which as some of you have heard me speaking about them, know that they are the largest indigenous tribe south of Mexico in Central America.  Although classified as a reached people group by most organizations (this being based on a 2% reached status), the Ngobe are only 4% reached.  You may read on other web sites or through statistical organizations that something like 60% or more are Christians, but they do not take into account any doctrinal beliefs, the person simply has to say they belief in some form of Christianity.  As a result, even though only 4% of Ngobe actually believe the core doctrines of Christianity, you have 50% or more that believe in a mixture of witchcraft, Mamatata (their native religion), and a form of Catholicism brought to them in the 1500's, which I may add were the same "Catholics" who raped and murdered their way through the lands.

You can imagine the kind of "Christianity" believed here.  The reality is that after that 4% of believers most Ngobe have never heard of Jesus, and if they have it is a very twisted and inaccurate view of who He is.  They need the true Gospel, and they need us to bring it to them!

This blog is being established in order to maintain updates as to what is going on in Panama and other nations God may take us to over the next years.  I would ask that you consider partnering with us in the endeavor to go places and reach people that few have ever reached and gone.  Feel free to contact me with any questions, and expect great things from God!