August Newsletter!

A Flood of Events and an Actual Flood.

A very busy month topped off with admin work.

When I first returned to Panama to work with YWAM Chiriqui I thought it would probably be a slow start.  I had been gone for almost a year, and don't know some of the new staff.  That has not been the case at all.  In this past month I lead/co-lead two different short term teams, redesigned the YWAM Chiriqui web site (www.ywamchiriqui.org), and helped the victims of a flood in the nearby town of Cerro Punta.

Sorting this massive pile of clothes, shoes, bedding, and random other items for distribution to victims was one of our tasks.  

At the center of aid for the flood in Cerro Punta.  We worked with the Air Navy, Border Police, and regular Police.  

This is the base image I used to create the new web banner for the web site.  The final version is the last of about five banners I designed.

The Flood

On the 17th of this month (August) there was a flash flood that came out of nowhere.  These flood occur not so much from major rains, but rather a collection of smaller droplets that are more dense, collecting in streams and rivers that join at one particular point to form a sort of tidal wave.  This happened in Cerro Punta.  The wave hit when it was dark here, about 7 pm, and hit with tremendous force.  It was so powerful that it took a full sized bus, which had six people in it, and literally tore it apart.  All that was left of the bus when they finally found it was the chassis and scraps of metal.

At the end of the night 9 people had died (three from the bus, three escaped incredibly), and somewhere between 150-200 people were displaced.  The next morning I felt the Holy Spirit saying to go see what i can do to help, and my fellow staff member, Hermes, felt the same way.  

We drove up to Cerro Punta and I wasn't sure what was going to happen.  There were people wandering everywhere  like a zombie apocalypse.  The whole area was completely shut off by the Air Navy and government.  They weren't letting anyone into the town.  I went and spoke with the first checkpoint guard who said we couldn't enter at first, but God gave me an idea that I have never used before here, which was to show the guard my Pastoral ordination card I keep in my wallet.  As soon as I showed him the card his whole demeanor changed.  He immediately let me through, and the next three checkpoints simply waved me on.

That first day we helped the Air Navy load and unload supplies and the first donations that came through.  I was able to meet the coordinator for the whole relief effort, as well as make friends with some Air Navy soldiers, and as a result they allowed us to come back for another two days after that.  I brought a team from the Cayman Islands with me on the next two trips.  We were able to help a lot.  We cooked for the displaced families, sorted clothes and other donations, and worked as hard as we could to help.

Teams and Kings Kids

We also had two teams over the course of the month.  The first team was a youth group from Calgary, Canada, and the second came from the Cayman Islands.  They were both great teams to work with.  We continued the ministries we do every week whether we have teams or not; the nursing home, Arturo Miro, schools, indian villages, and much more.  

Kings Kids camp also ran while the Cayman Island team was here, and Karmy helped to staff that.  This was only the second time the base has run the camp, so it is still gaining momentum.  We had several local kids signed up, but due to heavy rains on the day of the camp they all cancelled on us.  However we still ran the camp with the kids from the home here on base.  They had a mud pit, games, Bible stories, and even a ministry time in Rovira.

Web Site For those of you who have visited the YWAM Chiriqui web site in the past year, you may have noticed that it was way outdated.  The reason for that was because I originally designed that web site, and when I left nobody else knew how to change it!  So it just stayed the same and faded into the incredibly outdated creature from earlier this month.  Needless to say, when I arrived here the very first thing I was tasked to do was fix that.  However, in order to ensure that doesn't happen again if say I go on outreach for two or three months somewhere, it doesn't get outdated again, they asked me to design something so simple that anyone can go in and edit it. So that is what I have done.  It isn't as pretty as I would like it to be, but it also shouldn't get outdated again either.  I am still working on it, but at least it is up and running with current information!

Prayer Requests 1.  Even though we have been here for about six weeks now, there is still readjusting taking place.  Reestablishing contacts, adjusting budgets, returning to the YWAM style of ministry, all of these things are coming into place, but please pray that it continues smoothly. 2.  For Elias who is now doing his school with a missionary family here.  They have five kids and are excellent teachers, and offered to bring Elias into their classes.  Pray that he continues to do well. 3.  For the ministry among the Ngobe.  As you may know our building and ministry in Tugri is at risk right now.  The local religion has taken YWAM to Ngobe court, and is trying to shut down the entire ministry.  The actual court session is tomorrow, and no matter what happens there will be an effect to how we do ministry there from now on. 4.  For the flood victims in Cerro Punta who are still recovering.  Many lost their homes and are waiting for the government to rebuild them as they promised.  However as we all know, the government often makes open promises that they never fulfill, and these people could easily get stuck with nothing now that the excitement of the event is slowing down.

Until Next Time! As always I hope you are all doing wonderfully.  And if you would like to see videos and pictures of the teams and ministries we have been doing, you can go to my Facebook page or my YouTube channel and see lots of them.  Also, feel free to send me an email with any questions or comments at alan.crookham@gmail.com Thank you all so much for your support and prayers, and know that your help truly is making a difference in this nation! Many blessings, Alan

Copyright © 2014 Alan Crookham, All rights reserved. You are on this update list for missions news from Alan and Karmy Crookham because you either asked to be subscribed online or verbally requested updates. If you are on this list by mistake, feel free to unsubscribe and many apologies for the mixup! Our mailing address is: Alan Crookham 3649 CR 770 Princeton, TX 75407

Floods and Teams

At the flood zone.

What a couple of weeks it has been!  There was major flooding in the nearby town of Cerro Punta.  We had a team of Canadians, and a team from the Cayman Islands which just left yesterday.  It has been a wild time.  For those of you who keep an eye on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/AlanCrookham), or my Facebook page, you will have seen my videos of ministry with the teams and during the flooding.  There are still several videos I am uploading from that time, I just had limited access and not much time to do so.

During the time we were helping with the flood victims we were able to go where many other people were unable to.  I went up to the disaster area the day after the flooding took place, less than 24 hours after.  The area was completely shut off, and only authorized personnel and rescue workers were allowed on site.  However the Lord had spoken for me and another staff member to go there and help.  At the first check point it didn't seem like we would get in at all, the police officer was pretty adamant that we could.  It wasn't until I flashed my pastoral ordination card (thank you Faith Fellowship!) that he instantly changed his tone.  Panama is a very religious country, and pastors are given more freedom and respect than many other places.

That was all it took.  After that we breezed through all four checkpoints into the center of the town that was hit.  We weren't able to go to the actual disaster zone itself, which was a little bit outside of town, but we did get to be where all the donations were coming into, and the food was being cooked for those who had lost their homes.  We were also right next to where those people were staying.  It was a somber environment on that first day to say the least.

Pictured: Day 3 (not quite as somber)

We worked with the donations for three hard days, two of them with the team from the Cayman Islands.  It was an amazing opportunity and we did as much as we could.  As you can see in these pictures there was an abundance of clothing donated, and we assisted in sorting it into men and women's, children, etc... in order to be distributed to families effected by the flood.

On a fun note, I got to see the First Lady of Panama, and just missed the President twice.  I didn't get to meet the First Lady, but we was standing across the street with some soldiers.  I did have a lot of reporters taking pictures of me though.  I guess there is something about a giant white gringo carrying boxes of water that looks interesting!  

Aside from the flooding we were all over the place doing a large variety of ministry.  However I don't want to give it all away because I am just about due for a newsletter and don't want to write it all here!  I'll be writing that newsletter in the next few days and you can get more details then!  

Many blessings!

The A Team

Here they are, in all their glory.

You thought I was going to talk about Mr. T didn't you?  Or maybe you thought I meant the A for Alan team.  Although that does sound kind of catchy.  But no, A is for Alpha team, because this is the first time I have co-lead a team since getting back here to Panama.  I've lead dozens of teams before of course, but there is something special about being back and leading again.  It was the first time I really felt like I was back in the groove of things.  They were a youth group from Canada, and it was so much fun to watch those polar people sweat in our 80 degree weather, which is still nice and cool compared to Texas when we left it.  A couple of them had little fans they hung from their necks to keep them cool.  Very funny stuff!

Aside from the fun, if you have access to either my Facebook or YouTube channel you have seen the steady stream of video clips I have been uploading.  There are still more to come even though the team has left now.  However, you can see in those videos that we were all over the place! We went to a Ngobe (Guaymi) camp, several schools, and old folks home, and more.  

At the schools we did presentations, prayed for the students, had dance contests, played soccer, and had an all around great time bringing the light of the Gospel to these students. 

At the old folks home there was a pretty horrible event that happened.  It wasn't very dramatic, but it looked very painful.  As you can see in this picture above, some of the people there use wheelchairs, and they have these concrete paths all throughout the complex with no rails or curbs or anything like that.  On top of that there are often drop offs that aren't very deep, maybe six inches or so, but if you are an older person in a wheelchair, it is a recipe for disaster.  

While we were speaking with the people, I saw this one man suddenly start leaning and his eyes got really big.  Before I could react, I saw that his back wheel was slipping off the edge of the walkway he was rolling around on.  It was like watching one of those fainting goats fall over (http://youtu.be/we9_CdNPuJg).  He let out a little cry of help and crashed over the edge.  As soon as he hit I ran over with the leader from the Canadian team and tried to pick up him up, but the wheelchair had collapsed and was effectively squeezing his hips and locking his legs in.  Needless to say, it was an ordeal to get him out, and nobody from the home staff came to help up!  We finally pulled him out and I was holding him up like some kind of super skinny teddy bear while the leader of the other team fixed the wheelchair and put it back in place.  

The ironic thing is that as painful as that fall must have been, the tough old guy just laughed the whole time I was holding him, and didn't seem any worse for wear when he was safely sitting again. After all of that someone from the home came and wheeled him off, presumably to check him for any serious injuries, but I didn't see him again that day, so maybe he was just taking a nap.

What do you mean those were my teeth stuck in the wheels?  Noooooo, those were my last teeth, my new ones are safe in the room under my pillow.  Shifty Ol' Grenilda steals them to make her quilts.

Ministry, whether on the mission field or in your home country is very much like having a garden.  It takes a lot of care, tending, watering, fertilizing, and everything else you have to do to keep a garden healthy.  Most people want ministry to be this: Walk into the field, stick a seed in the ground, come back in an hour and have a full harvest.  That is simply not how it works.  As a matter of fact, most experienced ministers will tell you that statistically it takes at least two years for real (ministerial) fruit to start becoming visible, and then five years for you to really start getting effective at what you are doing.  

"Whoa!  How long did this take?"
"About twelve minutes.  I just learned how to say 'Hello'".

We need every part of the body of Christ for the ministry to be effective.  Teams that come through often feel like they aren't providing much, but they don't realize that they are watering the garden that we have been laboring over for years, stirring up the hearts of people who need to hear the Gospel that would otherwise stay at home if there weren't visitors coming.  It is very similar to a church having a guest speaker come through, everyone is excited and you usually have more people show up on Sunday morning.

Now, we have been preparing for our next team which arrives tomorrow.  They are a team of 13 from the Cayman Islands and will be with us for ten days.  It should be just as eventful with them as it was with the Canadians.  Very different cultures, but God changes lives regardless of who you are or where you are from.  What matters is that you are available, have a right heart, and willing to be used by Him.  

Also, this coming weekend the base will be running a King's Kids camp, which is a Friday night through Saturday camp for local kids to come and learn more about Jesus!  That is a simple way to put it anyway.  This will be Karmy and my first camp on this base, although we helped with them several times when we lived in Costa Rica.  It is exciting to have another one coming up!

Expect a lot of new videos and testimonies of what God is doing, because after that we have our next DTS and Leadership school starting on September 12th, plus a team from World Race that will be with us for three weeks.  Also, our Ngobe DTS will be starting as well in the next few days.  Exciting times!

You know, on the mission field, in YWAM, nobody receives any kind of salary.  I get asked all the time by teams and others who come through how much we get paid to be out here, the answer is $0.00.  From the newest missionary to the Global Leadership Team of Youth With a Mission, not one of us receives a dollar from the organization.  We all raise our own support and rely completely on donations from others.  So, if you would like to partner with our ministry here, I am going to put the information out there for you.  Whether one time donations or monthly, they are all super helpful for us, and they all go to make the ministry you see in our videos and read about in our posts and newsletters possible.

First, you can do so through the Paypal button here in the blog.  That is not tax deductible however.  If you would like tax deductible donations, you can follow these instructions:

Tax deductible donations are processed through Mission Enablers International:

You can either donate online through the following link:

https://www.meigiving.com/mei.php

Simply fill out the short form, and when asking for the account number, write 9052.  Donations through Mission Enablers are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt for them.

If you would rather donate by check, you can also do it through MEI at the following address, just add a note saying the donation is for the account number above.

MEI

P.O. Box 1311

Fayetteville, AR 72702

Until next time!

Straight Grace

Every year Good focuses on one specific subject with me.  I'm not sure why, but that's just how He likes to do things with me I guess.  It probably just takes that long for me to finally get what He's trying to say!  If anyone read my other blog from last year, Kingdom Light, you'll remember that last year was pretty much all about consecration, priesthood, and heaven itself.  That was such an exciting year for me.  I loved that whole topic so much.

This year has been very different though.  Rather than all the deep insights on the Levites and consecration He was showing me, it has been straight up grace.  It seems like such a basic topic, but I have to say, it is one of those subjects that can be difficult to understand for someone like me.  Those of you who know me well, know that I am far from the shimmering beam of light most people see ministers and missionaries as.  Especially the teenagers I spent the last nine months with.  They all vomited under my care more than once (disgusting games are just part of the deal), the guys especially got a much more human look at me the day they came over and we played Xbox all day.  It turns out I'm not nearly as good as I think I am....

However, standing next to several of my friends in ministry who have such a passion for God, they often have great "testimonies".  You know the kind, the former vomiting transvestite with AIDs who was also the head of the mafia somewhere and had a instantly liberating encounter with God while doing heroin and simultaneously getting blackout drunk .  Those are the testimonies (tamed down of course) that you get to hear in church.  And if there is one thing we know, people who have had an encounter with God like that REALLY appreciate His grace and mercy, and love Him so incredibly much.  They truly understand grace because they have lived it out to such an extent they know the only way they are even alive is because of it.  "He who is forgiven much, loves much."

She understands in a way I can't.

I don't have a testimony like that.  A lot of people don't.  The fact is, I'm a church kid whose been in ministry forever and have never done anything remotely close to the things I hear people testify about.  I've never smoked anything in my life.  I've never done drugs.  I've only had one girlfriend, who is currently my wife of almost eight years.  The two times I drank alcohol were without my knowledge.  The first time was having dinner with another missionary who didn't tell me they were giving me wine, when I tasted it in and realized what it was I didn't drink any more.  The second time was during a special communion service where they had actual wine instead of grape juice.  I've never been in a gang or a fight, nothing people consider to be worth putting in a testimony.  

Don't be fooled of course, I've sinned as much as the next guy, just not the kind of stuff you consider to be "big".  The truth is though, it puts me at a serious disadvantage in the grace and mercy department.  

Grace.  Alan style.

See, there is a reason why Jesus came to earth and was tempted in every way.  Check this out:

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."                                                                                                                  - Hebrews 4:15 & 16

Jesus is able to have grace towards us because he understands the temptations we go through.  He gets it.  And it is because He gets it that He doesn't smite you into oblivion when your eyes wander in the wrong direction.  I on the other hand, have always been a supporter of the smiting.  Not because I enjoy watching people fall, it frustrates me like you wouldn't believe when someone with so much going for them chooses the wrong path.  It's just that in the past I have always have the attitude that if you choose the wrong thing, you should be held accountable for the decisions you have made.  I still agree with that, because we all will be held accountable one day, but now grace comes before the smiting.

Me, but not as cute.

So how do I understand grace better now?  It's not because I fell away from the Lord or anything like that.  I adore Him more than I ever have in my life, but when my family and I made the decision to go to Texas, I told Karmy that we would never be able to return to the mission field.  I was convinced we would lose everything here and even if we wanted to come back, we wouldn't be able to.  I went to Texas fully convinced it was for a long, long time.

But when we were there and I started to see that we were inevitably going to need to come back to Panama after a much shorter time than I expected, I was pretty scared.  I never doubted that God could take care of us, but after making such a big decision, and then going back on it, I didn't think God would want to.  Because if all the smiting, remember?  

Smitten

I am a strong believer in, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62, because the Bible point blank says it.  There is no way around it.  As far as I was concerned, I was turning back and wasn't worthy of God's help on this.  I had resolved that I would come back to Panama and have to become like a tour guide or English teacher, or something like that.

God had different plans though, and decided to use it to show me what grace really looks like for the first time in my life.  Despite everything, not only did God allow us to come back and continue in the ministry here at YWAM, but He restored absolutely everything we had given up when we came here.  Same house, same beds, same laundry machine, same dishes, everything.  And on top of that He gave us an even better vehicle than we've ever had before!  

I know a lot of people would disagree with me, but if there is anyone on this planet who didn't deserve a second chance on the mission field, it is me.  But the grace of God was poured out on my life, and because of that I am now able to understand and extend grace to others where I would formerly be looking for the Hammer of Justice.  Thank you Jesus for grace, and for allowing me to experience it!

Old Miracles, Recently Revealed

I am here in Volcan for the day, and I just found out that the reason the pastor who invited me to preach the 9th of August was so quick in calling me is because when I preached at his campaign last year, and tried something new, which I'll explain in a minute, there were multiple miracles that took place.  I don't know what they are yet, but I am excited to find out in a few days!

The "new" thing I tried out, which was new for me, not for others, was something I saw Pastor David Hogan do a few times, which was to have anyone who needed healing for someone not in the meeting to bring a cloth of some kind, and I would pray over it.  This comes from Paul doing the same in the book of Acts.  A lot of people brought cloths and such, but I never heard any news about in until now! 

This happens so often, you sow seeds and have no idea the results until years later.  Often times God keeps us in the dark on what His has is moving just to keep you in Faith.  What a great God!

Newsletter!

Greetings!

Wow, it feels wonderful to write another newsletter from here on the mission field.  It has been a long time since I have done so.  As you can see I am testing out a new system for newsletters that will hopefully be more crisp and organized so you can get info from us in a better way.











** Starting Fast
------------------------------------------------------------


** Getting resettled has been slow, but reconnecting with people has been wonderful.
------------------------------------------------------------

Those of you who keep up with my blog (www.reachca.blogspot.com) heard about the woman who was healed of ovarian cysts in a crazy miracle story.  But beyond that we have seen the hand of God on everything we have been doing here, even from the very beginning.

When I said my goodbyes to our friends and family at Faith Fellowship and stepped onto that plane once again for a nearly 24 hour trek, I was nervous, excited, maybe a little scared of what was coming.  Our family changed so much during our time in Texas.  We feel more equipped, matured, and prepared for the ministry God has called us to here in Panama.

We have been received with open arms.  As a matter of fact one missionary here told us he thinks God brought us back earlier than we originally intended largely because of the prayers of his son who is good friends with Elias.  They had gone to the States about the same time we did, and returned a few weeks before us.  He told me that his son kept telling him he wanted to return to Panama to see Elias.  He told him that Elias was in Texas, but it turned out his son was right all along and here we are!
Lucas and Andy, the dynamic duo back together!
Walking back from a visit to our Chinese friend's shop.  We found out that ironically even though they were both born and raised in China, they met and married here in Panama.

============================================================

News from the Comarca (Ngobe territory)

Ngobe Base, the Law, and Stocks, though not the money making (or losing) kind.

These are exciting times.  As soon as we got here all kinds of opportunities began to open up.  Along with other leaders on our base, I have been asked to help lead the upcoming Indigenous Discipleship Training School.  This course will be different from anything we have done before.  Instead of the usual five months, it will be a full year with the school running on weekends.  Also, the school will not be set here in Potrerillos, but up in Tugri where we are building a new base fully run by our Ngobe staff and leaders.  We will be discipling our Ngobe brothers and sisters not only to have a solid walk with the Lord, but also to be ministers of the Gospels and continue to bring change to their people.

Along that line of ministry.  Please pray for our director of the ministry there in Tugri.  His name is Rafael and he is Ngobe.  The ministry there in the mountains is threatening the local religion of Mama Tata.  As a result they are taking Rafael to court in an attempt to shut down the ministry.  On August 10th he will go to court, and although it seem unlikely it will come to this, the officials have told him that if the investigation comes up with anything out of ordinary he will be put in the stocks.

Preaching the Gospel

On August 9th I have been asked to preach at a special service/campaign for a local pastor who called me to invite me the day after I got here.  He had heard that we were coming back and was just waiting to ring me up and ask!  The last time I spoke at one of his campaigns we were just about on top of a graveyard!  A few yards was the only space between us and the headstones.  So I anticipate this will be a fun ministry!

Karmy is counting the day to when she will be moving back into her ministry with the kids in Rovira.  She has really missed them since we left.  The kids are going to be really happy to see her.  She puts so much time and effort into discipling them, and this is the kind of ministry that impacts generations and families.  Much more on that in the next newsletter.

We had the great opportunity to see a bit of fruit from our ministry in Arturo Miro, the boys home for those of you who have been involved in that ministry in the past.  We were doing some grocery shopping when we ran into one of the boys who we have known for a long time now.  He recently left the home and decided to have a fresh start, so he got a job as the person who weighs the fruits and vegetables at the store and is moving forward.  What a blessing to see that what you are doing is having a lasting effect on people.

Goodbye for Now

That is all we have for this month's newsletter.  As always there are all kinds of other things taking place that can't fit here.  However we do have our blog that has much more frequent updates and thoughts.  We have all kinds of videos and pictures that we put on Facebook as well as our blog that you are free to check out.  As always feel free to write with any questions.

If you would like to support our ministry, the best way to do so is through Mission Enablers International:

You can either donate online through the following link:
** https://www.meigiving.com/mei.php (https://www.meigiving.com/mei.php)


Simply fill out the short form, and when asking for the account number, write 9052.  Donations through Mission Enablers are tax deductible and you will receive a receipt for them.

If you would rather donate by check, you can also do it through MEI at the following address, just add a note saying the donation is for the account number above.

MEI
P.O. Box 1311
Fayetteville, AR 72702

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!  Many blessings!

Alan