Turning Family Fun Into Father/Son Ministry Adventure

For several months I had planned a camping trip to the United States Virgin Islands with my son Mark. Shortly before the trip we learned about a painting project that Young Life had on St. Thomas. So Mark and I spent the last several days of our trip helping Don Mook (pictured on the left), Caribbean Director for Young Life, paint his house. We also helped out at the Wyldlife program at the local Junior High School! Helping a friend, helping Young Life, helping kids come to Christ! That's what ministry and Mission Trek is all about. Join us on our next adventure!

Andrew Burnett, Director
Mission Trek International

Don Mook's Website - http://www.caribbean.younglife.org/



Video Highlites of Father/Son Ministry To Young Life In the Caribbean

Panama Trek 2009 Brochure Published!

Check out the Panama Trek 2009 Brochure! The brochure has all the information you need about the upcoming Panama Trek, July 18 - August 2. (Click on the page for a full-size printable version)

Contact our Director, Andrew Burnett to get a copy at:

Mission Trek International
7112 NE Emerson St.
Portland, OR 97218
503-256-2043
andrew@goodimpressions.us

MTI Gets Report Card From Panama!

Kim Kapsar, Youth With A Mission Base Director on Bastimentos Island, shares a good report about last summer's MTI work. (Photo of Kim on the right with Dave Johanson, MTI volunteer)

It was a wonderful help to our family to have Andrew Burnett and MTI serve with us in Panama. They were a group who showed up just when we needed them, and had the exact experience we needed to help. My husband had surgery coming up, and they helped us learn to drive the boat without him, and were a total blessing to our family. They built stairs into the equipment room so that my husband could get down after his hip was replaced, and just helped us in numerous ways.

In addition, the village near us never had a clean water supply. Andrew worked for several months figuring out the best method of providing the water. He also really listened to our input, and was very respectful of the way in which we have been led to serve this village. We wanted them to really "own" the water project, and have hands on experience helping install it. Andrew patiently helped them to do the work, and helped bring the love of Jesus into an area that really needs it. Thanks MTI, we hope you'll come back!!

God Bless,
Kimberly Kapsar
YWAM, Bastimentos Island
Bocas del Toro, Panama

VIDEO OVERVIEW OF THE TRIP TO THE YWAM BASE ON BASTIMENTOS

Are Short-term Missions Really Worth The Effort?

Here's an encouraging word from Jennifer Cabezon about the impact that short-term teams have had on the lives of the young people she works with in Panama. (Photo of Jennifer and Jess Fahland at girls' Bible study, Summer of '08)

At our Youth With a Mission base we have a boarding school for young people from hard to access indigenous communities. Not long ago, we asked them to share about when they had first heard the good news of Jesus Christ. I was surprised by the responses, as one by one they answered:

"I first heard about Jesus when the YWAM teams came to my village."

"A team of missionaries came and did dramas, and I heard about Jesus for the first time."

"I didn't know Jesus died for my sins until a team came from the US and told us about how he loves us."

I was astonished and grateful to see how much of an impact the teams that we had sent had made on these impressionable young people. Keep in mind that these teams were not made up of professional missionaries, but youth and adults here on a 10 day missions experience. Never think that you can't make a long term difference on a short term trip. Our long term missionaries could not do what they do without the support of the short term teams that visit us each year.

God bless, Jennifer Cabezon
Director, Youth Home
YWAM Base, Panama City

VIDEO OVERVIEW OF MTI PROJECT AT THE PANAMA CITY YWAM BASE

Chart Your Course for the Tropics!!

Mission Trek Update:

Plans are in the works for at least 2 and maybe 3 Mission Trek Outreaches in 2009.

PANAMA TREK 2009 - July 18 - August 2, two weeks working with 2 different Youth With A Mission Bases - including a 3 day trip into the Darien Region with a visit to indigenous Ember Indians - another week in the Bocas del Toro Region and ministry to the Gnobe Indians of that region. We will most likely be doing at least one "Living Water" Project during this trip. Cost: $1800.00 (See posts below for a report on Panama Trek 2008.)

COLOMBIA TREK 2009 - March 15 - 31. Journey into the heart of "Coffee Country" in Colombia. Also, we will be helping needy people on the North Atlantic Coast. Cost: $1500.00.

ST. CROIX - U.S. Virgin Islands TREK 2009 (????) - Late Fall of 2009, 2 - 3 weeks (????) Working with the Youth With A Mission Base, then an optional side trip to beautiful St. John, USVI.

Maybe this video will get you in the mood for a tropical adventure!!

DO ANY OF THESE ADVENTURES LOOK INTERESTING TO YOU?
For an application contact:
Andrew Burnett, Director
Mission Trek International
7112 NE Emerson St.
Portland, OR 97218
503-256-2043
andrew@goodimpressions.us

Up a Creek Without a Paddle

CHECK THIS OUT!!

I highly recommend checking out Jess Fahland's blog about his Adventure up the river to an Embera Village. Jess was a participant on the Panama Trek 2008 and his journal entry includes the high-lights of an exciting trip in a dug out canoe, living with the Embera and a hike up to a neighboring village. Here's the link with his journal and several dozen great photos - http://www.ascds.com/panama08/SanJuan/SanJuan.htm

You can also check out the Indigenous Embera Village Adventure on these videos:

DVD of Panama Trek 2008 Now Available

Mission Trek International's DVD of the high lights of the recent Panama Trek is now available - and it's FREE!
The video is 35 minutes long and has 7 episodes that cover the different locations and aspects of the June 2008 trek to Panama. Contact MTI for your own copy:

Mission Trek International

7112 NE Emerson St.

Portland, OR 97218

Andrew Burnett

503-256-2043

Salt Creek Outreach - Bocas del Toro Region

We had been in the Bocas Region for a few days working with the Kapsar Family at the YWAM Base on the isle de Bastimentos. Sunday we got situated, then Monday and Tuesday it rained hard so we did some excavating and poured half of the basement floor at the ywam base (all work done by hand - including mixing the concrete!). Wednesday we did most of the work on installing the water system at a neighboring village and we had plans to go back the next day, but the weather turned beautiful so we all hopped in the Kapsar's Panga Boat and headed out to the eastern end of Bastimentos.We stopped for gas along the way, the guy siphoned the gas out of 55 gallon drums into 5 gallon buckets, then used a smaller bucket to ladle the gas into our gas tanks - something else! Then across the bay and into the mangroves. Salt Creek was pretty big in comparison to some of the other villages we had seen. It was spread out over several hundred acres with a school in the center of it all. First we talked to a local Pastor and prayed for his eye - which was badly infected. He suggested with take the children's coloring books and Bible story books to the School and see if the teacher would give them out to the students. The local school serves children up to 8th grade and had 175 students.

On the way to the school we stopped by a local craft shop where we found two men having a bible study. Another gringo (he was a property manager of some vacation homes in the area) had come by the village and was sharing with the local artisan about Jesus. We chatted a bit and went on to the school. When we arrived, most of the kids were gone but we talked to one teacher and the principal who assured us that the materials we had brought would be given to the children.

On the way back to the base several of our group went snorkeling, Andrew even tried his hand at spearfishing but we had to settle for buying a few small lobsters to augment our dinner fare! The local folks had been very friendly, they seem to be a happy people for the most part. We all agreed that we would like to come back to Salt Creek again when we were in the area.

Check out the Kim and Dale Kapsar's blog - http://www.agapeinpanama.blogspot.com/

Check out this video of the Salt Creek Outreach:

"Living Water" for Children at Bocas del Toro

(Written by Jennifer Cabezon - Jennifer and Alex are Youth With A Mission Panama and Mission Trek International Team Members)
Bocas del Toro means "mouths of the bull", a name that Christopher Colombus gave to an area of the Panama coast. The area has many islands, and the bays and inlets he assumed to be the mouths of rivers. The roaring of the waves on the coral reefs reminded him of a bull, and so the name.
We were in Bocas del Toro (or just Bocas) this last week with a team from Oregon, installing a system that will provide clean drinking water to a small community near a YWAM outpost there.
The community had a system that brought water from a nearby stream, but at every rain the water would turn muddy, and the people would not be able to drink it or cook. When you consider that Bocas recieves about 350 inches of rain per year, you can understand why that would be a problem. The community had requested YWAM's help with the project, and so we teamed up with Mission Trek International and Eternal Perspective Ministries to buy the materials and complete the project. Not long ago a small baby had contracted a bad case of diarrhea, most likelyfrom the water, and died soon afterwards. This kind of thing is not unusual and seemed to awaken the community to the need.
The small village is on land owned by one man. The others came to the area when they found work with a nearby luxery housing development. The workers went on strike last year over unfair wages, and now the whole project is at a standstill. So, the people don't have any work, or anywhere to go. They had uprooted their families to come at this promise of steady work, and now are at a dead end.
As the men were working on the water project, Abigail and I got to know some of the ladies and children. We passed out some coloring books, and talking about life in the village. Abigail is a great conversation starter, and seemed to enjoy the attention.
The project was a success, and the day we left it was pouring down rain, so as we speak they should be opening the faucet to drinking water that won't make them sick. Some from the village also have been attending church services now held at the YWAM house. We hope that many others would also find the water of life that will never leave them thristy again.

Check out Alex and Jennifer Cabezon's blog - www.cabezonywam.blogspot.com

If you would like to help a village with a "Living Water" project like this one, contact us at Mission Trek International.

Check out this great video of the "Living Water" Project in Bocas del Toro