Dear Family and Friends,

Travel and more travel just lately, but we are so thankful for God’s mercies to allow us to come and go safely each month.  Whether it is within Costa Rica or to Panama, we are always glad to arrive home safely, without incident.  (Well, maybe better to say, without accident – there are always incidents!).

David went to the Indigenous area a couple weeks ago and got to participate in a meeting of indigenous leaders (elected representatives from the communities) along with some governmental leaders.  There is a census coming up, which involves walking from pueblo to pueblo talking to people, getting an accurate count of people in each area and doing routine preventative medical work.  The Church of the Nazarene has been invited to participate in the census, walking in small groups.  The plan is to do this the first week of April.  This is not for everyone, as it involves a lot of hard hiking, but we are hoping to find some young, strong souls willing and able to go along and minister as they go.

On this trip, instead of driving across the river, the group rode a tractor across.  The water was a little high and it is hard on the vehicle to drive across.  Coming home, everyone walked across. 

In preparation for the bridge project (building a walking bridge across this same river), the road has been cleared so that materials can more easily be brought in.  Another advancement is the new benches (pews) at the Cuchey Church.  The local pastor and his son have begun a small business of making wood furniture and the pews were one of the first projects.  That is quite an improvement over tree stumps.

Keep praying for the Indigenous Area pastors (Arcelio and Maximilliano) who we are working with, as well as the census and bridge projects. 

Just this last weekend, we went to Panama for the West District Assembly.  This year it was held in Changuinola, a city of about 25,000 on the Caribbean side.  It was a long trip to arrive, leaving at 7:15am and arriving at 7pm.  We stopped to make two visits, one with Pastor Edwin in Limon and the other in Bribri to see an independent missionary family, the Jones’.  They are assisting with the translation of the Jesus Film into Cabecar.  It is hoped that this translation (multiple voices at a cost of $35,000) can be made this year with the help of Jesus Film Harvest Partners. The recording will be done in the town of Bribri by Cabecar speakers.  This will be a great tool for the Cabecar people.

The other hold up was the electricity, or I should say, the lack thereof.  We waited on the Panama side until about five minutes before the border closed, and thankfully, we were able to process all the paperwork, pay all the fees, and leave for Changuinola at 6:15pm.  This is the old bridge that until about two years ago was for cars, but now is used just for pedestrian traffic.  That's a good thing 'cause there are lots of boards missing on that bridge.

This was Kayley’s first trip to Changuinola, and she loved it.  The prices in Panama are much more reasonable than Costa Rica, and so we shopped for clothing for her on Friday night.  She was pleased to find some good deals on things she needed.

The Assembly was held on Saturday morning.  In normal Panamanian timing, the 9am meeting began at 10:30am when everyone finally arrived.  Many district leaders came from the Pacific side (Chiriqui) and left at 4:30am to arrive.  The district reported 16% growth this year, mostly from the organization of two new churches near David, Panama.  It was a great celebration, led by the Regional Director, Dr. Carlos Saenz.  

This is the street we walked between the hotel and the church.

Seven of the pastors, each giving a short report.

The trip home was much faster.  The highway between Limon and San Jose is quite dangerous, especially at night, and we were glad to make it home safely and in record time.

Kayley is staying busy with her school activities.  Her junior class is preparing for their senior trip (no firm plans to location yet, but it usually involves an airplane) that will take place this fall. They are raising funds and Kayley’s job is to make brownies, cookies, etc since very few know how to bake here. 

Can you find Kayley?  (1st row standing, four from the left). 

Upcoming Events:

-Today is David’s birthday, so we are celebrating with a meal out and a movie.

-A trip to the Indigenous area is in the works to attempt to complete the plans for the bridge.  Without this, we cannot move forward with the project.

-There is a Maximum Mission event in Los Chiles next weekend (near the Nicaraguan border) and we may go to help out.

-The Tavares, Florida and district team will arrive at the end of the month for a week of community service and SENDAS projects. 

-Kayley will be going to youth camp for 3 days over Holy Week.

-Shelley is working hard to finish the translation of six books into English that focus on mission.  The books are part of the School of Leadership series.

-Kay Lynn Robson, a volunteer missionary, will arrive on March 11^th – next week.  Yeah!

 That's the news for now.  Thanks for your support and prayers. If you have interest in supporting any of the projects you read about here, just let us know.  

Blessings to everyone,

The Webb Family