On Tuesday, April 22 68 of 75 district superintendents and their spouses arrived in Panama at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort to enjoy a time of fellowship, worship and training. God answered prayers in granting safe travel, and smooth processing through immigration and customs.
Dr. Carlos Saenz opened the first session on Wednesday morning with a devotional encouraging the leaders to walk together in unity. Dr. David Wilson, General Secretary of the Church of the Nazarene met with the District Superintendents in two different sessions with training in the importance of district assembly statistics and information concerning the issuance and maintenance of credentials.
Each of the three main languages have been featured in the various worship times, and translation has been available so that all can participate. At meal times, all were encouraged to sit with people they did not know, and to make attempts at communicating with those who do not speak your language. Barriers have been coming down and friendships are being forged.
On Wednesday evening, the district superintendents and their wives from Jamaica sang some lively worship music, and missionary Hiram Galvez led the worship with a focus on the greatness of our God! Dr. Nina Gunter preached saying that the Christian Church and more specifically, the Church of the Nazarene, is uniquely positioned at this time in history to impact the world for Christ. The best days are ahead. She shared about the church in Africa, in Cuba and in other world areas where God is moving and we can see His hand at work. She encouraged everyone to open their eyes to see that the fields are ready for the harvest. At the end of the service, the words to the hymn How Great Thou Art were projected on the front screen in three parts showing English, French and Spanish. The Holy Spirit moved in people’s hearts and many went to the front to kneel down before a Holy God. It was a time of great blessing and joy as we worshipped God together.
Thursday morning started out with a devotional by Dr. Wilson reminding us that Christ was a humble leader. He said that we cannot make ourselves humble, and that forcing actions to look humble just appears artificial. The only way to become humble is to love one another. After a wonderful time of prayer together, praying especially for those in the group who had special requests, the group got on buses to spend time in a tourism day. All enjoyed a day at one of the largest malls in Central America, located in Panama (Albrook Mall), then about half of the group went to visit the Panama Canal while the other half returned to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort to enjoy its facilities.
Information provided by: Rhonda Slingerland, missionary of the Mesoamerica Region
