(and yes, I am still short and Brook is still tall! Next time, I'll stand on a stool. LOL)
WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US!
Partner Connections
We have started video-calling with our partners over Google Meet. We have 24 groups and we send invites to each group several weeks in advance of their date. You are also welcome to join a group on any Tuesday night that works for you. Send us an email at brookandsusan@gmail.com and we’ll tell you what time it is happening on that week (depending on which U.S. coast we are meeting with!)
CHOSEN
We have friends!
The tricky thing about building a ministry on relationships is the relationship part! Relationships are hard! They require commitment and trust, in both directions. And how do you even start that in a new place where you don't know the culture or the language!?
It was such a gift to us that a young Panamanian would happen to be studying at a college just half an hour from our home in Pennsylvania, reach out to us before she returned to Panamá, and has now introduced us to three girls she is helping. We got to meet them all on our first night in Panamá. We were delighted to be able to start new relationships as soon as we got here. We wondered, though, whether they'd want to be friends with us, and whether we'd have the opportunity to invest in them, given how little we seemed to have in common, and given our 30-yr age difference!
Watching the Panamá World Cup game
Since meeting three months ago, we've seen these relationships continue to grow. We’ve had dinner together numerous times, cheered together for the Panamá soccer team during the World Cup, practiced English and Spanish together, taken the recycling to the park together, and gone for walks on the Amador causeway. They have helped us learn the metro and bus system, corrected our Spanish, and helped Brook know which shoes are cool, and which ones definitely are not. We’ve helped them apply for jobs, practice English, and have even talked through boy-issues!
We've also started other friendships. Last week, Brook told Susan, "Okay, I need to find a male friend who is on the same level as my best friends in the U.S." Then he told Susan about a guy named Andy he has run into on the elevator a couple of times, but said, "But how in the world do I get to know him in the time it takes the elevator to go six floors, when I can barely figure out how to say, "¿Podrías recordarme tu nombre, por favor?!" So he prayed right then, "Lord, please make a way!" That same afternoon as we walked to the park, Andy rode right up to us on his bike! He recognized us, stopped and called out to us. We had time to get to know each other and exchange phone numbers, and he and Brook are going out to coffee tonight!
"When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you." -Luke 10:5-6
Relationships are only relationships when the friendship goes in both directions. We've already wondered many times, "I wonder if this person is going to like us back?!" But already, Andy has reached out to us. Every time we walk somewhere, one of the girls takes Susan’s arm. And, the best compliment Brook got from one of the girls was when she walked up and randomly started play-fighting him, just like our daughter Shelli does!
Apparently, our new friends are choosing us back! We are delighted!
LOOKING AHEAD
Here are some things we are looking forward to:
Finishing our weekly Disciples Making Disciples training with our teammates.
Visioning with our teammates, Anthony and Lizzette Owens.
Attending the Colombia/Panama Annual Conference in Colombia in August.
Having coffee with a gentleman in our building, Andy; getting to know a young woman, Alejandra, whom Susan met at a restaurant down the street; and meeting with Vivian, who we met at the rental car agency.
Planning a trip to Chiriqui, Panamá with our teammates to connect with a friend they know and who is excited to grow in his faith. He is attending DMD with us virtually.
Partner meetings over Google Meet.
Getting Susan Panamanian phone service.
Getting our Panamá driver's licenses.
Diving into language learning.
Walking one-step-at-a-time with new friends, as God leads, towards new self-supporting communities of Christ-followers
Weekly Bible Study - there are 5 countries represented in this photo!
PRAY WITH US
Pray for our new friendships here in Panamá and that we are keen to hear God's Spirit direct our steps.
Pray for strength for our kids - Abe is settling in Rochester and searching for a career job, Kallen is in Seattle for the summer and then heading back to Indiana to finish a few remaining classes, followed by a job somewhere?? (God knows!) And Shelli heads to Azusa Pacific University in L.A. California in mid-August to begin her 1st year of college.
Pray for our family connection to remain strong during this season as we each try to stay intentional about some of the things we have setup to be together, even if it's over Zoom.
Pray for language learning! We are so excited to learn Spanish and to learn it well!
"...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."
2 Corinthians 3:17
First we said good-bye to Abe & Shelli, and then a few days later we said good-bye to Kallen.
SACRIFICES & GOOD-BYES
At training this past January at MTI in Palmer Lake, CO, they encouraged us to be real with the losses we would be experiencing. They challenged us to actually say "good-bye" versus "see you later," even though we do trust that we will see our kids, parents, and many friends again. As I (Susan) think about so many recent good-byes, the rhythm of the list below reminds me of the book Goodnight Moon, which we read to our children when they were young. Instead it's...
Good-bye Mom
Good-bye Dad
Good-bye Abe, Kallen, & Shelli
Good-bye brothers
Good-bye Scout
Good-bye friends
Good-bye house
Good-bye chainsaw, garden tools, kayak, comfy bed, and living room furniture
Good-bye autumn leaves and winter snow
Some we will see again. Others we may not.
ONE THING AT A TIME
It has been a lot to adjust to a new culture, a new language, a new home, and new friends, while also processing the loss of things we have had to let go of. Wise friends have said, "It's OK if you aim to just get one thing done each day." We have kept this in mind as we have:
Moved into an apartment and made repairs, already!
Shopped for necessary supplies for the apartment
Obtained local phone number for Brook & opened a bank account
Secured wi-fi for the apartment - (in Panamá, it's pronounced Wee-Fee!)
Explored numerous grocery stores and found one that is more reasonably priced. (Groceries are SO expensive here.)
Figured out how to take the Metro, Bus, & Uber
Showed our kids around their new home in Panamá and learned how to visit some tourist attractions (i.e. Panama canal) without a car.
Joined a gym! (It's always awkward the first time you go to a gym and figure out how everything works. And now, it's all in Spanish!)
Started establishing relationships with the doorman of our apartment building, the grocery store worker in the store on our street, the Hertz rental car woman, and several others.
There was one day we were walking home around 7 pm and we said to each other, "Wow! We actually got two things done today! We opened a bank account and also went grocery shopping!” We were exhausted, but felt so accomplished!
We would love to have you join us and be a part of the Panamá team!
If you would like more information about what partnership looks like, please reach out to us for more information:
Email: brookandsusan@gmail.com
Susan's cell: (425) 372-6041
Brook's cell: (570) 580-0808
The following statement is required for compliance with US tax law for tax deductible contributions: The Free Methodist Church-USA commits to making every effort to honor your requested gift designation. In the event this is not possible, or funding exceeds the need, your gift will be applied to a similar ministry area that best meets the needs of the church.
Selbys are associates with Free Methodist World Missions, 5235 Decatur Blvd, Indianapolis, Indiana 46241, United States, 425.372.6041
