First off, the morning started off as a beautiful day while Aaron, Miles, and I (Nick) were sleeping in our bunks. That was until Carolyn decided to knock on our door screaming “PASTOR JEFF, PASTOR JEFF!” So reluctantly we got out of our beds and asked what the problem was. Apparently the whole team decided to pull a prank on the three of us. They woke up early and placed all of their clothes, shoes, bracelets, etc. on the ground as if God raptured them. They hid in room 11(a separate room) and finally came out to scare us. It was a good prank(:

After that we had breakfast, which consisted of pineapple, bread, and cereal. We changed into our uniforms and went off to the kids school right beside us. They were so cute and fun to minister to. We got to pray for so many of them and we took lots of pictures!! Then we made our way home and had an American meal of cheeseburgers and fries! Then made our way to another high school to minister to. Once they saw that we had our stomp routine on trash cans, they brought out their drums and played their own routine. It was amazing! And now it’s pouring down rain, just like every other day. This has been an amazing life-changing trip! We can’t believe we only have one day left here!

We will all see you soon!!!!!!!

-Makena and Nick

Makenaa herrrrrrr! Mom I was so surprised to hear from you on the blog!!!! I was soo happy it almost brought me to tears!! I miss you and always think of you when I see the moon hear. I definitely don’t wanna leave. I want to stay here forever. I MISS you Rachel soooo so so so so much and I will pray for you and your family that you are safe and that the devil will be struck down so he cannot hurt your family. I love you and your family and I will see you WHEN I COME BACK!! If you want come early early early on Friday morning to my house and I will tell you everything I loveeeeeeeee uuuuuuuuuu<33333

Shout-outs for Nicks buds: James, little brother I miss you so friggen much and I love you. Evan all I have to say is Bruce Willis. Brooke, sorry but I cant tell you anything about the orphans because I was sleeping on the couch the whole time we were there. Ellie, little sis just wanted to tell you that im trying not to be a super sketch . Mom, Denise, I love you. My other mommas, I love you all and thank you for the words of encouraging words.

Nick- I guess that’s it. We will see you June bugs in about three days time. Makena left so im gonna write whatever I want so poopy poop dumby face maggey haha no but we both miss you. Bye for now.

Siplivy Family – Thanks for the comments Katie! I’m SOOO glad to hear that there is a new girl in the family, and I LOVE the name Stella! Michele, as for the food, that is way too kind. But before you feel too bad for me, my refrigerator is always empty like that. Brooke – I hope my kids are behaving for you. Thank you so much for taking care of them! I love you all.

Madi- This one is short, I promise. Just dropping in to say hi again, and to EVERYONE that I love and miss so dearly back home, I don’t want to leave this place. It’s too much fun. Therefore, I’m staying for another 2 months. J-j-j-j-jussst kidding. But I can’t wait to get home to tell you everything, and read every single one of your loving texts. I miss you guys; I’ll see you soon!

Jenna- Hello to my familia! I miss you all like crazy, and I cannot wait until I get to see you on Friday morning bright and early:) Tell Grandma and Pop-pop that I miss them so much! Tell Aunt Cindy and Uncle Doug and Reed and Cade that I can’t wait to swim in the freezing cold lake with them. Jourdan-I love you so much and I have many stories to tell you when I return. Corinne-my life just isn’t the same without you. Grace-I miss the sleepovers we have with Kaylee every other day! Mommy- I miss you so much that words cannot describe! Don’t worry…I will be home soon! Daddy-I love you very very much, and I’ll see you soon! Um…who’s picking me up at the airport??—just wondering:) LOVE YOU ALLLLL<3 oh yes…and Ellie and Katie…I miss you both SO much!

Hey everyone! It’s Caley and Laura. Today we woke up pretty close to 6:00 to get ready for breakfast, which consisted of a variety of foods including Pb&j, cereal, toast with jelly, and pineapple. It was super good. Then we went out to the new YWAM orphanage property to move brick for the masons. We laid some out in groups of 50, and others in groups of 25. We made the best come out of the heat, mud, and sweat by singing and taking pictures. We had a lot of fun. Once that was done we split into two groups. One group left to play soccer at the rehabilitation center, and the other group left to go back to our base. While the bus started leaving for the base, those left that were going to play soccer ended up pushing the bus because it got stuck. Frequency got schooled in the soccer game…but we did get a goal! (Thanks to Aaron who made a GREAT play. So thanks Aaron.) After soccer, the soccer team went back to the camp. We all got cleaned up and then ate lunch. Today, we had rice and chicken and corn soup. The soup also had roots and yucca in it. Dessert was jello.  It was sooo good.

We did a large school in David… the bad news is we forgot our STOMP sticks at the base… they got moved from our usual spot and were overlooked… But we improvise! PJeff always says we have to be flexible! The pastor from the church on Sunday went to his music academy and got us drum sticks so we were in business again! The program went great and so many students raised their hands to make Jesus #1 in their life. The school had a girl commit suicide last week so many hearts were open as our students shared their testimonies!

We’ll conclude the day as usual; with devotions and prayer…. and let’s not forget, reading your comments! So make sure you guys keep commenting for us. It’s super encouraging to hear from our friends and family every night.

Well, that’s all for now!

Keep checking the blog to see what’s up in Panama! We love you all and we miss you.

Shout out time!!

Caley Deremer – Hi mom! I miss you so much, I can’t wait to come home and see you. I’m okay and it’s been fun. How are Todd and Rouger doing? I miss them so much.

Madi Hartwell- Heyyy! Wassup Pennsylvania? I don’t know about how it is up there, but Panama is pretty darn amazing. I proofread the blogs before Pjeff goes off to post them, so I figured I’d say hi. CHERITH. I totally laughed my head off when you posted that you almost attacked some girl that looked like me. Priceless. BROOKE, I miss your beautiful face as well. I’ll be looking for the tent that you mentioned when we arrived, and I expect you to be in it(: KELSI, I miss you, girlie. And I love you! For the family, I miss you guys. I have so many cool things to tell you. Also…I want my pillow. So badly. My pillow consists of my extra sheets stuffed inside my pillowcase. So if you could send my pillow…(just kidding. It’s kind of comfortable). Anyways, I’m gonna head out. I love how my shout-outs are the longest…Haha. Cya!

Hello everybody! So today is the 6^th day of our trip and we are still seeing wonderful things happen. This morning we had breakfast at 8am and left to go to Centro s Adoracion Cristiana Church. The service started out with amazing worship. We sang a lot of songs familiar to us, including ‘God of this City”, “I Can Only Imagine”, “Open The Eyes of my Heart Lord”, and “You are Good”, which were all in Spanish. The music was fantastic. Afterwards, we did a 40-minute program. We had a lot of fun doing dramas, stomps, and sharing our testimonies. The whole congregation really enjoyed it.  Pastor Jeff then spoke about the importance of keeping the family together and the passion that goes along with it. He called people to the altar who were struggling with sickness, needed hope, and he called a special one for the fathers. All in all, the service was truly amazing! We also all got CD’s of the church’s worship songs for free… we were so excited!

When church was over, they fed us lunch. It consisted of fried rice with chicken and plantains. (Kaitlyn LOVED the plantains!) Then we all piled into the van and went to Teen Challenge. It was a center for troubled people of all ages. We did a 2-hour program (yes, TWO hours) for them. Our program pretty much consisted of everyone giving a testimony and every single drama/dance/stomp that we have. The crowd loved it! It was super hot though, and we were wearing 5-inch thick navy blue polos in the beating sun. Luckily, we got to move into the shade. Sarge closed the program… it was basically a sermon. He called anyone up that needed prayer and then all the fathers (Hence, Happy Father’s Day). To end our time at Teen Challenge, we prayed and then some of us played volleyball and basketball with the natives, or inmates, as Sarge says. It was mucho fun!

On our bus ride home, it started to rain (hallelujah!). Now we are sitting in our battle room, which is our prayer/devos/blog room. We are going to have dinner, then devos and prayer. We can’t wait to eat…the food is always muy delicioso here!! Continue praying for all of us… we still have 4 more days!!! Love you all!!

Shout Outs:

Aaron:

I love my entire family… Happy fathers day dad. I don’t have enough space to type your names or I would. I love you Katie. I love you Izzy James and Jordan! Cant wait to see you guys again and tell you all the stories!

Kaitlyn:

I miss everyone sososoosososoo much!!! To Luke, Sydney, & David, I’ll tell daddy happy father’s day:). Love you guys!

Miles:

Hi guys. I miss you and sad I’m missing father’s day and I was wondering if we got the new house and what the overall status is! I love you guys see you soon.

Hi Dad its Laura I miss you happy Fathers Day I wish you the best I miss not playing soccer with you can’t wait to come home, Lisa I miss you so munch when I come home you and me will hang out ok mom I miss you too can not wait to see you love you all bye love Laura D

Makena herrr! Hi happy fathers day daddy!!! Hope you get this cause I told Rachel to tell you about the blog!!! I love you and I pray for our family everyday love you all and miss you!!<3

Aeriel: Happy Father’s Day Dad! I always seem to be out of the country around this time of the year but I hope you had an amazing day. Thanks so much for everything that you do for me I love and miss you very much! (Mom please read this to dad since I know he’s technologically challenged and won’t get on the blog haha) Miss all of you can’t wait to see you <3

Abby: Happy Father’s Day Daddy! I miss you so much, you don’t even know. I can’t wait to get a big hug & kiss when I come back home. I’m having an amazing time here & God is really working wonders in Panama & through me. Tell everyone I love them (whether this is Mom or Dad reading this) & make sure to keep commenting! I love you Daddy! (: <33

Kelsi: Hiiiiii, since your like my second Dad Dave, I felt like shouting out to you on fathers day! I’m so glad you came into my life this past year. (: I miss you guys like crazy. Mommmmmmiiie I wuv you and tell Aj I saayyyy hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. (: H@pPy F@tH3rsssss D@yyyyyy! <333

Madi: Hola Padre, Happy Father’s Day! Same to you, grandpa! I love you both so much and (believe it or not, grandpa…) I miss you guys. Being down here has been completely life-changing already…and not because all my pictures got deleted. Story shall come later. >.> Anyways, I love you guys and I can’t wait to see you when I get home. HEY DAD. Get ready to come get me at 4 am on Friday! I know you’re just gonna love that. Haha. Well. Tell mom, grandma, Christian, and Liv that I miss them too, andddd tell Christian that he’s going to FREAK OUT over the present I got him. I know I did, it’s really cool. This is getting long SO. Happy Father’s Day, I love you guys!

Taylor: Happy Father’s Day Daddy! I know this is the first time I’ve missed one and I’m sorry but I miss you sooo soo much! I can’t wait to see you when I get home. I hope Mommy didn’t lose the card I wrote you before I left, sooooo, dinner is ready and I love you so much. Try to have a great father’s day without your favorite child. <3 love you!

Carolyn: Daddy, I hope you had a fantastic weekend with Mom and the boys. I hope that Knobles was awesome as usual. Daddy all I can say is thank you. Thank you for adopting me and for loving me just the way I am, “special” and all. Shout out to you Mom. Thank you for believing me and seeing the best in me, even when I don’t. I miss you and Dad so much, but it’s definitely a lot that I’ve been praying for and I just feel complete here. Shout out to all my siblings. Chris, Mike, and Zach. I love you all so much and I hope that you took care of Dad really well this weekend. Veronica, it is amazing here. I wish I could just put you in my suitcase and take you with me. I know this is going on and on, but thank you all who have been praying for us. Please don’t stop now. Amazing things are happening and are still to come! See you so soon mi familia!!! Love you all!!!

Jen: Feliz Dia de los Padres, Papa!  I love you lots!   Hola mis bebitos, Luke and Sydney!  Hola David and Meesh and Mom!  Te amo todos mucho!  I miss you all soooooo much and can’t wait to see you! Daddy/Dave says hi too!

Melitta: I love you Dad!!

Mackenzi: Ayyyoooo papiiiii. Wassup mayne? I hope you had a fantastic Father’s day without your favorite daughter. I love you a lot and just want to let you know that I’m thankful for all that you’ve done for me..I know I don’t tell you enough. You’re like the best. Pray for me because currently I’m super sick…but don’t worry. Have a safe trip to Florida tomorrow and I’ll see you Thursday!! PEACE MUH BRUTHA. ELLLLIIIEEEEEE…my leedle!  I miss you like crazy. Ashley: I hope you’re being goood and not doing anything that I wouldn’t do. Spencer….you don’t really care so….but I do miss you a lot. & Mom I miss and love you as well. I can’t wait to see you all!!

Caley: How’s your Father’s Day going today Dad? What did you do? Where did you go? I love and miss you and can’t wait to see you!

Thank u God for another amazing day!

“Hola!” from Panama. On this beautiful morning, mostly everyone got up feeling very tired from our amazing late night last night at the church, but we managed to make it up out of our beds and into our dining hall where we ate a delicious batch of American-tasting pancakes with syrup. At exactly 8:45 we loaded into the van and other vehicles and drove into the gorgeous city of Boquete. During the ride we noticed that the clouds seemed to be at an extremely low level. It felt like if we hit a large enough bump in the road we could touch them. We arrived at the pavilion in the town square to present our evangelistic street outreach. This was our second attempt to present it there because we got rained out two days ago, and we were not able to. We did lots of Stomp, and energetic dancing to attract people to our area. We got through one whole presentation that also included a few powerful dramas, testimonies and invitation to accept Jesus. Right before we were about to start a second one, the rain stopped us, so we decided to get in a large circle and just pray over the entire city of Boquete and the people in it. After our time of prayer many of us felt the need to stop by our new favorite coffee shop to get some frappes, coffee, and some small, delicious treats to give us energy for the rest of the day. Next we drove back to our camp site to eat another American-tasting meal (lunch) of macaroni and cheese and hot dogs with the works.. Soon we were off to visit our first orphanage. We arrived during naptime, so we got to see the little Panamanian babies peacefully sleeping. The first up out to the crew was Diego, a baby who we were told was found in a dumpster, getting eaten by ants. Half-awake kids filled the room within 15 minutes. Instantly, crafts were brought out, drawings were made, and face-painting was popular among the energetic children. Sarge’s (Dave Wellman’s) bald head was soon brought to life with bright colors painted on by Maddie and I (Taylor). We happily played with the children for what seemed like not enough time.  It was hard to believe that they all had extremely hard past lives with their families because they had such good attitudes and were a joy to be around. After difficult good byes said by both our team and the little ones, we left for the camp site for an amazing meal of flavorful rice and potato salad. And that takes us to right now as we are sitting in our battle room (oh…sorry:)…our meeting room) waiting for a fun time of devotions, prayer, and debrief about what God in us last night. Just to let you all know…it has been raining ALL week and it is raining right this very second! It has not been very hot at all though. We have been blessed with warm and even some cool weather; the humidity is not a blessing though:). We are still continually seeking God’s direction on this trip, and even though we are already halfway through this trip, we know for a fact that God has already and is going to use us in many more ways!

Shout Outs:

Taylor: Hey mommy and daddy, you probably won’t even read this but I miss you guys a lot, and tell Jordon I love him so much! Give Dakota a kiss and I’ll be home soon so no worries. God is totally working too, love you guys   Happy Fathers Day Daddy!!!

Jenna: Hola mi familia! I’m not sure if you will get this because you might be at the lake with no internet (haha), but here I go anyway. Hi daddy! Happy Fathers Day<3. I’m so sorry i’m not there to celebrate with you. You are the best dad in the whole wide world, and I love you and miss you like crazy. I especially miss your loud singing around the house:). Mommy, I love you so darn much, and I can wait for you to give me a big hug when I get home because I love your warm hugs. Jourdan, Corinne, and Gracie, I hope you are having fun at the lake! I miss my sissys always driving me crazy. Love all three of you! Even though I miss you all so much, God is doing some amazing things down here in Panama! See you soon.

Aaron says he loves his family, his girlfriend, his girlfriend’s family:).

Makena herrrrr!!!!!!!! Okay well family: I LOVE YOU and iss you . you too john hah(: well I cant wait to come back and share everything. You wouldn’t believe the things I have experienced already in 4 days. God is really moving through me and our team. RACHELLLLLLLLLLL!!!! I love you soo so so so much and I hate looking at miles because it reminds me of you hahahaha. Haha no but really I didn’t know how weird miles actually was  until this week I love it(: and visit my mom down at my house .. jk she is in georgia but txt her!! Visit john for me and kiss him on the cheek for mee!! And DON’T FORGET!!!!……… my promise my family doesn’t know about this blog so txt my mom and john and tell my dad to check it because they don’t kow about it and I want them to see whats going on and how im doing!!! I love you and see me when I come back. Tell Austin I miss him sooo so so muchL but cant wait to spend hours and hours telling him all about it(: I love you and pray for our team anytime you can<3 love kenna

Bueños dias! Or….noches, I guess. Today we had an early start to our busiest day yet. It started off with a seven o’clock breakfast of fresh fruit(my favorite!) and oatmeal. Then from there it was off to do two school assemblies. Both of which were huge. The first one that we went to had an upbeat crowd who participated with us and really got into all of our dramas. And then we headed off to the next school. It was HUGE. They had a stadium type arrangement for us to do our program and the stands were packed as well as half of the basketball court. After both services we got to pray and take pictures. After the assemblies we had a lunch at an authentic rotisserie! We ate quickly and we did a little shopping. Up next was the hospital prayers. We all split up into groups: one was to go to the children’s hospital, one was to go to the regular hospital, and the final group was to go into a Nogbe(No-bee) Indian camp. I was among the group to go to the camp, we handed out pamphlets and talked with the people. Most of them are there because they have a family member in the hospital nearby and they can’t afford to stay anywhere else, a lot of times they come with just the clothes on their backs and stay for months at a time. It was really hard to see but the people were extremely nice and friendly. AND NOW….due to dramatic difficulties Aeriel, Kelsi, and Aaron are now taking over. After the camp we went to an Assemblies of God church in the nearby city of Bouquete to do a presentation. Listening to an hour and a half sermon in a language that was foreign to us, after the tiring day we had could have put anyone of us to sleep. Little did we know the night was just beginning and God had amazing things in store for our team. Pastor Jeff had us get around those who were responding to the altar call, and many of us were moved to tears as we layed our hands upon them. The Holy Spirit revealed himself mightily to people and many were slained in the spirit, their hearts crying out to God for a renewed passion. Our team as well was greatly affected and many of us were slain in the spirit, crying out to God like we never have before. Towards the end of the service a man spoke a word over our team saying we would be the “pioneers” of an awakening of the Spirit in the U.S. and through us revival would happen. Most of our team was slain in the Spirit for the second time that night and God revealed his plans to us one by one, calling us to such great things it’s hard to put into words. We went into that service expecting to be a blessing to that congregation but in reality they blessed us far more than they can imagine. God is doing amazing things, not only in Panama but through the lives of each person on this team. Speaking from a leader’s standpoint (Aeriel), parents you should be extremely proud of your kids because they are prayer warriors and they understand the importance of prayer. I can’t wait for them to tell you all the stories of what they experienced, God is bringing forth a movement in this generation and it’s starting with these students, they are truly an inspiring bunch to be around. Keep us in your prayers for the next couple of days and pray that God softens the hearts of the people of Panama. We love you all and can’t wait to see you!

Love,

Kelsi, Aaron, Mackenzi and Aeriel (who wrote most of this just so ya know.)

Shout outs:

Aeriel-

Mom, Dad, Tiana and Chloe I love you all very much and I can’t wait to see you all when I get home. God is doing amazing things here and he’s spoken to me in such a powerful way I can’t wait to tell you all about it. I love you guys and I hope all is well! Mom tell the ladies in the office thanks for their prayers cause I know you most likely read the blog to them every morning (: you guys rock! Erica if your reading this (which you probs aren’t) I love and miss you! Can’t wait to tell you what God has done! Corinne I love you and can’t wait to see you…since I haven’t in like a bajillion years! Mama Sullivan I’m taking care of Kelsi for you..she’s doing amazing out here and she’s constantly making everyone laugh, which we need (: She says she loves you and she has ulcers haha. Zach and James I miss you guys and Zach I saw a Panamanian KFC today and thought of you! <3 you brotha!

On our way to the orphanage to play, perform and pray!

The past 20 hours have transformed our team, and unified us.  Last night during our devotions and prayer, God showed up in an amazing way. By the grace of God, we prayed over every team member that felt they needed to give something over to God. It was the most powerful moment in our team by far. It was sooo timely!!

Today, we visited two schools for young children and both of the presentations went great. At the second school we went to, every child prayed a prayer of salvation. You could sense the genuiness of their prayers as we saw some students even raise their hands!

Then, we were able to explore the city of Boquete and the amazing scenery around it. In the town square we did our stomp skits and some other fun dances inside a gazebo in the pouring rain Many people gathered and watched us perform (some came right in the gazebo including a dog.) We then handed out tracts to the Panamanians and shared the Word of God and we invited them back for Saturday morning. We enjoyed having a little down time, as we shopped and learned more about Panama’s culture such as, no flushing toilet paper and allowing trash cans to ride on the roof of a public bus. Everything is going well and we are accomplishing more than you can imagine. Keep us in your prayers, and GRACIAS for all the prayers that have been sent our way (: LOVE YOU ALL!

Loveeeee, Kelsi and Abby.

PS:

Kelsi- HIIIII mommy, dave, and karli. I miss you all mucho and I bought you all gifts today.  Its amazing here and I wish you could experience this with me. Love you to the moon and back! Keep us in your PRAYERSSSSSSSS. Erica, Brandi, Ellie, James, Brooke & Zach, we miss you allllllllllll lots and lots.  ((((: <3333 oh, and i wuv you mama Yvonne.

Abby- Heyy Mom & Dad! I miss you guys soo much but I am having an awesome time. Ministering to the young children makes this all worth it, even in the pouring rain and heat. I can’t wait to see you guys and expect gifts! (: I love you all sooo much! <33333 keep me in your prayers. P.S. I got amazing pictures for you guys and give Ashley, Amber, Michael, & Jewel a hug & kiss for me!

Aeriel snuck in …..

Hey Mom and Dad and Tiana! I miss you all a lot and I can’t wait to see you when I get back. It’s incredible down here and I can’t wait to share all the stories with you. God is doing amazing things so keep your prayers up. Mom tell Chloe I said hi and I miss her (: and Erica…if by chance you’re reading this I love you to the moon and back always and forever <3

Hey everyone! Madi and Makena here. You’ve been waiting to hear from us, so wait no longer. Get ready (:

Well, here we are! After just about 20 hours worth of traveling, here we sit in Panama. We came into the camp last night, chose our rooms, and had a team meeting with amazing worship and prayer session to finish off the night. We feel that something amazing is really going to happen this week… we can just feel it!

So, about today…cold showers and breakfast with some worship kick started our day. We had an orientation with the missionaries and got to introduce ourselves. We headed down to the orphanage plantation and got a really good vision of what a simple concrete base is going to turn into. The missionaries shared with us how it all came to be, with their visions and how God has provided for them every step of the way. Afterwards, we prayed over the area, and got yet another feeling of how God is going to do something great.

We headed back up to our camp for lunch, a quick change, and headed to an all boys’ rehabilitation center. After we shared a few testimonies and finished up our program with a dance, the boys decided to show us how to REALLY dance…and they showed us they have some mad skills. They were really awesome, and we’re glad to say that we’ll be making our way back to the rehab center to play games with them later this week. We were the first team YWAM has ever had the opportunity to bring there… I believe we’ve paved the way for more ministry to enter there!

As of right now, it’s pouring. It’s been raining off and on all day, so we are going to prepare for some big school assemblies coming in the next two days of 500 and 1000. We are so excited!!

So, with this, we leave you until a blog shows up tomorrow!

We love you all, and we’re feeling the effects of your prayers already!

-Madi and Makena

ONE MORE THING. The gnome has been named!

We call him…..*drum roll*…..DIEGO.

So creative.

P.S-

Makena- hey family-mom dad and john !!! I miss you all so much and cant wait to tell you all about my trip already even though its only been one day(: keep praying!! I love you!

Madi- Hey hey! To everyone I promised to write to on here..

First, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Christian, and Olivia, I love you all so much and I can’t wait to tell you about everything that is happening on this trip. To Mango Deflated Hippo (Marco), Adam, Paul, Jen, Brian, Doug, and everyone else, keep blowing up my phone. I miss my texting buddies. <33 Bye guys!

Jenna wanted to sneak in sooooo….

JENNA- hi mommy and daddy and jojo and rinnie (Cornelius) and gracie lou! I miss you guys like CRAZY, but I’m having an amazing time! Have a fun time at the lake house without me…keep praying that God will work in our team! LOVE YOU ALL<3