Thinking Ahead...

So, I have been thinking a lot lately about my life, and I have found that I really need to have some goals so that I can continue to move forward in life. I have never really had a job, except for the three months that I worked at Subway, so I'm not really sure what I'm good at. I've only really been in the mission field and working for God, which is good, but I really want to do something that I like to do while at the same time glorify God with it.

So as of now, these are the goals I would like to accomplish this year:

1. I am currently volunteering at 2 local schools close to my home here in Panama. I am teaching English from first to sixth grade. I enjoy it, but the kids are shy which makes it difficult at times. My goal here is to learn to teach in a way that the kids actually remember enough English so that it can help them to get jobs in the future. I want to teach them enough that can have small conversations with English speakers by the end of the year. It's going to take a LOT of work, but I know God is on my side and He will help me to teach them in way that they can understand.

2. We will be having our first DTS in July. The first month and a half will be held at the YWAM base in Panama City, while the last month and a half will be hosted here in Bocas del Toro, at my house :) I will be volunteering as DTS staff, which is new for me. I recently graduated from my DTS in San Jose, Costa Rica last November, and this new position is exciting for me. I will be working with the students, helping them along as their relationship with God grows. My goal here is to raise the money I need in order to become staff for this DTS.

3. After the DTS is done in November, I had the option of doing a School of Worship in Costa Rica in January. However, after much thought and prayer, I really feel lead to go to college and get a degree in teaching English as a second language. This way, after I get my degree I can go anywhere in the world and help young and old people learn English and they will be able to get better jobs. English is used world-wide and I have found here in Panama that people are more likely to be hired if they are bilingual. So my goal here would be to get everything I need in order to get accepted into a college here in Panama.

4. I would also like to learn more guitar. :)

These are my goals. I ask that you would please consider praying for me during these transitions for me as well as for my parents. They will be joining the staff for the new DTS as well.

Also, I really need to raise support during this time, so if you feel at all lead to help me out, please email me at rebeanna@gmail.com or you can message me on facebook!

:) Thanks. God bless you all!

New Stuff. :)

Hey all!
God be with you!

I just wanted to write and tell everyone what's up out here in Panama!
At the moment I am in Panama City with my parents. We are meeting with the Youth With A Mission base leaders here because we want to have a Discipleship Training School at our house in Bocas del Toro in July! Half of the first three months of lecture will be in Panama City, and the other half will be in Bocas del Toro. This is very exciting for us because we have never had a school at our base before! Having this school will get things moving along with our base. I will also be joining the DTS staff, meaning I will be helping with the students as they work through the school. I've never done this, and I am very excited for it.

I am also volunteering at 2 schools and both sides of my house. I am teaching English to the students everyday, 3 days at one school, 2 days at the other. I am really looking into being a teacher in the future, so this is going to be great practice for me. I am praying that God can use me to show love to these children. I will be teaching grades 1-6. It is a year-long commitment so I will keep at it until school lets out in December, and then I am hoping to go to college to get a teaching degree. However, I still want to do the School of Worship in Costa Rica that has been postponed twice this year. I am playing guitar as much as possible, I believe it keeps me sane haha. I play for church services at times and just when I want to be with God. But I want to grow in worship as well.

Please pray for direction as I look for opportunities to serve and be a part of our lovely community. I want to build more relationships with the Indigenous people on our island.
Also pray for the relationship between me and my parents, as we are always together, and sometimes stress builds because it's hard to get away.
I also need to raise more support during this time to pay for staff fees and to buy a canoe to go to and from the schools everyday. At the moment I am borrowing my neighbor's 15-foot canoe, and it's a little hard to row because it's so big.
Please pray about partnering with me during this new season of changes in my life. I believe God is going to do something huge in our area.
Thanks everyone!
Please let me know how you're all doing!
Love you guys!
Reanna Kapsar

What does Easter mean to you?

Easter… everyone has different traditions, different beliefs, for what makes Easter, Easter. For me, Easter means eating a nice, late brunch with the family, finding my gift basket, looking for boiled eggs, Easter-egg hunts…but what good is all of that if I don't know the true meaning of Easter? It's all meaningless! Easter should be a day of remembering what Christ did for us! It's the most important thing that has ever happened! Without that one event, we would all be lost. Without the love that God has given us, there would be no hope. God doesn't need us! God didn't have to give his ONLY son to die for US!! We should be giving ourselves to HIM!! He made Himself a living sacrifice for pieces of dust. We don't deserve anything that He has given us. But He gives with love and mercy. There is nothing, NOTHING, in this world that is greater than that which our savior has graciously given to us.

And so, I ask myself, why would God, who made all of creation, the air that we breathe, why would He want to save sinners like us? He loves us more than we could ever know, and we don't give Him enough credit. We say things like, "If God loves us then why did Haiti have this horrible earthquake and kill all of those innocent people?" or "If God loves us then why are there poor people?" or "If God really loves us then how come He doesn't give me what I want?"

God doesn't make bad things happen. However, He also doesn't stop them from happening. If everything in the world was good and everyone had what they wanted, why would we need God? He longs to be close to us. I have heard that some of the best times in a parent's life is when their child has cried out to them for help. It builds their relationship and they become close in that moment. That's the same thing that God wants from us! He wants us to call out to Him for help!! It says so in Jeremiah 33:3. Also, God DOES give us what we want, in the end. Every human on earth wants salvation. We were made with a longing for something greater than what we can grasp. God gives us that. Sometimes we try to fill our gaps with sex or alcohol or drugs, but we all know that we can't be satisfied! This world does not even begin to fill our satisfaction when we compare our lives now to our life in Heaven. This life is like a blink! We waste so much time trying to fight God and fighting ourselves that we completely MISS the point of our existence!! Why do we exist? What is our purpose? God designed us all differently, but we all have the same purpose: to glorify God! What greater purpose is there? And it's totally free! All we have to do is say "yes" and God helps us to overcome ourselves! It's a difficult road, but it's well worth it when you're in Heaven, receiving rewards for working for God on earth. I can't even imagine the things that martyrs receive. I envy them. Not because of their rewards, but for their courage. Can you imagine actually dying just because you believe in a god that others disagree with? It makes me feel too comfortable in my own environment. I feel like I should more…out there. Even though I'm here in Panama, it doesn't seem like I'm doing enough to proclaim the name of Jesus. In the Bible it says something about how when people accept you for who you are, you aren't living a real Christian life, that you most people will NOT like you because of your faith. I haven't had anyone hate me for love Jesus, and I'm ashamed of that.

Anyways… happy Easter everyone J Don't forget to thank Jesus for what He did for you, even though He didn't have to. Love you all. Be blessed.

P.S. I love Bocas del Toro sunsets :)