'ibmissions' file 'prayerletter_creech_robert_9603'

The new year is always a good opportunity to review that which the Lord has allowed us to accomplish in the past year, and to seek His will in a plan for the coming one.   Here is a summary of the year 1995 for our ministry here in Panama, and some plans that we hope to see become reality in 1996.

SUMMARY OF 1995

The correspondence school handled a total of 3,790 studies, down from 6,214 the year before. Though we did not have as much volume, we worked more in depth with the students.
The Lord used several churches to give us the Gestetner CopyPrinter, which has enabled us to produce materials much more economically and with greater flexibility.   We also acquired some upgrades for the computer which gives us a pretty good desktop publishing capability.   Our second annual seminar, sponsored by the correspondence school, was a big success, with twice the attendance of the previous year.   Also, we gained several new distributors, including three among the Kuna indians.

In March we started the ministry of putting packages of Bible materials on ships passing through the Panama Canal.   We go alongside the ships in a small boat and throw the packages aboard.   We have obtained materials in more than twenty different languages, including cassette tapes of a Gospel presentation.   Our home church just sent a tape duplicator so that we can reproduce the cassettes.   We started out with a tiny wooden boat, but the Lord touched the heart of a man here in Gatun, and he bought us a brand new all fiberglass boat much more suited to the job.   The Berean Baptist Church of Houston, Texas and our home church went together to get us an outboard motor.   We go out two or three times per week, and recently we received a response from a ship with a Cuban crew.

In August we began visiting the Costa Abajo region of the Atlantic coast.   This remote area is very open and receptive.   So far, we have one congregation started and on the last trip a family in another community said that they want to be baptized and start a church there.

In September we officially changed the mission here in Gat=FAn to Spanish speaking.   We usually have about twenty in attendance.

None of this would have been possible without the help, prayers, and support of many people.   Thanks to all who had a part.   Special thanks to our home church for coming through for us so generously and faithfully.   We appreciate Brother Ed Eitelman, pastor of White River Baptist Church, for getting our prayer letters out.   Of course, all of our supporting churches have an essential part in our being here.   We especially appreciate those who pray regularly for the ministry here.
_May the Lord richly bless you all.

Robert Creech
rcreech@ns.sinfo.net