We have been blessed to have a good and longstanding relationship with the Panamanian police stationed here in the jungle. Over the years, they would watch out for us and keep us safe. Several times, if areas were questionable for us to be going into, they would even travel with us.


This bond came when the police commander asked Dennis how to keep his young soldiers from committing suicide. The police are trained in the jungle and then sent to the border of Columbia and Panama, where all the drug farms are. It is so dangerous that many do not make it back alive. Dennis told him the only way to deal with fear is to get them grounded in the word of God, so the commander made it mandatory that the only radio station the police were allowed to listen to was Radio Vida, our station. One year later, he reported all suicides stopped because his soldiers were well grounded in the Word of God. They now financially support the radio station every month. As the years passed, our relationship with the police has grown even stronger. They all look after us as if we were their own parents.


Yesterday, we were coming back from a town about 40 minutes from our house. One of our tires blew out right in front of a hidden police car with a radar gun. Ha! The policeman got out and said, "You’re going to have to move your car Dennis because we're catching people speeding in this area.” They couldn’t catch people speeding, if they were all slowing down for him changing his tire! We drove a short distance to a safe place where a young man came out and said, “Mr. Cook, how can we help you?” Dennis said, “Well I had a tire blow out and need to take it off and put my spare on.” The young man did it for him without charging anything. He said, “Tell your kids I said hi" and mentioned them all by name.


Today, the police came to our house, as they often do, to check on us and talk to Dennis. They had a mud flap that came off our car when the tire blew. They said, “We think this might be yours, so we brought it by.”


We count our blessings every day to have been able to live in this area for so long. We know and are known by nearly everyone here. We all love and take care of each other.

CHILDREN REACHING CHILDREN

We just purchased a lot of new materials for our Sunday school classes. This is for ages 2-5 and 6-12. We have a lot of children in these age groups.


Our vision is to make sure every child has a personal relationship with God and is full of the word of God.


Due to the ongoing COVID travel restrictions for visiting the Indian villages, we have been unable to highlight a student for this month. We will begin doing this again as soon as we can.

COOK'S RESIDENCE

On August 5th, Dennis and I will celebrate our 53rd wedding anniversary. I am sure all we will do is look at each other and say “Oh, Happy Anniversary!". Ha! Not much to do in the jungle, especially when there is nothing open.


Liliana will turn 20 on August 22. Goodness, time sure flies. She is going to Bentley university in Boston Massachusetts

PRAYER

  • God's covering to shelter the villages of Puerto Lara and Arrimae against the COVID-19 virus
  • Victory for those facing financial challenges to faithfully support God's work in Panamá
  • The anointing over Estereo Vida as a lifeline in Darién to reach the lost and build up the Church
  • Strength and joy for our pastors faithfully serving God and their communities against extreme challenges
  • The physical, mental, and emotional health to give our best to His work every day
  • For the churches here as they endeavor to keep up with the many new people coming to the Lord
  • For the radio station and for our son Jason. He is the administrator of all the new programs, etc.

FINANCES

Praise God for moving through our faithful supporters to provide the means for a radio station floor and windows! Also, thank you for meeting the needs of getting our weed eater, chain saw, and lawn mower belts fixed. When the quarantine is lifted, we will send them into the city to be repaired.

  • Updated radio station computer ($3,000)
  • Maintenance of our air conditioning system ($1,800) used to protect electronics
  • Building of a pole barn to house the ministry tractor and implements ($3,000)

PEOPLE

  • A handyman to maintain our facilities
  • A small team to keep up our land maintenance
  • A tech to support radio, internet and other systems
  • A person to manage our Christian book store
  • A Sunday school administrator
  • Leaders for our children and youth outreaches

PLEASE STAY TUNED

Even though our individual and group events are currently on hold or cancelled due to travel restrictions, it's time to start planning for 2021! If you're interested in bringing a group next year, please contact us at jeanne.vidamin@gmail.com or contactvidamin@gmail.com.


Together, we are making a difference in the jungles of Panamá! We have hundreds of new believers to disciple and build firm foundations in their lives.