Short answer: God.  There is no other way to explain these occurrences.  The second person we met in Panama was the sister-in-law of the current President, Ricardo Martinelli.  At the time we met Ivonne, we had NO idea that she had a family member that was running for office and had a chance to win.  We just thought that we were meeting someone that ran an orphanage.  Ivonne really liked us and has stayed in touch ever since last March.  She has invited us to many events and gotten us in touch with different individuals in the area of adoption/orphan care.  Then when her brother-in-law actually became president of Panama, she connected us with the person that was about to be named as Director over adoptions, Gloria.  You may recall from our last newsletter that we were meeting with Gloria weeks before she took office officially, and presented the Proposal for Progressive Implementation at her request.  Gloria is an amazing woman that has a big heart for these kids.   

If you remember how we originally came to Panama, it was because the Lord opened the door for us to get in touch with the previous First Lady, who welcomed us to come and work in this way.  However, we soon realized that a wall was put up in the adoption office.  Things were so bad, that they did not want us to see how truly horrible it was.  We worked with the government for a few months, but as of February of this year the direct work with the previous government came to a halt.  Later we learned from our contacts that they realized they were going to be out of power soon and basically quit working.  Meanwhile the children kept waiting.  Frustration had definitely set in on our part.  But, we knew the Lord had called us here for a reason and continued working where He led.  We were able to work directly with several orphanages to do family investigations with them; we assisted with projects like the birthday parties once a month, godparent program, and infant massage; as well as worked on various other things as the Lord led, such as providing counseling and tutoring of one abused orphan, and even taking orphans to the hospital when an orphanage was short staffed.  We met with local churches to raise awareness and encourage the local Body to get involved.  The Lord opened many doors, but looking back this past year has been a time of investigating the current overall system in Panama.  Then, when we went to write the Proposal, God gave the wisdom and insight to see how all we had learned over the past year could be used to make specific recommendations for change. 

Bottom line, God's ways are higher than our ways.  What seemed to be a lost cause was only the Lord's way of patiently preparing us for the task ahead.  God had to do a lot of surgery on our hearts, and literally make us die to ourselves over and over again.  Our desires and efforts mean nothing.  Only when we surrender our will to the Father's, can we be used.  We are truly humbled.  We know, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Lord and He alone has opened this door.  How Matt and Misty Hedspeth from Raleigh, North Carolina could be chosen for this task is beyond our imaginations.  We could have NEVER orchestrated any of these events on our own.  Only the Mighty Hand of the Father could have done this. 

So, we want to praise the Lord.  He is mighty to save!  If He can save me from my sins, grant me salvation through His Son Jesus Christ, He can surely do miracles like this.  I know my Father is able to do this and SO much more.  Please rejoice with us and praise the Lord.  We also ask that you continue to pray for the Lord's wisdom and guidance.  We do not want to run around with busyness as the goal, but only focus on those items that He is leading us to focus on.  We know that anything done in our own power is completely pointless.  We want to walk in step with the Lord.