From the U.S. to Panama to Egypt—what a season!

Priscila Matamoros
5 days ago
3 min read

Hi friends,

It’s hard to believe all that’s happened since March—I feel like I’ve lived a full year in a couple of months! Thank you for being part of this journey with me. Your prayers and encouragement matter more than I can express. Here’s a peek into what these past months have looked like and what’s ahead.

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Personal Glimpses

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Before all the busyness, I squeezed in a quick 5-day trip to Scotland with a friend and my flatmate—a breath of fresh air before the marathon ahead.While in the U.S., I loved visiting my brother in D.C. (he was interning at the Spanish Embassy! I’m a proud sis) and feeding my art-loving soul at the National Gallery—twice. In Idaho, I reconnected with lifelong friends and my American grandparents, Les and Jan.

After Panama, I spent 10 days in Costa Rica with family I hadn’t seen in years—a precious but intense time.

However, I’ve had recurring stomach issues for the past year, and it flared up again after Egypt. It's been a bit frustrating, but I’m getting checkups to rule out anything more serious.

On the brighter side, I’ve been soaking in the Barcelona summer. The beach is my favourite place to unwind, and I’m lucky to live just 45 minutes from the sea. I make the most of my days off to relax, reflect, and enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean!

This whole season has been an exercise in trusting God for strength—and He has been faithful.

What’s Happening Now & What’s Next

I’m currently in Barcelona, fresh from a short trip to Egypt helping prepare for a medical outreach. This month is all about planning and laying foundations before the next wave hits:

Finalising Ethne presentations and documents for future opportunities
Leading our Awaken Leaders’ Retreat (15 people) to recharge and connect before the semester starts
Preparing for the Awaken Retreat—a big event for 100+ young adults where we’re asking God to move powerfully
Working on creative projects for REAL, our women’s conference in November (something that I get to do on the side that allows me to be creative and gives me so much life!)

From mid-September through November, things will pick up with trips, conferences, and key ministry events. Until then, I’m trying to balance planning with some much-needed rest.

Would you pray with me?

Rest & Renewal: I want to start the next season filled, not exhausted. Pray for meaningful rest in August and that I can truly recharge before things get busy again.
Leadership & Team: Awaken is in a transition season after four key leaders moved abroad. Please pray for the right people to join the team and for wisdom as we rebuild leadership with both maturity and a servant heart.
Ethne’s Next Steps: As we prepare documents, presentations, and processes, pray for clarity, excellence, and discernment as new opportunities and partnerships open up in North Africa and beyond.
Fall Events: Pray for the upcoming Awaken Leaders’ Retreat, Awaken Retreat, and all Ethne-related trips and partnerships this semester—that they would be Spirit-led and fruitful.
Health & Healing: Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve had recurring stomach issues for the past year, and it flared up again after Egypt. I’m getting checkups to rule out anything serious—please pray for wisdom for the doctors and for complete healing.
Finances: If you've read this far you've noticed this year has been busy busy busy! That means I haven't been taking on freelancing work, and I'm still in the fundraising process. I am praying to raise $750 of monthly support by the end of the year, trusting that God has all my needs covered as he faithfully has.

THANK YOU for standing with me in prayer and encouragement. I can't express my gratitude enough! Your partnership truly makes this work possible! I'd love to hear from you as well, is there any way in which I can stand with you, near or far? Please let me know!