never have i ever.
1. stayed in a hostel.
2. Looked forward to a cold shower.
3.Been woken up by a rooster…
4….wanted to go bird hunting so bad!
5. noticed that coke is WAYYYY better than Pepsi.
6.Been a dental assistant
7. eaten oreos and peanut butter so frequent.
8. been part of a bible translation celebration
9. Felt so at home in a familys home that we’d only known for a week!
10. rode in a taxi going up a mountain on a one way road going 80 MPH #lastwordsrecordedjustincase
11.knew that it was possible for people to think the car horn is what makes the car go. #goodthingilovehonkinghorns #literallyfor30secondsstraightonetime #…..
PANAMA!!!!
Unsung Heroes. We arrived in Panama knowing NO ONE, not able to speak the language, had NO idea how the transportation system worked, not knowing the good parts or bad parts of the country, which meant that finding out lodging was tricky, and our guess of what our month was suppose to look like was as good as yours.
To put it simply… it was ALL God. He knew that we were going to meet and build relationships with over 15 different people and ministries by the end of the month. He protected us as we walked throughout the city, got in taxis, and stayed in random hostels. He crossed our paths with people that we would have never even thought about looking for. And He let us be apart of some pretty incredible things along the way. I wish I could go into detail about every little thing, but we can do that when we go on a coffee date in 11 months! 😉 Until then, here’s some of my favorites:
-Through our vine of contacts we were invited to be apart of a medical mission in an impoverished area near the city dump. It was held at a small school at the top of the hill. I got to be a Dentists Assistant and watch him pull out teeth!! It took everything I had to keep a straight face!!!
-Hostels. They each have their own personality and the people there are awesome to say the least. Conversation is different in hostels. Its more genuine, when you begin talking to these people that come from all over the world, you realize that the conversation doesnt seem rushed. They aren’t just conversing to fill the silence. They aren’t talking with you because they have to. There’s a form of intentionality about it. There’s people from all walks of life, and every story is different and interesting and worth catching a glimpse of. These people understood that. And the best part… you weren’t competing against their phones… EVER!!! Also, they never seemed to be rushed out of the conversation. I learned a lot from these people!
-Jesus in the Park. Pastor Ricardo’s Church put on an event at the park in the middle of David, Panama. They invited us to go to the park and hand out bibles. They performed skits, puppet shows, played games with the kids that came by, and Ash & I got to paint kids faces!! Oh… and one of the girls that was helping put all this on… she’s from Utah.. graduated in 2008 from Alta High School… WHHHAT!?! haha. Also, the people that make up this church is about 35 people, mostly under the age of 20 and they are some of the most caring, kindest, loving people i’ve ever met.
-Jim, Emma and Edee, Words cant describe this family. They have been such an incredible blessing to us. Without them, our last week in Panama would have been incomplete. They were so incredibly welcoming, they treated us as if we had been family forever. They made us one of the best meals, and I truly had never felt so appreciative of a homemade meal ever. Their hospitality was out the roof! wow! I can’t even begin to describe how impactful this family was to me!
There’s so so so much more as far as events go. There has been so many lessons learned, seeds planted, and growth that has happened in this one month. To be honest, I don’t think any of us will be able to see what God has done within each of us, in our team, and within Panama until weeks, months, or years down the road.
For me personally, after one week of reflecting… God has and still continues to teach me about what it looks like to truly be present. It’s not about getting to the final destination as fast as we can. Is it good to have goals? Of course. But most times, we are so concerned about the end result that we completely over look the journey, we fill up the unknown turns and climbs of each day with something. Each day is jammed packed. But where does that leave room for God to intervene? How are we able to fit people into that schedule when we ourselves don’t even know they exist? If we have every minute of every hour of the day planned out, where does our adventure come from? We often complain that life becomes monotonous. We wake up each morning and I hope that we all have a desire for the day to be GREAT, fabulous, for something amazing to happen! But if we try to take control of each day… those things aren’t impossible (because God is able)… but they are going to be less frequent. My challenge to all of us is to be where you are and enjoy it. Right now you’re reading this blog. be HERE. Don’t worry about what you have to do in 5 minutes, or where you’re going to navigate to next. Accept that you’ve been given this time to read through this. Appreciate that you are ABLE to read and that your are wealthy enough that you have a device to read this on. Being present is deeper than just saying we are. Honestly, I have sooo much more to learn about it. But I know it’s good, and I know that it makes a world of difference.
I was hoping to post photos and a video of the month, but we are away from wi-fi so I will when I get a chance. We will be ministering to the slums of Costa Rica in Los Guidos. My team will be helping out at a school. Our Host Mark, told us that this school is the most challenging school in the area. Somedays we’re not even sure if we will be allowed in. The walk to the school is short, but we’ve been advised to stay on that one path only, because of the area. Please pray for God’s hand over our team and squad as a whole, for His protection and guidance. For the school and the children that attend and for the town of Los Guidos, I will keep you all updated through blogging when and if I get the opportunity. I miss you all and seriously whole heartedly have felt your love and prayers!
Last but not least I am officially 50% funded!!!! Oh my goodness!!!!!! You all are soooo incredibly wonderful!!!! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!! You all are making meeting my third deadline so awesome! The next one is coming up at the end of november, which is a total of $11,500! If you feel led to donate, you can do that at the top of the page on this blog! The amount is irrelevant because big or small, both are HGE blessings! And our God is a God that multiplies offerings! 🙂 I’m so grateful for each of you!!
