Last month was like none other. My team and I explored Panama to find Unsung Heroes.
Unsung Hero (n.):
Men and women who are dedicated to serving some of the most impoverished populations in the world, yet rarely receive recognition for their dedication and service. These givers may also live with meager conditions but give consistently from an abundance of God’s love. Their names may not be in history books, their acts unknown to the rest of the world, while unrecognized, they shake a generation and move a culture and ultimately build the Kingdom. [Definition from the Unsung Hero Forum.]
Panama is a country of only 29,000 sq miles, slightly smaller than South Carolina, it sits between South and Central America and is bordered by Costa Rica and Colombia. Panama is a long and narrow country ranging from 30 to 120 miles wide. It also has more than 2,000 miles of coast line on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Panama is unique because of the canal that splits the country in two halves, eastern and western regions. The population of Panama is about 2.8 million, the majority being people of mixed Spanish and indigenous descent. Approximately 85% of the population claims to be Roman Catholic. [Statistics from the Word of Life Panama website.]
When my team and I got to Panama, we didn’t have much to go on. We picked a hostel and got to work researching the local cities in our assigned East coast region. Our first and best leads turned up almost impossible to access. After four days in Panama City we really had no clue where to go, but we knew we were supposed to go and find heroes, so my team leader and friend, Brianna, just picked a place on the map, and by morning we bought bus tickets to our first destination: El Valle de Anton in the Cocle providence of Panama.
This beautiful valley wasn’t on our original radar because it is southwest of our assigned region of Panama, but I know without a doubt it was on God’s radar from the start. We fell in love with El Valle instantly and chose to make it our home based to take day trips in the Cocle providence to meet with churches, non-profits and camps all serving in Panama to spread the love and gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Unsung Hero I have the pleasure to introduce to you in Word of Life Panama, located in the city of Chame. Word of Life Panama was established in 1988. Today the ministry is directed by Mirko & Traci Delibasich. Over 600 young people attend camp each year. Their ministry also includes Bible Clubs, drama presentations such as “Born Again to a Living Hope” and Children’s Shows, sports marathons and other evangelistic outreaches.
They have a huge heart for discipleship and evangelism, especially to the kids and youth of Chame. They also work in indigenous villages, most of which are only accessible by boats. As I touched on above, some of their ministries include, but are not limited to:
– Saturday bible clubs at local churches.
– A Big bible event once a month that reaches 300-500 local kids.
– Puppet shows to interactively teach kids and teens about AIDS.
– Week long camps for kids in January and February during their school break.
Their camp was tucked near the base of a beautiful mountain. I could tell instantly that all the staff, Traci and Mirko especially, loved what they did. Every part of the property was well maintained and each building and area had a specific reason for being there.
– Bunk houses, showers and bathrooms for the campers.
– A swimming pool to teach campers how to swim, which evidently isn’t a normal skill to learn in Panama.
– A worship pavilion that doubles as their meal hall.
– A second covered pavilion that doubles as an indoor basketball court.
– Three soccer fields.
I ask that you pray for the Word of Life Panama campground and ministry. They are in need of more Spanish speaking volunteers and would love for more mission teams to help them spread the gospel throughout Panama, especially the Cocle providence. They also are in the process of paving the roads in the camp to reduce the wash out and flooding of the property during the rainy season in Panama. [And by rainy season I mean torrential downpours that last for hours. I’ve never experienced or seen anything like it.]
If you would like more information please visit their website at: http://panamamissions.weebly.com/word-of-life-camp.html
Thank you,
Isa
Ps. Here are some photos I took during our visit to the camp 🙂
