I think I like the bullet point blogs. Short. To the point. Just like me.
Do’s and Don’ts of Ministry in Panama
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1. Don’t expect to be on an island doing tourist ministry even if that’s what your contact ministry sheet says. In fact, just throw out all expectations again. And again. And again.
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2. Do accept Panamanian Perfect. It may not be effective. It may not make sense. It may not be flawless. But you’d better believe it’s ‘Panamanian perfect.’
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3. Do wear earplugs or headphones to bed, because the roosters start crowing at ridiculous hours (occasionally at 11 pm). Oh, and they don’t have a snooze button.
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4. Don’t look at an old, decrepit house and think that it can’t become a church with a good amount of pale blue and street-line yellow paint, and some handy work with some wood and nails.
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5. Do learn how to say “Iglesia Internacional del Evangelio Cuadrangular de Panama en Changuinola y Guabito” when people ask what church you’re inviting them to.
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6. Don’t think that you have any say in who is going to show up to your first church service ever in a new church plant. For us it was 20 kids showing up for an impromptu kids program, which was followed by 20+ adults (an hour late…Panamanian perfect timing) asking if we could hold a service for them.
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7. Do believe that God is going to move in ways you can’t imagine, and allows us to witness it. Our second church service at the new church ended with 2 men becoming new believers. Praise God, the kingdom grew by 2!
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8. Do know that God always knows what He’s doing, when He’s doing it, and why He’s doing it.
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9. Do eat at least one small chunk of gizzard before realizing it’s gizzard and sneaking it to the adorable Dalmatian sitting in the yard. Yum.
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10. Do learn to love bucket showers.
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11. Don’t forget your mosquito repellant or malaria medicine.
Working on the deck behind the church.
The inside of our new church plant.
