I was fast asleep in a hammock underneath the bamboo hut that was our sleeping quarters at a hostel in the city of David. David was even hotter than Panama City, and we had taken an overnight 7 hour bus ride to get there. We hadn’t even been in David for a whole day, and I was already secretly wishing we were somewhere else – I wasn’t thrilled about this sleeping in a bamboo hut business. This particular late afternoon, I was seeking some solitude by napping in a hammock, when I was suddenly awoken, and told to gather all my things – we were moving out in a matter of minutes.
I was incredibly disoriented and a bit annoyed, actually. But I sloppily packed the few things I had brought out to David with me and headed out. All I knew was that we were headed to a ministry that was actually a coffee plantation two hours away up in the mountains. We piled into two different vehicles and started the journey. This is part of what is totally normal during an Unsung Heroes month on the World Race – you sometimes meet ministries that’ll agree to house you just like that. I learned during our drive up the mountain that this ministry, El Sembrador (The Sower), was a unique and special place. The Caballero family owned this coffee plantation, and the coffee was top-notch quality. The coffee was sold to different ministries and missionaries to be a means of support for them. The vision was to eventually have 365 missionaries, to represent each day of the year. Essentially, this ministry sought to be a ministry for missionaries. Their long term plans also included several cabins in the beautiful, picturesque setting of Rio Sereno. These cabins would be a retreat and place of rest for missionaries coming home to Panama.
We were dropped off at Enoc and Yaneth’s house, and they welcomed us with open arms saying we were at home here. I was also greeted by an adorable beagle, which nearly brought me to tears because I have a beagle back home. They told me her name was Cosita Linda, meaning, “Pretty Little Thing.” I would soon meet Cosita’s pups, who were half beagle and half basset hound – also known as Bagels. Their names were Linda, Cappuccino, and Manchitas (Mancha means “Stain” in Spanish, and seeing as she was covered to black spots, the name was very fitting.) These little treasures ended up being the cherry on top of my stay there.
We had a good night’s rest that night. The air was cooler up in Rio Sereno. We weren’t sweating away in a bamboo hut. We were with a loving family who took us in on a two hour notice. Just a few hours beforehand, I was wondering what God had in store for us, and little did I know He had this planned all along.
We were only in Rio Sereno for eight days, but those eight days ended up being one of my favorite weeks since I’ve been on the Race. We collected eggs and cleaned them so the family could sell them. We helped fertilize a huge field of corn. We saw all of their animals (cows, pigs, and chickens) and how they cared for them. We saw the process of roasting and grinding the coffee. We bagged up their coffee for their ministries partners to sell. During the weekend, they took us to these natural hot springs, and it was one of the most relaxing days ever.
Apart from all of this, we developed such a sweet friendship with the Caballeros. Enoc and Yaneth love to laugh, and they gave of themselves so freely to take care of us. Their kids, Libny and Abner, became like little siblings of mine. Libny just turned 16 years old yesterday, and as we were texting on WhatsApp, I couldn’t help but wish I was still back there to hang out in her room and laugh until we couldn’t breathe. Abner was the sweetest little 9 year old boy in the world, and he loved to tease me and sing with me.
I learned this week, that an incredible bond transcends everything else when you are believers in Christ. Enoc and Yaneth shared with us that they had known for 11 years that the LORD was calling them to house and help missionaries, and for them, us showing up on their doorstep was an answer to their prayers. Their prayers. God had our meeting and week together planned far before any one us could have imagined. We were family, not strangers. Being taken in and cared for as if we were their own children is something I will never forget.
