Month 6 Panama City!
Yes I know once again another tardy blog post.
Pardon me!
My team and I knew Panama was going to be very interesting in terms of ministry before we even entered the country.
How is that you ask?
My team leader Zach informed us at the end of May that we did not have a ministry nor host set up for next month.
We were told by our leaders June would be our “A.T.L.” month. ATL stands for Ask The Lord.
Ask The Lord is just that. Asking Him for direction on what we should do and where should we go?
For the entire month we stayed at hostels. A first for us on the World Race. There are times we stay at a hostel for a few days but never have we done so for the entire month.
Of course it had it’s pros and cons but in my opinion the positives out numbered the negatives in a huge way.
Hostel negatives:
1. One hostel we stayed in for about 3 weeks did not have AC.
Panama was HOT & Humid that is why it takes the number 1 spot.
2. Bathrooms are usually taken up RIGHT when you need to use them.
3. Following #2 toilet paper goes faster than Nigerians in the L.A. Marathon.
4. Limited space to put your belongings. Our team of 7 plus another 5 shared one room.
5. Roaches in the silverware drawer. Yup! crawling all over the fork, spoon, and knife you are about to use.
Buen provecho
Hostel Positives!
1. Being able to meet new people from all over the world just about everyday.
2. Practicing my spanish
3. Watching the World Cup with very enthused fans from all over the world.
4. As a result of #1 on this list sharing why One Direction is in Panama. We did not enter the country as tourists but as missionaries. Telling our story of “11 countries in 11 months helping people and sharing the gospel” to numerous people day after day never got old. Also hearing about their journey not only in this season of their travels but also their life.
5. For me I saw it as great practice. They helped me refine my mission statement so to speak. I was also able to put more of a focus on certain information due to the commonality in there questions. And more importantly share the gospel which drives myself to be on this mission trip.
6. God opened this door for us to share the gospel with someone new each and everyday. It was up to us to capitalize on our common quarters or sit quiet.
This is a commandment from Jesus Christ.
Mark 16:15 He said to them (his disciples), “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”.
Everyone my team and I shared our mission trip with responded with such positivity and love. None of the people I met followed Jesus Christ so we were exactly where we needed to be.
Happy Birthday to my nephew!
Short clip of some graffiti from Hostel Panamerica
Panama Part 2 Coming soon
How God blessed us with such a great ministry and how my team celebrated my birthday on the race.
