One of my teammates said it and I agree. Panama looked a lot like India. During our stay in Panama City, we spent our time with the Indian community. I was so excited when I found out that our ministry was going to be working in the Indian community. One of the places on my bucket list to travel to is India. Last month solidified my resolve in making that happen in my lifetime. The food is delicious and the people have stolen my heart. I absolutely loved what ministry looked like last month. I wanted to give you all a look into what I experienced last month.
One of the things we did for ministry was lead the fellowship meeting each Sunday night. We led worship, which mainly looked like acapella singing hymns and old school worship songs sometimes accompanied by my cajone. I’m still learning how to play it, so it was mainly used to keep a steady beat. Then, someone on the team would share a testimony, and another person would share a message. I got the opportunity to speak life into the community through these fellowship nights.
Another one of the things we did for ministry last month was lead prayer meetings every Friday night. We would gather together with Shibu’s family and the Johnson family and sing songs, share testimonies, give a word of encouragement for Shibu and his ministry, and pray for the community. These nights allowed us the privilege of getting to know the Johnson family. Part of what made this month so great was the relationships we were able to form with the people we encountered and the Johnson’s were some of those people. We were welcomed in by their family. They celebrated their daughter Aneeta’s birthday with us and we got to spend time with Aleena who had traveled home for the holidays. They even held our going away party at their home. They went above and beyond making us feel like family and it was absolutely incredible spending the month with them.
We also made house visits last month. We went into people homes and held worship and told testimonies. We got to know about their lives and hear stories of their faith. It was one of my favorite things we did. Going into people’s homes, you can’t really plan for what you are going to do. You have to just go with the flow. So, these visits made us rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us. We had to trust that He would give us the words to say and show us when to speak and when to stay silent. It was amazing to get to hear people’s stories. One of the most impactful stories I heard was from a woman who said God was telling her to go talk to and help a homeless woman. She said she was scared and never went to talk to her. Later, she was asked by police to identify a body and it was the body of the homeless woman. She was soon to find out that the woman was a close relative that she had neglected to help. She said, from that day on, she never said no to God. She said she still thinks about how she wished she had listened to God that day. I heard so many stories from so many incredible people last month, that my own faith grew deeper through learning about their walks with God.
We, also, helped a local church with their children’s program a couple of times. We sang songs, played games, acted out a skit, and gave a message for them. We were able to go to this ministry on my birthday. After the program was over they all sang me happy birthday in Spanish and prayed for me. It was so sweet. One of the children even made me a bracelet as a present! I felt so loved by this church!
We also had the opportunity to work with an indigenous community. We rented a car and I drove (Oops… we didn’t know that was against the rules…) 3 hours away to a place called Darien. There, we performed skits, played games, and shared the gospel with the children of the community. We had over 80-90 children show up to the program. It was absolutely incredible. We were the first missionaries that this community had ever had come to them. Plus, the road trip was super fun too!
We also had the opportunity to create a relationship with another family in Panama; Joshua, Sareeka, and Bambi. Bambi met us at the bus station the first night we arrived in Panama City. She was about to move to Florida for college, but shortly after we arrived she had an accident and tore her ACL and both meniscuses. She had to have surgery and couldn’t get out of bed, so we came to her. We spent New Year’s Eve with her and her family. We all laid in bed and ate so much food together. Seriously… so much food. The night started with chip, salsa, and plantain chips. Then Sareeka, who is a caterer, made homemade hummus and veggies. Then the meats started coming in. Joshua served us Indian style barbeque. First, we were served two different kinds of sausage. Next came the chicken, pork, and beef. By the time, we had eaten all of that, it was time to ring in the New Year with lanterns and sparklers. Then we were informed it was time for dinner. What?!?! We thought we had already eaten dinner, but there was still more food. Dinner consisted of cucumber salad, rice, and a whole fish. It was delicious and I don’t even like fish! Then, they surprise my teammate with a birthday cake! They had gotten her a personalized cake just for her. It was so sweet. Needless to say, this family made us feel like we were their own family. They made our holiday so special. We didn’t get to spend as much time with them as we would have liked, but we enjoyed every second of the time we got.
The biggest project that we had last month was our Christmas program. From the first day of ministry we knew that the Christmas program was going to be the biggest thing we did all month. We spent many days creating and delivering invitations to the Indian community in Panama. We went to malls, dry cleaners, homes, and local restaurants inviting them to come see our program on Christmas Day. We planned an entire program in 2 days. We had songs in Hindi, Spanish and English. Shibu sang the Hindi songs and even had an Indian drummer join in. It was so cool. Aleena and Aneeta sang most of the Spanish songs, but Lili and her mother and Adriana also sang in Spanish too. We had a skit of the Christmas story wrapped up with songs and personal testimonies of how Jesus brings hope, peace, love, and joy. I got to play the angel and a wise man, but my most important role was to come in at the end and share about the importance of Christmas. Most of the people we invited were not Christian. Many had never been invited to a Christmas before and some had never heard the gospel. We were blessed with the opportunity to share that with them that day. The fellowship usually had 10-15 people show up, but that night there was over 60 people in attendance. It was incredible. After it was over we had a giant potluck style meal of Indian food. I must say, I may keep the tradition of Indian food on Christmas day.
That is a quick(ish) synopsis of what my month in Panama looked like. It was so much packed into such a short amount of time but I loved it! We also got to do a Beauty For Ashes event too, but there will be a separate blog for that.
Last month, I didn’t really update you all very well. It was a very hard month. Shortly after arriving in Panama City, one of my teammates got sick and had to go to the hospital. The plans we had for the month were suddenly thrown out the window. Our team split in two different directions; part at the hospital and part continuing with the ministry our host had for us. We were torn emotionally during most of our time in Panama. We wanted to do our ministry well. We wanted to bring our host lift and help him as much as we possibly could, but we also wanted to be there for our teammate. It was hard to want to blog and write about what was happening, because it felt like I couldn’t tell the whole story and if I tried it would be doing a disservice to what was actually happening. Last month, we struggled, but it was also the month where we grew together too. We had to rely on one another. We had to trust each other. We were vulnerable with one another and are beginning to learn how to love each other well. Our team is better and stronger because of Panama. I am better and stronger because of Panama. Though I wouldn’t want to relive last month, I would definitely say that Panama will always hold a special place in my heart. I will miss it.
I’ve traveled through Central America and I have partnered with some amazing organizations, but I must say that what they are doing in Panama is absolutely incredible. They are taking the gospel to the lost. They are reaching out to the community. They have such a heart for people and just long for them to know and understand the love of God. They genuinely care deeply for one another. I was so blessed that I got to be a part of that kind of community. I would without a doubt go back and help them again. They are doing exactly what we as Christians are called to do, and I hope one day God sends me back.
With all that said, I am still fundraising. I still need over $3,000 to reach my last fundraising goal. My last deadline is quickly approaching at the end of January and I am needing financial support to reach that deadline in time. I ask that you prayerfully consider donating to help me reach that goal. There is a button at the top of this page that you can click to donate. I am now in month 4 of this race and I am currently living in Lesotho, Africa. I am helping at an orphanage for abused and neglected children. Help me to be able to continue showing the people of Africa the love of God. Thank you for reading this and I will be updating again soon! Love you guys!
