Howdy!
I’ve been back in the States for almost a month now and I’ve gotten to use that time to relax, process, and reconnect with friends and family. Recently I realized that I never posted my Panama wrap up blog, so without further delay, take a look at my time in Panama!
Ministry overview: this month my team lived in Playa Las Lajas, Panama. We helped to paint the local church, teach English classes at a nearby school, assist with after school programs, and work on language development with an adorable little Deaf boy.
This month my team got to partner with Heather and Danny. Heather’s heart is for Deaf ministry and children. She hosts after school programs for the younger children in the Oma community and showers them with attention and books, believing that education will allow these kids escape the cycle of poverty that they are currently stuck in. She also gives special attention to Moises, a little Deaf boy who she has been helping to develop his language skills. Heather has a joy and a passion for empowering these underprivileged kids that is contagious. Danny is a pastor, a mechanic, an ambulance driver, a youth minister, and literally anything else that the community needs him to be so that he can share Christ’s love with them. His passion and love for the Lord is inspiring and his dedication to the community around him is a beautiful picture of what the Acts church looked like.
This month we stayed in a charming little house a few blocks away from the beach. In the mornings I could sit out on the porch and hear the sounds of the waves rolling (AKA the most peaceful sound in the world) and it felt so homey. The community we were living in was very small and the beach was nearly always empty, which made it a great place to go and ‘get away’ for a second.
A few times a week part of out team would go with Heather and Danny up to the indigenous reservation, the Comarca, to a little village called Oma and help them with their after school programs. To get to Oma we would drive fro about 45 minutes through some of the most beautiful, untouched, mountains. Several times we would drive home right as the sun was setting and there is just no way to describe how stunning it was.
My team was in Panama during their independence month. Something I learned is that Panama has multiple independence days and that they are really into celebrating. Multiple times the nearby city was nearly closed down for celebrations and parades. Along with celebrating the countries independence, people in our area were also celebrating the foundation of their city. On one occasion in particular, some of my teammates and I got stuck in a parade while we were trying to get up onto the indigenous reservation, and had the best hour long delay ever! We ended up getting out of our car to watch, only to be invited to walk in the parade alongside the parade floats! It was an absolute blast!
The indigenous tribe that we were able to serve during our time in Panama, Ngöbe-Buglé, are known for their traditional handmade dresses called Naguas. The indigenous women were almost always wearing them and took great pride in the artistry that they could display through each individual dress. For many women, making and selling Naguas is one way that they are able to provide for their families. People from my team were able to support several families by purchasing some handmade Naguas. It was a super awesome process and a really amazing way to experience the tribe’s culture and customs.
BONUS: Here is a picture of the beautiful lady who handmade my Nagua:
Meet Moises, the Deaf boy that I got to spend the month with. He is loyal, caring, protective, and SOOOO funny. Moises welcomed me and my team into the after school program by being the cutest prankster ever. We got to work on some new sign vocabulary, tell stories, and play brain games together. Heather has also been working with Moises to learn coding skills, and getting to watch his creativity at work was so much fun and a testament to how important education is!
Panama has been one of my favorite countries to visit, I’m glad that I’m ending my season of international missions on such a high note. I want to thank everyone who has journeyed with me this past year and a half. It has been life changing, and I’ve also been so privileged to see life change happen in others. As I step into this next season of domestic missions I know that the Lord has even more amazing things in store.
Right now I have a little over $5,000 raised (AMAZING!), but my goal is to have over $7,500 raised (that is half of my overall goal of $15,000) before I launch in a few weeks. Will you partner with me? All donations made through this blog are tax deductible and its a great Christmas present for yours truly (wink wink).
Much Love,
Morgan
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