This month we are staying on top of a mountain in Panama at a YWAM Base! YWAM stands for Youth with a Mission. They are seated in the middle of 4 different indigenous tribes here in Potrerillos Arriba and they are home to a 6 year commitment Discipleship Training School (DTS) offered to the children in these villages. YWAM and the World Race are two different organization but seem to cross paths often. I have heard from many of my squamates that before committing to the WR they considered doing YWAM. Also, we are doing ministry with another team from our squad this month! It has been a blessing.
I got ill coming out of debrief in San Jose so I spent the beginning of the month in bed. Last month, as you know, we stayed in a shed on a farm in Costa Rica. We were roughing it a little (nothing compared to training camp, of course) but this month is the opposite. We have almost all the amenities I have at my home in America. Wifi, hot showers, washers and driers, air conditioning, and a convenience shop on site to buy all the snacks you could want! There are locals here so there is always people to interact with and although I know struggling shapes your character, it’s been nice to be comfortable before we head into the 10/40 window (Africa and Asia) where things get much more difficult.
Here are the different ministry opportunities that we’ve gotten to take part in this month!
Los Abanicos Feeding Program
This was the first thing we got to do when we arrived in Panama. Basically, members from the surrounding community meet at a local house church for a bible session, worship, and some food! The first time we went about 25 kids came but our host, Debbie, says there can be up to 95 children some days. We arrived and played games and did a skit on the lame man whom Jesus told to pick up his mat and walk. We emphasized that no matter how low or lost or alone you feel, Jesus is there.
Bible Distributions
Our host and the organization have made it their mission that everyone in the surrounding community receives a bible for their household. At 9am we walk the streets of the nearby town and hand out free bibles translated in Spanish to every house we pass by. They have mapped out all the houses they have visited and start from where they left off every time they go back out.
Fanlyc (Children with Cancer)
This is my favorite ministry we have done thus far but it is also the hardest. Fanlyc is an organization that houses children and their families who are going through treatment for cancer. We have gotten the opportunity to go here often. We spend time with the children as a group and give them 1 on 1 attention. We color a lot and play with our miniature bowling set. The children really enjoy it. It was hard for me the first day seeing the kids.. they are so young and going through something so big. But the Lord reminded me that he is bigger than cancer and bigger than my feelings. Those children are loved by God and getting to share that love, I to them and them to me, was beautiful. Please keep these children in your prayers.. some of them really are struggling.
SOS Orphanage
I haven’t gotten the opportunity to go here yet. My teammates who have gone say they love it. We prepare a bible teaching, songs, and skits for the children. Apparently, the games got a little crazy last time they all went – they shattered a window.
Although these are the main ministries we have done, it is not all. We’ve had the opportunity to go into nursing homes and spend time with the people there, we plan nightly bible studies and english classes for the students here at the base, we painted buildings for a local mechanic, and we help clean and cook around the base.
It has been a busy month but a rewarding one.
Please be praying for STREAM team! We are flying into Spain to spend a week debriefing before we head into the 10/40 window. Our first country in Africa will be Morocco, where we will stay for 45 days, which will be the longest we’ve spent in one place yet. The 10/40 window is a term used to describe a region of the world within the 10 and 40 degrees latitude from Western Africa to Eastern Asia. The vast majority of unreached people live in this area of the world. We will be spending the remainder of our time on the race here. Pray for boldness and courage and the supernatural ability to share the love of Jesus without being permitted to say his name.
