Panama was like a flashback to college. I was going to bed later, cooking for myself, going to the gym, living a shared community space. Our team worked with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ). It’s an international organization, and I was a part of it in college at WSU!
Enjoy the photo blog to see more of what we were up to for our month in Panama.
OUR HOME FOR THE MONTH: We stayed at a hostel with another team from our squad. We shared a kitchen and bought food for ourselves. It had been a LONG time since I’d chosen what I eat, and I actually enjoyed cooking again. It’s something simple I won’t take for granted at home.
We lived right across from a big grocery store (see below) and right down the road was a nice gym (not photographed). We got a great rate and it was totally worth the personal spending money to get a membership and start working out. My friend Sav and I tried to go to the step aerobics class every other morning. Julio was our instructor and he was super kind getting us up to speed on the step routines because it felt like salsa dancing over a step haha.
our hostel
the shared kitchen upstairs
outside eating area, taken early one morning
our view across the street, with downtown in the far background
our room, 6 of us shared it
Erik and Norma, who worked at the hostel
MINISTRY: Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) on College Campuses in Panama City, Panama
Solarium Cards- a tool to use with students to ask about their spiritual perspectives and to get to know them. For example, we might say, “Pick a photo that describes how you view God,” or “Choose a photo that describes how you feel today.” We used them at our first meeting at the university and drew a crowd.
We spent most of our time on campuses talking to students. Each university had a weekly meeting for Cru that we attended with students. These are pictures from different campuses.
Two of the campuses in particular were very open to us talking about Jesus. There were a few days at the end of the semester teachers invited us into their classroom to teach on a topic, like relationships or purpose, and also share a testimony and the gospel. We took a selfie with one class and the other photo is from me sharing the gospel in a class.
GETTING TO MINISTRY: We took the metro bus every day! One day in particular, there was a rainstorm in the afternoon and we all got super drenched from the bus stop back to the hostel. We ran and laughed. Since it’s so hot and humid in Panama, the rain was warm and actually kind of refreshing. Some days we’d also have street performers (see photo below) or venders hop on and off to share their talent or try to sell us a piece of candy.
EVENTS
VBS (Vacation Bible School) with La Comunidad Bible Church: Our first week we helped with camp in a community outside of the big city. We helped with station rotations and just had fun being with all the kids. Trisha and Ben brought their two teenage kids to volunteer with Cru and run a VBS during their stay. They are both HS teachers from Missouri and they’ve come to Panama for the past few years ever since they met our host, Massy.
Cru Night of Fun: As a way to invite students into Cru, we planned a fun event with salsa dancing and games. I led the games with my friend Ashley. If you’ve ever been a part of Young Life, we structured it in a similar way. I even taught them how to do the raffle chant! In our group photo is our friend Lisa, who taught salsa. She lead with Cru and this year she has responsibilities as the African Princess of Panama (sort of similar to a pageant in the states). We also went out dancing with her one night and IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!
HANGING OUT WITH STUDENTS & CRU STAFF
Here is some of our teammates with Shanom and Natalie, our friends from Cru, supporting the other team with us from our squad at their ministry event.
Alfredo (driver) leads with Cru and he led us around the campuses. He also felt like our older brother driving us around and letting us be DJ haha. We also ended up going to the movies with him and other Cru friends because it was so cheap in Panama and gave us something fun to do all together.
One of our last days in Panama, our host, Massy invited us to her place and we learned how to fry plantains- they look like bananas but they aren’t. She also made other yummy food for us and we made no-bake cookies.
CASCO VIEJO (Old Town)- my favorite place in the city
ADVENTURE DAYS
Panama Canal- We saw a big cruise ship go through the locks. It took almost an hour for the whole process as water drained and leveled out.
Here is some cool history about it the canal because learning is fun!(: The US took over building the canal from the French because many of the workers were getting sick from different illnesses carried in mosquitos (i.e. yellow fever, dengue fever, etc). The US developed a way to excavate the land to work with the flow of the existing river. In 1999, the US officially gave back ownership of the canal to Panama, and the US is still the number one user of the canal today.
Exploring the city- overview from the tallest building
Beach Day- We took an adventure day to a small island on the Caribbean coastline with our Cru friends. In the photo you see us getting out of a small boat from the mainland.
Gamboa Sloth Sanctuary- I got to see slothssss! They really do move slow. My friend Maddie went with me and they are her favorite animals.
God is revealing to me how to initiate change as a follower of Jesus. Because of having more opportunities to create a lifestyle similar to home in Panama, it was tempting to fall back into the habits of mind living the American lifestyle- in thinking primarily of myself and what I need to get done- which to a degree we need to spend time doing. But life is more than living it as a individual.
Rather than use my own words, I came across a transcribed interview with the author, Hal Donaldson, who says it well. It honestly sums up the perspective I’ve gained through my experiences on the race and what I think we all could benefit from. I pray it speaks to you in a specific way as you read it.
“When followers of Jesus consider the condition of the world, we can’t be satisfied with what we see. Millions are still lost and suffering. And hatred is on the rise. If we do nothing, the status quo will prevail. Thus, we must disrupt our lives in ways that change the normal course and rush love and hope to the world. The book [Disruptive Compassion] challenges readers to reject a life of selfishness and isolation and practice radical kindness. If we aren’t willing to make changes in how we live and how we think, the normal course will only perpetuate more oppression, racism, poverty, crime, and moral decay. And, for believers, that’s unacceptable…The world doesn’t need tweaking. It needs fundamental change that can happen if believers follow Jesus’ example and lead a revolution of kindness. True revolutionaries turn their dissatisfaction into action”
1 John 3:18 “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
“Jesus is the greatest protester the world has ever known. Dissatisfied with the state of the world, he came to Earth in protest of the status quo. He didn’t provoke change through acts of violence, marches, or boycotts. He disrupted the culture with acts of kindness. He led with grace and mercy. He refused to isolate himself from those society deemed unholy or unclean. Instead he became their advocate, eventually giving his life for those he loved. John 3:17 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
After reading that if left me thinking about some practical questions, that maybe you can join me in asking yourself:
How can I be an advocate for others? How can I use opportunties at work and in my daily life to show radical kindness and grace to others? What dissatisfaction do I see in the world, held up to God’s standards not necessarily your own preferences, that stirs my heart for change?
As we show others the grace and kindness Jesus has shown us, the world will begin to see something different in us. They’ll see Jesus and want to encounter him too. He wants to work through us to change the world.
Peace & Love,
<3 Eva
