Hola desde Panama! Wow, I can’t believe we’ve made it! After a 29 hour travel day including two planes and a 6 hour bus ride, my team and I finally made it to our ministry site. We were greeted by sunshine and a ride in the back of a truck to our home for the next month. It’s crazy how quickly and slowly this month have gone by. As one of my teammates says, “the days go long but the weeks go quick.”
Our hosts, Danny and Heather, are two of the sweetest human beings I have ever met. They both are full-time missionaries here and will spend just about every day doing Bible studies, afterschool programs, are in the process of planting a church. We are here to partner them in their various ministries, but have decided that we also want to serve them in the best way we can in order to give them a breath of fresh air from all of the hard work they do to serve this area. So we have spent time painting and cleaning their house as well as help to clear the site of their future church building.
My absolute favorite ministry so far has been spending time with the children in Oma, a village of Indigenous Panamanians. It’s about an hour long ride deep into the mountains and jungle. Our first day we were introduced to a couple of the families who live there and with whom Heather and Danny have already developed a relationship. They gave us a grand tour and we were able to attend an opening ceremony for the clean water filter they had just finished. The caretaker of the town, Simon, was SO proud and even showed us his house. These people lived in a way that I thought only existed in movies – they live in huts and cooked their rice in large pots over a fire. They shower via a pipe that comes out of the water filter and there are dogs running around everywhere. Aida was one of the first people to approach me and she instantly grabbed my hand to show me her home and the new water filters.
One of my main concerns coming onto the race was that visiting and caring for children would end up causing more harm than good. To establish a connection with them and then leave can cause emotional distress and distrust, but the great thing about our hosts is that they live here full-time, so they are a constant while we may be temporary. We are also the ninth team that they’ve worked with, so the children are already accustomed to and able to understand the situation. We do still try to protect them by having them initiate contact instead of us approaching to hug or hold them.
Every Friday evening, we visit another indigenous village called Molehon where we help out with a children’s youth group. It’s here where we work to build connections with the kids, be an example, and just love on them. We’ll often play various games with the kids there and just straight love them.
Beyond that, we have spent a lot of time loving on the town and serving in any way Danny and Heather see fit. They host a church inside their home so we’ve worked to power wash their house on the outside, paint the inside, and organize and redecorate. We’ve also learned to harvest Merenga, a leafy plant that has enormous health benefits in order for Heather to distribute it to the people in Oma and surrounding villages since it may be their best source of nutrition.
I’ve already learned a TON – about the culture, myself, and my relationship with the Lord. One thing that Racers tend to fall into while on the Race is that they separate real life from the Race. Instead, often real life becomes heightened on the Race in the sense of community. Living with five other strangers has not been easy, but to say that I have improved my conflict management skills would be an understatement. I trust my teammates to call out the flaws in me and help me grow while I do the same with them. It’s cool to be on the same page with other people who are just trying to better themselves while pursuing Jesus.
This recap feels so short compared to what’s been happening this month. I plan on sharing so many more stories and lessons learned so stay tuned! If this month is any indication of the next 10 to come, I am SO beyond excited! Thanks for tuning in!
Hey you! Thank you SO much for reading this blog! Would you consider joining me on this mission around the world? There are two main ways I am asking for partnership in this:
1. PRAYER. I firmly believe that prayer is the most powerful way to make change happen. Will you pray for my team and I as Jesus continues to prepare us for the World Race? That He will provide the funding? And that the Holy Spirit will begin working in those we will encounter while on the Race?
2. FUNDING. This one is 100% up to you. In order to go on the Race, I need to fundraise about $13,000 by the end of September, which is a pretty lofty goal. So any help counts, whether it’s $5 or $500!
It’s biblical that you take care of yourself so if you don’t feel comfortable giving, that is totally fine! I would love for you to still follow along on this journey by some of the methods listed below!
– Subscribe to this blog!
– Follow along on the Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hannahsrace/
