Hello friends and family! Since I last updated y’all about my team, we left the United States on August 7th, arrived at our ministry site on the 8th, and had our first day of ministry on the 10th. It feels like we just left and like we’ve been here for ages. Here is a bit about life lately…
Host
My team is currently living at the YWAM base in Chiriqui, Panama with the seven beautiful women on Team Mamasitas and our wise, fun, and incredible squad leader, Katie. We live in dorm-style housing on the same property as the Hogar students – indigenous Panamanians who receive their education on the base – and the Bible school students. Everyone is on the cleaning and cooking schedules, and everyone participates in intercession and worship nights. We get lots of team time, inter-team time, and time with the students. We quickly learned how to make this place our temporary home and being here this month just feels right.
Ministry
This month, my team is partnering with YWAM, Chiriqui. YWAM has connections with several ministries in the area, and we have had the opportunity to participate in several of them. Thus far, our formal ministry times have included VBS, spending time at an orphanage, visiting a nursing home, helping with projects at the base, distributing Bibles, going on prayer walks, teaching specialty classes to Hogar students, and serving lunch at an elementary school. However, at launch we talked about how our main ministry can be our relationships with our hosts if we choose to press into the opportunity. Friends, choosing to press into our relationships with everyone at the base has been incredible. We get to lead Bible studies, play games, share our stories, learn from each other, worship together, and grow in our relationships with one another while growing in relationship with the Lord. It is wonderful. Also, we get to practice lots and lots of humility while speaking each other’s languages, so that’s fun.
Team
Tea time team time! Okay, I’m going to be honest here. My introverted self would typically cringe at the idea of living in close quarters in an echo-y space with lots of people. It sounds exhausting, and it has been. BUT, it has also been so good. We get to have scheduled team time six days out of the week, and each team member is in charge of planning one team time per week. Team time is meant to be time set apart to purposefully spend time together, whether it be serious, playful, relaxed, structured, etc. So far, Team Kintsugi has listened to a creativity podcast, shared testimonies, watched Les Mis, discussed the importance of storytelling, and talked a whole lot. We also laugh a lot and pray a lot and love a lot. Another part of team time is feedback, which is time dedicated to encouraging one another, celebrating one another, and calling one another higher through honesty, humility, and vulnerability. It can be challenging and uncomfortable, but I’m pretty sure I grow to love these women more every single time we do feedback. It is incredible to be a part of a group of sisters who love each other enough to say the hard things in order to guide one another closer to Christ and the women we were created to be through Him.
Adventure
Adventure days have been loads of fun. Our first adventure day included a coffee shop with super yummy coffee, a beautiful waterfall, and crossing semi-sturdy bridges to see a super cool, slightly hidden abandoned house. This past weekend, we went to a different coffee shop for a surprise meet-up with a team that we’ve not talked to since launch, and it was so good for everyone’s hearts! We got to hear about each other’s experiences, drink yummy coffee, and eat yummy food. We broke up into smaller groups for lunch, and Marah, Emma, and I went to an artisan market afterwards. Marah and I got to talk with one man who shared his testimony with us, and we talked about the importance of leading with love and grace and compassion, and it was just so filling. Emma was talking with a man one booth over, and she got to talk with him about saving grace and eternal life and invited him to join us for church and lunch the next day. We didn’t see him after that, but we’re hoping to see him again and continue the conversation. Until then, we’re covering him in prayer and trusting that God will continue to send Jesus-loving people his way. Next weekend: hiking a volcano.
Overall, Panama has been fun and exciting and restful and tiring and growing. I’ve grown closer to my team and I honestly think I love them more each day. I’ve learned that I have a lot of questions for the Lord. I’ve learned that I’ve grown in taking my questions to Him first. I’ve played soccer and laid in hammocks and pulled weeds and received more ant bites than all the ant bites I’ve received in all my life. I’ve also decided that I will be fluent in Spanish by the time I leave Central America.
Life lately has been sweet. Here are a few photos from our first VBS/adventure day:
Loved ones, I love ya a lot. Thanks for supporting me, loving me, and praying for me. Y’all are great.
