Two Sunday’s ago, I crawled out of bed in efforts to pack up my bags because we had to be ready to leave Costa Rica at 11:00am that morning. But the truth was, I wasn’t ready to leave Costa Rica. And the fact that I had put off packing until the day we were leaving shows how much I was not ready to leave. I was reluctant and aware of the fact that I was about to have to leave a big piece of my heart behind. I had gotten to serve the people in Jaco in some really cool ways. I had gotten to build some awesome relationships with the people there. God taught me so much about my identity here and stepping out in boldness. I had some conversations I’ll never forget. I had some really special moments on the beach with my Father that I’ll never forget. This is the place where I learned so much about God as my Father, not just my friend. Everything about this place made my heart thrive. This is where I learned what intimacy with God actually looks like. To be honest, I wanted to be left behind in Jaco.
So I packed my bags and was (technically) ready by 11am for the 17 hour bus ride that was ahead of my team and I. We waited a few hours for our bus to arrive and at about 2pm we finally got on the bus and started making our way toward Panama. I was trying to be excited. I wanted to be excited. I was forcing myself to believe that I was excited. Due to our long bus ride, we had a weird sleep schedule that day/night. I woke up around 2am with the moon as bright as it could be. So I sat there and stared at it out of my bus window for quite some time. During this time, I remember having this specific thought: “There’s no way Panama is going to be as cool as Costa Rica. This is going to be boring. I’m just gonna get through this month and then it’ll all be good.”
. . . . .
LOL . . . So I’ve been in Panama City with my new team for one week now. FIRST OF ALL, that little thought I had? I looked back at it and found it very comical as I had just finished speaking to 3 classes of 30 high school students in ONE SINGLE day, which happened to be our FIRST day of ministry. That’s what God does. He completely shatters our expectations and we never see it coming. It’s always a surprise. He loves to give His children surprises. Shibu and Lily are our hosts and they are incredible! We have the privilege of speaking to the students at Panama Christian Academy, the school that Shibu and Lily both work at. We also will be helping Shibu with his prayer fellowship (which is a church he has newly planted here in Panama). We have been able to build relationships with the students by sharing Jesus with them. In Panama, the majority of people here are Indian (like India indian) and the second largest group in Panama are Chinese. At PCA (Panama Christian Academy), 80% of the students are Chinese and alot of them aren’t Christians. This is such a blessing that we get to share Jesus with these students! I asked one of my classes how many of them were Christians or claimed to be a Christian and about 6 of them raised their hands. When I asked how many of them have a personal relationship with Jesus, barely 4 of them raised their hands. This got me, y’all. This made me realize how big of a privilege it really is to be able to share Jesus with these kids. God is doing big things in the hearts of these kids and I really trust that.
I have to say, Panama is the most interesting country we’ve been to so far. It’s not anything that I expected. Alot of times I feel like I’m in India, then I turn the corner and I feel like I’m in Asia. It’s funny because I never know what to expect. People juggle fire, soccerballs, and all kinds of things at stop lights here for money (they even wash your windshield at the red light). They sell food and drink in the middle of traffic, coming up to your car window. The people here are all SO NICE and hilarious! I’ve had a car block off the entire road for my friend and I to cross the street. A stranger came up to me and offered to help translate for me while ordering food (thank you SO much Salem). Although it’s so different, Panama City is also very similar to America. It has alot of the same food and the roadways are all very similar, so in a way I don’t feel as far away from home.
So, with that being said, I’d love to share some of my new friends with you and how you can be praying for them:
Glendon (taxi driver who we met in the school): He’s had MS for a few years now and He doesn’t let that hinder him, it’s super cool! Please pray that God would continue to use Him in big ways and that his MS won’t get worse but that it will get better!
Walker (security guard at the school): He has such a joyful attitude and carries God’s peace with Him. Pray that the spirit of the Lord would continue flowing out of Him to where it overflows into the hearts of others.
Samuel (12th grade, one of the students from my small group): What an inquisitive dude! His curiousity is so cool and he is super outgoing. He’s struggling to learn Chinese (considering he’s from Columbia) so please pray that he would retain the material that he’s learning and that he would be able to use what he learns! Pray that God would reside in his heart and that he would raise him up to be a leader in his generation.
Robin (9th grade, one of the students from class): He loves the Lord and knows His goodness. Pray that He would remain confident in His identitiy in Christ and that he won’t fall into peer presssures or let fear of man hinder him from what God asks of him.
Claudie (a woman who we met in an Indian store): She has such a sweet, beautiful heart. Pray that God would capture her heart and that her life would be profoundly transformed by His love.
Shibu and Lily (our hosts): They are so funny and have such big faith. Their stories are so incredible and they are so obedient in whatever the Lord asks of them. Please pray for protection over their family. Pray for good health in their children and in them. Pray that God would abundantly bless their ministry they are starting out here in Panama and that He would grow the church here. Please pray that God will send someone to help further the ministry after we leave. Pray that their hearts would not be discouraged but that God will give them the strength that they need to continue running after Him full throttle no matter what comes their way.
P.S. I am still fundraising and my final deadline is due in April. I am $5,096 away from being FULLY FUNDED! I have to meet this deadline in order to remain on the field with my squad. I’d love for you to consider partnering with me in this! Any and all donations are so much appreciated and thank you to everyone who has supported me and prayed for me. Please keep those prayers coming. Y’all are amazing! If you’d like to donate, go to the top right of this page and click the “donate” button. Or if you prefer Venmo: Katrina-Chaney-2
