This year there have been so many different places that I am forced to call home. Some places we live in for just a night or two and others for a full month. Some are difficult to adjust to, while others invite you in with open arms. Some never quite fit the mold of what “home” is to me, yet others I know that I am at home the moment I walk through the door and see my new family’s smiling faces.
This month I was blessed to find a true home. This month I had a family in every sense of the word. This month I was loved, fed, cared for, and welcomed as if I was an old friend that they haven’t seen in a while.
We are Unsung Heroes for the month of May. This means that our goal is to search for new ministries for the World Race to partner with in the future. We learned about the Caballero family through a friend of a friend that we met at church. We called them and with 2 hours notice they welcomed 6 strangers into their home.
The connection that told us about the Caballeros were in the city David (where we were) and headed to Rio Sereno, so we got in his truck and drove the 2 hour trip to our new home. We arrived at 10:00 p.m. to be greeted by our Enoc and Yaneth Caballero. They welcomed us with open arms, snacks, hot coffee, and blankets to sleep with. The smile that overwhelmed Yaneth’s face instantly made me feel at home.
Every morning I would wake up, help Yaneth feed the newborn cows (1 month old), and talk with her as she prepared breakfast for us. This was my favorite part of the day. Starting the day with fellowship with such a Godly woman was good for my soul.
Enoc and Yaneth have a farm and coffee plantation in the north Panama mountains. They have cows, over 400 chickens, horses, and pigs. They grow coffee, tomatoes, peppers, corn, etc. Their ministry, El Sembrador, works differently than any ministry that we’ve partnered with so far. They work and earn money so that they can support 365 missionaries a year!
Not only do they work day in and day out to fund missionaries, but they also love others relentlessly. While we were staying in their house and working on the farm, I came down with a fever. Being sick while away from home is no fun. It gets even worse when in a foreign country that doesn’t have the same medicine or remedies that you would normally use. However, their family cared for me as if I was their own. Yaneth brought me Gatorade and tea to keep me hydrated. She made me a homemade soup when I refused to eat. She held a damp washcloth on my forehead to cool off my body temperature. Enoc gave me medicine that I’m still not sure what it was. He told great “dad jokes” to bring a smile to my face. The kids cuddled with me and brought me puppies to brighten my day. I am part of the family.
A few days earlier her children, Libny and Abner, had the same bug that was passed to me. I watched her love and care for her children when they were sick. She treated me the exact same way that she did her own. This level of love is a gift that I will never forget.
I am so thankful for the Caballero family and their ministry, El Sembrador. I am grateful for the two weeks that we got to spend working on their farm. I am overjoyed when I think back to the times I spent hanging out with Libny, my sassy 16 year old Panamanian sister. This family is such a blessing to Team Echale Ganas and all the missionaries that they sponsor. I am so thankful for the time that I got to spend with the sweet Caballeros.
The Caballero’s sell their coffee online and at a coffee shop in Gwinnett. If you would like to support this wonderful family, you can buy their coffee at http://new.phoenixcommunitycoffee.com
