Holá, amigos!
I’ve been in Panamá for almost two weeks now, and I have already been taught so much by the Lord. Let me fill you in on what we have done logistically since launch.
On August 7th, we flew out of Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. From there, we flew to Panamá City and arrived in the early hours of August 8th. We took a taxi to a bus station and then rode a bus for 6 hours to San Felix, Panama. Danny, one of our hosts, picked us up there around 11 am. It was a long travel day of over 24 hours, so we were exhausted. After stopping at a store to get a few groceries, we ate at a local restaurant and then arrived to our final destination: Las Lajas, Panamá.
We were met by Danny’s wife Heather, their friend Nancy, and their dog Rex upon arrival (this is an important detail). They showed us around the house we are living in for the month, which is down the street from their house. We live about a 5-10 minute walk from the beach. After showing us around the house we immediately put on our bathing suits and jumped in the ocean. It was my first time in the Pacific Ocean!
Our hosts Danny and Heather are incredible followers of Christ who are truly living out the call of making disciples. Currently, they have church in their house every Sunday morning, and have recently bought land for the future site of Bethel Church. Danny is originally from Panamá, and Heather is from Maryland. The two of them met while Heather was a missionary in Puerto Rico. They felt like the Lord was leading them to Las Lajas, Panamá, although they weren’t sure why. Since their arrival here about 5 years ago, the Lord has revealed many reasons why He lead them here, one of them being the need for a church in Las Lajas.
(Ida, Heather, & Danny)
Ministry this month has been looking very different day-to-day. We have been helping clear the land where the church will eventually be built, teaching English to locals, attending prayer meetings and church services, building relationships with the people, practicing and performing dramas to be performed anywhere and everywhere (literally), and traveling to Oma, a local indigenous village.
Guys, Oma is INCREDIBLE. It is an indigenous village near San Felix. It is about an hour from where we currently live. It is up in the mountains of Panamá, and it is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I visited it on the first time on the second day we were here. It happened to be the day when they had a ceremony for a water system that gives the people there access to clean drinking water (blog coming soon about that). Danny and Heather have such a heart for this village, and are pouring so much into the people there.
Two months after living full-time in Panamá, Danny was asked to preach in Oma, and he then prompted Heather to tell her testimony. Heather was first told the gospel by someone who was deaf, so deaf ministry is very close to her heart. She is passionate about empowering them and giving them the tools to succeed, in addition to sharing the life-changing gospel with them. When she shared her testimony in Oma, an older gentleman came up to her afterward and shared that he had a grandson like that (who was deaf). For Heather, this was another moment where she realized another reason why God brought them here. He brought her to Moses. Ever since then, she has had a beautiful relationship with him. She has taught him that he does have a way to communicate- a language of his own. While Heather has a special relationship with him, Dylan (one of my teammates) has formed a beautiful bond with him as well. It has been amazing to see how Dylan has exemplified Jesus to Moses. #JesuslovesMoses
Oma has been my favorite part of Panamá so far. This is Ida, and she is a fierce little girl who has stolen my heart, along with so many of the other kids here.
The language barrier can be difficult and overwhelming sometimes, but the Lord has been teaching me that He is greater and can break down any barriers! There are so many ways to communicate non-verbally, and Heather’s relationship with Moses has proved how impactful that can be. We have also met some English-speaking people, and have had some great opportunities to build relationships with them. Also, this has been a great environment to practice my Spanish. ; )
God is good, people! I am overwhelmed by His goodness.
