Yesterday afternoon we arrived back to San Jose, Costa Rica after a 16 hour trip including three hours at the border. It feels nice to be back in a familiar place where there are familiar faces to catch up with. Panama was awesome though, and the month really flew by.

The last week was all ministry within the city, with the exception of one day where we went to another tribe. City ministry days usually meant traveling into the busy parks, streets, and sidewalks and performing dramas, giving testimonies, etc. A lot of passer-bys stopped to watch and listen, and after each program we would talk with anyone who wanted to hang around. Sometimes we did up to three or four programs a day, with four dramas per program and explanations of dramas/ testimonies after each one. Each day was jam packed, for sure.

One day we went into a slum/ghetto to meet up with a children’s ministry. They are a really small Christian organization that has a place for kids to come and hang out if they don’t attend school and their parents aren’t with them during the day. They provide meals, education, games, music, and love and attention for each child. It’s a really great place, and I’m glad we got to spend a day there. We put on a program in the morning and afternoon and then just played with the kids in between. Our kids programs usually include dramas, songs, games, and small teachings.

Another day we went to a neighborhood close to the base and invited the community to their soccer court for a program. We had intended to do a presentation for adults, but found ourselves with an audience of young kids…so we changed our plans and had a great time with the children instead. (Games, dramas, playing soccer) Change during outreach happens often but it’s kinda fun- a very effective way to build flexibility and creativity.

The day with the tribe was awesome as well…it was the same Embera tribe as before, but a different village closer to the city. We put on a presentation for them and then had a time of learning about their culture, getting a tour of the village, and buying artisans.

There are a ton of specific stories, incredible moments, and awesome people that wouldn’t be possible to write out in a short time…especially one handed. But I will share a little more of the month with you in another way (photos) and I can’t wait to catch up in detail when I come home. So here are some (of many) pictures from the time we spent in Panama:

the San Juan river

The Embera Tribe

Some of the homes

this was about 7ft long head to tail

Jovonka

Me and Jovonka

the girls' hut

dinner!

some of the guys bathing

the artisans

Sifting sand

Working on the roof

kids program

Oajaca (2nd village)

the girls' room (behind me)

Hiking through Oajaca

Our shower/bathroom

performing a drama at the school

the students

pretending it really hurt

that doesn't look right....

my bright pink cast

speaking at the Oajaca church

look how many things we can put in the cast

Performing dramas in Panama city

the slum we visited

singing songs with the kids

precious....

a few of the kids

praying after the teaching

me and Mitza

The ride to the village

other tribe village

performing dramas at a church in Panama city

the city

For the past eleven days our team has been in Oajaca, a very remote village up in the mountains/jungle of Panama. Once again, we had an amazing time and did lots of ministry and work on projects in the community. We were able to plan and lead two church services, do a ministry time at the school, put on activities a few of the afternoons, perform lots of dramas, pray for a lot of the community, and just spend time with everyone who lives there. It was much different from the tribe in the sense of accesibility between homes...the distance between many of the huts was at least a 20 minute hike, so we spent more time traveling on foot. We stayed at the pastora´s house and she helped us plan our time, cook, etc. Much like the tribe, Oajaca does not have electricity, stores, or anything most of us are used to-and so it was another great experience to live very simply and resourcefully. I´m learning so much, even just in that aspect. We are all pros now- at starting fires and cooking over them, bathing in the river or with a bucket, sleeping on cement/mud floors, finding fruit in the jungle, etc....and I´ve gotten a lot braver with insects, especially cockroaches :)

One unexpected event occurred about halfway through the time in Oajaca...I broke my arm. I was coming down a muddy hill and slipped, catching all my weight on my left arm behind me. I managed to get a compound fracture of my radius and ulna :( It was an interesting experience, hiking to the road and making our way to the nearest hospital...but all is ok now- I had surgery, got some pins put in, and have a cast on for the next 6 weeks.

We are doing ministry here in Panama City for the next week...not sure what exactly, but I have no doubt it will be incredible. I can´t believe we´ve been here for a month almost!

Yesterday we got back to the Panama base from our week with the Embera tribe. The experience was incredible, and will be hard to describe in such a short blog...but here´s the basics of how it went: We drove about an hour to the docks and took a 2 hour canoe ride upriver to where the tribe lives. The river was low at many parts and so we all had to jump out and push the canoe--which was somewhat difficult going upstream with such a heavy canoe against a strong current. When we arrived at the village, we were all speechless at what was before our eyes. The Embera live in thatch huts raised off the ground about 8 feet. They bathe, wash dishes, and drink from the river. The women go topless and everyone goes barefoot. It was like seeing something on the Discovery channel...except that this was where we were going to live for a week.

There are probably 15 huts in the lower village where we were. All the families are really sweet and inviting people, and the kids are crazy. After we made friends with them all the first day, they clung on to us for the rest of the week. We did a lot of children´s ministry during a couple of the days and whenever there was a free moment. Physical work took up a lot of our time during the week-the community had several projects for us to work on. We worked on building a roof for one of the new huts, collected stones to make cement, sifting and cleaning sand from the river for a water filtration system they´re building, making a staircase from the riverbank up to the front of the village, and doing a lot of small projects as well. We also did hut-to-hut ministry times, where we would just visit the families and ask for their prayer needs and talk with them. One of the days we did something a little different: we gathered the adults and had a little activity for them. Our DTS team divided into groups of 2 or 3 and each had a topic that is fundamental to the Christian faith. (Sin and free will, love and grace, the bible, the cross, unity and the church, etc. ) We shared a short summary of what each topic was about and then invited them to come to whatever group/topic they had questions for. We told them it was an opportunity to ask us about any questions, express doubts, or just learn more about something. It was really great because the Embera have had numerous missionaries visit and so they´ve heard about the Christian faith and its basics...but this was an opportunity for them to go a little deeper. The ministry time went really well, and each of our groups got to talk with the community about their topic.

We did physical work and ministry every day and by the end of the 7 days we were pretty worn out...but it was such an incredible time for us all. It was hard to say goodbye as we pulled away in the canoe yesterday with the families gathered at the rivers edge waving us off. I would love to go back someday :)

Panama!

Yesterday we arrived in Panama around 3 am. After a day of rest and orientation at the YWAM base here, we found out part of our schedule for the next month. Tomorrow we will take a 1 hour drive and then 1 hour canoe ride up a river to San Juan, where one of the indigenous tribes is located. We will be with them for 8 days and be doing a variety of ministry with the adults and kids.

This morning we had our first official ministry of our outreach-we went to a local neighborhood and went door to door, inviting people to come watch a short presentation. We met back up in a field and had probably 20 kids and a few adults come along. The presentation was really simple, we just introduced ourselves and had a couple activities. We performed two different dramas, which the kids loved, and then taught a few children´s songs. It was great to see the kids laughing and singing along with us. Most of the kids were 5-8 years old, and on their way to school so they were all dressed in uniforms with little backpacks. So cute. I got some pictures but since I didn´t bring my laptop I think I´ll have to wait on posting pictures until the end of the month at least.

Until tomorrow morning we are staying with the YWAM base here. There is another DTS going on right now, and they leave for Argentina in a couple weeks for outreach. It´s neat to meet more people experiencing the same sort of things we are...and they have a very wide range of cultures, even more so than us: a few from the states, Panama, Haiti, Netherlands, and some from the indigenous tribes here. They prayed for us this morning and it was so cool- I think I counted 6 different languages praying over us. Wow.

We are back from NIKO and preparing for the next part of this adventure- Panama! NIKO was a very cool experience, and something I'll definitely never forget. Because of it's purpose, we are not supposed to talk about it to anyone who might possibly take a YWAM school, so unfortunately I can't really post anything about it. But I'll just say I'm exhausted, sore, covered in a variety of bug bites, bruises, and blisters, and very very thankful for food, a mattress, a bathroom, and clean clothes now that I'm back in San Jose. :) We saw some cool creatures in the Talamanca jungle, and got to experience many things that none of us had ever done before. It was awesome!

On Monday at 10 am we take a 18 hour bus ride to Panama City. I'm not sure of our schedule while there for October, but I will periodically have access to internet and will post updates whenever possible. Please pray for traveling mercies and an impacting start for our ministry in Panama. We're all really excited to leave!

As for this weekend, I'm off to do laundry from NIKO, pack for the next two months, and take it easy before the chaos of our outreach begins...:)

The location has changed for our outreach-here's the new plan:
We were unable to raise funds for us all to go to Mexico, and so instead...we are going to Panama and Nicaragua! These countries are within driving distance (18 hrs to Panama City, 7 hrs to Nicaragua) and will be less expensive. Though we were all a little disappointed initially, I think most of us are pretty excited to see these other countries. We are trusting that God has different plans and although we may not understand why, we know that He has a purpose. As a team, we've been very challenged the past few weeks and it's been difficult to be unified for various reasons, all having to do with finances. Many of the obstacles we've overcome and the lessons learned would not have happened if our destination had been Panama/Nicaragua all along. So we are trying to see the reasons for this change of plans and look at the positive sides (which are many) to this whole situation. We've all been stretched and challenged in the past week....for sure. But hey, that's a good thing- it's how we build character.

Speaking of being stretched and challenged.... :)

This past week we talked about Evangelism, and yesterday we put it to the test. We headed downtown and split up into small groups to talk to people around the city. Here is us getting ready to catch the bus:

Once we got down there, we had some time to sit with our group and share our testimonies. It was pretty cool, just sitting out in the middle of downtown talking about how our lives have changed...a lot of people slowed down to listen to what we were saying.

Afterwards I walked around with Chove, and we ended up talking to an old, homeless man (about 80 yrs) named Oliver. He had a hump in his neck, causing him to not be able to look up or even straight ahead. So he held up his head with his hand and talked with us for awhile. He told us he didn't really believe in God and that his purpose in life was to be a drunk, as he had always been. It was really heartbreaking to talk with someone so hopeless, lost, and physically broken. But he was kind and listened to us as we told him how much he is loved. I asked him if I could pray for him, and he scooted close and closed his eyes. It's amazing how powerful prayer is, even to those who don't know what they believe. I think it's because even if you don't have a relationship with God, you innately know someone is listening to your prayers. Anyways, after we were done praying he wiped away some tears from his eyes (breaking my heart a little more) and we said our goodbyes. I couldn't stop thinking about Oliver and people like him the rest of the day...which means that outreach will be incredibly difficult in some ways. We're going to be getting to know people like him every day. It's hard to describe the feeling I got talking to Oliver, or when working in the women's shelter in Mexicali, or even when I just think of doing misson work. Those who have done mission type stuff know what I'm trying to put into words right now....it's just a different experience than anything else. In those moments you feel so small, and almost frozen in time. You realize how much pain and desperation there is, and you see how precious each person God created is. You feel helpless and passionate to help all at the same time, and it's really overwhelming. But amidst the difficulties of these situations, there is something that kind of ignites inside of you. A desire to talk to more people, help more people. To do whatever it takes. It's how God created us, it's how He wants us to love each other and support one another.