Conversacion y Comida (Wednesday)

When I was writing this journal entry last Wednesday night I read back over it out loud to our team, and we realized that we spent a majority of the day eating. Oops. The best way to explain this day is in timeline form:

7:00am: breakfast 

7:30am: figuring out the plan for the day

8:30am: heading into town for gardening supplies

9:00am: stopped at a hardware store and their happened to be a pastry shop next door so we went inside and ate

10:00am: walked through town to the plant store

10:40am: on the way back we got distracted and bought lyche (picture below). Lyche was an almost grape like fruit - really weird, but yummy.

12:00pm: after walking back to camp we were served lunch

12:30pm- began working in the gardens

2:30pm: found THREE venomous snakes in one of the flower beds. Our team member Ed, who is the most active 87 year old I've ever met killed all of them.

4:00pm: drove up closer to the volcano where we were served fresh strawberries in milkshake or whip cream form. Also, had the opportunity to buy snack foods and sweets.

5:30pm: got back to the camp and played basketball with a few of the kids that lived in volcán.

6:00pm: had dinner

7:00pm: walked to the nearby grocery store and got MORE snack food and candy.

8:00: played Mexican train, a dominos game until bedtime around 10.

So basically, we worked, walked some, talked, but MOSTLY we ate. 

Isaiah 65 (Tuesday)

On Tuesday, Rhett started the morning by sharing a devotion on Isaiah 65:17-25. It reads:

“Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and delight in my people. And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more. No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred! Only the cursed will die that young! In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the lord, have spoken!”

Rhett explained that this scripture is something he likes to share with the Ngobi Indians that live in Cieneguita because it is also God's promise to them. It really put things in perspective when he shared this because this scripture gives so much hope to a place that some might view as hopeless. He reminded us also that God promise reigns true for us. Our city will prosper, and be blessed with the spirit of God If we truly believe and trust in The Lord with everything we have. It was a great reminder to what God does with faith. 

After our breakfast and devotion we split again into our groups, and spend that day working on the house and playing with the children. After another great day in Cieneguita we packed up, and headed to our third home for the week-Volcàn. I wrote the journal entry that corresponds with this blog sitting on the front porch of the girls room while the wind blew and lightning lit up the mountains. 

Este es el Dia (Monday)

Monday was our first full day in Cieneguita. After breakfast we broke up into two teams. One of the teams was going to make the full trek (about an hours walk) to the house we were working on, and spend the day putting up supports. The other group went about one third of the way to see the first house that was built by Trinity teams, and then went to the school to play with kids and tell them about the bible school that was being held later in the afternoon.

I was on the team that went to see the children. I will never forget some of the sweet kids that I met. There ability to show love was quite amazing. They didn't let the language barrier stop them from getting to know us. We sang, danced, colored, read bible stories, laughed, played, made bracelets, and most of all made unforgettable friendships.

This was also the day that our team really started to bond. We played cards that night, and sat around and talked for the longest time. Looking back, I would relive this day 100 times if I could.

Van a la Playa (Sunday)

On Sunday morning, we woke up to the sound of a rooster. We packed up, and headed out the door to a beachside reastuarant for breakfast before making our way to Cieneguita. We were served pancakes, omelettes, smoothies, and coffee.

After breakfast we were able to take a swim in the Pacific Ocean!dinner. 
 The water was amazing and there were so many beautiful shells.

After our swim we began our 5(ish) hour bus ride to Cieneguita. We set up our very comfy cots (the beds we used for all but 3 nights) and ate a spaghetti dinner! We went to bed pretty early that night in prperation for the work that was about to begin.

Entrada (Saturday)

Because we didn't have wifi until the very end of the trip I was not able to blog while we were in Panama. This blog is now more of an overview of each day: the things we encountered, the people we met, and the ways God worked in our lives. 

On Saturday morning our whole team (minus Ed and Marlin) met at Trinity very early in the morning to catch our flight to Atlanta and then on to Panama. Our first flight to Atlanta was delayed slightly, but other than that everything went without a hitch.

We got to the Tocumen airport and met up with Rhett, the man in charge of our travels for the week, who also oversees a lot of the mission projects in Panama. He took us to have dinner at a really yummy burger place called 'California Burger'. They served some of the best hamburgers we'd ever eaten. 

After dinner we were taken the rest of the way to the place we would be staying Saturday night. Our home for the night was a camp in the middle of the woods that had no electricity. The bathrooms were a complete shock to some of us, but it was only preparation for what was coming! 

Saturday was a great start to a really wonderful week! 

Pre-departure

In less than 24 hours our mission team from Trinity United Methodist church will depart from Birmingham and head to Panama after a short layover in Atlanta.

 A few weeks ago we had some team bonding time. We went bowling and spent the evening getting to know each other better!  

Last night we had a packing get together, where we brought our suitcases and gathered the supplies and gifts that we will be taking with us to Panama.We also prepared our hearts and minds for this mission experience! 

If you would, please join us in in prayer over the next week. Pray for safety and peace of mind as we travel. Pray that our hearts will be in the right place as we serve, that we are serving for his glory not our own. Pray also for the people we will be serving, that God will use us in a way that touches their lives the way that each of them needs. Pray that God will teach us this week, and impact our lives for years to come. 

I speak for our entire team when I say that we greatly appreciate your prayers and support!