One Month Home - Reflection

Yesterday marks a month that we've been home from our wonderful experience in Panama. In preparation for my final blog post about our Panama mission trip I asked some of my teammates to write a couple of sentences or paragraphs of personal reflection on our trip that explained how they were impacted, what the missed most, or what God did in them over the week. Let me just say, after reading their responses I teared up. 

This first Paragraph is from one of the team members, Lauren Elliot. Throughout the week she worked very hard, had a great attitude, led all of the AMAZING devotions, and really showed compassion and love to each and every one of us. Her words below reign true. 

"As I sit here, now three weeks removed from Panama, and fully immersed in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I find myself yearning for the simplicity I left behind. You see, the best thing about our time in Panama was not the amount of work we were able to accomplish, the number of children we were able to minister to, or the physical mark we made on the country. No, if we were to measure our experience in numbers and permanent products, I dare say we would be disappointed. If we are honest with ourselves, the impact that we had was scarce to say the least. But the reality is that our efforts are nothing on their own and this trip was the full embodiment of that truth. You see, in the quiet moments of conversation with the people we joined in community with in Panama, the Lord was at work. In the reading of David and Goliath, and coloring with kids, the Lord was at work. In our broken spanish, the sharing of meals, building of houses, and laughter, the Lord was continually at work, growing His kingdom one heart at a time. And that is what I miss the most. The intentional efforts of strangers brought together by the compassion of Christ to walk together in life. To journey alongside one another, doing nothing extravagant, but doing everything with love."

-Lauren Elliot -- check out her blog here: Simply Free

Another team member of mine, Grace Pike, also wrote AN ENTIRE SEPARATE BLOG POST in response to the question i raised. Grace spent the week genuinely loving every person she came into contact with. She is one of the wisest followers of Christ that I know. Take the time, and follow this link to her blog.  Isaiah 52:7 - Grace

In closing, I want to address my team members and everyone that supported us, whether that be through prayer of financially. To all of supporters, THANK YOU. We were all so blessed by our time in Panama. I know without a doubt that your prayer and thoughts kept us safe throughout the week. Also, thank you to those of you that have taken the time to read the blog posts and stay connected with our trip. We are very thankful that we were able to share our experience with you. 

To my team members, I could never have imaged that we would become such a family during our week in Panama. I very much cherish the relationships that I was fortunate enough to make with each of you. Each of you taught me things about myself that i would have never learned if you had not been placed in my life. May each of you continue to spread the Gospel wherever life takes you. 

Love and Blessings,

Kelsey

Salida (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)

Friday

Early Friday morning we begin our journey back into the main city of Panama. We loaded up our bus, and started on the 8 hour route. About halfway we stopped for a quick lunch, and got back on the road. When we got to Ipa/Iempa we found we would (sort of) be joining with another team from Texas for the remainder of the trip. When we got there we set up our cots, got our stuff together, and headed out for dinner at a nearby pizza place. That night, we spent a lot of time in community with in another. We played games until very late, and sat up talking because we knew the trip was coming to a close.

Saturday

Saturday was PACKED full of activities. We started the morning by heading to breakfast at restaurant called "Wakiki Beach".  They had some of the best piña smoothies. 

After breakfast we began our tour of Panama. The best way to explain the tour is just to share a few pictures from the day.

We saw some of the most beautiful churches, the skyline, the presidents house, and even a wedding. After our morning tour we ate lunch and headed to  a traditional indoor market. Then we visited the Panama Canal. We actually for to see a ship go through most of the process. 

Then we had dinner at a really good restaurant called "Crepes y Waffles". 

HERE'S THE BEST PART OF THE DAY!!

 When we got back to our room that night we had a group devotion. We talked about selfless service. The kind of service that we are truly called to do in Jesus Christ. During devotion, we all shared our opinions and our thoughts, and for me being fairly young it was really  impactful to hear what some of my wiser teammates had to share. Following devo, we had a a time of prayer for each other and worship. That night was definitely one of the best parts of the entire trip.

Sunday

Sunday morning we got up around 4:30am and headed to the airport. The Lord blessed us with safe, and (mostly) uneventful travel. Returning home was so bittersweet. We made friendships with each other, we built relationships with our friends in Cieneguita and Volcán, and we grew as individuals. 

Blessed to be a Blessing

Thursday was our real last work day. We got up early, had breakfast, and got to work. Some of the group finished up the garden while the majority worked on various parts of the house. We had some people mixing stucco, others spreading the stucco, and a few people putting up the wood that made up the exterior walls of the house.

A special moment occurred while I was watering some of the new herbs that we had planted. Two of the cutest and sweetest little boys happened to not be at school both of the days that we were in Volcan. On Wednesday, our entire group got to meet them, and play basketball with them. But, for some reason I felt a special attachment to them. So, in my incredibly broken Spanish I asked them to help me water the plants. I think what I said translates into something like “you help me water plants ok?”, but somehow they understood. Even though they turned out to be the worst little gardeners imaginable they were both willing to try and help. So, for a while we tried to water the plants until one of the little boys decided that it would be more fun to just throw the water at me. I don’t think I can even begin to explain what that moment meant for me. It was then, in the middle of a water fight with two six year old boys that I realized how important the work we were doing was. I realized that the impact we made was not something that was immediate (in most cases), in some cases the impact will never be physically visible; however, we were fulfilling one of the greatest commandments. We were showing love to our neighbors. We were showing the love of Jesus Christ through our actions. In looking back, that was the moment when I really understood what the trip was about. It hit me that the trip was really NOT about me, AT ALL. Yes, God was using us to do his work, but he could have called upon anyone to be his vessel.

 After we finished our morning work and ate lunch we had a devotion entitled “Blessed to be a Blessing”. We talked about what a blessing really is, and how we are called to use our true blessings to serve others. That night, we drove back to Cieneguita and slept there before our drive back into the city on Friday.