If the shoe does not fit . . . an Update from Team # 2

If the shoe doesn’t fit…

Coming to Panama is all about learning about yourself, experiencing new adventures with God, and trying to boldly go where your faith has never gone before. I have crossed a new frontier of faith. I have given up comfort for style! Because of the tropical climate and informal setting, I did not pack dress shoes for this trip in interest of saving wait to transport our teaching materials. For the same reason I did not pack dark socks or more than three polo shirts. As you have read previously, God has given us an opportunity to read with several lawyers in their downtown office. Picture the scene, here we are in an ultra-modern steel and glass building, super digital security, everyone dressed for serious success. Did I mention that we would be reading and interacting with Norma and Omar Torijjos? He is the brother of the former president of Panama and the son of the most famous president, Omar Senior who signed the Panama Treaty with President Carter? What do I have to wear? Sandals, t-shirts, and shorts?? I dug out my only pair of khaki pants, lined up my three polos and fretted about my tennis shoes. Once again Terry came to the rescue, he loaned me his Bun Nunn dress shoes and one pair of dark socks. The glitch? For one thing, even if I turn them inside out, I’ve got to go two weeks with one pair of socks. Worse yet, Terry’s shoes are a size and a half to small for my feet! So… for the last two days I drove to the law office, put his shoes on in the parking garage and took them off as soon as I returned to the car. I usually would lose all communication with my toes in about 30 minutes. Know I understand why women so often kick off their shoes during church and hope the preacher gives them a moment’s warning before the invitation song! I spent the whole lesson wiggling my feet, desperately trying to ensure blood flow to my poor oppressed feet. What’s next, separating lights from darks in the wash? Organizing my sock suitcase??!!
Proper sizing continues to be a challenge. I have discovered that if I sleep diagonally across the bed, by feet would be trapped in the metal footboard. Jim is sitting on a tiny preschool chair for hours as he patiently teaches his students. It’s amazing hard to focus your bifocals when your knees are obstructing your view! Lynn has had to begin turning students away for her beginners English classes, she has discovered that ten students in her tiny classroom is roughly equivalent to the steamy environment of sardines, hold the mustard! This restriction limits her to a total of 50 students with five different classes each day. Whew!
God has continued to amaze us with the opportunities He had brought us. Lynn had a fantastic spiritual conversation with Norma Torijjos today. My morning reader in the law office “Torres de Americas,” Fabulosa, is interested in a late night Bible study with her husband and other friends. Omar and Norma have invited Libby to attend a special youth night at their church with their daughter who is the same age. My first reader in Castellana, in Edwin’s preschool, asked me five minutes into our lesson, “what is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?” We launched into a slow, tortuous, broken English/Spanish Bible study! I figure we probably had about a 30% accuracy rate. We keep reminding ourselves of the truth, God can do anything!