A Word from the team in Panama

GPS Enabled

Wayne, Jason, and I arrived safely in Panama last Monday afternoon with all of our luggage!  After being on a plane all night and half of the next day, we were ready to get a bite to eat and a refreshing shower.  We were delightfully surprised to find our friend Edwin Garcia waiting for us at the custom’s exit with a big smile on his face.  He invited us to lunch at the restaurant his wife Lesbi managers, the Wakki.  After lunch he invited us to follow him to his office where he wanted to introduce us to a friend.  Because we were pretty grungy from our flight, we were a light tired and reluctant, but no harm can come from meeting one friend, right? After arriving at the new office building for the national Panamanian department of sports, we followed Edwin into a cool air conditioned environment filled with power suits!  Edwin toured us around to all the department heads and introduced us as the English teachers from California.  Soon he had everyone assembled in a large meeting room, put four chairs up front, invited us to sit, gave an introductory presentation to his employees, then turned around asked us if we had anything to add…  Needless to say, we returned the next day in kakis, polos, and freshly showered!

As the deputy to the Head of Human Resources for the Presidential Sports cabinet, Edwin has given us access to air conditioned conference rooms, any supplies we need, and so far about 85 students.  So far our schedule is to get up, shower, grab a quick breakfast and drive to the government office to begin teaching by 9am.  Our morning classes run until noon, then we pack up and drive to Edwin’s private pre-school and teach a class from 1 to 2pm.  Next we drive down to Brisas, grab a quick lunch, then off into the mass of traffic to run down a stapler, extra shirts, or any other supplies we needed.  This gives us time to push through the traffic just in time to return to the school to teach classes from 5pm to about 11pm.  Each evening Lesbi cooks us a fantastic authentic Panamanian dinner which some wolf down from 8:45 to 9:15pm or so.  All of this is a sketch of the joy we have of sitting with open Bibles discussing spiritual truths to souls that are hungry for the Word.

Now, navigation in Panama has its challenges.  Besides man eating traffic, steaming humidity, and heavily armed, “no tengo papeles” Federal Police conversations, most streets are unnamed and buildings are unnumbered.  I asked for directions our first night, so Edwin sketched a detailed map on the back of my Styrofoam plate.  We proudly drove around the next two days with our brand new, green friendly GPS, our Garcia Plate Sketch which we quickly dubbed the “plate of power!”  Service in Panama is not all fun and games.  After teaching relentlessly for hours on end, Jason and I discovered our teammate Wayne quietly hobnobbing with Edwin and another department head in his personal break room scarfing down coffee and fresh bread with garlic butter.  Et tu Brute??  Wayne has become known in the office as “Senor Jefe,” the Big Boss!!  Jason is on the mend after poking his finger with his knife and I have found my bilingual Bible to be the perfect pillow while catching a quick nap on the cool tile floor before an afternoon class.  Delores Leonard is doing well and had been a delightful host.  She sends her warmest greetings to all and declares her house as “open to all.”

Each trip to Panama reminds us clearly how important it is to have a GPS, God’s Planned Service.  While we lay out a basic plan, each time God clearly has something even better in mind.  We are being blessed with the opportunity to continuing building existing relationships and to make new ones.  This trip we continue to hold community classes at Edwin’s preschool as we added a morning schedule at a large government office complex.  We constantly experience respect and interest for how we are serving and Who we are talking about.  Yesterday we were given contact information to follow up on as one of the largest retailers in Panama has expressed an interested in hosting more of our classes in the future.  We are planning an interest meeting next week to see what God has in mind.  Tonight we are hosting the movie “Fireproof” for our students and the community around the school, Castle Kids.  Sunday morning we will be having a Bible study and time of worship for all that we have invited, please pray for the bridge building and harvest that God desires.

We continue to ask for your prayers for our guidance and stamina and we explore each avenue that is placed before us.

Mike