Over spring break 2016, YoungLife KSU went on a mission trip to Panama!
We had a blast in Panama!
The weather was sunny, humid, and broiling hot. Our foot soles were hardened and our human souls were transformed. In the part of Panama City which we visited (near Panamá Viejo) a person's entire family lives in one cinderblock, dirt-floored house; usually about 200 sq. feet in size. Contrary to what we Americans often assume, the financially impoverished people of Panamá Viejo had no problem with their living situation. "We do not feel jealous of rich people," our Panamanian leader, Enrique said. "We are not separated by walls and technology. We live together in community. You cannot avoid each other." One of these houses' bathroom and shower was long overdue for a reconstruction. So we fellas mixed concrete (called "mezcla" meaning "mixture"), sawed iron rods and stacked cinderblocks the whole week. The girls vigorously sanded and painted the insides of the local school - benches, stair railings, support posts, etc. All the photos in the above slideshow were taken by our trip leader, Chad Green.
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Most Days in Panama
- 7:45 am - Every morning, we hopped on our locally contracted bus. Upon arrival in the neighborhood we were lead in prayer and a devotion by Enrique (and a few of our Spanish-speaking teammates). After this we'd grab some water jugs and head over to our work sites. Despite the blazing sun overhead and the slabs of rock in our hands, we enjoyed every day more and more. Hard physical labor grows on you. There's something wonderful about serving Jesus Christ, through serving His people, via the body and skills which you've been given. And when you add to that the outdoors, the laughter and joy of children, and the comedia ("comedy") that comes from broken translations - the river of sweat flowing off your brow becomes a reminder of life well lived. - 12:30 pm - Comida! (lunch). Lunch was always a highlight. Getting some high-calorie food and rest from 90° weather was wonderful. But the bigger benefit of our mid-day meals was getting to sit down and talk with everyone - both to our sisters from Manhattan, as well as the local kids and adults. We laughed a lot during these eating sessions, and of course, drank lots of Latin American Coca-Cola. - 1:30 pm - We usually wrapped up lunch around this time, and headed back to work for a little more cementing and painting before calling it a day. - 4:30 pm - That's it - work is done for the day! We hopped back on our bus and rode back to Cuba Casa (our local hostal). - 6:30 pm - Thelma, The area director of Young Life Panama, would take us to a fun place to eat every night and/or an event the community had planned for us. Thelma is a wonderfully sweet woman who mothered us all week. She was adamant that everyone eat lots of food, and not get sunburnt. - 9:30 pm - By this time we had usually arrived back at Cuba Casa. - 10:30 pm - On most nights we had a team meeting or debrief. We talked about our highs and lows, how and if we felt The Holy Spirit speaking to us through our experiences, what we wanted to do with out lives, and most importantly: What do we each feel God is calling us to do. - 11:30 pm - After praying it out, we had free time. I personally went to bed as soon as I could most nights. |