My Trip to Panama…
I left the villa at 9:45 pm on Sunday Feb. 22!! We were all set and ready for our mission trip. We took a few breaks every once in awhile, but at 2:45 am. we stopped at this gas station in a random lil town that reminded me of the town off of the movie Cars. The bus driver and Noel got out and propped the bus on a rock… then the next thing I knew it was 4:45 am and we were still all on the bus and still at the same gas station. So we had to wait till the station opened so we could buy a part for the bus. We ended up sitting at the gas station for 7 hrs. So we finally left about 10 am and headed to the border. When we finally reached the border it only took 2 hrs to get through. It was a great experience going through customs on a bus!! We made it to Chame, Panama which was the city were the Word of Life Camp was located about 10 pm. So basically we were all on that tiny bus for 24 hrs. We just tried to picture the trip as a time to bond with one another and get to know each other MORE than we really wanted too LOL!
We basically helped out at the camp on Tuesday as well as Wednesday. We helped clean, play games, zip line, volleyball, soccer, and many other different things. The theme was “A world of Adventure.” So they had a lesson that involved missionaries around the world. In the evenings that had a great speaker, and often did dramas to get the teens attention. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed my time there. The camp was for teens from 12-20 yrs old, there were over 200 teens and probably over 100 adults. At the camp there were these 2 lil boys by the names Jonathon and Rafael. They were precious and were 10 yrs old. Tracey, who was the director of the camp explained to us that after camp was over that these two boys no longer had a home to return to. It was heartbreaking to hear about their home life. So, those boys were a blessing and I know the Lord will watch over them and provide for them.
On Thursday our group went to Panama City and went souvenir shopping. The city was different than any city I have ever been to. They also took us to a huge mall in the city and spent a few hours there. Later that afternoon, we returned to the camp to help out with the bonfire that evening. I love having bonfires at camp!!! Friday was the last full of camp so we enjoyed spending another days with the teens before they had to leave. That evening they had a banquet and all of the guys had to ask a girl to the banquet. It was a lot of fun and a perfect opportunity to practice my Spanish.
Saturday was the last day of camp so we helped clean up the camp and said our goodbye to everyone. That afternoon all of the staff packed up and went to the beach. It was a blast to get to know the staff some more. The beach was beautiful and the waves were huge!!! That evening we returned to camp and had a cookout and slideshow for the staff. It was kinda sad that evening, because we built relationships serving the Lord with the staff and then after tomorrow there is a chance you might not ever see them again until Heaven. So, the next day the GAP group went to the city and attended a Bilingual Baptist Church called “Crossroads Baptist.” It was a great church and wonderful to here a english speaking pastor. The Spanish in Panama is quite different than the Spanish spoken in Costa Rica. It is spoken much faster and many of the words are not the same. So, it was a challenge to adjust to the way they speak!! That afternoon was really neat, we also went to the Panama Canal!! I got to see many different ships come through the canal and took many pictures. It was so cool!!
Monday morning was a very adventurous day. Some of the people in our group wanted to climb this huge mountain that we could see from camp. So, we did. We all woke up at 5 am and began our hike. It took 4 hrs total, but I am so glad I did it, it was so worth it when I made it to the top and could see the unbelievable view. The rest of the day we rested up for our 20 hr. bus ride home that evening!!!
On Monday evening at 10 pm we set off in hope to reach the border by morning. Well, about 30 minutes into our trip we stop to get snacks, then return to our bus to find the driver once again underneath the bus fixing something. I was like, “This is not a good sign guys.” So, then 30 minutes later Noel comes over and says a part broke on the bus and we have to buy another one in the morning. So, we had to go back to the camp and sleep there for the evening. In other words we didn’t reach the border until like 5 pm that evening. We also had a delay in the trip about 2 hrs into CR, we were traveling on a 2 lane road and a truck hit a man on a bike head on. The man died right before we got to the curve. So, we had to turn around and go the long way which involved a one lane dirt road with huge trucks passing one another. It is safe to say my trip to Panama and back was an ADVENTURE!!! The Lord taught me several things on my trip and one of the things was to be FLEXIBLE LOL!!! It was necessary for this trip or it would have been miserable. Thank you to all who prayed for my trip and please continue to keep me in your prayers. I only have 3 more months here and I want the Lord to do all He can in my life while I am here!!!
