Outreaches!

Hi Mom and Dad,

The truth of the matter is, we haven't actually been in class all day every day. We have been doing some other stuff.

One Saturday, most of our group went over to Isla Colon to paint a mural at a nursing home. That day was Mike and my day to stay back at the base, though. The next Saturday, we went back to the nursing home (Mike and I did go this time). We prepared a dinner for the residents and (very overworked and underpaid) staff. We also sang songs, presented the gospel, finished the mural, and visited with residents. It was VERY cool. The nursing home is very simple, nothing like I've seen in the U.S. All the women sleep in one room. All of the men sleep in another room. There is no privacy in the dormitories or bathrooms. Between the men's and women's dormitories, there is a sitting room, a kitchen, and a dining room. The mural was painted in the dining room.

The mural our classmates painted at the nursing home

I could tell that it was a big encouragement and blessing to the staff and residents to have us visit. The staff looked so pleased that we were taking care of cooking and cleaning up after dinner. The residents were excited to have visitors.One woman, Alejandra, asked me to package up her lunch because she had a late breakfast. Then she began singing me a song about Jesus. I was excited because I knew that our group was about to sing and thought she would really enjoy that, so I brought her out of the dormitory into the dining room. She was so moved, and she was able to sing along to a couple of the songs. Several of the residents were so moved during the gospel presentation and songs that they cried. I was so happy to be there, to see how joyful and encouraged Alejandra and a number of the other residents were.

Mike and I preparing flowers for the tables

Ale, a fellow DTS student, and I had the chance to visit with some of the men after lunch. We read their bibles with them and discussed. We met one man, Nicolas, who used to be a bible scholar, shared with us that he had been feeling condemned. We were able to encourage him and point him to the truth that Jesus did in fact pay for ALL of his sin. The sins that he had committed in his life, awful as they may have been, were not too big for God. We showed him scripture to combat the lies he had been believing with truth. There was definitely a change in his attitude as we spoke with him. He had been eager to discuss with us, and he seemed so relieved when we began sharing the truth of God's grace with him. He also shared with us that it was his Birthday!!! So, Ale and I sang Las Mañanitas to him. We're continuing to pray for him. He was such a blessing to us!

Yesterday, we took a 45 minute boat ride in the rain to Shark's Hole, a fairly remote village in Bocas del Toro. We were invited to do a mini Vacation Bible School at the school in the village. Elli and Kim and I moved from classroom to classroom singing "I have a friend who really loves me" with the children. They almost all knew the song in Spanish, some knew it in Ngobere as well, and we also taught it in English. So we sang in all three languages :) We talked a bit about the character of God with them - how big He is, how He creates all good things, how He provides for us, cares for us, loves us. He is a father that is always there, always faithful. (Most all Ngobe children (if not 100%) have been left by their father and/or mother.)We also talked about how intelligent He is, that we can talk to him in whatever language we speak and He understands!

Heading out of Shark's Hole

I really enjoyed speaking with some of the teachers at the elementary school and "high school"  (grades 7 - 9) after school was over. None of the teachers are from the village. All travel in from their home towns and stay at least two weeks at a time before they are able to return and visit with their families. Some of the teachers had been in the village up to eight years. One woman shared with me that teachers in Panama are required to teach for four years in a remote area before they are able to request transfer to a more central area. The teacher's have communal homes provided by the government in the community. Each teacher has their own room in the same building or two. It seems like the teachers get to be very good friends, but it seems like quite the life!! We also ran into a Peace Corps volunteer from North Carolina in the village. Some of our group talked about strategies for sustainable development with him for a bit -- how to really help the people rather than just placating them with money and tools that don't really help (such as a generator that was supplied by the government but which no one in the area know how to work on or get parts for!).

Children on the pier as we left Shark's Hole

I'm not sure what we have planned for next Saturday. I can't believe we've been down here for two months already! With the hot weather, it still feels like July to me. September 18th. Unbelievable.

Can't wait to see everyone at Christmas time!!

Love you,

Mike and Lauren