Last Weeks of Summer

I can't believe it's been over a month since I arrived in Panama!

Here's what I've been up to:

• Volunteering in the school office: classroom inventory, matching keys, putting together teacher supply bins, answering telephones, etc. It's been a great way to get to know the school and some of the key people that keep it running.

• Apartment-sitting: The majority of teachers headed to the U.S. for the summer, so I took care of the apartment building and helped prepare for the teachers and families to return.

• Returned to Boquete for a week: I volunteered for a friend's company with some data entry projects; the Spanish practice was incredible. People there speak even differently than those in Panama City. Que interesante! It was also a great time to pray, relax and enjoy some peace and tranquility before school starts. 

• Exploring Panama City: I was blessed to be able to borrow someone's car for the month, which made it much easier to see other parts of the city. Little by little, I ventured further out beyond the typical route from Clayton to the school or to the Rey grocery store, or to the mall (all on one long street paralleling the canal locks). I've gotten to know the Young Professionals Group (YAP) from church, and they have helped introduce me to new places, like where to rent bikes on the Amador Causeway and a Christian bookstore in the mall. Some people in the church have hosted me for dinner, so already I've felt warmly welcomed into an amazing community.

Recently, families that teach at the school have returned, and, now car-less, I've been extremely thankful for their invitations to take part in their daily errands. I've learned where they unlock smart phones (Mall Gran Morrison, in El Dorado) and been introduced to Panama's version of Costco (PriceSmart). I've even had the chance to visit UltraCom (teacher store), Discovery Center (like home depot/walmart), and the Centennial Mall. Now that the families are back, the reality that this is my new community is sinking in and I am incredibly grateful for everyone I've met so far. Ciudad de Panama is starting to feel like home!

Please be praying as Crossroads (CCA) prepares for the quickly approaching school year (Thursday, August 9th)! Pray for wisdom in making policy decisions and planning lessons, and pray for the new and returning teachers that have just arrived in the country (each one an answer to prayer!). Pray especially for our students that they would learn more this year who Christ is and how He has called us to live.

The school's theme this year is: Digging Deeper to Reach Further.

It is based out of:

Luke 10:27  First, we are digging deeper; learning to love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, soul, strength, and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

James 3:13 Then, experiencing and demonstrating this love leads us to serve others-anywhere, anyway. Essentially this is proof of God's LOVE, proof we belong to Him.

Philippians 1:27 And finally, bonded together in this love and service, we need to remember living a life worthy of the gospel is not accomplished on our own. We are meant to do God's work TOGETHER. It means ditching our personal rights and desires, putting on the work gloves, and linking arms, knowing it is Christ that cements us to one another and this unity of prayer and mind solidifies the walls so the enemy cannot break through. 

Pray that we, as teachers, can model these verses and take them to heart. Pray that students grow in these areas: "digging deeper" and learning to love God with ALL or "reaching further" by taking this Love and sharing it with the local community and beyond through service together. Pray for peace as many details need to be ironed out before Thursday, and when it's easy to get overwhelmed, that God would provide daily reminders of why we are at CCA in the first place.