Panama: My Context

The Lord is working in Panama! This year marks the year that all (7) indigenous groups have the Bible in their language. Churches are growing, and the gospel is spreading. Panamanians are taking ownership of the gospel and yearning to share Jesus far and wide.

Last year, a local missions organization formed called PAM (Panamenos Alcanzando al Mundo), which equips, trains, and sends Panamanians into the mission field. PAM is even sending a team to translate the Bible to an unreached people group in Guinea, West Africa!



Economy

To give you some background, Panama's economy is doing extremely well due to the increased traffic through the Panama Canal, and this year, they built their first-ever Metro train system in the city. In August 2014, they're expected to finish the canal expansion project, just in time for the canal's 100th year anniversary.

Religion

The majority of Panamanians claim to be Catholic, and you can speak about Christ boldly without fear. Several Panamanians however, live with the misconception that salvation is based on merit or good works and some are very superstitious. Others are content in their prosperity and look to their economic status for fulfillment instead of God.

My School

It is this setting that I teach in. Parents enroll their children in Crossroads Christian Academy (CCA) mainly for the quality American-style education in English and "good moral teaching." But the other teachers and I are serving at CCA for a greater cause.

Two students who come to the Roots discipleship group

Our heart is that the non-Christian students would come to know Christ as their personal Savior, and those who do have a relationship with Christ would grow to love Him more and learn more about what it means to follow Him.

Everyday, we strive to model Christ to our students, and, in every subject, we teach from a Biblical worldview. We have chapel every Wednesday morning, as well as small groups where students are intentionally discipled. We also have a community outreach program where students learn to put their faith into action.

CCA's mission is to "To educate a multitude of leaders who will reach the world for Christ."

My Role

Personally, I have the incredible opportunity to teach Social Studies from a Biblical perspective to 6th-8th graders. The student body is very international, and, as I see it, I am involved in preparing and training future missionaries and world leaders. Because, as we minister to these students, they minister to their families, and their families to the community, etc. A lot of students have expressed interest in someday going to these countries, and my prayer is that God continues to give them an understanding of other cultures and desire to share the gospel far and wide in whatever context they're in.

A student's presentation on Kenya

At the end of the year, I asked my 6th grade Geography students why we should care about other cultures around the world, and one student responded, "to be able to share about Jesus better."

That is my heart, and I am so thankful for your continued prayers and support!

Ways to Pray

Please pray for:

-The students and what God will do in their lives this year

-For the host of new teachers who are arriving to Panama in late July and their transition to living and teaching overseas

-For the new 6th graders transitioning into Middle School

-For the two Bible studies I lead (Roots and Chapel small groups): We're going through The Story, and I'm excited to see what God teaches them as well as me!

-For wisdom as I develop and lead an outreach program for the Middle School this year

-For increased opportunities to practice Spanish and form friendships with Panamanians

-For general safety driving around the city, that God will sustain my 10-year old car

-For me that my "love will abound more and more in knowledge and dept of insight, so I will be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness the comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God." (adapted Philippians 1:9-11)

The middle school students performing a musical about the Exodus: what a witness!

I had the students write their favorite quotes on the bulletin board. One student wrote this! Powerful words.

Blessings on you all,
Laura

See earlier posts for more background and why I'm staying.

#3: Huayna Picchu and Machu Picchu

6/22
The day had finally arrived! The day we would hike Machu Picchu: a bucket list item for all of us.
I was pretty nervous about all the details working out, because I had heard that only the first 200 people who arrive actually get to go up the mountain.



With tickets in hand, we got to the bus station at 5:30am. Already, it looked like there were three bus loads of people there! There were crazier people than us!?








The bus ride took place in total darkness, and when we arrived, we had to stand in line again. I was excited and anxious, so I walked directly over to the Huayna Picchu entrance. We were too early! And it turns out, I didn't have to worry, because our ticket specifically was for H.P. and reserved a spot for us from the 7a-10a shift.

So we had a minute to breathe and marvel at the impressive, giant structures the Incas had erected in the mid-15th century and wonder at their purpose and why on earth they chose to build here, in the middle of nowhere!

Well, that morning I had prayed for the Lord to teach me more about humility, and boy, did he answer. On the climb, my fear of heights (which I thought I had conquered in Costa Rica) came back in full force.

So, as I clung to each rock step, and slowly made my way skyward, I prayed constantly.

There were parts where you could see off the edge, and you only had a cable to cling to as a railing. I was so grateful for Mami and Danae, who allowed me to stop frequently for breaks and another excuse to take pictures :)


My friends were incredibly patient and encouraged me along the way, and the whole experience put new meaning to several scriptures I had read about patience.

The altitude made it difficult to breathe, and even people who looked like they were in top-notch physical shape were struggling. After several resting points, my lungs got acclimated to the height, and my heart began to slow its pounding. Mami, Danae, and I were able to take some fun pictures, but still I wouldn't step anywhere near the edge.
















 


Finally, about an hour and a half (maybe more) into the climb, we ran into people on their way down saying, "You're almost there!"

One last set of steep rock stairs carved right in the mountain, and then (I imagined) there would be a flat platform to take pictures and relax. But nooo...I was very wrong about what was at the top.


At the top of Huayna Picchu, there is a series of caves which you have to duck under and a thick ladder which you must climb to reach the top. Instead of a flat platform, you are pulled up and out of the cave to step foot onto a large boulder. It seriously feels like you are at the top of the world.

But you can't stand there long, because there are masses of people crowding their way out of the cave and trying to maneuver safely across the boulders. I stood on the top boulder for a minute, slowing my breathing, and surveying the gorgeous scenery around me. This is the highest elevation I had ever been (outside of an airplane), and I had climbed the mountain to get there! (solo con la ayuda de los amigos y Dios)

When I found a resting spot, where not too many tourists were snapping pictures, I sat and contemplated the beauty of what lie below me. Sure, you have an amazing view of Machu Picchu from above, but I spent more time admiring the sunlight illuminating grand mountains dipping down into a lush river valley. Wow!! We have an awesome Creator and His creation is glorifying Him in all its majesty!

Psalm 19:1-4

1 How clearly the sky reveals God's glory!
    How plainly it shows what he has done!
² Each day announces it to the following day;
    each night repeats it to the next.
³ No speech or words are used,
    no sound is heard;
⁴ yet their message goes out to all the world
    and is heard to the ends of the earth.

We were sore even for a few days after the Huayna Picchu hike, but nothing could compare to being reminded of God's grandeur and beauty. So "indescribable and uncontainable," that it is hard to even put words to describe Him.

#3: Peru (Cusco and Aguas Calientes)

6/22-6/25 Stop #3: Cusco, Aguas Calientes (Peru)

We were totally unprepared for how cold Cusco was! We all bought alpaca sweaters and huddled in little restaurants to keep warm. Fortunately, we were only planning to spend two nights there.

Surprisingly, just a 4 hour train ride away, in Aguas Calientes, it was sunny and warm. We couldn't believe we were only 20 min from Machu Picchu! We were almost to the culmination of our trip!

The train to M.P. had Andean music and served coca tea for altitude sickness

View from the train; they had to drive backwards through switchbacks for a while to get through the mountains

Soda the color of gold--get it?

Aguas Calientes: tourist town and gateway to Machu Picchu

See next blog post for more details on the M.P. adventure!

#2: Colombia not Columbia

6/18-6/21 #2 stop in the S. American Adventure: Colombia!

During our time in Bogota, Colombia, we stayed with an amazing couple who used to go to Crossroads Bible Church in Panama. They were incredible hosts to show us the city and truly made our Colombia experience! They shared stories of how God had worked in their family, and it was so encouraging to hear what God was doing in Colombia now!

Colombian hats

Hecho esta means "it is finished" from Revelation 21:6:

And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega--the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.

Adriana took us to two Christian stores in Bogota. This one was so cute!

Llama!

Ajiaco: traditional Colombian soup with an empananda

Super sweet arequipe or coconut/peanut filled candy

They even won their World Cup match against the Ivory Coast. There was a huge Brazilian style drumline that danced their way through the mall, as a crowd of passionate Colombian soccer fans blasted their vuvuzelas in response. So much excitement!!


Entry from 6/20/14

This morning Adriana and Edgar dropped us off at the base of Monserrate. We took a funicular up the mountain, and it went almost completely straight up the track. I thought I'd be anxious, but the ride was smooth and calm, and, at its steepest, we were inside a long tunnel. They had fun music and a calming voice welcoming us to the top.

The view of Bogota was incredible! We were 3,127 meters above sea level!

 I felt the altitude as we climbed the brick stairs up to the church. It was raining and windy, so we ducked into a restaurant and enjoyed arepas and chocolate. We huddled under sweaters and scarves as we hurried through the rain to take in the view of the city half covered in fog. Very different than Quito, which had thousands of houses spread among its green hills. Bogota has several taller business buildings and hotels in the North side and shorter homes/buildings in the South. In the distance, we saw smaller mountains, and the hill across from Monserrate had another large church.

On our way to the funicular, we realized there were statues of the 15 stages of the cross, so we retraced our steps and went to find all but three of the statues (which may have been further down the hill).

Christ has victory over death!

We waited a long time in line for the funicular down the hill. When we finally reached the bottom of the hill, we were exhausted. We took a taxi to the Gold Museum--which houses South America's largest collection of Pre-Colombian gold--but mainly lounged around, took silly pictures and watched the museum's videos.

The strangest experience of all was when the museum guard wouldn't let a group of us pass by without checking out a "special exhibit." Instead, he ushered the crowd into a circular shaped room. We walked inside and didn't see much. The huge sliding doors closed, and the lights went dim. Suddenly, a low-pitched chanting started playing over the room's loudspeakers, and the noise reverberated around the room. At the same time, the lights flickered and illuminated the gold objects in the wall's giant display case.

Meeting the Incan king..

The gold shapes were interesting, but not enough to stand there and wonder what was happening for more than 3 minutes. When the exhibit doors finally slid open, we rushed out of there. The strangest exhibit I have ever visited!

Strange gold museum exhibit

After shaking off that experience, we left the Gold Museum, where we had spent entirely too much time, and wandered the streets of Candelaria looking for a good lunch place. We caught more of the World Cup, and later reunited with our hosts for coffee at Juan Valdes.

La Candelaria square

Last dinner together with our hosts at Crepes and Waffles