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Monday, December 17th
Today we started preparing for the missionaries who are coming on Wednesday morning. We've never been on this end of this, so it was a really good experience for Chris and I to see what the churches have done to prepare for our arrival when we took teams to Mexico and Honduras!!
A group of teenagers from the church came over to Pastor Aris's house, and we all went to Hna Zeida's house. Normally she rents rooms for the school year to the teachers who come to the island to teach, but they are all gone for "summer vacation." So we went to clean out the rooms and to see if we would need to borrow another house or not.
After working at Hna Zeida's house, we went to the church to do a little beach clean-up. I explained earlier that all of the trash gets thrown into the ocean...well, many times, some of it washes back on shore! We all worked together to throw gather up trash and toss it into another spot in the ocean. They are actually hoping to fill in that part with trash and shells and dirt. Then they'll put grass down on top of it. This process will extend their property a little bit!
Tuesday, December 18th
This morning Chris and I got to enjoy the fruit of Nitzia and my labors...Pastor Aris's mom invited us over to have a cup of hot chocolate with mashed plantains (using the chocolate that Nitzia and I ground the other day). We even got to help her with the process!
Then we went to finish up at Hna Zeida's house. They wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for the missionaries, so the borrowed beds from many different church members. This way, they could sleep on beds instead of in hammocks or on the floor! Pastor Aris decided that they would need a couple of more rooms, so we went to another house and cleaned and prepared the beds there as well.
We also joined the ladies who were cleaning up around the church...moving strips of grass to areas where there was no grass growing, and throwing the grass that was over-taking some areas into the ocean. Chris also helped cut the grass...with a machete, of course! Finally, we swept and organized the benches in the church! Ready for tomorrow!!
At church tonight, Chris went with Pastor Aris and the youth, and I talked to the women again about discipleship. About 7 women were interested in meeting together to pray and memorize scripture. They stayed after church and I paired them up. I can't wait to see what God does through this!! One thing that struck me was that 2 of the women don't know how to read, but they wanted to memorized God's Word...then they would have it even though they can't read it!
Wednesday, December 19th
We went to the airstrip to wait for the missionaries...along with tons of the teens and kids and ladies from the church! They didn't come on the first plane, so we waited from them for about 2 hours. No one was impatient or upset though...I love this culture!
Here's the whole crew...
Abel and Olivia are missionaries to Panama from Mexico City, Mexico. They've been in Panama for 5 years and have planted a church. Luz, John, Melany, Cesar Santiago, Ingrid, Sujey, Javier, Thedi, Isabel, and Mayra are all youth from their church. Leo, Lili, Andrea, and Daniela are a family from the mother church in Mexico City. Last year, Leo and Lili were baptized here in Playón Chico because they had never been baptized as adults (like Jesus was). Over the course of the last year, Andrea accepted Jesus as her Savior. She wanted to be baptized where her parents were baptized!! On the 20th, she will be getting baptized as well!
Mid-morning, they were going to begin vacation Bible school for the kids on the island. We all worked together to get the church decorated and ready for the kids.
Chris and I got to see a Christmas play after all this year...we didn't think it was going to happen! The theme of these two days is "The Path to Bethlehem." So they gave each child a t-shirt with the theme printed on the front. They also shared lunch with all of the kids. So after the lesson, all of the kids ran home to get their plate, cup, and spoon, and they ran back to line up for lunch! We all ate too, and then the teens from Panama started teaching the teens from Playón Chico the choreography for the praise songs!!
Most of the short-term team didn't sleep much last night, so they went to rest this afternoon. Chris and I went to Hna Felipa's house to learn to make bread!! Yet another recipe!!
Tonight we had church together...it was a great service. The teens from Panama shared some praise music in Spanish. A little taste of heaven...worshipping God in three languages!! Afterwards, we were all able to share together testimonies from all over the world! God is amazing!!
Thursday, December 20th
Here's something that God made crystal clear to me today...Eternal life begins the minute that we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. We don't have to wait until we die. In John 17:3 Jesus is praying to His Father, and this is what he says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, who you have sent." So now I understand Romans 6:23 better. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Without Jesus’ death...His sacrifice...all we get is death...eternal separation from God. Why? That's the payment one receives for their sins and because God cannot have sin in His presence...He's perfect and nothing can tarnish that! Since we aren't holy or perfect, we can't know God. Someone must pay the debt...death...that someone was Jesus! He paid it once for all people who are willing to accept His gift, His payment!! So now it's our gift from God to know Him through Jesus! Maybe all of that was clear to you before...it wasn't to me...I praise God that He keeps teaching me!! e-mail me if you want to know more!!
Today is a big day!!! I've told you about Cariel, Hno Aureliano, his wife--Altabella, and Andrea, but Hna Eva is also getting baptized today. She's 58!! So we are going to see 3 people over 50 who have accepted Christ and are going to follow Jesus’ example in baptism!! I can't believe it!!!
The missionaries went on ahead of the rest of us to enjoy the beach a little. When the boat was ready to take us over, Hno Aureliano was the very first person on-board. He and Hna Altabella were waiting on everyone else when we all walked up!! Praise God for their enthusiasm!
Pastor Aris and Abel shared from God's Word and the teens from Panama sang. Then they went into the ocean, and one by one Cariel, Hno Aureliano, Hna Altabella, Hna Eva, and Andrea shared their testimony and they were baptized! It was soooo heart touching!! Then Lili and Olivia prayed over each one. Finally we sang together again!! (What a gorgeous place to be baptized, huh?!)
Then it was play time...Chris played soccer with the boys and the rest of us swam around and enjoyed the day!! Before too late, we headed back to prepare for another lesson with the kids!
The lesson today focused on the people who told of Jesus’ birth, participated in it, or who celebrated it...so Lili shared about the prophets, the shepherds, the Wisemen, Mary and Joseph, Anna, and Simeon. It was really good and the kids were soooo attentive. The craft was a coloring sheet that had the same picture as the kids had on their shirts, so many of the kids took their shirts off so they could make their picture look exactly the same! They were so precious. On their way out, all of the kids received a bag of candy! What a great way to end a wonderful day!!
Still no idea when we'll be leaving, but we've been here 18 days...the longest anywhere...our departure must be close??! We'll be in touch again soon! God bless you and keep you! We love you and miss you a ton!!
Other Kuna tidbits...
• There's no word in Kuna for watch, flashlight, or Christmas. Since the American missionaries brought those items and concepts with them, they use the English words with a little different spelling--watche, flashlight, and Cristmas.
• Every church we visited had an old oxygen tank hanging outside of it. Apparently some time, it washed up on shore, and they realized that it makes a good bell. So when it's time for church they bang on the tank with a rock or a hammer three times. The third time it rings, everyone should be in the service.
• Burials...people are buried in their hammocks (sometimes in a wooden box) and all of their clothes are burned. The family builds a bamboo house in the cemetery (located on the mainland near their island) so that they have a place to live.
Monday, December 17th
Today we started preparing for the missionaries who are coming on Wednesday morning. We've never been on this end of this, so it was a really good experience for Chris and I to see what the churches have done to prepare for our arrival when we took teams to Mexico and Honduras!!
A group of teenagers from the church came over to Pastor Aris's house, and we all went to Hna Zeida's house. Normally she rents rooms for the school year to the teachers who come to the island to teach, but they are all gone for "summer vacation." So we went to clean out the rooms and to see if we would need to borrow another house or not.
After working at Hna Zeida's house, we went to the church to do a little beach clean-up. I explained earlier that all of the trash gets thrown into the ocean...well, many times, some of it washes back on shore! We all worked together to throw gather up trash and toss it into another spot in the ocean. They are actually hoping to fill in that part with trash and shells and dirt. Then they'll put grass down on top of it. This process will extend their property a little bit!
Tuesday, December 18th
This morning Chris and I got to enjoy the fruit of Nitzia and my labors...Pastor Aris's mom invited us over to have a cup of hot chocolate with mashed plantains (using the chocolate that Nitzia and I ground the other day). We even got to help her with the process!
Then we went to finish up at Hna Zeida's house. They wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for the missionaries, so the borrowed beds from many different church members. This way, they could sleep on beds instead of in hammocks or on the floor! Pastor Aris decided that they would need a couple of more rooms, so we went to another house and cleaned and prepared the beds there as well.
We also joined the ladies who were cleaning up around the church...moving strips of grass to areas where there was no grass growing, and throwing the grass that was over-taking some areas into the ocean. Chris also helped cut the grass...with a machete, of course! Finally, we swept and organized the benches in the church! Ready for tomorrow!!
At church tonight, Chris went with Pastor Aris and the youth, and I talked to the women again about discipleship. About 7 women were interested in meeting together to pray and memorize scripture. They stayed after church and I paired them up. I can't wait to see what God does through this!! One thing that struck me was that 2 of the women don't know how to read, but they wanted to memorized God's Word...then they would have it even though they can't read it!
Wednesday, December 19th
We went to the airstrip to wait for the missionaries...along with tons of the teens and kids and ladies from the church! They didn't come on the first plane, so we waited from them for about 2 hours. No one was impatient or upset though...I love this culture!
Here's the whole crew...
Abel and Olivia are missionaries to Panama from Mexico City, Mexico. They've been in Panama for 5 years and have planted a church. Luz, John, Melany, Cesar Santiago, Ingrid, Sujey, Javier, Thedi, Isabel, and Mayra are all youth from their church. Leo, Lili, Andrea, and Daniela are a family from the mother church in Mexico City. Last year, Leo and Lili were baptized here in Playón Chico because they had never been baptized as adults (like Jesus was). Over the course of the last year, Andrea accepted Jesus as her Savior. She wanted to be baptized where her parents were baptized!! On the 20th, she will be getting baptized as well!
Mid-morning, they were going to begin vacation Bible school for the kids on the island. We all worked together to get the church decorated and ready for the kids.
Chris and I got to see a Christmas play after all this year...we didn't think it was going to happen! The theme of these two days is "The Path to Bethlehem." So they gave each child a t-shirt with the theme printed on the front. They also shared lunch with all of the kids. So after the lesson, all of the kids ran home to get their plate, cup, and spoon, and they ran back to line up for lunch! We all ate too, and then the teens from Panama started teaching the teens from Playón Chico the choreography for the praise songs!!
Most of the short-term team didn't sleep much last night, so they went to rest this afternoon. Chris and I went to Hna Felipa's house to learn to make bread!! Yet another recipe!!
Tonight we had church together...it was a great service. The teens from Panama shared some praise music in Spanish. A little taste of heaven...worshipping God in three languages!! Afterwards, we were all able to share together testimonies from all over the world! God is amazing!!
Thursday, December 20th
Here's something that God made crystal clear to me today...Eternal life begins the minute that we accept Jesus as our personal Savior. We don't have to wait until we die. In John 17:3 Jesus is praying to His Father, and this is what he says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, who you have sent." So now I understand Romans 6:23 better. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Without Jesus’ death...His sacrifice...all we get is death...eternal separation from God. Why? That's the payment one receives for their sins and because God cannot have sin in His presence...He's perfect and nothing can tarnish that! Since we aren't holy or perfect, we can't know God. Someone must pay the debt...death...that someone was Jesus! He paid it once for all people who are willing to accept His gift, His payment!! So now it's our gift from God to know Him through Jesus! Maybe all of that was clear to you before...it wasn't to me...I praise God that He keeps teaching me!! e-mail me if you want to know more!!
Today is a big day!!! I've told you about Cariel, Hno Aureliano, his wife--Altabella, and Andrea, but Hna Eva is also getting baptized today. She's 58!! So we are going to see 3 people over 50 who have accepted Christ and are going to follow Jesus’ example in baptism!! I can't believe it!!!
The missionaries went on ahead of the rest of us to enjoy the beach a little. When the boat was ready to take us over, Hno Aureliano was the very first person on-board. He and Hna Altabella were waiting on everyone else when we all walked up!! Praise God for their enthusiasm!
Pastor Aris and Abel shared from God's Word and the teens from Panama sang. Then they went into the ocean, and one by one Cariel, Hno Aureliano, Hna Altabella, Hna Eva, and Andrea shared their testimony and they were baptized! It was soooo heart touching!! Then Lili and Olivia prayed over each one. Finally we sang together again!! (What a gorgeous place to be baptized, huh?!)
Then it was play time...Chris played soccer with the boys and the rest of us swam around and enjoyed the day!! Before too late, we headed back to prepare for another lesson with the kids!
The lesson today focused on the people who told of Jesus’ birth, participated in it, or who celebrated it...so Lili shared about the prophets, the shepherds, the Wisemen, Mary and Joseph, Anna, and Simeon. It was really good and the kids were soooo attentive. The craft was a coloring sheet that had the same picture as the kids had on their shirts, so many of the kids took their shirts off so they could make their picture look exactly the same! They were so precious. On their way out, all of the kids received a bag of candy! What a great way to end a wonderful day!!
Still no idea when we'll be leaving, but we've been here 18 days...the longest anywhere...our departure must be close??! We'll be in touch again soon! God bless you and keep you! We love you and miss you a ton!!
Other Kuna tidbits...
• There's no word in Kuna for watch, flashlight, or Christmas. Since the American missionaries brought those items and concepts with them, they use the English words with a little different spelling--watche, flashlight, and Cristmas.
• Every church we visited had an old oxygen tank hanging outside of it. Apparently some time, it washed up on shore, and they realized that it makes a good bell. So when it's time for church they bang on the tank with a rock or a hammer three times. The third time it rings, everyone should be in the service.
• Burials...people are buried in their hammocks (sometimes in a wooden box) and all of their clothes are burned. The family builds a bamboo house in the cemetery (located on the mainland near their island) so that they have a place to live.
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