Hi everybody! I can't believe it's already Saturday! The days have been long, but the trip is going by so quickly. I was so excited to come on this trip and see how God would use me beyond my wildest imagination. I've been on trips before but none like here in Panama! The coolest parts of the trip have been the little moments when I see God work. There have been a lot so far, but one of the coolest was today.
My family is pretty awesome, and put together a surprise package of letters for me to open everyday while I am in Panama. Today's letter was from a women from my church (which was wonderful!) but I also noticed I was a day behind. I opened another and it was from my brother, and it said things like "go beyond your comfort zone, eat new food, try new things and have an awesome time." I got super excited from this and definitely tried to be put it into practice. I would have loved to have the opportunity to eat a new food today at lunch, but I got full! However! I have been eating the food that the schools or villages have made for us, which has been great and exciting to try new things! But also following Jeremy's words of wisdom,  I was able to be a part of a group teaching field hockey to the kids at the camp we went to today.
Running isn't as easy of a sport to teach, so it's been really fun to be a part of volleyball clinics and today, field hockey! It was new and interesting to pick up, but it was so much fun! Seeing how excited the kids are to play a new sport and have so many people excited to play with them and just show them Christs love all day is a new feeling, and it's something I will treasure for a lifetime.
God has blessed us all with an amazing opportunity to use our love of Christ and sports to show love to so many people here in Panama.
Another awesome thing we got to do today was help build Sawyer water filters for people we visited. They were missionaries who housed orphan children, as well as for people who lived nearby who didn't have clean water to drink. It was amazing to be able to (literally) be hands of Christ and help build these water filters that they can use for years and years to come. One women was saving up her money to buy a filter for her family,  and we were able to be give her a filter to use. We were all so amazed by God's timing and how He placed us there  today for a reason, and able to give this women clean water for her and her family.
Thank you all much for your encouragement and prayers while we are here!

Natalie

M

Another Adventure in Panama

Another beautiful early morning in Paraiso, we all awoke anxious for another adventure. After scarfing down some cereal and cinnamon buns, which were actually quite delicious, we headed out to our destination. Rather than the green forest we ventured to yesterday, we found ourselves going into the concrete jungle of Panama City. After enduring some rush hour traffic we arrived at a Panama Christian Academy. Walking through the front gate and to the single concrete basketball court, we were greeted by a group of 8th graders ready to play volleyball. We started with our traditional game of „Tierra e Mar" with Pete at the helm, which is always fun to watch and participate in. The kids smiling faces and enthusiasm showed it all. It was a blessing to see them laughing and so excited to play.  We split up into groups and taught them volleyball basics, such as hitting, passing, and setting. The kids picked it up very well and we were all having fun. We quickly made friends and were able to make some deeper connections today as most of the kids spoke English. After a few rounds of intense volleyball games we went to our testimonial section. Craig shared today and left a lasting impact on the kids encouraging those that were already Christians and telling and explaining the good news of Jesus Christ. After this class dispersed, we learned pretty quickly of the free flowing environment. Kids were out on break constantly and we were able to play with them and make more friends and continue to encourage and teach. Clip was able to get the kids going with a game of high fives and along with Craig and Pete showed some of the kids how to dunk. Suzi was talking to girls about the life found in Jesus. Aaron spent some of his lunch talking to kids around the little courtyard, and so on! Everybody was interacting and loving on the kids and they were loving back. It was amazing to connect, but yet again sad we had to leave. We all have agreed this is one of the hardest parts of our mission both for the kids and people we are impacting and ourselves, but our short time here will still have an impact and gives good help to David and Marianella's ministry for Christ.

After a hectic morning of fun with the kids, we took our afternoon time to watch some soccer and visit Panama City. Unfortunately David's team lost. After gaining a 2-0 lead in the first half, the second half ended in a draw. It went into pks were David's team, CCA Eagles, lost by 2. It was a sad loss especially in semi-finals, but it was a great lesson to us as athletes how David was able to walk across the field after the game and transition back into life without letting it effect him. We kicked around a little bit, and watched little Dani show off his natural soccer abilities against Rev (Chris) who was in goal. Once we finished kicking around we went into the historic part of Panama City in search of memories and souvenirs. The history of  the city was amazing. Marianella told us a story about a church that was amazing. The center piece of the church, which was gold leafed and all carved images of Jesus and other saints and other artistic interpetations was thrown into the ocean by Pirates, but was recovered by the indigenous people. We soon found ourselves walking on a walkway by the bay where home made souvenirs were scattered across the tables of eager barterers. It was amazing to see the selflessness of everyone as they picked out necklaces and gifts for friends and family back home.

The drive back we passed the ghettos along the highway and you can't help but think the hardship that is there in the city. It reminds you of how fortunate we are and how much people need to be reached out to in the world and in our own country that are in similar situations. Ending on a happy note, we ate out at a mall that would put many malls in the U.S. To shame. It was huge! We enjoyed each other company before returning exhausted, yet ready to do laundry and for another intense game of signs! What is in store for us tomorrow? Another adventure we are eager to go on.

Today our group again, had a great day! We traveled on a bus for about an hour and twenty minutes. It was quite the bumpy ride as we zipped along the twisty roads up and down the mountains. We finally arrived at a public school that rotated between elementary, middle and high school aged kids. The view from the school was breath taking, as it was perched  on the top of a mountain that was surrounded by more mountains and beautiful scenery. On the little flat area we had, we started the day with the elementary aged kids and worked our way up. Thanks to our awesome translator, Manuel, we were able to proclaim  our love for Jesus and for our sports. We then did some silly relay races before breaking into our sports. The kids could pick whether they wanted to play soccer, baseball, volleyball or field hockey. They seemed especially interested in field hockey because they have never seen nor heard of it before! It was exciting to teach something completely new to those kids. Although the language barrier seemed difficult, we were glad that fun and laughter proved to  have  no borders. The age groups were into a different set of sports each time, but we were able to involve everyone and have a lot of fun! The group members shared testimonies and encouraging words to connect to the kids of all ages. In the afternoon when we were playing with the high school kids, it started to rain. Many  kids braved the rain and continued to play field hockey and frisbee while volleyball was played in a pavilion. We were also able to leave field hockey sticks and balls to the school so that they can continue to play and learn about it! Our day was filled with Jesus, sports and tons of fun! We are excited to see what God has in store for us tomorrow!

On this fine Wednesday in Panama, the Panamaniacs were busy with sharing God's love to children at a Christian School as well as the village of Gamboa. Each teammate was stretched by the language barrier, but as we all know, Love speaks every language.
Starting our morning early, we headed to the Christian school to run volleyball clinics for many grades. From 2nd grade to high school age students, we had the opportunity to not only share volleyball skills, but with each grade, one of our team members shared their testimony. With each session, we became more comfortable with using our broken Spanish skills to relate to the kids. Seeing the children's improvement in the sport as well as their wide smiles was satisfing to our team. Laughs and smiles were shared through the games played, hands slapped, and encouragement shared. After five sessions and a lunch (where we were treated like celebrities by the kids), we began our journey to Gamboa.
After a 25 minute bus ride and 10 minute boat trip, we landed at the village. Since we arrived at nap time, there were only a few people around. Once there was word we were there, children began appearing from their homes. Most of the female team members stayed with the small children to blow bubbles, jump rope, and paint nails (absolutely loving on the children). Through those activities, friendships were born. All the while, there was a game of soccer going up at the field of the village. Again, like the Christian school, sport brought total strangers together to share the love of the game and bring fellowship to life.
All in all, sports were played the gospel was shared- it was a blessed day.
Now, until we all lay our heads on our pillows, games will be played and laughter will fill our house. May God continue to bless this trip. All for Him!

- Panamaniacs

We made it to Panama! We have checked into Casa Paraiso and will sleep soundly tonight. Super excited for what tomorrow holds! Buenas noches!

-Panamaniacs

Benji's Mini-Blog #1

Chilling in the airport waiting to board our flight for Atlanta (layover). The group is absolutely beside themselves with excitement. Cam and Pete are getting jittery from their  cups of over-priced, average tasting Starbucks coffee. I currently am scarfing my second package of pop tarts (brown sugar obviously, lots of sugar and fat...I hate myself). It's a hoot of a time. We're taking lots of super cute pictures during our wait too, hoping to take the social media world by storm. That's all for now!


xoxo <3

And we're off!

Our group of 17 mixed athletes have been staying at Messiah College to train and prepare for the journey ahead. On Sunday we individually reflected on our expectations for the coming weeks and how we hope to be used be the Lord. It is so evident that our team has been divinely hand-selected, as we have already formed close bonds and even have some of our own inside jokes. We have enjoyed getting to know each other and it is mind-blowing that most of us were strangers just a few short days ago. Not only have we been preparing spiritually through focusing on missions in Scripture, but we also prepared our luggage by spraying all of our clothes with Sawyer anti-insect repellant products. Sunday evening we enjoyed a cook out dinner and games. Monday morning we participated in a "cross-run", in which we jogged rugged terrain carrying large wooden crosses. This experience created unity and cohesion within the team. We received training regarding the water filtration systems that we will be installing and utilizing during our time in Panama. This morning we are all packed up and heading to the airport to embark on our exciting adventure! Stay tuned for further updates throughout the week!
-Panamaniacs