Missions Blog

On our second day here in Panama, we continued to have fellowship with Tracy from Word of Life as well as the woman who will be the main speaker at the conference. We were blessed with the opportunity to visit Curundú which is one of the poorest areas of Panama City. Violence and broken families are abundant in this area, and so for many children, a good education means hope for a better future.

At the Christian school managed by Juntos Podemos, they can find this hope. Juntos Podemos currently manages 3 schools that educate 275 students, teenagers, and adults. They also have a community dining room that feeds 525 people, a Saturday program for kids of the community with moral and recreational purposes, and a feeding program designed for the homeless. “Together We Can” being their motto, they are striving to rebuild their community with Christ as their foundation. 

The children we met were overjoyed to meet us, and there were many hugs, high-fives, and smiles. They were proud for us to see their school. Later in the day, we were saddened to learn that just this past Saturday, a 10-year-old girl lost her life to gun violence. While she was not a student at the school, she was an attendee of the Saturday program, and this is an example of the dangers these children face. Word of Life is striving to raise funds so that the children at the school can attend the upcoming camp. For many families, $30 is just not able to be spared on a minimum wage income of about $400 a month. As a team, we desire to help as many students as possible have the opportunity to attend camp and learn about the gospel.

The rest of our day in Panama City was spent in the old part of the city. Here is where the original city was founded and at one point was destroyed by pirates. There are still the ruins of churches from the time of the Spaniards. The streets resembled many old European towns, and there were many shops and a market area where people sold their wares. 

We have safely arrived at the Word of Life camp in Chame where we will support the women’s conference. The staff are so excited for us to be here and help. We have prepared just over 300 goodie bags to pass out to the attendees. It is such a blessing to give our time, small gifts, and support to our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are family, and “together we can” bring glory to the Lord and be His vessels to minister to the Panamanian women that we will be meeting.

Please pray for the community and children of Curundu, and please pray for us as we all prepare for the conference which starts tomorrow evening. Muchas gracias!