Panama Update 2011
January 24, 2011
Hello! It’s hard to believe that we have been here 19 days already! Once again, please forward this on to anyone who would be interested in knowing how our mission trip is going here. The internet connection is especially slow today, but I am here in the mountains with a nice breeze, so I wont complain!
Since we arrived, we have been caught up in a whirlwind of activity. We are all still adjusting, but everyone is definatley doing better. My bug bites are almost completely healed and I only have a few little new ones here and there. Chloe is doing much better. She goes with Andys mom and dad every morning at 6am to watch them milk the cows. She is learning a lot of new words in Spanish too and she has been very content to run around and play with the chickens.
I spend the majority of my time taking care of the babies, changing their cloth diapers, washing clothes by hand, hanging them on the line, and helping cook. It is such a great life here. A lot of work, but no tv, or internet, so it gives you a chance to spend time enjoying nature and contemplating the goodness of God.
Vendors come every couple of days with a truck full of fresh produce, which helps people here not have to travel to the city to purchase food. Soon, we will have a huge garden here with bananas, pineapple, tomatoes, cucumbers, cilantro, squach, yucca, papaya, avacado, beans, and many other great foods. Then WE will be able to sell produce too, instead of buying!
On Sunday, Jan 16th, I got struck with a virus very suddenly. I was feeling tired, and then i started to feel a little dizzy and hot. I layed down and Kathleen, our nurse, took my temperature and I had 102! So i rested for a while and drank some fluids and we began to pray. 30 minutes later, she took my temp again and it was down to 100.5. It went back and forth for about 2 hours, but never back up to 102. Then I suddenly felt better and I got up and fed christian, ate a little something, and then she took my temp and it was back to normal. Praise the Lord! They were ready for some treatments if my temp stayed high, but God took care of it. I havent had a touch of anything since that day.
I have brought the babies up the mountain a few times to come and work, and they like it up here. Although, i am not able to get anything done when I bring them. I have come up with Christain a few times in the baby carrier and we left Chloe with Andys mom to play. We made a hammock out of a sheet and he naps so well in it. There is a great breeze up here on the mountain.
One day while we were up here working, Kathleen and I were planning English classes and we paid a bulldozer to open up the road a little bit in a few places where the road messed up so that vehicles can make it up to the school. (of course only heavy duty four wheel drive vehicles could make it) We were on our way down the mountain with christian and several bags and it started pouring down rain! Andy had Christian and we gave him the umbrella and all the bags and down the mountain we trudged. It poured for over an hour, and I started having fun jumping in puddles. When we got down the mountain a bunch of little boys wanted to play soccer, so we kicked a ball around with them in the mud. It was a lot of fun. (of course Christain was well taken care of with Andys parents)
On Sabbath at church, I did a presentaion in spanish about the importance of water. We had a powerpoint with a projector. I think it went well. Not many of us drink enough water and if we want our bodies to function properly, we must make sure we get enough to clean our bodies and to rejuvenate.
On Sunday there was a big meeting at the church where people came from all over and Kathleen and Andy were taking blood pressures and speaking with the people about health, and from that we have 8 people who are interested in taking a health course that we will offer here at the school.
Like I said earlier, we are planning a community english course and as soon as we can find the facility, we can begin. There is a lot of interest in learning English.
We are continuing cleaning the buildings here at the school and making agriculture beds and planting crops. We will have our first board meeting this evening. Please continue to pray for us here. We want to make sure we go exactly where God is leading, not in front of or behind Him. I will try to send pictures as soon as I can. We miss you all, God bless!
Sara, Andy, Chloe, Christian, and Kathleen
I.H.L. Ministry
