Day 2... June 25th

Buses. Piggy-back rides. Soccer. Salsa lessons. Espanol. Joy. Laughter. Mangoes. Swings. Bracelets. Hannah Montana. Tears. Water. Humility. Sunshine. We will shout. Blue. Follow the nudge. all of which explain our beautiful pain and our second full day in Panama.

Our second day in Panama was much like the first; we went to help out at the school, then spent time with children at the orphanage. However, today showed me how extremely hard and emotionally taxing the rest of this trip will be. Yesterday I met a girl named Grace. We spent time together teaching each other new words and just talking. She was one of the smartest, most caring and mature 4th graders I had ever seen in my life; she stole my heart in a way she’ll probably never know. So today was time to say goodbye to Grace and the rest of the children and staff. We went from room to room, praying for the kids, teachers, classrooms, etc. Finally when we got to Grace’s class, I stood behind her with my hand on her shoulder and she offered to share a prayer as well. She spoke very quietly and I could barely hear her, but I realized that she was praying for me, for a safe journey home. She gave me so much in that one moment, and there was so much I wanted to say to her, but I couldn’t find the right words. So, I took off my necklace and put it around her neck, because it was the only thing I could do in that moment. I really hope that she keeps it, as a reminder that someone will always be looking out for her, and that there will always be someone who cares. I want nothing more than for her to grow up and be happy, and the same for all the other kids I met today. They deserve nothing less than that. I hope that during the rest of this trip, we can continue to spread happiness and hope to everyone we come in contact with. I am so blessed to be here and I can’t wait to see what else we can accomplish. –Alexa DeYoung

Day 2 and I’m already questioning why I’m going to college instead of moving here, to Panama. Here, every action feels purposeful and “finding God”, typically a complex hunt, feels blessedly simple. We started the day off like yesterday, at a local elementary school. On our way to the school, I was, admittedly, nervous. I’m not one of those people that just has that natural gift with little kids- I have cleverly evaded baby-sitting jobs for the past four years now. With that said, my time at the school was incredible. Kids were jumping all over me, wanting endless hugs and piggy back rides. We played tag, frisbee, soccer, and even salsa danced (true story, these hips don’t lie). There was one kid in particular that made today especially heart-wrenching. Juan spent more time on my back than on his feet and when it was time to leave, he refused to let go. I kept trying to say goodbye; saying I didn’t want to leave, I had to leave. His teacher came over in an effort to help, and when the effort proved fruitless she explained that Juan’s mother works constantly and is never home. He was raised by a loving grandmother who passed away just two weeks ago. Needless to say, that added a good ten minutes to this goodbye process. With my choppy (to put it generously) Spanish, I told him that it was time for me to go, but he would always be my friend. Walking away from that beautiful kid left me with deep, painful ache that can only be labeled love. But I figure if God loves Juan even more than I do, I’m just gonna have to trust that he’s in good hands. –Casie Lively

God is so good! I have always known that he works in miraculous ways and always provides but I had never experienced it personally. The past few days have really opened my eyes to this. Here in Panama I have experienced a kind of love that I didn’t know existed. The children we worked with at the school were so beautiful. They are so full of joy even though they do not necessarily have a reason too. We were told that many of the children lived in homes where their parents worked multiple jobs and were never home with their children. Because of this they loved to be held and touched. It was a fabulous feeling to have smiling children running up to you and climbing all over you. It is such a blessing to serve when you receive such a love in return. With all this love and witnessing the beautiful, we have also been heartbroken through this trip. Working at the orphanage these past two days has been difficult for many reasons. First there is the language barrier and secondly just the awkwardness of meeting new people. My group was put with the teenage girls and at first it was very difficult because they were very quiet and unwilling to interact. Later in the day a really cool translator came and we were able to communicate through her. It broke my heart to hear the stories of the girls living there. Immediately I felt the urge to pray for a certain girl. I truly believe that God spoke through me during that time because I had no idea what I was supposed to say- just that she needed prayer. I am so excited to see what else God has in store for us this week and I put all my faith in him. –Rachel White

Today our second day in panama was a lot like our first we started out by going to a local school were we started out by hearing a couple songs performed by the kids at the school (2 in English and 1 in Spanish) they were very good! Next at the school I went to down to the local park with the 4th and 5th graders were we played soccer I met a really cool student his name was Angle he loved piggy back rides… and soon after we took them back to the school it was time to bring the 1st and 2nd graders down, they were a lot of fun they did not want so many piggy backrides as the others. right before we left we got to go into all of the class rooms and have a chance to pray for all the kids it was such a great experience! , as soon as we were done at the school we went to an orphanage, were I was with younger kids probably ages 1-6 were we just played outside and just held them and showed them love. It was really hard to leave because you knew you would never see them again and they grew so attached to you. After that we just went back to the house and had a chance to relax and take a well needed shower. That’s pretty much a day in panama! –Derek Erikson