“What The Heck is Panama?”

I remember it like it was yesterday. My squad and I were sitting on the beach in Jacó with bright eyes, anxiously waiting for our leaders to announce where our new home would be at the end of the month. We were in a circle under the moonlight, with the waves crashing directly behind us. We did a drumroll and then Drew exclaimed, “We’re going to Panama!” Silence rested over the group and I asked, “What the heck is Panama?” 

That was almost two months ago. And now here I am- living in a country that I honestly didn’t even know existed. Life here looks extremely different from Costa Rica. Instead of staying with a host family or a local ministry, we are staying at a YWAM base! YWAM is a well established organization in the Christian community that hosts and raises up missionaries all over the world, and partnering with them has been an incredible opportunity. For the past three weeks we have been staying at the YWAM Boqueté base in the mountains of Panama. It’s a base that not only hosts Discipleship Bible Schools and training schools for people from out of the country, but hosts them for indigenous groups from Panama as well. I am currently living in a community with people from the USA, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama and it is truly so sweet. To be honest, living in a bunk room with 13 other girls and consistently being surrounded by new faces can stretch me at times (even with how extroverted I am!) But these past few weeks have reminded me of how important it is to be in consistent intimacy with the Father. 

The ministry here is incredible! One of the blessings of YWAM being so established is that they have many connections with ministries here, and being able to partner in serving them is an answered prayer for so many. All of the ministries that we partner with pride themselves in their sustainability, which is something that I have become passionate about. Whether we’re working on a coffee farm that houses and employs people from the indigenous communities, doing labor on an organic farm that raises up organic farmers and sends super foods to malnourished children across not only Panama, but the whole world, teaching english, or cleaning indigenous compounds, I know that the work being done here with YWAM does not stop when my group leaves, which is not only encouraging but humbling. 

So, that’s what the heck Panama is! It’s a beautiful country with beautiful people who are desperately longing for the love of Christ, even if they don’t see it yet. The people here are much more quiet and reserved than in the States. Being able to meet them with the joy of Jesus while simultaneously seeing the fruit of peace in them has been an incredible learning opportunity. I’m expectant of the next two months here and am so in awe of how good our God is.