Andrew Burnett and Mission Trek International team

June 14th Andrew Burnett and his team called Mission Trek International come down and do ministry for a while. Andrew worked for months helping to figure out the best clean water system for a nearby village. His team provided the funding and manpower to work alongside the Indigenous, teaching how to utilize and maintain the system. Please watch the video, as Andrew plans several mission treks a year and ask the Lord if you should be involved in one of them.
The team also worked around the base in whatever capacity they were needed.
We also delivered Bibles at village called Salt Creek, located down a river at the end of the island. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the videos will show more of the excellence of this team.

http://www.travelistic.com/video/show/9839/Salt-Creek-Indigenous-Village-Outreach---Isle-de-Bastimentos Hope you enjoy the video.

Biola Team

In early June we had a team from the Biola college in California offer to come and help us. They were really great and accomplished so much. We delivered Bibles to a village down a remote river and we were able to pray with some of the people there. They were also able to hand out Bibles to the kids leaving the school next to us, putting them in plastic bags so they wouldn't get wet with water in their canoes. The girls of the group helped with gardening while the guys helped with the roofing of the building that is currently being made into a school/dorms/church area. They also hand-mixed cement with the help of two Christian surfer guys who were willing to lend a hand. They poured the floor in an area under the house that had been completely dug out by hand which took over a year. This area is for providing future housing for full-time staff. The team planned a "game day" to help continue building a relationship with the local people. Erin Elmore, one of the girls from the team, gave her testimony at the church service we hold for the locals. They also did worship. The kids loved this team and I believe the adults learned so much from them as well.
Thank you team Biola!

Marysville Baptist church team

Wecome back to the Maryville Baptist church team headed up by Steve Runyon. This time around the materials were there, and the roof on the multipurpose building took shape. The team endured the heat of Panama, and we all felt bad for those back in Missouri when we checked the weather reports!! What a climate change.

Main criteria for games? Something that this girl and the Kahuna (Dale's long time nickname) had a chance of winning. No more soccer and baseball for the

"youthful with a mission", so we had bocci ball, ping pong, hillbilly golf and corn hole. Yea, we rocked!!

Worship during vacation bible school. It was awesome, on the last day, a little boy stood up, and just sang his heart out, a song all his own!! The bible tells us that the Lord is there when we sing new songs!!

Games and Fun together

Team Nicaragua

Nicarguan Team in Panama

We had the pleasure of meeting people from YWAM Nicaragua in January, when they came to bless those around us. They did a vacation bible school for the kids, and sports ministry. They worked extremly hard building a gaming area on our base, where we invited the indigenous to come and hang out and play for the afternoon. They went into the villages and played baseball, and very honestly, were whipped by the indigenous. GO TEAM BOCAS!! We saw relationships developing as spending time together deepens our understanding and friendships with those we've come to serve.


The team also helped finish painting the circle room;the girls dorm area. It is now filled with interlocking circles that change colors when they intersect. This is a visual picture of how our lives touch others, and in the intersection, both lives are enriched with a new vibrant color!!

The School

Here's the outside of the school building. It's built right over a mangrove area. Mangrove is a kind of plant with very deep strong roots that surround most of the islands.

Miranda and Glory Bet

Canadian meets Ngobe as they stir together memories that will last. Glory Bet lost her mom, but fortunatly has an aunt that takes care of her.

Cookie time

At the Kapsar home Christmas always includes cookies, so everyone joined in to make cookies for the Christmas Eve Ngobe dinner of traditional arroz con pollo, rice, chicken, beans, and the new twist, American cookies!!

KIDZ REACH KICKS OFF

Over the Christmas Holiday we had the honor of hosting the very first "KIDZREACH" team, headed up by Sara and Ryan Bedenkopf. This ministry offers families the opportunity to come on a short term missions trip and have their children radically discipled while ministering to the local people. These kids were amazing. They brought backpacks full of things to share; soccer balls, family pictures, books, and jumpropes. They used these to build relationships with the indigenous, and let them know that they are someone special. Here in Panama, like many places, the indigenous aren't always treated with respect and honor. it was so cool to see these little children share the love of our Lord with those less fortunate. God is indeed gifting the entire body of Christ to go, share, and love.

Teaching in homes

Thanks Virgina for taking the time to come and teach in homes about the water and cleanliness in other areas to prevent sickness.

Teaching, teaching, teaching

Through repeated teaching we hope to help them understand the imporance of clean drinking water, sanitation and hand washing. They just lost a precious baby this past week, and Dale provided transportation to the funeral. The parents didn't even attend, but the grandma showed the grief I'm sure they all feel. It is common here for parents to retain a distance from their children, because they fall ill so often. They don't even name their babies, until sometimes 2 years old. We know first hand that attachment is so important for the normal development of children, pray this is revealed to them by our creator.

School in need

These kids from this school had no transportation , and last year had no supplies because they weren't in a government school. So the solution, buy a canoe so that they could be rowed to school, and not have to walk through a dangerous cow pasture, and over a deep creek with only a piece of wood in the rain. Through the generous donation of a special of kids, we were able to put in an order for a dugout canoe which holds 15 kids and an adult rower. Pray it is done in time for school to start in March. Thanks to the "special" family who made this happen.

Reanna "the teacher"

Here is Reanna doing what she loves, teaching the kids at the school next door. When she gets there she's always met with smiling faces. She was recently invited to two parties, one in town with the "gringo" friends, and one at the school to celebrate a Panamanian holiday. She chose the school party to our surprise, and walked through the jungle to be there by 8A.M. Her reward? Seeing another culture celebrate, and include her in the fun. They even asked her to dance. It was not really slow, but the guy puts his hand on the girls waist, and the girl puts her hand on his shoulder, and then kind of swish side to side. At least that's how she explained it. There were also contests to see who could climb a post put into the ground 20 feet high, which challenged up to five grown men at a time to stand on each other. And of course the Panamanian favorite, arroz con pollo. (rice and chicken) Now that Spanish isn't as much of a challenge, Reanna is moving on to learning Ngobe as well.

Elaine and Reanna at the eye clinic

One of the greatest joys for me here in Panama (Kimberly, usually the one behind the camera!!) is getting to see the expression on the faces of those who have never had glasses, and needed them. We had the fun of working with an eyedoctor from New Mexico, and learned a great deal about healthy eyes. One thing we learned is that there is a disease which is caused mostly from the sun, which causes many in the area to go blind. When in Atlanta visiting my friend Gretchen, a friend of hers generously donated boxes of sunglasses. The people were thrilled to get them, and we know that it will provide protection far beyond what we even knew they needed.

The Three Amigos

For all our YWAM friends, here is a mini reunion with Bill McQuilkin, George VanRegenmorter, and Dale. It was so awesome to spend time ministering with those from our class in California, and such an awesome realization that these friendships are forever. Bill blessed us so much by watching our house while we returned to the states, and when we flew back Elaine and George came along. We're so thankful that we pray about a need, and the Lord provides people to help. Elaine is an RN, and was willing to do teachings on primary health care, and the people were really amazed at how germs are the things that cause illness in our bodies. She taught on dental hygiene, the importance of washing to prevent the spread of germs, and was told that they thought they got sick from curses. We hope that we will be able to continue to do teachings, and add some new material every month. Part of what we learned when teaching on nutrition, is the limited diet that they have. Hunger, and lack of nutricious foods is epidemic here. We're beginning a community garden to try and teach how to garden, and to also teach which foods will provide the nutrients their bodies need to stay healthy. It isn't as easy to garden here as we thought it would be. Rain forest land is really not fertile. The trees are so lush due to the microrganisms that break down on the very top few inches of soil, from the heat and rain. Pray that we'll be able to find ways to enrich the soil with renewable resources, and that seeds would sprout and not be eaten by ants!!

Mitch and Fidencio

Here is the boy next door. He comes over almost everyday to learn English, help carry things up from the dock, and just hang out. He's in Reanna's words "a typical boy, always into trouble!!" One of the wonders of Panama, Fidenzio can have fun with just some bottle pop tops. Please pray for him, as his Mom left about a month ago, and we can see the hurt in his eyes. When Elaine and George were here for the month of October, Fidencio and his sister prayed with Elaine, and shared their hurts. Please pray that the Lord would comfort them, and continue to bless relationships with our neighbors.