by Stephanie Poole
summer intern to The Awakening
Panama is so beautiful. The people there love and serve so willingly without holding back. They served us just as much as we served them. The pastors that we worked with love God and they want to see their community come to know Christ. Panama isn’t a poor country. They don’t need us to help them rebuild or give them things; all they needed from us was to go into the community and draw attention to what God was doing in their churches.
So that's what we did.
We went to several schools and one park where we did skits for the kids. We shared the gospel with them through our skits and our love. This was a stretch for me - physical labor and working hard are my strengths. I can persevere through sweat and hard work, but talking to people, making personal connections with kids, and putting myself out there for them to see was hard for me. I learned so much about how to evangelize. I learned that it's not about me or what the kids will think of me; instead, its about letting God use me to show them that He loves them. I had to learn to put myself aside and let God speak through me.
I loved playing with the kids at each school, trying my best to understand and be understood. We laughed at each other's failed attempts and normally ended up recruiting WesleeAnn to translate. I even met a girl at one of the schools named Stephanie! I got a picture and talked with her as much as I could, even though my spanish was limited. She freaked out when she saw the gauges in my ear; she pointed and said “Grande.” It was so cute!
My favorite moment from the whole week was on Monday when we went up a mountain to visit a school in the Indian village Ngäbe-Buglé. We did our skits and played with the kids there. Afterward, the pastor of the church in the village invited us to see his church. He said a few words and told us he had some Indian dresses that his wife had made. Then he said he wanted to give them to us. I later found out from Jorshua, one of our translators, that was a huge honor. It just doesn't happen. The Indians don’t let people who aren’t in their tribe wear their clothes. I was so honored to know that he was so thankful for what we did that he would allow us to have these dresses. We prayed after that. I was holding hands with the pastor and I could feel him shaking and crying. He was so grateful for us. I looked up as we were praying and took it all in. From where I stood, looking out over Panama’s mountains and holding hands with the pastor wearing this Indian dress.. I can’t put it into words but I’ve never felt so much love before. It was truly the most beautiful moment I’ve ever experienced. My words do not give justice to that moment or what it meant to me. I could see God all around me - in the scenery, in the pastor, in my team. Never has God been so real to me than in that moment.
God taught me so much this week about patience, responsibility, removing myself and my thoughts and letting God use me the way he wants. He also showed me how to empathize with my team and be there for them in every situation. I thank God for all that I’ve learned and experienced this week.
I can truly say that Panama and its people have captured my heart.
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