Outpost Panama
January 5, 2023
Hi guys!!! Being here has been so challenging yet so fulfilling. At Outpost we had little electricity and no running water. The electricity was only on when there was a lot of sunlight because it is powered by solar power. The water is all rain catch and we haven’t had a lot of rain while being here. We spent our first three weeks at a house on the island of Bastimentos. We helped make the base “livable” again and prepared for the long term staff to start it back up and to be involved in the villages here. There are no churches and very few christian’s in Bocas Del Toro, which is the group of islands we were in the middle of. This is a perfect place to start pairing with the Ngobe people and start some churches with them. We have a Ngobe friend there named Simone whose family is one of the only christian families on the islands. He is such a blessing and it has been amazing to be able to partner with him to reach his own people. We served all of Simones needs to help him around the islands and encouraged him and his family.
What have we been doing?
We were only at Outpost for about three weeks but got a lot of work done! We spent our days doing a variety of things. Some of us spent time bleaching and scrubbing the dock, helping Simone clean up the mangroves, and burn dead palm branches. We also kayaked to boats and spent time with sailors just getting to know them. We had all of the sailors over for dinner and spent time just talking to them and telling them about our faith. I worked on replacing the screens in the house to keep bugs/people out and to allow airflow. We hangout with the local kids and play lots of volleyball and soccer! We also sent a team into villages to help Simone dig some wells and evangelize. Other days we spent some time at red frog beach playing volleyball with locals as well as vacationers which is how we spent a lot of our free time.
What am I learning?
I have learned a lot while being here already. I have been without electricity and water for a decent amount of my time here which has given me a newfound appreciation for the simple things like water. I also have not been able to use my phone much which has been another blessing to create more time for me to be present for all the opportunities here and to be able to spend more time reading my bible and interceding for all the things the Lord wants us to be doing here. I definitely am learning to depend on the Lord more and praying into everything I decide and everything I do. It has been so fun to learn more spanish and talk to the Ngobe people in spanish. I still have a lot of work to do but it’s been so fun to be able to work on a new language. I am also constantly reminding myself that it’s not about me! This reality is tough to actually live out especially when we are in a place of discomfort. But I truly believe that this season of my life is for me to truly deny my own flesh and put on the strength and character of God to serve others. It’s easy for me to be uncomfortable or dislike something that the Lord has sent me here to do but when I make it about others and how I can serve others, it’s so much more fulfilling. I am committing these next three months to be about others completely and about going full force to whatever the Lord wants me to do here. It’s not about me! I’ve learned new ways to hear the Lord and to sit and listen. I am now headed to Boquete, Panamá to serve at a base there. We will be doing a lot of different ministry for the next two months. I am so excited to see how God moves in this time.
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