Wrapping Up Our Time in Panama

We checked out of our hotel on a Saturday morning and headed towards the hotel that our conference was being hosted at.  To get there we had to cross the Bridge of the Americas.  That was fun!

Cruz and I in an Uber on our way to the conference hotel.

Our original purpose for our trip to Panama was a work training meeting.  We spent the next several days with other indigenous workers that serve in the Americas doing oral Bible story training. We would begin each day with worship and then Bible study led by Dr. Gordon Fort. The rest of the day would be in training sessions.  We received new story sets that were developed for evangelism, discipleship, healthy church formation, and leadership training.  It was a great time of learning from each other and sharing with each other.  The conference was based on John 14.6  "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."   Pray for each of us as we look for opportunities to share these stories with the lost, new believers, and church leaders.

We had a session on the six components of the missionary task and I loved these props we had to go with it.

While we were in sessions each day our kids were being taken care of by a volunteer team from Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma.  They had an amazing week of VBS learning even though life is wild, God is good.  My boys had a blast! 

At the end of the conference they did a short presentation for the parents. Here is Cruz doing the motions to one of the songs they learned.  It has been a month now and he is still singing those songs.  Just yesterday morning before breakfast I overheard him singing the hymn "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms."  When I asked him where he learned that song he replied "in Panama".  It blessed my heart!

some of the wonderful volunteers who worked with our kids

We enjoyed the fellowship times we had with the adults but it was an extra special time for the kids.  Many of them had spent time together at our homeschool conference back in May like Cruz and his friend Sawyer.  They were looking forward to seeing each other again in Panama.  They were almost inseparable all week long.  We are thankful for sweet friendships but just wish they did not have to wait so long before they get to see each other again.

a photo from our last night in Panama 

We had a great trip and sure hope we get an opportunity to return there one day.  It is a beautiful country and our family made memories there that will last a lifetime.