DAY 3 - JUNE 11
Today was the first day of the Spanish Camp! The campers arrived after breakfast, after we all had a short meeting as a team about how we were adjusting to being in Panama. Aside from HOT, we all felt God working through the missionaries we were surrounded by, and were excited by the idea of camp beginning that day! We ate breakfast, and joined in groups of English and Spanish speakers to pray for the kids, for us, and for the messages we'd receive. Then the kids arrived! We spent much of the rest of today observing the events of the camp in Spanish, to prepare for our turn in the "drivers seat" for the English camp next week. Some key events were the "division of teams", where campers joined 2 teams to participate in a variety of games. These were a blast to watch, the kids were super energetic when their team won a game, and the energy is always high.
The last event of the day was a review of camp rules, and a message that briefly reviewed the Gospel. A couple of kids, after that message, reaffirmed or confirmed their faith, and the Spanish speaking counselors went with them 1 on 1 to help them pray to accept Christ, and receive small copies of the Gospel of John. Our team watched these interactions closely, since we knew some of us will have the counselor role for English camp. After a very long day, we finally were able to head back to our cabins and get some rest.
That's day 3! Please be praying for the success of our team during English camp, and the kids here at Spanish camp as well as the kids we have yet to meet at English camp. Thank you GCC! This is Caden Sheahan signing off!
DAY 2 - JUNE 10
Today we needed to prepare for the incoming campers. We did everything from clean cabins, to sweeping the pool, to battling scorpions, to changing locks, and even decorating. Believe it or not it was very hot and sunny so we were pretty exhausted after all of that. We got a chance to swim and had some down time in the evening. We got to spend time hearing Tracie and Jon's stories which were really encouraging to us and the work we get to do. We had a really good time talking with the missionaries and were very thankful when we got to pass out at the end of the day. (Micah)
DAY 1 - JUNE 9
Yesterday was a very long day of travel, but we have arrived safely in Panama! Getting here was not without its fair share of "bumps in the road." First, we ran into some issues checking in for our flight in advance because our airline's online system was down. This wouldn't have been too much of a problem, but we also arrived at the airport a bit later than we wanted to and we all had a mandatory digital health form that we needed to fill out that wouldn't load properly for most of us. It began to really look like we were not going to make it to our flight, but we praise God that He made a way for all 15 of us to get there right as they made the final boarding call. Once on the plane, the pilot informed us that there was a mechanical issue that they needed to work on, so we took off much later than we were supposed to and with most of us feeling a bit uneasy about the fact that the plane might not be working properly. But we landed safely in Panama and not too much later than our original landing time… only to learn that one of our suitcases filled with donations was misplaced. Even still, we were able to fill out a claim for the missing bag and we hope that they will contact us soon if and when it is found. All throughout the day yesterday we saw God's hand at work, making a way forward for us. In big details and in small details, He showed up in mighty ways! We can't wait to see what else He has in store for us throughout our time here in Panama!