Austin

cracking us

up on the causeway

Just some more images of the last few days in the City. Photo #2 -cargo ship in the canal; #3 - "Charlie's Angels" in Casa Viejo; #4 - a large mola made by the Kuna women; #5 - some of our brothers going to the Zone visit. The video is the singing at the zone visit in Spanish. Later today I will try and put some more photos and a few more thoughts on our overall experience. Also friends, if you were not aware, Austin had a separate blog: www.lookatmeitsaustin.blogspot.com.

Hola! We arrived in the City Saturday morning at 5:30. We took the midnight bus from David. We thought it would take 7 1/2 hours, but it only took 5 1/2! Dave took his Dramamine at the start of the trip. Around 5 he woke up and took another one thinking we had 2 more hours. So about the time we arrived at the station, the dramamine was kicking in. We made it to the hotel, but couldn't check in until 10:30. So Dave crashed on a couch in the lobby until the "drugs" wore off. Of course we had a little fun with it (see picture). After we had breakfast and checked in we did a little sight seeing with the Burkes. Then we attended the special assembly here. It was a Zone visit. It was held at the Rod Carew Stadium just outside the City. It was a 2 hour program, with a special talk given by a Bethel Speaker. It was based on the account in Psalms 84. The program was translated into English and Cantonese. There are only 13,000 witnesses in Panama, but there were 15,000 in attendance! That evening we went to dinner on the causeway with our friends and half of Bethel.

Sunday we started in the old town, Casa Viejo. Then we made our way over to the Canal and watched 2 large boats go thru. Pretty impressive! Today we went to the Gamboa Rainforest to hike.We didn't see as much wildlife as hoped. We did see more howler monkeys, sloths, the big brilliant blue butterflies and a crocodile. Our driver then took us to a little zoo that cost $1. We saw lots of monkeys and toucans. The rest of the day we hung out at the hotel with the Burkes playing cards. We had to part ways this evening. It was really hard to say goodbye to our new friends. Having their family there made our trip so much nicer. All of us were crying when we left. So this is our last night in Panama. This trip has changed all of us in so many important ways. We all feel incredibly blessed to be able to do this. I think we are all coming home with a new appreciation for living the simple life and what are really necessities. We also have appreciated how quickly and easily you can develop close friends when your goals and priorites are the same. We have met some amazing families and individuals and 5 weeks just wasn't enough time to spend with them. So, time is slipping away and we have an early flight. I'll try to write more tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in!

Last night in Volcan!!!! Tomorrow we have one last day in Boquete in the ministry and a little sightseeing. Then we take the midnight bus from David (Daveed) to Panama. So we should get to Panama City Saturday around 7am. There we will meet up with the Burkes and do the usual tourist things before flying out on Tuesday. These 4 1/2 weeks have gone by really fast. Today we drove up to the rainforest to hike, but surprise! it was raining and all but one of us in the family thought that they would melt! Soooo, we drove around instead and took more pictures of the local scenery. I've posted pictures of a Ngobe girl, friends at the meeting and some of the local neighbor ninos.

Here are some pictures of our candlelight party and more of the friends we've met here. The first picture I've included is of two little fleshly brothers. We attended the Spanish meeting on Sunday morning (in case I haven't mentioned it we walk to the Kingdom Hall). I saw these 2 walking ahead of us, bookbags in hand, shirts and ties, but no parents. During the meeting they sat in front of us. They looked up every scripture and commented several times during the Watchtower study. Afterwards I asked a local sister where there mother was. The best I could understand was that their mother left and their father had no interest in the bible. They did have an older sister and a brother that just got baptized, who helps them press their clothes. So, here were these 2 boys(maybe 8 and 10) that had got themselves dressed and walked to the Hall, fully prepared to comment and pay attention all on their own! Their are many examples like this here. It is truly a testimony to the potential of young people. It seems back home we underestimate what our children are capable of, coddling them and worrying about overloading them. Here though, it seems that the parents or even the children themselves are unaware of the limits we think are reasonable. Granted, not every 8 year old here is studying by themselves and not every 10 year old has 2 of his own bible studies, but it is very encouraging to meet so many that are.

More video of playing Spoons with the friends.

Here is the Duck Duck Goose Video.

This week has flown by at supersonic speed! Wednesday we spent the morning in service. David and I returned on a lady he left the book with last week. She invited us in and we had a short study with her. (We actually came back a few days later with a local sister on Saturday and had another study. The sister made arrangements to continue the study with the woman next Saturday!) After service we headed to the beach again with some of the friends. This beach was private, had to pay a few bucks to get in, but it was worth it. When we got there they took our fish and lobster order. One hour later, they brought us freshly caught and prepared food. On the way out we drove through a group of howler monkeys up in the trees. We were hoping to get a glimpse of these guys in their natural habitat, so we were thrilled when we came across them.

Saturday the congregation had a little farewell party for all of us that are leaving. The Burke family, from Oregon, have been here for 5 1/2 months, and Toni - from Australia for 2mths. We are all heading home next weekend. Of course right before the party started, the electric went out for a few hours. It gets dark here around 6:30. So we all enjoyed the candlelight atmosphere. When the lights came on, the kids taught the locals how to play Duck Duck Goose - on concrete! No major injuries were reported. After that we played a fun game of Spoons. Austin was narrowly defeated by Sister Burke. Score one for the moms!

Have you ever wondered exactly how your donated funds are used in Jehovah's organization? I mean, we know when we put our money in the box marked "worldwide work" or "kingdom hall fund", we know that it is being put to good use printing magazines and bibles, supporting missionaries, and building kingdom halls all over the world. Well here in Volcan we got to see an example of this firsthand. Driving up to Cerro Punta one day, Cliff Vickerman stopped to show us a newly built kingdom hall. It is shared by Spanish and Ngobe (pronounced Nobay) congregations. The Ngobe are an indigenous people in Panama. They are very meek and for the most part poor. They are responding to the Bible's message faster than the brothers can keep up with them. Translating the bible and other literature into their language has been a huge task, but the branch here is really stepping up efforts to fill this need. So with all that being said, Cliff next took us to another building. This was a very small wooden shack (albeit a cute wooden shack) that used to be where the Ngobe meetings were held. After we saw the contrast between the two buildings Cliff then said, "If any of the friends ever wonder how their donated funds are being used, here is the answer." It was so heartwarming to see how all of our brothers are taken care of. Each congregation is still asked to pay what they can toward a new hall, but then these funds are used to make up the difference. It is awesome to see 2 Corinthians 8:14 being applied in such a way.

Just more pictures! The last one is one of the local hummingbirds, about the size of a wren back home.

Most perfect day ever #2! Thursday we slept in (all perfect days start with that), then we took a drive up to Cerro Punta to the Finca Dracula Orchid Farm with the Kentucky crew and Cliff and Sheila Vickerman. Besides the drive itself up through the mountain and hillside gardens, the orchid farm was very cool. I think they had hundreds of different orchids along with other amazing plants. Since we were in the rainforest it started to rain. No worries, we just found a gazebo to stay dry in. A perfect place to get to know knew friends over wine, cheese and crackers pulled straight out of Sheila's daypack. On the way down the mountain, we made a stop at a local ice cream stand. All homemade, including coconut!!! It was a splurge, even for a 3rd world country. Dave's banana split cost $5! Most of our meals here cost less than that. But, it was a work of art and truly scrumptious. It's funny, at home we wouldn't have even thought twice about paying $5 for ice cream, but in the world of relativity, it was a little pricey. That night, it was our last night with our fellow Kentuckians, so we all ate at the local Italian place. More good food and reminiscing about our already too short of time together here in Panama.

How do you have the most perfect day ever? You start by going out in the ministry with new and old friends, start a bible study with someone, find a fresh fruit stand after walking in 80 degree weather for an hour (I had a cup of orange, pineapple, carrot for only $o.80), have lunch, continue out in the ministry with a missionary couple, Listen to the missionary couple explain scriptures to a very hospitable retired couple, find the perfect cinnamon roll and coffee, see a rainbow (the whole thing!), and end end the evening with friends, pizza and laughter.

More pictures and video too!

Hello! It's been a busy week for us. We were out in the ministry every morning. We usually hit a bakery first thing, delicious panamanian pastries! Good coffee is a little harder to find. Wednesday we spent the day in the city of David in the ministry - very hot. We found some nice people to talk to though. A lot of locals are concerned with the destruction of the forest all around them and the use of pesticides on the crops. It doesn't seem like there is much effort to educate the people in this regard. Thursday only six of us were out in the ministry. We were sent to a little town of Caizan about a half hour up the mountain to map it out and canvas it for English speaking people. I think the Whole town would fit in 2 football fields. There were a few roads we couldn't drive down because they were being used to dry beans laid out on huge canvases. Thursday evening Chris and Jenny arrived late. They had a hard time driving themselves out of Panama City, but after 3 police escorts (not making that part up, ask Chris) they found their way to the Panamanian Highway and eventually to David. Friday morning brought no rest for the weary. We left Volcan at 7:30 am to head to the other side of the mountain to preach in Boquete. It was hot there too, but again we found many nice Canadians and Americans to talk too.

Saturday we all played hooky and went to the beach with some of the friends. Packed plenty of food and sunscreen and played in the waves all day. What some of us found out though was all the sunscreen in the world doesn't do you much good if not reapplied often. Ouch! Good thing we also packed the aloe.

Sunday"s meeting seemed somewhat familiar - our own brother Baynum was the "visiting" speaker. Everyone stays so long after the meeting here, visiting and sharing experiences. One family we met is the Burke family from Oregon. They have been here 5 mths so far and will leave for home the same day as us. They are a family of four and have been very encouraging to us. After the meeting we drove up to Cerro Punta. This is the area where most of the produce is grown for all of Panama. They farm straight up the side of the mountains. The drive was beautiful. We even managed to pick up a "friend" on the drive up. An older man on the side of the road started taking to us as we stopped for pictures. He spoke not one word of English and didn't seem to care that we didn't speak any Spanish. After "talking" with him for a few minutes we figured out he was asking for a ride up the road. David told him to hop in and away we went! So we can now check of our to do list, "pick up a hitchhiker in Panama."

Monday morning service was done driving along some very beautiful roads, looking down into the valleys dotted with cows and gorgeous flowers. Monday afternoon we went with some friends to a local swimming hole. Beautiful waterfalls and clear, cool water to swim in. One spot you could even ride a short waterfall down like a slide to a smaller pool of water.

Austin was the only person missing in our group today. He took off at 5am this morning with a group of local and visiting brothers to hike to the top of the Volcano. The last we heard they made it to the top around 1pm. It's cold at the top (30's), but they all took gear and will be spending the night up there and hiking down tomorrow. I'm sure Austin will have pictures and comments on his blog about it in a few days.

So, we have met many amazing friends who are sacrificing so much to come here and help out. They have opened their homes to us for meals and association. Their joy is really beyond words and I know that they all feel they are receiving so much more than they are giving. There are some creature comforts you give up - but we wouldn't trade any of them for the friends we are making and the privilege of declaring the good news in this corner of the world. Although, we are all looking foward to that first cheeseburger when we get home.

Monday was awesome. Started off going out in the town of Bugaba. The ministry here is a little different. You usually don't go up to the door. The custom here is to stop at the gate and shout hello or Hola into the house. Then you wait for the householder to come out( sometimes this could be several minutes), then you ask if they speak English or know of anyone who does. Most don't, but we did have three very good conversations. After a very hot morning in the ministry, we headed down to a beach on the Pacific side, close to the Costa Rican border. We had a great afternoon jumping into the waves. Our "tour guide" for the afternoon was a sister named Freddie. She is a native panamanian who grew up in NY. Her Spanish speaking abilities were great to have around. We also met a Spanish brother and his 10 year old son, Jeremy. Jeremy just got baptized, is auxiliary pioneering this month, & has 2 bible studies. One of his studies attends the meetings and is in the school. We are going to try to work in the ministry with him one day. So the last few days we have been enjoying the ministry in different areas and meeting all kinds of interesting people. Many of the friends have amazing stories about their journey here. Hopefully we will have our own amazing journey when all is said and done. Thanks for checking in. We miss you all.

Super sunday

Superbowl Sunday and the highlight of our day was attending the English meeting (at 1:30 - yes!) here in Volcan. What zeal the friends here have. We met several families with kids that have been here several months. There are also several couples who have retired here. We went to eat at a very good Italian restaurant with some friends who have settled here from Minnesota. The brothers already have Dave building a cabinet for the literature area. He couldn't be more thrilled. So we don't have a tv that works in our little house, but we do have internet. So the boys got creative when it came to watching the Superbowl. Taylor had his family get on skype and point the computer toward their tv. We all gathered around the screen and enjoyed the game via skype. Yea Saints!!! We are all happy for you Frank Brady if you are following along.

Catching up

A sister told us that there were sloths that lived in the trees on the property. We were walking back to our rooms on Wednesday evening and saw three, one had a baby on her front and was climbing up the tree. So look closely at the picture to see the baby peeking out. Thursday, Feb. 4th we woke up and attended morning worship with the Bethel Family and had a great breakfast. Then Brother Marshall in the Espino English congregation took us into town for service. We met four young sisters from Minnesota who were there for three months to help in English. They took us to lunch and helped us get on the city bus back to the branch. The locals call the bus the spanish word for "the regret." It only cost a 25c. We were so impressed by the interest the brothers and sisters showed us, even the brothers in the overseer departments, made a point to talk to us and give us encouragement. Their kindness and self-sacrificing spirit is something we will not soon forget.

The next morning we waited for Casey, Jordan and Taylor (CJT) to arrive at the branch. When they did the brothers took us to the bus station and helped us buy the right ticket for a bus to David. This leg of the trip took about 6 hours. The bus was comfortable but not the smoothest ride. This did not sit well with Dave, who couldn't find a seat in the front and waited too long to take his dramamine. After about an hour he decided to make his own seat in the front of the bus. Eventually, after stopping for lunch and more dramamine he was able to take a real seat for the rest of the trip.

We finally made it to David and then after renting cars, continued on to Volcan. Some friends met us in town and showed us the house we could rent. The brother had just bought it and spent all week renovating it. It was perfect. One block fromthe Kingdom Hall, A spanish brother beside and behind us and two more witness families down the road. We even have fruit trees in the back yard, bananna, orange and lime. Everything is great, except for the roosters that every neighbor has. Maybe it's because we are close to the equator, but these roosters seem to think the best time to crow is when the sun goes down. Needless to say one thing we bought today was earplugs. The weather is wonderful though and the brothers are even better. We got to eat tonight with a group of 20+ including 2 missionary couples. You can't help but be encouraged and excited about being here. Oh and the food has been great so far. Some of the best fried chicken we've ever had at "Loco Pollo" and the Thai food tonight was out of this world. That's all for now. Adios!