Digs a little deeper
As we stepped out of the air-conditioned Panamanian airport, we were embraced with the humid, wet and tropical climate of Central America. Even though I grew up in Durban, which is known for its hot, humid summers, this was something completely different. Other than the change in climate, there were also a change in our hearts and an excitement about the nations were burning in our spirits and we could not wait to see what the Lord had planned for us.
Panama was our first county that we visited and we spent the majority of our time in two locations. (see map). 1) Gamboa– a small town next to the Panama canal and 2) The island of Bastimentos-on the North-East Coast of Panama in the Caribbean.
Gamboa
It was my 2nd visit to this beautiful town & it was such a blessing once again to fellowship with the Pastor from Gamboa Union Church. Even though our stay there were very short , it was tremendously fruitful. It was the first time since our two month training that we as a team were alone together and being able to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit individually and as a group and to get to know each other out of their South African comfort zone. It was great and powerful to see how each member stepped up in his role in the team and to witness the unifying power of the Holy Spirit.
God continued to uses us during our stay in Gamboa and this is a summary of some of those things:
- We witnessed baptisms and had the opportunity to pray over them.
- We shared the good news to a local prison in Gamboa.
- We fellowshipped with a group of science students from the United States.
- Prayed for healing over a man who had neck problems . (We found outlater that his neck was completely restored .
God used Gamboa to encourage and equip us as a team for the travels ahead and we thank Pastor Bill for all his prayers, his words of wisdom, his teachings and his jokes that he sowed into our lives.
Bastimentos
Bastimentos is an island on the North-East coast of Panama in the Caribbean. The entire island is basically dense rainforest & is home to a few hundred indigenous Indians. We joined hands for 25 days with a family that is currently staying on the island with their main purpose being to reach out to the Indians and sharing the love of Christ.
The family recently bought a property which is now in the process of being transformed into a “village” where they and another family will ultimately stay and become part of the Indian community. When we arrived on the property, the need was for us to dig, dig and dig. And
that was exactly what we did. We dug three huge septic tank holes in clay/rock/garbage soil and it was raining half of the time. We helped with planning and installation of the water and sewerage reticulation and also build a gravel path to their house (150m).
We had a great time working, especially with the alligator and huge boa that we caught on the different properties.
Our hosts, Bobby and Shirlene Wood, are doing great work among the native Indians on the island.
- Teaching them how to farm sustainably.
- Creating job opportunities for them
- Sharing the Gospel of the Kingdom
They blessed us so much and even aloud us to prepare the boa that we caught. They probably think that South Africans are out of their minds.
As we spend time with them at their home or on the property digging, going for boat rides or just fellowshipping with each other, I realized that God is all about love and relationship and that we should seek the love of God and that we must dig deep to be able to walk and to love like Christ loved.
Adiós, dios te bendiga