Anniversary Milestone

I have the privilege of extending a very Happy 32nd Anniversary to my parents today! In a society where commitment is always questioned and easily thrown away, this is a true testament to God's faithfulness in my parents marriage. I am so very thankful for their love and support, especially being so far away. I may not be able to celebrate with them in person today, but I am definitely celebrating in spirit from Panama.

"Love is patient and kind; live does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all thing, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. . .So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
I Corinthians 13:4 - 8a, 13

The Body Shop Fights Child Sex Trafficking

Please check out the following article from the Winnipeg Free Press regarding The Body Shop and their efforts to fight child sex trafficking and then head to The Body Shop (beginning August 3) and support their efforts.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/beauty-firm-to-fight-child-sex-trafficking-52061702.html

General Update

Things are busy in Panama, working on the website, preparing to leave for Costa Rica at the end of next week and just regular life stuff. Today was a free day for our team and I went to the mall in Panama City just to break up routine a little. Some of the things you encounter here in Panama are so strange. The cat-calls and honking of the horn (there's a difference between the traffic horn and the horn directed at any female) are an annoying part of life here. You see bars on the windows of run-down homes, high fences surrounding old buildings, barbed wire protecting people from I'm not sure what. The culture is sex driven - if a billboard lacks a mostly nude women, it's a rarity. At the mall, we always laugh at the mannequins with their HUGE chests, posed in disturbing positions (the one below is for a regular store that sells basically everything, including the kitchen sink - it is not for an underwear store). Yet in so many ways, it is a city like any other. The traffic flows across a sky-scraper skyline. It has areas that neither you or the locals venture into as well as new development with its unique architecture. And I still have those moments: pinch me, am I really in Panama, living a few degrees north of the equator?

Errebache - Part 4

Thankfully the weather cooperated with us on Saturday (and there were no more snake encounters after the morning rush!). A group of real tourists were supposed to come, but they cancelled. Instead, we played the part of tourists to capture some video by our friend Sye who left his team behind and joined us for the weekend. I know that his sleeping adventure of falling out of and through the hammock, plus the bats visiting him made for a truly memorable experience for him! I almost, but not quite, lost my camera to the river when my bench gave way as I tried to capture some pictures along the canoe ride. It was a busy day, but we succeeded in getting what we needed. With our day's work behind us, that only meant one thing - a swim in the river and jumping off the swing rope!

We finished up loose ends on Sunday. Tourists were not in the plans (see yesterday's blog!), but 2 showed up. It was good to see how the community interacted with them and how they were able to display their dance, music and crafts. Tulio is quite the tour guide, which is what he studied in university. It was also great to eat some traditional food. I don't know the official name of them, but the fried dough pieces pictured below reminded me SO much of rollkuchen back home (just missing the watermelon and syrup!). We've enjoyed them on a number of occasions and they are a favorite on our team. Now the real website work begins. We leave for Costa Rica next week Friday and want a big chunk, if not all, of the website complete and ready to roll.

Errebache - Part 3

I was right - the weekend felt like a reunion! Though we were to play the part of tourists (and we did have to do some acting, but I'll get back to that tomorrow), really we were family. We don't share a common language or culture, we live in entirely different countries and extremes, but for this moment in time, we were family. It's hard to describe, but having visited other villages, there is something unique here. The atmosphere is different and the fact that they have success within their tourism sets them apart from other indigenous tribes within Panama and even within their own people group, the Embera. It truly is a little piece of paradise and if you ever have the chance, and you're in Panama, you must visit Errebache!

As I've said before, our project is to set up a website for them to promote their culture and tourism. We had specific items that we needed to photograph and specific information to collect. Friday's torrential rain was a concern for us - especially with the snakes that came out Saturday morning! They killed 3 before breakfast and that number is a rarity at one time. But apparently most things we've experienced in Panama are considered abnormal. "Abnormal is the new normal", just like "the plan is not to plan" (because the plan always changes)! Thankfully, Tulio's brother, Josue, took the very dead fer-de-lance snake to its final resting place.

We Have Returned Once More

Just want to let you know that we have returned once again safe and sound from Errebache. Lots of good and funny stories to share in the next few days. But, first things first, which means laundry and a shower!

Back to Errebache

Our team is heading back to Errebache today and we will return some time on Sunday. We have specific assignments of pictures and interviews in mind in order to set up their tourism website. I'm really excited about this trip - it's a bit of a holiday from the church and its cramped quarters (though we SO appreciate the space and accommodations!!). The tribe welcomed us with open arms and we felt like family last time and I'm sure it will feel like a mini reunion. It sounds like they will have some more traditional food and dance for us, along with some fun in the river. I will report back to you our happenings after the weekend. Enjoy the Sunflower Festival (for those that this applies to)!

Dancing the Jig-ger

At the end of the day, I'm not quite sure what it is or what caused it, but something happened while visiting the tribes and I was left with red bumps from my waist down. I first noticed them a Saturday back (when at the tribes) on my ankles, but by the next day, they had decorated my butt. The following day after that they started to ITCH! The other groups had been at different tribes and had a medical team along who said it was "jiggers". Jiggers are a flea common to this area and are picked up in long grass. I like to think it was just heat rash, but whatever! Thankfully I was able to find some calamine lotion out here (in a pink bottle, just like home), so the itching has subsided and now I'm waiting for them to disappear. Not really the souvenir I was hoping to pick up! And trust me, the butt ones look way worse!

All Work and No Play

Continuing on from yesterday, it's of course not work all the time. There is definitely time to relax and play! The picture below is me jumping from a rope swing over the river - if you can believe it, I jumped not only once, but twice!

Just in Case You Were Wondering. . .

Some of you may think that it's just all fun and games out here, but I really am working pretty hard - and I finally have some pictures to prove it (pictures of me taking pictures)! It's good to work within a group of photographers because occasionally they catch you in the act. Thanks to my teammates Marilee and Alaina for some pretty cool pictures!

One Voice

Yesterday we participated in an arts festival (music, drama, etc) at the City of Knowledge in Panama City. It was a day to celebrate the many different cultures that make up Panama and display their crafts, dance and food. We also displayed our photography from the past week in the tribes. The main focus was injustice and there were both Christian and non-Christian groups presenting. We each had a 12 x 18 print made and mine is the one in the middle, at the bottom with the couple featured (Tulio's brother and his wife).

We were told about a group of teenagers visiting from Canada and they kind of looked familiar to me, so I asked where they were from. First came "Manitoba", then "Winnipeg" and I asked if they were really from Winnipeg or they just gave that answer because no one knows anything about Manitoba. The group was from Winkler (Grace Mennonite Church) and I probably some of their siblings and that's why they looked so familiar! It really is a small world after all! While we were at the other 2 tribes last week, they were at Errebache (our very first tribe).

Tribal Villages - Part 4

Thankfully our journey back was not nearly as long as our trip to get out here. We continued another hour down the river and picked up taxis which brought us back to pick up the bus. We only had 2 police checkpoints on the way back. We started out around 9:30 a.m. and arrived back at the church by 6:30 p.m. What an amazing trip of meeting the people, experiencing their life and enjoying the beauty of Panama. We were feed beyond belief and ate plantain (a banana-like potatoe) and yucca (a root) in as many ways as you can imagine (fried, in soup, boiled). It's rude not to finish your plate of food and I don't think I've ever eaten that much rice over my entire life. I know that we eat much more than the villagers would normally eat. Thankfully Tulio was very patient with all of us girls (and our incessant need to find a bathroom!) and we also discovered that he is quite the joker, plus he knows more English than he lets on! Maybe at one point I can also blog about the list we started as we traveled: 101 Things You Need on Outreach. Pictured (back, l - r): Alaina, Marilee, Sara (our translator who we love tremendously and could not live without!), Miguel (Tulio's cousin who was our boat captain), Jo, Tulio; (front, l - r): Laura, Joanna, me.

Tribal Villages - Part 3

The previous village was Tulio's dad's village and our second village, El Salto Chuqunaca, was his mom's village. It was another hour boat ride down the river. They were actually expecting us the next day, so they were a bit surprised when we showed up Saturday afternoon. The first village had about 150 people, while this tribe was about 400 people. It is a more modern tribe with electricity and even the internet. We were quickly introduced upon our arrival (including our marital status, or lack thereof!) and enjoyed another downpour of rain. I note the rain because we prayed for it a number of times to cool things down, but only received a few showers. We put together a Sunday morning worship service and I was finally able to share my mini-sermon. We also visited some classrooms Monday morning (felt like I was back in my element) and presented more of the gospel Monday evening. We had the luxury of "shower" (a little stall with a barrel of cold water to pour over yourself). Our hut was very spacious, but sleeping was a bit confining in our bug nets (though VERY much needed).

Tribal Villages - Part 2

We were received with open arms at the Pena Bijagual tribe and dropped off our luggage in the hut they cleaned out for us. We were planning to only stay one night, so they asked us to share about our organization right away. After sharing, they asked us to stay another night, which we agreed to. It is much hotter here compared to Panama City (we're only about 8 degrees north of the equator) so during the afternoons, we were useless, especially for taking pictures with the harsh midday light. I was supposed to share a mini-sermon the 2nd night, but Tulio has quite a gift for speaking and he took up most of our time. Besides all that, "time" is a relative term here in Panama (as it is in most of the rest of the world beyond Canada and the US). We enjoyed a terrential downpour the second afternoon, which cooled things down and, more importantly, allowed some of us to take an outdoor shower since the only other bathing option was the dirty river. Home sweet home pictured below.

Tribal Villages - Part 1

Truly the journey is the destination. . .our journey started at 4:30 a.m. on July 9 - we got dropped off at the central bus station and we were off by 5:30 a.m. Thankfully there were some comfortable seats on the school bus (named Brigitte) that we took for the next 8 hours or so. Most of us tried to get in a few extras zzz's, lulled to sleep by the Latin music piped through the entire bus. We literally arrived at the end of the road - the roads stop at a certain point before Columbia in an attempt to curb the drug trafficking. The further we went into the Darien province, the most frequently we were stopped and had to show our passports. At the 3rd stop, we were detained for a 1/2 hour because they did not want to let a group of 7 foreign white girls (and Tulio, our leader) into the area. There are issues of Columbian gurillas (not the monkey variety), so they were simply concerned for our safety. But they did let us through and so on we ventured. We took a boat (aka - large canoe with a motor) for another hour before arriving at our first village at 4:30 p.m. - 12 hours of travel and we had finally arrived at our destination!

I Have Returned

Just a quick note to let you know that I've returned safe and sound to our little church home. I will share stories and pictures in the upcoming days. We arrived back, scarfed down pizza and then I did some much needed laundry. Next is a shower - haven't had one for a few days now and even though it's cold water, I'm looking forward to it!

Warrior LaDawn

I know that I cannot get away without showing you my body paint (plus I bought one of the traditional skirts), so here's Warrior LaDawn!! I'm enjoying the tattoos, but am thankful that they'll wash off in a few weeks! We are heading out to other tribes within the Embera people group today and will be back next Tuesday. Your thoughts and prayers as I travel will be greatly appreciated! I will connect again next week.

Errebache - Part 2

Today was cultural day - we were able to get a flavor of their customs and traditions. It is our hope to use our pictures to promote tourism to the village. They started painting their bodies in the morning and it took a number of hours to get everyone ready. They also offered to paint us and we happily agreed. They grate a specific fruit and mix it with water to create the paint. I had my arms painted and they are blue (don't worry - only for about 2 - 3 weeks!) but some of them ended up pretty black (as in the picture). They have normal dress (shorts for guys, skirts for girls), but the traditional dress is pictured below. The villagers also shared some traditional music and dance with us. Beyond the picture taking, we were also able to enjoy a swim in the river, which also included a rope swing (which I did twice and it was no small task because it was pretty high off the water). Again, the food was just amazing. We had chicken soup for lunch (again, they slaughtered a chicken in the morning for us) and fish for supper. Both evenings we were able to sit down with them and share stories of our lives and from the gospel. We plan to come back in a few weeks to bring back some pictures and just connect with them again. They really made us feel like family in the short time we had together.

Pictured from left to right is the chief, his son, daughter, wife and Tulio (his other son). Picture compliments of Susi.

Errebache - Part 1

What an amazing experience I've had over the past few days. We traveled by van and then boat to arrive at the Errebache village. Tulio (the chief's son) was our guide - he just finished his own DTS in Panama City. We had the most wonderful welcome - as our boat pulled in to the dock, the most beautiful children came running up to us. There skin was the color of chocolate milk and they were so cute! It is a small village, only about 3 years in the making. They welcomed us with open arms and we felt at home even though they were speaking a combination of Spanish (thanks goes out to Sara our wonderful translator) and their native tongue of Embera. We were able to take some pictures the first day, but there was a lot of rain which hindered things. They killed a chicken for us for supper, which I'm sure meant a lot to them. Our group shared a hut to sleep in - it was totally open, built up on stilts. That made for interesting night as Panama was struck by yet another earthquake (the same location as the last, "only" 5.3 this time!). I apparently was too tired from the travel and excitement of the day because I missed this earthquake as well. The village itself was north of Panama City, just off the Carribean Sea. Our hut was the middle one in the picture below.

Magnitude 6.0

You may or may not hear about this in the news: We experienced a 6.0 magnitude earthquake in the wee hours of today (1:49 AM). The epicenter was 95 km (60 miles for my American friends today - Happy 4th of July!) northeast of Panama City. I kind of woke up, but a few of us sat up straight in bed. Apparently I've already experienced earthquakes in Turkey and Hawaii, but in both cases, I did not feel them (due to my location or their sizes, I'm not quite sure). It happened under the Caribbean Sea and as of yet, there are no fatalities.

Panama Home Sweet Home

The original plan for our accommodations out here included staying at the base in Panama City (just like the base in Kona), but it ended up being filled to capacity. This has actually worked in our favor, as we are staying at a small church in a safe community. It means we have to arrange transport to get anywhere, BUT the air conditioning makes up for that! We have a lot of girls so we are in 2 rooms; the guys are in the sanctuary and the couples have their own Sunday school
rooms!

Our Outreach Project

While in Panama, my outreach group will be working with an indigenous leader named Tulio (who spoke to us the other day). He stopped by today and talked about his background. Together with his father, they have worked with various tribes within the Embera tribal group to promote tourism as a means to promote their culture. He became a Christian about 3 years ago and is working through what it means to be a Christian within his background and heritage, and he firmly believes that God celebrates his culture (along with all other cultures). Our job will be to visit different tribes next week to learn more about them and take pictures. We will then come back and start to work on various publications such as a website, to promote the value of culture. We are leaving on Sunday, returning briefly on Tuesday night and then we will be gone until the following Tuesday. Your thoughts and prayers would really be appreciated as we trek through the jungle (did I mention how humid it is and how much bugs and other creatures there are out here?!?). Needless to say, my blogging will be non-existent until we are back.

Happy Canada Day!

I hope that all of my Canadian friends & family were able to celebrate their home & native land today! We had a little celebration of Canada Dry and red and white cheesecake (it was the best we could do out here in Panama)! Today is also the start of a new government coming in to power here in Panama and the people that have discussed it with us are very excited with the change in leadership. We toured different parts of Panama City, exploring some of the ruins. We also (very quickly) learned to watch out for those who would like to steal from us. At lunch, one of us stood us to get rice from the next table and within a moment his cell phone and Coke were gone. The locals saw him and stopped him, but it was all a little crazy! (Pictured is some of the old and the new)