December in Review

In honor of the Christmas Spirit upcoming new year (whose events will be fully recited in an upcoming blog, beleive me!) I decided to give a breif summary of the thing that we have done here in Panama to commemorate the season! So alot of blogging and alot of pictures...lets get started!

First, we had our annual Christmas Concert. On December 3, all the seven churches gathered to show off their musical talent and worship! Each church played different carols for all to sing along with (yes, that is a hanging preposition and I am an English teacher!). It was alot of fun, and a good way to see all the diversity of the churches here in Panama. The church was packed with people from all over Panama, excited to be gathered in on place for the concert. Afterwords, there was refreshments and a "tipico" presentation, where Hazel, one of the youth put on her pollera and danced the traditional Panamanian dance. A good time was had by all. The students who preformed, students of Joy Stuhr and Ruthie Witte, all did a wonderful job conquering their nerves and leading all of us in worship!

Jeramed and Heidi lead the congregation in worship at the Christmas Concert. I, for one, was jealous of the holly ties that the guys from El Redentor Church in Balboa wore.

Um. Pililier and Benjael with fire. This is not good! Part of the Christmas Concert was candlelight singing!

Hazel and her pollera with Joy and her, um, skirt. Polerras are the traditional dress for festival days in Panama. Hazel also did a "tipico" presnetation, the typical dance (hence the name "tipico") of Panama.

Second, English Club focused on Christmas Carols. We learned some of the classic Christmas Carols and what part of the Christmas story they tell us about. We had a little bible study in English and then spent some time practicing singing. And all though I am no singer (the spanish phrase me salio un gallo comes to mind, which literally means a rooster came out of me) we had a good time learning the songs, the bible stories in English and trying to figure out why we still use words like ye, thy, and thee.

Third, each church had a special dinner and drama for Christmas. The dramas were great, and the food afterwards just as exciting! Most of the dramatist were the youth, so it was funny to see their personalities come out in the drama. In Loma Cova, I think the dramatists forgot that they would need a Baby Jesus for the nativity scene. Jazmin, one of the youth in charge of the presentation, ran back to Joel, a small two year old in the congregation, grabed him. Mary ripped off her head shawl to use for the swaddling cloth, an quickly had Baby Jesus all wrapped and comfortable before the shepards and the kings came. And the three Kings were really the "wise" men, as three teens came strutting in with their gifts, and robes and canes, not to mentions their backwords hats for crowns!

Also, at Loma Cova on Christmas Eve, there was six confirmations! It was a special day to see how God is working in the students and members of that Congregation!

We also said good bye to one of our Pastors, Pastor Pedro Quintero and his family, Fatima and Becky. They were working as a missionary like pastor in the church in Rio Rita, and went back to their home in Honduras, so we had a large Party for them before they left! We wish the best for Pastor Pedro, Fatima and BEcky as they move on home and onto the next place where God will use them.

As for my personal Christmas celebration, we celebrated Christmas eve at a friends house with more wonderful food! (Food seems to be a common entry here!) Then Christmas Day we woke up and had a "gringo" breakfast with pancakes and eggs and bacon and suasage and coffeecake. We opened presents and watched the Elf to get a few Christmas laughs. Then it was off to Church in Loma Cova, and dinner afterwards at Griselda and Maricios house, where once again, there was incredible food!

Another thing that has been great during the month of December is some familiar things. In the beginning of December, some friends who I have studied with in Concordia Spanish Classes, came down as they had just finished their time studying in Costa Rica. It was nice to have some familiar faces around, and I got to have the priveldge of showing them a little bit of Panama, which really is starting to feel like home (dont cry please mom). Also, a friend from Concordia who I went with to Guatemala on a mission trip is here with here Family. Becky Kempff, whose parents are career missionaries here in Panama, will be here and it is nice to see her again. We got to do something together do like go to the beach with her family and some friends, going to a karoke bar with some friends.

Friends from Panama and Concordia. Christine and Kayla were students at Concordia who studied in Costa Rica this last sememester and they made a trip down to Panama at the end of their term! We went to Panama Viejo and saw some other things in the city.

I hope that this find everyone well and I wish everyone a great new year! May it be a year where we see God work in each and everyone of our lives!

until later, keep plugging

Lessons Learned...

Yes, to all ye faithful, I am still alive, and in the spirit of the Christmas spirit, I decided to gift all of you with some words of wisdom learned from the experiences of the ever exciting world that is known as living in a foreign country.

First, lets talk public transportation. Here in Panama at least, instead of having the top part of the window of the bus say the final destination (as most public transportation does in the states), they have just the general direction (eg. street name, suburb name, or shopping center name) and then a little paper on the left hand side of the bus that says the buses' actual destination. Not to mention that there are diablo rojos (literally red devils) that are old school buses from the states, usually on their last leg of their sad life, painted pretty and held together with nothing more than bubble gum, (not to mention blaring music to distract from the suspisciously squelling brakes and transmistion) and then there are chepos, which are more like touring buses, that comes with air-conditioning (a necesity when you have more than 25 hot sweaty people together) but at the sacrifice of space and an extra 10 cents. This is complicated furthur when you understand that there is a distinction between urban buses, (those that run through the city itself) and inter-urban buses (those that run to surrounding cities). And then if you think it couldnt be broken down anymore, certain inter-urban buses to some cities that are the farthest away have two types of buses that run to them, caminos (literally, path) which stops at every bus stop imaginable on the road to the city, and expresos. Under this confusion our story begins...

I needed to go to Loma Cova on Sunday to teach my English class, but went to pick up some supplies (aka fruit cake for our Christmas fiesta) from Albrook Mall, conviently located directly across the street from the National Bus Station, where you can catch any bus in the city, (not to mention lung cancer, since all aformemtioned buses that pass through aforementioned station DO NOT pass any sort of emissions test). I quickly shopped for my supplies, and grabed a bus to Chorrera, one of the furthest cities on the inter-urban bus routes. I grabbed the "expreso" and I learned quickly that it meant neither that the bus driver knew how to get there really quickly, nor did they serve free cups of cappuchino to their patrons. It meant that the bus simply did not stop until it got to its final destination, in this case Chorrera, about 25 kms past the stop I was anticpating to get off at. So here I am, a gringo sticking out three feet above every other head on the bus, yelling from the back of the bus PARADA, PARADA!!! (the local way of telling the bus driver you want off) as we go sailing past my bus stop. After being explained that we were not going to stop, I accepted defeat. Getting off the bus in Chorrera (a town I had never been in before), and a small, minor mental breakdown, I pulled it together, told myself I could do it, scrounged up all my change, and boarded a bus that was heading back to Panama. Two hours, one mental breakdown, one frustrating wait at a bus stop, and one a half missed English classes later, I pulled into Loma Cova, feeling about as dull and dumb as the fruit cake I carried to class.

Second, lets talk different Christmas traditions. There is a song here for Christmas. Its hard to explain...as it is just a plain song, with nothing special about it. I hardly even notice it while I have been out and about UNTIL the singers arrive at the refrain. With people hustling by, the speakers in the malls ring out... "Dukee, Dukee Dukee Dukee...Dukee Dukee Dukke di..." You can imagine my reaction as this word rang through the monstrous building. Its quite catchy once you hear it, and after convincing yourself that they are not talking about what you think they are talking about (and I am not referring to a GreenDay CD), its kind of fun to sing. Actually, it is just the way they make the sound of the donkey running to the stable in Bethlehem, although words like constipation and blockage come to my mind...

Third, living in a foregin country is like getting a hit to groan of your pride every other day (see aforetold bus incident.) Just when you think you are getting the hang of it, you end up in a new city, completly lost. This happens on all levels. Just when I think I am getting good at communication here in Panama, I was invited to play a game. Kind of like twenty questions in Spanish, except not really. You had ten clues to figure out what something was. I didnt think I was doing too bad, until I looked at the cards and realized that three out of four words I didnt know. Then came the big blow. It was a game for 6 year olds. Do people really think I sound like a six year old when I talk? Well, lets not even go there...

But enough with the blabbing and the waxing and the ostentious prensentation of my daily, yet qeustionably faboulous life in Panama. I found some cool pictures I want to share. Using Google Earth, I searched to give you some ideas of my location here in Panama.

This is where I am located in Panama. Panama City is on the southern side of the country, so I am actually on the Pacific Ocean.

Panama City in all its glory! You can see the canal in the middle of the picture, the city that extend up to the right, and my house, located by the canal. The long stretch of Land that just out from the peninsula that my house is on is actualy man made, with all the dirt dug out from the canal. Its called the Cuaseway and it connects those three islands with the mainland.

Here you can see my neighboorhood, called Balboa. The big gree area to the right of my house is Ancon Hill, which used to serve as American "headquarters" in Panama, and to the left id the Canal. And yes, you can see the airport, just north of my house, as a plane is loudly flying over my head right at this instant.

And there it is, my HOUSE! I actually can find my house looking from space! And no, the church across the street is not where I work, altough they are our landlords! For more information on the city block of Christianity we live on, see this previous post.

Well, thats it from here. My Video is still being edited, so stay tuned for that. Also, stay tuned for a quick summary of some of the Christmas acitivities that have been going on here in Panama.

until later, keep celebrating!

Stay Tuned

Some new additions to my blog...a VIDEO SECTION! I was priveldged to be delgated the task of camrarógrafo (try saying that one five times fast!) and get to mess around with the camcorder! So I am working on a video about my time in Panama. Check often for updates..(okay the video is still in production, and the link just takes you to photos right now, I did this to build up the dramitic crescendo of excitement to my directorial debut). More to follow at the release party!

Techinical Difficulties

Okay, so computer down in my home. Blogging a lot less...and yet, not going into withdraw. I guess that means things are getting to be normal around here. More to follow on Christmas Activities thus far...

2 Months and on my way to Stardom

Well , today marks my two month anniversary in Panama. I hardly feel like it has been that long. God has blessed me with such a great experience here and a good chance to see him work in small ways.

One way God has worked has been incredible. Through chances of fate and luck, advertisiments for my classes in Panama City have come out in two national newspapers, and a national radio station. So an English class with a "100% American" teacher (thats really how it was advertised) has gained the interest numerous people, of which I have about forty coming to my classes. And more and more students from the miltary academy have gotten excited and asked for something. A possible English camps in the works?

Praise God for all the little things he does that show he is at work...

To Overcome Culture Shock

While I am no Freud, nor have I written anthropological tretises, I have come up with a two step program to overcome culture shock. I call it the "Admit and Distract" theory. Farely straightforward, you admit that you are in culture shock, and then you distract yourself from thinking excessibly about it. While one might call this denial, it is not. An important part of the Admit stage is to talk to others around you about it, and to let them know that you are in fact in culture shock. Then, to avoid the bouts of depression, moodiness and/or homesickness that usually accompany culture shock, it is important to surrond yourself with friends who can be your support system, so that you can focus on other things.

So, as you can tell by the few last entries. I am definatly in some culture shock. I admit. And God has surrounded me with people who understand that and who are all there to help me. But, alas, I will not burden you with the complexitied of my cultural adjustments. However, I did some pretty freakin' cool things in the "distract" stage of my adjustment. This, I have to share.

Okay, for this, we need to rewind to Tuesday, November 22. This was the night of the hottest event in entertainment history in Panama. Thats right. Black Eyed Peas. Live. In Panama. It was awesome. A whole group of us went to the concert. We had such a blast. And as the group consisited of Americans who know Black Eyed Peas lyrics by heart, and Panamanains who have been infected with our contagious passion for the organic hip-hop sensation, we were the only group that was singing and dancing through the entire concert. That merited quite a few looks from all the concert goers.

Wednesday was a day of relaxation. The sem group went back to the states early in the morning, and we all just took a day to rest. Marc and Cheryl rested alot, and they deserved it.
I also bought a bread pan and made meatloaf. I tell this not to brag about my mad cooking skills, but rather to get you to imagine me trying to explain to Panamanians why I needed a bread pan to cook meat. "Well, you see, there this dish called meatloaf, when you just make meat like a loaf of bread." "WHAT? Meat like bread. Guacala (the local slang for gross)." I even got a couple stares, and a few "wow thats a really gringo thing to do."

Thursday was, of course, a special day for the Americans. I want to reassure that YES, we did celebrate Thanksgiving. What a blessed day it was. I woke up at the butcrack of dawn, (which for me means like 8:00 a.m.) and started baking. I made a trip to the store to grab a few things. Let me tell you, trying to guess some spices in Spanish sure can throw you through a loop. Leaving the store hoping I did infact buy nutmeg and not oregano, I caught a taxi. This was a precious moment, becuase I actually had to tell the taxi driver where to go becuase he got lost. This is quite a feat as Panamanian Taxi drivers seem to be usually the most informed people in the city! I was so proud. But, I digress. I made a pumpkin cheesecake, a regualr cheesecake and a pumpkin pie for our Thanksgiving feast (if you cant figure it out, I was in charge of desserts.) I also made three other pumpkin pies for my English class in Balboa that night. After a staff devoition and pumpkin pie event, I taught my class. About 35 students came to our Thanksgiving feast, where we talked about the first thanksgiving, played some Thanksgiving games, and of course had a small feast. We had Pumpkin Pie, Jellied Cranberries and steaming Apple Cider. After I was asked where I got the pies and I said that I had made them, about five of my younger students fixed their hair, helped me out with cleaning the dishes and asked me if I had a girlfriend. I was thankful for this little boast to my ego. The onto our thanksgiving feast. There were ten of us all together, a good blend of not only Americans and Panamanians, but a whole slate of international representation. We had Carly, our Panamanian-Austrian Friend, Katija, our Mexican-German Friend, and then of course all us Americans with all our mixed heritages. One touching thing was before dinner. We all went around and said what we are thankful for. All of our friends mentioned how having friends like the missionaries is something that they are thankful for. While it may not have been a "gospel touch", it showed me that God's work is done with your friends, and that we all have the chance to touch somebodys life. But, I wax. Back to the feast. Turky, Ham, Chutney, Mashed Potatoes, stuffing, salad, check. We all pigged out. Then as the group went for a walk, we set up the living room for desserts and games. The gropu returned, we played Outburst, and pigged out on dessert. Stuffed and full of tryptaphan, we all said our goodbyes and went to bed.

This our Thanksgiving feast. For a party of 10 people, it went over really really well.

And here Chris, the proud father of these two beautiful little ones. My desserts were freakin' awesome!

Friday, after recovering from the work of the party the night before, we took another easy day. The exciting event was the Harry Potter Release here in Panama. We bought our tickets way in advance after getting the absolute last parking spot in the movie theater parking garage. A quick bite to eat at Beniginn's (American food is so large and unnessecarily fatty) we grabbed our seats. Must admit, a little dissapointed with the movie, but still, it was great.

Then Saturday we started our trip to Chiriqui (pronounced cheer-e-key), the mountainous western part of Panama, almost in Costa Rica. We took a bus, got there at 10 at night into the town of David (pronounced da-veed). Sunday brought a rather frustrating time at the pond-jumper airport trying to rent a car and a relaxing time in Bouquette, the second largest retirement place in the world. Its no wonder why. With its views, its high quality of life, excelent climate, I felt like a little piece of Idaho Springs or Aspen or Estes Park was dropped in Panama. We caught the the town Parade celebrating Panama's independence from Spain, and then went to the town party. After a night a dancing and laughing and just plain having fun, we headed back to David, where, at four in the morning we all proceeded straight to bed.

Road tripping it. While I am not a back seat driver, I am a back seat photo taker.

Monday was a free day, as it Independence from Spain Day. We took our car and went to Volcan, a city at the base of Volcan Baru, the largest point in Panama. We also shopped at Cerro Punta, one of the few places in Panama where strawberries are sold. Loaded with fresh berries and vegatables, we made our way back to Panama City.

A view of Volcan Baru, in Volcan, Panama. This is the highest point in Panama.

So that has been my distractions during this last week. I am thankful to have the oppurtunity to do these things and to have people who are willing to do them with me as I try to overcome culture shock.

until later, keep on...

Chris and His Visa...

Round trip Bus ride: $30
Rented Car: $17
Gas:$10
Entrance to David City Fair: $6
Food:$20
Weekend Road trip to Chiriqui: Priceless

I am now heading off to Chiriqui, the mountainous western Part of Panama. I love my job. See you all in a few days.

Its beginning to feel alot like summer

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a quick note to say that the weather has sure been cold here the last couple of days. It has been down into the sixities. Break out your winter coats.

The winter frost here in summer sure helps us to realize that hey it is almost Christmas, and today infact in Thanksgiving. The holidays are sure underway but it just isnt the same saying, "Happy Thanksgiving, we were going to the beach this weekend right?" or "Marry Christmas, I hope Santa brought me some sunscreen." As soon as the weather peaks up again, it will be summer here in Panama, so even hotter than what we have been through so far.

As for know, I will continue to sit in front of my fan, tan in the warm tropical sun and light the candles on the Advent wreath.

More to come on the week of distractions, same time, same chanell, sweet.

until later, keep eating...

Here comes the slump...

Warning: This post will be a departure from the cheery, happy, posts that I have been writing. Nothing doomy and gloom apocolypic or anything but lets face it. Life happens, and being a Christian does not exempt us from that. Being straight up about that is something I will tackle today. And keep in mind, this is life, and as there are bad things, there are good things. It just happens that the bad things are what I need to talk about today. In other words, I am still enjoying it down here, and although it may sound different today, I still feel that God is working through me down here and that he will continue to do that.

With that said, here we go.

Needless to say, I have had a frustrating week. I think the whole shock and newness of Panama is wearing off into daily life. And the thing is, I am not sure I really want it to. I want it to be exciting and great and everything is wonderful. However, some of the realities are sinking in. I will always be a gringo here. No matter how long I am here, or how polished my Spanish gets, my skin will always draw the attention of kids and beggars alike. No matter however many relationships I make, I will never be a Panamanian, and I will always be the one who taxis honk their horn at endlessly, waving their arms and shake their heads when I KNOW thats the sign that their taxi is available. I will always be the gringo who gets pushed out of the circle of Panamanians when they start talking politics or anything cultural that I dont understand (like boxing for one). And I will always be the gringo walking the streets who has the money to give to beggars. I will continue being these things, and it is a hard revelation that you will never be one of the gang, completly at least, when that is one of your goals in coming to a foreign country.

Second of all, the crap that happens in the church in the States happens in the church in Panama. We are such a screwed up group of sheltered, degrading people that I wonder how the church has even succedded at all with advancing the gospel. Maybe this has become more apparent becuase relationships are so important here, but yet we go around with this self rightous attitude that redicules those who dont know our big theological words, cant understand our way beyond intellectual reasoning abstract concepts, and pushing away those who need to hear the gospel in a personal, realistic way. I think I realized this when we read the verse last week in church. "And when Lord did we see you without clothes and didnt clothe you?" Well, lets see. Everytime you sat there and distinguished between law and gospel in a bible study when someone needed a hug, and needed to know that someone loves them. Everytime you discussed the difference between amillenials and millenialists and there was someone who needed to know where tommorows meals were going to come from. Our theological knowledge distances us from the people who need to hear the very simple message we have been given: That God, wanting to bridge the gap of our sin, sent his Son out of his merciful love and Christ died on the cross, saving us from sin, death and the devil.

And basic courtesies go along way. An affirmation of what I am doing is something helpful and useful from those who see me would fill the void of emotions I have right now. To see fellow Christians carrying out the charge to edify each other would be a boost to my ego right now.

Well, thats enough of that. I needed to get it all out. I know that the best way to overcome some of these emotions is to just keep plugging away, but letting others know how I am feeling. I have blessed with an incredible support system, and they have been good at saying, lets go out and get your mind of all this. Lets talk about it. These are just the challenges in my life right now that God is using to show me what he wants to come of all this....

Our Little Barometers

This story is a combined effort of Marc and myself, as we both experienced it, but Marc had the creative genius to construct the story of Our Little Barometers, aka, the children of Loma Cova. Thanks Marc!

Upon arrival in Panama, one will immeaditly have to become accustomed to the humidty and the daily monsoon, which is bound to get you soaking wet at least three times a week. I am told, that this climate, once you get used to it, is very "readable". Much like old peoples kness that creak when it is about to rain, Panamanians have an innate sense of the coming weather. This explains some of my confusion when it is perfectly sunny outside, yet people are all carrying their umbrellas. They just know when and when it is not going to rain.

Exhibit A. The Children in Loma Cova. Many times, we have the oppurtunity to play and just hang around after church service, English classes, all that jazz. This last weekend, the excitemet of the students was even higher, as there were new gringos here to play with, namely the sem students who are here for their mission trip.

A group of the sem students and Marc decided to play soccer with ther students at the local soccer field, which is reall just a converted basketball court, cement and all. I decided to join the group, but sat the game out as I wasnt feeling well (just a headache mom, dont worry). During the game, it began to rain lightly. As they would say in Spanish, it was a "tierna" (very gentle, like Snuggles, the fabric softner bear gentle) rain. However the kids all stopped immeadiatly, looked at each other, and said, "Umm, I think we should be done." I dinstincly remember Marc saying what I was thinking. "Well, its not raining that hard. But, okay." So we all started to head back, and the rain picked up just a little. Now the rain was falling just enough to start feeling it hit your head, and if it was a big drop, you could feel it through your clothes. For Panamá, this is considered a light rain still. We were all talking and joking and enjoying the refreshing rain.

Half way back to the church, all the children stopped, and screamed "RUN!!!" Awaiting the attack of some rampant animal that might pounce out of the overgrown brush, I looked around. When all the kids started running, I thought I might as well run too. I started running and remember thinking, well its not raining that hard still. Wondering what was going on, I quickly follwed the smallest child through the field of over growm brush.

And the firmament opened. With the church in site, I knew exactly why the kids had said run. It was absolutly pouring. And when I say pouring, I mean being drenched in the whole ten seconds I was out before taken shelter under the church's eves.

Lesson learned: Always trust the weathermen in Panamá. They are all around you and they are actually always right.

This is the church in Loma Cova. Not only is it a church, but it also doubles as a weather forcasting station.

Sem Group and Prayer Request

The first volunteer group is here for this year. It is a group of Five from the St. Louis Seminray, and they are going to be immersed in the culture and ministry of Panama. Welcome to the group, and I ask that you pray for their safe travels around the country, for continued strength through a busy schedule and that both the group and the national church would be blessed by their visit.

I also ask that you pray for Kenny, one of my students from the Military academy who has been coming to my English classes. Kenny came to church this last Sunday. I ask that you pray for the Lord to open his heart, and that through classes and services and other things the church does, that he would be able to see the love of Christ. I am unsure of whether he is a Christian or not, but please pray for the Lord to work in him as he continues to come to class and church services.

until later, keep on!

The Art of Summarizing

The novelty of blogging is wearing off. As a blogging addict, I have been displaying the symptoms of excessive bloggage. I did not heed the warning that has proven ever so true in my life. "Please consult your physician to see if blogging is for you before starting a rigourous blogging regement as common side effects may include but are not limited to: implusive typing finger syndrome, over excessive blogging entries, frequent blog check-ups, premeditated blog writing, and hyperactive observation skills. Blogging may not be for you if you have a social life, and dont plan on committing six hours a day to the anxious typing, updating and checking your blog, nor will it help those who suffer from insomnia, depression, or general social ineptness."

Now I am in blog withdraw. Not having the time to sit down everyday and update everybody on every little detail on my life in Panama, I am forced to pull myself from the blogging addiction cold turkey. In the blogging world, this can only mean one thing...summarizing.

So pardon me when these events that I am telling you about are more than a week old. We will take this 12 step summarizing program one step at a time, one day at a time.

Here we go. Hello my name is Chris and I am a blogaholic.

With that out of the way, heres a summary of my last couple of weeks.

One thing that was cool was our little road trip to Santa Clara. Man I love Panama. With the Atlantic Ocean right by the city, and the Carribeen only about 80 miles away, a weekend trip to the beach is well worth it. We went to Santa Clara, found a nice spot on the beach, necogiated with the local restaurante to get a cabana on the beach for free, popped out our blankets, and slept on the beach, under the stars. You have not lived until you have swam in the ocean at midnight, and then gotten out, fallen asleep to the sound of the waves, and woken by the sunrise warming you in the morning. And despite only eating cold hot dogs with trasure island dressing, the weekend was a great success. My ego was also stroked when I took a public bus back to Loma Cova all by myself in order to teach my class there. I am getting a hang of this living in a different country and the public transportation thing.

Sunrise at Santa Clara.

We also went to celebrate some of the national holidays Panamanian style. We went to Via Espana to watch the local bachillerato (high school) parade. Let me tell you, they know how to march. And I guess the latest in marching fashion is the all time favorite go go boot. I dont know how these girls marched for three miles with those high heels and those boots, but they didnt seem to mind. It seemed that they rather enjoyed swinging their hips and tossing batons, and it was at least an excuse to try to make their school uniforms look as seductive as possible. (you know, that whole blue button down long sleeve shirt can really turn some people on!) I just wanted to go out in the middle of the street with all the ghetto girls and shout, "You shake that thang, honey, it aint nuddin' butta chic'n wang."

Ah nah chu did'n, gurlfriend, being all upst in my grill, wit chu'r go go boots and chu baton. Uh uh, back it up honey.

The typical traditional dress, called pollera. They are also dancing the typical dance called typico.

And there also was a high school who looked liked they got their uniforms from the African Safari store. Last time I checked, the streets of Panama werent exactly the Serengeti, but hey, what ever floats your boat. All we needed was some sun glasses and Panamanian hats, and it would have been any retailer's biggest nightmare--A Panama Jack Parade.

And now we get a glimpse of this rare creature in its natural habitat. Join us for Panamanian Safari.

The parade commemorating Flag Day. Yes, there was a parade for Flag Day.

Today was my first AMILPA Party, as it was Senora Ruthie's birthday. We had sandwiches and cake, which I have been craving expectantly since Wednesday. The cake was a wonderful way to polish off a hearty meal of tuna sandwiches. Yes, I said tuna, mom. I actually like it. In fact, my life seems like one big monotonous menu right now, tuna sandwich, chocolate cake. Repeat. Yes, I even had tuna for dinner tonight. Twice in one day. I alone am bringing Star Kist out of a third quarter slump.

I have been busy with classes and with things to do. Going into the office and working to get things organized, trying to get in touch with students to encourage them to come, and building relationships with people around the office are all becoming parts of my job that become more and more important and larger as well. It seems that the "permanent vacation" is on hold for a while, or at least becoming more like a "only-vacation-two-days-a-week" lifestyle. Rough, I know.

And during the last national holiday, which was Thursday, I converted into quite the domestic all around gold champion. I sewed pillowcovers for my bed, and pulled out the hammer and hung my own blinds. My room is starting to feel more like a room and not just some dingy hotel...

And here are somethings to praise God for: An advertisement for my class came out in the NATIONAL newspaper last week on Thursday. The phones have been ringing off the hook, and I am expecting many new students to come to my classes here in Balboa. Praise God! Sally, the coolest person ever, gave the article to just the right person, and there it was in the newspaper!

Also, George Bush was here, and none of us were harmed. There were quite a few protests, and one of the major streets downtown was closed. They have also closed the university indefinatly, as it is one of the biggest areas with anti-American sentiment, and many of the protests were held there. Now, dont take this out of hand, and think that I am in serious danger. We were safe here in our little part of town, and took some precuations the day that Bush was here to make sure we would be safe. And most Panamanians are peace lovers, and didnt even want to be near the protests. I ask that you thank God for our safety during those days.

There are so many stories, so many things I want to tell, to share. However, I am pulling myself away from that, and trying to cut down on my bloggage since I can no longer sit for hours on end thinking of things to write. People to see and many things to do!

until later, buscando guayaba ando yo (you can invent whatever meaning you want!)

From the mouths of babes...

A quick post today about some the kids God has blessed the church with down here.

Having grown up with little sisters, and with the plethora of kids in the church, I have gotten quite use to the things kids say, but there are still times when something slips that catch you off guard and make you laugh. Kids say the darndest things...

Exhibit A. In Loma Cova, a Kina Indian Village, one of the little kids was hanging around in the church after class while I was helping one of the adults from the class. She came up to me, and was hugging my leg, a common thing in Loma Cova, since most of the congregation is under the age 10, and put her hand on my stomach. Her eyes got really big like she just had some life changing realization, and she looked up at me and said, "You're fat!"

Exhibit B. Also from Loma Cova, we were playing a game in class, where we had to say a verb that we do, and then act it out. For example, I said "I Swim", so I had to act out swimming. After my freestyle demonstration, one of the kids in my class was looking at me backwards. If it was becuase I was acting quite absurdly, or becuase she didnt want to act out her verb, I will never know. But I do know what she thinks of me...she called me a crazy gringo (in Kuna, the native language), which got a quite a few laughs, even from me.

And as my last witness, I would like to call forwarf my friend Aron. Aron has been coming with his family to the Satruday classes that we have at the church here in Balboa. A couple of Sundays ago, we had 10 kids get baptized in Balboa, and Aron and his brother Alfonso, had been sitting with some of the missionaries and me. Aron and Alfonso intently watched as the kids were baptised. The baptisms came and went, and then it was time for communion. We asked if they could come up to communion with us to get a blessings, it was most liekly their first time to do any such thing, and after their mother consented, we were off. Aron, tagging along with Becky, says really loud, "Are we going to take a bath like the other kids?" Then as pastor came around giving us the wine to drink, Aron, intently watched him. His eyes got bigger and bigger as he tried to understand what the pastor was saying. "Take and drink the true blood of Jesus Christ". Becky drank, and Arons mouth fell to the floor. As soon as Pastor Patricio had walked by, Aron yelled, and I mean loudly, "WHAT DID YOU DRINK?" Trying to hold it together ourselves and quiet Aron down was quite the scence.

Please pray for Cecilia, the mother of Aron and Alfonso, as she is becoming more and more active in the church. Pray that the church continues to be a place where she meets people who are welcoming and friendly, and who provide the support she needs when things are tough. Please also pray that through her involvment in the church, that she would have the Word of God planted in her and her family.

lots to say, but lots more to do. until later, keep on...

Lets get ready to rumble

Okay. Panamanians are very festive. These last few days have proven this beyond any doubt. This entire week is nothing but national holidays. And after seeing the first of many parties that celebrate one of the six national holidays this month, it is no wonder the favorite saying around here is "Viva noviembre!" (Long live November!)

So yesterday was Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), which is very different from the famous celebrations in Mexico. It was a solemn day (key word here being DAY) much like our Memorial Day. It is cool to be in a capital city when they have their national holidays. Flags and patriotic cymbols are everywhere!

Well, as I said, the DAY was calm. Students didnt have school, but the mercant military acadmenty across the street still had their drill practice. But even the acadmeny showed its leaniant side. The students didnt even have to wear their uniforms. They were practicing in the church parking lot when I came into work, and as if I havent had enough harrowing expereinces that include these students, another one was added to the list. Walking through this huge crowd of gun twirling, saber throwing students yelling "SI SENOR" with the knowledge that you could be incapacitated at any minute by flying gun barrels or impaled by out of control saber was just another chapter in Chris' adventures with the Marines here in Panama saga.

Marine Students at drill practice in the church parking lot. Notice the distance from which this picture was taken!

In order to celebrate, we went to the house a member of the church, Marta, and she made us incredible sancocho, a typical Panamanian chicken soup. It was incredible. Then she made our delight complete by serving the best rice pudding I have ever eaten. Then we sat with her daughters, Heidi and Haili, and talked about Smallville and other popular American TV Shows that have made their way to Panama.

All smiles after a very satisfying meal of Sancocho. From Left: Cheryl, Becky, Sra. Marta, Heidi, Joy, Haili, Marc.

Then, we had a bible study as a team. Joy lead us in a bible study over a song. We touched on so many topics, and the bible study made me think of a few theological questions (More on that later, that deserves its own entry!)

Then, the party began. After a quick trip to the grocery store, it was time to head to the fun. Parties happened all over the city. The one we went to, at the cuaseway, was about five miles from our house. We all piled into the car, and then, by some random suggestion, decided to walk. That was a smart move on our part. As soon as we got into the main street, we saw that traffic was at a complete standstill. And it would be at a standstill from where we started walking to the cuaseway, where the party was, five miles away.

You can see the complete standstill on the road. And all the people just partying in the streets.

We walked and arrived at the scence, which really seemed more like the set of Fast and Furious than Panama City. Cars were parked in the streets, hoods open, music blaring, and owners proudly checking out their engines. Apparently every radio station in Panama was playing their station on speakers that they bought from Bon Jovi or something, so the overall effect was just this low rumble that shook you everytime some person said a word. Crowds were eveywhere, dancing and singing with the music. It was great. And I was told that this is a mild celebration in comparison to Carnival, in March.

Red and Blue were the colors of the night. Here we are at the party, not already to have our picture taken. From left: Joy, Carly, Becky, Noriel, Anna, and Evelyn.

So, we came home at 4 in the morning, and the music was still going strong. From our house, you could hear all the music from the still jammed up street 100 meters away! It was crazy.

No es de yeye, sino de Yasuri Yamileth

This is for all the A-Town folk out there wondering if I have lost my true inner ghetto-ness. Lest you think in Panama, I have no access to all things ghetto. (We can discuss if a brother from the hood would actually use the word "lest" another time.)

One of the very first words I learned here in Panama is a word that you all have heard fall from my lips. Thats right. GHETTO. And for all those none A-townies reading, Webster says: Ghetto (Polish, adj, "ge-toe") signifies:
1. anything below the status quo, as in "That cheap torn-up shirt is ghetto" or "That uncoordinated outfit looks ghetto." This word does not simply refer to clothes or appearance, but can modify any noun, as in "That hotel with the cockroaches was ghetto".
2. anything that evokes feeling of disgust, as in "That burnt meatloaf was ghetto".
3. in reference to embarrasment or shame, as in "I felt so ghetto when I fell down the bleachers in front of the entire school."
4. walled areas of oppression during the Second World War.
See also the verb form (to ghetofy), the suprilative (ghettoist, or most ghetto) and the pop culture usage (ghetto super star).

In Spanish, at least in Panama, racataca (rah-kah-tah-kah) means ghetto. And its counterpart, yeye (yea-yea) is best translated as yuppy.

And me being bien racataca (bee-n rah-kah-tah-kah, meaning sufficiently ghetto) I needed to hear some musica racataca (ghetto-theme anthems).

And along came Yasuri Yamileth, THE biggest racataca superestrella (ghetto superstar) in Panama. Yes, her name is Yasuri, Yasuri Yamileth, with a YA not from yeye, but rather from Yasuri, Yasuri Yamileth.

All that for a lesson in Panamanian pop culture. Follow this link to hear a little racataca direct from Panama, and know that A-town culture will always live on in this poor soul. You will need Quicktime or Windows Media Player to hear it.

http://www.cune.org/Christopher.Carter/01-yasuri_yamileth-mi_nombre_es.mp3

until later...keep jamming

Water

As my month anniversary in Panama comes and goes with the daily ins and outs of life, as the feelings of familiarity become moments that last longer than the sight of a fleeting building or a conversation, and as I think about what things have happened since September 30, I am brought to the image of water many times.

My very first day here in Panama, I went to a shopping center and bought a nesecessity that I had carelessly left in the States. An umbrella. For a person from Colorado, who really hasnt seen significant, consistent rainfall in the past four years, an umbrella is a trival item that often takes up too much coat closet space. But in Panama, a country surronded by ocean, and a culture shaped by the rainfall, it really is necessary. I learned this lesson on Friday when I had to walk the half mile from the bus stop to my house in the pouring rain.

And when you couple the rainfall with the humidity (whose intensity cannot be explained in mear words, although you might capture the feeling if you stuck your head in a bucket of water and tried to breath), water is an important part of life here. After driving over Madden Dam a few weeks ago, where they store all the fresh water for the Canal, one of the missionaries made the comment that Panama would die if it were without water.

And then tonight brought more encounters with water. We rented bikes and drove out on the cuaseway, a strip of man-made land that connects three miles located to the south and east of Panama City. It was a great experience to ride on a sidewalk, with the Atlantic sprawling out to one side, and the waves of the current gliding into the canal on the other side.

But maybe it is something else that happend today that is making me think about water. 10 kids were baptized today at the church in Balboa. There were babies and children up to the age three, all being recieved into God's kingdom. It was an amazing site, and I rejoice with Christians all over the world and God himself at this newest addition to his kingdom.

It is amazing to think that through simple water, God can work miracles. It is something we drink everyday, something we see in almost every ad, newspaper, and can now buy in bottles for less than a dollar a pop. It is the most abundent element on earth and yet it the element that God choses to gather together, to make new and to claim someone his own. And it is through this daily element, when we bath and wash our hands that we are reminded by Luther to remeber our baptism.

Its like each of us. In the billions of people, we are just a drop in the bucket of people, gifts and talents. Yet we are the vessals that He choses to accomplish his work. And it is hard for us to accept that God uses water to work miracles, just as it is hard for us to accept that God is using each and everyone of us to provide for the needs of someone in the world.

And this makes me wonder about umbrellas. If the earth is cleansed by the rain, why is it so important for us to carry our umbrellas, to cover ourselves from the rain. I think this is a reflection of our spritual nature to refuse God's grace. With the sin in all of us, we think we can save our selfs, and we become too proud to acknowledge that we need help.

And yet, the ocean surrounds us. My bikeride tonight showed that the water is all around me. Just like God's grace. It is ever abounding. And just as the seawater evaporates, and then cascades down on the earth, Gods grace is ever flowing from heaven, through the wounds of Christ, and it covers everything we are. It is like a rain storm that penetrates you to the bone, one that leaves you shivering with the change it brings to your body.

And even though we might not be used to freely accepting his great, we whither without it. We are like Panama, whose rainstorms keep it alive. God's grace is such a part of our life, that we cannot even imagine what we would feel like if we didnt know about it. We would whither without the knowledge of the saving news of Christ.

So I pray that, when it rains, we would rejoice, we would get soaked and we would take in the grace that God freely gives to those who acknowledge His Son.

And as trite as this might sound, it is a reflection that helps me see the presence of God and His grace in this world. Bring on the rain...

until later, keep plugging...

Lack of Weekendage, Wealth of Oppurtunities

So, this is the first time all weekend I have time to blog about things going on here. Well, I blogged this morning about my hip hop tecno loving alterego, but that was merely for the entertainment of the masses. I have come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as weekends here for missionaries. Let me exptrapolate. Unlike my LCMS counterparts worldwide, I am not teaching English in a school setting or the like. Good thing: I dont have to stick to a ridgid grading and planning policy, nor deal with educational buearacracy in the country. Bad thing: Most of my classes are during nonschool hours, hence lack of weekendage. And some week nights. Oh well, I am not complaining. With being able to go into the office when ever I please, put in as many or a few "hours" as I want, it is hardly a sacrifice I cant live with. So with that said (and the fact implied that I havent blogged not out of disdain for technology or anything like that, simply just lack of timeage) heres a summary of my weekend.

Ok. Friday. Here we go. Can you imagine an Oktoberfest without beer? Without Brats? Well, the sad reality is that Panama is not the motherland, and I went to worst Oktoberfest ever. About an hour into it, they ran out of beer (maybe becuase they were selling it for $0.50 a can, or becuase there was alot of purehearted, homeland loving, misplaced Germans there, but more likely a bad combination of the two) and the brats soon followed. But we had a great time on the roof of the Universidad de Istmo, chilling, listening and dancing to "German" music (although last time I checked, Daddy Yankee was Puerto Rican, and the German National Anthem is hardly danceable, unless this is the Victorian Period and the waltz the all the rage).

Milton, Becky, Joy, Carly, and random white t-shirt dude at the Oktoberfest. Yes, we are on the roof along with our friends Becks and Warstien. This is proof that I am, in fact, a Lutheran missionary.

Then Saturday I had the experience of a lifetime. Juanes, only the biggest Latin Hip-Hop sensation, was here in Panama, and all of Central America seemed to be at the concert. I was there too. It was pretty freakin awesome. That is all I have to say about that.

One thing I have noticed about Panamanians is their openness and their hospitality (Digression here, please bear with me.) At the concert, Katia introduced us to her friends from Germany, Italy and England. Joy ended up seeing her Panamanian friend who studied in Wisconsin (how sad it was to hear her rather proper English marred by a Wiscaaaansin accent), and her friend that just came here from Isreal. He brought over his friend from Venezuela, and all her friends, one being Panamanain with a Russian mother, and we all jammed at the concert together. Then these people, who really all just meet with in the last twenty minutes, went out to dinner. Then Suzana, offered to drive Joy and I, complete strangers, both to the restuarant and to our apartments. Wow! Something like that would never happen in the states. We all talked and had a great time and planned to go out together again!

And Panama City is a very international city (and the tangent extends on). You have read in my blog about the mulitude of people that I have meet here in Panama, and many of them are not from Panama. At the dinner table after the concert, we had this wierd mix of Spanish, English, French, Hebrew, Russian and the occassional words in Italian and Arabic, and over 10 cultures represented at the table. Talk about a multicultural experience. Where are Concordia's Educational Multicultural Logs and Dr. Preuss when you need him?

Okay, back to my weekend. Sunday we went to church in Sora, a little village up in the mountains about 1 1/2 hours from the city. There is a Lutheran Church there and the pastor is a Brazilian missionary named, get this, Martinho Lutero (you have to be pretty dense from our circles not to be able to figure out who he is named after!). He lead the service, where mostly kids played key roles in the church, and we all worshipped in the fresh breeze of the mountain air. I will be giving intensive English classes there for a couple weeks during the summer (Jan-Mar here in Panama) and will be staying in the parsonage with Martin Luther himself, which will be a nice treat away from the rush of the city.

Then it was to my first class where I actually was planning on teaching. It was in Loma Cova, and the kids there had alot of energy, energy that lead to my lense popping out of my glasses, long story (Mom, they are fixed and you dont need to worry!). It will be challenging to get my class of chicititos (really small ones) which covers the ages from as small as 2 to 12 year olds. The class of teens are really excited to learn English, and in all I had about 50 students when the day was over. And with names like Yale and Magyuri and Wiga, it will take me a while to get all there names right. And I took a public bus by myself, and didnt even miss my stop or overpay.

This is Yale, one of my students in Loma Cova, playing our beanbag game. He is laughing, so I am doing something right, right?

Today was my first day teaching at Balboa, my home church and it went really well. I had two classes, and both were more advanced than I had planned for. It was pretty cool. My next class with them will be on Thursday. And one other encouraging thing. Six students from my English Class that I wobegonely taught at the military academy came to my classes tonight! What a great feeling!

I ask that you pray for the wealth of oppurtunities that God has presented to me. From my students who are eager to learn, to the patience and planning it will take to do these classes well, to the time that I have with them to show them that there are people who simply care about their success, who care about them, who want to get to know them better, and want to be their friend. Pray that the students would see something different, something they need in the way I treat others and in the activities and the ministry of the church. And pray for the oppurtunities for me to take adtvantage of their eagerness to spread the Gospel.

So, even though I might have to give up my weekends, it is something that I see God using and look forward to seeing what he can do with his mighty power.

Until later, keep on...

And in my freetime, a new hobby...

Fo shizzle my nizzle used to drizzle down in Hungary-izzle.

Yo yo diggity dawg in the hizzo. I was spinning some tracks that were dope man, if you catch my drizzle down in this hizzo. Yeah, Yeah, in all my frizzle tizzle, I am now a DJ-izzile... My first crib crashing dig was is Budapestizzle...Peace out my nizzle.

This picture is courtesy of Mandi Linder Press, located in Sopron, Hungary. She is a fellow ESL Teacher there. Thanks for this picture Mandi!

And to top off the list of firsts...

Heres one to complete yesterday's list of firsts: First nervous breakdown!

Thats right. Due to a huge misunderstanding on my part, today's house visit was actually a visit to the local miltary academy. As if the cops toting their guns everywhere isnt enough to put some hair on you chest, walking into a room full of teenage boys twice your size muttering somthing about a gringo in Spanish(most likely how they could snap you in half with their little toe) is quite harrowing.

And then, the miscomunication continues. Not only was I to grace my presence to these high school boys who knew nothing about Americans except that their president in coming to Panama and causing major riots. No, the teacher introduced me to the class as the guest teacher.

Umm, no plan, no time to prepare, and 50 expectant eyes waging to see who could be the first to pulverize me when I started talking about adjectives and adverbs.

Never before have I prayed so fervently.

After a chessy, lets get to know each other game (which was really an excuse for me to pull it together and not soil my pants) we launched in a very woebegone grammer lesson. I pulled out a pretty good class, with all the students participating, and even getting the high compliments of the teacher. She asked me if she could come to my English classes at the church and watch how I teach.

So praise be to God, who has the power to turn my first nervous breakdown into my first big accomplishment!

There are always firsts...

Besides that fact that living in a foreign country is a major first for me, there have been plenty of things that have been new for me these last weeks here in Panama. Let me extrapolate...

1. The first "first" is my first English Class. Sally, the wonderful secretary for the national church, teaches an English class for small students in El Redentor, the church here in Balboa, the area where I live. I had the chance to subsitute teach her class this last Saturday. It was a wonderful class where the students, as well as their parents came to learn English. We went for about two hours, reviewing our numbers, colors, same and different. We also looked at some of our body parts and reviewed those. Head and shoulders, knees and toes was in my head all day! We also, while reviewing our numbers, looked at the story of Christ feeding the five thousand. We made sure to count how many loaves of bread and fish Jesus started with, 5 and 2, and then how many BASKETS of food were left over, 12. The kids were wonderful and I was surprised at their enthusiasm to learn. It was a great warm up as I start teaching my English class within the next week. This week I am working on setting up a schedule for the different churches, so I am getting going on all that. So far I have classes set up in Loma Cova and Balboa. So altogether, so far, I am teach six classes a week. Tommorow and Thursday will bring time to talk to the other pastors and see what times work for them to have me teach at their church.

David and Isac working on their tracing their hands.

Aron tracing his hand

2. I drove for the first time. It wasnt quite as harrowing as "normal" driving, seeing as how I, the coward that I am, volunteered to drive everyone home 3 blocks from a devotion. And not to mention, it was all on back road, where a whole three people drive. And it was at 10 at night, so, yeah, I am really cool. At least I can say I have driven...

3. My first piece of mail from home came. Well, I got a Volunteer LCMS CD, big whoop, that hardly counts (Stacy, its a great CD!). But my first PERSONAL mail came, today. It only took a short seven days to get here, no hardly the three weeks I was told it would take. Thanks Jen, you rock my face off! Today was my first day at the post office, and I actually had something! It made my day. I even took a picture of it to comemorate this feeling of unphatomable joy. Oh, tear :*)

The beloved first piece of mail. Yes, I have enough free time to photograph my mail.

4. My last entry already alludes to this, but I had my first taste of Twinings tea here in Panama the other night. Still living in the high of that moment.

5. My first confrontation with the cops. Thats right, real, big-gun toting cops. We got pulled over becuase, get this, we were driving too slow. Thats right. I dont think it is a good idea to be advertising that Panamanians should drive faster.

6. My first house visit. I traveled with Pastor Ruben, from Los Andes, Marc and Cheryl to do a house visit to a teacher who is very close to becoming involved in the church. One of the many things that God has shown his continous work through the people in Panama. More house visits are on the plate for the rest of the week.

7. First Concert/Recital. And wiat. Not just the first recital I attended here in Panama, but actually the first chello recital here in Panama, ever. My friend Joy takes lessons here in Panama and had her recital tonight. There have been three scheduled in the past, however, Panamanians cuaght drift of it and started protests each time they have been planned. No, not really, although all the others have been cancelled becuase of riots....coincidence, I think not. "NO MAS CHELO!"

Joy and her teacher, Susan Richter, in the Chello Recital.

Well, I could go on forever. These firsts have been a way that I have been blessed mightily by the Lord. My time in Panama has shown me the endless bounds of God's love, and how people from an entire different culture, who speak an entirely different language crave to know that Christ loves them just as much as I do. And I see affirmations of that love in the people's smiles, the children's laughs and the pastors sermons. Yes, there are things that are different, and things that have made me have many cultural "firsts", but it comes to this: We are children of God, working through the love of the Spirit, and we are all one the One who loved us enough to die for us, when we had abandoned, blasphemed and descrated Him. And the community doesnt stop here. I hear of prayers for me in a church in Madison, WI, a place I have no contact with, and I am reminded of the uniting power of God's love. And as I said in my Saturday when we were reviewing same and different, even though we are all different, there is something that makes us the same: That God loves each and everyone of us just as much as the other. Praise be to God!

A Little Piece of London in Panama

As I am showing all the symptoms of someone addicted to bloggage...something truly exciting happened last night and I have been waiting all morning to sit down and blog about it.

Last night, Joy and I went to a friends house, Katia, who is here from Germany on an internship with BMW. (I know, that's pretty freakin cool.) We had decided to have a tea party with crumpets and watch the third Harry Potter. We made a stop at KFC for some bisquicks (thats what they call biscuits here and the closet thing to crumpets in the western hemisphere) and headed to Katia's apartment.

Then the truly exciting thing happened. As Katia and I were setting up the TV and getting the DVD going, Joy was making tea. Expecting the local brand, Duran Te, I was delighted to find out that Katia had a plethora of TWININGS tea.

For those of you who have never had TWININGS tea before, this entry might seem rather trivial. But for those of you have, you understand my excitement. Twinings in only the best tea made in country know for ostentatous tea production. And seeing as how Katia studied in Cambridge for a year, she stocked up before she left. And to double my excitement...I had started off by packing two boxes of Twinings, but due to space restrictions had to leave it behind in the States, with the hopes of finding it here in Panama. But alas, in the multitude of markets we have gone to, never have I found such perfection in a tea bag...

So if you want to send me a care package, you can send me some Twinings tea. Until your geneorous gift arrives, I will be frequenting Katia's apartment.

The New, The Old and The Weird

I know, this blog update sounds like some underfunded CBS Soap Opera, but beleive me you want to read this...

Me Celebrating Yom Kippur at one of the few open locations in Panama City.

Happy Yom Kippur! Panamá has a large Jewish population, and more than half the stores celebrate their holidays, so I am ever reminded of our spritual ancestors here in Panama. I decided to repent today and ask forgiveness for my lack of bloggingness during the last week. In order to show my repentence, I have an extra special blog entry today. Hopefully they will have you letting out as much laughter as we tried to hold back when these events transpired.

Today, we went to see some of the sights in Panamá. The history of Panamá starts with Panamá La Vieja (The Old City), which was the first European settlement on the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1520, Panamá City quickly became important as a trading route. It became the starting point of almost all Southern American Conquests, such as Pizzaro’s Conquest of Peru, and it is said that about 90% of the treasure from all the Spanish’s New South American Empire passed through Panama. This made it a very important city, and a very attractive target for pirate attacks. However, the Spanish built the city right up against the ocean, and they thought is defenses were impenetrable. Hardly did they expect someone to attack from land, (why this did not cross their mind seems like a very large, obvious omission, since they were literally depending on the defenses of one side of the city to carry them through an attack, and three sides of the city were left very highly vulnerable.) Well leave it to Captian Henry Morgan (yes, the pirate man with a brand of rum named after him, more commonly known as one the most feared pirates of all times, although he appears rather jovial on all his liquor jars, like a slim Santa with less manicured locks, and not quite as many teeth) to do exactly what no one was expecting. He marched on the city, from Colón and Portobelo, the most important cities on the Atlantic side of Panamá, and sacked Panamá in 1672. The city was completely ruined, not so much due to dear old Henry, but rather from the Spanish burning the city to make the inevitably ensuing ransacking less successful and swift. The city was left abandoned, and things in Panamá shifted to a new city, which was brilliantly named Panamá La Neuva (The New City).

Me in a ruined convent in Panama La Vieja

The Tower of the Main Cathedral in Panama La Vieja

Panamá La Nueva (although it is “new” it is still called the Casco Viejo, the Historic Part of town) was the seat of the French, when they had rights to build the canal. Therefore, it is very European and very Colonail. The buildings are beautiful, and there are many historic places, one being the Plaza de Francia (French Plaza), which juts into the bay of Panamá and provides great views of the city. We also saw the national theater, the Presidential Palace, a country club that citizens tore down with their bare hands to demonstrate their loathing for Norriega, the national Legislation building, and the Cathedrals of the Casco Viejo.

However, the best part of the day came when we were at lunch. To say the least, a peculiar man was sat at the table next to us. If his large bug-eye sunglasses weren’t enough to merit a quick “don’t make it obvious but check out this weird guy” look, his pet plastic giraffe was. Slung under his arm, like some kind of precious Paris Hilton poodle, was a plastic giraffe. At first I expected a kid to come running out the bathroom and say something redemptive to the situation, like “thanks for holding my giraffe weird sunglasses dude,” however, such would not happen. He proceeded to sit down, by himself (for obvious reasons). Sitting at the table by himself must have gotten lonely, because he sat his giraffe on the table and actually started petting it. At points, we thought we even heard conversations. Perhaps the giraffe was complaining that he did not get enough greens for his taste, or perhaps he couldn’t bend his neck down to reach the plate. After copious chatter and wonderful human to giraffe contemplation, the man paid his bill, picked up his precious cargo, gently tucked him under his arm, and left. Perhaps Geoffrey the Giraffe had to get back to ToysR’Us, having only an hour for lunch break. We finally had a chance to talk openly about the events that just passed before our eyes, discuss if in fact they were not a hallucination, and this was a restaurant, not an insane asylum, and laugh outloud everything we had been trying, not very successfully, to hold in.

Yes, he is staring lovingly into that plastic giraffe's eyes.

This past week has been a lot of meeting people, going out with friends, seeing the country, more orientation, driving around the city and getting to know Panamá a little better. I spent a lot of time driving around, especially downtown, and getting to know the street names. We took a friend downtown to apply for jobs, and that was good way for me to tour the city. I found out that a whole portion of the city is built on fill from the Canal. I also got to go out with friends to a new wine bar, as well as hanging out in our apartments watching movies.

This entire section of Panama City is built on fill from the canal. Safe, really.

New Wine Bar on the Cuaseway. From left, Joy, Kathia, Noriel, Me, Marc and Cheryl

I also went to some of the churches I will be teaching out with some of the missionaries. I went to Río Rita, which is a neat little town. I observed a confirmation class and a theological education by extension class there, lead by one of the career missionaries here, Marcos Kempff. I also went to Los Andes, where I helped out with an English bible study, and music practice for the worship team. I am starting to get a feel for some of the different churches, and will meet more with the pastors to see what things they look forward to in my English classes.

Jesus Divino Salvador, the church I will work at in Rio Rita

I am also starting to really fell the awkward moments of sticking out. Even though Panama is used to having foreigners around, it is still an amazing sight for them to see a gringo. Today at Panamá La Vieja, since it was a school day, there were more students on school trips than tourists and at one point, we over heard a group of them sheepishly heading over to us and whispering amongst themselves. “I want to talk to the gringos.” Also, the gas prices have sky rocketed here, since the government stopped subsidizing the cost of oil. This combined with the fact that George W Bush, his highness, has announced he will visit in November, have lead to “manifestations” in the streets this entire week. In fact, in order to avoid mass problems, the university was completely shut down during the past few days. What a great time to be a gringo driving a car in Panama! No really, it has been very peaceful protests that have only caused some traffic problems in certain areas. Still, pray for all people in the city to stay safe in this time.

Other than that, I am hanging out in Paradise! Things are really well here in Panama, and I am seeing God work in the small things. Panamanians speak really fast, and have a really distinct accent, yet I understand them and have communicated well everything I need. God has provided many people here who can help me with the problems I have, and a group of friends who are my co-workers and have been a blessing to me! He has also provided a ripe situation, as every where I go, I am asked when I am going to start English Classes. I pray for God to use me in these sitautions, to bless the people he puts in my life, and that through them he continues to show me the abundence of his grace.

Until next time, keep plugging…

p.s. stay tuned for nexts week episode, the slow, the fast and the uncoordinated...pictures from Salsa lessons...

New Additions!

Check out my new Panama photo album, now available under the "MY PHOTOS" Link on the right! I will add pictures to this throughout my time here in Panama. Also, check out my October Newsletter under the "MY NEWSLETTERS" Link.

El Valle de Anton

Today was a relaxing day in the interior (the term used for any city not on the Canal). We went to El Valle de Anton, which is actually a town built inside the crater of an extinct volcano, to do some shopping, walk around and go to the thermal springs. We left at about 8:30 and got to El Valle at about 10:30 for our day of adventures.

The entrace to the Nispera Zoo in El Valle.

Our first stop was the local zoo. I was surpised that they actually had real animals, unlike most small town zoos in the States. However, dont ever let The Animal Protection Agency get a hold of this place. Nor do I think the Zoo Security Counsil should hear about it. As I headed through the zoo, all I could think about was getting the next episode of "When Animals Attack" on tape. Amidst the tension of the ever present danger of animals stampeding out of their ever so secure chain link fences, I made my first Panamanian friend. I call him Herbert the Monkey. Actually I think he was from Africa or Asia. And he was probably just using me for my waterbottle. Not to mention that he didnt really have the cognitive abilites to see that the waterbottle was not going to fit through his chickenwire cage, not matter how much he shook it. And, then there the fact that, well, he was a monkey. So nix that whole friend thing.

"Herbet The Monkey, you silly little guy. Stop Trying to take my waterbottle with your extremly plaible tail!"

Yes, that is an unfortified CHAIN LINK FENCE seperating me from that very large, very angry ostrich.

This toucan, unlike Herbert the Monkey, is actually a native to Panama.

We also got some really good views of El Valle from the main center part of the zoo. We ate a really appitizing lunch, and had time to shop before it absolutly poured rain for about 45 minutes(a common occurence here in Panama.)

View of El Valle from the Zoo. El Valle is IN a volcano, and the mountains in the back are the old crater of the volcano.

Then when we tried to get to the thermal springs. Arriving was no problem. However the local Bob Marley Bus (it actually had a doobie painted on the back) filled with chicitos and chicitas was parked, with all the little ones pouring out. Deciding we did not wish to trot around half naked in front of Carriben sun lovin' children gauking at our pasty white gringo bodies, we waited for the doobie bus to be loaded with all its awkward adolescent cargo. However, as I have found out, things do not happen quickly here in Latin America and the five minute wait time we were promised by a cheery gatekeeper soon turned into twenty minutes of us sitting in the car, watching every kid come and try to avoid the large puddle that at point had gathered at the entrance. Feed up, we finally went in, only to find out that they were closing the springs becuase of the rain. We made a promise to come back some other day.

So thats a typical day in the life of a missionary! Need a vacation that will sure provide some laughs and lots of time to update your blog? Be a missionary! You can sign up by contacting LCMS anytime. No, just kidding. I am fortunate to have this couple of weeks to just relax and get used to everything Panamanian. You should be thankful too, as I have plenty of time to spice up my blog entries with stories of drug decorated buses and ostriches on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Seriously, I look forward to finding out more about the people I am now living among and how God can use me to fulfill some of their needs. I look forward also to seeing how God can teach me more about his abundent grace through the people he has provided around me!

Proof that I am, in fact, in Panama

Well, for those of you doubting Thomases out there, here is a picture of me infront of the Panama City Skyline, lest you think I have simply been pasting pictures from the Internet in a large conspiracy to make you beleive I have left the country.

Me with the skyline in the background; taken from the Panama Cuaseway.

The last couple of days have been really, really busy! I have been meeting people, figuring out my way around and seeing and tasting new things! Heres a quick summary of whats been going on!

Sunday brought Church at Balboa, the city where I live, and time to relax and unpack. I also went shopping, and let me tell you, dont plan on buying anything when there is a sale! They had a sale on meat, but there was no meat left to rebajar (put on sale)!

Yesterday picked up a bit, as I went with the music volunteer missionary with AMILPA to two different churches. We went to Rio Rita, a small village up in the mountians on the Atlantic Side, where Joy, the music missionary, gave lessons to some students from the Pastors house. I got to meet the pastor and his family, and as well as have an incredible Nicuarguagan breakfast. But wait, you think, arent you in Panama? Well, yes, but Pastor Pedro is from Nicuarguaga, so he treated us to homemade tortillas and beans and the best coffee I have ever had in my life. After Rio Rita, we headed even closer to the Atlantic, to Sabanitas, where Joy proceeded to give more music lessons and I helped out by playing piano for the large group session. I got to meet some students at this church, which is about 10 km from the Atlantic. So in one day I went from the Pacific Ocean (from which I live about 2 kms) to the Atlantic Ocean. Sabanitas is a larger town than Rio Rita, as it is closer to Colon, the largest city on the Atlantic Coast of Panama. We took some students to their houses after lesson, and then drove through the rainforest to get home. We drove past Madden Dam, where the keep the reserves for the canal, since the canal uses freshwater. We also drove past Chagres national Park, a tourist's rainforest paridise. The day ended with a trip to Panama Centro (Downtown Panama City), a traffice nightmare! We ate at a nice little itialian cafe called Pomodoro, and did some errands downtown.

Today brought some more time to relax and see part of the town. We went to the Cuaseway, a strecth of land that connects three islands and was built with all the dug-out dirt of the canal. They also continue to extend the cuaseway with all the dirt and sediment the drugde out of the canal. There were good views of the city from the Cuaseway. We saw the skyline, Ancon Hill, and the Bridge of the Americas. We went to a nice restaurant for lunch and I had a wonderful Sea Bass Salad with drink, appetizer and dessert for $5. Since the Smithsonian Marine Exhibt was not yet open when we got there, the fruit market was the next destination. It was a combination of smells that I have never quite experienced, the sweet pineapples, the not so sweet peppers and everyonce in a while a huge whiff of very overripe fruit (I dont think the would call it rotten since they are obviuosly after my balboas!) Then my favorite part of the day, nap time! Now its dinner time! Today we also meet Sally and Jerona, the secretarys and bookkeepers for the church here in Panama, and my land-lady, who got in a hilariouos phone battle over the phone with our phone company, who is charging us for using 40,000 minutes of call time when no one lived in this apartment!

View of the city from the Causeway, with the obligatory cargo boat waiting to get in the canal

"And now to Traffic: Traffic moving slowly on the Canal Corridor, backed up for miles; alternate routes advised. Try going around all of South America."

Not just random hills. The hill on the right is Ancon Hill, and the small hill in the middle is where my house is. If you blow up the Picture you can see Bridge of the Americas to the left, which crosses the Canal. You can see how close my apartment is to the canal.

Some of my observations thus far:

1. Humidity, humidity, humidity! This isnt so much an observation as a heavey hammer that hits you everytime you step out of an air conditioned room, but I havent seen a humidity report here, becuase I think it is a given that it is always at least 100 million percent. Well thats what you get for being right on the ocean and surrounded by jungles on all sides. Towel anyone?

2. People here have more time than money. Friends on the streets are more important than office memos and schedules. This means that when you plan to start at 10:00, you can show up at 11:30 and be on time. This also means that when people have you to their house, they pull out all the works, like Pastor Pedro.

Those are the main ones. I have been seeing so much that at this point I am just trying to take in as much as I can. I pray that God would bring to my attention things that would help me better understand the people I am serving and how to better have relationships with them. I also pray that God would use this time to mold me into someone who can share his truth and how it has impacted me with those around me.

For today, thats it. As I begin to understand what it means to be away from home and my culture, and what awaits for me, I think of the great things that God has in store for the people of Panama, for my friends and family, and myself:

I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. Jer 29:11

Panama, Chapter 1

I made it to Panama safely! Last night, after a half-an-hour drive from Tocumen International Airport, Marc, Cheryl, Becky (who all graciously came to pick me up) brought me back to the apartment. It is alot bigger than I was thinking it would be. I have two rooms to call my own. One is an actual bedroom, and the other is the office. The office is quickly becoming my favorite. It is perched in the corner of the apartment, and has windows on two of four walls, and not some misly prison barred, dorm sized windows. Full walled windows. It really is necesary, to let some of the breeze through! It is a cosy little room that is a place where I can kick back at my desk, look out the windows and let the cool breeze take some of worries away! Got my pictures of family and friends at hand, and of course a picture of the the Jim Found Club founders (thanks, Hungary!) The apartment, like I said, is more than I was expecting, nestled away in a gardeny back street that seems to be the main "church" area of the city. Out my window I can see the catholic church, behind our balcony is the local Union Chruch, across the street is a church of undistinguished denomination, and beneath my feet is a Baptist church. There are palm trees that line our drive, and trees and plants and green every where. Quite different from the brownish burnt yucca look of the Eastern Coloradan plains. We have a large (and I mean large) living room, kitchen, dining area, balcony, bathroom and then the two bedrooms and my office. Look for pictures to come in future blogs and albums as well!

Today was an exciting day! I got to go to two churches where I will be teaching classes. The first church we went to was Gloria Dei in Los Andes, about a 10 km drive from here. We had an English Bible Study that I watched and participated in. I got to meet Carlos, a student who is going to the University next year and wanted to learn English. He will most likely be one of my students when I start teaching classes in the next couple of weeks!

Then we went to lunch and shopping. I had Pio Pio (whose equivalent in Enlgish is "Chirp Chrip" as in what the baby chick does) for lunch, and it was pretty taste. I also bought a few items that were left behind, like an umbrella and a razor. I was surprised that things were fairly cheap here. The currency of choice is the American dollar, although it is called the Balboa, and I saw nice shirts in decent establishments for $1.99. Jeans are $8 tops, and I spent $3 for a fairly large umbrella!

Then, after a short siesta (not actually sure if they observe that in Panama, but I sure did!), we headed to Loma Cova, a church that is in a small village about 30 km from here. The village has a large population of Kuna Indains, one of Panama's indigenous people groups, and I got to see there colorful, traditional wear (pictures of the way!). The joke of the night was that since I knew Spanish I would start learning Kuna as my "language experience". We actually had to cross the Canal, over on the Bridge of the Americas, to get to Loma Cova. We atteneded their services. There were alot of people there, and the majority of them were kids. We played basketball for a while after church, and then piled back into the car. Driving here is really crazy, and will take as much time being babied as I can, letting the other missionaries drive, while I learn the streets and before I get enough courage to drive myself around, a reality that is looming on the horizon!

Traditional Kuna Wear

Oh yeah, there was fireworks tonight, and I like to think that it is Panama's way of wecloming me!

Fireworks over the Bridge of the Americas, which I have to cross to get to Loma Cova.

These next couple of weeks I wont be teaching, but rather, I will take some time to adjust to living in Panama. I think the biggest asjuement might be the climate, as it is so hot and humid here. It rained, and I mean poured, for like 45 minutes with stopping, and I was told that that was barely considered a "shower", and since October is the rainest month of the year here, I am sure to see actual "rain"! My room is air-conditioned, but the rest of the house is not. I have also been told that asjusting to the climate takes about a month, so I am preparing myself for that.

Oh yeah, one other interesting thing. We have a gecko in the kitchen. He eats the bugs and doesnt bite humans, so, he is an addition to our apartment. He is actually kind of cool. I was thinking of naming him, but didnt have any cool names. If you have some, leave them in your comments!

until later, keeping on plugging.

And So It Begins...

I pray this Servants' prayer as I head out:

Christ before me to guide me on the way,
Christ beside me so I am not alone,
Christ within me to give me words to say,
Christ behind me to bring the harvest home.

May each word from my lips be a song of good news.
Every touch of my hand be a gift of grace.
Every beat of my heart be a prayer to you.
And the sum of my days be a life of praise.

Talk to you from Panama!