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...
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