| OK, for those who are massively curious an have plenty of time on their hands...
I've decided to post my journal notes from Panama. They are a little not so good sometimes...but I mostly wrote them early in the morning. So my mind might not have all been there...Plus I was on malaria pills...
For Pics...check my facebook out...I've got like 4 albums up there!!! All-in-all my trip was awesome....it really exceeded my expectations in so many ways!!! Hopefully we can talk a little more about it sometime!
Joel Watts?Panama Journal Entries July 8 Well, here in Texas finally. It is a blessing though to be staying at my friend Jamin house instead of bunking in the huts with 50 other guys at Teen Mania. We can thank my friend John Searles for this genius plan! WHOOHOO. Yesterday we met our leadership team for Panama. It looks SO great. We are all so diverse, but wee already having a blast together. Last night we had a great session on galvanizing your faith. It was so simple yet mind-blowing! I came to realize I hadn been fortifying my faith, but rather just keeping the status quo?But God calls us, especially those who are leaders, to advancing our faith with him. Looking forward to meeting our MAs (Missionary Advisors) who arrive today! It looks like there may only be 10, but many are already in country! July 9 It the final day before the missionaries arrive. Wel be doing ropes with the MA which should be fun. At the leadership mixer we played a hilarious game called erfect Universe?and was it ever an amazing ice breaker! We also had some great sessions yesterday to help us grow in our leadership. I really looking forward to reflecting who Christ is this summer as I begin to walk down the MIMETES path. I want Jesus to be the perfect example of how I conduct every area of my life. It should be great to hear other people views too. This is uice-drinking & gyrating Joel?signing off! July 10
Missionary Arrival Day! Well, for years all I wanted to do on missionary arrival day was be on airport duty to help pick up missionaries at the airport, and sure enough, Panama was selected for airport duty. However TL do not help in this process, because we had an important meetingLAST! Oh well, its all good. Wee been blessed with our MA this trip! They are all great! My 3 MA Ie met (Anna, Connor & Kyle) are all super and I really looking forward to working with them. We also got our team list which is GREAT! It likely to change to account for Spanish speakers. Hopefully if all show up, wel have a total of 23 people on our team. 23 Mimetes! I pray right now that God would stir up a hunger, even now, in all my team for God! A team that loves God PASSIONATLEY! July 13 We finally made it to Panama City yesterday and it is GREAT! The city is so green and lush, and vibrantt really is neat! We met the C-trippers! They really are super kids for sure & were SO excited to finally meet their B-trippers. And FINALLY I got my co-leader! KATE! She so super. She loves all the missionaries so much which is really a blessing. She also is really familiar with how things work around here which is super. It has been SO fantastic thus far to see the C-trippers interacting with the B-trippers! I pray that God would bless our team with unity that bonds us together like a family. Unity is the cry of Mimetes!
July 15
Today is the first time Ie written while on the islands. MAN it is beautiful out here for sure! Wee on an island called Carti Suitupu (Or Sugdup, or Suidup) and it a huge town on a very little island. It crazy, as 1000 people live here! Wee staying at a Baptist Church and sleeping in hammocks. There are so many kids in this town and they all keep coming to our church to play with us. The pastor whom we are working with, his grandmother died yesterday. So today is a day of mourning. So we cannot go hut-to-hut this morning, but we can, however, do services in the church like VBS. Tonight will be their formal welcoming service, which we will organize together. It still really hasn sunk in yet that we are actually here, but we are & it good. God Give Us Strength!
July 16 Last night was perhaps a real turning point for our team. The pastor grandmother dies & we were graciously invited to the funeral. We walked into what looked like a Huron Longhouse (like the ones at St. Marie among the Hurons) & there amongst the hammocks and crowds of people was a dead woman lying in a hammock, with at least 10 weepers surrounding her. The weepers were all women in the traditional Kuna garb with red clothes covering their faces. They cried, wept, and yelled aloud while incense was being burnt around the dead body. The other people in the building stood around with blank faces watching the solemn and mystical ceremony. We stayed for perhaps 10 minutes (which seemed like hours) & then were asked to leave. With solemn faces the team walked out the hut having now experienced something they may never see again. Some were disgusted, others were wary, some brought to tears and others yet had their heart stirred up We walked back to the church and all sat down in silence in the chair. I knew this would be a teachable moment where we could realize God plan for us here on the island. I reminded the team that that ceremony was very, very, real. They were Real people, real families, and real tears. This trip is also very real, it is not a vacation. It is a spiritual battle that is being fought. There are 1000 people on this island and 900 of them have absolutely NO hope into what lies in the future. We don know if that woman was a Christ follower or not, but we do know of the saving grace that God can bring to all people. After reflecting on the funeral the team broke into spontaneous prayer and worship to God. We asked God to make this trip real to all of us. People die every day because no one told them. We want to listen to God voice & do what he has called us to do. Lord God, Make our hearts beat with your heart. Let us feel what you feel, Let us imitate your likeness. July 17
While eating breakfast today we had an unpleasant surprise. One of the girls on the team, Oly, passed out and fell onto the floor. She had mentioned before that she had struggled with heart problems in the past and she said if she did pass out she needed to take 2 of these pills. Luckily we were able to locate her medication and give them to her. As she lied on the floor, we waited to see what might happen. The team began to pray. I called our PD, Sara & and she said she was on her way. Oly finally fell into a deep sleep, after what looked like a seizure. She rested on a sleeping bag, and then was taken to the town clinic & we are waiting to here some news. But one thing we can do is trust that our God is Mighty to Save! Yesterday also was our first day of hut-to-hut ministry & it was GREAT! Wee had so many responses. So we praise God for that, and we ask him to continue to bring us good news! July 18 The pages I writing on today are a little damp as it stormed pretty hard at 5 am this morning waking up most of the team. The humidity is high, but the temps and the sea breezes make it very comfortable. Last night we had our first service and it went over great! We sang some songs in Spanish, shared some testimonies & Katherine shared a word about surrendering our entire lives to God. It was really neat, because both of the testimonies that were shared (Sam & Connor) both focused on giving your whole life to God. WE also have been having some amazing hut-to-hut ministry this week. Kate says that the response has really been HUGE! I praise God & give him all the glory. July 19 The week is almost over, can you believe it?!? We are currently delayed, we were supposed to be going to a school at 9 am to do a drama type ministry site, however, its 45 minutes past 9 and we still will not be heading there for at least an hour. Apparently the town chief (the Sailah) is praying to the mother god & we cannot interrupt. So, quiet time it is! We were blessed yesterday to go to a swimming island (Icotup), and that was great fun! We met another team there and it looked like they needed a little joy and encouragement as the moment we arrived, one of the girls on their team got a very large cut on her toe, and had to go to the clinic. So we encouraged them a little, and enjoyed our time. Our team had a blast on this deserted island, finding shells, corals, and sand dollars. While we were there it was SO perfect. Beautiful temps, people I love, and the ocean beating back and forth. Jamie our 3rd PD also arrived yesterday which was super because she wanted to meet Kate so much. So that was great that they finally met. We shared some testimonies on how God was working on the island & on some of the other ones & it really encouraged the team. We had a great testimony yesterday of an old woman which one of our MIGs visited. They went to her house and she told them to come in as she had something to say. She told them that groups like ours had visited her before and had asked if she wanted prayer for anything. She told them though that she didn want prayer now because she was mad. She said that if someone really cared, they would have prayed with her for salvation. Because the MIG knew she was mad, they were just about to leave when, as if lightning struck, and God touched her life, she cried out. NEED SALVATION? The MIG deeply moved at her amazing change of heart talked with her about Christ & led her to salvation. PRAISE GOD! For HE is working great miracles! July 20 Today is our last full day of ministry here in Carti Suitupu. Last night I lead service for the people which was really cool. I talked about the Parable of the Sewer. I said we all are like seeds, but we all have a choice as to which soil we will fall into. That night the service was translated from English to Spanish to Kuna so that the most amount of people would be able to understand. The response was really good. 3 first time salvations & we got to hear some amazing and passionate prayers of the people in the church here on the island. Earlier that day we also had the blessing to do a drama type ministry site in the town square which also happens to be the school yard. So with the permission of the principal we were allowed to do 3 dramas and I could give the net. About 250 were there, which works about to be almost 1/3 of the islands population! We didn have many salvations (except for a group of 4 or 5 young men which Kate led to the Lord without a translator!) But I trust God that he will move powerfully. We have sown the seeds & I pray that God would loosen the soil, remove the rocks, and kill the weeds and thorns, to yield a harvest of 10, 20, or100 times!!! July 23 What a beautiful morning when all seemed to be chaotic in preparation back here in Panama City for our upcoming trips to the jungle. God MOVED! We just spent an hour and a half of IHOP style prayer, intercession, scripture reading, and worship! PRAISE GOD! I love to see how God moves in the people most unexpectedly. Lets not let our love for God be short, but LONG and everlasting. Psalm145 is a beautiful reflection of my thoughts right now. Yesterday was a free day/shopping day so that was neat, but I not really all into the really kitschy nick-knacks at some of those markets. We are about to go out to lunch now, and then wel be making our final preps for our trip to the jungle, in Akua Yala! July 25 Wee now in Akua Yala. It is a small village on the Inter-American Highway, of about 400 people. The highway is the main route from Panama City deep into the Darien Jungle. It is also called Puente Bayano because it a police checkpoint before crossing the Bayano Bridge, which is a fairly large bridge about 150 meters long. The town is basically divided into 3 parts: Southwest of the bridge, Northwest of the bridge, and East of the bridge. This town is also relatively hilly so it a lot of up and down walking. We have 4 girls on our team with heart conditions of some type so wee keeping a close eye on them. Wel a bathe in a lake that is about 3 or 4 minute walk from where we sleep. We are staying in a estival?hut that from what we can see the townspeople use for fiestas every so often. Girls are sleeping on one end of the hut, and guys on the other end. Dear God, there is a fatigue in the camphether it is spiritual, emotional, or physical, I not sure but we need a passionate breakthrough. We need healing. Restore us. Let us draw near. July 26 We are yours Lord God! Give us your heart for the people who you miss the most! Today it looks like it will be a grand new day. Ministry went well yesterday. A lot of the group during hut-to-hut got to help out with service projects. Some painted. Some did laundry & others did arbage ministry? The Kuna people love the packaged treats that come from Panama City but they don really have trash cans throughout the town. So garbage is everywhere, so wel often go out and tidy up the town for them. Today one of the groups will likely be assigned to help fix the stairs to the church, as currently, they don really exist. It rained yesterday & a bunch of the local kids & the missionaries decided to play mud soccer right outside our hut. When they were done, they were covered head to toe in mud. It was pretty funny. Gladly we were able to bathe in the lake to get ourselves clean again. The two huts around us seem to both have Christian people living in them. One was playing a Kuna version of the old rugged cross while the other was playing a Hillsongs United CD is Spanish! The kids and I played air guitar & had a blast! July 27 Last night was a severe trial for us as a team again. Oly, the girl on our team with the heart condition once again had a tremor. This is the third one thus far, and we believe that this one was induced by all the hiking up and down here. She and Kate and I all thought she was strong enough to go up to the church (at the highest point in the town). She got up to the top fine & then began feeling tired. This usually is the sign that she is not doing so well. We carried her down & she passed out right in front of the school. At one point she may have stopped breathing for about 20-30 seconds. I was so scared that we might lose her. I was praying super hard core. But she woke up again in a panic. We called for an ambulance, but the ambulance only goes as far as this town called Chepo about 20 minutes away. Kate, Alex, and Anna all went with her to the clinic, who was once again not very helpful, but better she checked in there, than lying on the streets of Akua Yala. All the people of the town showed great compassion for Oly though. They tried finding a stretcher, the tried making a little make-shift one. The showed such hear. Oly seems to be fine now, sleeping in her hammock, which according to her mom would be the best thing for her. So either Kate or I will always stay with her. Jamie is here with us today which is a blessing as it means we can do quite a bit more with a 3rd leader. Ministry is going well to as last night at the church service we saw 5 salvations. Some were even past drug-dealers! Praise GOD & Praise God for his miraculous and healing hand over Oly life! July 28 Yesterday was a really well executed day of ministry. We had some really great hut-to-huts as well as doing some great service projects. One MIG began the process of digging an outhouse hole. It is supposed to be 10 feet deep and the MIG only dug about 1ft. down in the tough dirt. But the man was VERY thankful. We also got to play with the kids a lot which always is fun. We played with some skipping ropes with them. Some had never done it before so they were pretty bad. But I saw some this morning and they are really doing so much better with the skipping ropes. One of the MIGs had a Bible study at the church and another started a soccer game with the local kids. We also had a VBS which was great fun. The kids love the puppets and the songs. You always hear them singing the songs outside of the VBS in the town. Last night was MAG night with the MAGs and that was fun for them. Some of the guy MAGs went to the local restaurant and pool hall; well the girls bought some sodas. Other than a couple sniffles and coughs, our team has really been blessed with good health. Wee heard of some other teams that have all come down with diarrhea. Although, Jamie our PD was feeling a little under the weather today, the rest of the team is in good spirits. July 29 Well all in all it been a tough week battling tiredness. It seems the Kuna people don really sleep that much. Although last night we got a real treat. We were invited to a Kuna dance party where the men and the women do traditional dances with wooden pan flutes. It really was an amazing experience to watch. It felt so once-in-a-lifetime! They invited us to participate too. This was hilarious as we were such bad dancers & many were a little ired-funny? The townspeople thought it was great though. I think most people got a chance to participate and we got a lot of pictures. Ie taken very many pictures, mostly of all the kids, but it great. I feel blessed thus far because my camera has done very well, & hasn gone crazy yet. Some people have gotten wet, & thus wrecked. I originally felt pretty distant here in this town, but as of now, I feel so connected with the people & the kids. It truly is beautiful. And here a PS: I saw my first wild tarantula yesterday on the way to the dance party. It was pretty small but still huge in spider terms. I think a kid squished it though! July 30 It is the last day of ministry here in Akua Yala. It has been one crazy and great trip. Today this morning the pastor of the church asked us to go fishing. So we all got into got into two boats and went with 2 men from the church. At first we were confused as we only had one harpoon for the 11 people on my boat. But we soon found out that the 11 of us were to steer the boat and the one Panamanian man would fish. He fished by swimming quietly in the water with a mask and harpoon and when he saw a fish he stab them. The fish we caught were some eight delicious tilapias. I just came back from a Bible Study with a MIG. It was great. We read the Beatitudes with the ladies that were there. We also encouraged them to continue having a Bible Study. They asked us which parts of the Bible would be good to read when we left. We told them that the books of John, Romans, and 1 John were all great places to start. Ie got to go now, as I have to help some puppets for a VBS. It pretty crazy!
July 31 It my G-ma birthday today & hopefully Il get a chance to call her by the end of this busy travel day back to Panama City. Today is our last day in Akua Yala. It really sad because lots of the missionaries on the trip just started to really bond with some of the natives here. I sure it will be tough when our bus pulls away. Last night they really have blessed us with lots of egalitos?or little treats as their sign of appreciation. They also had all the ladies dress up in the traditional molas which look great. The molas all look so great, especially considering it can take up to 4 months to sew just one. The people also gave us the traditional tattoos type things. A man gave me mine and it is like a triangle spiral design. It's pretty cool looking. All in all, I think that Pastor Lazauro is feeling really blessed. Wee been the talk of the community & since A trip started in June here, the church has grown from about 4 regular adult attendees to about 25! We give God all the glory for that! Pastor Lazauro gave me a gift last night that was a little US-Panama bracelet and he said that whenever I look at it, I am to remember the children here in his town. He often saw me playing with all the kids. He said that when we leave the kids would still come to the church at 3 to see if we would really be gone! But sadly we won be there. Lord, bless this village with the courage to spread the good news to the whole area. Give them a passion for knowing who you are and understanding your love for them. August 3 Back at Teen Mania once again for some good ol?debriefing. I surprisingly not too tired considering our flight arrived at the airport at midnight and we got to Teen Mania by 3 AM. So now its 8:30 and I reflecting on the trip. Out Panama Project GEM (Global Expeditions Maniac Award) was just selected which was Sarah Singer. She truly was a fantastic example of what it means to be an imitator of Christ. Our team unlike the other teams was tight knit, and soft spoken. They could be considered the quiet team (which is strange for me) but I really love them so much. They were all so friendly and special in an amazing way. Ministry was spectacular. We saw a total of 63 salvations on our team with probably 300 for our entire Panama Project B. We built so many relationships with so many fantastic people and kids. Names like: Pastor Aureillio, Pastor Lazauro, Susanna, Rame, Emelline, Luis, Excellis, Mimi, Diego, and so many others remind me of the tight bonds we built. I really have appreciated God for allowing me to be sent on this trip. It was such a blessing. Il miss our team Mimetes, and Il miss our leadership team for the Panama project. They were all so super. But now, I about to continue to live my Mimetes lifestyle back home. Living a life of love that imitates the likeness of Christ.
Signing Off,
This has been:
Juice-Drinking & Gyrating Joel!
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