Our Mission: What We're Doing

Road through the Guna Yala Mountains to the San Blas

Hi everyone!

Let us tell you a little bit about what will be doing when we head off to Panama this Christmas.

We will begin our journey probably late on the 26th of December. The flight to Panama is about 7 hours from Southern California, so hopefully we can fly during the night and then arrive in Panama somewhat early on 27th. The whole team will be arriving throughout the day on the 27th, so we'll take most of that day to rest, meet each other, and get everyone ready to go.

Then we'll travel to the San Blas islands! This involves a 2-hour drive through the mountains followed by an hour or so long boat ride out to them. We will have one island that we stay on, and we will travel to a couple of different islands throughout our time there to do ministry.

On the islands, we will do some toy distributions for the kids, and hut-to-hut ministry with the adults. The toy distributions tie into the fact that it is indeed Christmas time when we go, and they are a great way to show how many gifts Christ has lavished upon us, but in a more tangible way. We will also be going to the homes of needy families on the islands, praying for them, talking with them, and bringing some food to them. Pastor Morris, the pastor we will be working with, oversees a whole bunch of islands as their pastor - about 20 islands, if my memory is serving me well. He may have some other things in mind that he wants us to help with when we arrive as well.

Playing with the kids is a big part of what we do, and it is a huge deal for them. Family dynamics on the islands are often very complicated, and the kids are eager for someone to play with them, to hold them, paint their faces, give them piggy back rides, and let them know they are loved. It is such a blessing to be able to take the entire morning and just play with them and show them how much we care about them - and that God cares about them even more than we do.

These people are so desperately in need of love and Christ's grace and love for them. Only around 3% of the island population is Christian. We are getting the incredible opportunity to go and show them the love of Christ in a tangible way - through bringing food, gifts, laughter, prayer, and playing.

We are so excited to bring you along on this journey with us!

Rachel and Jessica