Panama November Rains Leave Jamaica Mission Team Stranded
The 6 member mission team from Jamaica who returned home on Wednesday November 21 2007 will never forget their first mission trip to Panama. November rain is legendary in Panama. Last year, there was massive flooding of the Rio Indio that left several families along its banks homeless.
A mission trip to Panama around this time of year can be quite challenging to say the least. The mission team from Jamaica led by the Rev. Luke Shaw (my predecessor at FIBC now serving in Jamaica), realized this soon after their arrival in Panama on Wednesday the 14th of November.
The day after their arrival, they surveyed the work in all 4 missions and Emaus Baptist church. They then settled on 2 main projects; construction work at Quebrada Leon and sponsorship of the pastor at Emaus. In addition, from Thursday to Saturday the pastors would preach at Revival Services at Quebrada Leon, Palmas Bellas and Pina.
Rain Or Shine Mission Goes On
Friday was the first of two building construction workdays. The excited members of the mission team set out for Quebrada Leon. They had no idea that they would not make it back home until the next morning.
So off they went…….
Gassed up and ready for the adventure
Rain or no rain we are off to work…
Dame mixed mortar the Quebrada Leon way
And a sister showed him how
Some mixed while others loaded and hauled away…
Cooperation helped to complete a day’s work….
Then they worshiped…
Dame shared the Good News of Christ….
While back in Colon a different adventure was unfolding…
Flood Rains Caused Standstill In Colon
Rev. Wright stayed behind in Colon to purchase additional building materials. He should have gone out with the delivery truck to join the work team. It rained so heavily in Colon that all the major streets of Colon City were flooded and impassable. Rev. Wright was now trapped at First Isthmian; he couldn’t get out to Costa Abajo and there was no way to get back home.
Meanwhile the bus that took the team out in the morning could not return for them that evening. The only way into Gatun to cross the Locks was blocked.
What an opportunity for prayer!
Courageous Deacon To The Rescue
When the flood waters ran off, Deacon Xiomara took Rev. Wright home near 10pm. And after dropping him, she drove alone to Palmas Bellas through mud slides and still flooded roads to pick up the other stranded team mates. Dea. Xiomara delivered 6 weary, damp, cold and hungry missioners to my doorstep near 1:30am Saturday morning. While they warmed up, they recounted their Quebrada Leon mission adventure.
According to the team, when neither the building materials nor Rev. Wright showed up they wondered what might have happened. They completed a days work, held the evening worship service and only panicked when the bus did not return for them at the appointed time and darkeness started to descend upon them.
There’s no telephone contact in Quebrada Leon and no way to reach anyone. Therefore, they decided to walk the 3 miles from Quebrada Leon to the main road at Icacal hoping to either meet the bus along the way or find a way to get home. Some members of the congregation lived some 2 hours walk from the church and needed to start walking home.
So the team trekked through the bush, conscious of the strange noises in the night. There was no electricity. They had only one flashlight. And there was no moonlight. We heard how one member was silent the entire trip battling her fears, praying not to encounter any stray snakes, iguanas or big animals with sharp teeth.
There wasn’t a single horse around when they needed one.
They made it to Icacal, caught a bus on its way to park for the night and got a ride to Salud about 3 miles further along the way to Colon. A relative of the pastor at Palmas Bellas, rescued them in Salud and took them to Palmas Bellas. Eventually, Deacon Whitaker reached them and brought them home.
After they finished telling the stories and warmed up to embracing missional thoughts again, they began making plans to return to Quebrada Leon the following day. Mission adventure can be addictive. I know. Quebrada Leon was where Bro. Scott and I got our dose of grass lice. Now Bro Scott also got stranded this trip, he wonders what will happen next. Any of you brave enough to find out?
The November rains will soon be over. Panama’s dry season, ’summer’ starts mid-December to March. It’s the perfect time for more adventures in sharing the Good News of Christ. Are you a Mission worker ready to volunteer? Then please contact me: marvia(at)marviaspanamajournal(dot)com.
Hoping to hear from you,
Marvia
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November 27th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Keep on blogging Rev. Lawes. More of us will feel the passion and catch the vision.
Many persons long to serve in mission. Here is an opportunity. Are you interested? You do not even have to leave the shores of your country to do so.
November 30th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Welcome Lucanza,
Thanks for the encouragement.
We continue to hope that the message will be heard by many more. I believe that 2008 will be an even more exciting year of mission partnerships in Costa Abajo, Panama.
Paz!
December 21st, 2007 at 5:43 pm
I too came to panama, twice, once on a mission trip, and i look back and say… God has worked, is working and still works!!!
I will remember you all in panama in my prayers
December 22nd, 2007 at 8:26 am
Hello and Welcome Perryn,
Thanks for remembering us in your prayers. We were more than happy to receive you at First Isthmian and look forward to seeing you next year:-)
June 2nd, 2008 at 5:24 am
[...] 2006 in Rio Indio when the building of our mission was smashed. And again in November 2007 a Jamaica mission team was stranded out on the coast when Colon was flooded and we couldn’t get back to Quebrada Leon to pick [...]