Rededicated!

It's a little over an hour until 17 youth from the Peru Lutheran Mission show up for a 2-day retreat at Asociación Cristiana El Refugio in Cieneguilla, Peru, so let's talk about the Panama FORO. Regional team members had the option to attend Saturday's marathon of presentations and Sunday's sanctuary rededication service or not. I did, given my involvement in recruiting construction teams to support ongoing renovations at Redeemer and the huge potential for expanding to a) other congregations; and b) other types of service once the Redeemer project is closer to its finish line. 

It may or may not be obvious in these photos that follow, but I felt awful all day Saturday and only slightly better on Sunday. I'd woken up with a tickle in my throat toward the tail end of the regional meeting, which morphed into fatigue, general achiness, and sinus congestion as the FORO wore on. I attribute it to never taking that magical day of staying in bed and not talking to anyone after the Concordia Seminary St. Louis team. Nevertheless, the show must (mostly) go on. 

Ernie (far right) and Theresa (center, back facing the camera) Holland, volunteers from Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (ORLC) in Wichita Falls, TX, came early for the ORLC work team that would follow the FORO to listen & learn.

Once again, I marveled at the fact that the same parsonage whose walls I scraped for days in July was now fit to accommodate the Panama mission's valued partners. 

Photo credit: Jana Inglehart

Photo credit: Jana Inglehart

How I wound up sitting in front of the A/C is a mystery to me...note the shawl that made an appearance partway through.

The content was informative and enlightening but dragged on until five forty-five. There were no plans for a group dinner of any kind, so I stumbled through making sure the Hollands were taken care of and then retreated to my room (I'd moved to the hostel where the ORLC team and I would stay by this point) with a dose of Nyquil before 8 pm. 

Sunday morning's celebratory service headlined the weekend. After four years of being displaced, the Redeemer congregation worshiped in their renovated sanctuary for the first time on Christmas Eve. They now stand poised to recoup a lapsed membership base and use their transformed facility as a hub for community outreach. Fellow missionary Tirzah recruited me to be part of the processional as soon as I got there, joining the Rickman kids in bearing gifts for the new space and those who will minister in it: artwork, stoles, and more. 

The Rev. Ross Johnson (LCMS Disaster Response) preached. The [very much necessary] fans made it hard to hear much, but the sermon was probably the most audible thing spoken from the chancel all morning.

Rev. Arthur Rickman officiating the rite of rededication. 

Pastors from seven countries participated.

The greetings, speeches, and presentations after the service took almost as long as the service itself (or so it seemed in my extremely congested head). Those pictured below aren't even all of them. 

The late Edilberto Mendez, former director of CPTLN (Lutheran Hour Ministries) Panama, was the instigator of the project. He tragically passed away about a year ago, but his mom was there to convey how much he would have loved to see his vision fulfilled.

Greetings on behalf of Rev. Airton Shroeder, one of the VPs of the Brazilian Lutheran church. His regular field visit to Brazilian Alliance missionary Rev. Raphael Voigt coincided with the big weekend. 

The oldest Rickman daughter juxtaposed Redeemer, Balboa and the Our Redeemers in Wichita Falls and Iowa City, IA, in watercolor as take-home thank-you gifts for the two FORO congregations on hand. 

Finally, the recessional (with Rev. Patricio Mora as crucifer)!

Like good German Lutherans, we celebrated with loaded sausages. And cake. 

As soon as I could sneak away, I jumpstarted my work team prep with an initial hardware store run. There were plans for a group dinner out Sunday night, but I wisely stayed in, prioritizing hydration and rest. I felt like a new woman Monday as I grocery shopped and went to the airport to pick up the remaining ORLC team members. Event #3 in Panama, comin' at ya soon. 

Until next time, blessings in Christ!