H&H

Josh's airport taxi service was up and running the morning of Friday, February 20; his parents left at 6 am, and I took off for Panama around 8 am. On the surface, there was nothing unusual about my being on the ground to support a volunteer team, except in this case I'd actually be supporting TWO teams functioning as one. The team leaders' last names, respectively, were Holland (TX) and Hartwig (IA), so I dubbed the merger "H&H" in my files.

The TX contingent's original flight was cancelled, so they came in a day early, on the same flight as me. I left them to their own devices until the "mission trip" officially kicked off with a Saturday afternoon airport run to pick up the IA contingent. Fun fact: I've hosted this particular congregation more times than any other, in four different countries.

We took our "show" (an eyeglass clinic with children's activities on the side for neighborhood kids or kids whose parents were getting their eyes checked) on the road: 4 stops in 4 days. After worship and lunch at Redeemer Lutheran Church on Sunday, we shifted into setup mode.

The kids (above) and those waiting (below) dodged scattered showers all day.

The children's activities at Redeemer were the culmination of a 3-day VBS on the Fruits of the Spirit. Can you spot the new one?

Speaking of Registration...

Deaconess student Yamila skillfully manned the door, letting a select number of patients through at a time, in number order.

If ever I was looking for Pastor Hartwig, I could usually find him coloring!

Pastor Demetrio, a DR seminary grad, took advantage of a designated waiting area to present a Gospel spiel.

His wife Nuria & I became friends during their student years.

Snack time (below) took the Gospel bracelet (above) concept to the next level: pretzel sticks for the cross, raisins for Jesus' blood, mini marshmallows for sins washed white, Ritz crackers for the stone that was rolled from the tomb, Goldfish to remind us to be fishers of men, and something sweet (Starburst) to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Welcome to stop #2: Castillo Fuerte.

What a great way to welcome the community into the beautifully remodeled sanctuary, thanks in part to a January volunteer team from MN.

The kids used the [air conditioned!] classroom space.

Monday was our lowest day of translators, so I happily got put to work.

Over the Bridge of the Americas we go to stop #3, a relatively new (~ 1 year) preaching station in La Chorrera.

Pastor Alejandro López animatedly addressed everyone before we got started, sharing about the genesis of the mission and introducing the cadre of church members there to assist. He ordered them around like a drill sergeant, and they obediently carried out whatever needed doing.

I have no idea what any of these columns mean, but retired teacher Lisa had a system for expertly directing the flow of traffic.

We were mentally prepared to be sharing a single, narrow room, but the landlord's offer to occupy the empty units for rent on either side lent room for side-by-side eye testing stations.

Revs. Hartwig, Rickman (Area Faciliator), and López.

The spacious lunchroom doubled as an indoor kids' space.

They braved the sun for a water relay.

Packing up should ALWAYS feature a live pianist :)

Children's activities took center stage at stop #4, Dios es Grande in Los Andes. Whether their parents were clinic patients or not, they came out in droves from the surrounding neighborhood.

The eyeglass clinic served a number of indigenous Guna people, identifiable by their colorful, intricate garb. Thankfully, several of our translators spoke Guna in addition to Spanish.

By the afternoon, the shade had moved out of reach of the tent pictured above.

After four grueling days, everyone was ready to see a bit of what the city had to offer. We began our cultural day with the obligatory canal. I've been there several times by now but never had to evacuate due to a fire alarm.