Day 3
Today the team was blessed with the chance to attend service in the church built by our missionaries from years past. The church is located in a small town of Jacú. The members of the church are primarily women and children of strong Methodist faith. They were more than delighted to welcome us back into their home again. They had the pleasure to hear a child-friendly sermon from UUMC’s pastor, Carl King, translated by a team member, Jeff. Some of the special members that came to worship God on this beautiful Sunday morning - as they usually do - were of struggling living conditions. As I got the chance to experience first hand, these women were hanging on by threads of faith. The first woman I had the privilege of meeting was Elva and her story goes a little something like this:
Elva grew up in Puerto Armuelles where her father worked for the banana company, Chiquita, as did the rest of the town. She moved to Jacú at the age of eighteen when her father bought land in the town for their family to live at while he continued to work at the banana company. Now her father, an old man, lives near her in Jacú. Her Christian faith began as a member of the Evangelist church but due to complications she eventually withdrew from the church all together. Within the next years of no membership to a church she felt lost and powerless. Talking to neighbor one day changed her; when Elva confronted a community leader, Nina, about her faith, Nina told Elva of a dream she had. In this dream Nina was told that Elva should go to church at the Methodist church and so Elva promised her she would attend. Now six years has passed and Elva has stayed a loyal member to the Methodist church in Jacú. Not only has she shared her faith with the community church but also she has received care and love in return. Her previous house was falling to pieces and was barely livable until two years ago our missionaries were able to build an entirely new home, suitable for her and her family. All she had hoped for was a floor and a roof. Before, she couldn’t tell the difference as if she was inside or outside, even when it was raining. However, with three to four people from our missionary working on her house for about two weeks and a monetary donation to complete the unfinished work, her house came with walls and a bathroom too. Now her home supplies shelter for her family of her daughter Caroline (age 8), her son Anthony (age 13), and her two grandsons Michael (age 9) and Justin (age 8). She prays for her kids and their wellbeing; she knows that raising them in the Methodist community can only bring them good things for their future. She is grateful for the support of the church in providing her a house she never thought she could have. What this experience has showed Elva is that the church is a community, which supports her and her faith. She even agrees that when she was not at church that she was losing touch with God. Jan Sassaman who has known Elva now for years, states that Elva impresses him because “she seems to live her faith in a way I don’tsee very often.”
Jacú is a poor town of about 3000 people. Most citizens aremembers of a church in the area, the most common church being the Assembly of God. The Methodist church has only been around within the past ten years, so the membership is slowly increasing as expected. Most of the members come from nearby, such as Lupé. However, due to a physical impairment, it takes her almost two hours to travel to church. Here is her story:
Lupé is a strong and independent young woman. She lives by herself in her own house, near to her family. Born with a disability, Lupé is forced to travel by wheelchair. With help from the community, she is able to use a hand-made wheelchair. Because she is unable to work, she spends some of her time throughout the year competing in special Olympic-type competitions. Not only has she participated in the competitions for the past three years, but she has also won each one. It is difficult to keep up with maintaining her wheelchair since she has to change the tires every two and a half months, however, with help from the community she can survive. Due to her disability, she receives money from the government every three months or so, in which she uses towards maintaining the wheelchair, her only source of travel. Her house was built with a monetary donation from our missionaries. Her determination to travel so far despite her disability to attend the community Methodist church shows her loyalty and thanks to the care she has received. She will continue as a symbol of strength in the Methodist faith every time she attends service.
Not everyone had the opportunity to visit the houses of Jacú; the others were preparing the clinic for the opening day on Monday. They worked hard to have all the medications organized and positions assigned. We all arrived back to Volcan where Alan Hinderliter was waiting for us. He had just arrived to Panama and we were grateful for his safe arrival. A delicious Panamanian meal was prepared for us for dinner. After a good team dinner, we gathered around for worship. Some then went to bed, to the Internet café, played games, read, etc. The day was busy but very productive and insightful.
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