Westminster Presbyterian Church

Our staff is ready to serve with us in Panama this week!

We're safe and sound in Panama! We're so excited so serve alongside Pastor Jorge in Tierras Altas.

After a six-hour bus ride we finally made it to Tierras Altas! We're looking forward to serving alongside the local church these next days.

After setting everything up at the church, we headed to a local supermarket to buy groceries to bless 35 families from the community.

We started off our first day of ministry packing the groceries we're delivering in the community. We also prayed that these bags of groceries supply the family's current needs, but most importantly, we pray we can share the gospel with them.

In the afternoon, we started some construction projects here at the church.

During a recent VBS activity, our team hosted an energetic "Early Christmas" event at a local school, sharing the joy and true message of the season with the students. Although managing such amount of excited children made maintaining focus challenging at times, the team adapted quickly to capture their attention and clearly deliver the core message. In the end, the activity was a success,the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience, leaving the school filled with smiles, high spirits, and a lasting impact from the event.

In the afternoon, we continued with the home visits where we got to hear people's stories and we also got the chance to share the good news with them.

Our wonderful ladies got to hold an activity for the ladies from the local church and the community. Joanna shared her testimony on how she learned to trust God despite the circumstances.

The ladies had the chance to make a craft which consisted of a frame where they could hang their prayer requests. It was a great time.

We had a blessed evening with the ladies from Tierras Altas and the local church. We'll keep praying for the women's ministry, as they're reaching many women in the community.

We visited a second school where we got to hold another early Christmas VBS with the kids. It was a great time.

We had such a fun time with these kids! We can't wait for the Early Christmas VBS at Centro Cristiano Dios Es Mi Paz.

We finished the day doing food distribution. We got to visit 35 families throughout this week to listen to their stories and pray over their needs, but most importantly, to share that we all have a great need, which is Christ.

At night, we got to worship God alongside our brothers and sisters from Tierras Altas, which reminded us that we're one body of Christ.

Paul preached on Psalms 1, and how we all have two alternatives in life: following the path of the righteous or listening to the wicked’s advice.

We got up early today to travel to Macho de Monte Canyon to do some rappelling and explore this beautiful place in Chiriquí.

Although it was challenging at first, we all had a blast and enjoyed this beautiful place in Panama.

After exploring the canyon, we headed back to Tierras Altas to hold our last Early Christmas VBS at the church. We sung some songs, we played some games, and taught our new friends that the best Christmas gift ever is Jesus' salvation!

After VBS, we headed to a local park to play basketball and volleyball with the youth from church.

It was such a great time together.

In the picture, you can see Barú Volcano, which is an inactive volcano here in Panama and the highest point in the country.

God's creation is amazing.

At the park, there was a local musician playing some songs. After he finished his set, Pastor Jorge asked him permission to take over alongside our PPM trip leader, Danny, to play a worship song and share the gospel with the locals.

We had a blessed Sunday Service with our brothers and sister. Pastor Jorge preached a beautiful message on how establishing God's Kingdom anywhere we go.

After the service, we held a Family Sunday where we got to enjoy delicious hotdogs, do some crafts, and of course, play volleyball.

We've truly loved the connections we've made this week here in Tierras Altas.

We had an emotional last dinner with Pastor Jorge and his family. We thank him and his congregation for his hospitality, kindness, and love towards us. His passion for ministry is truly remarkable.

We know this is not a goodbye, but a see you soon.

On our way back to Panama City, we made a quick and necessary stop on the beach. Panama's natural beauty keeps surprising us.

We are sad to leave this beautiful country, but we're ready to go back home and share our wonderful experience in Tierras Alta and how God worked in us and through us.

Until the next time!