Hi. My name is Esther. This summer, I went to Panama with an organization called Teen Mania. I was gone from June 9 through July 8. We stayed in Hotel Aramo in Panama City. We also went on a village trip to Aguadulce(a town 2 hours out of Panama City) for 5 days and we also went to a Cuna indian tribe in the Darien Jungle for 5 days. Our main tool of ministry was a drama called The Journey. WE performed our drama in schools, parks and streets.

June 9-June 11: Drama Training, Garden Valley, Texas

Drama training lasted from June 9-11. During this time we were assigned to our teams, received our parts for the drama, attended ministry training sessions, and did LOTS of drama training. I developed a healthy respect for red dirt, which is in abundance in Garden Valley, and does not like to come out of clothes. We lived and breathed drama training. Dawn until dusk, the air echoed with 8 counts and music, as well as occasional cloudbursts(always a welcome relief from the Texas heat).

June 12: Traveling

On June 12, we began our own journey from Garden Valley to Panama City. First came a 2 hour bus ride to dallas/Ft. Worth Int'l Airport, where we caught our flight to Miami. The flight from DFW to Miami lasted approx. 2.5 hours. We had a very brief(practically nonexistant) layover in Miami, before catching the flight to Panama City. We had been previously devided up into two travel groups. The first was made up of C trippers and a few A trippers, all of whom traveled with Russ and most of the TL's. The second group(the ones I was with) traveled with Georgia, Brenda and JJ*4 When we arrived at Panama City, the contacts greeeted with a song called "Welcome to Panama".

June 13: More drama traning, Panama City

On June 13, we had to undergo more drama training as our team's drama had not passed inspection the first time around in Garden Valley. We went to a park near the hotel to do this.We worked on our drama until dinner time, and we finally passed inspection.

June 14: Visit to The Hill and First ministry day

June 14 was our first day of ministry. In the morning(after breakfast) all of the teams went out into Panama City together to climb The Hill. The Hill is a very tall hill that overlooks almost all of Panama City. We prayed over the city and the trip, and then we had lunch(PBJ, of course). During lunch, we split up into our teams and spent time together AS teams. Our Team Leaders prayed over us individually. Ater everyone finished lunch, we went back to the hotel to get ready to do dramas. We only had time to do two dramas before going back to the hotel.

June 16-17: Drama

June 16 marked our second day of ministry. We ate lunch in front of Miraflores Locks(part of the Panama Canal) and got to see a boat going through. That was a pretty cool experience. That afternoon, something happened at a drama site that really got me excited. There was a girl there named Karen. I wentr over to her and said hi, etc, and then asked if she saw and understood the drama. She said yes, and after talking to me some more, said that she wanted to become a Christian. I was excited, and then realized that, with my small vocabulary of Spanish, I wasn't sure if I knew enough to pray with her and not mess the whole thing up. Fortunately, a translator came over at this point and was able to translate for me and make sure that she understood the decision she was making. I was so happy, I didn't stop grinning until the next drama site(and even then, it was hard to keep a straight face). I am so glad that God was able to use me, a 16 year old girl from the USA who doesn't know much Spanish, to touch this girl's life and help her come to Christ. I know that it wasn't by anything that I did that she chose to accept Jesus, because I don't know much Spanish. It was all God and I feel awed that God worked through me in such a way.

On June 17, we had our third day of ministry. It was at the last drama site that I was shaken up by an event that I feel changed my life. My MIG was talking to a guy after the drama and we could tell that he was QUITE drunk, and probably demon possessed. At one point, I looked at him and literally saw a demon in or on him, I'm not sure which. At that point, my throat started constricting and I couldn't breathe well. I really was getting dizzy and thought I was gonna pass out in the street. I was thinking "God, help. This is not going to work". Finally, we left to go back to the hotel. Once on the bus, I completely broke down and started crying very hard. Lora toook me outside and I told her and Steve what had happened. She prayed for me and I was able to breathe again. Steve told me I needed to start looking up verses in the Bible about who I am in Christ, in case Satan attacked me like that again. For the rest of the evening, I was shaken and kind of upset. Finally, Krystha prayed with me and we talked; after that I was okay again.

June 18-19: First set of free days

June 18 was a Sunday. After breakfast, we all met upstairs for a session. Russ was our "preacher" and, ironically, he talked about finding out who we are in Christ(ironic because of whatr happened the day before). After lunch, we had the rest of the day off to do whatever. That evening, I went with some of the others to the Indian Market. Ryan, Josh and Patrick bought machetes and started posing as karate warriors, or something like that. It was very amusing and I totally enjoyed myself.

June 19 was a full free day. I got to sleep in(glory hallelujah). I didn't really do much that day, until we went to Crepes and Waffles for dinner. Then the excitement began. I was in a taxi with Sarah L, Hooker, Josh and Patrick. Let me take a minute to explain about Panamanian taxis. The taxis are cars designed to hold 5 people, at most, including the driver. The drivers, like everyone else in Panama, are maniacs and don't drive like we do in the USA. They use all the lanes, honk their horns for no reason, etc. The taxis have no seatbelts in the back seats. On the way to C&W, Sarah and I were both in the front seat(I was on Sarah's lap acting as an air bag). On the way back, I was in the back seat with the three guys. Their were several problems with this: 1-Teen Mania has a rule that says "No guy-girl lap sitting; 2- Patrick, Josh and Hooker are not small guys(they aren't fat, they're just not small); 3-I was wedged betwen the door and Patrick(who is very tall and has the build of a football player); 4-The roads were exceedingly bumpy; 5-I had a full and complaining bladder. I don't know how I made it home without exploding.

After we got back to the hotel, we packed for our village trip, which began the next day. We were slightly worried because our MAG consisted of six girls and we were informed that all six of us had to fit all our stuff fror the week in ONE bag.

June 20-23: Village Trip to Aguadulce

June 20 was the first day of our Village Trip to Aguadulce. Aguadulce is a town about 2 hours out from Panama City. We arrived in Aguadulce at about noon. We found out that we would be staying in a small church and after we arrived, we put our luggage in the church and went to a school across the street to do our drama. The drama went well but the students were not very responsive and they had a short attention span. It was at this first drama site in Aguadulce that I experienced one of my funniest Kodak moments of the trip. After the drama, we went out to talk to the students at the school. We didn't have to be in MIG's, we just had to stay on the basketball court. The students all decided they wanted our autographs, and mobbed us. I noticed at on point that there was a very large group of Panamanian girls around Reed and went over to see what was going on. They were all giggling and acting silly and one of them asked Reed(through a translator) "Do you have a girlfriend?". His reply was "Yes". She turns around, points to me and says "Her?". I have never seen anyone's ears get as red as quick as Reed's did then, and he promptly set about denying vehemently that I was his girlfriend. It was pretty funny.

On June 21, we did a lot of dramas. I think we did about 8, most of which were at schools. The only one we did that wasn't at a school was at a shelter for battered women and children. It was an experience I will never forget. Seeing the expressions in those kid's eyes was touching. They were shy and fearful(especially around the guys, at first), and then they warmed up to us. By the time we left, they had us all playing soccer, participating in footraces, and just loving on them in general. It made me mad to think about what these precious children had been through, and to think that all I can do for them is to pray.

June 22 , I woke up having very bad allergy trouble. Lora gave me some mediciine. This medicine put me to sleep very effectively, and I slept the whole 2 hour drive up to the mountains, where we went to a school to do our drama. Not only did I sleep on the way there, I almost fell asleep before the drama. I was extremely out of it. June 23, we did more dramas at the schools in Aguadulce. That was our last day of ministry for the Village Trip.

June 24: Back to Panama City until that night

On June 24, we left Aguadulce and drove back to Panama City. That afternoon was free time and packing, because that might we left for the jungle. We were happy to find out that we could take 1 bag per two people, as oposed to one bag per MAG. We were supposed to leave at 10pm for our jungle trip, but it was actually more like 11:00. We had an 8 hour drive and 4 hour boat ride ahead of us. The Jungle Trip had begun.

June 25-30: In the Jungle

After a long, tedious, tiring, bladder stretching 8 hour bus ride over a bumpy, rocky, dirt road, we arrived at the boat dock at approx. 7am. I'm not sure if I got any sleep on the bus or not, because the whole night was a blur. If I got any sleep at all, I'm sure it wasn't more then 30 minutes combined, and it did more harm then good. Breakfast consisted of a little box of cereal, warm milk and a granola bar. Finally, we boarded the boat. My first clue that the boat ride would be a faith-builder was when we were getting on the boat and it kept swaying; I honestly thought we were going to tip over. By the end of the trip, several people(including me) had blacked out from dehydration and overwhelming gas fumes. We were very glad to get off of the boat when we finally arrived at the Indian village we'd be staying at. The rest of the day was pretty much a free day, since it was Sunday.

June 27: Sick in the jungle

The morning of June 27, I woke up with a horrible ear infection. After breakfast, I went back to bed and Lora and Steve let me stay in the house we were staying in and sleep all day(if that gives you any indication of how bad I was feeling). I was dizzy, weak and my ears hurt like crazy. I was pretty miserable. That evening, sme of the people on my team prayed for me and God healed me. The pain in my ears went away, my head stopped hurtingf and I felt back to normal.

June 28: Relationship building(weeding rice fields with machetes)

That day, the girls on our team went to help some of the Indian ladies in their homes. The group I was with had an interesting day: We weeded a rice field with machetes, did laundry in the river and weeded again with machetes. That evening, we girls got to take a bath(in the river). That was an eye opening experience for me; I learned that shampoo can be used as body wash and shaving gel, in addition to being used for washing hair.

June 29: Relationship building

Once again, our day was devoted to relationship building. In the morning, our team helped clear a field for a cdhurch that is being built there. That afternoon, we were divided up into MIG's. My MIG hung out with some of the teenage girls in the village ad we had a really good time. We talked to them about our culture, their culture, dating and abstinence, before they decided to teach us some of their native dances.

June 30: Relationship building and drama

That night we did our drama for the people of the village. This was the climax of the jungle trip, the evening we had been building towards the whole week. This wasthe whole purpose we had been doing relationship building, so that we could have a foundation to put the drama on. WE performed the drama in our bare feet, due to the fact that not very many people knew where their drama shoes were. That night, we packed our stuff: we would leave at 4:00 the next morning.

July 1: Back to Panama City, Part 2

At 2:30 am, the girls on our team woke up. We had decided the night before to wak up the guys at 2:45 am by going in front of their house and singing "You Are My Sunshine..."(which seemed to be our team's unofficial theme song). They were not very appreciative of our efforts. :-) At 4am, we boarded the boat and left. This time, the boat ride was 5.5 hours, owing to the fact that it was still quite dark outside and all we had to guide us through the river were two flashlights. I slept the whole trip back to the boat dock. Once again, we had an 8 hour bus ride. Finally, we got back to Panama City. There was a rush for the showers and toilets, as we had been using squatties all week in the jungle.

July 2: Free day

The morning of July 2, we went to an English speaking church. It was really fun and nice to hear be speaking English to non-Teen Mania people. That afternoon, I went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch with some of the others. That evening, we went back to Cinco de Mayo and the Indian Market.

July 3: Last day of ministry

That morning, we went to the Mother Teresa Home in Panama City. We saw some truly amazing things happen there. We didn't do the drama there. We just went and talked to, prayed with and sang for the people, trying to show them God's love. The Mother Teresa home is divided up into two sections: one for older people and one for children. Steve and Lora split our team up into two groups: Keith and Val's MAG's and Hooker and Liz's MAG's. Keith's and Val's MAGs(I was in Val's MAG) went to the older people for an hour, while the others went to the kids for an hour. After that hour, we switched. While my group was in with the older people, I saw(and heard) someone screaming, wailing, and sobbing. Finally, I went to see what was going on. I found the source of the cries: it was a lady sitting in a chair and she was hitting herself in the head with her fist, while crying and screaming. Two of the caretakers were tying her hands and feet down to keep her from hurting herself or anybody else. My heart broke for this woman and I prayed for her. Finally, she calmed down and just sat there. Then it was time for mour groups to switch and I went on over to the children's area. During the second hour, Liz and Julie heard the same lady crying out again. They went and started praying and then, something really cool happened. The lady just sat still, started sdmiling and saying "Hallelujah"(or something like that) and the ropes fell off of her feet, with the knots still in them and everything. Logically, they should have still been on her feet. But we don't serve a God of logic, we serve a God of love, compassion, wisdom, and miracles. The lady just sat there smiling at them. It was incredible.

While we were over at the children's area, something happened that I believe literally changed me life. In 1997, my best friend(Tiffany) died of cancer when she was 9 years old. I never completely got over it, and for 3 years, I have mourned and grieved for her. While over at the children's center in the Mother Teresa home, I saw a little girl who reminded me a LOT of Tiffany the last time I saw her. I had to leave the building because I felt like I was going to cry and if you cry, you're not supposed to do it where the kids can see you or it will upset them. On the bus, I just started crying, and Courtney came over and we talked and she prayed for me. Then I started reading my Bible and I found a verse that says "God is the God of the living, not the dead" and I gave my pain to him. I really feel like I have finally been healed emotionally and the pain is not there. I feel, for the first time in 3 years, like I don't have to grieve and mourn any more. It has been so incredibly awesome to be free from that and I thank God that he took that away from me.

When we finally went to our last drama site(of the day AND the trip), we went to a bus station we had gone to on our first day of ministry. WE were getting ready to start when the police came up and tried to stop us. We all started praying while Steve and the translators were talking to the police and finally, they let us do it. We had a really good time and the drama went well. Finally, we were done. We loaded up on the bus and went back to the hotel.

July 4: Organized Free Day at thet beach

On Independance Day, we got up at 4:30 am and went to the beach(all of us).We were on an Island called Isla Grande. We got to go swimming and snorkeling. It was so incredible. The fish were all really pretty and it looked awesome under the water. The only problem was that we(myself included) kept getting stung by fire coral and scraping ourselves on rocks. Ouch!

July 5: Team and packing time

This was our last day in Panama. In the morning, we had Team Time. We ate lunch as teams(PBJ) and then started packing. A trippers would leave the next morning, C trippers would stay(of course). That night, we had a talent show. The contacts did The Journey Woman and other people did various other hilarious acts. By the end of the show, I was in stiches from laughing so hard. Finally the hard part came; we had to say goodbye to the translators. Suddenly, nobody was laughing anymore. Actually, several of us were crying. I was bawling my eyes out and trying not to.

July 6: Goodbye Panama, Hello America

Morning came too soon. We ate a final breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and then started saying goodbyes. THe first flight left immediately after breakfast(the people who had flown with Russ went back with Matt). My flight(all of us who had come down with Georgia) left at about 11am. My MAG had time for one last MAG meeting, which we held in an ice cream parlor. Then we had to go back to the hotel and get ready to leave. Saying goodbye to the C trippers was so hard. I did not want to leave but I had to. These were some of my best friends I was saying goodbye to, not knowing when or if I would ever see them again. April and I cried for about half of the trip to the airport(te second half, Reed and Jesse managed to make us stop crying and start laughing). The flights back went well; the planes we were on were 757's and the were really nice. They were big, had comfortable seats, had more room then most planes, had radios/headphones and tv's. We arrived in Dallas at approx. 11pm and had a 2 hour bus ride back to Garden Valley. We got back at 1am and got to sleep at about 2am.

July 7: Debrief

What can I say? Debriefing is is debriefing. Not really anything exciting.

July 8: The trip ends and the tears begin

I went out and said goodbye to all the buses as everyone was leaving. I think I got about 2 hours of sleep that night. I cried a lot. After the last bus left at 9am, I went back to my dome and slept for a couple of hours, until my mom came to pick me up.

I hope that, with this webpage, I have been able to let you get a small glimpse of what my trip was like. There is so much more that happened that I would love to put down here, but I don't know how. There are some things that words typed on a computer can't really express, some things that you would have to have been there to really understand fully what I'm talking about. But what I can say is that this whole trip was a miracle. God moved so much in my life and the lives of those around me. I am grateful that I was able to come on this trip and let God use me to reach the people of Panama. What greater thing could I ever want to do then have the joy of leading someone to Christ and knowing that because i was willing to let God work through me, there are pepole who will be going to heaven instead of hell. I thank God that he let me go on this trip and see the things I saw.

*Notes*

MAG's of The E.D.G.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me.