HOLA PANAMA — Jessica Chin
After my dad went to Panama last year, I felt a sudden urge to go too. I didn’t know much about what he did there or had even seen pictures, but I just had a realization that it was time to go. I knew it was God nudging at my heart. So I decided to join this year’s STM to Panama.
When it came close to leaving, I started to have a lot of anxiety. I doubted how God could possibly use me, since I can barely speak Cantonese, let alone Spanish! But God reminded me of His awesome power, in Philippians 4:13 it says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
For the most part, Stephany and I were to teach English to the oldest group of kids attending our VBS. When I was told that I would be helping with visitations before the VBS, I was so nervous and caught off-guard! As Auntie Cynthia likes to say, “I ate a chicken.” The goals of visitations were to recruit students, which involved speaking to their parents/ grandparents. I knew the adults in Panama didn’t know much English and again I questioned my usefulness. But after visiting the first family, I had an immediate boost of confidence! The grandma we visited was so nice and I was even able to communicate with her using my limited Cantonese. At the end of the visitation she invited us to feed her horses and we had a fun time! The people we visited were so hospitable!
My experience with teaching English was harder to swallow. We found out on the first day of teaching that most of them didn’t understand much English or Cantonese. The task of teaching fell on Stephany since she knew Spanish. And for those first few days of teaching I felt utterly useless once again. I couldn’t even communicate simple things to them because they could barely understand, questions like, “What is your favourite subject?” But I found there is more than one way to express love and care. Poking games and the awkward cow became my best friend and seeing smiles on their faces always made me want to try harder. I really wanted for them to experience the love of Christ.
Through this mission trip, God has opened my eyes to the work He has done in Panama, but also the work that still needs to continue. I experienced an enormous amount of generosity from the Christians in Panama, as they opened their homes to us and chaperoned us wherever we went. But I also saw their need for fellowship. In Santiago, the city we were working in, there is no church and no weekly fellowships. A pastor from Panama City comes every other Thursday to do Bible study there. In Canada, we have the luxury of fellowship any day of the week. Wednesday prayer meetings, Friday fellowships, Saturday cell groups and Sunday worship. I think we’ve taken these things for granted and often forget how fortunate we are. Even if the people in Santiago wanted to learn more about Christ, it’s very difficult without the encouragement and help of other Christians provided by a church or fellowship.
I’ve realized that because I was on a mission trip, it gave me an excuse to be bolder in my faith. I shouldn’t need to go to another place to be bold though. Why can’t I be bold in Canada too? I think God has used this experience to show me how the mission field is wherever I am and that there is no difference in what I need to preach; whichever country I’m in.