MISSION TRIP 2014
Mission Trip 2014 - Panama
BY CHRISTINA LISTER
PANAMA, MEANING “ABUNDANCE OF FISH,” is a skinny sliver of
land bridging North and South America and separating the Caribbean Sea from the Pacific Ocean. At its narrowest point, the land is
about 30 miles across. More than 100 years ago, the world decided
to cut through the isthmus to shorten shipping routes, creating the
Panama Canal. Beyond the canal, Panama is a country rich with natural beauty and resources. Protected areas and national parks make
up a third of Panama, and indigenous groups have survived with
their cultures mostly intact. Panama is a fast-growing country with
3.2 million people. Great progress has been made in education, as
access has been broadened to reach rural areas, and the literacy rate
is 93%. Female enrolment at secondary schools is dominant, and in
1999, Panama elected its first female president. Unfortunately, Panama still struggles with socioeconomic disparities. Poverty is great,
particularly among the indigenous people. While the government
has implemented social programs, the problem is still widespread.
Maranatha’s history in Panama began in 1980 when a group of
40 volunteers built a dormitory on the campus of the Panama Seventh-Day Adventist Institute in La Concepcion. In 1996, Maranatha
volunteers returned to Panama to build 35 new churches and eight
schools. In addition, volunteers finished 20 church projects that local congregations had started on their own. Adventist missionaries
visited Panama even before the country existed. In the 1890’s, the
land was still a part of neighboring Colombia when missionaries
from Honduras visited for the first time. The Panama mission was
organized in 1903 with three churches and 129 members. There
are now more than 95,000 Adventists in Panama.
Kingsway College is partnering with Maranatha Volunteers
International to provide this Mission Opportunity. The name of
our project is La Boquilla. On December 10th, we will be flying
into the Panama City International Airport and the site is approximately a 2.5 hour drive from the airport.
Our project will be to construct a completed church building
for an established congregation. We will be putting up the steel
frame and blocking up the walls, setting the window grids and
doors, and installing the roof. The team will be also be hosting
a Vacation Bible School program for the children in the community, as well as an Evangelistic Series in the evenings. Our
students will be