March 29, 2007

From previous letters you may have concluded that we are far too busy to enjoy Panama. Wrong. The first thing that most new visitors discover about Panama is the genuine warmth and friendliness of its people. They include us in their events, share what they have and invite us to their homes. A week and a half ago, along with Tracy, we showed up on the causeway at the annual kite festival (without kites). As we admired the hundreds of kites that filled the air like a swarm of locusts, a nearby family noticed that we had no kites. Immediately we were handed a string that was clearly attached to one of those specks in the sky and invited to join the festivities. "It’s yours". "Keep it". Such are the Panamanians.

Where but Panama could you go to church in the morning and not head home until 7:00 PM because you have ended up on the set of a movie being filmed here? After the morning service, we (including two of our teachers, Adriana and Monica) were persuaded to stay for the filming of a scene that took place in a church. Does anyone want our autographs? Seriously, though, "The Interior" is a great story, so watch for it when it is released next November. It’s the story of a young missionary couple who left Holland in the 1960s to work in the remote jungle interior of Surinam. Already there are some great stories that have come out of the filming, changing the lives of actors and crew alike. You can see the movie trailer at www.theinterior.tv Have a look.

Most of us have some aversion to meetings but they are necessary and we knew that we needed to meet with the board and administration of PCA before ending our stay in Panama. Of course, it always helps if the meeting is over a fine Chinese meal in one of the country’s finest restaurants. There are always issues regarding the school but this time it was important to deal with their request that we spend more time in Panama. We were more than willing to consider their request but it was important to clarify our role. We needed to establish that we are here to help enable them to do their work and not for us to take over in the role of teacher or administrator. The tone of the meeting was very positive and it certainly helped us in knowing that there continues to an important role for us here. We will probably extend the length of our stays here in the future.

One thing that thrills us is that, despite the difficulties of startup, this is the best team of teachers that we have ever had. Most of them are great but some of them are truly outstanding. I can now tell you that Donna, who was just planning on filling in until we could get a permanent teacher, is now planning on staying for the entire year. She is doing a great job and she is a good addition to the team. All we need now is a Chinese teacher to replace Liana, although we would rather pray that she stay because she is great and a very positive influence.

Our remaining time here in Panama for this stay is short so we are scrambling to tie up loose ends. There are kids to assess, meetings with parents, classroom visits to assess and assist teachers and numerous other needs. We are so pleased with how coachable the staff is; so willing to improve. We are thankful that we are trusted by every level - students, parents, teachers, administrators and the board. Thank you for praying that we remain effective.

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March 22, 2007

This is a beautiful time of year in Panama. Brilliant flowering yellow and mauve trees stand out in the valleys and hillsides contrasting with the rich green of the tropical rainforest. The weather is always hot but not unbearably so while at night there is a freshness in the air that is delightful. As we get closer to the rainy season, there are more clouds in the sky and we even had one afternoon downpour. The comment of the locals is that winter is coming early. You see, winter to them is the rainy season although the temperature never varies much and it actually seems hotter because of the higher humidity. They, however, often comment about being cold. How can anyone ever feel cold with temperatures hovering in the mid to high 30s celcius in the daytime and high 20s at night?

This is also a time of harvest although production takes place twelve months per year. There are stands packed with melons of all kinds, avocados, papaya, passion fruit and everything else tropical. Do you like pineapple? Well, here you can get your fill of pineapples so juicy that you need to eat them outside or over a sink. How about three giant pineapples for a dollar or sweet bananas for ten cents per pound? Our question - with all of this fine produce, why are they becoming so addicted to our deep fried North American fast foods?

The first week (and now most of our second week) have not been without a few obstacles but, in general, we have much more to celebrate than to be concerned about. The staffing which has been a big concern has improved greatly, although we still need a 4th grade teacher and a Chinese teacher to replace the temporaries that we have in those positions. Fortunately both temporaries are excellent.