I asked, too. Thx for posting and good luck!

Bless you!

I'm glad you posted the info. What a wonderful mission, Ida.

I am so touched. I'm sitting at my desk fighting back happy tears. Thank you, friends.

As I was washing dishes following our pancake supper on Tuesday, I was speaking with a gentleman who has been on previous Panama missions and he reiterated what I've heard from others: The Ngoble-Bugle people are so incredibly gentle, patient, and happy. Our group has gone through some training in which we were cautioned against stereotyping, but on the whole those positive traits can be applied to these indigenous Panamanians, and it makes me even more eager to work among them, if only for a week.

There are such struggles, though. I was told about a father who walked for hours to get to the clinic, with a folding chair strapped to his back. Seated on the folding chair was his 17-year old son, who was suffering from an allergic reaction. Once they reached the clinic in exhaustion, the boy broke into tears and just sobbed. Our translators said that he was devastated because he had put his family, particularly his daddy, through so much to get him there to be treated.

Another gentleman arrived at the clinic with an arm broken so badly that the bone was visible. He patiently, quietly endured a 2-hour wait as transportation was arranged to take him to the hospital which is very far away -- not an easy feat, but it was done.

It's stories like these that just break me down. We have been warned that this will be an extremely emotional journey, and I'm going to be as prepared as possible -- but we're only human. The tears will flow.

Here are some more photos that touch me.

These little girls are wearing the dresses that some of the ladies in our church made from pillowcases. The girls were thrilled to receive them.

This precious gentleman showed his gratitude for the doctor's visit by playing a tune on his hand-made violin.

I cannot even begin to fathom what this mama's life must be like.

And lastly, this one (featuring one of our nurses) is just so incredibly sweet and tender.

Thank you so much for permitting me to share these beautiful souls with you, and for your kindness.

Gorgeous photos.

Such touching photographs. I know some churches around here have medical missions to similar places and some ladies I know have been involved in sewing 'pillowcase dresses' like the ones you show. I wish you and your team a joyous and meaningful journey.

Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos.

Okay, now I'm teary at work, too. :-)

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for you generous donations. Wow, I am pretty much blown away by your kindness. I wish I could thank you individually for your donations, but the anonymous nature of the donations doesn't allow that. Please know how grateful I am. I'll be presenting a check to our missions minister this coming Sunday. This will be a big help as we continue to make plans for this summer's trip.

What beautiful faces! Good luck on your fundraising efforts for the wonderful work you are doing.

Wonderful! So glad there are people like you who are willing to do this work to help others.

Can't wait to hear all about it upon your return! :)

What a wonderful thing you are doing! Good luck!

Good luck with spreading the love Jen!

Friends - The GoFundMe page started out with $20 (which I put in to kick it off) and sat there for the past six months with no activity whatsoever. Because of your amazing generosity (and a donation from an Instagram friend), we now have $495 to put towards meeting needs in Panama.

The $5,000 "goal" was never really considered attainable, but I am just beyond wowed by the fact that within such a short amount of time we amassed almost $500. To me, that speaks of a generous spirit in this place that truly rekindles my faith in people.

Thank you so very much.

I think a lot of us fell in love with your mission trip and those people. :-)

My goodness, friends - we are now at $630! Overwhelmed! I am simply overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and generosity.

Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.

(This little man thanks you! How's this for an expressive face! :-))

bump

Thanks for sharing the info and the photos. I would have come to your pancake dinner (to cook or eat) if I were closer. I look forward to hearing about your trip and experienccess.

Did you post about the pillowcase dresses? Someone posted about them in a forum were I read about them some time ago. As I had a couple sheets that had to be retired for various reasons or new sets bought for the larger sheets only, I saved the pillowcases and then didn't know who to send them to. I am not sure if I still have them, but if I do, I'd be willing to send them to you through the church. Let me know if someone would like to use them.

Thank you, Oly, for kindly bumping this thread up. And thank you, lascatx for your very kind offer! I know our UMW group made pillowcase dresses for the girls for previous mission teams to distribute, but haven't heard about anything in the works at the moment. I'll ask around and see what I can learn.

We were able to net almost $1,400 with our pancake supper fundraiser. In the overall scheme of things that might not seem like a lot of money, but truly every little bit helps, and I'm so grateful for whatever we can gather. Thanks again to all who so generously donated. I remain touched and awed!

I wanted to say a bit more about our mission efforts. The missionaries that oversee the clinic in El Guabal are also building a church in Santiago, which is about 2 hours southwest and the capital of the province. The church will be a multi-purpose venue for worship, and will serve as a community center for health care for the marginalized local population, as well as providing training and education. Volunteers are currently in the process of providing job training, certification, and placement assistance for local women.

I know there are some who think believe that "charity should begin at home", and that we should focus primarily on the needs of the indigent in our own communities. I do agree that's vital (and we do that in a number of ways as well). However, it really moves me to see the seemingly impossible situations in other parts of the world begin to transform as we bring hope to our brothers and sisters in those places that simply do not have the same resources that we do. This is not to say that we are in any way "the great saviors", but my goodness - we are so beautifully equipped to go and do! Thank you again for helping to make it possible.

Ida said "charity should begin at home", in the above thread. You should never be made to feel guilty about helping! We all have our pet projects that are close to our hearts.

Yes, there is so much need here in America, but it is no where near the poverty level that these Latin American countries face.

So true, eld6161. I threw that comment in there mainly because it's one we've heard from a couple of folks who were well-intentioned but misguided.

I cannot fathom not even being able to walk to a cabinet, grab a bottle, and pop an aspirin at the slightest indication of an impending headache. The Panamanians who come to our clinic almost without fail, each and every person, claims to have a headache so that they can have a small supply of Ibuprofen to take home with them. They cannot obtain it otherwise. Something so basic and easy for us to come by! We are rich beyond measure when it comes to having our needs met -- not to mention our creature comforts.

And most important, clean water to take that aspirin!

Charity at home is not and should not be exclusive or charity afar. I beleiive true charity doesn't distiguish between us and them, but is an attitude and way of living that does what it can for others, without strings, where and when it can. Maybe it generally starts at home because that is where one is, but that doesn't mean it should end there or needs to exhaust itself there.

Personally, I prioritize my giving-- if for no other reason, because I have limited resources (most of us do). I give to my family first and foremost.. second to my local community - which includes immigrants moving to the area as well as national organizations that support programs and services that benefit and impact my community.. and then those organizations and projects that may not impact me directly but that touch me in some way.

I understand those who want to donate to local groups or local go fund me campaigns. I choose not to limit myself in that way-- but surely that's because I am in a position to choose to give through multiple channels. I think it is very personal.. and for that reason, I respect each person to make his/her own choices. (And I hope they respect my right to do the same).