Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Compelled
“I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know for I
am full of words
and the spirit within me compels me.” Job 32:17, 18
Compelled, what a great word, it is exactly the word that describes
the feeling we all had as we boarded the plane to head to Panama. It is a word that has kept coming up over and
over these last days and even again this day, as I drove in the vehicle with
Alan Foster and his family, he was describing to me how he came to stay in Panama. He
said “I was compelled to walk down this remote road…” He was eventually picked up by a missionary
couple who invited him to stay and serve with them in Panama. Needless to say he did. It is for him that our team has made this
long trip, we want to see where it is that we can be a help to this mission
field, in this far away country...compelled to go to Panama, to love, to learn,
to listen.
The first thing we noticed in Panama was the heat, hot and humid, the
sky though dark with night was heavy with the smell of rain. Our layers of clothing were soon peeled off
as we loaded the 12 large suitcases and boxes filled with gifts and books and
supplies, piled mostly on top of Alan’s vehicle and the vehicle we rented, secured
with rope and all wrapped in large garbage bags…a cloud burst was never far
away. Then we stuffed in our 12 carry-ons,
into corners, placed at our feet and onto our laps…all of this plus our 6 team
members, Alan, Colleen, Kalea, the baby in his car seat and Samson, the dog…all
sweaty. Two vehicles all of this and oh
yes, one more thing…air conditioning!
Our first stop was the grocery store for some dinner to eat along the
way, it was already late and the only choice for food at this point. So, having some food to eat, Gatorade to
drink and conversation to share we made our way to our first stop; Chepo.
El Chepo, an unassuming quaint motel, the front entrance was an open
hallway with rooms on either side, simple clean, each room had one bed, its own
bathroom, just a few bugs, not many and… air-conditioning. A
light rain had already started; we unpacked what we needed and settled in for
the night; Loralee and I will be roommates for the next ten days… a little
reading, writing, talking and sleeping.
This is just the beginning.
I love that.
