Sunday morning and it was time for church. After breakfast we walked the three blocks through the streets of David to the Christo Del Rey Iglesia Evangelica Methodista de Panama, (Christ the King Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama). Our project has a long history with this congregation. They have helped us with logistics, we eat most of our meals there, and members of the congregation help us with the mission by translating-- sometimes from Ngobe to Spanish to English-- and working alongside the nordasmericnos. We have had nurses, lab techs, and paramedics join the clinic team. Members of the church also will assist with intake, record keeping, the Health Promoter's class and the Bible School for children. Because of this partnership we can say the Panama Project is a cooperative effort of United Methodists and Panamanian Methodists.

Church services are lively affairs. There is a lot of singing, a time for prayers, praise and preaching. Our two team members from the Mexican Border Ministry in Texas were able to add special things to the service. This morning Miguel had been asked by the pastor to bring a message and Juan provided music on his guitar. Miguel's personal testimony was a moving account of his own faith journey into ministry. Juan and Miguel sang and then the entire group joined them for a couple of songs. Worship in a foreign place and another language can be an exercise in connectionalism. We are not only connected by friendship and a shared interest in bringing better health to the Ngobe Indians, but we are connected by our common Methodist heritage and by the Holy Spirit.

Following the service we met Patricia Magyar from the general Board of Global Ministries who will help with the Health Education program as she observes our whole project in order to see how we are working at promoting community based health service. After lunch we headed out to Cienaguita to unload supplies and began setting up for the week at the community center. When we had unloaded the buses and done the preliminary set-up we went further out to see a Ngobe village where latrines have been built as one of “put it into practice” community health projects.

Sharing in many ways with our friends in Panama is a joy. Through worship and conversation we reconnected and prepared for the busy week to come.