”]
It feels like there´s hardly time to breathe so much has been going on… jobless and busier than ever. We received an injection of hope this morning when the local government representative visited an awaiting masse of community members at our request this morning to promise justice and action for the absurdity that has been our ¨road project¨ up until now; so there is renewed anticipation that the stretch of mud hole we live on will soon become a passable road (a good one for prayer). [corruption + incompetence = mosquitoes]
Rodrigo, a visionary Panamanian agronomist, has a pet toucan that is free to come and go as it pleases (no clipped wings). It used its freedom to repeatedly attack me.
We recently helped form an excursion for several indigenous leaders to visit farms in the Chiriqui province for ideas and inspiration. In conjunction with MBMSI missionaries and local church leaders, we are forming a proposal for an agricultural project that will accompany our recently submitted water and latrine project proposals to benefit communities that were devastated by flooding this past winter. We visited coffee nurseries and farms, a hydroponics operation, and stayed at a working aquaponics farm courtesy of DeadWheat International Foundation. Many thanks to them for their help and generosity in this educational excursion. And thanks to YWAM for hosting us afterwards; your work is an inspiration, too!
a coffee farm in Chiriqui
Mayeli, 8, helps me nail some siding on the house
In between all the meetings, proposal writing, and community activities, we´re trying to find time to finish our house… with the help of our neighbors of course. Your words of encouragement are always much appreciated. Dios te bendiga!
and, of course, the star of our show.
corruption + incompetence = mosquitoes, hahahah. Laughed out loud about that one. I hope your days of supervising the road project have come to an end. I also really enjoyed Colleen’s post about saving the forest. And, yes, one thing that Alan has taught me (besides how to read and call out measurements in the dark and hang a mosquito net–although I swear I saw your inidigineous employee sleeping naked without one, but that’s another story) is that asking doesn’t hurt. I’m sure that your stuff is still waiting for you in Howard, speaking of! Well, love you three and blessings always!
–Bryce