To answer a few general questions about Changuinola, yes we are completely surrounded by Banana Plantations. I will have to send you a picture of a map we have here, just to give you an idea. It has been amazing, you see people driving around tractors pulling trailers of people to work on the farm; all carrying machetes and sporting rubber work boots. Just about everyone has a bike and it's a big thing here to customize your bike. I have seen bikes extended, lowered, or with tanks of pressurized air on the side so they can have fog horns.
There isn't a day that goes by where you don't see a pickup truck piled with bananas. We are so close to the Chiquita Banana production line we get them for dirt cheap. It is like 10 cents a banana if you buy them one by one, but you can get them for less if you buy them by the branch. Yes, that's very common and we had a member cut off a part of her branch and gave it to us and we are now waiting for our 30 bananas to ripen. But that's Bananos, Bananas. There are so many different types of bananas, the most popular being Mal'duro. That's what they use to make Patacones and there is no way to eat Patacones other than with Fried Chicken. Oh, I'm living the dream and I finally understand why they say Panamanians only eat deep-fried food. Here in Changy I don't doubt it; I could live off of Patacones as they are cheap and delicious.
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| Banana Plantation |
We turned back around and headed for the entrance of the trail. As we made our route back, I just kept thinking, why were we here. I felt strongly to be here and as I was in my thoughts it ended up being that a teacher was leaving the school. She left just as soon as we passed. We walked and talked and she was very interested. She was an English teacher here in Panama from New York. Apparently, she had a lot of families who were members but on the side of her sister in law. The work of the Lord was beautifully planned that we were in the right spot at the right time. That's one of the many blessings I have seen during this past week.
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| Where we attend church. |
We had a baptism of Luis this week. We live close to a river, and well we don't have a church building or baptismal font. (The closest building is about 40 minutes away.) We have special permission to hold church at the side of a house. We have our church outdoors sun or rain and the spirit is just very strong, no matter where you are. The blessings you have at church are so strong and so irreplaceable, but I have to admit its so much better outdoors.
It rained the night before and so the river was very full, so this young man was being pulled downstream with the current. My companion was literally holding him in place. It was a beautiful ceremony and he is one brave little man. Shivering and Freezing, he refused to leave the water until he was baptized without being torn away by the raging tempest current.
My companion happens to know a little bit of street magic. He has been able to fascinate kids and gain more attentive listening by offering to do a magic trick after our lesson. However, one Grandmother called him out saying he was a magician who practiced dark arts and had beasts. Without hesitation or fear, he told her, oh maybe I do have a beast, who knows. But is that all... I mean I have heard so much worse, let alone the doors slammed in my face, or the water being thrown at me.
We were able to finish teaching and by the end of that lesson, she was attentively listening. When we were leaving the Grandmother said to me, I want to get married. Now I don't know what that means. If 1) She was referencing before when she said she didn't want to get baptized because that meant she had to be married or 2) I now have someone waiting for me to return home. Either way, WOOO!
