Panamá

Because we only have a 90 day visa upon entering Costa Rica, the students at Portantorchas had to leave the country for a few days to renue their visas. What better place to do that than on the beaches of Panama? 

First, we got up at 3:30am and drive to the border, crosses the border in record time, then made it to the coast. 

The military in Panama checked our passports. 

We then piled on a boat and went to Red Frog Island to a hostel where we are staying. 

Day two we went to a little island (I think Jack Sparrow spent some time there) and explored, then went snorkeling not far from where we had lunch. 

Kayce, Abija, y yo. 

I spent an hour husking this coconut and was rewarded with the freshest and most tender coconut fruit of my life. It was the highlight of my day. 

Today we are going to town and eating dinner out. We are planning to leave tomorrow and get our new 90 day visas for Costa Rica. It's wild to think we only have a month and a half left of this semester. 

I have made very safe plans to get to the orphanage in Honduras for dec and jan. I am very excited to learn more Spanish and expierence something totally new like that. 

Also, please pray for our group. Next week we are going all together to Costa de Pajaros the small fishing village that I blogged about earlier. We have a lot planning but are praying for Gods plan to come to fruition in that communtity. Please support our team through prayer as we move forward with that trip. 

Out of the Haze

I finally am coming out of the sickness haze. Turns out I got whatever was going around. Well, to be fair I got a portion of it. I skipped the tummy troubles (explosive diarrhea) and just got the rest. So, I slept for about 4 days while the world continued on around me and then spent the next two days trying to convince myself I was well while simultaneously getting winded walking from the main building to my bed. To sleep. At 7 pm. Ah... good memories! But, what a blessing health is. Every day someone new is getting sick around here. We have no idea what it is, who started it, or how long it will last for each person, so we just call it the plague.

Other than the plague, not much is new around here. This week for classes we are taking a break of guest speakers and doing an amazing study of First Thessalonians. It is an individual study and I have been using all sorts of books like concordances, Greek and English parallel Bibles, commentaries, Bible dictionaries. The list feels endless. But, I love it. Friday we will start the book of Esther with Janet, the founder of Portantorchas' wife -- another thing to look forward to.

A few questions I want to answer on this blog post because I have been bad at answering emails and many people have asked me about these things.

1. Are my classes in Spanish? No. This is the first semester that all of the students are fluent English speakers and none of the speakers so far have had a problem doing the classes on English. So, no, the classes thus far have not been in Spanish though I am sure at some point they will be.

2. Am I still going to Honduras/ How is the planning for that going? Yes, I am still planning to go to Honduras, though for a while I wasn't sure. Honduras is not a very safe place (in fact it is the most dangerous country in Central America), but the Orphanage I will be at is safe. I am planning to fly into the capital and get a taxi out to the orphanage. It is a very expensive way to travel, but being alone and while and female and rich (compared to the rest of the country) puts a huge target on my back. You knew this though, I just wanted to make sure you know that I know. But, if you could have these concerns in your prayers as I get in contact with the orphanage and make travel plans, I would love that. It is nerve wracking for me, but I think it is something I need to do.

¡Pura Vida!