Let the Waters Rise

All week in Panama I had "Let the Waters Rise" by Mikeschair stuck in my head. I didn't listen to it before I came. I didn't think about it. It just popped into my head when we were crossing the sketchy bridge on the border, and it was no accident. Here are the lyrics:

Don't know where to begin

It's like my world's caving in

And I try but I can't

Control my fears

Where do I go from here?

Sometimes it's so hard to pray

When You feel so far away

But I am willing to go 

where you want me to

God I trust You

(chorus)

There's a raging sea

Right in front of me

Wants to pull me in

Bring me to my knees

So let the waters rise

If You want them to

I will follow You

I will follow You

I will swim in the deep

'Cause You'll be next to me

You're in the eye of the storm

And the calm of the sea

You're never out of reach

God You know where I've been

You were there with me then

You were faithful before

You'll be faithful again

I'm holding Your hand

(chorus)

God Your love is enough

You will pull me through

I'm holding onto You

God, Your love is enough

I will follow You

I will follow You

It reminded me that I have to be willing to "let the waters rise" in my life so that I learn to cling onto what the Lord has planned for me. I have to wait on Him this time. He's not supplying me with an answer right away. And while I'm waiting, I can't fight the rising water alone. I have to rely on God to lead me. I have to  trust that He will show me what He planned. "[He was] faithful before and [He'll be] faithful again." I just have to trust His timing.

Prayer requests:

-That God makes it known to me what His plan is- not based on my desires and not other people's desires, only His.

-That distractions stay away so that I can fully focus on what is happening here!

-It sounds small, but self-control for me not eating gluten anymore!

Panama!

We have to leave the country every 90 days to renew our Visas/Passports (I don't know what to call it), so this semester we went to Bocas del Toro, Panama for 4 days!

Here's a recap!

Day 1: We left the Villa at 1:00am on Tuesday and started the 5 hour drive to Panama! I didn't take a nap on Monday because I planned on sleeping on the bus. But what do you know? I couldn't fall asleep… No matter how hard I tried. 

     First stop, 5:15am: the border. We got there an hour and 45 minutes before it opened, but it was light outside and we were restless, so a group of us got out and walked around to see what was there. Well, just in case you're ever on the Costa Rica/Panama border, let me tell you now that nothing is open at 5:15am. So we walked down the street and walked back. Then we sat on some benches. Then we sat on the street. Then we watched countless kids cross what might be the sketchiest bridge on earth (that's still in use). I thought about getting back on the bus, but you know when you leave a room and you come back and you think you're going to suffocate from the horrible smell? Yeah? I didn't get back on the bus. Then two hours later, we did all the customs forms. Then WE got to cross the bridge. It was probably more fun because I hadn't slept in 24 hours.

     Second stop: The first water taxi. I don't have anything to say about it, but we got on a few boats and went to the main island. We ate lunch on the main island and wandered around for a while. It was really hot, and when you add a gray T-shirt and a hiking backpack filled with other people's things with constant sweat, you can imagine what I looked like.

     Third stop: The second water taxi. These were similar boats that took us from the main island to Bastimentos Island where our (very nice, air-conditioned) hostel was. When we got settled in, we went down to the beach. The water was crystal clear (quite the opposite of the lake-y beach water we were in a few weeks ago). It was BEAUTIFUL! Then after 38 hours, I was out like a light. 

Day 2: We left the hostel around 9 am and went to a nursing home on the main island. My friend Myra and I found one lady named Maria, and went over to talk to her. We didn't understand one single word she said, but she started to laugh uncontrollably, and the three of us sat there and cracked up for a solid 20 minutes. She kept talking and laughing, and eventually we took her outside. There were tons of GAP students out there so I went to find someone to talk to inside. It took me about 45 minutes to find someone who spoke clearly AND could hear what I said, but eventually I found Libertario. He didn't know any English and he had been in that nursing home for 20 years, yet he looked significantly younger than the other people there. He first came in a wheelchair and completely rehabilitated and was "walking, running and jumping" now. He was really easy to talk to! 

     Then I wandered around more and found Tomás (Tommy) laying in his bed. He thought I was the "chica loca" dancing in the lobby (cough cough Myra). He knew some English, and we talked about how he liked Costa Rica and the US. He couldn't hear me very well, but he could read lips. I can't count how many times he told me the differences between each coast of Costa Rica and the cost of living in Panama versus the US, but it was A LOT. After a while, Libertario came and joined the conversation. He was my translator. But not from English to Spanish- from Spanish to louder Spanish. 

     It was pretty disheartening to see how the people there lived. I think they just sit around all day. Of the people I talked to, none of their families ever visited. They are fed some bread or rice during the day, but nothing of nutritional value. They were served cookies and bananas as a treat from the other gringos there. But overall, it was a great morning!

In the afternoon, we went snorkeling! I only used the goggles for about 5 minutes because it was more fun to just swim around! But then people started to get stung by jellyfish. Tons of people did, but I hadn't even seen any. AT the second stop, I didn't get stung, but my hand grazed the top of a huge one and that was it- I got out of the water for good. That evening we went back to the beach to hang out for a while and have a cookout! I looked like I had chicken pox because I was eaten alive by sand fleas (FYI: bug spray doesn't repel sand fleas). We had hot dogs and Chiky s'mores. If you have never had Chikys, go to your nearest Mexican market and buy some.

Day 3: We walked on a dirt path on Bastimentos to a native tribe! It's not the kind of tribe you might be thinking of. No feathers, dancing, drums, or sacrifices. Sorry to disappoint. They were normal people who live in a small 80-person community. They had a really heavy dialect, but I got by.

I spent the entire time with some ladies behind the school building. Their names were Lidia, Paula, Marlin, and a 14-year-old named Natalia. Paula had a baby girl named Marisol two months ago, and she hung in this little hammock the whole time:

They were making soup out of lentils, bananas (they call them "morus" (MO-roos)), onions, chicken, and a root that looked like yucca. It was a hideous color but it smelled incredible! 

That afternoon, most students went back to the beach, but a few of us stayed behind at the hostel. I didn't want to get eaten by sand fleas again and I needed a break from the loudness. It was really relaxing. Some of us talked for a while in our room, then I read for a few hours. The girl in the bar was blasting "Single Ladies" for about 30 minutes, then she went on a Beyonce craze for the rest of the night. I started to feel kind of sick so I laid around on the giant chairs in the lounge until I couldn't take any more Beyonce.

Day 4: Travel day. We left early, walked around the main island for about 45 minutes, then headed back to the bus on the main land. Once we got back to the border we ate lunch (which was lemon tea, granola and yogurt for me), crossed back over the bridge, filled out our forms, and waited. And sweated. And waited. And sweated. I'm not exaggerating when I say it might be the sweatiest I've ever  been. It was repulsive. When we finally got back on the bus, I tried to sleep a little because I still felt sick, but I only got about an hour in. 

There's Panama in a nutshell! 

I'm working on another post about what God has been doing that I will try to put up soon!

FAQ!

Do you ever feel homesick?
I hope this doesn't sound bad, but no, not really. I miss Tulsa and my friends and family, but I LOVE it here!  I love the language, culture, classes, our churches and ministries. It's all incredible! I'm excited to come home to see everyone in December, but it will be hard to leave this!

Hardest thing to get used to?
Less freedom. At home, I can get in the car and drive if I need something or want to go somewhere. Here we have to bring a guy with us, we sign out when we leave (well, we're supposed to), and we always walk, unless it's far away; then we take a bus or taxi. It's not really bad but it took some getting used to.
Also, money. Everything that's a name brand is expensive. Fresh fruits and vegetables are cheap, which is probably best, but I have to limit my snacking and smoothie-runs. 
*PS- if you're ever in San Jose, find a Cosechas.

Best part so far?
Bible class. Our teacher, John, is absolutely awesome. I'd never had bible classes before, coming from a public school, and after every class, my mind is exploding with new information. Everything he says is practical so we can start using it right away! I love it! 

Favorite food?
Well, the feria is my favorite place to get food, but it's got almost every fruit or vegetable you could want, plus tons more I've never heard of. My favorite traditional dish is arroz con pollo. I also like chayote. I don't know what's in it, but it's pretty good. 
Gallo pinto (rice and beans with eggs) is the most common traditional dish but I'm not a huge fan of beans or eggs in the first place, so it's not my favorite. There's also a restaurant called El Sabor. I've only been once, but my chicken burger was REALLY good.

Who do your friends remind you of in Tulsa and why?
Well... I won't put specific names but almost everyone here reminds me of someone I know. It's mainly mannerisms, things they say, the way they react to different things. And it's really random people. If you want to know if you're like someone, just ask me!

What has been your most bizarre experience?
I haven't had that many, but two specific things come to mind.
One: the night half my church group was almost killed in our taxi. The driver was completely insane and talking on the phone, swerving and almost hitting three motorcyclists, a few pedestrians, and almost every car. We could have sworn he said "tengo tres" (I have three) in a hushed voice to whoever was on the other line. Safe to say that's the scariest thing. But no worries. We survived.
Two: the other day on Guadalupe Park, four of us were peacefully talking in the park and drinking our Cosechas, when a man on the other side of the gazebo (pavilion? I don't know what to call it) started singing. He was good and we watched him. The he noticed us watching him. Then he slowly came closer and closer to us and sang to us. So after one song we started to say "good job, thank you," etc. But he kept going... And going. And our bible teacher even came up and listened. When he finaly stopped he went on and on in Spanish about what an embarrassment it was that he had to ask the guys for money in front of the ladies. I can't count how many times he said "what a shame" but it was a lot... So we got up and left him standing there to sing for the rest of someone else's life.

What souvenir am I buying Jane?
Beans, rocks... Maybe 5 colones if you're good.

Prayer Requests:
-Most of the students here are struggling with what God's plan for them after this year. Please pray for patience as we all wait for God to show us His plans in His timing!
-We leave for Panama at 1:00am on Tuesday morning! Please pray for our ministry there (we're working in a nursing home and an indigenous tribe's school)! Also, 4 people were at camp all weekend and 5 of us were in a town called Guacimo! I'm working on a post about our time in Guacimo, but that won't be up until after Panama.
-Continued prayers about distractions would be awesome, too! Sometimes it's hard to focus on Spanish sentence structure when there's so much to do outside of the Villa!