We were traveling to assess a new village for ministry. Our guide pointed to an opening in the mangroves hardly wide enough for our boat to enter. We slowly pulled in, raised the motor, and tied off to the trees. Some of the villagers had gathered to welcome us. The pastor, who we had met previously in a nearby town, was excited to see us. He told us we were the first foreign team to come and visit their community.
After watching us struggle to climb out of the boat and through the muck and mangroves he said he would build a dock for our next visit. I did not consider it another moment, thinking it a pretty large task for a small village. We did our assessment and visited the homes. We left with great insight into what type of care the people there needed most.
A few weeks later we returned with our medical outreach team. Much to my surprise, the dock was built! It was amazing to see this act of kindness towards us and unloading was much easier.
We spent three days in this village located on Isla Tigre, Panama. Our attending physician from Laredo told us she saw more patients in those three days than she does in a whole week at her practice.
There were many great medical breakthroughs for the community. In addition to healthcare we were able to do Bible distribution, Bible study, and children’s ministry. Two days later the pastor sent pictures of five people getting baptized as a result of our clinic and the love of God demonstrated through all those who came to serve.
Tom Schmidt
YWAM Ships Outpost Panama
Click here to see how you can get involved.
Interested in knowing more? Contact us. We’d love to chat!
[ess_grid alias=”bottom-blog-grid-stories”]