Missions Blog

Welcome back!!

Today is October 4, and it is the second day of the Women’s Conference!

We started our day with breakfast at 8 a.m. and then immediately went into a time of worship and reading our Bibles. It was so cool to hear worship in Spanish and try to sing it in English. After a time in our Bibles, Jennifer Christensen and her daughter, Jessica, were able to give their testimonies. It was amazing how we were talking about building up the future generations and setting an example, and then hearing Jessica’s life story after we heard Jennifer's. 

After that, we had a coffee break where we could get refreshments and snacks before returning to a time of worship. The main focus of our time in our Bibles was on the different generations and how each of them viewed life. We did an activity where we split into the different age groups and played a game. It was so much fun!

Then, we cleaned up and brought out the craft we had prepared for everyone – decorating trucker hats! Fun fact- before we went on this trip, we were worried that we were not going to reach full support with all the materials we needed for this craft, but God will always provide, and we did reach full support thanks to everyone at home! It was amazing to see all the women with their different creative styles, and then later on in the day, so many women were wearing their hats. It was a blast!

Once everyone had finished creating their hats, it was time to clean up and return to our rooms to rest and prepare for the rest of the night, which included a gala. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it was to see all the women in their fancy dresses and beautiful makeup. Everyone looked stunning, especially when we went into a time of worship in these evening gowns. After this year's speaker gave the sermon, our group member, Alaina McDonald, gave her testimony. It was beautiful to see how her story reached so many women at this conference. 

Later, it was time for a mini “Miss America” contest, where two women were crowned. This year, Jessica and Alaina decided to participate in this contest, and it was amazing! They started out with a runway walk, and then the finalists were chosen. Alaina and Jessica did not win, however, Jessica did end up performing her talent, which was doing the worm in her evening dress! It was hilarious! 

The event ended up going until midnight, and everyone was so tired that it was time for bed. Alaina and Jessica ended up making some friends and got invited to go swimming with them afterward, so, obviously, they could not pass that up!

They mentioned how beautiful it was to talk with the women by using the Spanish they knew, since the women could not speak English. Even with a language barrier, they shared stories and had so much fun. 

Tomorrow marks the last day of the conference, with breakfast at 8 a.m.

Hello!!

Welcome to the first blog post from our 2025 Panama Women's Conference trip! We arrived in Panama on October 1 and have had many adventures so far: visiting Monkey Island and a Wounaan indigenous community located near Gamboa, Panama, before we headed to Campamento Palabra De Vida. 

Before I tell you about what we have been up to, I want to share a God moment. When we landed in Panama, one of the women in our group lost her suitcase because it was not in the overhead compartment where she had put it. In addition, we were also having cell service issues to let the Panama missionaries know we landed. Instead of freaking out, we all came together to pray for peace and patience while navigating a foreign country and running into some bumps.

Shortly after, the suitcase was found, and we ended up befriending one of the airline workers. His name is Ramano and he saw us praying and felt the need to help out a little-- he got us through customs quickly by allowing us to go through a different line and then he got us assistance to move all nine suitcases full of supplies from the baggage claim to the car. Without losing our luggage, we would have never had those blessings, so it is an important reminder to trust in God's plan, even if you don't understand.   

More about our trip: To get to Monkey Island and the Wounaan community, we had to take a boat on the Panama Canal. It was amazing to learn about the history of the area in addition to listening to personal stories from Missionary Traci Delibasich. Traveling across the water was eye-opening in seeing God's creation in full. The nature is so vibrant, and there are animals everywhere. We saw crocodiles, birds, and, of course, the monkeys. We got to get up close to different monkey islands and feed them grapes, oranges, and bananas, but we soon learned that they really wanted the limes. But not to eat them-- they used the limes to clean themselves, which was so interesting. The first monkeys we saw were the Capuchin monkeys, and then we saw the Titi monkeys. I loved the Titi monkeys because they are so small. 

After Monkey Island, we got to visit the San Antonio Wounaan Tribe. We learned their history, which turned out to be a little sad because they are not allowed to hunt like their ancestors did. They now rely on tourists for income because of the regulations on the Panama Canals that no longer allow them to be hunter/gatherers. While there, a few of us bought some handcrafted jewelry to support them, but also to have a souvenir. Before we left, they wanted to show us two dances: the Dance of the Butterfly and the Dance of the Coyote. It was amazing to see these dances and to see some of their clothing. 

After leaving the tribe, we traveled to Campamento Palabra De Vida, Word of Life Camp, on October 2. Some of us reconnected with old friends while others met new ones. It was beautiful to see the camp and what they have to offer for people here. We settled in and then got to work later in the night after dinner (which was delicious). Some of the women volunteers worked together after dinner to pack welcome bags for the women attending the conference later that day. This is also a big shout-out to those who helped us fundraise for this trip. It allowed us to bring supplies for these gifts, along with an activity to do with all the women. It is amazing what God can accomplish! 

Once all the bags were finished and we cleaned up, we headed back to our rooms to get ready for bed after an eventful day. Wake-up call is 7 a.m.!

It has been such a fun and informational two days, and I cannot wait to tell you more about this trip over the next few days!

Day 4 - Wow! If we thought we were sore yesterday, today was a doozy! But our team fueled up with breakfast and a beautiful devotion about God's faithfulness using the story of Elijah. Paul brought the message, and Tyler read the scriptures. Because of an issue with the normal devotional room, we got to start the morning on the massive back deck, complete with many rocking chairs, overlooking the most gorgeous mountain scene. Since we didn't have our sound system and screen, Linda was asked to lead worship with Amazing Grace. It was fun to have a whole TBC morning as our team led the whole group.

Boyd, Paul, and George finished the kitchen ceiling at their rebuild. Those previous days felt backbreaking, and they spent most of the day lifting the wood over their heads, so it was a blessing to be finished with that task. They also worked on cutting and installing the living room crown moulding. Unfortunately, there were no pictures with the turkey today. 😂 

Tyler and company finally finished ripping up the glued-down wood flooring after 4 days of work! Then Tyler, Linda U, and Karen finished the insulation, hung drywall, worked on drywall mud, and did truck inventory again. A very productive day with much more variety!

Regina and Stevie put the finishing touches on Miss Katherine's house. There was still more (heavy!) furniture to move into her home, so they spent most of the day doing that.

Jonna and Linda went into the day knowing the plan was to install ceramic tile in the bathroom, and thought they would be gophers for tools and supplies. To their surprise, Tim and Jack taught them to use a wet saw, a jigsaw, and a grinder. It was really special - knowing that these skilled craftsmen could have finished the job quickly, but took the time to teach them how to use the tools and trusted them to do almost all of the cutting. It really was a blessing all the way around.

Although we are all exhausted physically and, to be honest, mentally and emotionally, it's bittersweet that tomorrow morning is the last trip to the work sites.  We will go to three sites, work until noon and head out for the long 8 hour drive home. It's guaranteed that if you ask any one of the team, they would say they would come back again and would encourage anyone with a heart to serve the hurting to sign up to partner with Samaritan's Purse.

Day 3 found our team a little sore and slower to start today, but once we got our bodies moving and coffee in our systems, we were ready to get to our sites and start the day! A special moment from the morning that touched all of us was a devotion/testimony given by a man named Lynn from Alabama. He shared how he served in Nigeria at a hospital build with one doctor, no electricity except for a generator, and it was quite the tale of faith, persecution, and fear of possible kidnapping. It changed his life, and if you'd like to hear more about it, ask one of our 10 team members, and we'd be happy to share!

Regina and Stevie got to be present at a House Dedication for Miss Katherine. Stevie shared that Miss Katherine's house was a total rebuild. The water had been 4 feet high in her living room. Firefighters rescued her on a boat. The second photo is the group of family, friends, and neighbors that joined the SP staff and volunteers for the dedication. They prayed, presented Miss Katherine with a Bible and a journal that all the workers had left a message in. What a blessing to participate in. 

 Tyler was still working on the floors! The goal is to have them done prior to lunch tomorrow. Linda U and Karen finished the insulation in the master bedroom. All the insulation should be complete by lunch tomorrow. Karen and Linda also took inventory of the SP tool trailer.

Boyd, Paul, and George completed the ceiling in the living room, the back end of the hallway, and started the ceiling in the kitchen. They are working at a rebuild with a lot of animals on the property, and Paul was "talking turkey" with a new friend. Gobble Gobble. 🦃

Linda J and Jonna had an interesting start to the day that turned out to be God working to bring about a huge blessing. Their team split up today, so three of the men took the trailer to one house, and Linda, Jonna & Tim (the foreman) went back to the single mom's home. It was a late start because they had to pack Tim's truck with supplies from the tool trailer and grab more supplies for ripping out the tile floor in a small bathroom.  

Through a stressful series of events, Linda & Jonna ended up not getting to the rebuild until 10:30 am. They painted the whole bathroom, painted trim, chiseled up the tile floor, and then poured leveler onto the floor to harden for the tile installation. But the beautiful blessing was that the homeowner came and shared her heart and her struggles with them. After some deep discussions, Linda asked if they could pray with her, and she said yes! The foreman said that she has continued to warm up to everyone and come out of her shell. He says she is like a whole different person from their first day at the rebuild. And another blessing, the 8-year-old daughter had been at a camp that day, and because they had to work later than usual, Linda and Jonna got to see her, spend time with her, and write her little notes about how much Jesus loves her. God is working in miraculous ways!

After a precious time of sharing about each team's experiences, we are ready to sleep, rest our aching bodies, and start fresh tomorrow. We can't wait! Thank you for praying!

North Carolina Hurricane Relief - Day 2

Our second day, we were off and running at 7:15 am for devotional, worship, and breakfast. We all then went with our designated teams to our work sites. Before we left, we grabbed a picture with our whole group. It's been amazing to come together with people from all over the country to serve these NC residents!

Boyd, Paul, and George continued to work on the ceiling. Today was removing the ceiling fan in the living room, installing almost half the tongue and groove ceiling, and reinstalling and cleaning the ceiling fan. They also installed an edging piece around the entire living space ceiling to aid in the installation of the ceiling panels.

Jonna and Linda J's team went to 2 houses today. One was way up in the mountains, and they weren't sure the huge truck and SP trailer would be able to get up the windy dirt roads. But Tim, the team lead was a master at maneuvering it and they greeted the homeowner who needed them to start by removing soffit/fascia and scrape some peeling paint that would later be repainted. 

After lunch, they returned to the house from Day One and helped in cleaning, vacuuming, painting, helping to rearrange furniture, and tearing up a bathroom tile floor. It was hot and hard work, but there was joy abounding as the team really bonded.

Stevie and Regina are putting the finishing touches on a house that they are excited to dedicate this week with their entire team. What a blessing! Stevie painted trim, moulding, and baseboards, while Regina helped with cleaning, moving, and setting up furniture. Their homeowner is in her 90s and has beautiful antique furniture that was a joy to put back into its rightful place.

Linda U, Karen, and Tyler went back to the home from yesterday, where Tyler continued to help rip up the hardwood floors. It's slow, hard, tedious work, but it will be such a blessing for the homeowner!  Linda and Karen installed an entire room of insulation and did a fantastic job! Not something they probably ever imagined they would do!

Some other great news of the day is that Paul was able to get a room at The Cove with the rest of the TBC team, and that was one hurdle that God worked out in a beautiful way. We're excited to hear Paul share the devotion on Thursday morning!

Thank you all for your prayers and for keeping up with the hard work by the TBC team with Samaritan's Purse. People's lives are being transformed by Jesus!