The far flung corners of the earth.

The ministry here has been keeping us very busy. I have about 3 studies in the works. There's also a couple that has been here 3 months that are leaving soon. The have over 15 studies that need to be taken care of. Although our primary goal is to find English speaking people, we try to cover the entirety of the islands. We talk to Spanish speaking people the best we can while we're searching for English speaking ones. Lot's of work to do! Panamanian's put a very high value on the Bible. They respect it. And clearly see the benefit of it. They're not distracted by illusory possesions, and fast-paced life.

Yesterday was definitely a highlight for me. Kelly, Liz and I decided to make it an extra long day. We had started a very long road last week and needed to finish it. So, we got on our bikes and started our trek. I'll take a brief moment to tell you about my bike. It's a beach cruiser, and a boys bike at that. I'm certain the whole village has seen every pair of underwear I brought trying to get on and off of that thing. Skirts + bikes should not be an equation. This bike has no gears, it's just one speed, the brakes are nearly non-existent, and the chain falls off on average every 3 minutes. All of these factors make riding through the jungle a challenge. Patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue, patience is a virtue. I repeat that to myself many times over. Anywho, back to yesterday. This road is a crushed stone road that leads you from one side straight through the middle to the other side of Colon Island. You travel through dense rain forest, around sharp corners and up and down steep hills. We were surrounded by palm trees, banana trees, bamboo shoots, huge trees with canopies spanning nearly 100 feet that have long tarzan ropes hanging from them, the deep howling of monkeys, countless birds chirping. A ways down the road I saw a dirt path that went off into the jungle. Excellent. We walked down the path into vibrant green, completely untouched by humans. The air was so wet, like it was raining without gravity. Just little drops of water floating all around you. We even spotted a sloth! His cute, furry, mangy body glided over the tree branch as he took such slow, steady steps.

Most of the people down this road are indigenous. One family we met lived in this little tiny wood hut, probably 20 square feet. When we arrived all the little kids came running out to greet us, 9 of them! Birth control? Not so much. They ranged in age from roughly 4-15. Their father couldn't read so Liz and Kelly read to him from the Bible and one of the magazines. I was out on the street with all of the adorable, bright-smiled kids. They huddled around me giggling. Unfortunately, I couldn't communicate with them very well not knowing much spanish. But, I learned all of their names. The oldest girl Teresa which she made sure I pronounced Terrrrrrrrrrrresa... yeah, I have to work on the r rolling a wee bit. I remembered I had some stickers in my bag with me, so all of their darkly tanned, soft hands had furry pigs, goats, chickens, and sponge-bob square pants faces on them when we left. They were thrilled!

I also met a very nice older man down that road. He speaks english. When I talked to him about a peaceful world he said "wouldn't that get boring?" I told him "Many people would think so. But, think of all the beautiful places to explore and visit. I've only been here a few weeks and have barely touched the surface. Or all the people to meet. I could spend years getting to know you and you're just one person out of 7 billion alive!" He said "Yes, yes, I agree with you. I don't believe it would be boring either. I was just testing you to see if you really believed it." Before we left he asked "What church are you from?" We told him we are Jehovah's Witnesses. He said "I thought Jehovah's Witnesses. You know why? Because all of these years, the only people that come all this way out here to share good news from the Bible are Jehovah's Witnesses." I've now committed myself to riding all the way out there regularly.

We finally reached the other side of the island 4 hours later. It was 5:30 at this point and the sun goes down at 6:30. The darkness fell very fast on our ride back. Complete darkness, intimidating darkness. We made it half way back when finally a big bus passed that agreed to tie our bikes to the roof and bring us the rest of the way into town. From Bocas we jump on a small water taxi to head back to the island we're currently living on. And then a half hour hike up through more jungle to our house. An exhausting, but highly rewarding day.

Exploring the islands themselves, we've come across beautiful white sand beaches. A cemetery with an open grave exposing an entire skeleton. Bugs of all sorts, too many to list.

The way of life is very simple here. The average Panamanian earns $1.25/hr and works extremely hard for that. They live off the land. My diet has mainly been rice, lentils, eggs and bananas in all different combinations. Rice and eggs, lentils and rice, eggs and lentils, you get the idea... it's nourishment, that's all that matters. The water is sourced by what falls from the sky mainly. That is when rain falls from the sky.

6 nights ago our rain water tank went dry. Of course it rained every day we got here until the tank went dry. Since, not one drop. So our relaxing, outdoor shower with an ocean view has been out of order. I haven't showered in 5 days. Who knew anti-bacterial wipes could be so refreshing? We have a small barrel of water that we've been able to use for washing dishes and things and dumping some over our hair. Without that we'd really be in trouble. It's all about the adventure, so I'm embracing the dirt!

Saturday we leave to Boquete, Panama for about 5 days to hike Volcan Baru. The volcano stands a little over 11,000 feet high.