Gabe, a participant with the Maranatha team, was excellent with the children. When he would give his testimony you could see the look of interest in the student’s eyes, they focused on every small detail of the story. The students never wanted the team to leave their classroom; they wanted more stories, more games and more time to interact. The team really elevated the energy in the room and filled the students with joy. Being able to impact a life by telling a student about the love of Jesus, was life changing for the group of missionaries serving that week in Panama.
“Sharing my testimony and giving out shoes to students was great. We also played games in classrooms, kicked around soccer balls, and participated in a skit about accepting Jesus and letting him take our sorrows. I really loved getting to hand out dozens of pairs of shoes to the locals. The majority of people, especially kids, had shoes too big, too small, or in tatters. Even though there was a language barrier, we didn’t need a translator to understand the joy on their faces when they received the perfect pair of shoes. The trip to Panama was both fun and insightful and wish I was back in Panama.”
– Gabriel Villar (16 years old)
