Estoy aqui (I am here)

Nos Hemos Llegado (We have arrived)

We have finally arrived in Tocumen, Panama! We landed in the late evening on August 17th and have settled in to our new home. Laura, Nathan and I were greeted by Father Larry and some others from the church at the airport and we were taken to our home and greeted with a great reception of many parishoners and neighbors. The house we are staying at in Tocumen is very close to the airport, so we hear airplanes go overhead every once and a while, but not too often. We have electricity, clean water, kitchen appliances and the works. The house is great and the neighbors that we have met so far are very nice. I met Father Wally today, who is the person I will be working with most of my time in Wacuco starting in a couple months. He seems like a very good guy who can organize to get things done here. There is a link to his website on the right-hand side of this website if you are interested in projects he has done in the past.

It is hard to get used to the language here in Panama because they use many different phrases and words than other Central American countries. It just makes me realize home much I need to learn. I am very grateful for my roommates who know more Spanish than I do, because they are helping me sound less like an idiot. Please pray for me that I may grasp a better understanding of the language so I may communicate well with the Panamanians. Muchas Gracias.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support of this mission. If you are interested in supporting the cause monetarily, you can send a check to the following address. It is tax-deductible and much appreciated because Cap Corp covers all of my costs for the trip. Thank you so much!

Cap Corps Office
301 Church Street
Mt. Calvary, WI 53057


Nuestro Viaje a Wacuco (Our trip to Wacuco)

Today we visited Wacuco to check out the place that will be my home for the next year and a half. I will start working there with Father Wally some time in October. It is amazing the amount of projects that he has done and is currently working on to help improve the area of Wacuco and other surrounding communities. It is about two or two and a half hours from Tocumen, where I am currently staying with the other volunteers. We took the Pan-American Highway most of the way there and we found out that much of the highway near Wacuco was paved by Father Wally and his team of people there. It was quite amazing to visit Father Wally’s place because he has so much equipment and tools that he has acquired through donations that allow him to do so many big projects there. The first project I will be helping him with is the burying of 20km of pvc pipe for the water system he built in that area. Currently the system is not big enough, so he wishes to expand it so more people can get clean water. Before Father Wally came to Panama 18 years ago, the people did not have a source of clean water and resorted to drinking runoff on the side of the road or well water which was very brackish and not good for drinking or cooking. He also has plans to build a dam at the source of the water supply so there will be enough water during the dry season as well. Currently during the dry season there can be water shortages, so Wally drives around in a huge milk truck filled with water and goes up and down the street giving out water to the community. I am very excited to start working in that area and to learn all these different projects that I will be helping out on. Thanks everyone for tuning in! Please keep me in your prayers. Que Dios te bendiga! (God bless you)