PANAMA

As we headed into our last day our devo has us reflecting on was too celebrate all we have seen since our arrival.
We say lives changed, hearts healed, anxiety released, all in the name of Jesus! We have laughed, some of us have cried, but through it all we kept Jesus at the forefront.

We drove a couple hours to the beach! Warm water and some black sand made for a very exciting time! More laughter, more camaraderie , more bonding.
We ate lunch and did some souvenir shopping then headed back to the church where some real celebrating happened.
We got the change to thank both churches and bless their kitchen staff. Little did they know they have blessed us far beyond what we could have imagined! More laughter, more tears, more camaraderie! Singing and dancing! God has been moving here and our prayers and challenge to the students is to continue to be on mission. You are not just called for a moment, not chosen for just a time but for a lifetime. Continue to inspire, continue to share your story, continue to serve!

We love you all and will see you soon!

What a beautiful way to start our last day of service here in panama. We were greeted this morning with an amazing Panamanian breakfast to get going before we set out to serve the Lord for the day. The hospitality of the church we are serving is full of love and service themselves. With devotionals every morning to prepare our hearts for what was yet to come. These students are absolutely on fire for the Lord and it is an absolute blessing to see them at work.
Today we made visits in the local community and distributed some food. Without hesitation the students pray for the needs of those who we are dropping food off to. Compassion and love are on display at it finest as we make these rounds to homes. Painting our host church was a great way to give back to them for their services unto our missionaries. To wrap up the evening we held a youth night at the church and watched all the students worship together in harmony. This is what we came to do! Equipping the pastors on how to reach the youth and then showing them what to do once they show up. Worship, fun, laughter, and love. Once we depart from here, a staple will be left behind. People will be talking about "the missionaries from the usa" for years to come. Most importantly, the spirit of God will remain here in panama and the impact the students had on people’s lives will last forever!

Today marked our fifth day of ministry here in Panama, and it was a day full of movement, meaning, and the unmistakable presence of God. Our team split into two groups this morning, each assigned to different service projects at two local churches. One team grabbed paintbrushes and got to work transforming a church space with fresh color and care, while the other team rolled up their sleeves mixing cement, laying blocks, and building up the physical walls of a new church location.

Later in the afternoon, we went into the nearby community to distribute food. But what happened in those moments went far beyond meeting physical needs. We had the opportunity to pray with families, speak words of hope, and boldly share the gospel. One encounter especially stood out: a woman told us she had dreamt of a missionary team coming to her home. In her dream, there was a young girl who didn’t want to go to church. She felt the Lord was revealing that we are here to fight for the youth in this area, a place where many young people have grown cold to the things of God.

Her words gave us chills.

They lit a fire in us as we prepare for the youth service we’ll be hosting tomorrow. We’re not just hoping for attendance we’re praying for transformation. For breakthrough. For revival in a generation that has felt forgotten or disinterested in the gospel. But we believe God’s heart is burning for them.

Afterward, we hosted a VBS for the kids in the community. We shared the story of creation and got to make colorful paper flowers and butterflies. Laughter filled the room as we danced, crafted, and loved on every single child. It’s hard to put into words how full our hearts felt joy overflowing from their smiles, giggles, and tiny hands reaching for more glue or one more hug.

We returned to our base church for dinner. And went into a time of worship lasting long into the evening. The Holy Spirit moved powerfully students worshipped freely, boldly prayed for people walking by on the street, and ministered to one another. We saw them rise into their giftings and take hold of the callings God has placed on their lives. There were tears, testimonies, and life changing moments.

If today was any indication, God is just getting started. Let’s keep building, keep praying, and keep fighting for the youth, for this community, and for the kingdom of God to come alive in Panama.

Marcus Marshall
July 9th, 2025

Seu- Holy Spirit/ dove
Today was a great day we woke up and had a devo about compassion. Our students have had tons of interaction with the people of Panama.  We have done vbs, women’s conferences, food deliveries to houses and a few service projects. They have such a great opportunity to represent Christ in many ways. Many of the students have found even though they don’t speak Spanish, the compassion and the heart that they lead with also speaks. They have worked so hard and many have come to know Christ because of it. Today we had a chance to have a free morning and we went on a canoe ride to an indigenous tribe. They make all of their own things, and have no electricity, they showed us some of their tribal dances, they even wore their tribal outfits. It started pouring raining so we hurried and got some things from their shop and caught the canoe back to other side of lake.

The local missionary has been working hard with pastors here because they have all been struggling to reach teenagers and young adults. So on Monday we added to the itinerary a youth revival night on Friday. So we went into neighborhood and passed out flyers to the events. Tonight we did a pastors conference for over 18 pastors. We also had many different students share stories on what has helped them stay connected to local church. We have noticed here being a Christian is very religious based with no relationship. So tonight we had a chance to encourage pastors and even have our team pray with them. At the end of service so many pastors responded to being discouraged and ready to quit. It was amazing we did a nice dinner, worship, and just served them. It amazes me how much our students have stepped out of their comfort zones, this whole week we have all been stretched.
It’s been a joy to serve the people of Panama. We are excited for the remainder of the trip and know that God has so much in store. Our team appreciates your support and asks for continued prayer for our remaining days in Panama. 

For the second consecutive day, our team was up early to serve throughout the Panamanian community. After our daily morning devotional; this day’s message centered around “boldness” and stepping outside of your comfort zone, our teams split up to continue in their ministry opportunities. Each team was responsible for food distribution, delivering meals to homes of families and having the opportunity to introduce the Gospel. It was such a blessing and privilege to be invited into the homes of the local community, and learn more about them and their stories. A few team members were also able to do some quick service projects for the local churches here in town. After a quick break for lunch, the teams continued hosting a VBS for the children in the surrounding area, where over 200 children came to play, do crafts, and learn about the love of Jesus. Shortly after, we connected with some of the women of the area, where testimonies were shared, relationships were formed and lives were changed. As part of our nighttime routine, the two teams came back together to partake in an evening devotional, worship, and talk about the highlights of the day. 

It’s been a joy to serve the people of Panama. We are excited for the remainder of the trip and know that God has so much in store. Our team appreciates your support and asks for continued prayer for our remaining days in Panama. 

Our first full day of serving! We have two teams serving at two churches that work together to further God’s kingdom.
Both teams started off by buying and making food bags for food distribution the next day. Afterwards, we had our first day of VBS. We both told the story of Noah’s Arc and followed up by doing a craft. Team 1 had 120 and team 2 had 60 kids!
The students paired up and helped them with their crafts as we got to know them and making lasting memories we get to look back on and laugh!
Afterwards, we both did women’s ministry where one of our students gave their testimony for the first time! It was a beautiful moment to be able to see our students serve these ladies!
For dinner we got to come together and share the good things God is doing just in this day alone! We eagerly await for tomorrow to come and see the same kiddos (and new ones) along with the women we got to speak life into and serve them as Jesus served us!
Panama has been welcoming, beautiful and wonderful to us, we can’t wait to see how else God works in these next days!

Yesterday our team arrived safely in Panama! After almost a full day of traveling, we took some time to rest up and prepare for what God has in store for us on this trip. And when we woke up this morning, our hearts were equipped and ready to serve God and those around us.
This Sunday morning, we had the privilege to not only attend the Sunday service at the church we are staying at, but host most of the gathering. From worship and offering, to preaching and prayer, each one of our students and leaders stepped out in faith and took on a leadership role within both the adult and kids ministries at the church.
Being able to worship alongside this community in both English and Spanish was a beautiful reminder that even though we come from different cultures and speak different languages, that our Lord and Savior is the same God in Fresno, CA as He is here in Panama.