one a day

So, Panama, where do I start with trying to describe such a beautiful country and even more beautiful people?! Basically this month was much needed when it comes to rest since our last two months have been mega fast with very little downtime to process and rejuvenate. One thing my team took on this month is cultivating an attitude of thankfulness. So I just want to give you a quick look at what I was thankful for this month (which was about 3-4 things a day plus a few bonuses).

1. The cool, fall-ish weather and the constant breeze. We’ve been in hot humid communities for 10 weeks now and my Michigan heart is so happy for clouds and breezes.

2. This month has had so much time to process, days set aside for such a thing. #thanksMorgan

3. Time together as a team. For our first two months we were with the whole squad and then another team. So time together as our little deep waters family was the best!

4. Brownie pancakes

5. Hammocks (it was one thing that didn’t make the cut when I was packing so any time there is a hammock for me to use I’m so happy!)

6. Chocolate spoons from the Perfect Pair (one of our favorite coffee shops in Boquete)

7. Rain (even the freezing cold, leaves your bones chilled rain)

8. Asking the Lord for free food and getting a carrot cake from our fave barista Josè

9. Tough conversations and and trusting the Jesus within the other person

10. The Arte Hostal in Boquete

11. Being close to town (like a 5 minute walk to anything)

12. Dogs (even small dogs like Eeyore, Albert, Pookie and Carnaela)

13. Elbus and his hard working spirit and his love for moping

14. Finding cozy sweatshirts at the thrift shop for 2$ #VirginiaIsForLovers

15. Justin making us rice krispy treats

16. Ministry talks with SQLs

17. Waterfalls

18. Justin having a car

19. Justin taking our bags to David (he seriously was a God sent this month!)

20. Being told “go” three times. Leaving each time, but never leaving Boquete, and knowing we were right where God wanted us.

21. 40 cent buses

22. Not having a conversion rate #balboas=dollars

23. Strawberry Fresca ice creams for 80 cents

24. Jacob and Paula inviting me to play soccer in the street with them

25. Katrinas garden views, real cheese, and conversations about Panama’s education system

26. Jovie teaching us to salsa

27. Plenõs fresh fruit and veggies

28. Rosemary blessing us with warm laundry, rides in the rain, and sweet conversation

29. Big Daddy’s outdoor fireplace table and the saying “you rats”

30. Mr. Fredrickson inviting us over for dinner and eating the neighbors chicken.

31. $1.50 coffee and chocolate

32. Having the hostel to ourselves for many days

33. Conversations with friends back home about starting their school years

34. Warm sunny days

35. Living out of just our day packs, minimalism is a blessing

36. My families willingness to come to Boston for our 36 hour layover

37. Being only 30 minutes from Stream Team and Groot

38. Burgers and beers #SheBrews

39. Morning coffee

40. Cooking lessons with Stokes

41. New headbands and scrunchies

42. Wearing jeans

43. 2 hour long cab drives and getting to see Panamas scenery

44. Walking to the grocery store

45. Ben and Jerry’s!!

46. Meeting new friends from Germany – Corina

47. Having a sweet neighbor boy – Johan

48. Not starting my teaching career this year, and having full faith that in exactly where I’m supposed to be in this season

49. Playing cards anywhere and everywhere

50. Boquete Bible Fellowship and being so welcomed into their community

51. Knowing there are so many different kinds of trees and leaves. In Boquete, pine trees grow next to palm trees.

52. The dollar store

53. Art supplies

54. Clean water

55. Drives through the mountains

56. Jerry the story teller

57. The Tuesday morning market and running into Jovie again!

58. Pumpkin pancakes

59. Fresh oranges

60. Long walks to town from Las Naranjos

61. Doodling my thoughts out

62. The memories that came from a city wide power outage

63. Luz, the sweet shop owner that remembered my name every time I walked by

64. Not having water for a few days, and using the best of our resources

65. James and Cynthia taking us to get Chinese food and trying rice noodles for the first time

66. Allowed the space to just yell at God when I’m frustrated to the point of what feels like no return

67. The space to yell in general

68. Grace from leadership

69. Talking parrots

70. Kombucha and overalls, two things that I had never given a chance but always just said I wasn’t a fan of, and turning out I really like both of those!

71. Philippians 1:3

72. Mugshots with the team

73. Being alone

74. Being with people

75. Leftovers and not having to buy another meal #worldracebudget

76. Movie nights

77. Starting a Harry Potter marathon

78. Popcorn

79. Having an ATL month

80. Sleeping in until your body says it’s time to get up wether that’s 5 am or 10 am

81. Washers and dryers

82. Smiles from strangers

83. Running into squadmates randomly in the city

84. Having rooms to ourselves in hostels #panamacityhostel!

85. 6 hour bus rides when we thought it would be 10-12 hours

86. Surprisingly I’m thankful for McDonald’s

87. Roof top views

88. Having a bed and not sleeping on my mat

89. Connections in Panama with people back at home on what to do and where to go

90. Social media connections for seeing the local side of Panama City

91. Victor and his willingness to get coffee with a total stranger and then let said stranger lead a group of his kids for the afternoon

92. Going to the school in the mountain on their party day and just letting us celebrate with them!

93. Uber’s

94. Sunrises and sunsets and knowing they’re always there even if we can’t see them

95. House plants in coffee shops, that feels like home

96. Learning the history of other countries

97. Getting to eat our favorite Nicaraguan meal again #ACP

98. Having access to books

99. Being one hour closer to home instead of 2

100. My sweet Papa Jesus and all that He did for us this month and the people we met through Him!

I’m thankful for each of my teammates, here is a little about them:

101. Mere is our team’s fearless leader who took a step back this month into the role of friend and roommate. Literally we wouldn’t be where we are without her, she’s like our glue. She is one of my all time favorite humans and if I can be a sliver of the woman of God that she is, I’ll be happy! She radiates joy and makes everyone she meets feel incredibly loved!

102. Morgan is one of our squad leaders who stepped into the role of teammate on deep waters this month and taught us SO much. She opened up the space for deep convos as well as fun, and always made sure we had a place at the table (especially at Boquete Brewing Co)

103. McKenzie is so fun! She is both great at going deep with people but also keeping the environment light! She’s always down for a philosophical discussion and truly knows what she believes! She’s a solid human!

104. Lauren tells it how it is and it’s one of my favorite qualities about her. You truly can trust the Jesus in her because she makes such an effort to create space for Him in her relationships. She wants others to step into who Jesus calls them to be because she has found immense freedom in Him.

105. Brooke has great amounts of grit and grace. That girl has grown so much this month and it’s been so inspiring to walk alongside her in that! She opens up the floor for real conversations and always makes sure peoples voices are heard.

106. Alli lights up a room with her smile. Her heart for others is radiant and has the gift of understanding what’s being said and what lies beneath the surface as well. She invites me to run and I promise one of these days I’ll take her up on it!

107. Tess asks the best questions! She seeks to understand and is teachable. She so beautifully invested into each and every one of us on the team after the Lord gave her the ministry of Deep Waters this month. She asks for feedback and is continually stepping into who the Lord has created her to be and it’s so cool to watch!

108. Stokes is our bubbly, always down to adventure, all inclusive (as in always includes others) baker! She is both sweet and salty, truly the best combo! She is adaptable and relatable and the Lord did a crazy cool work in her life this month as she didn’t have her phone for the whole month #props!!