God Is Not Limited: A Mission Trip to Panama

The initial assignment was to include small group reading and discussions of the gospel of John with a Panamanian college student English club in support of the local full-time IMB team.

During our initial in-Panama training, we learned our time was also to include working with a team of about 16 IMB college student interns, termed Sojourners, who had been serving in Panama for about 8 weeks, and a number of local Christian interpreters. The areas of service included the English clubs but also reading a gospel passage and portraying it in a skit to children in a Christian elementary school and to children in a church located in a Kuna village in the midst of an active solid waste landfill.

We also were able to do this in a remote Kuna village accessible only by a 1 ¹/₂ Hr boat ride over Lake Bayano. We understand that we were the first church group from the US to be admitted by the tribal chief to present the gospel to their children. The ride was in open boats and the team got soaked in a thunderstorm on the return boat trip. Not a single member of the team complained.

We also were able to spend a morning meeting and sharing the gospel with those waiting outside of the Children’s Hospital in Panama City. The hospital had no waiting room so the visitors and those waiting on news of loved ones simply found a shady spot on the street outside of the hospital to wait to be called inside or to receive a report from the hospital staff.

On our last afternoon of service, we worked on maintenance items at the First Baptist Church of Panama City.

Throughout the trip, we saw God working through the team in meaningful ways. In each of the locations we visited and sought to share the gospel, the presence of the Holy Spirit and His call on each of us to be there at that time was evident. The children and adults in each location were receptive and attentive to our discussions and in each conversation.

We always think of Christianity in terms of the United States and how we live and worship. In Panama we were foreigners and in a tribal village where we didn’t understand the language, but we saw God’s people at work and receptive. We witnessed as Paul described in Ephesians 4:4-6, “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

The IMB missionaries in Panama coordinated and prepared an effective and meaningful time for the team. They know what they are doing and do it very well. They deserve our support.

God also used the gifts, actions, and conversations of the team to impact others. Through interpreters, English to Spanish, and then at times to Kuna, the message of the gospel came through. During the week of service, the team presented the gospel to 500 people and prayed with 90 individuals as they made a personal acknowledgement and commitment of faith in Jesus. Marsha and I had never participated in a time of such reception of the gospel.

That experience also brought a challenge for fellow brothers and sisters who may be considering serving on a mission trip or engaging in local ministry: Consider it with specific intent, earnestly. Learn what you can about the ministry. Seek knowledgeable, experienced and faithful advisors, and then serve where you are led by the Spirit.

Then, be flexible. Conditions on the site may not be exactly as anticipated but God will use a willing heart and mind. Be prepared to share the gospel and what God has done for you. The experience will challenge you to grow in your faith and reliance on the Holy Spirit.

For anyone who feels hesitant or unqualified to participate in God’s mission, there is an even greater word of encouragement: Do not let your feelings of limitations keep you from being of use.

What was a 71-year-old who didn’t speak the language or have any experience in this situation, doing in a Kuna Village on Lake Bayano, Panama witnessing to an 18-year-old Kuna boy through an interpreter? A week earlier I could not have imagined that I would be there, but God was using me.

Marsha saw 8 little Kuna boys raise their hands to receive Christ into their hearts when the gospel was shared. What joy! God will use you even with the limitations you think you have. It is not you; it is the Spirit in you that is at work.

God is not limited. — Dan and Marsha Bunnell

Over the summer, I had the incredible opportunity to serve on an IMB mission trip to Panama. Throughout the week, we experienced so many amazing moments, from sharing the gospel with Indigenous communities to helping college students practice English through Bible stories. We were blessed to be part of more than 200 gospel conversations and see 90 salvations. This trip changed my life in more ways than I can express, and I am beyond grateful that God called me to go. Panama will forever hold a special place in my heart, and I pray that the seeds planted during our time there continue to grow. — Hannah DeWease