it´s actually happening.

(the team in training!!)

Saturday morning rolled around last weekend and instead of a typical morning to sleep-in our Stint team was up and at it! Along with 7 other Panamanian students and our Panamanian staff members, our team helped out with a 5 hour training and preparation session for the upcoming project to the Dominican Republic. It was the first time that the students from Panama City and the 2 that are coming from Santiago had been all together and as we laughed and learned together I couldn´t help but think to myself... its actually happening.

The dream of a Panamanian partnership has always been there. But I don´t think that any of thought it would actually happen this soon. Even last year as some of the stint team went to the Dominican Republic with two of the Panamanian staff for a scouting and vision trip I still felt like the whole thing was a dream. But as I´ve been putting together the student manual and working on logisitics with the staff team its finally starting to feel like reality. We leave in less the a week and the excitement is starting to grow! I was sitting with Karina on the national campus one day this week when Lorenzo, one of the students coming on project came up to us. He had just recieved his passport and his visa for the Dominican Republic and was so excited simply to show it to us. And so its happening... we're going!

(the whole team (minus duby and oliver) all together!)

A couple of details and prayer requests:
1. We're leaving on the 31st (this Friday!) and connecting through Costa Rica en route to Santo Domingo
2. We'll be focusing on the UASD campus, the largest national campus and the oldest one in the western hemisphere.
3. Some of the students are still finishing up support raising... please pray that the rest of their support comes in!
4. There's a fundraiser concert Sunday night... please pray that this goes well!
5. Please pray that we would be unified as a team and love both each other and all the students and people we will be coming into contact with!!