Panama Trek 2009 Brochure Published!

Check out the Panama Trek 2009 Brochure! The brochure has all the information you need about the upcoming Panama Trek, July 18 - August 2. (Click on the page for a full-size printable version)

Contact our Director, Andrew Burnett to get a copy at:

Mission Trek International
7112 NE Emerson St.
Portland, OR 97218
503-256-2043
andrew@goodimpressions.us

MTI Gets Report Card From Panama!

Kim Kapsar, Youth With A Mission Base Director on Bastimentos Island, shares a good report about last summer's MTI work. (Photo of Kim on the right with Dave Johanson, MTI volunteer)

It was a wonderful help to our family to have Andrew Burnett and MTI serve with us in Panama. They were a group who showed up just when we needed them, and had the exact experience we needed to help. My husband had surgery coming up, and they helped us learn to drive the boat without him, and were a total blessing to our family. They built stairs into the equipment room so that my husband could get down after his hip was replaced, and just helped us in numerous ways.

In addition, the village near us never had a clean water supply. Andrew worked for several months figuring out the best method of providing the water. He also really listened to our input, and was very respectful of the way in which we have been led to serve this village. We wanted them to really "own" the water project, and have hands on experience helping install it. Andrew patiently helped them to do the work, and helped bring the love of Jesus into an area that really needs it. Thanks MTI, we hope you'll come back!!

God Bless,
Kimberly Kapsar
YWAM, Bastimentos Island
Bocas del Toro, Panama

VIDEO OVERVIEW OF THE TRIP TO THE YWAM BASE ON BASTIMENTOS

Are Short-term Missions Really Worth The Effort?

Here's an encouraging word from Jennifer Cabezon about the impact that short-term teams have had on the lives of the young people she works with in Panama. (Photo of Jennifer and Jess Fahland at girls' Bible study, Summer of '08)

At our Youth With a Mission base we have a boarding school for young people from hard to access indigenous communities. Not long ago, we asked them to share about when they had first heard the good news of Jesus Christ. I was surprised by the responses, as one by one they answered:

"I first heard about Jesus when the YWAM teams came to my village."

"A team of missionaries came and did dramas, and I heard about Jesus for the first time."

"I didn't know Jesus died for my sins until a team came from the US and told us about how he loves us."

I was astonished and grateful to see how much of an impact the teams that we had sent had made on these impressionable young people. Keep in mind that these teams were not made up of professional missionaries, but youth and adults here on a 10 day missions experience. Never think that you can't make a long term difference on a short term trip. Our long term missionaries could not do what they do without the support of the short term teams that visit us each year.

God bless, Jennifer Cabezon
Director, Youth Home
YWAM Base, Panama City

VIDEO OVERVIEW OF MTI PROJECT AT THE PANAMA CITY YWAM BASE