Join the Trekkers for an Adventure with a purpose to help with missionary projects.
Week One - Working with Alex and Jennifer Cabezon - visit a jungle Waunaan Village.
Week Two - Working with Dale and Kimberly Kapsar in the
Bocas Del Toro Region of Panama.
Project cost including air transportation - $1800.00, fundraising opportunities available.
Colombia Trek - July 31 - August 15, 2010
Week One - Working with Enoc and Cristina Hernandez in Medellin. Enoc and Cristina work with Open Arms Foundation, a ministry to Street Kids in Colombia.
Week Two - Working with Youth With A Mission (Jucum in espanol) of Medellin - reaching out to help people in need who have been displaced because of internal conflicts in their region.
Project Cost - $1800.00 Including Air Transportation and Project Expenses.
You will need a valid Passport and you must file out an application.
In the past few weeks I have been in touch with missionaries from Cartegena and Medellin Colombia in preparation for Colombia Trek 2010. Lord willing, we will be venturing south for two weeks sometime in the summer of 2010 with a group from the US. We will join other team members from Medellin and be spending one week in that city and another week in the vicinity of the coastal city of Cartegena. In both areas we will be working with the local missionaries to help with their ministry to the needy children and peoples of the region.
Please pray for me and the work of Mission Trek - that God would lead and guide us to have effective ministry for Him where ever we serve. Check out this video from the Cartegena area working with Youth With A Mission on the Island of Terra Bomba in the city of Bocachica:
P.S. If traveling to Colombia and working along side local Colombians to reach people for Jesus sounds like something you would like to do, contact me.
This years Panama Trek was a real blessing on many levels. Here are the high lights from this years trip:
Week One: 5 of the 7 of us arrived on Saturday around noon. We were met at the airport by the Cabezon's and stopped by a shopping mall for lunch and essentials (Panama telephone cards, etc.) then headed for the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Base, located about 15 miles from Panama City. That evening we had an orientation time and learned more about the personal testimonies of Alex and Jennifer. Jennifer came to Panama over 10 years ago for a 6 month DTS (Discipleship Training School.) She fell in love with the people and the country of Panama and decided to make it her home. She has been on staff with YWAM ever since. About 7 years ago Alex Cabezon was also doing a DTS and one thing lead to another. A couple of years latter they got married and together they serve as YWAM missionaries to the indigenous peoples of Panama.
On Sunday our team helped out teaching a children's Sunday School class and Daniel sang the offertory in the service. Check out the video for more details.
On Monday our team went out to San Antonio, an indigenous village where Alex's mother lives. We worked that afternoon on the construction of her new village home. Monday afternoon Richard and Linda arrived and joined our team. That evening we got more orientation about the trip to Rio Hondo on Tuesday.
Tuesday we left before sunrise so we could meet the boat and use the tides to arrive at our destination during high tide. We traveled by van for about 2 hours then transfered our stuff to a 28 foot Panga Boat at the Port in Chepo. We then took the 3 hour trip down the Chepo River, out into the Pacific Ocean, and back up Rio Hondo to the village. Rio Hondo (Deep River) is a beautiful village located on a river. There are about 300 people who live there, most of them are indigenous Waunaan Indians. Alex, our leader, is also Waunaan, and he was especially eager to meet these people that he had heard were his relatives.
We stayed in the village for three days. During our time there we helped with a construction project, had two afternoon Bible Clubs with about 80 - 100 children from the village. As it turned out, most of the kids from the school came to the club where they heard stories about God, Creation, and Jesus. We even showed the Children's Version of the Jesus Film in Spanish. We also had sports activities where the village children whipped up on our team in soccer.
On two of the evenings we went to the church service and had the opportunity to share testimonies, do a drama, and even taught the people a new song. Check out the video for more details.
On Friday we returned by boat to Panama City. Saturday we had a break and did some sight-seeing. We visited the Panama Canal and toured the Colonial section of Panama City. Check out the Video for more details.
Week Two: Early Sunday morning our team and the Cabezons headed for the airport and the one hour flight to Bocas del Toro, island region to the North and West along the Caribbean Ocean. In Bocas, we met up the Kim and Dale Kapsar, who would be our host during this week of ministry with the Ngobe people, the largest indigenous people group in Panama. That afternoon we settled in and began to help the Kapsars who too had just arrived from the States a couple of days earlier.
On Monday we met with the teacher at one of the local schools to discuss the consturction project - building a restroom for the school. We also did some clean up and fixing up at the house and Dave worked on the Kapsar's boat, replacing some of the floor boards that had broken during their absence.
Tuesday was a day off, while we waited for materials and supplies to arrive. Part of the team went to Bocas del Toro town and the other went for a hike on Bastimentos. Wednesday morning we had the final meeting with teachers, parents, and political leaders and made final decisions and plans about how the project would be done. Wednesday afternoon we visited another village and school. Our wonderful Children's team, Richard, Linda and Lyndsey decided to have a Bible Club there upon the teacher's eager invitation. Check out the video for more details.
Thursday and Friday construction progressed at one school and "tree house" building at the Kapsar's while the children's team taught at the other school. Check out the video for more details.
Saturday we all headed back to Panama City in the early morning. That afternoon we did a little more touring in and around the city. That evening we had a great time going out to dinner with the Cabezons and several of the other YWAM staff with whom we had served during the previous week. Check out the video for more details.
I think the addition of our Children's Team was the high light of this years trip. It seemed that where ever we went, there were children eager to learn more about the Good News of Jesus and our Team was ready to fill that need.
If you would be interested in our new trip to Panama or Colombia in 2010, please get in touch with us. Contact Andrew Burnett, andrew@goodimpressions.us.
During the last weekend of August, our Director, Andrew Burnett took the family boat to participate with Hinson Church's "The Cove 2009". Every summer the Hinson youth head out to Eastern Oregon for a great time of water sports fun and discipleship. This year Mission Trek provided the gas for the Burnett's boat. Several of the 2009 Panama Trekkers were also part of the camp staff, including Andrew, Lyndsey Walker and Daniel Burnett. During one of the teaching times we were able to show one of the Panama Trek 2009 videos and later have the opportunity to share with many of the campers about the work of Mission Trek International in Latin America. Contact Andrew Burnett if you would like to have him share about the work of Mission Trek International, (503) 256-2043.
We finished up our trip to Rio Hondo and did some sight-seeing in the Panama City area before heading up to Bocas by plane early Sunday am. We would be arriving just a couple of days after our Hosts Dale and Kim Kapsar (pictured at the left) had returned from the states.
Our team helped them get situated, began a work project at a hearby school, held a Bible Club at another nearby school and continued construction on the "Treehouse", a multipurpose building just below the Kapsar's house on the Island of Bastimentos. Check out the videos, plus in future updates, we will have some reports from this years Panama Trekkers.
One big change with this year's team was having a group that can work specifically with children. Linda, Lyndsey and Richard were perfect in that regard. During our time in Panama we had the opportunity to speak to well over 100 children from 4 different indigenous villages.
Here are a couple of videos about our activities in the Bocas Region:
For our first week in Panama our team joined in the ministry of Alex and Jennifer Cabezon to reach out to a Wounaan village. Jennifer (pictured in the photo with her daughter, Abigail, walking to a VBS at an indigenous village in Panama) gives an excellent report about our stay at Rio Hondo on her blog http://www.cabezon.blogspot.com/ as follows:
Alex lead the group of curious Portlanders up the path towards the community of Rio Hondo (which means Deep River). They left behind the river, the water slowly going down as the tide went out. The boat that had carried them about 50 miles down the Chepo river and out over the Pacific ocean was now resting on a gravely bank.
I can't describe the scene from the perspective of the Americans present, since Abigail and I were safely at home, praying for the safety of the team and success in their mission. But I can tel you what Alex first noticed - the last names of the people in the village. The Wounaan determine relatives by last names. If someone shares you mother's or fathers last name, they are family. And as they were introduced to one person after another, he realized that the majority of the community go by the last name of Cabezon.
The team spent their time participating in the small church consisting mostly of the pastor's family and one other extended family in the village. They carried gravel up from the river in order to put a cement floor in the church and did a Bible Club for the kids of the village (over 75 attended each day). They showed the Jesus film, told Bible stories, did crafts and played soccer with the children.
When Abigail and I arrive at the banks of the Chepo river on Friday to pick the team up, I was eager to hear their observations. They had many, one of the being the remoteness of the community, and limited outside influences. They wondered, as I have heard many missionaries, both short and long term, whether they would be doing more harm than good if they continued to bring in those influences.
Wondering what Alex's take on this was, I asked him as we swerved in and out of Panama traffic in the YWAM van.
He said, "There are so few in the church, and so many lost. And they are all Cabezon's. How can I just leave my own family like that? We need to return." (Alex is a indigenous Wounaan Indian. His family came from Colombia to Panama about 40 years ago and settled in the National Park near the Panama Canal. Jennifer and Alex have been married for 4 years. They have one born child, Abagail, and another is due in January of 2010.)
In these last weeks before our team leaves for Panama, two of our team members are hard at work to put a teaching program together for children. During our time in Panama we will visit at least 3 indigenous villages and probably more. Each of these villages have many eager young minds who will be fascinated about the visitors who are in their village. This is an excellent opportunity to tell them about the good news of Jesus. Pray for Linda and Lyndsey as they prepare for their assignment to teach these young minds about Christ in a meaningful way. There are barriers, both language and culture, that can hinder the presentation of the gospel. If you have any suggestions or know of any good approaches for working with indigenous latin cultures we would love to hear from you. Here's a short video showing a typical village scene with young children.
Here's great video about how one church shared the Gospel of Christ in the summer of 2008 in Panama.
Part of the team spent the day doing a home improvement project for one of our supporters. All of the money we made on this project will go towards our travel expenses for the trip to Panama in July. If you have a project you need to get done and would like to help our team, give Andrew Burnett a call, 503-256-2043.
July 18th is just around the corner and our Panama Trek 2009 team is making final preparations for the trip to Central America. From left to right: David Johanson (2008 Panama Trekker), Andrew Burnett, Lyndsey Walker, Jess Fahland (2008 Panama Trekker), Linda and Richard Liebert, and Daniel Burnett. Pray for them that God will prepare their hearts and minds to serve Him this summer. Also pray for Alex and Jennifer Cabezon as well as Dale and Kimberly Kapsar, our Youth With A Mission contacts in Panama. Pray as well for the indigenous peoples with whom we will be working. We still have individual support needs and another $1800.00 in material expenses for the construction projects. Let us know if you would like to be a part in supporting this project in prayer or financial support. God Bless!
Dale and Kim Kapsar, YWAM missionaries to Bastimentos Island, and MTI partners report that a nearby indigenous school of 90 students has no restroom facilities - none, except the nearby river. If you have any experience building pit toilets in Latin America with available tools and supplies we would greatly appreciate your shared knowledge. We would like to address this need when our team visits this summer in late July. Contact Andrew Burnett, andrew@goodimpressions.us with any input
As our Panama Trek Team makes preparations for this summers July 18 - August 2 trip, several of the team members are making a serious effort to learn a "little" Spanish before we go. Team members have purchased Rosetta Stone Level One, (About $250.00) and Level One of the Visual Link Spanish course ($133.00) and one of the members has made an arrangement with a friend from Cuba to teach each other their native tongue. We will have a report on how these different courses/learning methods worked out.
Learning another language is a difficult undertaking - even if you only want to become "conversational". We are hoping that our efforts will pay off in deepened relationships and understanding with the people we are working with in the field. If you have any experience in this area please make a comment!
Check out this awesome travel video with Anthony Bourdain called No Reservations - Colombia. The first two clips are about Cartagena and the last three are about Medellin. Having just returned from Colombia to do research for the upcoming Colombia Trek 2010, it was exciting for me to see another person's perspective on this beautiful and interesting country.
We have been making final plans for this summers Panama Trek 2009, July 18 - August 2. There are currently 6 signed up for the trip and we have room for a couple more. Week One of the trip we will be working with Alex and Jennifer Cabezon and traveling to Rio Hondo on the Pacific Coast of Panama. It's a three hour bus ride and a 5 hour boat ride to the remote Waunaan Village.
Week Two we will heading up to Bocas del Toro again to work with Dale and Kimberly Kapsar and the Ngobe Indians of the region.
Here's a video from last summers Trek to Panama:
Check out the post for Nov. 22, 2008 for more details on the trip or give our Director, Andrew Burnett a shout: andrew@goodimpressions.us 503-256-2043.
Sunday - Tuesday, after five flights and three days of travel, I finally made it to Cartagena. Thanks so much to Enoc and Cristina Hernandez who came to my rescue when I missed my Cali flight on Monday and took the only other flight to Colombia which landed in Medellin. They graciously picked me up at the airport and put me up for the night. The next day Cristina introduced me to the YWAM staff in Medellin and then got me on the airport bus for my flight to Cartegena.
Tuesday - Saturday, in Cartegena I met up with Jason who took me and a Canadian couple (Richard and Brenda) over to Bocachica. This is where Jorge and Karen Silva have a ministry with the island people who live there.
I spent the first day seeing the work they do on the island and the next two days working on the Boat that the ministry plans to use to reach the peoples of the islands and rivers of the region.
On Saturday I flew back to Medellin and am staying with the Hernandez's again till Tuesday when I will bus to Pereira to meet up with Alan Wymore, a Wycliffe Bible Translator and Mission Trek board member. Saturday - Tuesday am, my flight back from Cartagena went without a hitch. I will be staying at the Open Arms Foundation Apt. till tuesday am. Sunday morning we went to church at the OpenArms Center. This is where the boys from the street and the boys farm attend church. There are also a number of adults who attend as well. In the afternoon I joined the youth of the church and their leaders in a fun time at Bill Parrow's home on the eastern side of Medellin. The kids played scoccer, volleyball and ate hotdogs. I also was able to visit the girls home which is next door. This home is where very young girls (ages 10 - 15) can come to help get out of prostitution.
Monday was a bit of a holiday for me and Colombia. In the morning Enoc, Cristina and I took the Metro and Metro Cable Cars up to Enoc's old neighborhood. Enoc grew up in a poor area high on the hill overlooking Medellin. Most of his peers were killed by drugs and the violence that surrounds their trade.
In the afternoon we stopped at a small roadside resturant on the way to visit the Boys Farm 30 miles from the city center. All I can say is, "that was a really big Checharon!!" We had a wonderful time eating and eating and eating and talking about mission purposes and practices. I really like the Hernandez's and Lord willing, I hope Mission Trek will have the opportunity to do much ministry with them in the future.
The Boys Farm has developed a lot since my last visit in the summer of 2007 with Hinson Church. The project we had begun is finished. There are now 37 boys in the program and the facilities continue to develop as well.
Tuesday PM & Wednesday - Tuesday morning I visited the downtown facilities of YWAM Medellin. It was another wonderful experience meeting believers who are busy do the work of the Kingdom. The Medellin YWAM does Discipleship Training Schools, operate and home for needy children (many of who we orphaned by rebel activity), and do community development Outreaches in smaller towns to the north that have been hard hit by violence. In the afternoon I took the 5 hour bus ride to Pereira, the city where Alan Wymore is staying. This will be my base of operation for the next week till I come back to PDX.
Wednesday morning I visited some of the work of Willing Hands Foundation, a group of believers that are doing many things from Bible Studies to Church Building and community development.
In the afternoon we met with many of the believers who are key players in the work that the foundation does. I was so blessed to hear the testimonies of the men and women who's lives have been transforned by the Gospel of Jesus!
Thursday - In the morning Alan and I had a excellent discussion and prayer with Susana about developing a closer personal relationship with God. It was a delight to hear a Godly women from another country share her perspective. We ended that time listening to a Worship song in Spanish. Alan interpreted the words while Susana prayed for me. I was blessed.
In the afternoon we visited the Translation House and home of Phil and Judy Harms. During the afternoon a number of the indigenous language helpers dropped by to say hi. Another excellent time!
Friday - Alan and I joined two local Colombians for a sightseeing trip to Bellecazar. It was a beautiful place up in the mountains perched atop a 2500' ridge with beautiful vistas on both sides. In the evening we spent a couple of hours in La Virginia, the hometown of Luz Dalia and Diego who had accompanied us and acted as tour guides. Diego would like to join Mission Trek when it comes to Colombia in the future.
Saturday and Sunday -On Saturday I made a video for Willing Hands Foundation from pictures and videos I had taken earlier in the week. I also helped them set up a Blog for their organization. Later that day I had a fun time with Alan and Colombian friends at a finca (Spanish for farm) where we ate pollo asada and went swimming in the pool!! Sunday we went to Augustine and Susana's church in Pereira in the morning and worked some more on the video and blog in the afternoon. Tomorrow we head out for Cali and the way home. Here's a video of the sunset from the balcony at Augustine and Susana's apartment.
Monday - Wednesday, Alan, and I made the trip down to Cali with Augustin Torres and Philip Brown in Phil's car. We dropped Alan in Cali where he stayed with a friend overnight till his Tues am flight home. Phil, Augustin and I headed west to a little town called Dogua. This place was beautiful, it reminded me of Hawaii with steep hill sides and beautiful flowers and trees. We spent the night at Freddy's home. Freddy is a Colombian man who, with his wife and two children, works full-time meeting with people and doing Bible Studies in small groups. Overngiht it poured down rain and the next morning we were surrounded by water pouring down the hilside around the house. That morning we shared the Word and prayed with Freddy's family and a few christian friends who came by. In the afternoon we visited a adult foster care center and then it was on to Palmira where I stayed the evening with new friends Adrianna and Pablo before heading back to PDX on Wed. morning. I want to thank all of you who prayed for me. This was an excellent trip for Mission Trek, many new friends and contacts were made and I am looking forward to the Lord's leading about future trips to this beautiful and needy country.
March 15th – 31st will find me, Andrew Burnett, on a “Scouting Mission” in Colombia, South America. The first half of the trip I will be visiting two Youth With a Mission Bases (Cartagena and Medellin) to seek out possible places and relationships for a Colombia Trek in 2010.
I also hope to visit with some of the staff of Open Arms Foundation, Enoc and Cristina Hernadez – they work with street kids in Medellin. I first met these folks two summers ago when I went to Colombia with a group from Hinson Church, my home church here in Portland, OR. The picture in this post is of youth activities on Bocachica island near Cartagena, Colombia. Pray for Karen and Jorge Silvaas they direct the ministries on the island.
The initial contacts have gone very well and I am looking forward to meeting the people and seeing the ministry to needy people of Colombia first hand.
The last few days before coming home I will be with one of our Mission Trek board members visiting one of the indigenous people groups in Colombia.
Traveling to Colombia is a very important step for Mission Trek. Lord willing, we will have at least two groups going out in 2010 – one to Panama and one to Colombia.
Please pray for me while I am on this trip – that God would use it to expand my vision for ministry and help to create a bond of ministry between myself and the other believers in Colombia. July 18 – August 2, 2009 is our Panama Trek 2009. Please pray as we make final plans for our return trip to Panama. Pray especially for the Alex and Jennifer Cabezon and theDale and Kim Kapsar families – they will be our hosts as we travel and participate in their ministries there in Panama.
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to participate in “Praying”, “Giving” or “Going” on future Mission Trek activities. Thank you for your prayers and support.
Serving Him, Andrew Burnett, Director andrew@goodimpressions.us 7112 NE Emerson St. Portland, OR 97218 503-256-2043
We hope you enjoy this website - feel free to make comments or suggestions. If you have any questions you can contact our Director, Andrew Burnett, andrew@goodimpressions.us
Back in the summer of 1973, while
attending Multnomah Bible
College, I traveled to Alaska
to work as a short-term missionary.
Though I had heard about
missions all of my life, this was his
first experience working with
missionaries on the field. Since then
I and my wife, Diane, have
been involved in the leadership of dozens of short-term
mission teams traveling all over the United States, Europe,
Mexico, Central and South America.
Mission Trek exists to provide a vehicle for people who
love travel and adventure, but also wish to share the Love
of Christ in a meaningful way with needy people in the
process. We do this by helping existing missionaries with
worthy projects to meet physical and spiritual needs. In the process, MTI "Trekkers" receive discipleship training and real-world travel experience.
Mission Trek is a 501(c)3 tax exempt non-for-profit
organization and contributions are tax-deductible. For
more information or to receive an application for your next
Adventure With A Purpose contact:
Andrew Burnett, Director,
Mission Trek International
7112 NE Emerson St. Portland, OR 97218
503-256-2043 Fax 503-254-8615
andrew@goodimpressions.us
We believe that the Bible is God's inspired and authoritative word, revealing that Jesus Christ is God's son; that people are created in God's image; that He created us to have eternal life through Jesus Christ; that although all people have sinned and come short of God's glory, God has made salvation possible through the death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ; that repentance, faith, love and obedience are fitting responses to God's initiative of grace towards us; that God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth; and that the Holy Spirit's power is demonstrated in and through us for the accomplishment of Christ's last commandment, "...Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).(adapted from Youth With A Mission Statement of Faith)
How Can You Help Mission Trek?
PRAY - for us and our work with needy people.
GIVE - Send a tax-deductible donation. Give us a used car or property to use for the ministry. Make checks payable to Mission Trek International and send to: 7112 NE Emerson St. Portland, OR 97218. Contact Andrew Burnett 503-256-2043 for more information on how you can help.
GO - Come with us on our next Mission Trek Adventure!
Related Blogs and Websites - MTI Partners In Ministry
Bocas Del Toro Region of Panama.
Friday
