On Friday, we started the day sorting through supplies our friends had brought from the States—unpacking meds, adding batteries, and running around to a few stores. We were waiting to hear back from a gentleman in Veracruz who needed home repairs, but when no response came, we kept pressing forward with preparations.
Around lunchtime, we got a call to come see the building we’d be using for the health fair—our first time stepping inside! We met the head of security (who turned out to be a huge blessing all weekend) and connected with the main director, an amazing woman leading the entire four-day event. When I asked if she was ready for the medical side, she hesitated before saying, “We don’t have any medicines for tomorrow.”
Pause. Breathe. Don’t panic. Nearly 300 people were planning to come see doctors the next morning—yet we had nothing to give them. By now it was almost 4:45, pharmacies were closing, and in Panama, once the sun sets, nearly everything shuts down. We contacted many upon many pharmacies and all the personal contacts we had only to be told there was not way…not this late in the day for tomorrow…We stopped right then and prayed, surrendering it to the Lord. Within 15 minutes, God answered— a pharmacy that had been closing its doors agreed to stay open and help us fill the prescriptions. That night, our guys drove across town to pick everything up.
As if that wasn’t enough, we also discovered there was no food prepared for the 300 participants—something that’s a cultural expectation here. Food in Panama is expensive (especially meat, peanut butter, and sandwich supplies), and with no way to refrigerate in the 95-degree heat, we weren’t sure what to do. Again, God provided! A restaurant agreed to prepare and deliver sandwiches for everyone.
We heard about both needs—medicine and food—almost at the same time. Tackling one at a time, we got to watch God perform back-to-back miracles, answering prayers in ways only He could. By the end of the night, we praised the Lord together, amazed at how He had provided exactly what was needed, right on time. We went to bed tired, but ready and full of faith for what the next day would hold.
