Happy New Year! Overview of our last days in Panama

Happy New Year from Team Panama!!!

The final few days of our trip weren’t without its glitches and unexpected turns, but our team made the best of it and soaked up as much Panama as possible!  

Wednesday we planned to head to Divino Nino orphanage, but received a call in the morning from the director saying we would not be allowed to come.  So our team made the most of it, and headed to the Panama Canal- where we saw our friend Hernan “Chicho” Navarro at his job of pilot of a ship going through the Miraflores Locks!!  The remainder of the day was spent exploring more of Panama City and “team bonding” activities back at Casa Paraiso :) 

Thursday we spent the day seeing what services are available to children with special needs in Panama.  We started at Hospital del Nino, the only children’s hospital in the country.  We brought informational posters and handouts for the PT department to aid in patient education, and toured the rehab department and the burns unit.  In the afternoon, we headed to the National Rehab Institute, where they have every kind of therapy available for patients from all over the country.  They charge 50 cents per visit in order for all levels of income to be able to afford therapy.  However, because of the high demand, they are only able to see these people once every 2-3 months.  We had the opportunity to spend some time with the PT's in action, working with children with a wide range of conditions.  They made sure they worked closely with the caregivers to make sure they can perform these activities at home in the months between visits.  Seeing this facility and the volume of people that are in need here in Panama made it clear how many more facilities are necessary to appropriately manage all the patients throughout the country.  

Friday we arranged to head back to Malambo Orphanage to spend more time with our new friends!  As we arrived back at the houses, kids ran up to welcome us yelling, “Amigo! Amiga!”- the best welcome anyone could ask for.  We soaked up as much time with them as we could in our last day in Panama.  As a team, we also got a glimpse of the heartache these children go through without a family.   In Panama, families are able to maintain their parental rights over a child in an orphanage if they visit them once per year.  This makes the child ineligible for adoption, and keeps them in the system until either the family decides to bring them home, or till they age out at 18 years.   One young boy in the clinic house left with a couple women early after we arrived.  No more than an hour later, they returned- with the young boy crying and the women pushing him in the door and leaving.  When we asked what happened, one of the caretakers in the house explained those women were his aunt and mother, and Christmas is the one time per year they come to see him.   For this young boy, he wasn’t just abandoned- he is unwanted.  And he is reminded of that rejection each time he sees his family.   Seeing the heartache this child has experienced in his young life broke all of our hearts, and it also clearly illustrated the need for the work Heart’s Cry Children’s Ministry is doing here in Panama to reform the laws surrounding adoption. 

Friday afternoon, we set out with our friend Doris Navarro on a city tour to see all the remaining sights of Panama City- the remains of the Old City, the artisan fair for souvenirs, and walking around Colonial Panama.  We ended the night at Tantalo- one of the coolest bars in the world!  On the rooftop, watching the skyline and spending quality time with Jenny and our teammates, was the best way to end a wonderful week. 

Our next steps to support Heart’s Cry Children’s Ministry and Casa Providencia is to spread the word about the awesome work they are doing there, and send as many resources their way as possible!!  Check out the facebook page and the brand new website to learn more about their work and how you can help!

Special needs orphanage “Casa Providencia”:

http://www.casaprovidencia.org/

Heart’s Cry Children’s Ministry:

https://www.facebook.com/heartscrychildrensministry

http://www.heartscrychildren.com/

THANK YOU for your unending support of SUPT Thrive Mission Trips and our partners across the world!!

Keep an eye out for blogs from the last trip of the season- Community Coalition for Haiti in Jacmel- departing Jan 6, 2014! 

Muy Bien, El Toro

We had the privilege today to visit Malambo Orphanage, which is one of the best orphanages in Panama. The orphanage was arranged more like a little village, with each building housing children of different ages. We divided into two teams; one group started with the "baby house" and another group started with the HIV house. The baby house included children from birth to 3 years old, and the children in the HIV house were ages 3-6. We were welcomed into the baby house immediately. All the toddlers were out of the porch to greet us as we walked in, and they began to climb all over us. We brought in soft animal puppets, which they all loved and took turns playing with. Our nursing student, Brittani, was able to find the baby room, and we were each able to go up individually and see the babies and hold the few that weren't napping. We played games, held the kids, and made them feel loved all morning until it was lunch time. Lisa found one little boy who seemed to just block out his surroundings, and she was able to get him to walk and laugh and enjoy just being a kid, despite it being obvious that he didn't do this very often. Stephanie did an awesome job with a couple of the little girls that we nicknamed "los monos" (or monkeys), because they thought each of us was their own personal jungle gym to climb and swing on. As they were preparing for lunch, Liz and I noticed that a little girl was brought out into the dining room and strapped into a high chair and left. The little girl had special needs, so we immediately asked if we could go over and see her. The nun allowed us to go over, and we were able to get our PT, Amy, to go with us to work with the little girl. Amy was extremely helpful in giving us all the information she could and showing us so many things we could do to help this little girl out. We spent a good 20 minutes doing therapy with her and holding her and making her feel loved, just like we had done with the other kids all morning. We don't know where she had been kept, but they only brought her and another girl with special needs out at lunch time. Finally, it was time to eat and all the children were brought in and put in high chairs or ate children's picnic tables to eat their rice and beans. We all took the time to feed some of the younger ones that needed assistance, and Amy was able to feed the girl with special needs. Watching Amy work with this little girl opened our eyes to the world of pediatric therapy, and it was sad to see how much potential this little girl had but may never reach because of her situation.
Meanwhile, at the HIV house, the other half of our students were busy entertaining a room full of energetic boys and girls. They played as many games as they could come up with, and brought out all the children's favorite toys. There was one little boy at this house who needed to use a walker to get around, but we had been warned that he refused to use it. The students tried hard all morning to get him to use it, but they couldn't get him to try, no matter how many times Melissa, Zach, and Nick showed him how much fun it could be. By the time those of us from the baby house got up to the HIV house, it was nearly time for lunch. We helped all the children wash up, and the little boy that needed the walker was the very last one. We set him down in front of his walker, which was only about 10 feet away from the lunch table, and he took off. We were all so ecstatic he walked on his own that we cheered and clapped for him, which made him blush of course. However, it was after lunch that the excitement began. While Zach worked with the little boy with the walker, and Dani entertained a few boys with a Hot Wheels track, Nick and Lisa were gearing up for a bull fight. Melissa played referee, and the children took their places on Lisa's and Nick's backs. Nick snorted and stomped a few times, and then he rammed Lisa and knocked her off balance. The little boy directing Nick made sure to let him know how proud he was of his performance by cheering out, "Muy bien el toro!" (or very good bull!). You can check out the live footage from this heated bull fight here. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202885061154533&set=vb.1442442020&type=2&theater
Finally, it was naptime for these children as well, and although every single one of us was ready to join them, we took a quick break to grab lunch and then go down and see the older girls. Jordan was immediately ambushed by 3 or 4 little girls that clearly remembered the impact she made on them when she was here in the summer, and it was awesome to see how much she truly cares for these kids and how much they love her. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay long, and far too soon it was time for us to leave. We said goodbye to everyone, and I know every single one of us has made a promise to ourselves to return at some point to visit the children again. Today was such an unforgettable experience because we were able to give all of these children the one thing they all desperately need, and that was love.
To sum up the emotions we all felt today and the experience we all had, I'll leave you all with my all-time favorite Bible verse, Corinthians 13:13. "And now these three remain, faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Lunes: El Dia de Descubrimiento... Colon (the city, not the other kind)

Hello everyone!

Today we began our first day serving in Panama.  We had the opportunity to tour Casa Providencia in Colon, Panama; a new orphanage that is being open in Panama within the next year.  Casa  Providencia will be home to special needs orphans in Panama and is run by an amazing couple from the United States.  Matt and Misty came from North Carolina to help reform adoption laws in Panama and ultimately opened Casa Providencia.

We began our day touring the renovations of the new orphanage.  It was inspiring to hear Matt be so enthusiastic about the renovations and how beautiful the orphanage will be.  As a group we gave Matt tips and suggestions as to what equipment we thought would be needed in the physical therapy gym that will be in the building.  Casa Providencia is not only an orphanage but a place for these children to receive therapy, schooling, and vocational skills.  It is truly going to be a safe haven for many children in Panama that otherwise would not get the care and love they need and deserve.

After a full day of touring Casa Providencia, Matt and Misty graciously hosted us for dinner and fellowship.  It was absolutely inspiring to hear the story of how Matt and Misty came to live in Panama.  The couple kept reiterating that God called them to Panama to help these children.  No matter how deep your religious beliefs are it is amazing how this couple have so much faith and gave up everything to come down here to serve.  Matt and Misty are thriving down here raising their family that consists of two adopted Panamanian children, Peter and Rosie, and their biological son, Issac.  They are a beautiful family with a beautiful life down here.

Casa Providencia is still in phase one of development; renovations are still being made to the building.  Matt took the time to tell us what he needs to continue developing the orphanage as well as taking our suggestions as to what physical therapy equipment and needs needed to be met for the orphanage to be successful.  As a group, we all agree that we want to help support Matt and Misty and this project in anyway we can.  Casa  Providencia runs off of donations alone and continues to need financial support to be successful.  Please check out their website to learn more about this mission and the children in Panama that could use our help.  Matt, Misty and Casa Providencia are an inspiration and a reminder that with faith, much can be accomplished.

Casa de Providencia
http://casaprovidencia.org  

-El grupo de Panama

Our First Few Days in Les Cayes, Haiti!

Bonjour from Haiti!
       We're happy to say that we have arrived in Les Cayes, Haiti after 2 plane rides and a very bumpy 5 hour van ride avoiding pedestrians, donkeys, goats, and chickens hanging off of motorcycles. Sunday morning we went to a Haitian baptist church service. Our first language barrier experience was when you say the words, "Thank you for joining us today", the very loose translation is "They are happy to be here" -- Nate Barr as he was called to the front of the church to say a few words in front of everyone. It was a great experience to see how different the Haitian church service was compared to services in the US. Later we met up with our 'In-country' contacts Consuelo and Pauli, who are practicing therapists for Medical Teams International (MTI) here in Haiti. They took us on a walking tour of Les Cayes, in which we got to see a beautiful Catholic Cathedral, the sea, and the MTI clinic. We ended the day by hanging out and doing some team bonding at our farm house as we discussed the plan for the remainder of the week.
      This morning we woke up and split into two teams for the day. One team went to the MTI clinic to work with Pauli. In the morning we saw mostly children with the diagnoses of cerebral palsy, strokes, and developmental delays. The afternoon consisted more of older adults with strokes, scoliosis, cerebral palsy, and massive bone fractures from motorcycle accidents. The second team went to a mobile clinic at Camp Perron with Conseulo, which was about 45 minutes away from the MTI clinic. To start the day, the patients welcomed us with a prayer and sang the song "How Great Thou Art". We saw various musculoskeletal conditions related to trauma from motor vehicle accidents, falls, and birth. Today we learned that patient education is probably the most powerful tool and walked away knowing that even though your hearts in it, some things can't be completely fixed. The mobile clinic team ended the day by traveling to a local waterfall in which Nate, Sarah Kate, and Todd jumped off the cliff into the deep and refreshing water. Don't worry, we got the whole thing on video, especially Todd screaming and being dragged up the cliff! We returned home to our farm house and enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by the SEED Guest House Staff. Stay tuned for more updates and stories of our adventures! Aurevior for now!
-- Kellie

Beginning Adventures

So it's been a crazy couple of days as you can tell by reading Nick's previous post. But this will give you a little bit of a better idea of what we've been up to! We arrived here in Panama on Friday around 3:30 and drove back to Casa Paraiso where we are staying this week. It's an amazing, beautiful place, later that night we decided to make a spaghetti dinner for everyone. Saturday we woke up and drove out to La Guaira once we arrived at the hotel and got into our rooms we jumped into a boat and and were taken to an island that was secluded called Mamey, we were able to see monkeys, that posses for us, on our way out to the island! While we were at the island we jumped in the water which was clear blue, and Zachary and Nick swam a little too far as you can read in Nick's last post! We also got to have a lot of great experiences there on the island, Liz found a sponge and sea urchin, we stood on rocks while getting hit by waves, and everyone tried fresh coconut! After our crazy experiences we headed back to our hotel where we played some very heated games of Crazy 8s.  This morning we rode to the town of Portobelo and looked around the town to see the ruins and black Jesus in the town.  We then rode to a little place to get lunch where we went in the water again. We all ordered different foods and tried them all from shrimp to octopus, but it was all amazing! We then headed back to the house to relax and make dinner again. Again we participated in a late night game of crazy 8s and then Jordan introduced us to cut throat Crazy 8s!

Over all we have had an amazing time both days and had some memorable moments! And tomorrow starts the hard work when we will be joining with Matt and Misty to view the location for their Special Needs orphanage and talk with them about any questions they may have!

-Risky Business!

Les Cayes:The Adventure Begins...

Hey Everyone!

So tomorrow the adventure begins! Our day starts at 2 in the morning when we meet to drive to DC for our flight. After flying to Haiti through Miami, we face a 5 to 6 hour car ride from Port-au-Prince to Les Cayes, which is a small city in the South East part of the country. We all face a long day tomorrow (made even worse by the lack of sleep from finals) but we're so excited to spread our skills with those in need in Haiti! But relaxing in 85 degree weather (instead of the 6 inches of snow projected for here) will be nice! We will try to keep everyone updated on our favorite moments through out the week. Hope everyone enjoys!!

Nate

Getting ready- It's almost time!!!

All the Thrive Service Initiative teams are pumped up and ready to go for the exciting trips happening this winter!!

In less than 2 weeks, Team Panama will leave for Panama City to work with Casa Providencia, the first special needs orphanage in the country, as well as government facilities around the city to help educate caregivers & team up to support these awesome kids!

The next day, Team Les Cayes will be teaming up with Medical Teams International to work with June Hanks and her awesome team of PT's in Haiti at the outpatient clinic, on outreach missions, and working with community support groups and advocacy projects! And all with a beautiful view of the beach!!

After the new year, Team Jacmel will head down to Jacmel, Haiti to work with Community Coalition for Haiti (CCH) at their great outpatient facility & amazing team of health professionals, working with kids and adults of all ages and disorders. Not to mention the incredible views, google map to see for yourself!

Teams will be updating the blog throughout their trips- keep posted for stories of all the adventures to come!! Thanks for your support!

<3 Jordan

Gala to Benefit SUPT Mission Teams!

Great news!! Shenandoah University Physical Therapy is holding a Gala to create a Medical Missions Fund for Thrive Service Initiative trips!! We are so honored to be a beneficiary of this wonderful event, and are so excited to be a part of this!

The SUPT Gala is October 19th, 2013 at 7pm Piccadilly's in Winchester, VA. Dinner, photo booth, silent auction, and dancing will be included in the ticket price! Cash bar with drink specials will also be open throughout the night. Come join us celebrate and get together for a great cause!!! Check out the website below for more information on tickets and ways to contribute to this great cause.
http://www.physical-therapy.su.edu/supt-gala/

Deadline to register is Saturday, October 12th!! Register today!!
https://suptgala.eventbrite.com/

Our final days in Panama... For now :)

As our time in Panama came to a close, all of us couldn't stop thinking, "No! Where did the time go? It can't already be Wednesday!".

We made the most of the time we had left by returning to Malambo in the morning to spend some time holding and feeding the babies. We also were able to finally work with 2 of the girls with cerebral palsy, Angelica (age 7) and Milarose (age 9). Of all the children with special needs in Panama, these two would appear to have the "best" care of all the orphanages in the country. Meaning these girls are fed, clothed, and bathed, and there are no apparent signs of abuse. But besides that, these girls are left alone and unloved. Both times we came to Malambo, we walked in the house finding Angelica lying on the tile floor, while all the other kids played around her. We hadn't even seen Milarose the first time we came. We were told these girls may see a physical therapist for an hour once a month or once every two months. With no follow up or caregiver education, how much good is really being done for these precious little girls?

The attitudes toward disabilities or special needs in this country are similar to those of most developing nations. These children are unwanted and seen as a liability, even for the most affluent of parents looking to adopt. Angelica is adoptable, but everyone knows that her only hope is international adoption, for someone to want her from outside her home country, if she is ever going to have a family. Milarose was higher functioning than Angelica, and could benefit tremendously with appropriate care- but just basic needs, let alone therapy and medication, are often unattainable for orphans in Panama.

Seeing these two girls really illustrated for us the dire need for Casa Providencia, the new orphanage for special needs children. Children like Angelica & Milarose will have a place to stay, with caregivers who know how to take care of them, with medication and therapy that will allow them to experience a quality of life never before possible for them here. This orphanage is going to change so many lives, we cannot wait to see all the little miracles to come.

Angelica

Milarose

Wednesday afternoon we had lunch with Matt & Misty, and met their awesome family (shout out to Peter, Rosie, & Isaac!). We had a great talk about our suggestions, wish lists, and plans for future groups to join in supporting them in creating this orphanage. That evening, we went with our good friend Adrian to celebrate birthdays and meet a whole host of new friends (Panamanians are so social and friendly- I LOVE that!!).

Thursday morning was filled with packing and last minute purchases (plantain chips, anyone?), and going to the airport with Blanca & Jorge. Reflecting back on this week, I felt as though I was constantly in awe of what we were experiencing, the people we were meeting, all the things we were able to see... plus all the fun!! I feel so lucky and blessed that we were even able to return, let alone become a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. It is my hope that this partnership continues, and that more and more students can experience the beauty and fulfillment I have found in Panama.

Look out for more information on Casa Providencia & the work of Heart's Cry Children's Ministry: http://www.heartscrychildren.com/

Thanks for all of your support! We could never do this without you all!

Love always, Jordan

Tag! You're It!!

Tuesday was amazing! We spent the day with Jenny Jack, a lawyer from the States who is now the principal of Academia Cristiano Doulos, a pre-K through 4th grade school in Chillibre. Chillibre is a small, poor town outside of Panama City, with children who had no other access to education before this school was founded 4 years ago. Driving to the town itself, I was struck by the stark differences between the modern, wealthy Panama City, and the forgotten poverty of this town. We spent our day with different classes, acting as teacher aides, helping the children with math and their letters, and of course playing great games at recess! They loved the swings and the monkey bars, and most of all LOVED to be chased!! We definitely got our work out in! It was so great to see those kids excited about learning and having so much fun in their classes.



We also took a trip to Metro Amigo orphanage, the place where unwanted children end up. We were not able to go inside, but just seeing the property and hearing the stories of what goes on in that place were enough. The orphanage shares a kitchen space with the jail, the children don't go to school, they are considered the lowest of the low and would have to fight just to find a way out of that system and those circumstances. My heart was breaking for those kids, and I hope that with this new orphanage, at least some of those children will find a way out of that darkness and be able to create a new life for themselves.

(We took a quick stop to take some BANNER pictues!!)


Tuesday evening we had dinner with the Fultons, this AMAZING family originally from Chicago. Don is a pilot for Copa Airlines, and lived in Ireland before moving with his family here to Panama City. We met in such a God-way that we all knew it was part of the grand plan. They made us a DELICIOUS chicken barbecue dinner, with papaya, potato salad, coconut, and smoothies, plus pineapple cake from Rio de Janeiro for dessert! The best part was spending so much time talking with them, laughing, and making some great new friends. He also called over one of their friends, Karen Bivven, who is a PT here in Panama. We love making new friends, and here in Panama we have met some of the most amazing people on the planet. We are so incredibly blessed to be here and to have this experience!

(Our beautiful hairstyles by 5-year-old Aofie :)


Love, Jordan

Monday morning, it was finally time to see where the new orphanage is going to be! Graciella picked us up and we headed to Colon to meet up with Matt. We had driven through Colon on our last trip, and were a little uneasy returning; Colon is an extremely poor area of Panama and is known for its gangs and criminal activity. What we got, however, was a nice little neighborhood even with some new houses just outside of Colon where Americans used to live. The building for the orphanage is an old American hospital, and although there are numerous renovations needed, we were extremely impressed by it! It is a three-story building with a great sized yard and plenty of space for all of their needs. Matt led us through the site and shared his vision with us, which will require a lot of work, but we could see the amazing potential it has. It was very cool to think that the next time we return, the building will look completely different and new, and we took a moment to let that inspiration sink in.

We arrived back at the hotel early in the afternoon, and we had lots to discuss! We were very excited with the ever-increasing motivation and inspiration that came from seeing the orphanage itself. We put our heads together and came up with lots of ideas for both the actual orphanage and for spreading the word to the SU community.

At night, a large group of us went to TGI Friday’s for dinner, including our beach group and Blanca’s parents, along with some of their other friends. It was a blast, and we stuffed ourselves to the brim with burgers, fries, and desserts. Then, we rode to Casco Viejo, the colonial-style part of Panama that we all fell in love with the first time around. We went to the Tantalo hotel/restaurant/rooftop bar, which has an absolutely amazing view. To the left, you see the Panama City skyline all lit up and colorful, and to the right are the old city buildings. It was a beautiful place to sit with friends and chat and just have a relaxing night.

-Brittany :)

All day Saturday was spent on the beach at San Carlos, and we couldn’t have asked for a better day (especially since it was my birthday)! The weather was beautiful, the water was clear and gorgeous, and the music was blaring! After a whole afternoon out in the sun we were tired and hungry, so we hung out at the beach house for the night, starting off with a surprise birthday cake! Then, grill master Jorge with his helpers Blanca and Monica made some delicious barbecue including ribs, chorizo, and cheesy tortillas, among many other yummy options. Stuffed and sleepy, we hung out talking and laughing and called it an early night.

Sunday morning, Doris and Chicho joined us at the beach house for an amazing breakfast… that’s right, more food. The girls made up a huge spread of eggs, chorizo, jucca, and bread, and once again we ate until we were stuffed. After a short morning of walking on the beach, it was back to El Dorado for a day of relaxation. Jordan, Brittani, and I decided on a place called Sushi Express for dinner, just down the street from the hotel. We were a bit taken aback by the menu; we couldn’t decipher most of the ingredients, and most rolls seemed to contain queso and/or salsa, but we gave it a whirl! It turned out to be amazing sushi; we were all pleasantly surprised. Full and laying by the pool on a beautiful night, we called it a day early to prepare for our day in Colon with Graciella and Matt to see the site for the orphanage. We are very much looking forward to it; should be a day to remember! 

Art Festival, Cholo's, & Fun with Friends

Viernes! We took our time in the morning to enjoy hotel amenities, and met up with Blanca around noon for the artisan festival. The 36th Artisan Festival (36 Feria Nacional de Artesanias) was held at the Centro de Convenciones ATLAPA in Panama City, and was filled with hundreds of booths selling all kinds of goods, food, and desserts. Plus, they had cultural and folk dancing on the stage throughout the day. We were able to see a few different dance groups, including a team of young kids! They were so precious!!

After the festival, we packed up the car and headed to San Carlos with Jorge, Blanca, and Monica. We found out what Panamanian rush hour is like (just as fun in the USA), then stopped in Coronado for dinner at Cholo's Mexican Restaurant. Cholo's is owned by a "gringo" named Owen, who was born and raised in Panama before living in Virginia Beach and Hawaii before coming back to Panama and opening his restaurant. He spent a lot of time talking with us, laughing along with us, and all around getting to know some new friends. All of this, and the food was INCREDIBLE!! Brittani said they were the best enchiladas she's ever had, and I ate a burrito that was literally the size of my forearm. He & his crew even brought out dessert in honor of Brittany's birthday!!! How cool is that?!

Following a very entertaining trip to the grocery store, our friend Adrian met us up in San Carlos, and we settled in at the Navarro's beach house. We spent the evening hanging out and teaching each other fun party games from each other's countries... leading to a LOT of laughter and inside jokes! Awesome day :)

<3 Jordan

Hospital del Niño, Malambo Orphanage, and Bling!!

On our third day in Panama, we set out with Graciella to tour Hospital del Niño (the only children's hospital in the country) and Malambo Orphanage, which is just outside of Panama City. At Hospital del Niño, we were able to see exactly what physical therapy was really like in Panama. The main goal of this visit was to see what sort of PT equipment the hospital had and to visualize what we would need to help Matt and Misty get for the orphanage in Colon. When we first walked into the physical therapy unit, we were all surprised as to how busy and chaotic it appeared. Despite this, we were able to walk around and view all of their equipment, along with meet all of the physical therapists and student physical therapists. After seeing the physical therapy unit, we then went to the Gastroenterology, Hemophilia, Orthopedic, and Burn units of the hospital. It was amazing to compare and see the differences of the hospital with those in the United States! 

After touring the hospital, we set out to the Malambo Orphanage in Arraijan, Panama. When comparing Malambo to Divino Niño, we were all shocked! At Malambo, the orphanage was really nice and the children had great living and playing areas. Additionally, there was even a library for the children to go to and study! First, we went to the house where children who were born HIV positive. There were only about 6 or 7 children who lived in this house, so it made it easy to spread our love to all of them equally! While here, we met a little girl named Maria who we were able to spend a lot of time with while the younger children took their naps. She was so full of life and just wanted someone to give her love and affection. When we were taking pictures with the children, I ended up giving my phone to her because she wanted to take pictures of Jordan, Brittany, Graciella, and me. She was so fascinated with taking pictures of us, and she just constantly laughed while she took our pictures. After saying our goodbyes to Maria and the rest of the children at this house, we made our way to the house where school-age girls (ages 5-7) lived. Once we got there, the girls were changing out of their school clothes and finishing their lunch. After they were finished, we went outside to play. While some of the girls fought over the jump ropes we brought them, we hugged and played with the others. It was really saddening to see how much a 7 year old thrived to get a hug from the one of us. But the good thing was, between the 3 of us, we had plenty of hugs to pass around to them all!! Before leaving this house, we played a Spanish version of Ring Around the Rosie with the girls and it was so much fun that I don’t whether the girls or we had more fun. Next, we went to the house for children ages 0-2. Here, our major goal was to simply hold and love on the babies, which was completely fine with us! The babies were so precious and absolutely beautiful that we could have stayed there all day just holding them. Unfortunately, we had to leave and head back to the city. It was really sad knowing that we had to leave the babies and older children, but it made us feel a little better knowing that they did have a good place to live.

Once we got back to our hotel, we got ready to go out for a fun night. We had planned to go to Bling at the Hard Rock Hotel, which is a new nightclub for Panama, with some of our friends that we made during our spring trip here with GCP. Adrian, one of our friends, picked us up from our hotel at 9:30pm and we headed out for the night! Once we arrived, we were immediately in shock by how beautiful the hotel itself was. And once we made it up to the nightclub, we were even more shocked because it was so gorgeous inside. After having a few drinks and dancing till we dropped, we were ready for our beds since we knew we needed some sleep before we traveled to San Carlos beach for the weekend to celebrate Brittany’s birthday!! :)

Love always,
Brittani <3

Divino Niño and Navigating the City!

Our first full day in Panama was a huge success! We set out this morning on a walking adventure to the market to stock up for the week. We've become pros at navigating through Panama City thanks to Blanca and Doris... we learned from the best! Very proud of being able to get ourselves around a place where we don't even speak the language!

In the afternoon, we headed over to Divino Niño Orphanage, a house that has been turned into an orphanage for children ages 0-6. It was nap time when we arrived, so we sat and talked with Graciella, our guide for the orphanages, and she told us all about fostering and the adoption process in Panama. Jordan, Brittani, and myself were all amazed at how long and difficult adoption here can be... they are just now getting to the applicants from 2009! We also learned that adoption for children with special needs here is very difficult, and they almost solely rely on international adoption in those cases. It was definitely an eye-opener, and put into perspective what we were about to witness.

After that, it was playtime! Divino Niño has about 30 children, so you can imagine how much energy that is! The good news is the children there have lots of toys... although most of them preferred just using us as jungle gyms! We had just as much fun, if not more, than they did! We definitely gained some perspective on the situation, and came up with some points and ideas to share with Misty and Matt for their new orphanage!

For tonight, we're off to the Navarros' house to cook a yummy dinner! It's the least we could do for all the amazing things they've done for us! Time to relax and recover, for we are sure to be sore tomorrow!


:) Brittan(with a Y)

En route to Panama- Let the journey begin!

With a flight leaving at 6:05am, it takes an awesome friend to drive a group of 3 girls to Baltimore. Thankfully, Allison is just that AWESOME and got us here safe and sound (with plenty of time!). Brittani, Brittany and I are officially at the gate and ready to depart for Panama (after some Potbelly breakfast sandwiches, of course :)

In the past few days, I haven't seemed to have time to get excited or to even process what we are doing today. Thinking about the friends we get to see, neighborhood we will be staying in, the familiar and new places we will be going- it all somehow feels like I'm headed almost home...

Today will be a day of travel, reunions, and introductions with the new friends we will be spending our time with this week. Look out for more posts from Brittani, Brittany, and myself for updates on all of our activities!

Love always,
Jordan

The Beginning- Panama Special Needs Orphanage

We are excited to announce that three SU students will be traveling to Panama City, Panama for one week this August to facilitate the beginning stages of the first orphanage for children with special needs in Panama!

Misty & Matt Hedspeth moved to Panama from the US a few years ago, where God called them to work with orphaned children, finding them suitable homes and families to serve their physical and spiritual needs. Their organization, Heart's Cry Children's Ministry, is starting this new orphanage for children with special needs outside Colon, Panama. The construction has been started on this new building and is on track to open in January 2014.

Our role on this initial trip will be to work with children currently in orphanages to assess their needs, begin training caregivers and employees on how to care for the physical needs of these children, and start a training program for future employees to ensure continued education and proper care for children in this new institution.

The other program we'll be working with this trip is a school for children with behavioral and developmental disabilities, founded by Jenny Jack. Jenny is a lawyer from the US, who felt the call to move to Panama and serve this population of children a few years ago. Since then, her school has been meeting the needs of this often overlooked group of children in the heart of Panama. We'll be serving these children alongside the faculty, staff, and volunteers currently meeting their educational needs on a daily basis, providing support wherever they need us!

It is our hope that this is the beginning of a long-standing partnership between our students and these incredible organizations in Panama. Please keep our group in your thoughts and prayers as we begin this partnership!

Our newly added Paypal button is an easy way to contribute to our trips- now and in the future. Any funds donated for this trip will go towards purchasing therapy toys and equipment for the children in the orphanages, educational tools & resources for the school (e.g. curriculums, school supplies, etc), and defer the cost of shipping & checked baggage fees for these items.

Check out more about Heart's Cry Children's Ministry here:

http://www.heartscrychildren.com/our-team/

"Dear Panama" is a documentary on current adoption laws and struggles in Panama, and why serving the needs of these children is so crucial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDDakmqCvUI#at=915

If you'd like to donate, click the Paypal link at the top of the page! You can specify which trip you'd like your donation to benefit by putting the name in "Add special instructions" box on the Paypal menu. Thank you!!

SUPT Thrive Service Initiative- Our Mission

We are students at Shenandoah University in the Division of Physical Therapy. We wanted more opportunities to use our skills and work in underserved areas around the world, so we found them! Here's some more information about who we are and what we strive to do.

Vision Statement
Our vision is to foster the development of global citizens in the SUPT program by providing service learning opportunities in local and international settings.

Mission Statement
As SUPT Thrive Service Initiative, we are a student run service program that seeks to reach out to local and international communities promoting health by providing physical therapy services and education to the people we visit. These reciprocal relationships will allow the participating students and SU alumni the opportunity to expand their cultural awareness and become compassionate and competent global citizens. We wish to expand our relationships with communities and improve health around the world, thereby transforming lives from solely surviving to thriving.

Program Goals
1. Provide education and health to communities we visit
2. Develop an outstanding reputation for SUPT service
3. As students, use this experience to develop ourselves both professionally and personally
4. Improve our relationships internationally
5. Become recognized and supported by the VPTA and APTA
6. Create a sustainable organization
7. Develop productive, sustainable fundraising plans
8. Utilize educational resources and support to aid in our effectiveness
9. Become globally aware and culturally competent citizens
10. Help others to improve and maintain their quality of life
11. Allow our participants to become well rounded in various areas of physical therapy care
12. Incorporate recent PT graduates to lead and mentor our teams

Check out blogs from previous trips!

http://supthaiti2013.blogspot.com/

http://suptkenya2012.blogspot.com/