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!!
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