Day 8 11-21-25

 The day dawned sunny and beautiful, birds singing, a cargo ship slowly going by.

We met in the hotel lobby at 8, boarded our bus, and again passed the statue of the canal diggers on our way out onto the causeway. The ships waiting to go through the Panama Canal are seen in the far distance

but are seen better here

We headed to Mi Ranchitos for breakfast

Everyone got a delicious breakfast, with lots of options to pick from, including this banana topped pancake stack, 

avocado toast, or strawberry french toast.

Anyone see anything wrong with this picture? ...Yes, I have the Coke Zero and Pastor has tea! In case you were not aware, Pastor doesn't drink Coke Zero for breakfast!!! After all, he said, it just doesn't go well with eggs. (ok, thankfully I had avocado toast)....Not that he doesn't drink Coke Zero in the morning - he assured me he had already had a Coke Zero before breakfast. (Not sure if that was ONE Coke Zero or AT LEAST one Coke Zero). 

After breakfast we again enjoyed beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean as we waited to board the bus.

There were many boats out on the water

including a pirate ship!

This one looks like it has seen better days..

There were also colorful flowers

Driving back along the causeway, we passed this cargo ship containing cars

We would see more cargo ships later at the Panama Canal, but first we were headed to Panama Viejo.  We passed the unique Bio Museo building - 

got another view of the Bridge of the Americas,

and saw this interesting parade of cars, complete with police escort.

Of course, lots of honking etc

That's quite a prom celebration!

We passed downtown Panama City

and Casco Viejo.

Before long, we reached Panama Viejo, with this monument to Samuel Lewis at the front (The plaque on the monument read "Samuel Lewis, 1871-1939, hero of independence, orator, historian, and precursor of the preservation of Panama Viejo")

We got our tickets, 

and rode the tram back to the museum and ruins (including the famous tower).

We passed the ruins of several buildings of Panama Viejo (Old Panama: the original settlement of what is now Panama City), currently inhabited by....birds. 

This appears to have been the hospital building (The sign is entitled Hospital San Juan de Dios)

This is the museum

It appear to be a popular place for school field trips

The first Spaniard to reach the outskirts of Panama Viejo was Antonio Tello de Guzman in 1515. After several clashes with the natives, the Spanish defeated them under the command of Governor Pedro Arias "Pedrarias" Davila. During these incursions, the conquerors observed the potential of the area as a possible port and urban settlement. Panama Viejo was founded on August 15, 1519 by Davila and another 100 inhabitants. At the time, it was the first permanent European settlement on the Pacific Ocean.  Shortly after its creation, the city became a starting point for various expeditions in Peru and an important base where gold and silver were sent to Spain.

King Ferdinand of Aragon (Spain) gave precise instructions on how to establish and populate cities, govern, manage the land, exploit resources, and treat their populations. Within these ordinances was the requirement that native people be vassals of the king of Spain, to adopt the Catholic faith, and to obey the commands of the conquerors. This was met with denial, laughter, and violence by the native population.

This is a quote by Fray Juan de Quevedo (Spanish Franciscan priest) and the first Bishop of Santa Maria de La Antigua del Darien in Panama (1513–1519):

The caciques (chiefs) and indians of Tubanama and Panama have been mistreated, killed, and destroyed; those who were once like lambs, who did not know how to throw a stone, became so brave that all those Christians who were in Santa Cruz and all those found scattered on the earth were killed; and they even fought against Tello de Guzman and put him and his people in great trouble.

You could say it was a mission trip gone bad. You cannot force someone to adopt the Christian faith. Faith comes from hearing the Word of God and is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. 

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

The Spaniards thought they could create faith in conquered people through their military might. We Christians today may not be quite so aggressive, and yet we too must remember that creating faith in another person is not our job - our job is simply to be kind to others, love our neighbor, share the Gospel message, and leave the rest to God. 

layout of Panama Viejo

There was also a room with Christian artifacts/art. 

This is Griselda with a picture of St. Nicholas of Bari, who she said has a special connection with Loma Cova.

Griselda also said there is some connection between this person (Virgin of Mercy) and Arrijan.

There was so much more in the museum! Afterwards we went outside to the tower, which served both as belfry of the church (built between 1619 and 1626) and lookout.

We walked around some through the ruins

Then climbed the tower

where the breeze was nice and the views amazing

Then we boarded a plane and flew over the tower 

(just kidding - that's an aerial view of the tower that was in the museum!)

We waited for the tram to take us back to the visitor center.

Panama - new and old

We boarded our bus

and drove back past downtown Panama City - a city of contrasts (as most cities are)

We saw the headquarters of the Panama Canal up on a hill.

We arrived back to Allbook mall for another Super 99 shopping opportunity

We ate lunch at Leonardo's, which is just a few stores down from the Super 99.




The pizza was sabroso (tasty)!





Next we drove to the visitor center for the Panama Canal.

We saw three different ships pass through - 

including this Holland America cruise line...You can see that the storm clouds were gathering! 

Next we went into the IMAX theater for the story of the Panama Canal narrated by Morgan Freeman.

  

On the drive back to the hotel, we passed the cranes used to unload the shipping containers

as well as the stacks of shipping containers.

We initially had good traffic, but later hit a traffic jam for quite a while. 

Due to the traffic jam on the way back the hotel, we only had a 5-10 minute stopover at the hotel before we drove to the Brazilian steakhouse.


which was all decked out for Christmas.




We enjoyed some fine bottled water,

the salad bar, 



and of course the sliced meats!

Pastor Rickman joined us for our evening meeting in Pastor's room. He thanked us for coming to serve in the eyeglass clinics - how much it means to be able to have vision when you haven't seen clearly for a long time. He expressed that it means so much to the Lutheran churches in Panama that we came to support, encourage, and show our love to them and to the people in their communities.

Standing on the balcony at the Brazilan steakhouse tonight, I was reminded of this Psalm:

Psalm 107:23-32

Some went out on the sea in ships;
    they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,
    his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke and stirred up a tempest
    that lifted high the waves.
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
    in their peril their courage melted away.
27 They reeled and staggered like drunkards;
    they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble,
    and he brought them out of their distress.
29 He stilled the storm to a whisper;
    the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
    and he guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.
32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people
    and praise him in the council of the elders.

 

Lord, You have guided us throughout this trip. You have been with us, watched over us, protected us, and provided for favorable weather. You have allowed us to interact with, support, and deepen relationships with our brothers and sisters in Panama. Thank you for this experience. As we return home tomorrow, we know we will be hit with many storms in life ahead. May we always call out to You, our Creator and Redeemer. Continue to guide us to You, our haven, and along the way may we always remember to give thanks to You for Your unfailing love. Amen.