International Efforts - The Americas
Panama
Some representative stories of the partnership Orphan Grain Train has with “Christ for All the Nations” in Panama.
In its initial donation to Panama, Orphan Grain Train sent a 40-foot container of clothes. Refugees from Colombia and Panama in the Darien region live in very austere conditions. “We were very impressed by the generosity of the people who sent this donation and the organized fashion in which Orphan Grain Train prepared the shipment,” commented Kenneth Peterson, “Christ for All the Nations” (CPTLN) director in Panama. “Thousands of people who live on virtually nothing have received the best clothing they have ever had, thanks to the love and conviction of Orphan Grain Train donors and volunteers.”
In January of this year, a container of equipment, supplies and medicines was sent. This was in response to a request to expand a health center outpost in the town of Sofa, where the first Spanish-speaking Lutheran mission was founded in Panama. The equipment is being delivered in a phased process while the town is making improvements in the building. The rest of the items are being distributed through the Ministry of Health to assist health centers in remote areas of great need.
This donation really boosted the ‘credibility’ of our work in Panama,” explained Peterson. “It shows we are “doers” of the Word, and not just “hearer.” We will also have the benefit of distributing our evangelistic materials and offering spiritual counseling throughout the Sora Health Center.
In March 1998, Orphan Grain Train shipped 6,100 boxes of “By Kids, For Kids” school kits, along with half a shipping container of clothes and bedding for hospitals. All supplies were given to children in 38 schools, in areas of high economic need. The clothes were added to the distribution in certain schools, and were also shared by volunteers working in remote areas.
“The impact in the schools was immediate,” declared Peterson, “When we arrived, we were greeted with open arms. We distributed the boxes room by room. In each classroom we were able to give a clear witness to the Love of Christ and also pray with the children. It was fantastic!”
The latest shipment was two containers of hospital beds for use in the Los Santos Provincial Psychiatric Hospital. The containers also held bedding, wheelchairs, gurneys and other medical equipment.
“This donation is a Godsend, since many of the hospital’s patients are sleeping on the floor,” explained Peterson. “Each time we respond to the Ministry of Health’s requests, we are finding more people who want to know about our ministry and what makes us ‘tick’. Jesus Christ is definitely being glorified through this important “hands on” work we are doing through Orphan Grain Train.”
ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN RELIEVES PATIENT PROBLEM AT PANAMA HOSPITAL
by Ken Peterson
Los Santos, Panama - Patients and staff at the Anita Moreno Hospital, which serves the province of Los Santos here, send thanks and prayers for the people of Orphan Grain Train who provided 100 hospital beds to the facility.
Faced with declining national budgets and an increasing patient load from their combined medical and psychiatric patients, the hospital found itself with people sleeping on unsafe cots and even the floor due to lack of beds. At the request of the Panama Ministry of Health, Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones (“Christ for All the Nations”) director Ken Peterson sent a request to Rev. Ray Wilke at Orphan Grain Train for help.
Orphan Grain Train located the 100 hospital beds, and Evergreen Transport of Panama said they would donate the shipping from New York to Panama City. The two containers of beds, all in excellent condition, arrived and were immediately sent to Los Santos along with assorted walkers, bed trays, sheets and wheelchairs. Dr. Marlo Perez, director of Anita Moreno, and Juan Ramon Mora, hospital administrator there, were elated over the kind support of Orphan Grain Train. With the shipment of beds, they were able to eliminate the iron cots that were falling apart and insure that the patients would not have to sleep on the floor.
“I cannot tell you how thankful we are for your help,” stated Dr. Perez as we walked through the hospital. “We’ve known about Cristo Para Todas Las Naciones (CPTLN), but didn’t know you could also help in this way. We have been able to update the beds for the medical patients-especially the older people-and provide adequate sleeping equipment for our psychiatric patients. “
The hospital faces many challenges, according to Dr. Perez, and any equipment support is very welcome as they try to serve the provincial population of some 200,000 people. “Our needs grow faster than the budget,” he said. “Please thank the Orphan Grain Train for their help and tell them that we are open to their kind donations in the future.”
As part of the donation to the hospital, CPTLN is also providing Christian booklets and materials that will be used in the waiting areas and for patient reading centers. “This outreach through Orphan Grain Train and CPTLN is very positive here,” explained Ken Peterson, director of CPTLN. “We are able to bring God’s Word through our materials and witness, and the physical help really impacts the people who know we care about them not just as ‘spiritual statistics’, but as human beings.”
This is the fourth project Orphan Grain Train has supported in Panama, which has resulted in enhanced credibility for the organization and ministry. “People are hearing the Gospel and seeing it in action,” concluded Peterson.