PBU in Panama 2011: Baseball Donations to Potrerillos & Iglesia Bautistia Biblica de David

Departure at 7:00 AM made for a very quiet bus ride back to our friends in Potrerillos. Today we set out to paint the front of the two dormitories that we painted on the inside. I am tempted to say that painting in the Panamanian sun was brutal but we kept reminding ourselves that you got 3 inches of snow and another 3-5” is expected. We gladly endured the sun! We painted until we ran out of paint and did complete 90% of the building’s exterior. The Director, Victor, shared his appreciation and wanted us to see the balance of the complex. Trades in welding, metal working, carpentry, woodworking, and the electrical field are taught to the boys. Victor told us that they have many successful graduates that are working in these trades and as lawyers, engineers, police officers, etc. It was very encouraging to see the rest of the grounds that included fields and livestock supporting the boys home and bringing income into the organization. They have several crops including beans, sugar cane, corn, tomatoes, papaya, coffee, pumpkins, squash, etc. Livestock included pigs and chickens. After lunch we revealed our gifts that were made possible with the donations collected by the PBU team members and Myrl. The boys were and staff were very excited and appreciative. They tried on the hats and batting helmets and began throwing the balls. One of the boy’s errant throws ended up breaking a small window so the equipment testing moved to the athletic field. Then came the hard part we had to say goodbye. After several team members exchanged email addresses we boarded the bus for David with about 10 dozen eggs for delivery to the market.

Next stop was the delivery of three large suitcases of baseball equipment for the youth league of Iglesia Bautistia Biblica de David. Pastor Willis and his associate were equally excited to see the donations and indicated that they had been playing without batting helmets. After buying our bus tickets for Friday we returned to one of our favorite restaurants for pizza.