December 10, 2003

Happy Holidays to all our friends and family.

First I would like to say thank you to all who were kind enough to let us stay at their homes when we visited in October.  We had a wonderful time in California visiting our families and friends.  We also want to thank everyone for their prayers, kindness and support, financial and otherwise.  Also, a special thanks to those who donated dolls, clothes and vitamins to take back to the Hogar de Niñas.

A special thanks, also, to St. James' in Sonora, St. Francis’ and St. Phillip’s in San Jose, St. Mark’s in Berkeley and St. Jude’s in Cupertino for letting Michael preach and/or participate in forums about our mission in Panama.

When Michael and I returned to Panama, our Panamanian daughters and grandchild  greeted us warmly with many gifts, dinner and a clean house.  They were planning on staying at our house for the month we were gone, but things changed, so they it looks like they will be with us longer.  I really enjoy being a grandmother and have fun with Alejandra, who is two and a half.  The girls, Yasury and Ingrid, are friends of Anne who we met our first year in Panama.  Last year they needed a place to live, and have been with us off and on since.

As Michael likes to say, he hit the ground running the minute we got back.  Our first Sunday back we had six baptisms. He had several funerals, and meetings.  One meeting was Clericas, the monthly meeting for all the clergy in the Diocese. Bishop Murray, Michael, and five of his colleagues  traveled to the city of David in Chiriqui. The bus ride was 6 hours to David and 6 hours back. Most people slept on the bus, but Michael and the bishop can’t sleep on buses and planes, so they were quite exhausted upon their return.

We returned to Panama just in time for Panama’s 100 Anniversary of Independence celebrations and parades.  Michael and I went to the parade on November third (Independence from Colombia Day) and then to a special Mass with wonderful singing where we got to see the current president, Mireya Moscoso, and her entourage processing out of the church at the end of the program.

St. Christopher’s held a Harvest Thanksgiving Day service on Sunday, November 23. It was a lovely bilingual service with much participation from the Youth. The chancel was decorated with fresh fruits and vegetables, which were given to the poor after the service. The church was overflowing with people!

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is on December 8 and is celebrated also as Mother’s Day here in Panama. This is a very big holiday and everything is closed down for it.  St. Christopher’s Parish celebrated Mother’s Day with a bilingual service on Sunday, December 7.  At the end of the service we had an hour of presentations which included our Mother of the Year, who was chosen by the Men’s Fellowship, poems, songs, Típico, or Panamanian Folk dancing, and a drawing all presented by our youth.  Afterward, the Men’s Fellowship provided a repast for all of us to enjoy.

My work with at the girls home continues to enrich my life.  Donna, who is in first grade, is reading better.  She’s unusually cooperative and a joy to work with.  A couple of weeks ago while I was reading a story to her, she looked up to me and said “I love you” in English.  I was so surprised and when I looked at her, she said it again.  It was so sweet, I could only smile and say it back to her while giving her a hug.  Odette, a second
grader who I worked with a lot last year, asked me to work with her last week on her math.  She did very well with the problems that I gave her.  She has learned a lot and is reading really well.  I recently bought two books with lots of short stories and two reading workbooks (second and third grade).  We took turns reading some of the stories out loud.  I’m happy to say that Odette did an excellent job reading the third grade level book.

I’ve also been working with Tzeitel Allen at the diocesan center helping her with the 2004 calendar that we are now selling.  It’s also a history of the church and their hundred and fifty year presence in Panama.

My next project will need a lot of prayers and possibly financial support.  I’m hoping to get a group of kids that will be trained to teach other kids about AIDS and pregnancy prevention, drug abuse and family violence.  We have a high rate of teen pregnancy, that I’m hoping education may help to cut down on.  We also have a higher rate of AIDS than I thought, so I’ve talked with the current bishop’s wife and the retired bishops wife and they are ready to support and help me.  We’re trying to make this a Clergy Spouse Project. After the teens are trained, then we’ll go to Colón, Bocas, and the Darien to teach other teens about these important subject.

We hope that your Holidays are filled with peace and joy.  Bless you all for your support and generosity.

Your missionaries in Panamá,
Mona and Michael Dresbach
mgdbach@hotmail.com -Michael
mldresbach@hotmail.com -Mona

If you would like to make donations or a monthly pledge to our mission,
please contact St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Ave., San Jose, CA
95125, 408-292-7090.  Please feel free to check St. Francis' web site at
www.stfrancisepiscopalchurch.org, which includes an archive of our letters
and pictures of our mission.