July 17, 2002

Dear friends,

Greetings from Panama.  Hope this note finds you well.

Anne returned to Panama at the end of May to spend her summer break after her second year at Emerson College in Boston.  It is always good to have her back home.

Michael, once again, was asked to give the Invocation at a special program honoring members of the Elk's Club.

This year, as last year, we received the donations from The Samaritan Purse for the previous Christmas in May.  Anne and I worked with Ana Murray (the Bishop's wife) and Sybil Josiah (The Rev. Dennis Josiah's wife) at the Diocesan Center going through the boxes to separate the candy before it melts from the boxes we'll send in December as Christmas gifts.  We still filled two large garbage bags of clothes and stuffed animals that needed washing from melted candy.  The job was easier this time because we started earlier.  We also separated all school supplies to deliver them within the next couple of months for this school year. School begins after Easter and ends in December.

I traveled with the University of Panama choir to Boquete, a small beautiful town in Chiriqui towards the border of Costa Rica and Penenomé, a small town in the Interior.   This semester we sang music from Panamanian composers.  We also sang "Missa Palatina" and "Nisi Dominus", music found in Brazil that was used by the Jesuits after their arrival in South America.  The University students were great, as always and I had a chance to see parts of Panama that I might not otherwise see.

The Panama Project this year had three seminarian participants; Una Ryan from CDSP, Jason Roberts, from Virginia Theological Seminary, and Bridge Tierney from Seabury Western.  We met Una at CDSP about five years ago when Michael was a student there. It was wonderful to see her again.  We had a BBQ at our house (which is becoming a Panama Project tradition) welcoming them to Panama-their last chance to have decent vegetarian cooking before going off to Bocas del Toro.  Panamanians are not known for great vegetarian cuisine and two people in the group were vegetarian.  Michael had the opportunity to travel with them to Bocas and spend two days helping them with workshops for the church in Almirante.  Michael preached and the Rev. Nelson Edwards presided at a Eucharist at Iglesia Transfiguración in Changinola, a town in the region of Bocas del Toro.  His responsibilities at St. Christopher's prevented him from staying there the two weeks with the Project.  He met up with them at Santa Clara for the debriefing.

Jen Drgans and her youth group arrived on June 21 along with the Rev. Stephanie Nagley from St. Mark's Washington DC.  Stephanie preached a wonderful sermon at St. Christopher's Church on Sunday while Jen and the youth went to St. Paul's Church. They continued to Tortí, working and experiencing aspects of third world living for a week.  I met up with the group on Monday, July 1 after they arrived back in Panama City.  Jen and I had a great time discussing the experiences of the youth, having lunch, and shopping at several stores on Avenida Central.

Anne just finished staying a week in the Hogar de las Niñas.  She has a very good relationship with all the girls.  She taught them more hand clapping games, worked with them on math problems and other homework.  She even showed them some moves from Capauera, a Brazilian martial art form she's learning in Boston.  She's planning to continue helping them with schoolwork on a weekly bases during her summer here.

We pray that all of you are having a wonderful summer.  Please feel free to write and ask us about anything regarding our work.  We would love to hear from everyone since we miss you all.  May God bless you and keep you healthy and happy.

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

The Inn is always open; if you need a place to stay while visiting Panama, please contact us at the email addresses above.  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' website at www.stfrancisepiscopalchurch.org which includes an archive of our letters and pictures of our mission.