Two Local Pastors Serve Guna People in Panama City by Feeding Their Children and Telling Them about God's Love
Pastora Dixia Bliss and her husband, Pastor Eduardo, serve the members of Iglesia Escuadrones del Ejercito de Dios, which literally translates to Squadron Church of the Army of God.
They have a heart to minister to the indigenous Panamanian Guna tribal people who have immigrated to their area from the Panama countryside for better opportunities.
Dixia and Eduardo share the Gospel and show the love of God to their community through making meals for Guna children to eat in a safe environment.
The funds raised were used to finish the kitchen they had started to build and to an add-on covered patio. This new room will be a space for the children to eat and to learn about God.
YKPM raised $9,000 for this feeding program.
Facts about the Guna People:
Population: Estimated to be 300,000
An estimated 33,000 live on the larger of the many islands around Panama, most particularly the San Blas Islands
They are the indigenous people of Panama and Columbia
The Guna people are fiercely protective of their culture, many of the women still wearing their colorful traditional outfits called molas
Many live in one of the three autonomous reservations in Panama known together as Guna Yala, formerly San Blas
Their culture is matriarchal with husbands taking the last name of their wives
Their culture emphasizes gender equality
Economy of Guna Yala is based on agriculture, fishing and the manufacture of clothing and other hand crafts
SOURCES:
“Who Are The Guna People? Meet The Traditional Owners of the San Blas Islands” by Cacique Cruiser
Facts about Panama
Population: Four million, half of whom live in country’s capital, Panama City
Casco Viejo, which means “old town” in Spanish, is a neighborhood within Panama City that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with several old ruins; it is also the first European city built in the Pacific Coast of the Americas in 1519
El Chorrillo, the impoverished neighborhood within Panama City, is next door to Casco Viejo
While Panama is regarded as a high-income economy, it is still home to significant income and resource inequalities
Panama does not have a national law for an overarching child protective system
Jungles cover 40% of Panama’s land area and are home to many tropical plants and animals, some not found anywhere else in the world
FUN FACT: Panama’s highest point in the country, Volcan Baru, is the only place in the world you can see the sun rise on the Atlantic and set on the Pacific
SOURCES:
MORE INFO ON EL CHORRILLO NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS CHALLENGES:
“The Two Faces of Panama City” by Alison Skilton, Medium.com
“El Chorrillo bears the scars of a US invasion and gang violence. But amid the heartache, there's hope” by Sophie Kesteven, ABC National Radio (Australia)
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