Al West and his wife, local Compass realtor Lori Vaden West, have long supported local charities, including Helping Hands of Celina, North Texas Food Bank, the Alzheimer’s Association, and their church, First United Methodist in McKinney. However, after recently returning from their second trip to Panama, they now have a passion for the indigenous people of Panama.
The church and several others in the area have joined with Rev. David and Cindy Ceballos to share the love of Jesus Christ through impactful medical missions in remote regions of Panama. These missions make a significant difference and offer care and support to indigenous tribes in the most remote regions. Volunteers, including medical professionals, medical support volunteers, recreation leaders, and vacation bible school leaders, are instrumental in this mission. David serves as a church developer with the Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama (IEMPA), specifically in the area of Punta Delgadita, near Santiago de Veraguas, and Cynthia is a community health coordinator for a ministry linked to Punta Delgadita.
Al is a trauma surgeon, and their first trip in 2023 was primarily focused on medical treatment and running medical clinics for villages identified by the Ceballos. On this trip, the most significant need was dental work. With little preventative health education and resources, many villagers' teeth were in poor health and painful. Al quickly learned how to help speed up the treatment process by receiving training from the dentist on the team to prepare patients for procedures and apply local dental anesthesia. Lori found her calling to sit with patients, encourage them, and assure them they would be well cared for. She quickly learned enough spanish to say, “It will be ok,” and “Hold my hand.”
This first trip was a profound experience for the West family. They were confronted with the harsh reality of how isolated and remote these villages could be. After a long flight to Panama City, the team embarked on a six-hour bus ride to their base camp at La Qhia Eco Retreat, at the heart of Santa Fe National Park. The breathtaking scenery of waterfalls, rainforests, and hundreds of species of orchids was juxtaposed with the bare accommodations and lack of air conditioning. The team traversed rough terrain across the continental divide for hours daily. They would set up clinics in local schools, and patients would sometimes walk as much as three hours to reach the clinic. These challenges underscore the urgent need for support in these remote regions.
About 30 weeks of the year, churches and teams join the Cabellos in Panama to prescribe and dispense medications, complete well-baby checks, provide health-related education and supplies, and build buildings, water wells, and cooking facilities. Vacation Bible School is a favorite among children traveling with their families to these clinics. The children play games, do crafts, have snacks, and hear a gospel presentation.
Between their 2023 and 2024 trips, the Wests have been active in helping to raise funds to build a bridge. The community children used the Rio Bulaba Bridge to travel daily to and from school. Recent storms had washed it away. In the year since the bridge was washed out, eight children had drowned crossing the river. Rebuilding the bridge is a priority so kids can safely walk to school!
Lori shared how her heart has grown to love the people of Panama. While she will continue to give time and financial support to the organization to help our neighbors next door, she feels the need to extend her reach to those beyond the North Texas area. She finds this kind of work in Panama helps her feel grounded and helps to reset her priorities. She discovers that she is less likely to get caught up in all the trappings of everyday life and instead feels more connected to God, her daily study of the Bible, and her calling to help people with a more extended reach. She feels blessed to be at this season in life, which allows her and Al to pursue this passion together.
Each trip is a year-long process of preparation. They focus on gathering medical supplies, medications, construction materials, health and hygiene items, and money to support the work of the mission community in Panama. After a couple of trips, Lori and Al have learned a lot of lessons, have a better understanding of what to expect, know what to bring and wear, and are even improving their spanish.
You can learn more about David and Cindy Ceballos' ministry in Panama and other areas worldwide at umcmission.org. If adventurous, you can book a family vacation or team retreat in the rain forest at La Qhia Eco Retreat, operated by the Caballos' laqhia-ecoretreat.com. You can enjoy yoga, birding, hiking, horseback riding, reading a book in a hammock, or pampering yourself.