Hii!

My name is Liana and I'm a Pre-Medicine student in college. This August, I will be traveling with a group from my church to Panama on a medical missions trip. My group, led by Emmanuel Charismatic Church in Astoria, New York will be staying in Panama City and will then travel to local communities, including towns inhabited by indigenous peoples who are isolated from medical treatment. My team is able to provide medical care, eyeglasses, dental care, and gifts such as clothes, shoes, toys, school supplies, and groceries to the people we meet. The people will also be provided with free medications and will be educated in preventative and palliative care.

Our primary goal is to share the love of Jesus Christ to the people of Panama. While we won't be pushing our faith upon others, we want to leave an open offer for the people to receive prayer and spiritual counsel. We also know that in order to give spiritually, we ourselves must be spiritually full, which is why we will be participating in local church services every night too!

I want to go on this trip because I understand people have needs, on multiple levels, and I want to do what I can to contribute to the meeting of those needs. I am blessed to have a life where I am fortunate enough to take things for granted, yet this makes my heart break all the more for those who struggle to find their next meal or can barely see because they have no access to eye care or suffer physically and mentally because they haven't received the education and resources to care for themselves. I want to grow in compassion and love for the people around me, and I want to gain experience that will empower and inspire me to open my eyes to the reality of the world around me. I want to help people, and this is one way to do that!