Thursday, May 22

Today started with something new:  an authentic Chinese breakfast.  We all ate things we've never eaten before, and it was delicious.  We enjoyed just talking, sampling lots of different dishes, and sharing food between the team.  Once we were full, we headed back to Crossroads Christian Academy for more morning PE classes.  It was a wonderful morning, with energetic kids and lots of games.  Afterwards, most went back to Casa Paraiso for a much needed nap, while a few headed down to the old French Quarter of Panama City for some site seeing.

After another great dinner of chicken and rice, we headed off to our first game vs. the University of Panama. After a rough shooting first quarter, we cut the lead to 3 with a beautiful 4 pass play that went the length of the court without touching the ground and Nate Sizemore finished with the basket at the buzzer. Our shooting didn't get better however, and the half ended with the Warrior squad down by 7.  After the half however, the team came out on fire, scoring the first 10 points in the half, and eventually scored 35 total points in the quarter.  Braden Thompson led the charge with a couple dunks and his perimeter shooting, and everyone contributed to expand the lead.  In the fourth quarter the Panamanian team mounted a comeback, cutting our lead to six, but the Warriors held on to win 67-61.

Friday, we spend the whole day in Curundu.  Two clinics, plus a game a night will make for an exhausting day.  Curundu is an impoverished area that the church has built a school in.  Please pray for energy, endurance, and that our players' eyes will be opened and they'll have a bigger view of the world and that their compassion for others will grow.

One final note:  we've experienced quite a bit of technical difficulties with our blog, so Eddie created a Facebook page the team can all post to.  For more pics and updates from team members, go to

 https://www.facebook.com/ScPanamatrip