Ingrid works together with the staff at the Federación de Asociaciones Bautistas de Costa Rica (Federation of Baptist Associations of Costa Rica). As a social extension of the Centro Teológico Bautista del Caribe Panameño (Baptist Theological Center of the Panamanian Caribbean) in the community of Changuinola, Bocas del Toro, Panamá, she directs a tutoring and feeding program for elementary and high school students who have fallen behind in their studies. The program is held at Ingrid’s house, and many of the students come from a nearby slum that is without running water and electricity, and where the houses have mud floors and walls made from bamboo. She

She writes (in the voice of one of the children she cares for): Ingrid, the missionary in Changuinola, Panama, wrote to you about me in May 2017. In the photo she sent I was only one year old, but I just turned two on March 12. I am much bigger now! Do you want to know how I have been doing?

Unfortunately, I continue to get sick often. I have a lot of colds and I get parasites and diarrhea, but I am a warrior and I continue making progress after each illness. I learned to walk and so they could not leave me in the playpen. So I follow around the students and the animals that are in the house. I imitate everything. In the morning, I sit in one of the student’s chairs to participate in devotional time and I make gestures with my hands when we sing songs to God. Do you want to know what the missionary, Ingrid, makes me do? I have to stand in line at lunch time and she does not let me go ahead of the others! I have to get in line after all the other students, but sometimes they let me go ahead. Now I can eat by myself and can hold the spoon in my hands and I learned to go to the bathroom. I have not learned to talk yet. I talk with my hands. Please pray about this. I want to learn to talk like everybody else.

I was like the pet in the house until a new member of our animal family arrived. It is a Pug and his name is Kayuko and I am no longer the center of attention in the house. Well, this is not so bad, because I can get into more mischief when they are taking care of Kayuko.

My mother, Nidia, finishes her high school studies in December and hopes to go to the University. So it seems that I will be with the missionary, Ingrid, for several more years. Please pray for her. I will tell you more about myself in a future story.