Volunteers in Mission (VIM) is a program that promotes the encounter of volunteers from the United Methodist Church of the United States with our Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama (IEMPA) and the Panamanian culture in order to strengthen both churches.

General Objective: To promote the mutual strengthening of the Evangelical Methodist Church of Panama (IEMPA) and the United Methodist Church (UMC) of the United States through the encounter of volunteers from the UMC with members of the IEMPA and with the Panamanian culture.

Specific Objectives:
1. Strengthen the bonds of friendship and fellowship between Panamanian and North American Methodists.
2. Contribute to a better understanding of the Panamanian culture.
3. Provide free medical attention to marginalized sectors of Panamanian society.
4. Help build and improve the churches and other buildings of the IEMPA and the communities served by the IEMPA

Services offered by IEMPA

1. Lodging:
Panama City: lodging at IEMPA main office:
Room # 1: 8 beds (4 bunk beds)
Room # 2: 12 beds (6 bunk beds)
Room # 3: 4 beds (2 bunk beds)
Rooms are air conditioned and have showers that may have hot water. There is access to a swimming pool and to wireless internet service.
Chiriquí:
1. Volcan Training Center:
Two dorms with 30 beds each (triple bunks)
Three rooms with 2 single beds in each room
Natural highland air conditioning, showers with warm water. Wireless internet service can be arranged and there is an Internet Cafe next door.
2. Local hotels in David charge around $35.00 per night, double occupancy. Rooms are air conditioned and have private bathrooms and hot water. Visa and Master Card are accepted.
2. Transportation: The church has two buses with a capacity for 29 passengers and assigns the driver.
3. Food service: The church provides a cook and helper to prepare meals for teams. For budgeting purposes, se suggest you calculate $10 per person per day (3 meals). We suggest that the team give the cook $200 or $300 at the beginning of the week, depending on group size, to purchase the necessary groceries. The cook will provide receipts for all purchases made. The cook will prepare breakfasts and dinners. Most teams prefer sandwiches for lunch on site which may be prepared by the cook or the team members, depending on the team’s preference. There are also numerous and relatively inexpensive restaurants in both Panama City and Chiriqui. Teams may opt to eat one or two evening meals at the restaurants for a change of pace.
4. Interpreters: If the team does not have bilingual members, the church will provide a volunteer to assist the team.
5. Tour Guide: The church will provide a volunteer to accompany the team for sightseeing.
6. Mobile Dental Clinic and Mobile Medical Clinic: Through a Catholic relief organization, we can provide a van which has two dental chairs (with drills, water, spittoon, etc.). There is also a van equipped for gynecological exams or general medical use. Both are air-conditioned and well lighted. The driver/technician is paid $20 daily by the VIM team. A donation of around $100 is made to the Catholic organization for the use of either van. Both vans can be reserved if necessary. The VIM team is also responsible for the diesel for the vans.

Guide to costs:
Lodging:
Panama City church dorm: Free. We have linens and towels at the Panama City lodging. We accept a donation of $3.00 per person to cover the cost of washing the sheets and towels. At the Volcan Training Center we can provide blankets but do not have sheets. We also ask for a donation of $2.00 per person for the laundry fee in Volcan.
We can make your hotel reservations when necessary but need a list of participants, grouped according to roommate preference. The hotels also require a scanned copy of both sides of a credit card as well as a color copy of the passport of the card holder.
Hotel in David: Hotel Puerta Del Sol. The doubles cost $35.90 and the triples $43.08, taxes included. Tel. 011-507-774-8422 (dialing direct from the USA)
Hotel Riande Aeropuerto in Panama City: Doubles: $99.00 (Some groups like to stay in this hotel on the night before they leave Panama. It is located next door to the airport and has a free shuttle to the airport. Price includes a buffet breakfast.)
Transportation: 29 passenger Toyota Coaster bus provided by IEMPA.
VIM team covers the cost of fuel, tolls and the payment of the driver. The Church made a major investment in the purchase of the bus. Therefore we ask each group to include in their budget a donation of $500 to the bus fund.
Bus driver: Daily: $20.00
Trip to airport: $20.00
Trips outside the city $30.00
Roundtrip to Camp Cielito $40.00
Trip to Chiriquí: $50.00 each way
Air transportation to Chiriqui: $206.00 roundtrip, $103.00 one way
Reservations and payment can be made directly to Aeroperlas via internet through their website: www.aeroperlas.com (Tel. 315-7500) Please note that the Child and Senior Citizen discounts apply only to Panamanian citizens.
Other:
Food service: Cook & Helper: $20.00 each, daily.
(VIM team provides the funds for purchase of groceries.)
Construction foreman: $20.00 to $25.00 daily
Construction helper: $15.00 daily
Mason: $20.00 to $25.00 daily or by contract
Welder: $20.00 to $25.00 daily or by contract
Electrician: $20.00 to $25.00 daily or by contract
Plumber: $20.00 to $25.00 daily or by contract

The national volunteers shall receive no payment for services rendered. However, the VIM team, if they so desire, may give volunteers a small gift, monetary or other.

Work sites: (partial list)

Construction:
Province of Chiriqui
1. Puerto Armuelles: Drop ceiling in sanctuary
2. Jacu: Sunday School Annex
3. CEIPAN-Bongo classrooms:
4. Bongo: Recreational Annex
5. Concepción: Remodelling of Sunday School Annex
6. Cienaguita: Multi-use building, dental clinic annex.
7. Volcan: Sunday School Annex
Panama City area
8. Pedregal Recreational Annex
9. Camp Cielito

Medical/Dental: Various locations, primarily in the Province of Chiriqui.

Planning a Medical Mission:

Licenses: We must submit NOTARIZED copies of the licenses of all medical personnel (doctors, nurses, dentists, etc.)as well as color copies of their passports. We need these documents at least a month and a half before the date of your mission. The best way to get us the NOTARIZED copies of your documents is by UPS, DHL or FED EX. These companies require a physical address and a telephone number. Please notify me by e-mail when you send the documents. The physical address is as follows:
Oficina Central
Iglesia Evangelica Metodista de Panama
Via Espana y Calle Martin Luther King (IPA)
Casa # 19 Las Sabanas
Ciudad de Panama
Republic of Panama

Tel. /FAX 011-507- 224-5184

Medicines: Each member of the groups that will be doing a medical mission usually brings down a suitcase full of medicines as one of their two allowed suitcases. We will FAX to the team leader a copy of the document issued by the Health Ministry authorizing the medical mission. We will have the original on hand at the airport in case it is needed. No outdated medicines will be allowed to enter Panama. Please do not jeopardize future teams by bringing in outdated meds. Some teams pre-package meds in standard dose packets. If you do this, please bring along at least one of the original containers for each med so that expiration dates can be verified. Some additional meds may be obtained through a Catholic relief organization at cost. (The parasite medication Mebendezol is especially cheap.) A distributor in Panama City can sell us some meds at a good price. Note: Gamexol (for lice and scabies) is no longer permitted to be used. Additional meds may be purchased at pharmacies in David, Chiriqui, but the cost is sometimes greater than what could have been obtained in the USA.

Regulations:
1. No one, neither pastors nor lay persons, should solicit any type of economic or other assistance from the VIM team to cover personal or family needs.
2. The drivers and other employees of the IEMPA shall follow at all times the instructions given by the IEMPA Administration and other national authorities.
3. No person (national volunteer, international volunteer, employee or hired worker) shall consume alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or illicit substances while upon church property or in church vehicles and shall exhibit at all times conduct in accordance with our Christian principles.
4. At all times the integrity of the VIM team and the IEMPA will be respected. There shall be no interference with the internal affairs of the VIM team and the IEMPA.
5. Both the VIM team and the IEMPA will work together to maintain an atmosphere of cordiality that promotes tranquility and satisfaction. If any difficulty arises, it should be resolved by the IEMPA.
6. Transportation shall be provided exclusively for the use of the VIM team and the authorized national volunteers. Any other use of the bus shall be determined in consultation with the VIM team leader and the local coordinator.
7. Failure to abide by the present regulations may result in the termination of participation in the VIM program.

Sight-seeing:
An important part of the VIM program is the opportunity to learn about the Panamanian culture. To that end, at least one day of sight-seeing should be included as an integral part of the experience. It is best to have a full day available to see Panama City. Any or all of the following may be included in the itinerary:
1. The ruins of Old Panama ($4 adults, $2 students)
2. Colonial Panama, including the Canal Museum ($2) and the Presidential Palace
3. The Panama Canal ($8)
4. Mi Pueblito, replicas of a typical village from the interior Panama, a Kuna Indian village and an Afro-Antillian neighborhood ($2)
5. Handicraft Center, includes items from all the major Indian groups as well as other crafts
6. Las Tinajas Restaurant, includes a typical Panamanian dinner ($12) and a floor show of folkloric dances ($5)
7. Summit Botanical Park ($2), in the heart of a tropical jungle, includes a small zoo of tropical birds, reptiles and mammals
The per persona admission price is indicated in parenthesis. Prices may vary very slightly. The church bus and driver will be available for use during the tour under the same terms as mentioned above.
For teams with a little more time, there are other possible side trips within a couple hours of Panama City, such as El Valle de Anton, in the mountains, Taboga Island, which can be reached by ferry, and several beautiful beaches along both the Pacific Coast and the Atlantic (Caribbean) Coast.
For teams that will be working in the Province of Chiriqui, time should be reserved for a tour of mountain communities of Boquete, Volcan and Cerro Punta. Often that can be done after attending Sunday worship.

Other Information:
1. Water: Tap water in Panama is of generally high quality in the urban areas. It may be safely consumed. However, bottled water is widely available in both small containers and 5 gallon bottles which cost from $3 to $4. We have coolers available for dispensing.
2. Ice chests: We have several available for VIM teams to use.
3. Clothing: Short pants and short sleeve or sleeveless shirts are acceptable attire for both men and women. Dress for church is casual, though it would be preferable not to wear shorts to church. Pants are acceptable attire for women even at church services.
4. Vaccinations: Even though, the CDC recommends the Yellow Fever shot for visitors to Panama, the Panamanian health authorities do not. The last case of Yellow Fever reported in Panama was in 1974. Malaria and Dengue Fever occur, generally in the more remote rural areas. Many visitors do take malaria prophylaxis. The Cloroquin resistant strain of malaria occurs only in areas towards the Columbian border, so it is not necessary to take Fansadar. There is a growing number of cases of Dengue Fever in urban areas, so it is important to use mosquito repellant so as to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes in the first place.
5. Medical Care: In the event of any serious injury or illness, there is top quality medical care available in Panama. In most clinics and hospitals, payment may be made by credit card as well as cash. We highly recommend that all groups take advantage of the medical insurance offered through UMVIM. (www.missionvolunteers.org) or (www.umvim.org). Medical services are much cheaper than in the U.S., though medicines themselves may be more expensive. Pharmacies generally accept credit cards as well.
6. Credit Cards: Visa and Master Card are widely accepted for all types of purchases including groceries, fuel, meals at restaurants, clothing, crafts, etc. Remember to notify your credit card company before you travel that you will be making purchases in Panama. That will help you to avoid having your card suspended for suspicious charges by the anti-fraud department of the company. DO NOT plan tu use Traveler's Checks as a source of cash. They can be used for purchases but are very difficult to get cashed.
7. Tourist Visa: The tourist visa costs $5 and is usually purchased at the gate of departure from the U.S. or in some cases upon arrival in Panama.
8. Airport Exit Tax: The airport exit tax from Panama is $20. It is usually included in the cost of your airline ticket.
9. Tips for luggage handlers: 50 cents a bag, $1 for oversized bags. It is generally preferable to pay the tip as a group to the captain of the luggage handlers who will then distribute to the other workers. That helps to avoid both overpayments and duplicate payments.
10. Exchange rate: The official currency of Panama is the Balboa which is on par with the dollar. However, Panama has no paper currency of its own, so even though prices are listed in balboas, the currency actually used is the dollar. Panama does have coins which are the same size and value of US coins. Both may be used in Panama.
11. International Telephone Service: International calls may be made from any public telephone. Prepaid phone cards of $5, $10 or $20 may be purchased locally for direct calls. Currently the cost of calls to the USA is 5 cents per minute. To make a direct call, simply dial 001 and then the area code and number. ATT and other cards require an access number which your telephone company must provide you.
12. Cell phones: We can provide you with a local cell phone for the duraton of your stay in Panama. Calls to USA cost 10 cents per minute. Prepaid cards for airtime may be purchased according to need. This is usually less expensive than use of USA based cell phones. Note: Cell phones in Panama have eight digits. We can provide you with the number of the cell phone so that you can be reached by friends and family in the USA.
13. Electrical power is 110, just like in the USA.
14. Emergency numbers: Rhett Thompson: 011-507-6618-2633, Main church office: 011-507-224-5184
15. Laundry: There are inexpensive laundromats near all locations.
16. Toilet facilities: All sites have access to sanitary toilets.