A Different Journey CANADA-PANAMA | Eric Geddes
Lavern Pratt first went to Panama forty years ago. In 1981, she and her husband, Angus, were sent to Panama on an assignment with Multiply (MBMS at the time). They led an agricultural development project for two terms and returned to Canada in 1988. During their time in Panama, they especially grew to love the young people that they lived and served among. Upon returning to Canada, the couple settled in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, where they spent the next twelve years getting to know the Indigenous peoples in the region, specifically the Cree and Dene.
However, the adjustment to Canada was not easy. “Reentry seemed much more difficult than the culture shock we experienced in Panama,” Lavern explained. In 1990, the couple lost an infant daughter, and in 2000, their marriage ended, leaving Lavern a single parent. Those years were extremely stretching and refining for her. Coming out of the divorce, she asked the Lord about the next steps for her life. “I sensed the Lord leading me to go back to school,” Lavern said, “and I studied to become a Landscape Architect. It was a rewarding career, and I thought I would be doing it until I retired.”
