2 Months in Panama

¡Hola mi querdida familia!

Me siento que estoy sentándome en esta posición casi todos los días, escribiendoles y conectandome al mundo allí, y me encanta escribirles a ustedes.

Yesterday marked the 4 month mark in the mission, 2 in the MTC, and 2 here, wow crazy fast this has gone by. I feel like I was just getting dropped off at the MTC and meeting Elder Swasey, haha. I have learned so much so far, and I can feel my blessings reaffirmed and reaffirmed to me everyday by the Spirit, and I've never been so thankful for my family and the life I have like ever before.

This week we found some new people to teach, and one who wants to be a misionero, haha. That is so cool. One of our English class students named Orlando, tiene 14 años. We went and taught him yesterday for the first time in his house, and he seems really interested. Actually got to teach him with his mom too whom we hadn't met before till then, and she seemed interested too. I was THIS close to proposing baptism the first lesson, felt the prompting and didn't do it, disappointed. But I will follow the promptings of the Spirit the next time and every time after, because He knows better than I do when people are ready and what they will say. I'm excited to go back there and teach them more.

I'm really glad we started the English class. Our valiant 4 came once again prepared and ready to learn, haha but we also got a few more people. Kids and their moms, haha, which I expected to mostly just have kids come.

Oh also, I got my first haircut here last week, and I was nervous because the people here have very interesting hairstyles, but it doesn't look too bad and it was super cheap, 3 bucks.

One funny thing I want to talk about is people whom I call the bus subers, which are these people that come on the "diablo rojos" all the time and claim to be "apartado por el servicio del Señor". They're wearing jeans and a t-shirt, shouting at us scriptures from the Bible and saying that if we don't contribute our money to God that we will be damned, haha. They follow by walking down the aisle, thrusting a can of change at us asking to contribute. It's actually quite funny, but what is funnier is how many people actually give money to those people, I just don't understand it. That is not the way to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, by yelling at people who are clearly lunatics, haha, but oh well. We also get the other subers who come on and try to sell stuff like gum and vegetables and pens and little knick knacks that no one needs to buy on the bus.

This week I did my first divisiones with Elder Scrimsher, my DL, and it was certainly interesting. Don't really understand the point to it. Just makes things more complicated trying to explain the situations to another elder and this time it was 2 white guys together, haha. It was fun though, having a gringo companion for the first time. It was certainly weird. We really seemed like missionaries then :P

So let me now talk about food some more, because I know you're all interested in the food here! I'm learning certain foods, but need to write more down and remember them. But my tastebuds have certainly changed. Never liked Coke before and now I think it's really good. Same with cucumbers (yes Mom, cucumbers, haha), called pepinas. There's a food called chayote which is like zucchini that our cocinera serves with carrots in some sauce, it's really good. Then the usual arroz con pollo, but the arroz has what they call guandú, which is kinda like peas and beans mixed together, some tasty food hybrid. Then for some reason they don't use the word frijoles here. Beans are called poroto, and they're really good.

This week everyone has been talking about Carnaval, missioneries too.  Supposedly it's quite dangerous for us. I've heard that kids here hide eggs in the ground for 3 days, then dig them up when they're nice and rotten, and chuck them at people. White people, like Gregg Kniff, haha. So not sure what we´ll do. I think ZL's are gonna tell us to avoid lots of areas.

And lastly let me talk about the Panameña direcciones haha. These people are so wonderful at telling you where they live or how to find something! Here is exactly what they say and do: "oh sí, bueno yo vivo por allá", and then they point in a general area. Which basically just means, "oh I live over there", and don't explain anything at all as to the color of the house, characteristics, nothing. It's actually pretty funny.

Well all, hope you had a wonderful week, happy holiday for Lincoln's birthday or something...oh you Americans with your crazy holidays :) Scriptures this week are good, in D&C 24: 8 and 12. Twelve is good, missionwork something I seem to remember.

Have a great week, love you all!