IM BAAAAAAAAAAACKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!
I bet you're all wondering, "Where in the world is Gregg Panamá?" Well let me explain. Cambios came and the rush was all crazy because I had gotten back from Blas on Tuesday and had soooo much stuff to do, wash laundry, pack and rearrange my suitcases and get all the stuff I got from out there on the islands to fit in my suitcases, and use internet to send off my email to you all back home. By the way on that, I still have the 12 scriptures that I want to include in the email, I just have them in my other agenda, I'll be sure to take care of those soon, they're way good scriptures.
Ok, well Goodson and I were hanging out in the city our first day back, and the AP's were supposed to tell us what name we were supposed to put on our suitcases so we would know what we should look for when they played the changes video. They always make a video showing where each missionary is going, but they didn't tell our names, so we were to have to watch and stare at each companionship that changed quickly to see where we were going. I was sent off the farthest I've been, in Panamá at least, even though I think Blas is farther away. I'm in the zone of Chitré in an area called Penonomé, which I had heard of from my trainer Jarquin way back when. It's a cool area, I like it, lots more wide open spaces, tall grasses. there are still tons of houses and everything, but everything is really far apart from each other, so we take tons of buses. Like pday today for example, we have to take a 2-hour bus just to go into Chitré where the ZL's are to have district meeting. And because it's so much travel time and costs like 5 bucks for the bus ride from Penonomé to here, we do district meeting and pday on the same day. Kinda a bummer but it's understandable, because in this zone, everyone is far apart from each other.
In my house we live as 4 elders, I like it, definitely never done that before, it's like college. Best part is that an elder named Pfister who came with me to the mission is in the house with me, and we're both passing up the year mark this week together, so were gonna burn a shirt together, haha, I'm excited.
Getting to my area was funny. My comp is a Latin, from Perú named Elder Segura, who only has 2 changes in the mission. And the funny thing about him is that Pfister was his trainer. So Pfister trained him for those 2 changes in my area, then got transferred to the other side of Penonomé and is with a different comp and now I'm with Segura, yet they live in the same house, haha, it's all quite strange. So leaving Albrook to head off to my area, Segura and Pfister's new comp Castejon, who also has the same time as us, went on a bus earlier, so I just went with the rest of the zone and had no comp, because Pfister came later. So I get to a bus stop in my area, and had to wait for one of the other 3 in my house to come get me, and I waited with a return missionary guy from the area. What's the funniest part is that the other 3 didn't come, so with my suitcases I followed him to his college and went into his class! HAHA. I was sitting there in a college class for the first time in like a year and a half, and it was an English class. So I got to sit and listen to a bunch of Latins speaking incredibly broken English, and they'd look up at me and I'd just be smiling and laughing. Quite the adventure for my first day in the new area. But eventually we went to our house and all was well. The return misionary knew a bit of English so him and Pfister and I were all talking to each other in the house.
Being new to the mission, Segura is a hardworker. Pfister tells me that he didn't really like him, because he trained him and they had to open up the area, so it was pretty tough I imagine. It's hard coming back from San Blas for a few reasons, which I will list. 1.) The work. Off on Blas as you would imagine it is quite relaxing, but then being thrown back into the mission and having to work really hard all day every day, needs to take effect or I would just become a super lazy missionary not wanting to work. I came back and hit it hard, we worked hard and I plan on working hard in this change and from now on. 2.) The food. As I mentioned, I lost a lot of weight out on Blas from not eating any rice or much food at all, I actually went from like 155 pounds to about 135, haha, didn't think I had that much to lose. So I came back and the 4 of us Penonomé elders eat lunch together every day, and the lady gives SOOOOO much food. So I came back and had all that food put in front of me and almost had a heart attack. It was so difficult getting back to shoveling down all that rice. And that very first day back to work, we even ate 2 dinners, so it was almost impossible, pero sobreviví. Good cocinera though, and lots of food, getting used to all of it again, so naturally I'm getting back to averaged-out fat Elder Kniff, haha.
It was really hard everyone to go for 3 months with everyone around me speaking no Spanish, to be thrown back into the Spanish, with a Latin comp, and try to get my tongue used to speaking it again and my ears used to hearing it. But at changes I was talking to like as many Latins as possible, trying to remember everything, and I seem like I'm getting there. It really is true what they say about you use it or you lose it, to the Kuna language, haha, aye o suli.
We got to have General Conference these past few days, and as always, it was amazing. Pfister and I got ourselves a little TV and watched it in the celestial language of English, the way the prophet and his apostles speak it, and enjoyed it very much. Hearing little snippits of it being translated in Spanish was almost painful to listen to. Don't judge me all you, I love Spanish, but things of the church need to be heard in the language they're originally spoken, especially hearing the prophet speak. It was a wonderful conference, I loved Elder Holland's talk, as always, talking about the disciples who thought that they could just go back to being fishermen after the Savior died, and Holland gives his "unscriptural commentary", that was super cool. Also, the main announcement about the missionary age changed for boys from 19 to 18, and sisters from 21 to 19, that's so crazy. That there is a sign that the prophet receives modern revelatons to change something like that, which it's always been. The Lord needs us to be prepared and ready to fight the good fight, younger and younger we are. It will be interesting I'm sure, but I know that a lot more missionaries will be joining us in the field because of this revelation. I personally needed that last year from 18 to 19 years old to really grow up and prepare myself for the mission. If I would've left when I had just gotten out of high school, I would have been incredibly immature and not ready for what I had in store, and what the Lord had in store FOR me.
Thinking about the past year of my life is something very humbling. I've been a missionary for almost a year exactly. What have I done the last year of my life? I know that I've grown as a child and servant of God more than I ever thought possible. And I promise you that I don't say that just to make you all proud of me or anything like that. I mean it with all the certainty of my heart. I love the mission and I am very excited for what Heavenly Father has in store for me the last half of the mission. Let me tell you, I am very excited. I hope you all had the privlege of watching General Conference live, and if not, watch it now, no demoren ustedes, el Señor les está llamando.
Thank you so much for the thousands of letters I got while in San Blas, really nice of you all with your birthday wishes, I'll be sending off lots of letters soon. I have 2 good scriptures for you that I'm sure you've all read before or possibly I've already included before: 2 Nephi 29:9, that talks about how God is unchangeable and He will always reveal His will to His children. And also one that my BP in the MTC would always share with us: D&C 6:36. If you have ANY problem or doubt, read that, answer to any question I promise.
I love you all very much, and I am very grateful to hear that my grandma is going to be serving a mission as well, that's so great, bienvenidos a la lucha abuelita :) Have a wonderful week everyone. God be with you till we meet again.
No comments:
Post a Comment