1 Year in Panama!

Well here we goooooooooooo!!!!!!

 

This has been the most fun week of my mission, and that is simply because I'm enjoying what I'm doing with someone I was already friends with, and doing what I was called to do as a missionary.

 

We're calling it like "permanent divisions" haha because I'm living out of a suitcase and all, and it's a bit hard to try and learn all the members' names and everything to get them to help us out in Chitré, but doing the best I can in the meantime.

 

Jensen and I decided that my name is Elder Kniff the "Dizzle" or DZL. Because I'm kinda still a DL and not really a ZL, so DZL makes more sense, the Dizzle baby, haha. It's a lot hotter here in Chitré, the sun just sits and bakes on us all day long. Peno is nicer as far as weather goes, always a nice, cool breeze and it's pretty cool in the morning and night. Not cold by any means but it feels a lot cooler.

 

I really like the branch here, there are tons of people that attend but it's still a branch because the whole area, Peno included, is a district not a stake, and apparently there can't be a ward in a district. There needs to be sufficient branches that can become wards at the same time and then it converts the district into a stake.

 

There's a return missionary here named Juan that speaks English SO well. He served in Paraguay. He like only listens to music and TV in English and reads the Liahona in English. His accent really sounds gringo it's awesome. If you are a Latin and you want to learn English, you really need to put in your full effort, not just have the desire and do nothing. You need to work your fanny off and then you can even sound like a native to the country. That's the way it is with any language learning, just give it ALL you have and you will get the language down quickly, don't go at it half-heartedly.

 

At church yesterday I came to the conclusion on how unbelieveably rude it is to talk over people when they are talking, no matter how dumb or whatever gibberish they're going on about. You need to let the person talk and finish their thought before you come in with your own statement. I've had so many people that as I'm sharing something really sacred or important, they just butt in with their own apostasy comment and it takes away from the whole lesson or conversation. "Entonces hermana, ésta es la evidencia que Dios nuevamenta ha---" "Oh, ustedes, que piensan de los 3 dias de obscuridad el 21 de este mes???" OH my gosh, shut up, nothing is going to happen on the 21st of December, the Mayans are crazy and they just made a calendar, that's IT, drop it, haha. I've had that happen quite a few times in this past week, people talking about the world ending and crap, it's all a bunch of nonsense, just read the scripture in the Bible that says not even Jesus knows when He will come for the second time, only the Father. That's why I'm losing my hair, because I'm ripping it out hair by hair each time someone asks me a stupid question or tells me that their Catholic baptism was enough, haha. So all my teachers and everyone back home in my ward as I was growing up, I apologize for always talking over you as you taught your well-planned lessons. I'm sorry for being so disrespectful and talking with friends and texting or playing on my phone. Now when I see someone on their phone during church it annoys me so bad and when it goes off during sacrament...SILENCE YOUR PHONES!!!!!!!!! I'm going off on random tangents, sorry. But I'm serious about being sorry all you teachers and leaders back home, it's completely disrespectful talking during your lessons and I'm sorry.

 

Today we decided to reward the zone (as the fake ZL that I am, hahaha) and make our whole zone brownies and amazing chocolate chip cookies. SO I made those this morning in the church here, they are so good, chocolate chunks. I haven't had real cookies for quite some time. The first batch weren't that great, but by the 3rd I had it down.

 

This week I'm going to be passing up 14 months in the mission woo! Which is an actual full year in this country because of being in utah for 2 of those months. I can't believe that I've been in this country for a year...so fast.

 

This past Tuesday we went off to a mission Christmas party in Chorrera with 4 zones. It was huge; way bigger than last year's party. We sung the song "Oh Holy Night", but in Spanish, and it went pretty well, but not nearly as good as Elder Arbon's zone in Arraijan doing a ridiculous skit, dancing in baptism jumpers and santa hats, it was hilarious! I got to see lots of friends I've made in the mission so it was really fun, and we got good Christmas presents. We got a tiny copy of Preach My Gospel, way better to carry to district meeting instead of the massive normal size one, and a Panama temple mola on top of the envelope for the temple, all in white, even though mine turned out to be a bit cream colored.

 

I'm excted to sing more when I get home in the choir and stuff. I want to sing a duet with Max sometime, see what he thinks, in Spanish. I'll just make him sing with me...it's all good.

 

Christmas is coming up really quick, what are all your guy's plans?? We have a tiny little Christmas tree in my house and it makes it feel a tiny bit like home.

 

A guy in church yesterday made a point about the difference between the words "credo" and "meta", which in English are creed and goal. It reminded me about my rant on use and utilize, and it made me think. A creed is like a self-made covenant, that we measure up our decisions to see if we fulfill it. It is a lot more powerful that just simply a goal. We all should made goals and try to attain them, but think this week all ya'll about credos, or creeds. Make a creed this week of something you want to improve in yourselves; be it reading the scriptures more, being nicer to people, helping out your parents, etc, and follow through, don't just sent a goal and forget about it.

 

Being the Christmas season, not "happy holidays" or "seasons greetings" or any other altered version of Merry Christmas, I felt that I should leave the word CHRIST in Christmas and have a scripture about His birth, and the real reason we celebrate Christmas. First scrip is in 2 Nephi 19:6, "unto us this day a child is born". Also Deuteronomy 11:26-28 that talks about obedience very straightforward, obedience=blessings, disobedience=cursings.

 

Love you all, sing christmas songs extra loud for me. Thank you for the cards and everything, expect letters in return :)