Well, to give you all a large hint as to where I was transferred, the hint is, the name of my new area is the same as my dad's name, but pronounced with a Latin accent. Any guesses? Dad don't answer! That's cheating!!! Yes yes, my new area is called David, way off on the other side of the country in an area called Chiriqui. What's funny is that, like the Kunas, this part of the country is still technically considered Panama, but the people here somewhat think that Chiriqui is like a separate country, like they're better than the rest of Panama. Kinda like separation of different states back home, some people believe that their state is the best in the entire country, and yet, they're all still part of the same country, that's why they're called the UNITED states, not SEPARATE states of America, haha.
Anyway, I like it here a lot, I've always wanted to come out here and always thought I would, and now I finally have. I really miss my home in Chorrera with Elder Johnson, and wish that I could've stayed there for at least one more change to see some baptisms through, but I know that the Lord has other plans for me and this mission. My new comp reminds me so much of my trainer actually, short and stout little Nicaraguan named Elder Ortiz. He's really cool too, and he really does look like my trainer, appearance wise. I always try to walk behind him and stare down at his head like I used to do following my trainer everywhere, and from the back, I really see Jarquin. I expect to have him turn around and see Jarquin, but nope, I'm actually more than a year in the future now, no more Jarquin.
What's funny though is that now I've really learned how to determine what country the different Latins are from, by both appearance and speech, without even asking him. Like I knew that Ortiz was Nicaraguan just by seeing his face, and I now can determine Guatemalans, Mexicans, most of the countries, when I just thought that "everything below Texas was Mexico" before the mission, hahaha.
One cool thing about out here in Chiriqui is that there are so many light skinned people. Feels as though I'm in America, but they're all Latins. For some reason out here in the interior of the country, the people are a lot fairer skin colored. Anyone that is darker or moreno, you can assume that they're not from around here and they've moved from the city, or an area called Colon, which is like the Compton, California equivalent, haha.
Elder Fowlkes who I've known because of my mom chatting with his mom even before I started the mission, got sent out here too, right back to where he started the mission actually, Elder Fowlkes and I always talk about how in love our moms are, gal pals ;)
As you all know, we had general conference this past weekend and as usual I loved it enormously. So many things stuck out to me as themes for this part of the year's sessions. I recognized that many people spoke of the difference between light and darkness, leaving the dark lives and coming unto the light of Christ. Also there was a lot mentioned about the healing power, and healing in general that one can only find by completely accepting Christ in our lives and striving to do what's right at all times, even when we will undoubtedly fail at times. And lastly I noticed a lot about fidelity in marriage and keeping the law of Chastity, which is incredibly important. Times are getting worse and worse, and it is so much easier to be unfaithful to your spouse these days, even in electronic ways. Things that people would have never imagined possible before are so easily accessible now.
We know that when we feel the Spirit working in our lives, it is our reminder as santos de los ultimos dias, that we are in a covenant relationship with our father in heaven and Christ, a joint account as if it were a banking account. Christ has inherited all of our debts. Any bankruptcy that we were in before our baptisms was completely eliminated as we washed our sins in His eternal sacrifice. We must always try to keep ourselves out of the hole that we once dug ourselves in, because it is so easy to fall back in without warning signs.
I love the Gospel, and during this conference listening to it in English (although the stake pres tried to kick us out and make it a Spanish room because too many people showed up; we stood our ground and listened to it in the proper form, haha), the Spirit confirmed to me over and over and over of the truths that I learned back when I was 8, even back when I was in the Nursery.
I know this Church and this Gospel are true, and you can know it too. All of you out there struggling with this concept, thinking that God has abandoned you or left you alone, you are never alone, not for a single moment. We MUST be tried in this life, or otherwise its just easy street, and it can't be that way.
Scripture this week is D&C 50:7-8, don't be hypocrites in obeying the commandments, or pretending to. God sees right through the hypocrisy and false intentions. I love you all very much. This conference is a sign that I only have 6 months left here, yikes. Have a great week! :)
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