"Si un SAPO es alguien que defiende la verdad y la justicia, está bien, SOY SAPO!"
That's from the stake president out here in David. To clarify a bit what this is saying, let me explain. In Spanish, the actual word "sapo" means a toad or frog. But in slang, here in Panama at least, it means basically a tattletale or a rat or weasel, someone who tells on another person for something bad that happens, like playground elementary terminology. We had a long leadership type meeting with him and his "head spies" and all the missionaries out here in the stake, which is 2 mission zones, 26 missionaries. He basically just tore into us and told us that he wants success in his stake and that David has been given the "bad" (but correct) reputation as the "estaca de los sapos". I'm going to be honest with you all, I really don't like the guy. Most people don't, but now I have a personal problem with this man. He invented a story of me and Elder Ortiz spending all day in member's houses, wasting our time, going to "parties" for 4 hours, and having relationships with this future missionary girl who is leaving this month. ALL LIES. He has his spies that basically just watch the missionaries and wait for them to anything that could be possibly construed to appear suspicious or against the rules, for example, talking to a member lady by himself, and immediately tells President Ward with his own version of the story. So, getting to the point, he told President about a birthday party we went to at a member's house last Sunday night, saying we were there in a party for 4 hours, etc. President obviously got mad, said that "if the Stake President said such a thing, obviously it must be true" and said that he would need to take my comp out. Elder Ortiz had an interview with President Ward telling him the real story, not the editors edition, but President Ward said that he HAD to listen to the Stake Pres. Long story short, I am no longer with Ortiz due to emergency changes. Let me tell you all, I'm not the slightest bit happy with this situation. I love my comp Elder Ortiz, by far the best Latin comp I've had, and I really wanted to finish the change out normal with him, and THEN he could have left and finished his mission in peace. Now he has to deal with rumors being spread about him, false stories, changes, etc. My new comp is Elder Vance from California, goes home in August, and has the self-reputation as the "most obedient missionary in the mission". Hmm...ok. We'll see how this goes. But on a better note, Ortiz stayed close, just changed with Vance who was only like a half hour away, so I just saw Ortiz here and we have pday together still, haha.
On a brighter note, now that I've vented that out a bit, we had a baptism this past week! Chacho's little sister. It was funny, we were hoping that he would baptize her, but when he got baptized a few weeks ago, he immediately got a job working with a member in the city in Panama, so we hadn't seen him for like 3 weeks. He showed up right on time the same day on Saturday and we thought "sweet now you can baptize her" but he told me that he wanted me to do it. So I baptized her in the end. Cute little girl named Sofia, always smiling. Chacho is truly a converted guy, and I know that he will help to always bring his little sister to church. It was a good baptism, a noche blanca that we had with our zone and 4 people in total got baptized, with one more the next day from our zone too.
We had a cool lesson this week from President Ward when we went into the city for training. He read a scripture that I'll put at the end all about "armas de rebelion" that the converted Lamanites buried in the ground. He compared that to things that are keeping us from our potential, like headphones, inappropriate music, stuff like that. Ortiz and I decided to get rid of our headphones and delete bad music, and not go back to touch them. He also taught about "heroes". What do you think of when you think of the word hero? No, not Superman, he's not real, sorry. He put some names on the board. King Noah, Zeezrom, Gadianton, Korihor. These guys he said are heroes, haha. But followed up by saying "for THEIR followers, these men were heroes". Or villans as most people would think. It's true for both sides, good people have heroes and so do the bad. We need to firmly determine who are our heroes, as members of the only true church here on the earth. I liked that comparison a lot. God sees right through hypocrisy. He knows when we truly love him and when we are simply faking it. I've met a lot of fake members, especially here in the mission, and I know that God cannot and will not be mocked. Everyone out there, be real followers of Christ, and follow the commandment because you truly want to, not just because it's a restriction. God loves all of His children, I know so, but just like any parent, he wants us to obey the rules and love him because we really do love him.
Scripts this week are D&C 50:10-12, if you have a problem with someone, settle it like a man and tell them face to face, not behind their backs. Last we have Alma 23:7, burying our weapons of rebellion.
I really love you all, and I want the best for all of you. Love God and He'll love you back :)
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