Divisions Always

Well this was a very fast week and as you read from the title I have been on divisions again this week which makes time fly by here! For three days I was on divisions with Elder Weston! We were in his area and its such a nice break to be somewhere that's actually not as hot as a volcano like puerto. The only bad thing is they don't have even a single fan in their house to sleep with... Its a rough night of sleep here in Panama without a fan. But it was so fun getting to meet some more people in his area! Basically by now I almost know all the people there because of so many divisions and I love that! 

So on Thursday I was also on divisions AGAIN because we had a leaders meeting in David with all the people from the interior! So you know what that means.. I saw ELDER DASTRUP and ELDER GARCIA! Plus Elder Rasmusson was there too because he's in a place called bocas del torro which is just above where I am at the edge of Panama. 

It was a great meeting, we got to hear President talk about some stories he has while serving in Argentina! Hearing some of those definitely is humbling to where I am now. After the meeting we went to eat at the best hamburger place that I've been to here so far in panama. Its called Java Juice and is just on the edge of being American but that is as good as it gets here. 

We then all went back to Concepcion Towait for President to get there and we all had interviews with him! Then right after off to puerto for the first time this week! We got home late so just went to the house. 

Saturday the youth in the district or stake had a big activity called super Salado and it was held here in puerto. There was quite a big group that came and from far away too! They held a few activities on the beach and finished with a scripture scavenger hunt all around puerto which sounded like fun. We just showed up to lunch after they finished and a few of the youth talked about it. Its weird still being 18 here and having people older than me go to youth stuff. I feel like such a kid haha but no one here ever believes me when I say I'm 18. They usually think my comp is 18 though haha. 

Well it was a great week and I'll talk to you all soon!

Elder David 

1. Elder Dastrup and elder Garcica"s hand there in the back 

2. me and that delicious hamburger 

3. So today we came to Concepcion and there were people protesting on a bridge because they don't want them to finish it, Don't ask me why, so the bus let us off and everyone had to go cross under it ant then get on another bus on the other side.   ¿Loco Huh? 

Just Cruising

So this was changes week that just passed and guess what!! We are still in Puerto, haha. I knew that but we did have some changes in the zone. You all remember my last companion Elder Rodriguez right. Well I guess Heavenly Father still wants me to learn some more lessons because he is now my zone leader here in Concepcion. How awesome....Well This week has all been a blur. There really wasn't anything that happened out of the usual that I can remember. Just working, sweating, and walking here like usual. Right now our investigators here have all just hit a wall with progressing so we are hoping this week will be different. 

      So today for preparation day a super nice family invited us to come over and hang out. They basically have a beach house but to get to the beach it is behind the house and through a little grass trail. When we showed up my companion said whenever we go there we just hang out, drink coconut water that he cuts down, eat lunch and they hang hammocks up for us to lay down in, so we showed up in our normal missionary clothes. BUT they ended up putting us to work which I loved. At their house they have pigs, and its law that to have pigs you have to put concrete floor in where they live so they don't make mud and get diseases. He already has one part of this little house done where the pigs live now but he wants to finish the other side to separate them so they don't fight and kill each other haha. It pretty complicated. To make concrete here they use rocks or sand and little concrete to make floor. We went with big potato bags to the beach, filled them with sand and rocks and carried them back and boy they are heavy! My back and shoulders were hurting. He supplied us with shirts to use so we didn't get all dirty. They fed us a good meal of fried fish, rice, beans and some peace of pig which was really good! They are super nice and I think we go back Saturday to actually start making the floor. So at home you all are enjoying this nice spring weather out there, even though I would have no idea here, haha. Have a good week! 

Elder David 

1. Here is our church building 

2. The usual sunrise from the porch

3. Today we are going to the beach for sand to make cement 

4. Yo

5. Playa

6. Puercos! Yummy 

4. On the way to Volcan in the bus!

5. Looks kinda like Colorado right??

6. Haha... This sheep was so friendly no joke, it screamed like a girl though.

7. Elder Rassmuson and I, It guess its always lightly sprinkling up there, 

8. Elder Bush from Utah 

Right now we also have these question cards to give out to people and each card has a inspired question. I've seen these cards really made a difference in meeting and teaching new people. One day we were walking down this super long 2 lane road and there's not very many houses. My companion and I said we were going to contact the next house we got to. At the next house there was a guy sitting outside listening to music on his phone so of course we talked to him. He pick out one of the handful of cards we have and just read the card in silence, didn't look up, but just thought. He then began to tell us that 8 months ago he got in a motorcycle accident and the doctors said he might never be able to walk again. Its been 8 months and he's already back to work now. His question was ¨how can I learn from difficulties in life?¨ We were let right in and had an amazing lesson with him and son after his wife showed up to join us. They are one of the couples we met who are actually married!

 

There's a member here who gives us lunch once a week who has a parakeet named Lora. Which just means female parakeet haha, but she is so cool! She says hello, run dear, and also does the "I'm checking you out¨ whistle. Some things I don't know where she learned but it's so funny. At first she tried to bite me a lot when I would pet her but now she loves me. Whenever we show up for lunch she knows when I walk in and starts screaming and whistling.

 

So every Saturday here we have an English class for whoever wants to come! Usually not very many people show up, like 2 or three but this week 13 people showed up!! All of them were just teenagers who need help with their homework or who want to learn and play games in English. I helped 4 of them with questions they have on homework.

 

Also I forgot to explain that in this time like 30 years ago just in this one área there use to be 3 branches of the church, 3 different church buildings. It was its own district which is like a stake but only with branches instead of wards. But when the company closed most moved out or just went inactive. It was just a big mess. Anyway there is also a huge rumor about Mormons that started here in puerto. I guess its Tongans culture that eating dogs is normal. Well like 12 years ago 2 Tongan missionary's thought it would be okay to kill a dog in the Street and go cook it on the beach to eat. As you can imagine the people here did not like that and henceforth   the people thought that Mormons eat dog. Even until this day people still bring it up. Dumb Huh?

 

Well yesterday we went to a área called Vulcan or volcano which is super high in the mountains, super cold and just beautiful!! Here's some pics!

1. The parakeet that loves me, named Lora

2. Look! Am I as cool as Talan now, because we have tea too...

3. Just a mini alligator by the house soaking up the sun 

I ONLY HAVE 5 MINS

So this was an amazing week! I don't know how much I've told you about the area I'm in right now but I'll explain a little bit. It's honestly a harder area in the mission just with it's past history and I'm finally starting to see why this week. So in Puerto Armuelles about 30 or so years ago there use to be a huge American banana factory or plant that was centered right here. At the time almost everyone worked there and the company was the center of everything. They built the workers houses out of wood, paid for people to go clean them, paid their bills and even sometimes their food. It was a very prosperous time here. From many biblical stories and from the Book of Mormon also we remember that when groups of people prospered in the land they started to forget about God and his commandments leading to iniquity. Well Puerto is a modern day example of that. The people had multiple wives, adultery and party's ect... Valuing anything else but Heavenly things. So after, I don't know how many years this company ended up falling into debt and closed down. So many people went without jobs, almost more than half the population left. This leads to percent day. It has gotten so much better than what it once was but you can tell the history by being here. So this is why it was such a great week, because we found so many family's that are actually bonded by matrimony. So that's where the, Do you have 5 minutes?, come in. The people are super nice so we just would ask that and so many people let us in! 

Internet is closing so i'll finish tomorrow or tonight sorry!

DIVISIONS

So first I'll say sorry because I forgot the paper where I write all I'm going to say so I'll try to remember good! Well we had a service on Wednesday morning and we went to be farmers basically and planted plantain or platanos trees at a members house! We just cut them off of the main tree and then re-plant them so they don't fall over and get better nutrition alone. Then, after we started a 4 day divisions with the zone leaders that day. I went to the city of Concepcion with Elder Rassmuson who's from Oklahoma! It was an amazing few days of working and it went by so fast! Plus we had great results of our work in church Sunday. We visited a lot of less active and investigators. It's been nice being with someone with expearience in the mission so we were on the same page while teaching. Saturday there is a member who had a bone deteriorating desease and is in a wheel chair who can barely do anything. So every Saturday they go and bathe him and help him get ready for the day becuase the girl who does it every day gets really tired and doesn't receive anything for doing it. It was not an easy task and we had to carry him a lot and lift him up. He's a nice guy and pretty funny too. It was a really humbling experience for me. So on Sunday here we had 5 investagators in church and a bunch of less actives! Its a bigger branch here too, about 90 members came to church! And they are just a great help with the work here and that made all the difference. I felt so happy being here in this area and wouldn't be surprised if I end up serving here in my mission. Well that is the best I can do from just my memory right now so sorry. My memory is just loosing it here. Have all a good week! 

Elder David 

1. A teenager we are teaching has a parakeet. 

2. Feat. Bird 2

3. This 14 year old I met while on divisions named Anthony. No joke he was Austin's twin and HUGE too. Way         weird.

Without the downs there wouldn't be Ups

This week has been stacked full and busy but somedays were harder than others just with the out comes, but I'm just as grateful for those as the good times. 

I had divisions with Elder Rasmusson who's from Oklahoma for a couple days this week just because it's so far away. We visited Hno Zapata! And guess what!? He got a prosthetic leg! I was so surprised and he seemed so happy! He has to practice a lot with it still but he stood up with is and showed it off, haha. He was so grateful and looks at it as a huge blessing from Heavenly Father. 

While we were contacting that day there was a little 7 year old on a tiny bike going door to door selling this type of bean called wandu. He stopped and talked to us and then asked us if we are interested in buying some. Such a smart kid, We couldn't resist and bought a bag for a dollar twenty-five. Then he kept going door to door asking everyone. He was a champ. His name is Gorge Manuel. With the bag of wandu we just gifted it to the next people we talked too and it turned out to be a great contact! 

So one day we were getting back from Concepcion when we changed back companions and in the Chiba (bus) we told him to stop at the church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints. They knew which one it was and so while we got off some guy on the bus made a comment saying ´oh Joseph Smiths Church´. I turned around with a smile and demonstrated the words it says right on the side of the building in big bold letters and I read it out loud. The Church of Jesus Christ. I don't remember his face but I felt good knowing I helped someone learn something, haha. 

Well Sunday came around and that afternoon while walking I was a little down and I asked my companion where are all the people that the Lord had prepared. Well, Our next lesson was with a girl named Ester, and Thursday when we had a family home evening in the church she just walks in and walked right up to my companion and I. She said she had a feeling we could help her with her situation because her health is not very good and she asked us to pray for her or anything we can. I was shocked she came right to us. So Sunday we went back to visit them and they live right next to the church. And oh my gosh it was am AMAZING lesson. We taught her and here husband and they are actually married! I've learned here that sometimes Heavenly Father makes us eat our words and for sure I know he tests us before letting us have the blessings. 

Well today a group of the zone all went to the costa rica border to walk around and look at the funny little stores they have. There was a ton of foreigners there so it was fun listening to their accents. Well I hope you all have a good week and enjoy the snow while you can! Before you know it you'll be begging for it like I am... haha. 

Elder David 

The zone of Concepcion. 

 Gardening at a members house, this is a vegetable called uka. you eat the roots of it. 

 Border Patrol  

Went to go see the border as a zone.