Hot, humid and humble

Well this week has definitely been a challenge with the heat here. I feel like I'm in an oven here that is preheating at 350 degrees. No but really it is hot. I can't wear dark color pants almost because it burns.. The area where I'm at is the hottest and most humid area in all of Panama, and when there's clouds it is worse because it keeps all the humidity trapped inside. I make the joke to my comp all the time that we are stars of the movie Holes 2 because of how hot it is and it NEVER rains here. Even when there is clouds which is rare it doesn't rain. 

Also as you might have heard, OBAMA WAS HERE. Haha just kidding. I'm not really that excited about it. But everyone here made a huge deal because thats the only thing on tv. They even shut down the bridge that crosses the canal just for him to cross. It was shut down for almost half a day. I had various people tell me that my president was here. They would expect me to make a big deal about it which made me laugh. 

So Right now we are teaching a couple who are in there 50s and knew little about the church but quick to judge and talk about the bad. Its been about a month and a half now and I can't believe how much progress we've seen. So honestly the wife she's a little wacky and just tries to argue about stuff sometimes but her husband wow, yesterday we had an amazing lesson with him. He told us before the lesson about a problem with a loan he got from some Columbians. Yes that sounds bad just from the start doesn't it. We really had no idea what to say or how to help, nor do we know how serious the problem is either. So we let heavenly father answer. We asked him to say the first prayer asking that he might find the answer or help during the lesson. After we asked him to open the Book of Mormon up to any page and we would them read that chapter. He opened to 3 Nephi chapter 4, I think it was, and he was shocked. The spirit was so strong and neither he nor I could deny it. Well that was the amazing part of the lesson and then his wife came out.. and then it went down hill with what she was saying about what she had read because she was confused. All it is with her is she can't except that God would give us more help with another book that testifies of Jesus Christ. The funny part was that her husband showed her a scripture that basically says, Who are you to judge the work of God; and I just laughed with amazement that he did that. 

The power of the Book of Mormon is real, It's the word of god and it's power is real. I've seen it change not only my life but many others. As I said last week, the book of Mormon will bring us to an ultimate happiness that we've never had. And all we have to do is read it, Ponder it or apply it to our lives and ask God to testify that it is true. You will see miracles in your lives if you do so, with your families, jobs, feelings and how you go about life. So this week I hope you can do the easy part and read, and Heavenly Father will then do the hard parts. Have an amazing week!

Elder David 

1. One morning this dove camped out at our house because its wing was broken and while we were studying he came in and joined us, haha. My comp just crabbed him. He wasn't there the next day 

2. Making concrete mix for the pigs today during preparation day. 

3. Final Product 

Our search for happiness

Happy Monday everyone and Happy Easter. Hope you all were able to spend it with your families, because some people are pretty far away, cough cough, me. 

It was great being able to watch conference here, but in SPANISH which honestly was exhausting putting all my energy and focus into understanding for basically 10 hours. But I got so much out of it and hope you all did too! So this week it was again tiring, we built a concrete floor for more pigs at with the families help, which means we made the concrete mix, by hand and shovel.. That left me sore, haha.

So to be frank these past few weeks have been very difficult here in the mission with a mix of a lot of things. Ya the mission is nothing I had ever imagined it would be and Heavenly Father loves to remind me of this frequently. We have been working hard still and been doing great good, but inside I just wasn't as happy as I have once been here. And I'll tell you the joy I have felt here in the mission has been greater then any joy in the past. So I have been a little down but this week I had an amazing experience. In the mornings here we have the chance to study and read the scriptures and I remembered one day about a book I had. This book was still packed away in my bags sense changes and I totally forgot about it. It's called "our search for happiness". Is that not exactly what I needed. As I started to read it again, not remembering exactly what it talks about I realized something. I was thinking the book would talk about how to be happy and all that jazz but no, It talked about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Ya its so simple and I was caught a little by surprise, it was just a big slap to the face. Its not that I didn't know that this gospel is the key of happiness but I was searching for it in other places in which true happiness doesn't come from. That really just changed my week around one million percent. I know this gospel really is the key of happiness. If it wasn't I wouldn't  be here. Just having Easter Sunday was the greatest celebration of that happiness through Jesus Christ. If you don't feel happy where you are, the only way to change that is through Christ, in the scriptures, church, and you will see a change. Mormon or not a Mormon you will see a change. We are all children of god and the happiness of Christ is for all of us. 

Always remember that principle and try to apply it.

Elder David 

1. Today for p day we went to volcan again! The super nice and cold place in the mountains! We did a tour of ancient ruins here in Panama from about 600 years before Christ! Us imitating a statue hehe. Feat. Elder Tiechert from Wyoming.