July 25-August 2, 2023-Week 12-Guadalupe (Wednesday P-day Because of Transfers)

Title: Our consecrated 40!

So my mom says I need to write some more, haha, so I shall try!

I serve in Zona Chorrera, Area Guadalupe A. I got a new companion, who i will meet tomorrow, Hermana Hatch. It was so said to say goodbye to Hermana Anderson. The people and friendships made on a mission are so inspired and special. We had an awesome huge despidida party last night! The members really love her and the missionaries, they really do feel like my own Panamanian family. We ward share with Elders as well! The ward is really huge and we cover so many little barriadas, or neighborhoods. Within the barriadas, we walk, but bus to and from each different neighborhood on Diablo Rojos -- aka jacked up school buses totally decked out and spray painted.  The buses play the most explicit music and lowkey have porn on them. But, we contact lots of people on them! 

I usually do an intercambio, or an exchange with another Hermana, every two weeks. I did one this week with Hermana Guarin, from México! I went to her area Thursday and it was a lot of fun! She is very nice and I love her urgency for the work. She gave me really good advice too. I expressed how sometimes I'm like, "wow November 5, 2024 is a longggg time away" (my return date) and it's not like I'm counting days but thinking about that just baffles me. She told me to pray to not count the days. I have been and it has been so uplifting and I love being a missionary! 

I really am learning about who Christ really is. Especially charity and humility and patience. He really is and was perfect. I am not sure how he did it. I imagine Christ was so tired and he still faced all the challenges of mortality and more -- like being discouraged by life, feeling lonely, just wanting to rest, desiring to do things his own way, fed up with people, hungry and hangry, insufficient -- and yet He endured with perfection. Whenever I feel any of these, I think about Him. Because He could endure well, I can too, but only through His help! 

I also want to testify the Lord knows you! As I was saying a very tearful goodbye to my comp, she pulled out something i had been wanting: a mini book of mormon in Spanish. A lot of times I give mine away throughout the day or share mine in lessons and don't have my own to read from or reference. She told me when she was at the temple distribution center in May, she felt prompted to buy one, not knowing why. Now she did. I am so grateful for angels in our life, like Hermana Anderson, who heed weird promptings from the spirit with exactness. I felt so loved and so known by God, that He would tell another one of His daughters to bless my life!!

Now, for the title, for Hermana Andersons last day, we decided to have 40 contacts, which is double the mission goal! It is a big goal! In the morning, I was like "well I know God will provide that many people to talk to, but i will have to do my part". AND WE DID IT!!! We talked to people on the bus, moved on the bus, talked at the chicemito stand, contacted in the stores, and talked in the streets. On top of that, we really were only out in the streets proselyting for less than 4 hours because we had to pack up hna Anderson, go to her farewell party, and clean the church. God provides. This had me thinking about the significance of 40. Jesus fasted for 40 days; Elijah did as well; Ammon and his men wandered for 40 days; the children of Israel for 40 years; and the Salt Lake temple took 40 years to build. When we pray to God, express our desire to serve Him and follow Him, He is going to lead us, help us, and guide us through our trials, testing, and interdetermine 40. God consecrates our noble efforts!! 

Some other fun things:

- running through rainstorms and looking like i just got done swimming

- MARACUYA drink every Thursday

- i think im becoming Panamanian because i get cold at night and like chicheme...but i don't fear rain like all them. They literally do its so funny. They always say "don't go out in the rain you'll get sick". Fake news

- drinking a lot of kist fresa, or strawberry. Sorry to my dentist...i will be coming home with the need for dentures, but good for his bank account

- we ate so much this week and of course hermana anderson was sick for a lot of the week which meant i ate her food as well a lot...mmmm rice

- watching hermana anderson give her "last" testimony 5 times and me crying every time

- bestie COLE CLARK AND I WILL BE IN THE SAME ZONE THIS NEXT TRANSFER

- painting a members house

- cleaning the church for three hours

- working out to youth music every morning

Painting a members house

Nube dresses!!

Ultimate batido

Apples and juice in Capira

Duros de piña

Dinner at Glorias

Gloria and Mosiah Bonnett

After the baptism of Sofia

Hermana loves the mets and this is the first time seeing mets gear

Hermana Martha Salzar

Lesson with Yarichell, Irichell, Junior, and Jair Castillo

Hermana Nimia Cueto and her dog, Meredith

Natali Corba and ?

Family Cueto! We love them!

Hermana Fatima -- hermanas "mom" from Arijhan

Tarde de Hogar with Hermana Angeli. She made homemade tortilla chips!!

One last aguacerro (downpour) for Hermana Anderson

Pizza bar after district counsel

Some good Hawaiian pizza

New friend, Amada

Khadir, an awesome recent convert

Last morning together

Hung out with another companionship in the city after I said goodbye to Hermana Anderson and while I was waiting for my new companion.  We rode the causeway again.  

July 18-July 24, 2023-Week 11-Guadalupe

It was another good week here in Guadalupe! I had to go to the city early Tuesday morning to do my first batch of migrations to get my visa for panama (wayyy early at like 3am!!!), I did exchanges again with a Latina and experienced a new area as well, And went to presidents house for hna Anderson's final interview...and lets just say he has the most amazing penthouse with a view of all the city and the ocean too. 

My lesson of the week that I was able to come to learn more fully about the scripture that when you lose your life for Christs sake, you shall find it. This scripture has kept coming to my mind all this week. I think this has been one of the hard things of the mission -- to really be set apart from the world. I put my education on hold and am far away from those I love. Which are both good things, but right now I am in such an isolated environment to leave behind who I was. Before the mission when I would think about who I am, a lot of things would flood to my mind: I am Katie Christensen. I love basketball, hiking, skiing, the temple, being with my friends, wake surfing, tanning on the beach and spirit lake, books about WW2. I clean houses, I care a lot about my grades, I love my memory foam pillow, climbing trees, weekends with miss Marsha, shakes at Grammys, card games, all the likes. All those are great things, but all are things that have been set apart and away from me right now. But the thing that never changes is that I am a daughter of God; I am a child of the covenant; and I am and forever will be a disciple of Christ like Pres. Nelson has taught. So, when I am thinking about home and the way things used to be, I remember that my core core identity will never, ever change and I am so much more than words can ever describe. 

Now my favorite funny moments of the week:

We went to go talk with one of our friends, who sadly and sweetly, is not quite all there since she has 80+ years haha. She lives in a three generation home and we had been more seriously teaching her granddaughter, who is much much more all their in the head. As we are talking through the barred doors -- because everyone has bars as their "screen door" equivalent (not sure if that makes sense) but she begins talking and telling us how she went to a pool today. Then suddenly, she starts stripping off her shirt, mid conversation. I was laughing so hard because the sun was always down and it was the coldest day I have ever had in Panama, only 80⁰ (lol but really it feels like a 60⁰ Spokane day now). Luckily she had a bra on!! 

With that, I send my love and smiles and laughs and heart!

Hermana Martha!!

Late bus ride back from the city after doing stuff to get my Visa.

Day in Panama City! We got to go into the city for Hermana Anderson's last p-day before she goes home. We rode bikes, did some site seeing, and souvenir shopping.

Living my best sound of music life on the causeway in the city.

Catedral Basílica Santa María la 

Antigua

Panama cities skyline.

Noche de Hogar en la Valdeza (FHE)

At President's house for interviews in the city

July 11-July 17, 2023-Week 10-Guadalupe

It was yet another great week here in Panamá and the time really is flyingggg by! I cant believe it is Monday already! I still love my companion and my ward and our friends we are teaching. Everyone here is very kind and more or less patient with my Spanish. I still do not quite have a personality in Spanish haha, so sometimes I worry people just think I am a boring girl trying to speak about Christ, but little by little! Hermana Anderson reminded me "you only have to learn Spanish once". So once I do, I will never again have to be confused about how to talk about basketball or the time I lost both my toenails or how to express my slight fear of dogs.

This week was first time I have been sick on my mission. And first time sick without my mom, actually. I had not been feeling very good and then was given so much food from members we visited (literally not lying, having a gag reflex thinking about the food I ate, another muddy buddies experience iykyk). Then Saturday night we got back around 9:30 and I am just sick but get it all out and feel a lot better. Still not feeling 100%, but good enough to smile and be a missionary! 

This week I learned a lot about what charity really is! I have always thought about how charity is unconditional love -- but i have really internalized this. Loving unconditionally is loving without limit, loving when people disappoint you, loving without expectations, loving without demanding something of someone else. It's loving without letting people's choices affect how you feel about them and treating them all the same. I cannot even begin to imagine how Christ always had this love. Because it is so easy to let our love slip when it is not necessarily returned or upheld by the recipient (pardon the 48582 spelling errors but it changes almost everything to Spanish). So I am really learning this trait right now on the mission! 

Miracle Wednesday:

It all began as we were walking to visit a member of the church. Suddenly, a dulce truck drives by, pulls over and offers us FREE treats! We had always talked about buying some but for FREE. WOW!! So i had some yummy churros and thought fondly of my brothers and Drake and Josh! Then we are sitting on the curb in the hot Panama sun and a lady yells out from her door "WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN THE SUN. GET IN MY HOUSE!!!". So we begin teaching her in her house, and we are like THIS IS GOLDEN! Her and her daughter are very receptive too! Then when we are going home at the end of the day we want some pineapple. We have our taxi driver take us to some fruit stands but they are all out. We get in our house, pineappleless, and are reviewing our day when the SAME taxi driver comes back with THREE pineapples and gifts them to us. We love nice people!!!

We are progressing more in our teachings! Some people accepted to be baptized but first have to get married since they are living with their partner who is basically their spouse. There is a lot of paper work and medical exams to be married in Panama, so most people just live with their partner but refer to them as their spouse. We always ask people "are you guys married or married MARRIED???" So we are helping them with that process. 

Update on the Spanish: i understand quite a bit but i am sure i still sound like i have garbage in my mouth haha. One day i will learn to pronounce with my clarity, but for now, it is still a learning process. Someone totally roasted me for it the other day and i just laughed it off, because what else can ya do!? But i was reading a scripture and he is like "yeah no i don't understand at all". It just made me laugh.

Panamá things: 

Duros (Panamanian popsicle made simply by freezing fruit juice in a cup)

Chicheme (Panamanian drink made from sweet corn, condensed milk, coconut milk, and cinnamon)

Panamanians complaining about the heat they are accustomed to and always telling me to use my umbrellas 

Sweetened condensed milk in every dessert

Everything melting de una vez (at once) and not being able to eat anything frozen slowly

Scary dogs that are luckily on leashes most the time

Crocs!! Everyone wears them here so I gave in a bought some lilac colored ones

Rice and chicken and chicken and rice

Men with long nails all over the place! 

Música tipa de Panama sounds like Minions singing in the background hahahaha

Only ever using cold hard Cash and people giving me the most exasperated look when I give them anything larger than a $5 bill

Zone Conference at La Chorerra (taken from the mission Facebook page)

Our Chorrera zone

Back from (left to right): Elder Campbell, Elder Weaver, Elder de Leon, Elder Vasquez, Elder Sanchez, Elder Whiting, Elder Monterosso, Elder Johnson, Elder Rejon, Elder del Valle, Elder Jensen, and Elder Lopez

Front: Hermana Lopez, me, Hermana Anderson, Hermana Forsberg, President Forsberg, Hermana Gamez, Hermana Morales, Hermana Guarin

Pretty pink skies

Batidos!!

New road we had never walked on above Villa del Carmens

Jehovah Witness Friend on the bus who wanted a picture

Pretty flowers in Villas del Carmen

Time for a treat break from a little car that always passes by in the neighborhood with bread and pastries and chicheme

On the bus back from pday with all of our groceries and a quick stop at the chichimito to get some passionfruit juice, our favorite

Subway on p-day in Costa Verde with all of the other hermanas in our district!

Moments before disaster hah. I threw up that night after eating too much throughout the day because members had (kindly) given us too much food and treats that one cannot refuse out of politeness

Parades for Dia de los niños. They have huge floats, costumes, and involve all the school children

A fruit I cannot eat anymore because I later threw it up that night, mamachinos

Dinner at Hermana Gloria's house on Friday night. We have to walk up a huge hill to get there everytime

Noche de Hogar en las Praderas at Hermana Katiuska's house

Holding up a "1" for one year of Hermana Anderson breaking up with her boyfriend