Title: I'm going to the ghetto!!!
Well, after four months and three transfers here in Guadalupe, I am leaving to go to zona de San Miguelito, area de San Vicente. I am going to be an hermana lider (sister leader), which means I will do exchanges, attend leadership conferences, and help the other hermanas in my zone and another zone. It should be fun! The funniest part is my new companion is also Hermana Christensen! So we are going to be talking to people and be saying "somos las hermanas de la iglesia de jesuscristo y somos las hermanas christensen's" (we are the sisters from the Church of Jesus Christ and we are the sisters Christensens)!! It should be fun. She has one transfer less than me. Apparently my zone is pretty ghetto. Everyone leaves San Miguelito to move somewhere else because it is the slums and with lots of hills and shanty towns. It will be a completely different experience than Guadalupe, with lots of rolling hills and neighborhoods and diablo rojo bus rides.
This last week and a half has been so good! It was a great way to end my last bit of time here. One of the awesome miracles that happened was the baptism of our friend, Yosmar Castillo. His brother and his sister are converts, and he was literally prepared from the foundation of the world. One of those souls who the veil is already very thin and he was looking for the truth. We taught him in three weeks and he really wanted to be baptized before I left, so he was baptized on Sunday. The part that was so special and so cool was that Isaac, our other recent convert, came to the baptism and bore his testimony and said "si no tuviera por hermana christensen, yo no estaria aqui! Ella me visto por una mes y yo no estaba astitendo la iglesia y yo decidi a ir. Me sentia que yo estaba lejos de Dios. Se que le iglesia de jesucristo de los santos de los ultimas dios es la iglesia verdad". (If I didn't have sister Christensen, I wouldn't be here! She visited me for a month and I wasn't attending church and I decided to go. I felt like I was far from God. I know that the church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day saints of God is the true church.) I felt so blessed to have stayed for another transfer here in Guadalupe to see these miracles and to make life long friends!
A whole lot has happened in this past week and a half, so I am not going to bore you with the details. But, we had a multi-zone conference with almost all of the mission. A 70 came to the mission and it was a special conference, and I got to see Hermana Hatch again (basically best day ever!). President Forsberg said an awesome quote that I loved "your difficulties are gold mines" and to seek and expect miracles when you are passing through something difficult, like when all your lessons fall through or you miss home, etc. I felt like this this last transfer. I did not understand why I trained this transfer because it was really hard! I was really stressed and I felt insufficient and unexperienced, but God was able to turn this difficulty into a great joy. I was able to be here for the baptism of two of my great friends and come to love Hermana Lunt.
I am excited for this upcoming change, and it will surely be different. I am leaving a piece of my heart here, no matter how cliche that sounds, but I am excited for what the future brings.
Trying pipa fria for the first time
Eating random food that is sold at "in home restaurants" -- a potato ball filled with rice and meet
Isaac and Jackie Edward Saenz
Hermana Lorena and her son, Alberto, that we have been teaching
On our way as a district to the city for conferncia de multizona
Me and my bestie, Mary Gublers cousin, Xander
My zone at the mission conference
Sister Forsberg and Hermana Lunt
Katie took this picture of Bart Simpson for Tanner
Our ward mission leader loves Halloween!!
Our friend, Nicole Virgina
Me realizing how bad my sunburn is at the bus stop
Hermana Arell Delgado, who feeds us on Sundays!!
She also has the only comfy sofa in all of Panamá
Out in Capira, the beautiful countryside
Hermana Briando Brandaris and her kids, Alana, Aurora, and Rafael. This is the bishops family and I love them so much! She took such good care of me.
Visits with Kristen Foricheny
One last bus ride to preparation day activities
One last morning batido before I leave in the very early morning
When the bus breaks down on the way to the city and you haven't even left your zone and you end up standing for three hours on a bus that goes to the city with elder Verry and elder Valle and hermana Lunt
La Valdeza
Chorrera sign. Dad will definitely make us take a picture in front of this when he picks me up.
Texts from our recent convert that make me love to be a missionary
My transfer news!!
Random texts from our friends that I wanted to save
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