November 21-November 27, 2023-Week 29-San Miguelito

Happy pday!!! Before I forget to say, my next pday is the following Wednesday because this transfer is already coming to a close, which I cannot believe! 

This week was so good, as are the others! We had multizone conference in the city, and that is always so special. We had conference with the everyone east of the canal, so Tocumen, Colon, Panama, and San Miguelito. President talked about how this is the time for the church to grow in Panama and that a lot of us will be here when they announce a second temple and another mission, and I feel blessed to be apart of this! Now is the time of Panama! Hermana Forsberg focused a lot on how we can practice living happily -- including not letting our circumstances deter us and choosing to have joy amist the adversity. So I have been working hard to apply that in my life -- smiling when I wake up everyday at 6:30am, not complaining about the big or small things that are far out of my control, being truly grateful, and being more present in every moment.  At the conference I also got to give a workshop with my Hermana líder companion on making effective questions in lessons! It went well, though everything is pretty last minute in the mission as we hurriedly planned everything over a zoom meeting a few nights before since we are not companions right now. Afterwards we were finally able to get more of our exchanges done, and I went to Brisas del Golf with Hermana Evans for the day.

The biggest thing that stuck out to me this week was the example of faith my companion, Hermana Christensen, is! She always teaches me so much and will always, without fail go the extra mile to see miracles. We decided to go look for and go to church with some friends that live pretty far away, granted we have a free bus to get us to church, it is a sacrifice of time. We went to the family of Carolina, and show up and she starts trying to make excuses why she can't go to church -- her husband's not there, she can't take the baby, they haven't eaten, they aren't dressed. But, Hermana Christenen didn't take no for an answer and said "we have 40 minutes and we are here to help you get ready, let's go!". Carolina sat there for a minute in silence and then got up and said "ok". So, her and all her five kids, came to church with us. And for me, I would have let our two visits earlier that week and our phone calls suffice as invitations to get her to church and count that as my best effort. But, as we were waiting at her housed I thought of the scripture, in Luke 15 that says:

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost

Christ would search out the one, and as missionaries, we should and must! So, no matters how begrudgingly we do His work, when we go to the edge of our faith, that is when miracles happen. So, thank you Hermana Christensen! We got to church and 12 of our friends came, we played the piano, and talked in church too and it was a good day!

We just got done playing basketball with the zone, and lets just say it might have been the worst basketball game ever, but still was very fun. The rain luckily didn't fall today, but earlier this week it rained and the rivers were overflowing and flooded up to my knees! I love being a missionary and I know this is going to be the best Christmas ever! I know that Christ is our personal Savior and He loves each and everyone of us! 

The miracle metro bus -- a driver picked us up after waiting for close to 45 minutes and he turned out to be a member. He totally just played us and he acted like he knew nothing about the church, but towards the end was like "yeah I'm endowed" and flashed his garments

The miracle metro bus driver, Hermano Tejada, who actually served in my dad's mission at the same time!

Visiting an inactive member, Amelia

RAINING SO MUCH that the streets are overflowing

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO3YGrw5yM2JbVYhMTBN0UdvbI4zmlEi5drioHM3n-7Cev7c4-evsaGLTWGPTYwYg/photo/AF1QipN1Ibu7OJ_6HOBsFYxulwUvmQTDAiTE4tElIeL4?key=Ml9TSGpoSmxyYV9ySkxVWHJ1RWdVeGxEQmlLWjB3

Soaked after five hours out in the rain

Multi Zone conference in the city with zona Panama, San Miguelito, Colon, and Tocumen

My classic picture with Marys cousin, Elder Fredrickson!

Best part of conferences are seeing the amazing hermana Hatch

The three Christensen's in the Panamá mission

Hermana Euceda and I had the chance to give a workshop this week at our multi zone conference about asking effective questions. We gave the class to smaller groups three times.

During one of our workshops we gave at multi zone conference

ZONA SAN MIGUELITO!!!!

Our friend Andrés and his magnifying glass he uses to read his scriptures

Visiting Andrés with our friend Wilmer!

Thanksgiving grub

Happy Thanksgiving to the clan!!

I got stung by a bee in the middle of a contact and it hurt!! The stinger got stuck in my ear.

Crocodile!!

Out in Chilibre aka the middle of nowhere

Eating at Popeyes and exchanging baptismal clothes with some elders

I'm too tall for the busses here

Lessons with members with the family Perez! Three of them are named Rosa, so it gets confusing

P-day at the mall

November 14-November 20, 2023-Week 28-San Miguelito

 Hi all!!!

This week was so good! I think the mission honestly just gets easier with time. It is still hard, but I don't think the days are as long, and the weeks seem to fly by. My trainer, hermana Anderson, always said the mission teaches us how to not only endure, but endure with happiness. But I am excited for the things I have to look forward to after the mission! 

This week, we honestly just cleaned out or area to see who is really interested AND who have the desire to progress. Hermana Christensen always says that there are a lot of people here who want to be brought the good word, but who don't want to go with it. That is so true. Lots of people are excited when we come to them, but that's all they want. They don't want to act and fight for a testimony, through going to church and reading the scriptures. We still have two pretty solid people right now, our friends Andrés and Ruben, who are continuing to progress and are lights in my life and day! 

Now let me paint the picture of the funniest part of my week. So our good friend, Señor Andrés, has 86 years. He is going to be baptized on December 3rd! Every time we visit him he says "hay que bautizarme en nuestra iglesia (I have to be baptized in our church)!!". He is awesome! To be baptized, he needed to stop drinking coffee. So, he has gone a whole week without drinking coffee. We show up yesterday and he has a mug in his hands and we are like, "Andres que tiene (what do you have)?" and he responds "cafe!" and we are like "ay no, en serio (no, seriously)?". Then he says "broma, no es té canela (kidding, no it's cinnamon tea)". It was hilarious, just imagine this spry and witty 86 year old pulling your leg haha. He is the best! I feel so blessed to get to know him. When we come to his house, he is always reading in his scriptures too!

My miracle thing of the week was that it rained every single day this week and continued to sprinkle all day. On the surface, this just sounds like normal Panamá. But really, it is a large miracle because we have not had water this whole week. We have about 5 gallons everyday with all the problems with our pipes and pumps, so we have only showered with two cups of water everyday (one to get wet, one to get rid of the soap). Yet, I never came home wet from sweat like normal, wet from water of course, but not overly hot or gross. So, God sent the rain showers to our doors :) God is in the big and little miracles!

The literal bucket of water that we had this week to use everyday and nothing more to wash, clean, shower.

Peeing outside because I have no water

How I always sit in panama. I have such good manners.

Hermana Christensen was a little tired in district council

San Miguelito zone!!!

Our district (left to right): Elder Lopez (Guatemala), Elder Gongorra (El Salvador, one of our ZLs), Elder Francis (Colon, Panama but he is reassigned for now, he is supposed to go to Mexico), Elder Borja (from Columbia, our DL), Elder Bailey, Elder Baugh, Hermana Keeler, Elder Seamons, Hermana Bonnett, Elder Harry, Hermana Euceda, me, Hermana Christensen

Running into members of our ward at the mall for lunch!!

Quaker shaker is my twin?

Our fan blade broke in the middle of night and scared the living daylights out of us

House shopping because we don't have any water

I love Panamá!

Eating chicheme and donuts ...a little messy

A member took this photo and says we look like poor little orphans

Ok, let me explain, these are what ALL the panamian women wear and we had to buy some for .75 to assimilate with the culture

Hermana Christensen caught me praying one morning

Look to the left -- turkeys, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Strange fungus growing in our house

Our friend, Andrés Rosas, who is the most faithful and humble person ever. Every time we visit him, he says he is so excited to be baptized and cannot wait to be baptized on December 3

Happy 5 months bestie!!

Our questionable reference sends an audio "wow que guapa...wowwww"

Questionable reference named, Gordin. How it all starts is that we call him to share a lesson, and he is like "necesito buscar una camiseta, dejame a buscarla" and we are like alright call us when your ready he comes back and he is wearing an unbuttoned SUIT COAT and then to make it funnier he gets his baby niece and starts kissing her on the cheek. I think he is trying to thirst trap us.

Our good friend, Ruben, who will be baptized in December. He is faithful and has a deep understanding of the scriptures.

We are starting to teach classes of English on zoom!

On a zoom for a Noche de Hogar on Saturday night with Hermana Christensen wearing her Panamanian weave

A member, Daniel, posted us on his story . I swear they always do this, it makes me laugh so hard

Facetiming garret! He is never very awake

Shopping on pday

Our Christ wall we created!