March 19, 2024-March 25, 2024-Week 46-David

As all weeks, this was a crazy busy one. We had three exchanges with other missionaries, so we were outside of our area a lot. But, the area is going very well, and we will have a baptism on Easter and then the following Saturday! I think something I have come to learn about a lot on the mission how God doesn't need to speak directly to us to answer us, because He has already given us the answers in so many different ways. For example, with the two friends that will be baptized, they came about because we followed a lot of mission suggestions -- revise your carpeta (she's talking about her area book) and talk with everyone -- and by doing these two things, we found our friend Lis, who had already come to church a lot, and our friend Reinel, by just contacting him in the street. I think about this a lot with scriptures or the words of living prophets. They are means by which we can receive the answers that we so desperately need. God doesn't need to come down from the heavens and knock on our door to answer a prayer, because chances are, He already has. 

I don't really have a whole lot to say, missionary work is about the same. I am grateful everyday to be a missionary. I have become so much more converted and centered in the restored gospel, and I know it is the only true and living church. I know we need to live and love our covenants to return happily to Him, and find happiness in the here and now. Something I have been thinking a lot about is two of my favorite words: committed and willing. Being committed is being determined to stick it out to the end, meet the end of your promise, and see it through. Being committed is really good. But being willing AND committed is better. To be willing, you openly, and fairly happily choose to be committed. You choose it because you know His ways are higher, holier, and better than yours. You can be committed to living the gospel, but when you are willing to live the gospel, that's when it transforms you and that's when Christ makes you like Him (1 John 3:2). 

I was able to do three exchanges this week, and two of which were divisions (where me and my comp both go to the area and all four of us concentrate all our efforts there). One hermana is pretty sick, and might have to end her mission, so I stayed in the house all day for one. The other one we were able to work hard, but a lot of the hermanas we help are going through hard times now. It was good to go see them in person, rather than just phone call them. 

My last thought for the week is that really life is about making the choice to choose Jesus Christ. I was reading in Mosiah 26 and 27 about Alma the Younger. His father prayed very much that he would repent of his sins and come to Jesus Christ, and was visited by an angel. As we know, he came back and allowed Christ to rescue Him from the depths of his sins. "And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them" (Mosiah 27:32). He was truly changed. But, didn't the exact same thing happen to Laman and Lemuel? Their father was a prophet. Their father and family prayed mightily on their behalf. An angel visited them as well. They witnessed miracles. And sometimes aren't we too much like Laman and Lemuel? We need to let Christ rescue us, and come to Him, and repent everyday. The choice is ours. 

"Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves—to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life." (2 Nephi 10:23). 

My exchange with Hermana Aparicio

We had the challenge to visit less active today, so we visited a few

My exchange with Hermana Lopez in Concepcion

Member lessons with Eida and her friend Reinel who is going to get baptized

When the power goes out in your house

Celebrating Hermana Rhodes 9 months

March 12, 2024-March 18, 2024-Week 45-David

Hey!! (this is long because honestly I only expect limited people to read this @ my mom and this counts as my journaling because I am behind).

Time to recount all the weekly happenings and shennangians! This week was really good and things are starting to pick up here in Lassonde, as well as the heat! I swear at least 10 times a day, people yell out at us "y tú paragua? Y tú sombrero?"...literally without fail!! The sun is SO strong and it feels like noon day 24/7. 

We were able to put 3 people on baptismal date this week -- and all were just literally God sent. I have to come to learn over and over again that really the miracles come after ALL we can do (2 Nephi 25:23) and after the trial of our faith (Ether 12:6). God is stapeling that in my mind. We are teaching two cute girls, Kimberly and Zira. They are neighbors of a super faithful member, who quite honestly is so cute and reminds me of my aunt Marsha with her gentle and docile nature. But, one night we were teaching them and the grandma comes out, sees the Book of Mormon, and is like "I hate your church because this book only talks about Joseph Smith" and WOW! It really stings when people say things like this, but the member, Eyda, she comes back and testifies with her simple and soft testimony to the contrary that this is another testament of Jesus Christ! I have learned time and again that the people here in Panama know God and their Savior, and know the cost of their discipleship, and are more than willing to pay it. I forever hope that I can be like them and be bold in what I believe. Sometimes I think that my Spanish and English personalities are SO different. I hope that I can keep all the things I love about "my Spanish version" -- my positivity, boldness, animo (sou), energy, happiness, and faith mindset forever! Our other friend is Reinel. He was a contact we had on the street who we started teaching and then he came to stake conference and does all his reading assignments. I am so excited to see the many miracles the Lord has waiting for me and Hna Rhodes in Lassonde! I firmly believe that we just have to have the faith to find. If we show the Lord we have faith -- including thinking positively, making big plans, and doing everything in our power -- He cannot hold back the miracles, but will overflow our lives with them. 

The saddest part of the week happened when we found this less active family, the Jovane's. They are very kind people who left the church because they weren't doing the small and simple things -- reading the scriptures, praying, and actively partaking of the sacrament. Primary answers that are drilled in our heads for a reason. We are practically begging them to come to church and take the sacrament -- but all the while they forgot what that is, what the Book of Mormon is, but the hermano seems to remember (because he said it 5 times) that he was elders quorom president  and that he thinks that the law of tithing is evil. It was so sad. I was in tears, just thinking how easy it is to fall away, to choose to not have the eternal joy the gospel brings. In these moments, I think of the Savior, how openly He is inviting us, and how many excuses we make, how we ignore Him, and choose our own way. I know His way is the only way to true and lasting happiness!

We have been doing a lot of things with the Hermanas as if lately, and will be doing a lot of exchanges in this upcoming week to help them with their areas and with their animoooo!! So we will have a lot of travels and early mornings and late nights. This week, we traveled to Volcan and we left in the pitch black of the morning at 4 to get there at 6:30 to do their CPEC (just to help them in their planning and in their companionship)! But it was SO cold! 66 degrees!! I was shivering so badly. We checked the weather and where we live at the same time it was 80. I will not be able to survive winter in Spokane or Utah when I come home. But, it is always a joy to be with the hermanas and to serve them. Any assignment or calling in the church I think is a refining experience to make us more like the Savior and help us see what matters most. He cared for others one by one, and so should we. 

Some funny turn of events happened this week. As I mentioned earlier, everyone always says we need to wear hats and carry our umbrellas to protect us from the sun. Very nicely this week, some members gave us some hats. See attached pictures below. All I can say is I feel like Sherlock Holmes and that I should be in a band. Enough on that. Then, this same day, we go to a less active persons house, but there are only really old people there. They let us in and we assume they are her very aged, sick parents. They keep saying "hola estoy enfermo" and we are like, well let's sing a song and go. Then, one of their daughters who we hadn't met before, walks into where we are sitting in the backyard, bewildered and confused that we are there. I ask her her name and then she's like "well the better question is WHO ARE YOU??". It took me so off guard, but she had every right to ask me haha. We worked it all out but she was very thrown off how we had gotten into her house. Needless to say, weird things happen every day. 

Everyday I am happier and happier to be a missionary! I know that we have a Savior who lives and loves us, and that His Atonement is within our reach, even our very thought. I know that He speaks with us -- because He speaks to me every day, guiding me to be better and know how to lift where I stand, overcome my faults and errors, and any setback that may come. He wipes away every tear and makes a blank slate for every bad day. As Elder Holland says best, "But when such difficult moments come to us, I testify that there is one thing which will never, ever fail us. One thing alone will stand the test of all time, of all tribulation, all trouble, and all transgression. One thing only never faileth—and that is the pure love of Christ". 

White board with our goals on it

Member lessons with my Panama grandma Eneida

Member lessons with Lucy

Sexy hermana Rhodes

Planning out our zone counsel

Lessons with Hermana Eida Santamaria and Kimberly

Morning CPEC in Volcan when it was 66⁰

Stake Conference

At the fair

At the fair with the Hermanas Shirley, Rich, Lopez, Aparicio, and Rhodes

Bus ride to Volcan

March 5, 2024-March 11, 2024-Week 44-David

I am still loving my area and my companion, so everything is smooth sailing! We are working really hard to find the Lord's chosen people. We had 2 baptisms on Saturday, and we have one set for the 28th. As a companionship, we set the goal to have six baptisms. I know that when we have faith in the Lord and His timing, and do whatever we can to fulfill our part, He fufills His promises, He literally is BOUND (DC 82:10) to do so. But, Hermana Rhodes and I were talking yesterday that maybe we have already found the other "three" of our remaining six, and that God is planting this seed in them to be baptized further down the road. I know that if I give my all to the Lord -- live my covenants, talk with everyone, fulfill my responsibilities as an hermana leader, and chose joy in every moment -- the other three will be found! Something I have learned a lot on my mission is that we must be able to have the faith to receive the miracle we are wanting, but likewise, the faith to keep going, trusting in the Lord's timing if the miracle doesn't come. His time table is perfect.

We had the opportunity to go the city on Tuesday for leadership conference!! It was so good, as always! I also got to see so many friends -- which made the bus ride in the middle of the night both ways worth it. I was so slap happy this week though because I missed two nights of sleep. We talked a whole lot about having the faith to baptize, like I talked about before. I know that God works so many miracles, but only after the trial of our faith. So keep going! I always like to think we see miracles like this: WORKING and WAITING! We need to work, work, work and work with the Lord, the members, the Spirit, and ourselves. But, we also need to wait on the Lord with patience, praying for understanding, and trusting that His plan is so much better than ours...because it is. One example of this that happened this week is when we went to go visit our friend, Lis. We set up a time to meet with her, confirmed it and everything. Then we get there, with a member, and she's not there. Not answering her phone. No one's answering the door. I then say to the member "well the Lord's timing is perfect", honestly half doubting myself. She then starts showing us some houses of members, and then we pass by some recent converts, who haven't come in a while and told us that they wouldn't be home all day...but they were home!!! We visited them, had a great lesson, and then we were able to visit Lis. The. Lord's. Timing. Is. Perfect. 

We also had an exchange this week, so that was fun to get to travel and see more and be with Hermana Rich. I have liked being Hermana Leader and I always think that it is a calling to be refined. Anyone could be a leader.

I hit a whole 10 months in the mission!!! Viejita (old lady)!! To celebrate, we went to the BEACH! It was dreamy and perfect to walk on the beach and I loved every second. We went with a member, who is handicapped and could only lay on the beach. She was in a terrible accident and can't bend at the hips or her knees, so we helped her rest on the beach in the shade. But, she was so cute and said she loves being at the beach because the ocean goes on forever, and how perfect our God must be to leave us with His beautiful creations. I thought about how the ocean extends out foreverrrr and everrrrr and is so deep -- how profound, deep, and infinite the love of our God is that we cannot even comprehend! He loves us so much. He is building us up to be like His Son! 

Funny random moment: I am playing the piano on Sunday, like every other Sunday. I literally know no Spanish hymns since I have played every Sunday but one in my whole 10 months...lol. I really should have taken my piano lessons more seriously. But, I am playing the sacrament hymn on the keyboard and to my HORROR a metronome replaces me hitting the notes and it literally starts freaking out. During the sacrament. Que pena. Whateva

I love the mission, I love the Lord and my Savior! I am happy, healthy, miracle working and waiting!

Traveling to the city for leadership conference with Hermana Rhodes and Hermana Rich at 10:45pm (Monday March 4th)

I saw bestie at the leadership conference because she had migrations that same morning

Finish an exchange we had with me, Hermana Jurado, Hermana Lopez, Hermana Alvarado, Hermana Rhodes, and Hermana Rich

Elder Williams and Elder Fredrickson with our zone goals!!

Eating lunch with the district of Puerto Amuerlles since I was on exchange with Hermana Rich in Concepcion for the day

Hermana Aparicio!! I love her!! She is the girlfriend of a person who was in my last ward in San Vicente and her parents live in the ward I am currently serving in.

My exchange with Hermana Rich!

Deaddddddd you try to talk with everyone and you get destroyed on someone's story

Member visits with Hermana Eneida Muñoz Chavarria

Not really much context to this we just needed to take a photo for the day

Eating lunch on Saturday with the Elders of David 2, Elder Reynolds and Elder Vasquez with Hermana Eneida and Domingo

The baptism of Katherine Rivera

Katherine and her son Benjamin

Benjamin, Katherine, Miguel (husband), Rufina (mother in law)

PREPARATION DAY AT THE BEACH

Oh how I missed the beachhhhh!!! A member invited us to go, and she can't even walk that well, but her niece brought her and us. She laid on the beach while we ran around on the beach.

10 months!

Ice cream with Alexandra

The baptism of Dereck Montengro...his sisters coming soon