One more transfer in the books! This was such a fun transfer that God was so nice and is going to let us run it back. So, six more weeks in Lassonde with Hermana Rhodes! :) I love this ward, I love my comp, I love the work, and my house (even though there are always large puddles of water leaking in from random parts, but that's ok).
We were able to do intercambios with the Hermanas from Volcan for two or so days. I went up to Volcan with Hermana Shirley, since Hermana Aparicio has been really sick. She and my comp came to our area and tried to do some online work. But, Volcan seriously just reminds me of Park City and I am want to go skiing in the mountains. It is cold and touristy and full of pine trees and huge mountains (and the volcano Baru). But, we were able to have a lot of fun and get Hermana Shirley out of the house and find good new part member families that she can teach. I think it was really good for Hermana Shirely since she has had a harder transfer, and we were able to talk and read in the scriptures that God takes care of everything. It would be really hard to have a sick companion, because the work slows down a lot and you blame yourself, but we talked about how God called Hermana Shirely to her companion to help her. God always has His perfect reasons. Anyways, I was freezing though in the night. I think it couldn't have been less than 60, but I am Panamanian and have become accustomed to 95 degrees every day for the past 11 months. We then did an intercambio right after with the Hermanas from Las Lomas, and I went with Hermana Jurado. It was really good and I learned how to be a better teacher! I think God has to humble me sometimes and put me with a Latina to see just how little Spanish I really know. But, I learned to teach better to the needs of people and to teach with the spirit.
On Friday, we had the long awaited baptism of our friend Reinel Rovira Guiterrez!! YAY! It went really good, and he was really ready. I love helping people come and make covenants with God. I have had a lot of time to reflect on these covenants, and the other day to a recent convert I explained it like this, and it has stayed with me:
God loves us so much that He wants to know us, and He wants us to know Him. Before covenants, we know of God and who He is and briefly about Him. But, we don't know much, just what we have heard with others, just like Hermana Rhodes and I when we were called as companions. All I knew about Hermana Rhodes was that she was from St. George, went to BYU, and lead the music at the Christmas devotional. But, through the weeks of being companions, we have learned to love and serve one another a lot -- make breakfast, make the bed, write notes, clean, listen, and all the other things. Hermana Rhodes has helped me feel the pure love of Christ and has come to be a close friend. I hope she can say the same about me. We have both tried to do our part to be better and grow closer, because we are committed to one another as companions to stick it out through thick and thin. The same it is with God. He is a PERFECT covenant and promise keeper. He protects, blesses, and takes care of us so well, and as we do so, we enter into a special type of relationship: a covenant. So, I am very grateful to help people have this relationship with God and eternal promises. But, of course, Satan does not. So, we were locked out of the baptismal font and I had to jump the glass to fill it, but small problems for eternal promises.
Then we had GENERAL CONFERENCE! It was so awesome! Spiritual feast. I think what I most learned was the vitality of covenants, temples, and daily discipleship. I loved what Elder Soares said and his phrase about "confidence in our covenants". God will do His part. He is bound to do His. Bound to bless, love, succor, aid, comfort, and guide us when we seek to be a daily disciple through fervent, honest prayer and scripture study, dedicated time in the temple and the church. And through this, we will have daily added strength to our testimonies, little rays of light, illuminating us in the darkness.
But that's about all! I hit 11 months. Kinda wild. Best 11 months of my life!
Pine trees in Panama!
Exchanges with Hermana Shirley in Volcan
Member visits with out favorite Hermana Eneida Muñoz
The baptism of Reinel Rovira Guiterrez
11 Months!!
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