10/28/13
So I have changes. It's great and exciting and surprising a little. With one change left, I am excited to experience one more thing before I leave. It was such a great experience here to train someone learning the Spanish language. It is amazing how the Lord works with new missionaries. He takes us useless people and makes use of us. At least that's what it feels like at times and especially in the beginning of the mission when you can't speak the language. I think I loved this area faster than all my others. We had two AMAZING baptisms this last weekend of the change. It was just in time. We worked so hard and we made a friend for life. I love Veracruz and I am ready to love a new area.
(Sasha left three days later for Bocas del Toro)
11/4/13
Well, I´m 12 hours closer to home now.... I´m the farthest that you can go without leaving Panama. It´s called Bocas del Toro. (It is four miles out of SE Costa Rica) It was a 12 hours on the bus. We left at 8:30 pm and got here at 8:40 am. crazy! My companion is from Guatemala. She is super short and so sweet. I´m excited for this change with her. We live in a little apt that´s super nice but about the size of the TV room at home including the bathroom. I´m completely surrounded by hundreds of fields of bananas. It´s gorgeous and looks just like the Snohomish valley from up on the hill. At the moment I´m in an Internet cafe in Changuinola. There are parades going on all day cause it´s their national holiday week. I´m listening to tons of drums and stuff. It´s fun. There is a different kind of native people here and the area is super famous and there are tons of tourists in the main city. I´m in an area called El Empalme. It´s a small area and super tranquila. I like it. We´re opening a new area... yes... once again... I´m opening an area. I know a couple of Elders here and they´ve been reminding me everyday how many days I have left.... haha. at least I know I´ll die having fun with them. So I´m happy and working and I only get trunky (homesick at the end of a mission) when I think of Christmas. I have been so blessed as a missionary.
11/11/13
If you're cold in Washington... I can't bare to think how cold I'll be. I'm still sweating up a storm everyday of my life here...
My area is great. A ton of indigenous people. They're not Kunas though; they're different and have a dif language which I'm not going to learn this time cause I only have a few weeks! haha The people are way different here. It's way more chill here than close to the city. I like it. We have lots of baptism dates, so we have lots of work to do.
I work between the banana trees. It's gorgeous. The water comes from the river... so once again I'm not drinking the water. and we've been without water for a few days... so that sucked. and there is little water pressure so I once again use a bucket to bathe and we have to fill the toilet with water every time cause it doesn't fill up on its own. It's another adventure to live, but I kinda feel like it's normal now... I think of the culture shock when i get home and i have all these wonderful things like a dishwasher, water in the house, clean water, a huge fridge with food, , a bed that doesn't sink thru the cracks, , a washing machine... oh and a dryer... I've forgotten what that was.. haha and soooooo many other things... oh! and hot showers.. that will be weird...
11/18/13
Today for pday we walked across this SUPER sketchy bridge in the rain to Costa Rica. One elder put his foot completely through the bridge and fell... now I´ve been to CR. I got some colons (their money) to save as a souvenir.
More about my area. The universities are part of our area. the street with a big store called the Toro divides our area from the elders in el silencio. we have the area all the way to finca 4. it´s really pretty small.. but a good area. we´re working with a lot with people who are not currently going to church. I love my comp. she is perfect. mom, you would LOVE her if you could speak her language or she yours... haha she´s so much fun and likes to work and has a story all her own. I´m so grateful to be here with her. She´s great for at the end of my mish. my elder missionaries always remind me how many days I have left... today I have 24 days left! in 12 days... I´ll only have 12 days! craziness!!!!! I´m so excited. but so happy to be a missionary still. it´s the best thing ever!!!! One day soon I won´t get to wear my name tag... so I´m making the best of it NOW.
11/25/13
I´m super happy right now. maybe I don´t have the energy like before in my mish, but I am enjoying the work. It´s so hard to think that I´m making myself love these people more and more just to leave them soon. I hate the thought.
I've pretty much invited everyone in Panama to live at our house... hope you don´t mind. hahaha I just want to save EVERYONE and it´d be easier if they just come live with us... haha
(We told Sasha she'll get some new tech stuff for school and she said..)
wow, I can´t believe I´ll get a new computer. and what about a phone? maybe I should just buy an ipad.. haha... whatev. I´ve been gone for so long... there are prolly magic robots that I have no clue exist.
shoot! sooooo much to talk about. I´m sooooooo excited to come home! but extremely worried about leaving Panama, about leaving my family here. It´s heart wrenching, but it´s all part of the mish.
WE HAD A BAPTISM. his name is Gabriel. He´s here right now hanging with the Elders. He´s 17 years old. We hardly did anything to find him and get him to church and baptize him. He was just waiting for us to find him. It feels good to baptize my last change though. Really good.
I love you! Happy Thanksgiving!
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