3rd Week in Santa Librada, 9th Week in Panama, 15th Week on a Mission

"Being able to say we're 'from Utah' is a good way to get people asking questions about the church," [Hannah's mom said.] 

That`s so funny that you say that you`re from Utah now! In Chitre I told everyone that I grew up in New York but now my family lives in Utah. The thing is that confused a lot of people. Like A LOT. Even the other missionaries were confused. SOOO I've started saying that I`m from New York. The problem with that is people think I`m from New York City...which...I've never been there before. So I say that I`m from the "campo" of New York...or the "interior" [countryside] of New York. Both of those places here signify places outside of Panama City. It`s really different then how it is in New York but it helps them understand. 

"How does your personal worship bless your life?" [Hannah's mom asked because she's preparing a lesson.]

Personal worship...I`m assuming that means worship that isn't in the church or with other people...so like studying the scriptures? Well for me if I didn't have a personal testimony I wouldn't be here serving a mission. And for me my testimony didn't come from worship with other people. My testimony came because of things that I did by myself...choosing to read the scriptures, and choosing to follow Jesus Christ. I know that worshiping with others is important...going to church is a commandment from God and by going to church every Sunday we can take the sacrament where we renew our baptismal covenants. But church is a more social thing...obviously because it`s with other people...but I mean it`s not personal...okay I`m really not explaining this well at all. Church worship and Personal worship are both important in different ways. To me, if I didn't do things on my own I wouldn't do things with others. Because it`s important to me, because I've gained my own testimony, that`s why I go to church. Ha ha sorry you might not be able to use any of that for your talk but I tried to answer it as best I could. 

"I am tempted to not write as much today so you'll have more time to write to us," [said Hannah's mom, but now she's sort of wishing she hadn't written that.] 

I really love reading your little updates. It really feels refreshing to know what's going on with everyone. Basically what I`m trying to say is keep writing!! I`m trying to tell all of my friends that I can`t really write a whole lot to them because I want to write one big email to my family!! But I also like to get updates from friends to know what`s going on with them. So basically keep writing! But don`t expect much back! In case you didn't get the message yet...keep writing!! :D 

Okay so I have more time to write now!!! First I want to share a story. When we were Skyping you asked what happened to the man that Hermana Molina and I were teaching that couldn't hear or read very well. Remember that story??? Okay maybe not...so we contacted a guy on a bus...and he couldn't hear us....so Hermana Molina wrote down the address of the church and our phone number and we didn`t think anything of it after that. Well he came to church that Sunday!!! But he couldn`t really hear anything. We tried to go to his house afterwards but the only direction we had was it was close to _________ bar and it was ________ color (sorry I don`t remember the name of the bar or the color of the house :D).

[Click on THIS post and look about half way down for the original story and the house colors.]

So we were walking around, I`m pretty sure we prayed, and then we passed his house but he was on his porch waiting for us and he came out and called us over to him. So we tried to have a lesson with him but he couldn`t really hear us...he understood Hermana Molina a little bit but he couldn't hear/understand me AT ALL. After the lesson we were feeling like we had no idea what to do BUT that we had to keep trying because God sent him to us and God helped us find his house. So the other day Hermana Molina called...anddddddddd...he`s getting baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was sooo happy when she told me that. It`s really absolutely amazing. So she said that he kept going to church. That he would sit there on the bench with his eyes closed trying to be able to hear. That every time he was at church he would have a big smile on his face. That he`s reading the Book of Mormon every day. He really wants to be baptized!!!! Technically I`m not his missionary when he`s getting baptized but I was a part of it!!! I was and am soooo happy :D

Today we went to the temple!!!! It was absolutely beautiful. It`s bigger then the Guatemala Temple but smaller than the temples in Utah..that's kind of general cause there's a lot of temples in Utah...but it's smaller than the Salt Lake Temple and the Bountiful Temple and the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and the Jordan River Temple...that narrows it down right? It`s absolutely beautiful!!!!!!!! 

Enough typing I`m going to try to send PICTURESSSSS

[P.S.] We don`t have any more RAID to kill the bugs!! Last night there was a giant cockroach and Hermana Alvarez (my companion) killed it with a big stick!! We make due with what we have!