Unexpected Transfer to Doleguita, David

[Hermana Hannah and her new companion]

So this week I'm really cut short on time...but I'll try to do this as fast as I can. So I'm going to start off by typing up a little journal entry that I made in my "Seeing the Hands of the Lord" journal on the 21st of November:

The hand of the Lord isn't always easy to accept. Here in the mission, right when I feel comfortable the Lord throws out His hand and sends a curve ball. And that's just what He did today. Everything was going so well. 

We worked with Hermana G. today. The appointments that we planned weren't set in stone, but thanks to the hand of the Lord everything worked out. Hermana M. and Hermana V. were both in their houses and things worked out beautifully with Hermana G. In the lesson with Hermana V., the scripture Ether 12:27 just came to mind. When I shared it I knew it was inspired-not only for V.'s but for G. also. And maybe just a little bit it was meant for me also. 

After the lesson--at the end of the lesson-- J. showed up in his car. So he gave us a ride down the hill. While we were in the car, I checked my agenda and saw, unexpectedly, that we had an appointment with the S. family. J. dropped us off by their house but we decided to check up on Hermana A. because earlier we found out that she was in the hospital and was back in her house. She didn't answer, but we had time to decide that we would share a lesson on the atonement of Jesus Christ.

When we started the lesson with the family, I got a little bothered when right after the hymn--which totally set the Spirit-- Hermana G. started asking them about the dance on Friday and if they were going to go. I decided to go with it and I ended up sharing two personal experiences: deciding to go to a dance when I didn't have a fancy dress-- everyone said how beautiful I looked, and how my mom would say if your only reason for not doing something is fear then you're losing a great opportunity. 

Then the phone rang. Since we weren't in the middle of a deep spiritual conversation, I decided to answer it. It was Elder D., Hermana G.'s mission father and one of the newly called assistants to the president. After some joking around, he told me that I have changes, that I'm going to David and I need to be in Albrook, the terminal, at 8 the next day. At first I thought he was joking and I laughed, and then I asked, "Are you serious?" Then I asked him to repeat what he said again..in part to take it all in and in part because I was unsure about the details. In this call, he said that I would be an hermana leader. When this conversation ended I looked around at my Panamanian family and started sobbing. Hermana Gomez freaked out and asked if it was my family. I shook my head no and then kept on crying. 

By this point, everyone was really concerned and I knew that I had to say something. So midst my tears I somehow managed to tell them the news. Then Elder D. called again. I handed the phone to Hermana Gomez saying that I couldn't answer it. In this call he joked around with Hermana Gomez saying that her mom is abandoning her too. Then he told her that he misspoke about me becoming an hermana leader, but that I was going to David and I had to be in Albrook at  8 AM the next day. 

The fact that I was with my family at the precise moment shows the hand of the Lord. They expressed the love for me that I feel for them and told me never to forget them. Each one of them offered me a little gift, searching among the things that they already had, saying that they had a list of gifts that they wanted to buy me, but that now it was too late. S. started handing me things that weren't his to give. M. climbed up onto my lap wanting to be near me. For a little while, she and I were crying together. When she stopped, I kept crying. 

So right now I'm experiencing the hand of the Lord taking me away from my second home. It hurt so much that I have to believe it's for a greater reason than I can understand. 

So I traveled from Colon to the terminal by myself. The assistants met me there and then sent me on a bus to David. I went by myself also. It was an 8 hour journey with a lunch break about halfway through. 

My new companion is Hermana Mendez from Honduras. My new area starts with a D and is in the welcome to your new house picture that my new companion made for me [below]. Hermana Mendez came to Panama with Hermana Gomez so I'm still training. 

What happened here is an Hermana leader went to Colon where I was with Hermana Gomez because she was disobedient, Hermana Hernandez, who was with me in my first area, was called to be the new leader, and I came here to be with her companion. 

It was really hard to leave Colon because I was there for so long. Things are so different here. Everyone's white, I'm in the country nowhere near the city, the leaders of the church are super strong and super knowledgeable, and I'm surrounded by missionaries that I know from previous transfers. 

When I got to the terminal here, I had to use the bathroom, so I had a guy help me with my suitcases. Later, I had to pay him one dollar. I called the hermana leaders cause they weren't there yet, found a place to sit down...waited and waited...and then eventually I was greeted by...Hermana Molina! She was my mission mom aka my first companion. I gave her a big hug and just started crying. She was there when I needed her. She's leaving the mission after this change and she says she needs me too. 

So here I am in David in an area that I don't remember the name with a new companion. Crazy things happen in the mission. But I'm happy and loved...but I miss Colon and everyone there. 

Oh and we had a baptism the second day here. 

[Mom translating: "Fight your stress and don't let it dominate" and "Welcome to your new home and your new area 'Doleguita.'"]

We´re having problems with our fridge...it doesn't close all of the way sometimes...but we've talked to our leaders and they said that they´re going to help us out. 

You might say that we choose our problems, but there are a lot of things that are unpredictable. But every decision that we make can be for our good if we continually rely on God. We can make a sour decision but God can take that decision and make it into something sweet. We have to be wise in our decisions but we also have to choose to accept the decisions that we've made. There´s always light at the end of the tunnel...every cloud has as silver lining. The trials that we have help prepare us for greater things.

Now for this week's update: 

Monday-It was a typical P-day where we did everything that we needed to do. In the evening we paid a visit to Hermana O., (the young women's counselor). When we first got there it was just us, her, and the young women's president....but later the young women came and it was a success. From what I understand, there was a miscommunication and somehow she came to believe that the young women don´t love her....but because the young women came to visit her she came to understand that this lie wasn't true. The next day she held a young women's activity in her house. So the visit was a success! She has found new motivation and drive for the church. She wasn't able to go to church on Sunday because of work, but we´re excited about her future involvement in the ward. 

Tuesday- We did some tracting in the afternoon. We´re trying to find new investigators since our current investigators aren't progressing. We've had to discontinue teaching quite a few..we´re really sad about that...but I´m happy to see that we´re helping the ward...active, less active, and inactive members. Later in the day we had more lessons.

Wednesday-After lunch we helped the primary presidency prepare for the primary program on Sunday. We made little flowers for the girls' hair and made a sign that in the end said, "I am a Child of God"...in Spanish of course. 

This day we had our district meeting in the morning. The bishop was waiting outside with his car. He called me and my companion over and told us that he has a friend that he wants to visit with us and asked if we could. So we rearranged our schedule a bit to be able to go with him. Beause of that we were able to work with him for basically the whole day. It was a wonderful experience and it strengthened our confidence in him as the leader of the ward and it strengthened his confidence in us as missionaries in the ward. I´m very grateful for him and all that he´s done to help us, our investigators, and the members of the ward. 

Thursday- We had our first lesson with a new investigator. It went really well and we learned his needs and how we can help him. When we left he went to give a kiss on the cheek to my companion and she didn't  know what to do so she just went along with it. So when he did the same to me I didn't do anything. It´s something that´s just polite here and it can be offensive to pull away...but next time we´re going to talk to him about it and explain why that's not okay for us. 

Afterwards we went to visit some less active members. And one of them came to church on Sunday!!

Friday- We had our weekly planning in the morning. Later, we went really far away to have a lesson that didn't work out. So we ended up tracting to find new people. As we left to go to the bus stop, a crazy young-looking guy ran over to us. It was pouringgg so he asked if he could walk with us to the bus stop. He didn't wait for an answer. He ran under my umbrella and walked with me all the way down the street. I felt super uncomfortable the whole time and had no idea what to do...ohhh awkward moments in the mission. In the evening we had a lesson with a less-active family and....they all came to church on Sunday!!

Saturday- We had our second lesson with A. He lives in a really dangerous area that we can´t visit without a priesthood holder. So we taught him in the street. This was the second lesson that we´ve had with him in the street. He told us that he wants to get baptized. So we set a date for the last Sunday of the month. He knows a lot and he´s really positive...but he didn't go to church on Sunday so his baptismal date might not be set in stone. 

In the evening, we had a lesson with a less-active family and...they went to church on Sunday! They gave us fish, rice, and beans. They laughed about how I had no idea how to eat the fish...it was really thin and it had lots of bones...and I didn't eat fish before the mission...so the hermana gave me a nice big chunk of fish meat that didn't have bones in it...and told us about their family member that's four that can eat fish all by himself. I felt kind of ridiculous haha. 

Then at 7 we helped with a baptism. We sang a special number and helped serve the dessert. 

Sunday- Success with the less-active members! I was super happy about that. After church we had some super lessons...the last of  which was with an inactive member...and...she said that she´ll come to church next week! Her mom is a less-active member and she has told us that when her daughter says that she´ll go to church she does...so we´re pretty sure that she´ll come next week. 

At night we had dinner with some amazing members and they told us that President Ward is the new temple president here in Panama. He was my mission president. We´re going to the temple tomorrow. It will be really weird to see him there. I´m not really sure how this will affect all of the missionaries here. It seems like it would have a negative affect on the missionaries that miss him...but every calling is inspired of God so it has to be for the best. 

Lots of love, 

Hermana Hannah

I´m deciding to copy and paste part of what I wrote to President Carmack in my weekly letter to give a bit of an update on the area and how I´m doing: 

Hermana G. and I have been trying to work with less active members and investigators at the same time. It´s been really hard for a few different reasons. One reason is because our area is huge. We've been trying to focus on five less active members every week, like we've received direction to do. One of the families that we work with is the P. family. They live in Maria Chiquita. We have problems getting a bus to go there and getting a bus to come back. We had to cancel our dinner last week because we were stuck up there in the night and we understood that it was basically impossible to leave. But miraculously there was a bus that left from there...he was already done working so he didn't stop for anyone else and told us that we didn't have to pay. It was a miracle for us.

The attendance in the church plummeted this week...I´m hoping it's just because people are out of town...we´ll see what next week is like.

I´m trying to be really obedient because I know that with obedience comes blessings.

I just finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish today...which is quite an accomplishment to me because I've been working on it my whole mission...ever since the MTC.

I´m trying to seek more guidance from the Lord to know what we should do. I've been discouraged because we don´t have progressing investigators right now.

There´s a lot of things that I feel like I don´t know what to do...but I will continually try to rely on the Lord.

---

So you know roughly where the places are that I took pictures of, the place with the bridge is a place called Barriada del Rio. The place where I´m on the fence is called Maria Chiquita. I´m convinced that we have the most beautiful area in Panama...it should at least be in the top five most beautiful areas....maybe in the whole world!! 

Now for an update on this week:

Monday-We went to Albrook where I attempted to find a black skirt and crocs...and didn't succeed...but I´m saving the money for when I do find those things. (I found the shoes that I want but they weren't in my size). When we left the terminal we had to run to the express (the bus) because it went to the wrong part of the terminal. This day the buses were really unpredictable because it's a national holiday and everything's crazy here on national holidays...that's another reason why we went to Albrook to be able to use the internet. When we got back to the area, we went straight to the house of the S. family where they had this beautiful cake for me. It was really sweet and I felt very loved. Then in the evening I opened my birthday cards and the Christmas package. I decided to save one of the shirts for Christmas...not wear it until Christmas days. The other ones I´m already using because I needed clothes. I felt so loved in the night opening the letters and the package. Thank you so much <3

Tuesday- We had our district reunion where we celebrated my birthday and the birthday of Hermana B. which is also the 4th of November. Afterwards we went to visit some less active members. They really needed the visits  especially one of the sisters...she seemed so sad, but afterwards she seemed more chipper. We went all the way out to Maria Chiquita to be with the P. Family, who invited us to eat at their house because of my birthday. They´re a less active family that we´re working with. The Dad came to church on Sunday..he´s come three Sundays in a row. We really want him to get stronger...strong enough that he won't fall again and that he´ll lift up his whole family. Our ultimate goal is that they can get sealed in the temple. Then we had some other lessons in the evening. One of which was really hard because we came to the conclusion that we can´t visit them anymore. I don´t like it when that happens, but sometimes people just aren't ready. 

Wednesday- We paid a visit to the Relief Society president. We gave her a lesson about the purpose of Relief Society using "Daughters in My Kingdom." I absolutely love that book. I know that it's inspired. We also offered our help with putting together a visiting teaching list...I emphasized that the way Christ ministered among the people was one by one, person by person. I think that visiting teaching will really strengthen this ward. In the evening we had a family home evening with another less active family...we went with our missionary leader and his wife and his kids. It was really great..but the sister didn't come to church on Sunday...but we´ll keep working with them. 

Thursday- We visited more less active members. We shared a DVD from the Book of Mormon presentations with some young men that are less active. We want to encourage them to serve missions and this video talked about the repentance of a young man before he left to serve a mission. In the evening we had our meeting with our missionary leader. 

Friday-We visited some grandparents in the afternoon. They´re really darling. They were a reference from the Mom S. who helped the sister out with her grocery bags one day. They are really old and really cute. He reminds me of Gordon B Hinckley when he was really old...only he looked healthier than this man looks now. I taught one of the sisters piano..still hoping that she´ll be able to take over my job as pianist when I leave. Then we had a really serious talk with one of the S. girls...she had a date for her baptism this weekend but she said that she needs more time. We might have to stop teaching her...it might not be the right time for her...Then in the evening we had our group night in the church. 

Saturday-We visited the friend of a member with the member. It was a really neat lesson. The Spirit was really strong. In the evening we had a service project in the church where we cleaned the whole building...or at least we tried to...all that we had to work with was two mops, two small brooms, a trash can, some rags, and water....so the church still isn't clean but it looks a little bit better. 

Sunday- The bishop's daughter had two little buses from the high school which they used to take us and our investigators, recent converts, and less active members to the temple. There we were able to hear a message and musical numbers by...I think her name is Ginny...something like that....she´s the singer that does the young woman songs....sorry I don´t really remember very well. [Jenny Phillips-- I found out on the mission president's photo blog] She and her husband came here to Panama. It was absolutely beautiful and the Spirit was really strong. Afterwards my S. brother was impatient to be able to walk in the gardens of the temple. His excitement made me feel really happy....he was baptized when I was with Hermana C. The president gave a little tour of the outside of the temple and we took pictures. The Mom S. said that she felt a peace and tranquility that she´s never felt before. The Spirit was strong. It was a really beautiful experience. After the tour, Hermana Carmack came over to me and we were able to talk for a while. She gave me an update on her family. Before she left, she gave me a great hug and told me it was good to see me. That made me feel really happy. It's been hard to not really be able to get to know her, her husband, and their daughter. But even though I don't really know them and they don't really know me I feel their love and I hope they feel mine too. 

Today in the evening we´re going to surprise a less active young woman counselor with a visit to her house with the young women. I hope that it works out! 

I´m happy and doing well. I am hopeful that things will progress here in Colon...slowly but surely. One of the missionaries here said that to activate a family in the church all you need to do is visit them for three weeks and let them know that they´re important....so maybe next week we´ll see more people in the church.

So this is the end of my weekly email! 

Send my love to everyone! 

Yours truly, 

Hermana Hannah 

Picture Post 2

Look what these guys (my zone leaders) did for me and my fellow birthday girl!!

The zone celebrated our birthday :) 

So you can see some cool parts of my area. The bridge makes me nervous sometimes. When it rains a lot the water goes right up to the bridge...so say the neighbors.

Temple Trip

With my Panamanian family

From the Mission President's Photo Blog

The Letter: Post One of Two

I feel really happy and really loved. I've already gotten three phone calls from other missionaries wishing me a happy birthday. People are taking care of me and I really do feel special. And what a blessing that my birthday is on P-day!! I love that I get to use the internet, that I get to read all of the emails from the people that I love. 

So just so everyone knows...in case they haven´t figured it out yet...I´m still in Colon!! I didn't have transfers!! I´m really grateful that I get to celebrate my birthday here with people that I know and love! Sooo much better than if I had to go to a new area with a new companion and people that I don´t know. 

I got letters this week!! It made me super happy. I hope to be able to write letters today and send them tomorrow since the post office is really close to where we have our district meetings. So today I´m going to give a little summary of what I've been up to this week. 

Monday- We had our studies in the morning. At the internet [place] we met up with the other two hermanas in Puerto Pilon. As we left the internet, A., one of our new investigators, shouted out to us "Hermanas!"and ran over to shake our hands. He was super happy and he had his Book of Mormon in his hand. I took a look at his Book of Mormon. On the inside it said in Spanish, "My precious book." I thought that was really sweet. It was really a neat experience for me. He has such an excitement for the Book of Mormon. Sometimes I feel like members kind of lose this excitement with time. I hope that we can all redevelop that kind of faith and excitement. 

The other hermanas, my companion, and I all went to McDonald's and then later we went to Colon Centro to a place that's called "zona libre" where they sell things for super cheap. To get in you have to pass through security. We had to go to a little office where they let us just walk right in since we´re missionaries and we´re foreigners. So basically things are cheap because there's no tax! It's for people that aren't from Panama. The people from Panama have to pay a little something to get in. I bought a mp3 player for ten bucks. It works really well! I´m grateful to be able to listen to church music. 

Tuesday- We had a service project in the morning. Through the church they were donating wheelchairs. The stake asked us to be there. The idea was that us missionaries would give out the wheelchairs...it was a contact idea...it didn't really work out that way, but we helped serve food. Later, we went to a member's house that gave us lunch...us meaning almost all of the zone. She invited us over because of transfers as a little going away party. She gave us fried dough and fried dough with meat inside...and a side of meat. I was happy because we got to serve ourselves so I didn't feel like I had to eat too much....but my companion helped out another hermana and so she felt wayyyy overfull. I had to say goodbye to one of my good friends...one of the hermanas that was here in Pilon. Her name is Hermana Chavez and she´s a doll. I´m going to miss that girl. In the bus I met a guy from Alaska....okay he´s from Panama but he lived in Alaska for 20 years. I invited him to come to church...we´ll see what happens. 

At night we had a phone call from immigration...aka the mission office. We found out that I had to make a copy of my immigration card...soo....we ran to the internet...literally. The whole way we were trying to call taxis that passed us by and there wasn't a single one that wanted to stop!! But we made it to the internet in time....like five minutes before it closed. My companion and I were laughing and feeling silly. 

Wednesday- We had our studies in the morning, we had lunch with our mission leader's wife, and then I had a piano lesson with her. I´m hoping that by the time I have changes she´ll be ready to use the simple hymn book to play the piano in church. I've been playing the piano on Sundays. Then in the afternoon we took a bus to Villa Alondra...well that was the plan...but on the bus with us we found Hermano P., who is a less active member. We've been visiting his family and the ward has been focused on helping them. So we ended up passing the bus stop where we needed to get off...but then he told us that his wife is at his house...which was an absolute miracle because she works 24/7...so we decided to cancel our plans and go pay them a visit. It is soooo good that we did. We learned so much more about their situation and how to help them. They invited me to come to their house to celebrate my birthday on Tuesday aka tomorrow. We´re going to start teaching them all of the lessons starting with the restoration since it's been so long since they've been active. 

Afterwards we went to visit another member that's having a hard time. We understand her situation better too. She´s one of the counselors of the young women so we've decided that we´re going to pay her a surprise visit with the young women. Then we had dinner with a member. She gave us lasagna. It was super delicious!!! 

Thursday- We had our district meeting. We met lots of new missionaries and some of my friends from other areas came here!! Hermana Wilson...the hermana that hurt her foot...came back to Colon!! and Hermana Bennet...my friend from San Mig...came back too!! She had the transfer that I didn't want. Her birthday is today also! She and her companion are opening an area. I got her phone number today. I want to give her a call to see how she´s doing. We had some appointments and then we had dinner with Hermana E. Then we had a meeting with our mission leader. 

Friday- We had our weekly planning and studies. Then we went to find a member...we planned to visit a less active family with her..but the family wasn't there...but we were able to serve this sister by letting her borrow some DVDs about missionary work. Then we went to visit the C. family...a less active family. Then in the evening we had English classes and our group night that we have every Friday. It was a lot of fun. We played lots of games...we played duck duck goose in the English class...but I didn't know how to tell people what a goose is...so instead I changed it to rat rat cat...it was fun. Then we had a lesson where we shared the scripture of Peter walking on the water. Then we played more games! 

Saturday- We had our normal studies in the morning, lunch with Hermana C...our abuelita..she's a recent convert that can now go to the temple!! We´re helping her prepare to enter the temple...she doesn't want to ask the bishop for an interview so we're going to surprise invite him to her house. Then we did some contacting and then went to teach more investigators. 

Sunday- In the morning we went to find an investigator to get him to church but he didn't answer the door. At church the hermano P. was there and his brother in law was there and a whole bunch of other people showed up. I was really happy to see so many people in the church. After church we had lunch in the house. Then we had a lesson with A....we taught him in the street by his cousin's house because we can´t go to his house. He lives in a really dangerous area that we can only visit if we have two men with us. He´s the man that had the Book of Mormon outside the internet on Monday. He hasn't accepted a baptismal date yet, but he says that he wants to get baptized. 

Sunday was a spiritual day with lots of spiritual lessons. We have two new investigators that we had our first lesson with them on Sunday. The Spirit was so strong. The words were just coming from my mouth...just like flowing...and it was really wonderful. Then we had dinner with the Hermano y Hermana D...they´re the cute couple that I sent a picture of a while ago. 

Today- I woke up at at 6:30...there was water in the back so I started washing my hair and then the water stopped working..so I finished washing my hair with the water from the bucket...then I went out to the living room area and there I found signs and balloons that my companion put up. She said that she had to open my happy birthday bag to get the balloons. I´m glad that she did because I didn't want to blow up balloons for my birthday...haha. 

Today is a national holiday and so the internet by our house is closed. So we took an express to Panama. We had to stand up because there weren't any seats but there was air conditioning! Right now we´re in Albrook which is a huge terminal/mall. Lots of people have been wishing me happy birthday. While I've been here some interesting things have happened....the girls from Puerto Pilon called but I couldn't hear anything so I hung up....a young man called saying that he's the young man that told us that he wants to give us fish...long story...and a random stranger came up to me...he asked me if I´m a missionary and asked what he can do to have the missionaries come to his house to teach him about the gospel...it's a fun day. 

I hope that everyone's doing excellent! I love you all!! 

If you´re having a hard day buy some cake and celebrate my birthday!! haha I don´t mind. Remember that you are never alone! God lives and loves everyone the good and the bad...why? Because he´s our father! 

I´m living and learning and growing and forever grateful to be part of this church. And I'm so grateful that I have this opportunity to be a missionary here in Panama. 

Love always, 

Hermana Hannah

Happy Birthday Hermana Koehler!

The Christmas package came! hahaha. I´m going to open it tonight as a little Birthday Present. If you decide to send packages again..maybe put more tape to protect it? haha. The other package came in about the same shape :P but the amazing thing is that they made it to me!! Haha. Thank you so much for your love and your willingness to send me things.

Right now I´m wearing the skirt you made for me for the first time :) and I absolutely love it!! Thank you thank you thank you! To me it is a real birthday present. 

I feel happy and loved. 

This morning I found lots of surprises from my daughter!! I really wasn't expecting anything. She is so sweet. I felt very loved :) 

She made a little note to let me know that the marker will come off the wall...haha I hope that it really will!!

This is the mp3 that I bought to be able to listen to church music that I have on a USB. It cost only ten dollars! Today I´m going to buy the other things that I asked for :) Birthday shopping!! haha

I was able to wash my hair this morning!! hahaha. Lately the water comes at one or two in the morning but my companion said that last night it came around 11:30 so she filled up all of the buckets that we have. She told me that she did it so that I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night. She knows that lately I've been having trouble sleeping and the water wakes me up in the night. I´m very grateful for such a thoughtful companion. And I´m grateful for clean hair!!