I will be able to Skype [for Christmas] but it won't be for as long. I think that we'll be able to talk for an hour. I forgot my username and password again...so I'll have to find that haha. 

Are you feeling healthy? 

I am feeling healthy. I haven't been having any problems recently. I think I'm gaining weight again because I'm hungry like all the time. Haha. I had a bit of a cold a while ago, but it passed quickly. 

Do you have running water now? 

Yes! We didn't have water for one day but other than that we haven't had any problems here. My companion said that before I came we never had problems with water. 

Are you sleeping better? 

The earplugs that you sent me have done miracles! I don't think I'll be able to sleep without them ever again. I put them in and I fall right asleep haha. And most of the time they stay in all night! It's definitely been a blessing. 

How are things going? 

We've been working really hard. I'm starting to get to know my area and the people here. The bishop is our "dad,' the mission leader is our "brother," Sherlly is our "mom,"...we have family here. I feel very loved. I know that if I ever have a problem or concern I have a whole bunch of people that are ready and willing to help me. My companion is a babe. I absolutely love her. She is a super happy, outgoing, loving, obedient, funny, wonderful person. Sometimes she reminds me of cousin Janae :) I am learning so much from her. I love the people here...but she is teaching me more about what it means to love. She came at the same time as Hna. Gomez so I've been finishing her training...but really she's the one that's been training me. I am learning so much here. I feel so blessed to be able to be here right now with these people. Today we find out about transfers...I don't think that we'll have transfers, but you never know. But no matter what I really know that I'm in the hands of the Lord. 

Now for the update on this week: 

Monday: Our district took a road trip to Costa Rica...just to the border....however you say it. We took pictures at the Welcome to Costa Rica sign! In the bus on the way there we played UNO with some special rules...if there's a 0 you have to change cards (everyone hands them to the person on their left) if there's a 7 nobody can talk and every time someone talks they have to draw a card, and if there's a 4 everyone has to slap the discard pile. It was really fun. In the afternoon we had a family home evening with a recent convert family. After that we had another family home evening with our sister Ana Maria who is a single adult in our ward. 

Tuesday: We had our district meeting in the morning. The zone leaders brought a cake that was absolutely beautifully decorated. It was our ´´last district meeting´´ so that's why they brought a cake. I took pictures but I'm still afraid to send them. Speaking of which, I found out that the problem isn't the memory cards, it's my camera. It has a hard time reading the memory cards. So that means that my photos weren't lost!! But I'm still taking precautions. After the meeting, we had appointments with recent converts and we found two less active members that the bishop wanted us to find. 

Wednesday: We had a service project in Ana Maria's house where we cleaned EVERYTHING. When she asked us to help her out she told us that we can do whatever we want with her house. So we moved all of her furniture around and made  it even more pretty than it already was. It was lots of work but it looked amazing when it was finished.  (We changed the dining room into the living room and the living room into the dining room.) We had an activity in the church in the evening where we had some lessons. Afterwards, we went to visit a recent convert. The bishop wants us to baptize her husband. We're working on that. He now has a baptismal date! 

Thursday: We did our normal studies in the morning. We did some contacting, had some lessons, and in the evening we had a group night in the church. We had some really fun activities. My favorite was when we made an obstacle course, blindfolded people, removed the obstacle course, and then someone guided them through the imaginary obstacle course. It was fun to watch. 

Friday: We had another district meeting in the morning because the zone leaders had a conference with the mission president. So we have some new goals as missionaries!! My companion and I are working to complete them. Here are the goals: 1. Be obedient to the commandments and rules 2. Study Preach My Gospel every day for ten minutes. 3. Study the white bible every day for 2 min 4. Reach the standards of the mission which is 15 lessons with less active members every week, three progressing investigators, 7 contacted references from members, and 5 less active members every week. 

In the evening we had an activity for Mother's Day which was on Sunday. My companion and I sang a song that is the hymn to moms in Honduras. I took pictures and videos...but not of us singing cause that'd be embarrassing haha.

So the internet just froze and I was so scared that I lost everything that I wrote...but thankfully, no, that didn't happen because it was saved as a draft!! 

Saturday: We went super far away to the part of our area where the bishop lives. It took more than an hour to get there in the bus. But it was definitely worth it for the investigators that we have there. I know that they are chosen. One of the investigators is especially positive. She had so many great questions and was really interested in the lesson. It turned out that a friend gave her a Book of Mormon a while ago and when we showed her the Book of Mormon she said, ´´I think I have that book.´´ Such a neat experience. 

Sunday: Mother's Day!!! Well at least it was Mother's Day here in Panama. After church, we had lunch then we went to a mission meeting with our bishop and mission leader. We were waiting for the bishop for a while, so during that time the mission leader was talking to us about deep doctrine which really blew my mind. He's been giving me homework...questions that I need to find the answers to in the scriptures. It's been really interesting. I'm almost always wrong, but then he explains it after and I get it. 

After that, the four of us missionaries went to visit the less active member whose husband the bishop wants us to baptize. That's where we put the baptismal date. After that, we went to see an investigator that we've been working with for a while. All of her family are members and her son was the branch president in their area. But she wasn't there and her daughter in law said that she didn't keep a commitment that we set for her. Later, we went to the Christmas Devotional which was absolutely beautiful. I loved the talk by Elder Nelson. Afterwards, we went to find our dinner with Hermana Sherlly, our "Mom. " From the moment we got into the house, we knew that something was wrong...so it turns out ... we were the only comfort to her on that special day for moms. I know that she needs us...especially my companion who truly loves her as if she was her own mom. 

In the mission I've met people with so many problems, trials, difficulties...it makes me feel sick sometimes....the awful things that people can do. But I know that in the end all wrongs will be made right. 

I'm so grateful for our family and for all the blessings that we have in our life. 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM!!! I love you <3