I decided to read while downloading pictures so I'm not going to write too much. 

Remember that if God trusts in you in [a] calling you can trust in yourself. I'm learning how to trust in myself here. It's really hard because we make so many mistakes. There is no doubt that we are our worst critics. I'm learning that what matters most is what God thinks. 

My companion and I are getting along really well. We´ve been having fun together. We're both a little crazy...so it works out! 

We've been having a hard time keeping our investigators. Our appointments keep falling through. But miracles are happening! For example, one our our less-active members that we have been visiting showed up to church on Sunday for the second time and he brought his girlfriend with him! She is super excited about the church. We're going try to visit there multiple times this week. The inactive members that we've been working with are progressing and that makes me happy :) 

I have been able to use my past experiences to help me help others and I am so grateful for that. 

Mom thank you so much for keeping me updated on how everyone's doing. I've missed Mariel's emails lately. I hope that people aren't writing me because of the limited amount of time I have. I know that it's not much but I really like to hear from people :) Even when I have to print out the letters. 

I love you all and love being informed in how you´re doing in life. I'm sorry that I haven´t been able to communicate everything. The time is short and sometimes I'm cut off in mid-sentence, haha, but know that I love you all and I am happy. 

The church is true. 

That's an Argentine meal there....tarta and mate...not really sure if I spelled that right but that's what it is. The mate is a sign of amistad or friendship. They pass it around and everyone drinks from the same cup. It tastes like tea..or what we call "herbal drink"....because we can drink it! It's best with lotsss of sugar. 

Dear Mom (and whoever else that reads this), 

I'm not going to be able to send pictures this week...sorry. I took pictures this week (among which is a picture of me standing next to a little baby snake on the side of the road) but the computer won't recognize my camera for what ever reason and you know how I am with computers...so I couldn't figure it out. 

This week has been a really spiritually uplifting week. My companion and I have been perfecting our planning skills. We´re still not perfect but we´re definitely getting there. We've been working harder to recognize the spirit in our planning. In the most recent weekly planning session we were really guided. It was neat when the same detail or person would come to our mind at the same time. 

The Lord has been blessing us with the things that we need. We have been struggling with the food schedule. We recently stopped having lunches with Hermana S. who was giving us lunch every day and we still don't have all of our lunches figured out with who will be able to help us what days. On Wednesday we didn't have lunch again. In the morning I prayed to God that we would be able to have the food that we needed during the day. 

So my companion and I were in divisions on Tuesday. So in the morning I went with the sister leader to the terminal to find my companion. We decided to walk back to the house to eat cereal in the house and on the way we came across some caballeros con caballos....not really sure if I spelled that right...so we came across some horses and their owners. It just so happens that horses are my companion's favorite animal. So we talked to the owners, invited them to church, gave them some pamphlets, and pet their horses, took some pictures of course, and then kept walking. (Just so you know it's not really SUPER common to see horses here. Every so often we´ll see a truck with horses but that's it). 

So as we kept walking we saw a scattered group of people. A friendly man offered my companion some meat that he was grilling. So he gave one to me too. It was pretty good. I felt kind of unsure about the situation because it was a random guy on the side of the road giving us some meat and I had no idea what kind of meat it was that they were giving me, but it tasted alright. So we chatted with him and his family. It turned out that his family was celebrating the birthday of his brother. He told us that they were having a family reunion and that people come from all over. I was thinking in my head okay... 

So I have five minutes left to type so I'm going to try to print and then maybe I´ll be able to finish that story..haha

Okay, so it turned out that this family reunion which I thought was a little family reunion was a huge yearly festival that happens here in Doleguita where they bring horses from all over Panama and ride them in the streets. It was really really crazy.

The family that gives us dinner invited us out to eat with them so we were in the town trying to find them when a ton of horses road by. 

So I definitely wanted to write more about the spiritual experiences that I have but I have no time. 

The church is true!!

This morning in the park. My companion is helping me to "fear not"...so that's me in the park looking ridiculous with everyone staring at me...losing my fear...

And that's my companion leaving her fear behind.

And that [on the right] a gift from a wonderful talented member and mother. It's something traditional from Panama.

I am looking forward to the meetings that we are going to have with the zone leaders and assistants. One of the goals that I have is to lose the fear that I have to open my mouth and share my talents. I have many goals and plans to help me, my companion, and our area.  

I accept the responsibility that I have to take care of this area and the people here. I can see what things we need to improve and I'm working towards that. 

I am grateful for the confidence that God has in me. 

I want to strengthen my ability to lead, guide, and teach. 

I am grateful for this opportunity to serve the Lord. I love God and I want to follow his will.

The bishop gave us five less active members to work with again. We are working with them. Three of the people that we visited came to church after months of being inactive. 

Hermana Izaguirre is helping me to become better. She has taught me new techniques for planning and she is helping me make, work toward, and achieve goals. I am helping her to learn patience and English.

Last week I couldn't print out the emails that I wanted to so I'm sorry for not being able to really respond. The internet and computers are not my friend. Today the keyboard is not working really well. I have to push the keys down really hard in order for them to work and so it's taking me a lot longer to write. I haven't had problems like this for a while but I'm grateful to be able to write and receive emails even when it's hard. 

I'm sorry that I can't write very much. 

I love you and am grateful for your love and support. 

I look forward to being able to share more when I don't have so many computer problems...but at least there are photos that I sent in the other emails. 

The work is progressing and I am learning and growing and saving the world one Panamanian at a time...plus some people from Palestine, The United States, and other countries....there are people from all over here! 

Love always, 

Hermana Hannah Koehler

I have less than ten minutes to write so I'll try to do this quickly and efficiently haha...We`ll see what happens. First of all I want to say that I'm happy and that everything is great. My companion is Hermana Izaguerre from Argentina. Dad where did you serve your mission? What part of Argentina? We are getting along really well and she is helping me to become a better missionary. I'm becoming a better full-time missionary, focusing more on the work and the people here. I really want to follow God's will and do what it is that he wants me to do. I feel the spirit super strong when we teach and I really love the people here.

This week we started working more with less active members. Since last change was so full of illnesses and problems it's like we`re opening an area...starting all over again...but the members are helping a lot and I know my area. Last week I was able to have some extra internet time to print out some maps. It's been really good and I am a lot more familiar with my area. I started marking all of the different places that the members live on the map.

Funny story...so my companion's first day here I thought that she told me that her birthday was the next day..but it turns out that she was talking about her sister. But the bishop bought her a frozen cheesecake anyways. It was so amazingly wonderfully delicious.

I am starting to work harder in a lot of different ways.

Like I said before, I'm focusing more on the mission and trying to always seek to know what it is that God wants us to do.

My Spanish is improving.

The other sisters in the ward are Hermana Ceron and Hermana Gardener. Hermana Ceron was here in the ward last transfer. Hermana Gardener is new. She`s from Idaho :D Its been fun so far to have another gringa in the ward. Don't worry, we`re speaking Spanish.

No time left.

I love you!

I want to invite you to choose a family in the ward and fellowship them. Maybe invite them over to dinner or invite them to go to the park with you guys. Maybe bring them cookies out of the blue. I don't know, something social and happy. I think that would be really neat. Remember that you can be a huge positive example to your kids like you have been for me :) 

This week Elder Amado came to Panama. Wow the conference that we had with him was absolutely amazing. When he walked into the room, I was practicing a piano piece for the special musical number. He smiled at me and his eyes met mine...and from that moment until the end of the conference I just thought...wow...the image of Christ is truly reflected in his eyes...in his smile...in his presence. It was a really amazing experience to be able to recognize that in someone. His words were inspired and his spirit was truly felt. The first thing that he taught was that it's important to learn how to communicate. That the Spanish speakers need to improve their Spanish and learn English..and that the English speakers need to learn Spanish. And that everyone needs to learn how to be able to communicate directly and to the point. He said that the Spanish speakers need to stop following their gringo buddies saying, ´´Como´´ [What] all the time. That they can't ruin their Spanish in the mission. He spoke with such love and good humor. He helped us remember that God truly has a sense of humor. 

So through the conference I truly felt inspired. He taught us how we can become ´´full time´´ missionaries...aka to use all of our time to serve the Lord. My eyes have truly been opened to everything that I need to do and to all the ways that I can improve. At the end of the conference, I felt like I was on such a spiritual high...so extremely motivated and inspired. He helped us realize in what ways the mission needs to improve, in what ways we can improve. He addressed the importance of fasting. He said that fasting is something personal. He told us that it's wrong to fast for baptisms. He taught us that we should not fast more than two times a month...one for the monthly fast and the other for personal reasons. He told us that our bodies are still growing and developing and we need to take care of ourselves. 

Transfer news....so it turns out that.....my companion has transfers. Wow I really didn't expect that. So I will be staying here in Doleguita but I will get a new companion. The other missionaries in the ward are affected by the transfers too. Hna. Solis is leaving Doleguita and Hna. Ceron will be training! I'm excited to see who will come and what will happen. I am willing and ready to work harder than I've ever worked before. I really want to do everything that I can and I want to reach my potential as a servant of the Lord. 

My health....it has improved. I took all of the parasite meds and I've been starting to feel more strength and Im able to focus better. But....I have a cold now. It's nothing serious I've just been coughing a bunch. I bet it will go away fast and it's really not too much of a nuisance. 

Thank you for keeping me updated on everything :) I'm looking forward to talking to Mari about what she thinks about her patriarchal blessing. I sent Sarah an email saying happy birthday. 

Not really sure what else to say except for I'm excited to begin a new transfer. 

I love you!! 

Love always, 

Hermana Koehler