Apr. 6

Alo!

 

This week was Semana Santa and for all of you who dont know what that is, I will tell you.  Semana Santa is the week before Easter when all of Panama shuts down, everyone goes to the beach, and everywhere you go there is the movie of Christ's crucifiction but super intense.  Seriously it's bigger than Christmas around here.  So we didn't do a whole lot this week because there wasn't anyone in Santiago!  We almost went to immigrations (ask me about that later) and we had an awesome zone meeting where we talked about letting the Lord lead us to His escogidos [chosen ones] and that same night we contacted a house that wasn't interested but they gave us a reference for the house down the street and that family is awesome!!  They even came to a session of conference!  Conference seemed super awesome!  I will let you know what I thought about it when I get the English conference ensign next month. 

 

Mango season has officially begun!!  There are mangos EVERYWHERE!  I bought some huge mangos in the super and guess how much they cost me.....15 cents.  As lame as it sounds they are a little bit of a tender mercy. 

 

This week we spent 3 hours shelling pepitas with one of our less actives.  Who knew thats where cashews came from?  Our hands were filthy and blistered but the homemade cashew brittle was totally worth it!

 

Katie

Hit My 7th Month Mark This Week… Whaaaa?

alo!

This week was definitely a strange one.  My companion has been having some health issues and so we didn't get to work as much as we would have liked.  Luckily there are two girls in the branch preparing for missions and they are super willing to do divisions with us so I have been able to go out with one girl and teach the gospel!  She is learning English and I am learning Spanish so we help each other out.  

We had transfers this week and we got some new elders! On Thursday morning we did some service at the church and it was awesome to see all of us working hard!  You should have seen me with that machete just taking on those weeds.  Yard work is way more intense in the rain forest, trust me!

We also had some training in Chitre on Friday and we did divisions with the sister leaders.  I got to stay in Chitre and on Saturday morning we went for a run!!  Pictures I promise!  I had a really awesome personal/comp study that day and I have been thinking and studying about it since then.

  I was studying about self-mastery and as I studied more and more I found out how much it has to do with humility and love.  I had always just thought that I could get better but that I was the way I was and some things would just never change.  Then I remembered a quote I had written down from last conference that says

 ¨to believe that weaknesses and deficienies in your character are unchangeable is to reject the central truth of the plan of salvation.¨  

 It is exhausting and it's going to take time but eventually we can change our nature to be more Christlike, we just need to put our pride on the altar and use the Atonement daily.  I can change my thoughts and my nature as I choose to think good, loving things.  I was thinking about all of this when I came accross this quote from President Hinckley-

 ¨Most of us have not yet reached a Christlike stage of compassion, love, and forgiveness.  It is not easy.  It requires a self-discipline almost greater than we are capable of.  But as we try, we come to know that there is a resource of healing, that there is a mighty power of healing in Christ, and that if we are to be His true servants we must not only exercise that healing power in behalf of others but, perhaps more important, inwardly.¨

When we are willing to humble ourselves then can we ¨be like him, for we shall see him as he really is¨ and if we have the self-discipline and faith to really trust God and give up the weaknesses and deficiencies in our character we will eventually be able to not only change our actions and thoughts, but eventually our heart and our nature to be more like Christ.   I think that is the mighty change of heart that the scriptures talk about and I think that it is a choice, everything is a choice.  

This week I am working on not just changing my behavior to look like a disciple of Christ but really working on changing my heart to be a better disciple.  

Love you all!!

Hermana Smith

Mar. 16

This week was full of little miracles and just good things that make all the hard parts worth it.  

    Last Sunday I went on divisions with one of the hermana leaders and while we were walking from one appointment to the next she stopped in front of a house and asked if we had contacted it before.  We hadn´t, so we walked up to the front door and asked if we could come back another day.  He accepted but didn't seem too excited and I didn't really think much of it.  Then I went back on Tuesday on divisions with one of the youth in our branch and we taught the restoration...holy cow!  It was the dream first lesson- they listened, they asked a ton of really good questions, they were excited to read the Book of Mormon, and they are just a super awesome family!   We went back to teach them again on Thursday and when we arrived he started to tell me that she didn't understand anything about the chapter we had left them (Moroni 10) and he started talking about Shez and all the weird names and the wars and the kings and we were so confused because Moroni 10 isn't really that hard to understand and then we realized that they had read Ether 10!  Haha ooopps!  But how awesome is it that they read all of Ether 10 even if they didn't understand?  I think they are the first people I have taught that have actually read what we assigned the first time!  I am super excited to see where they go and so grateful for inspired companions and prepared investigators!

   Craziest moment of the week- On Tuesday morning right before we left the apartment we didn´t have any running water.  My comp turned the faucet in the bathroom to check but forgot to close it again before we left.  Sometime in the next 2 hours the water turned back on and luckily I had to go back to the apartment to grab something because when we walked in the bathroom and the room with all of our suitcases and clothes were flooded with water!!  so we spent the next hour and a half trying to get all of the water out of our house and dry out all of our soaking wet clothes!  Dont even want to know what would have happened if it had been left on til 9 o'clock!

   On Friday we did divisions again with the hermana leaders and I don't know why but it was the best day!  For some reason everyone we talked to had a reference for us and all of the references we contacted seemed super positive- one even came to English class that night and brought a friend!  We also found a cute little restaurant owned by an Italian couple that moved to Santiago 2 months ago and don't speak very much Spanish- that was an interesting contact haha!  They sell real Italian pizza and real ice cream:)  It was just the day I needed to remind me why I am really here and what can really happen in this work if I am willing to consecrate myself completely and do what the Lord asks!  

I LOVE being a missionary and I am so grateful and humbled that the Lord has trusted me to help His children here in Panama!  I miss you all so much but I know this is where I need to be!  Love you,

Hermana Smith

Surprise Transfers (Mar. 2)

Hey so suprise!

This week was going mas o menos but honestly we could tell that something was off.  Then on Saturday morning during companionship study we got a call from the APs and Hermana Patrick looks at me and goes ¨This is it, I'm going to Blas, I've had a feeling all week¨ and I didnt believe her because transfers aren't for two more weeks but we answered the phone and sure enough they told us that Hna patrick was going to San Blas Islands and that I would be getting a new companion here in Santiago and that we should be in Panama as soon as possible.  Patrick packed like crazy and said goodbye to a few people and by 3 we were on the bus to Panama to pick up my new companion.  We knew we were getting changes, they just came a couple weeks early!

My new companion is the Hermana Contreras from Guatemala and she has almost 5 months in the mission.  We have only been together for about 36 hours but I can already tell that I am going to learn a lot this transfer!  First off I am going to really get this whole Spanish thing!  And then I am going to learn how to be bolder in all of my teaching...Hermana Contreras is BOLD and the members and investigators are already responding and I really hope and think that it will be a good thing for Santiago.  More than just knowing the language, Latinos have a real gift for teaching and making people listen and understand so I hope a little bit of that will rub off on me during our time together! 
    This is something completely new and completely different!  Missions, I´ve decided, are super uncomfortable.  If you feel comfortable on a mission then you aren't doing it right.  As soon as you feel comfortable- with a companion, with the language, your knowledge of the scriptures, with teaching, contacting, working with members- The Lord is going to give you something to push you out of your comfort zone again and show you where you´re lacking so that you can cry and be scared and then do whatever it is you´re being asked to do. Sounds terrible right?  WRONG.  It is the best and everyone should live life this way because all of these things are preparing me for all of the good things to come in my life and all of these things are preparing me to be HAPPY, not just right now but for eternity!  Do something that makes you uncomfortable (in a good way, obviously) this week and know that I am right there next to you, except I´m in Panama. 

Love you, miss you,

Hermana Smith