Santa Brought Us Rice

I hope you all had a very merry, white, jolly, Christmas!   We were dreaming of a white Christmas and santa answered our dreams by bringing us 20 pounds of white rice!!  We ate sooooo much!  

Panamanians celebrate in a pretty simple way.  There arent a whole lot of gifts or crazy parties.  They set up a cool nativity, a real tree, and eat a really good dinner on the 24th.  Then at midnight all of burunga explodes with fireworks!   We were already sleeping and for about an hour I was awake listening to all of the fireworks going on outside!     

Yesterday we were really able to get back on our grind and start teaching because most people were back from travelling.  Victor came to church and we found a couple who are really interested and they are legally married!   We are going to work really hard this week because transfers are coming and we arent sure whats going to happen with us....hopefully we stay together but anything good happed this last transfer!  

Happy New Year!!

Hna Smith

Christmas Time In Burunga

Ok so this week was a little bit just lost because EVERYONE and there dog goes to the interior for Christmas so we didnt get to teach a whole bunch but we did have a couple insanely awesome moments-

- THE ABUELOS GOT SEALED!!  So remember the abuela that I told you about a couple weeks ago?  She and her husband got baptized about a year ago and on saturday they got to go to the temple to be sealed!   We got permision from president to go to the sealing and it was amazing!!   It was my first time going to a real sealing and it was so cool and also crazy funny haha the abuela was SO excited and she had all of us laughing the whole day.   They got sealed at the same time as another couple from our ward ( the famly that made us arroz con marisco last week)  and they were both just so happy.  I know they arent my converts but I was so happy for them and for the missionaries who baptized them cause that really is the dream, to see your converts sealed in the temple.  We went right after the sealing to get some big pictures printed out for both couples because I was the designated wedding photographer and then we went to the abuelos house for a big food fest!

-  Last night we went with a few families in the ward to go sing Christmas carols to the less actives and it was maybe the funnest night of my whole mission.  We all piled in to hno Barrias little pickup truck and drove all over Burunga singing and laughing and I just really love this ward and these people and I am so grateful to be here in Burunga, especially for christmas!

so thats all I got time for but its fine cause I will just tell you all about it in 4 days!!!   cant wait to see you and talk to you all:)   eat a really good fish taco for me!

Hna Smith

Arroz Con Everything

12 days til christmas!  Things actually dont feel anything like christmas around here because summer in panama has officially started and it is SO HOT!!   But it was a good week as usual.  Not a whole lot to tell but here are the highlights-

We had the coolest lesson ever on monday night.  We had done a contact at the house and we went back and yelled from the street and we could see a whole bunch of people inside but they were all looking at us and then calling to make someone else to come out and talk to us which is pretty normal so we figured they were going to come out and tell us they couldnt see us.  but then one of the guys came out and invited us in and then the whole family turned off the tv and listened to us.  What?!  That never happens!   And it gets better because one of the couples is married and the other couple is the daughter and son in law of one of our favorite members!   They were awesome and we are going back tomorrow to teach again!

We went on saturday and ate arroz con mariscos (seafood)  and we ate SO much of it!   And then that night was the ward christmas/mothers day  (happy panamanian mothers day btw) and we ate so much more rice!!!   Thats really how you know christmas is coiming in this country....no white snow but lots and lots of white rice:)   

One of the primary kids got baptized and we had helped the mom a little bit in her baptism prep and so they invited us to the baptism.  And guess who got to give a talk on the spot!!   

We get to share the new Christmas video with everyone and I really love it!  My favorite part is that at the end it says Averigua Porque.   And I think thats the key.  When we really find out why God gave his only begotten Son for us, personally, is when we find the peace!   Thats all I got for this week, cant wait to talk to you all soon!!

Hermana Smith

The Drought Is Over

What a crazy, awesome week!  

So we had some kind of meeting or adventure every single day this week and it was nuts!  

On tuesday we had our first district meeting with our new district leader.  Its his first time being a dl and he is one of the best Ive ever had.  He calls us regularly to check up on our investigators by name and sincerely prays for us and our investigators.  It has been really refreshing and just the boost we needed!

On wednesday we had to go to the city AGAIN to get my VERY LAST RABIES SHOT!!!!!  surprise, I got attacked by a bat and had to get a series of four shots so weve been going to the city every wednesday for the last 4 weeks.  Que pereza.   But this was the last one!  and the nurses had to give their schpeel to the new missionaries so we met them at presidents house and got to see all of the newbies!   And remember that it was just about a year ago that we were on that roof for the first time with our trainers and our panama dreams....pretty crazy how time flies huh?

On thursday we got to go back to the city for consejos!  Sorry that the only pic on the blog is me with my eyes closed...shocker I know!  Consejos were so good and not just because hna carmack made us cafe rio salad.  We talked so much about repentance and it was a little bit of a wake up call for all of us.  One elder asked president what he could do with some less actives that werent progressing even after everything they had tried and taught.  Presidents answer was simply "arrepientase".   The atonement only atoned for the sins we repent of.  We also got the new christmas pass along cards for the new christmas video which is awesome!

On friday we had our zone meeting which is pretty normal.  We thought that rainy season was coming to an end but another surprise, its not!   it started pouring rain right as we walked out of the door and we got soaked to the bone!

Saturday we had the christmas devotional/party with a few zones and president carmack.  We listened to some good messages, ate a delicious lunch, watched an intense movie and went to an orphanage nearby to sing and play with the kids which was so fun!  oh and I got MUDDY BUDDIES!  and a usb with awesome music.  thanks:)   It was really fun to see 5 of my 6 comps from here in panama and pretty crazy to think that hna patrick goes home next week!    After the conference it poured rain again and the lightning was striking the towers right outside our house so we couldnt leave for a little while.  By the time we got out we had enough time to teach two lessons- the first one was hard because we realized that one of our favorite investigators just isnt ready and isnt progressing so we will probably have to put her in the area book and keep looking.  The second was with victor and carlos, two brothers who live right next to the church and who understand SO WELL the things we are teaching, its incredible.  The lesson went awesome and they both promised to come to church.

Sunday- VICTOR CAME TO CHURCH!!!   He came to church and the drought is finally over!!!  We finally have a progressing investigator and he is incredible!!  The young men in the ward were great and welcomed him right in and invited him to all of the activities.  He is planning to be baptized the 26th of December!!   It was a miracle and really a relief to see that all of our hard work is paying off.  We talked about it and we just feel so happy.  We are working hard and meeting all of the goals we really have control over and the last 7 weeks have strengthened my faith a lot.  

I am trying to set some goals for the last few months but I want ideas....dad, danielle, anyone else....what are some worthy goals you all set?   

love you lots,

hna smith

Long One This Week, You're Welcome

Fam,

So these last few weeks we had the goal to find as many new investigators as possible, so all of the transfer has been finding news and teaching lesson one.  But this week we got the chance to go back and start teaching lesson two and really finding out who is prepared and ready to progress, which is really the fun part!  Here are some of the highlights of our week-

So we have this old couple that have been together 15 years but arent married (because no one here is married)  and we were in the lesson and it was going ok and then my companion invited them to get married.  The husband started to respond and said ´ well I dont know because...´ and right at that moment it started to rain but the kind of rain that is so loud and hard that you cant hear anything even if you are screaming at the top of your lungs.  So we all just kind of sat there awkwardly thinking about why he doesnt want to get married.  We were there for almost an hour!   the good part is that well we were all sitting uncomfortably waiting for the rain to slow down the hermana read a whole chapter of the book of mormon!

This week we also taught a less active hermana who has 5 granddaughters and a grandson who are just way too cute.  So we taught the plan of salvation with the little drawings that I have.  We started by telling them the three questions- where did we come from , why are we here, and where are we going?   and before we can finish the little girl yells out ´I know! youre from the united states!´   haha cant argue with that one.  The rest of the lesson went well and they understood everything.  It makes me wish that everyone could understand the gospel and the plan of happiness the way little kids do, but instead they complicate it and make excuses.   Its simple!

We have a member who goes out with us a lot named Teresa.  She attended church for 18 years before being baptized 2 years ago.  She has an insanely powerful testimony about baptism and the gospel and she loves going out with us.  Last sunday she asked us if we would go visit her brother who has heard every lesson from every missionary for the past 20 years so we went with her but we didnt really think it would be that positive.  When we got there her brother wouldnt even come out and it was all we could do to get him to let us sing him a hymn, but we left a pamphlet and told him we would come back on sunday.  We almost forgot but we did end up at his house yesterday and get this- he had read the foyeto!  that never happens!   And he had questions and accepted a baptismal date and it was like a complet 180!  Then Teresa showed up and bore this awesome testimony about baptism and it was just so good.  We really hope hes serious about preparing and repenting and we are excited to go back this week.  

 Good news- I ve been sleeping in a hammock all week!

One more funny story-  We went to lunch at the RS presidents house and her grandkids were playing with these huge craft pebbles so I pretended to eat one but they knew it was in my hand so while they werent looking I gave it quick to my comp and pretended to eat one again and they tried to tell me that it was in my hand again but when I opened it up and there wasnt a pebble there the kid gets these huge eyes and goes ´ugh que asgo!´  haha and they kept telling me how I was going to get sick and wasnt going to be able to poop and then they went to go tell their grandma.  While they were in the kitchen I pretended to start coughing and my comp slipped it to me again and I pretended to throw it up.  Hahaahaha their reactions were so funny! 

Love you lots, have an awesome week, dont forget about my birthday:)

Hna Smith

Miraculous

What a bomb week!

  CARLOS AND ANA GOT BAPTIZED!!!  and I got permission to go to Chorrera to see it happen:)  It was seriously one of the best moments of the mission seeing them so happy and prepared for baptism.  It has been a long road since we first talked to Carlos in June and they have come so far.   As a missionary we get lots of little miracles every day that make it worth it, everything we do.  Seeing them be baptized and the change it has made in their lives makes it all worth it, all of it!

We also found 15 new investigators, helped a drunk old man get home, watched an intense movie, travelled to the city, consejos, found 2 women with mustaches,  and had a really fun adventure that you wont think is very funny right now so remind me to tell you all about it at Christmas:) 

Mostly what I have learned this week is that God cares about our goals.  I have also learned that God doesn't like excuses.  He knows us 100% and He knows exactly what we are capable of and when we set a good, worthy goal based on the Spirit, He will give us the means to achieve it.  We've seen it with our numbers, with our investigators, and Ive seen it in my personal goals.   Set good goals, pray to seek revelation on how God wants you to achieve them, and then work hard without any excuses.    I think I will be working on it the rest of my life but thats the fun part right?

Love you, have a great week!

Hna Smith  

Happy November

Ok so this week was a little en panga as far as our numbers because we were all over the place but it was a good week nonetheless, filled with miracles and always a good laugh.

We had a leadership training on wednesday which meant waking up early to go to panama.  I love getting to hear from Pres and Hna Carmack!  We talked a lot about stewardship and how each of us will have a conversation face to face with God and He will not ask what kind of leadership positions or callings we had, He will ask about the people we had stewardship over- be it the primary kids or an entire mission.  What are we doing for them, what example are we giving, are we ready for that interview?

Then on Friday we had a conference with Elder Snow, the church historian.  He was a hoot!  He said a lot of funny very cool things but this was my favorite-  He served his mission in Germany which is really hard.  The unofficial motto of the mission was ¨keep hitting the doors elders, every door you knock on, someone gets baptized in Mexico!¨   So maybe we arent seeing success right here in our area and maybe we arent going to see the whole avalanche fall down the mountain, but every little effort is helping loosen up the stones.   Also loved the conference because we got to see all of my favorite people from all over the mission!   Very cool that the 11 sisters that I entered the MTC with and we are all still here in the mish!

My comp wasnt feeling too good so we stayed in so she could rest for most of the weekend but we did have one really cool miracle-  Last week we had spent about an hour and a half walking around this neighborhood looking for Hermana B who was a reference from the temple.  Nobody knew who she was and we tried everywhere.  Then on saturday we were just contacting on the way to lunch and we stopped at a house to contact.  The girl told us she didnt live there but that she would accept the missionaries where she lived.  So we asked her her name to take the reference and it was Hermana B!   She was visiting family which is why no one knew who she was but we found her! 

Love you lots,

Hna Smith