My companion and I have this investigator in which we taught her the Restoration of the church of Jesus Christ. As we closed the lesson, it is normal to ask the person we're teaching to end in a prayer. During her prayer, she asked that God would continue talking to the Prophet to guide the restored church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It was a sweet spirit that was felt there. It is not too often that you teach someone in the mission and it just clicks immediately.
We had four bus rides from David to Boquete this week. They are about an hour commute and most of the time they are ye-ye buses. Like travel buses and not Diablo Rojos! The majority of them have television and just old music videos of people singing tipico. Accordions aren't the center of my world so... Blagh. One of the four bus rides had an old TV program, 'El Chavo del 8' playing. Now that I can make a few references, I pass off as more Panamanian every second.
This week we also had a fast and testimony meeting. Wow, was that special. We had an investigator of about thirty years old who has two daughters. One is ten and the other is eight years old. He has a girlfriend that is a member of the church and got up and bore a great testimony. Then, this eight-year-old girl seeing this Mother figure in her life give her testimony was motivated to give her own. She got up, nervous, but said straight from her heart. “Every time we pray as a family, I feel... I feel Jesus with me. Even after we pray when I go to school!” I don’t know, it just hit me hard; this testimony of an adorable little girl. Testifying of what she knew. I love fast and testimony meetings.
Then one day around 3:00, we received a call from the Zone Leaders serving in David. "Hey... Umm... When does the last bus get to Boquete?" It was, Elder Hernandez, and I've known him since I served in Changuinola. He isn't even in the least bit sly, planning on having divisions. Then at 8:30 we were surprised by this phone call. "Hello, this is Elder Valerio... We are in the piquera, come and pick us up." Now for those of you are not living in the Panama Mission, Elder Valerio was just released from being the 'Assistant to the President' to a new special assignment. He is now the 'Travelling Assistant'; or as Elder Daffer calls them 'The Flying Machetes'; or how we refer to them as 'The Sons of Thunder'. But Elder Valerio is like a drill sergeant. When he talks it sounds like he's unloading a clip right into a running blender. We were in a low-key panic thinking, wait, what did we do? We've been living obediently, we've been completely diligent and we haven't done anything ponch or stupid. Why are they here? The only reason they would be here is if it was to completely machete the crap out of us. As we picked them up, and we started talking the first thing we noticed was that Elder Valerio and Elder Herrara were actually super chill when they weren't in front of everyone. Secondly, they explained that their new calling meant they have been traveling Zone to Zone going on divisions with every single companion. This was to help them with how they can improve. Phew...
Let’s just say, being with Elder Valerio for a couple hours was just super cool. I learned a lot just in a matter of hours. We ended up having to cut divisions short because of the hour bus ride to David to have interviews with President Current. While I was there I found out that actually we were supposed to be the 1st and 2nd counselor of the bishopric in the branch. That has made Sunday filled with a little more responsibility and if that isn't enough we had Zone Conference the following day. I left this week just feeling jacked up. I've learned from Elder Valerio how to work harder and make it better and that if we do it faster it makes us stronger. Then after the Interview at the conference it just reminded me that more than ever, our work is never over.
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| Living in the clouds! |
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Some of the thrift stores here are called Ropa Americana. I was able to find an Alpaca blanket to keep me warm from a members store who was born in Equador.