Leaky Faucet

I feel at times like I am a leaky faucet of questions, one after another and my questions just keep dripping. My new companion Elder Vela has assured me that I am doing well. I'm learning that I have been saying words and phrases wrong and that my pronunciation still needs some work. This has been good for me to know what I need to work on and how I can improve. I really appreciate how he is able to help me with this. I think my Spanish is going to improve a lot with this transfer.

How blessed I am to be in Arriajan, I love this zone, this ward and these people. My favorite day is Tuesdays at lunch. We have a member named Linda who owns a private school. Usually, twice a week she lets us come over to the cafeteria and she will give us a plate of food which always tastes good. The Science teacher is a member by the name of Hermano Vallerino. We enjoy spending time with him talking and learning more about the scriptures. This usually only happens when we are free or he is around and we usually don't have too much time. I do love how he always tries to guide us to the scriptures with responses to questions. He has helped build my passion for studying and searching the scriptures. On rainy days he will share with us a little bit more within the Book of Mormon and the Bible. I have grown to realize that I have never really studied the scriptures. How many prophets and apostles have talked about the importance of diving into scripture study? I have found that it easy to read them at this time in my life but when I was younger is was not so. I think that people take the word study too lightly. If you were told you had to study for your Final Exam in History, you would spend time rewriting the notes from the teacher. You would probably spend time creating flash cards, timelines, and maps. You may try to teach what you know to someone else to make sure you know it. Why don't we study the scriptures in the same way? In the way you would as if your future depended on this test.  

I've seen so many people’s lives changed from reading the scriptures. Reading the Book of Mormon is truly a book from God. This book has mysteries of God. 

Alma 37: 3-4

And these plates of brass...which have the records of the holy scriptures upon them...they should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon.

D&C 61:7, 11

Seek not for the riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich.  Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.  

If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things-that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.

If you do not have a copy, go to LDS.org and they will send one to you for free. Your local Mormon Missionaries can too. If you read, study, ponder and pray, you will find happiness in your life. 

This week my companion and I got creative and we made a cork board and painted old milk cans to put some plants in them. (The powdered milk is the best here unless you like half cheese/half milk.) We also headed to a USA import clothing store to find some cheap shirts with logos. Our goal is to make it into a table cover or just something to hang up in our room to give it color. Apparently you can get shirts here as cheap as 25 cents. They also have some ties so I’m crossing my fingers that I can find one because this week I designed a mola for a tie. I'll update you when it gets done. 

My neighbors across the street are members and are so nice. Every night we come home and stop by their house and talk with them. They often give us some food to eat and the mother has helped us out with laundry because she has a washing machine. They provide us with a spare mattress when we have another missionary stay the night. They even told me that they have a niece that I could date after my mission. They have such a fun sense of humor and Christ like love for us. They want to help out anyway they can, I LOVE them.

A New Companion

I am getting a new companion!  Well, I genuinely couldn’t be more excited. There are three things that I hoped for that came true with this change. 

1. I wanted to stay in Arrajian, I’ve heard it is the nicest area in all of Panama, but also, I love my Bishop and the landscape and the people and just everything about Arrajian so much. I have been told by just about everyone I have one of the best wards.  I definitely agree. Bishop Bravo reminds me in many ways of Bishop Spears back home. The first time we met was on my first Sunday. I had determination in my eyes and I was going to ask, “Hey, I’m new here, what do you need us to do in this ward.” I got up and couldn’t remember any Spanish. We just made eye contact and he gave me a big hug and said, “Welcome to the ward, I’m so excited to have you.” Honesty, Bishop Spears has a close spot in my heart. My Favorite Bishop, but Bishop Bravo is a close second. He has a similar sense of humor too. We share a ward with two other Elders. So, there are four Elders in two wards. 

2. I occasionally have the chance to talk with the Church Regional Manager for Panama. He organizes the agenda for when anyone comes in for a Visa. I wanted to talk to him one last time. He has a unique testimony and it is just inspiring to listen to him. He encourages missionaries to search deeper for answers to their questions. I have loved learning from him and know that he is one of the reasons the Lord has put me in Arrajian. 

3. I also prayed that I would have someone to help me with training and with my Spanish. 

I was ecstatic when I found out that Elder Vela is my new companion. He is the red head in the picture down below and he is from Mexico. He is bilingual and has already helped me quite a bit with my Spanish. He was from the other companionship within the ward. I am still in Arrajian and in the same ward just over a different part. Their house is so cool! First off it is not a ten-minute walk from the start of the street to our house every night and morning. We have a wider area, but we live in the center of everything. We have a green coconut tree in our backyard and while every house in Panama has fans, we have an AC unit, I am so happy!!! 

Panama Is A Blessing!

Compared to the last few weeks, this week seems rather uneventful. We had zone conference and I absolutely loved how spiritually uplifting and motivating it was. It was also great because they feed us as well. They spoke about being obedient to the mission rules. Since then I have been more diligent with my personal study. During the last week and the weeks before I would be walking, talking and taking the occasional picture; this week I have used flash cards that I carry around everywhere. While we are walking from one appointment to another I am studying. My goal has been to memorize many new words every day. As I have turned to the Lord and asked him to help me I have flown through these flash cards like I could not have imagined. My grasp of Spanish grows a little bit every day and now I am understanding significantly more this week than I did last week.

When I was younger, I learned a small little rhyme. (Find a penny, pick it up and all day long you'll have good luck.) While in Panama I have found a penny every day this week. I viewed this as good luck or a blessing in my life. While some days I may have seen one, other days I found 3, 4 or 5 pennies. On those days I knew something good was going to happen and as I put forth the effort to make my days filled with good luck. I found better results and had a more positive attitude. In life sometimes we have only one penny worth of blessings, but that shouldn't limit us. We shouldn't say, oh, man, I have been given only this penny, and just walk past not picking up that penny thinking it's practically worthless. If you put effort into making a penny you find on the street motivate you to work harder, or look harder for your blessings in your life you will find more success and more happiness. Some day that penny will lead you to another and another creating a cycle of blessings. Don't walk past that one penny. Always be thankful for your blessings, even the small ones. 

This week I questioned myself a bit one day. I was like oh man a mission can be rough at times. For example, am I tired at the end of the day? Some days couldn't end sooner. Is the heat a challenge? Yeah, but not as much as the Spanish. How bad is the Spanish? Well, it’s getting better. I heard my bishop say watch out for this family. They have a rocky past. He actually said watch after. I still have a lot to learn. Do I wish I didn't have to search five to six stores just to find tortilla chips or jelly? OH YEAH! Always! Then I think to myself, but Jacob, isn't this everything you asked for in a mission. A challenge that I will grow from, an opportunity to learn a new language. The beautiful floral scenes and the humble homes. And the crazy stories to tell. Panama in many other ways is the mission I always wanted to go on, but never realized that it was the mission I truly wanted. How blessed am I! 

I would love to leave a bit of advice for any other future missionaries. This week I went on divisions with Zone Leaders so we were in a trio. That night we were fed a meal at a member’s house which is always so great. But there was something about those beans that didn't sit well in any of our Mexican, Peruvian, or American stomachs. We are not allowed to track door to door... so we ran down the streets looking for a member’s house or even an old investigators house. Let me tell you, if every day you looked for investigators with the same intensity we looked for a toilet, then I have no doubt that you'll have several new investigators before the end of the week.  

Love you all- Elder Irizarry

Tips for Future Missionaries:

Socks:
I like the CTR Clothing DryMax and the Darn Tough socks.

Fans:
They have not come in use yet unless you are using them to dry your clothes.  I've heard that many of the areas outside of the city and suburbs have problems with electricity. Find one that can plug in or run on batteries.

Shoes:
You'll definitely want a pair of boots for the rainy season.  Other than that you will want a very comfy shoe.

Hangers:
Make sure you bring some with you to the MTC.  I did hear that the girls had them but we didn't. This mission home will give you around five and the rest you can buy here.  They are really cheap.

Lights:
I brought a few lights. A flashlight, and small Mila saftey LED light, a head lamp and a blow up solar lantern.  I love the small light that I hang on my bag. I ordered it from ILC travel outfitters. It's powerful enough to light the road as I am walking at night. The headlamp has been helpful at night because there have been a few times that I've washed my clothes in the dark.    

Two Floods This Week

Now, this week there were two floods. The first one was on Sunday, last night. We were outside and the rain came and started sprinkling and I thought, oh this is great, it’s not too hot outside and the rain feels refreshing. Sundays are the best in my opinion. Families are usually home and will answer their doors. I am promised three hours of church where I don’t have to walk and usually a member will come up to us and say hey what’s your plan for dinner. Yesterday we had dinner with the Elders Quorum President who feed us lunch. We talked and had a good time and the food was really good.  Before we left, he said, “Hey, would you like these Cheetos. I am probably not going to eat them.” So, I said of course.” (I thought: Any food you’re not going to eat we will gladly accept). During the time we were inside the rain got heavier and heavier, which we were able to hear because it is a bit easier to notice these things when you’re under a tin roof. We got on our way and it became less refreshing and I remember why I was told to bring a strong umbrella. As we walked in the streets with our feet completely soaked from the unavoidable puddles, I about died when I kid you not, I saw a person in their garage with a hose washing their car.

The rain was coming down even more and it made me think of elementary school when in the 6^th grade, we studied about Greek Mythology. We had decided that when it rained it was because the Gods were crying. So, for some reason, I was humoring myself with the thoughts of one of Greek Gods having experienced something that had gone terribly wrong. 

We finally decided to seek shelter under a Chino tree to see if the bad weather would die down but it continued to be persistent.  We debated about getting a taxi and then just set foot again until someone saw us and invited us over.  We soon heard, “ELDERS.” Now at this point in time, I was soaking wet, a little bit cold, (which wasn’t a problem I’d thought I’d have) my shoes were completely submerged with water and I was a little hungry. I cannot express enough my gratitude for this family. They took us in, gave us towels to dry off and fed us as we waited for the rain to stop. It was so nice talking with them. One of them spoke English and told me don’t worry, I will translate. They were so kind, loving and Christlike. The only way I feel I can express my gratitude for this family is through scripture. In Matthew 25: 35 & 40. This family was given to us in our moment of need and they took in strangers as one of their own. They were not members but just genuinely good people. 

Shortly after, we got a call from the sister whose house flooded last week who was in trouble with her house flooding again. The first time we were able to drive up to the neighbor’s house; however, this time before we got to the neighbor’s house we had walked past houses where furniture was floating away. We actually saw a couch floating by and people sitting on their homes.  We stopped by the houses which looked like they were built on islands and in the center of the street you were already up to your knees in water. While making my way through waist high water, I felt something brush against my legs. I hit it with a stick and it went over to my other foot and then wrapped back around the backside of my leg. I am sure it wasn’t a crocodile, but we did see two later on so….I don’t know.  

The closest neighbor had knocked down his fence so that we didn’t have to cross at the deepest points. We did get into the members home and moved all of her furniture on top of her bed frame. At one point my companion was not thinking when he asked if he could use her bathroom. She then pointed to a toilet that was completely submerged except maybe an inch from the basin. We all had a good laugh. I did come home surprisingly a little bit more soaked than before. 

When we got home I opened my book bag and I expected the worse. I assumed there was going to be something ruined. I had prayed a little bit earlier in the day that my English Book of Mormon and my Spanish dictionary would be saved. I also carried a notebook that I had in my bag with the new words I had just learned, but it was at the bottom of my bag and was ruined. The Cheetos were laid on the top and blocked a significant amount of water. Both my books were untouched by the flood and the rain. I am so grateful.

I’d like to tell you about the second flood. The flood of blessing in my life. I cannot tell you how many times my prayers have been answered. From the simple words of please help me get a taxi home to the blessings of help me communicate with this investigator. Nothing is more frustrating when you put your heart on a platter and are trying to tell a story of how much this gospel has blessed your life and you look at their face and you’re confident that they have no idea what you just said. As I have been praying, I have received so many blessings. To say the least, I have been humbled. Now I always thought that I was humble, but I guess that’s probably the first sign that you definitely can improve. Our Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Thomas S. Monson said, “I am always humbled and grateful when my Heavenly Father communicated with me through his inspiration.  I have learned to recognize it, trust it, and follow it. Time and time again I have been the recipient of such inspiration.”  There is always room to improve, there is always something that we can learn, and there is always someone to help. 

I’d like to end this letter with a scripture that I feel summarizes my abundance of blessings this week. It is in Luke 5:4-7.  I know that as we strive to do everything we can do to listen to the words of Christ, he will bless us with a flood of blessings so much so that you won’t be able to hold them all and you can call over your friends to take some of your blessings. Constantly look for the Lords' hand in your life. Have faith that even though times may be hard, the Lord is still helping you. Be humble and ask the Lord for help. 

I'm on TV!

Where is the animal control around here? I already had a dog run at me and bite at my pants and try to rip them.  One kid ran and bit my leg, he was about five years old. I guess I'll take that any day over a crocodile. 

All Creatures Great and Small

I have so much I want to tell you guys, but so little time. So, I will do my best to get the good parts and answer some questions. First, I'd love to say, thank you all for your letters! I know I haven't responded to every one of them, but I printed them all out and read them throughout the week. On hard days those definitely bring me lots of joy. I have also found that vanilla Oreo cookies also help.

As of recently, I have been inspired by the philosopher Arthur A. Vark, and I quote, "Every day when you are walking down the street, everybody that you meet has a different point of view...so let’s get along with each other." Oddly enough I found out my companion is not perfect?! I have been doing my best to help him with his faults and struggles as he helps me with mine. He is patient and mid-sentence will help me with Spanish to understand what he says and what I'm trying to say. He has a great love for people and could talk to anyone for hours. Also, he has a great sense of humor, so when our ideas don't align its hard to be angry at my companion.  

How hot is it down there and what is the weather like?  

Now the weather changes from day to day, but Panama just entered into the rainy season. When it rains, sometimes if you’re lucky, you'll have a thirty-minute warning. Other times and I kid you not, it’s like someone immediately turned on the shower; fast and heavy.  In this type of rain an umbrella will only protect you from the waist up, because the water bounces off the ground and up to about your knees. When it’s not raining, it’s hot and it’s like your in a constant sweat. Just to show you how weird the weather is, these two pictures were only an hour apart. You learn to adapt quickly.

The sunsets around 5:30 which is weird. Actually, last night it was raining pretty hard and I was on splits because Elder Nielson is sick and Elder Valez needed to go to the office. When we got off the bus it was drizzling, but by the time we returned back to their house it was pouring.  I didn't bring an umbrella or anything and neither did Elder Valez and we looked like we were just thrown in a pool.  When we got home we dried up and had some soup and the bishop pulled up around 6:45 and said get changed, we just got word that a member’s house got flooded. Now, her house was actually an average house for Panama. That being said, the average house does not live up to the normal Panamanian standards of living or safety. They literally pass out books at the elementary school saying you can't build your house to close to the ledges, or on stilts, watch out for cracks, make sure your foundations are level and your walls aren't leaning inwards. 

The fifty foot trail leading to the women's house was flooded, so we all went to the neighbors fence and hugged it as we tried to scale the crumbly gravel road that had a few small sinkholes. At different points we were up to our waist with this dark brown muddy water and it was at night so we could only see the light of the Bishops car and her house. Well, after treading for a few minutes we reached her house which was surprisingly alright. The water stopped about an inch before reaching her patio. We of course asked what could we do to help. She said, "Oh, I'm fine, thank you so much for coming." Elder Garcia said, "Oh, no! I went through this to serve you." So, he grabbed the broom and started sweeping her steps, the ones completely under water. She eventually got to explaining that she really just needed an escort for her to get out and spend the night at another member’s house. She said that she was too scared to go alone, because there is a family of crocodiles that live on her property. Yeah.... A family!

Long story short, we got out safely, and although I know that they tell you not to swim on your mission, I felt like I already did twice yesterday and I'm sure there will be more to come. Panama is really just perfect, and our Bishop is so cool and loving. He took us back to his house and made us fish fillets. I mean really, I will never forget this day.

What is the food like?

Well, I haven't had a lot of food from restaurants or on the streets. I make a lot of my food, which works fine, but when we are feed by the members it is always really good. A lot of rice, beans, and a type of deep fried or cooked meat and they usually have some sort of vegetable. Now I have no idea what they do to their rice, but it is really good and I could just eat it by itself.  

Are bugs a problem?

In case you don't know there are more bugs in Panama then in the U.S. Not bigger usually, but just more. I think I always have around eight mosquito bites. I can't complain, there was a Sister missionary we ran into when we had migrations who had an allergic reaction to one of her mosquito bites. There is no better way to describe it than a bruise from a tennis ball. It was huge and probably the worse bite I've ever seen and it was right above her ankle. It swelled up to the size of a cutie orange.

We have been finding ants everywhere. People are pretty chill about it, but I'm still getting used to it. They were crawling around the walls, doorways and cupboards.  I broke into a slight cleaning panic a few times since I've gotten here. Once, after my first box of cereal was raided and I had to throw it out. We have found that you just need to keep everything in Ziplock freezer bags or in the fridge. 

One morning I couldn't take how filthy our shower was and so I spent a little extra time cleaning it. I don't know, I just feel like with what we have been given, we should keep it at its pristine quality and make it as nice as possible. I mean, our house is the same size as the first councilors, his wife and three kids and their house is cleaner than ours. I used the bathroom and noticed a lot of ants coming from the window going to the shower head. (I have learned to deal with ants, but I have a limit; touch my food, my bed or my shower and this means war.) Well, I noticed that they were moving in and out of the shower head. I ran to find my generic bug spray for mosquitoes, within the first few spray they got the message. Now, I never thought I would ever see anything like this in my life besides in the movie Indiana Jones or if you ever saw the Mummy when the bugs start crawling out of the walls as fast as they can in a wave of bodies. Yeah.....the shower head.  I have no idea how many I have killed but I will tell you that for a brief while I thought my room was going to fill up. That was just a rough day!

This week we had another funny experience. The church building always keep the windows open because it is so hot. It happened to be that there was a bat that flew into the church. Elder Garcia tried to get it out and didn't know how. I have an eight minute video of one of the ward members trying to hit it out of the air with a tiki torch while Elder Garcia was trying to catch it in a box. 

One of my many blessings on my mission was finding the Old Liahona magazines from the Church building in English. I swear this magazine was meant for me. Even more so the articles in it have been such a blessing. The one that impacted me the most was entitled, "Recognize, Remember, and Give Thanks." by Pres. Henry B. Eyring. It talked about the importance of not always asking our Heavenly Father in our prayers for; I need this..... Or help me with this....., but instead saying prayers often focused on gratitude of how he has already blessed your life.  In Doctrine and Covenants 59:7 it reads, "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "One of the greatest sins of which the Latter-Day Saints would be guilty of, is the sin of ingratitude." The Lord is blessing you every day as you live righteously and are being obedient. Until recently, I was thanking him occasionally for the big blessings that are hard to miss. I have now been thanking him for everything that he has helped me with in my duration of being here in Panama. And let me tell you, I have found a lot of my prayers have been answered. He has had a rather large impact in my life in just this short amount of time. I feel happier and I promise that if you take the time to pray for all the blessings he has given you that you will start to see his hand in your life. You will start to realize a little bit more of how much he cares about each and every one of his children individually and very personally. As I have gone to pray, I remember and start to recognize small things that have been blessings that I normally wouldn't recognize. He blesses you that you will understand. He is there with his arms open doing what he can to help you. I have found so much joy in this that I have started writing them in a notebook. I encourage you all to do the same. In the words of Bing Crosby, in the movie White Christmas, "When you are tired, but cannot sleep. Just count your blessings instead of sheep. And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings." I know that my Heavenly Father lives and that we are his children. That he hears and answers our prayers and blesses us daily.