Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Panama Week 2

Thank you mom and dad for your emails this week.  The Duffins also wrote me emails and gave me some good advice with the mosquitos and the possibility of dengua fever.  I do not want that!!!  But this week was good and however much you all think you want the heat I have here it is crazy.  I have literally been sweating since the minute that I walked off the plane and am hoping that my body will adjust so that I don´t have to be dripping sweat during the lessons!!  But I´m doing great no sickness, no diarrhea, nothing bad has happened yet (at least that I could understand) and I´m already getting my beautiful golden tan:)  Haha so all of my cousins decided to get married this summer while I´m gone huh.  So when is Michael´s turn? Just teasing!!

So everyone telling me about the super bowl I have a confession...I watched the game.  Ok just kidding but I was really close.  We had dinner at a members house last night and they were watching so of course I snuck a peek but I only saw that the Patriots were up at halftime and then we were out and back to work.  I really thought I would be sad and it would be hard to miss but I guess having two teams that Í don´t really like helped!!

Ok so I realize that my email last week was very scatter brained and so this week Í wrote down some highlights that I thought you would all like to hear.  First, Hermana Iglesia feeds us a lot and she made the most amazing papaya drink I have ever had.  Don´t ask what was in it cause I have no clue but it was freaking awesome!!

Second, we are teaching a family.  La familia Martinez and they are very special.  There are eight of them and we have taught them twice now.  This last time we focused on the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith and prophets.  It´s the main thing that people have problems with because it´s hard for them to accept another Bible and they think it´s so crazy that God would appear to a boy.  But this family took it and ran!!!  They accepted the Book of Mormon and committed to get started that night.  It´s crazy because the whole time all eight of them were so focused and listening so attentively!!  The downside is that they live far away from the church and couldn´t make it.  That is our goal for this week. 

After this lesson we went straight to a lesson with an Hermano Martinez.  We invited him to baptism last week and he said yeah if I receive an answer sure. So we had planned to talk about that and then the Plan of Salvation.  When we were starting we had asked and had the prayer and then all of a sudden my mouth was open and I asked him if he had prayed specifically to know if baptism is what he needs.  He confessed that he hadn´t but that he would this week.  I´m praying he does cause he´s so awesome and he wants to change sooooo bad.  But, also, he was unable to come to church this week.  I´m sure this is going to turn into a pretty common issue with the people here.

So this week the biggest news is that we had our first baptism.  It was of a young boy named Michael.  He´s ten years old and a ball of energy.  Truth be told the only reason we got to teach him and Baptize him is because he is the grandson of one of the ladies in the ward and was ready anyways so we taught him all the lessons in three days and he was baptized yesterday.  The baptism was an event...He has a fobia of water.  Yes for real a fobia and as a result he was TERRIFIED.  Haha Elder Barrera baptized him and it took 5 tries because everytime his elbow or leg or hand or something would fly up so eventually he had to basically force him under but it worked!!  I guess it doesn´t matter how many times it takes the salvation is the same right?:) 

Also this week I got to give my first two blessings of healing...in Spanish.  That was interesting and very hard but thank heavens for the priesthood and I know that even if I said the wrong words or something Heavanly Father knows what I meant and the blessing is the same.  I´m really grateful for my worthiness to hold the priesthood and it´s pretty crazy to think that the little deacons who only have 12 years have more power than the president of the US. 

Well family Ï love you all so much and truth be told I miss you all dearly.  But I have faith and know that this is where I need to be and no matter how hard it still  is to understand or to talk with the people here that my mission here is one that will bless their lives for eternity and I´m thankful for the opportunity.  Please send me Macy´s address next week I would like to write her a letter in the next little while and congratulate my BCF on her engagement and soon to be marriage. 

¡Con Amor de Panamá!


Elder Hawks


duh I forgot to tell you about my comp!!  He´s native Spanish but speaks english very well.  He however knows that I need to learn Spanish so in two weeks I think I´ve heard him say about 10 words in English!!  He´s super smart and super funny.  We work really well together and are getting along too it´s been a lot of fun to have him as a comp.  He´s so smart though it´s crazy.  He was studying at MIT before his mission and is going to be a person that I want to keep in touch with after the mission.  I´m really thankful for him and his obedience and hard work with me.  Well I´m getting kicked off and forgot my chord to send pictures so I´m sorry you´ll have to wait till next week. ´

Love you all thanks for the prayers!!
https://mail.google.com/mail/images/cleardot.gif

No comments:

Post a Comment