I want to begin this letter by stating firmly that I detest cockroaches. I've made my peace with most of the other 'creepy-crawlies', with the exception of spiders of course, but cockroaches are wretched creatures that should not exist. They're big, much faster than you'd think, AND they fly. Mother Nature sure has a sense of humor. I encouter a new beast almost every time I enter the bathroom. I'm going to have to start going in there armed with more than just my shampoo and a toothbrush :)
On Saturday mmorning we met as a zone for a service project. We were cleaning up the yard of an investigator -- using machetes of course, because using any other tool would be illogical and silly. We soon discovered that this small yard was infested with frogs, of all sizes. We also found some large spiders, much to my disliking. I never thought I'd say this, but I kind of miss the spiders in Utah.
So, everybody here loves to feel the missionaries. One of our investigators was kind enough to provide us with a second lunch. Guess what she served us....pig tail! That's right, that curly thing on the end of a pig! Note to self -- no, note to everybody -- that is not something that is supposed to be eaten...EVER!
Also, we returned home one night to discover that the other hermanas accidentally locked the keys in the house, meaning that we were locked out of the house. I had quite the adventure climbing over the fence in a skirt to resolve the problem. But, alas, I was triumphant!
If you'd like a small glimpse into my day, watch the scene in 'Up!' when Russell first meets Carl. He's very persistent, he's practically Hna Rodas and me. We ask a lot of the people we see if they need help with anything, usually it requires asking multiple times. Our persistence usually pays off, and we get an opportunity to teach them. Anyway, watch that scene, it's comical how similar it is :)
Since we're out in the sun all day, I've gotten some awesome tan lines. Everybody here still loves to call me 'blancita' though. Although, I think that may be partially because it seems to be physically impossible for anybody here to say my last name.
On Sunday night we had the opportunity to take some of our investigators to see the temple. Leandro and Maxima are preparing to be married (after 50 years of being together) so that Leandro can be baptized. Maxima says that she doesn't want anything to do with the church and tries to act disinterested, but she always listens to the lessons. I think she's warming up to the idea. Leandro is a 77 year old man with a very simple, but very solid testimony.
President Carmack, the new mission president, met us at the temple. He came with his 12 year old daughter, Annie. I like talking to her because she reminds me of Alyssa. President Carmack talked to our investigators about the work that is done in the temple. The Spirit was so strong. I have such a love for the temple, and I know with a surety that it is the House of the Lord. The Panama temple is one ofthe most beautiful places I've ever been. I'd be cool if we could travel there as a family one day.
Well, I've hit the 2 month mark. That means I'm already 1/9 of the way finished. It's hard to believe. I'm learning so much. One of the things I've been thinking about this week is that the natural consequence of obedience and selfless service is power from God--power to do that which I cannot do on my own. There's a lot of things that I can't do on my own, but I know that I can rely wholly upon the Lord to make up the difference, every time.
My dear family, I love you all so much. I hope you're all doing well and know how much your Heavenly Father loves you. I testify with all of my heart that this gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ, it true. I know that living it invites happiness into our lives. We are happiest when our Savior is in the center of our lives.
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