7 Abril 2014

Hello Family!
Unfortunately I was not able to write last week because we were
setting up the system for General Conference and had some technical
difficulties. It's all fixed now though :) We now have a few more
solar panels, batteries, and a satellite, so writing each week should
be much easier. Woo hoo! Even more exciting is that for the first time
in history General Conference was broadcast here on Carti Tupile!! It
was a very wonderful experience. I only heard bits and pieces of
conference myself because I was busy being a technician and helping
others enjoy their first conference experience, but we should be able
to watch the sessions in some upcoming PDays.
I'm just not sure how to explain how much I love being here! Each day
brings a new adventure and my love for the people, especially the
youth that we work with, grows by the minute. Here are the stories for
the week :)
While at our friend Lily's house I glanced over to see the ground
moving. My curiosity was spiked, so I began to watch more intently. It
happened a few more times, so I began digging. I finally reached a
large crab hole. A few minutes later I pulled a large, bright blue
crab out. He was a feisty bugger, but we were able to put him in a
small bucket. When I returned the next morning, I was informed that
Mu, Lily's 80 year old mother, had eaten my crab buddy before the rest
of the family had woken up. And such ended the life of my first pet
crab. I felt slightly responsible for his tragic end.
Last Monday one of our other friends, Zobeyda, came running up to the
chapel to tell us that Ayleen, one of our young seminary students, had
fainted. We grabbed some first aid supplies and ran to her house. We
were expecting that she had fainted because of dehydration since we
are still without water. However, we found it to be a little more
serious upon arriving. From what I can tell she suffers from
Narcolepsy, a neurological disorder that prevents the brain from
regulating sleep cycles. She frequently gets sleepy, lays down in her
hammock to take a nap, then goes into a state of deep sleep from which
nobody can wake her. We stayed there with her for about 2 hours,
monitoring her vitals. We figured we'd just have to wait for her to
wake up. However, the Kunas have a limited understanding of modern
medicine and quickly began the ritual processes. Kuna medicine
involves a basket of wooden figurines that were carved while one of
the medicine men sings/chants and are believed to have spirits inside
of them. They place the basket underneath the hammock of the sick
person. The medicine man then sings in ancient dialect while many
herbs/incense are burning. I found it all very fascinating.
Fortunately, Ayleen finally came out of the deep sleep. After making
sure that she was okay we explained that she needs to go to a hospital
to get help for her condition. Last I knew, they were making plans to
take her to Panama.
Last Thursday I had one of the most wonderful experiences of my
mission. There is a 15-year old boy here who is one of the few people
on the island who has not been baptized. Countless companionships have
worked with him and tried to set a baptismal date, but he's always
refused. He's a wonderful kid who has already had a really difficult
life, he deserves the joy that comes from the restored gospel. I'm not
quite sure the reason, but he's really come to put his trust in me. I
suppose each missionary makes a connection with different people. He
always comes to the chapel to look for us and likes to just sit and
talk with us. The other night we were cleaning up from an institute
activity when he walked in and sat down next to me. I asked him how he
was doing and we started talking. I'm not sure how, but we started
talking about baptism. At first he was very indifferent and shy about
the subject. However, after bearing my testimony to him he opened up a
little. I didn't say anything for a while; we just sat there while he
thought. Then, as we were getting ready to leave, he quietly said,
''Quiero bautizarme" (I want to get baptized). My heart almost burst.
I was overwhelmed by joy and the wonderful presence of the Spirit, it
was so strong. I had to resist every desire to give the kid a big hug.
We talked a little more, and we're now planning his baptism for this
next Saturday! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present :)
Well, that's all for now folks! Make it a wonderful week. Search for
our many blessings and be sure to smile when you find them :) Love and
miss you all!
Go Forward With Faith,
Hermana Falslev :)