Baptisms on the Beach and Kids in the Church

LDS Church in San Blas and Miscellaneous Photos

21 Abril 2014

Hello Family!
I'm happy to announce that I have returned to the island. Three days
in Panama was enough for me. It was a very stressful 3 days because we
had lots of meetings, and we also had to run around getting everything
for my new companion before heading out to the island. That meant that
I had to know my way around the whole process and know how to navigate
Panama City by myself. With a prayer in my heart and many tender
mercies from the Lord we were able to get everything done and still
attend two temple sessions. We headed out early on Friday morning. Due
to lots of tourism and a broken down car we arrived to the island
about 6 1/2 hours later (it usually shouldn't take more than 3) All's
well that ends well :)
I now have a new companion! Her name is Hermana Hastings and is from
Provo. That's right, my first companion from Utah! She has wanted to
work on San Blas since the beginning of her mission and is really
excited to be here. We're already really enjoying our time together.
Prior to changes I was praying for a companion who would love the
people as much as I do and be willing to work. Thankfully, she fits
the criteria :) She only has two changes left in her mission. That
probably means that we'll be staying together for two changes and that
I'll be training a new sister out here for another change before
heading out to another area. That'll mean about 6 months on San Blas!
I've mentioned to President Carmack that I will stay out here for as
long as he's willing to permit it, so I'm hoping that's what happens.
On Saturday and Sunday we had a fun visit from a member family from
Sandy Utah that was visiting Panama. They heard about the chapel in
Carti and wanted to visit. It required some jumping through hoops, but
I was able to arrange a car ride and a place to stay for them so that
they were able to participate in a branch activity on Saturday night
and attend church on Sunday morning. They were visiting with their two
children who were 9 and 12 who absolutely loved playing with the
island children. They've traveled all over the world, but the father
of the family said that he had never seen anything like Carti Tupile.
He kept saying that he wasn't sure how anybody could prepare to serve
here because it's unlike anything else. He mentioned that the only
thing he could think of that was a close second would be the Pacific
Islands......50 years ago. I consider myself very lucky to be here and
for the experience that the Lord has granted me. Oh, and they said
that they'll try to get in touch with you guys when they get back :)
I am so grateful for each and every one of you. I love you all very
much and hope that you have a marvelous week!
Go Foward With Faith,
Hermana Falslev :)

15 Abril 2014

Family! I hope you have all had an outstanding week! I´m writing today rather than yesterday because I am currently in Panamá! That´s right, it´s already time for changes again, time is flying by. Hermana Dawson and I got up early this morning to make the long trek back to real life. It´s been a very strange transition for me. I´m already ready to return to Carti Tupile, but we won´t be heading back until Friday. I´ll also be heading back with a new companion because Hna Dawson is being transferred.

It was a wonderful week in Carti Tupile. On Saturday we were able to have a double baptism. We took a very rocky canoe ride to a nearby beach where we had a small baptismal service. The waves were so big on the way there that we were all completely covered in salt water when we arrived. (The Carribean in VERY salty) We had a beautiful service. I felt the spirit so strongly as I watched the youth that I mentioned previously enter the water. The other was a young boy that we´ve been teaching for a while. On Sunday they were both confirmed. The following Monday he came to me slightly concerned and shaken. To put it simply, as he walked out from school he was stopped by a man, a relative, who invited him to accompany him to another island. He explained that he felt something that very clearly told him that it wasn´t right. Thankfully he listened to the prompting and told the man that he couldn´t go with him. Not long later he watched as the older man returned to our island and was quickly aprehended for possession of lots of cocaine. He was shaken up because he realized that it could have been him, and he didn´t fully understand what had happened. I was able to calm him down and explain to him that he had been prompted by the Holy Ghost. I was so proud of him for having listened to the Holy Ghost only one day after having received the gift. He´s a young man with lots of potential to build the Carti Tupile branch.

There are many other exciting things happening on Carti Tupile. We´ve recently found 8 individuals who are progressing and interested in baptism. We also have many ideas to help strengthen the adult membership on the island. I´m looking forward to returning after changes and continuing with the wonderful things happening on Tupile.

In other news, earlier in the week we made another trip to the river. While streaming down the river in a small canoe our friend that was steering suddenly started to steer toward the bank. I turned back, slightly confused, to see him cornering a large blue crab with the oar. When the crab made a sudden escape attempt Hno Annival, about 45 years old, didn´t hesitate and dived directly into the river after him. He was submerged for a few seconds, then we saw his hand shoot out of the water . . . . with the crab. He submerged triumphant. He then explained to me that the big blue crabs are his wife´s favorite, so he simply had to dive in after it. It was a very fun experience, just another normal day in Carti Tupile :)

Well family, my time is nearly up. I hope that you all have a wonderful week, with many smiles and laughs. I love you all dearly!

Go Foward With Faith,

Hermana Falslev :)

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 :)

24 Marzo 2014

Dear Family! I feel like I have so much to tell you this week. I'll
try to get it all in the email. The first exciting thing that happened
this week was that we got locked out of the church. There are two sets
of keys and they both got locked inside of the church due to
forgetfulness, exhaustion, and a bit of bad luck. It was late at night
and we didn't want to break in because there was a group of kids
sitting outside and
 we didn't want them to think they could try it as well. After saying
a prayer we headed to Lily's house. She's the one we go to for
everything. She is wonderful and came without hesitation with her
equally wonderful husband to help us out. To put it simply we
successfully broke in about an hour later. Then we spent about another
hour repairing our break in so that it couldn't be repeated by
delinquents. It turned out to be a memorable experience and reflecting
back on it, Hna Dawson and I could find a few valuable lessons that
the Lord needed us to learn.
Today makes a little over a week on the island without water. We are
all hoping it arrives soon, but until then we make do with what we
have. Last Thursday we took a trip to the river to collect a little
bit of water, wash clothes, and take a bit of a bath :) The river
connects to the ocean, but if you go in far enough it is no longer
salty water. I don't even know how to describe how incredible that
experience was. It was one of the most peaceful places I've ever been.
It was so beautiful. I felt like I was on a National Geographic tour
through the Amazon. Upon arriving we loaded everything out of the
small boat and started washing our clothes. In case you're wondering
how to wash your clothes in a river, this is how it's done :) We laid
a piece of plastic over a flat slab of wood, then scrub and scrub,
then scrub some more. Afterwards you take your clothes to the middle
of the river and rinse them out. Tedious, but worth the clean clothes
:)
Afterwards we all took short bath in the river, don't worry we all had
clothes on. We were able to wash our hair and get relatively clean.
Since the river meets up with the ocean we were able to find some cool
animals. I found some crabs and saw a large mantaray floating by in
the center. The most interesting one was when we had to scare a
crocodile in the other direction. We didn't see it, but the boat
driver shouted over to us as he was pulling away.
Afterwards, our Kuna friends that were with us took us through a
little jungle hike to see the Kuna burial ground. When a Kuna dies
they take them to along the river and bury them in the family
''house''. Basically it's just an area with lots of rooftops made out
of dried palm leaves with gravesites under them. It was an interesting
experience.
On the way back the sea was really rough. We made it back safely, but
we quickly all got covered in salty sea water . . . . so much for nice
and clean :) All in all it was an incredible experience. I loved each
minute of it.
The other day we took another trip to Sugdup. Each time we go to
Sugdup we have to wait in the por for somebody who is willing to take
us. Fortunately there is almost always somebody that comes along
fairly quickly. Very shortly after arriving to Sugdup we realized that
we had forgotten to mention something to the boat driver, so we turned
around and started walking towards the port again. While walking, a
man walked out of a door and ended up directly in front of us. I don't
honestly remember how the conversatin got started, but we began
talking with him, and he asked us almost immediately about the church.
He explained his story to us and explained that he had been
miraculously saved from an accident a while ago. He was really happy
to have found us and wanted to go to church. When we explained that we
had run into him because we had had to turn back he began crying and
told us that we were angels sent from God. He asked us to take down
his information and come back because he was working. We're planning
on going back on Tuesday. I'm really excited to talk more with him.
This week has been full of incredible experiences. I'm not sure if I'm
having more of them here, or if I'm simply learning to better
recognize them. Either way, I'm very happy and grateful to my Heavenly
Father for this opportunity :) I'm looking forward to this week's
experiences. I love each of you SOOOOO much!
Go Forward With Faith!
Hermana Falslev :)

17 Marzo 2014

Dear Family!
I'm really not sure how to describe the experiences that I've had this
past week in an email, but I'll do my best. I am loving it here on
Carti Tupile! I especially love teaching seminary. I wasn't sure about
it when I first got told that we were the teachers, but it's turned
out to be one of my favorite things.
So early this week we went and visited one of our surrounding islands,
Sugdup (soo-e-doop) (the rule is if you can see it it's in your area)
We met lots of interesting people there. While walking past an
abandoned and lsightly torn down building we saw a man in cut-off
shorts, no shirt, and long hair sitting on one of the high concrete
slabs while playing Zelda music on his harmonica. We asked him what he
was doing. He told us that he was waiting for his shirt to dry because
he had spent the last 30 minutes trying to swim from the other island
because he couldn't find a boat. He finally arrived, but apparently it
is frowned upon to walk around the streets without a shirt (odd
because kuna children often run around naked).
We also made friends with a 21 year old Colombian who is traveling up
the coast of Panama selling food supplies with 6 other Colombians. We
actually talked to him for almost an hour and a half about the gospel.
It was a really interesting experience. He invited us to Colombia, but
we told him that we'd have to take a rain-check :) We eventually made
it back to Tupile.
They say that the mother of invention is necessity. I would definitely
agree, but I would say that laziness and boredom play a large part in
it as well :) San Blas inspires a sense of improvisation and
ingenuity. My companion tells me that I was made to be a San Blas
missionary because I've come up with a few silly little things
already. Here's a list of a few of them: I created an entertaining
balance game with a tin can and a board, we are now able to switch the
lamp off without getting down from our high-hanging hammocs, I've
created an easier system for brushing our teeth (that one is still in
progress because it can be difficult if the wind is strong), and I've
booby-trapped a few areas of the church where some thieves were
sneaking in :)
I'm not really sure what else to say about the island, there's so much
because it's such a unique experience. If anybody has specific
questions let me know and I'll answer them.
As I said before, the majority of the island are members, but the
majority is also completely inactive. There are a few people who are
not members who we are working with. One of them is a young man who
multiple companionships have tried teaching, but have never had much
luck. He's friendly, but doesn't seem incredibly willing to sit down
and talk about the gospel. He also has a huge drinking problem.
Hermana Dawson and I have both had strong impressions that we should
try to work with him this change. The large drinking problem can be
slightly intimidating. However, I've learned that those who have to
really apply the gospel, especially the principles of faith and
repentance, prior to baptism are those who become truly converted to
the gospel. I see a lot of potential in him and am excited to work
with him!
I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your support! Make it a
wonderful week :)
Go Forward With Faith!
Hermana Niscua (my official Kuna name, meaning ''star'')