Sweet Experience March 29, 2010

This week was amazing, I worked so I hard I literally crashed last night. I love my companion, her name is Hermana Galan. She is from Nicaragua. I love teaching with her as we really have the spirit together and I feel very unified in our work. We kind of a had a cool experience this week. We taught a family this week where the kids are members and the mom has been coming to church for years but hasn't been able to get baptized because the Dad won't get married with her - the biggest and most common challenge here in Panama. We watched a movie about Christ and I bore my testimony about his love for us and about the Savior and the spirit was incredible strong. Later that night, when we were planning my companion told me that as I was bearing my testimony she had a really sweet experience in which she felt that she knew me before this life, as she told me about it I felt the spirit confirm that it was true. It is amazing what we have accomplished in just one week together.

So this area has been quite a change. I am now a pro at bucket showers, we rarely have water so every time we use the bathroom, shower, wash, etc I have to bring in water from a little tank outside. I kind of feel like a pioneer. Also its definitely more dangerous here than my other areas but I know the Lord will protect me.

We are teaching a lot of people right now, and we have a baptism this Saturday. This is my companions third change and she hasn't had a baptism yet in the mission so she is really excited. We are going to do it in between conference session Saturday which should be pretty dang cool.

I am so excited for conference. I am counting down the days, I can't wait to hear what the prophet and every one will say.

I love what you said about love from Sunday. Really in the mission, I have learned that everything is about love. I have felt the love of the Lord for all of these people, and it amazes me how much he truly loves us. It is more than we can comprehend. But more difficult is to learn to love him back. This truly takes strength and action, keeping the commandments, etc.

Lucky this change my companion likes to exercise so we have been running in the mornings, I feel skinnier already. It is kind of funny because people here don't really exercise much, they don't know what to do, so I've been teaching my companion. We've been running sprints and stretching and all kinds of things. Now there is a lady that started talking to us and asked if she could run with us and a member too. I feel like a trainer or coach or something. The lady asked me if was an important athlete, it gave me a pretty good laugh. Gotta love all the crazy things that happen in the mission.

I can't believe I'm going to be 22 soon, it feels like I just left for the mission. I can't believe its almost been a year since I got my call and everything.
Everything is great with me, I love the members here, it is only a branch of 50 people so it has its challenges, but I love it here.

I love you all and I miss you a TON.
one more month and we can talk on the phone!!!
xoxoxox