26 de diciembre

Thanks to everyone for waking up early to talk to me. I had such a fun time talking on skype. It is always good to actually see the family and remember part of the reason I am out here. We are always told to keep in mind everything we represent as missionaries (Jesus Christ, the church, our families, etc). Everyone looked great. It is funny and shocking to see how everyone changes after a gap of time, especially the little ones. My companion was always able to skype with his family, so I was able to meet some of them.

 

Christmas Eve was pretty eventful. I talked to the family in the morning on skype. Then we went with the zone to Boquete to sing Christmas hymns to investigators and less active members in the area. We exchanged our secret santa gifts. I got a plunger, toilet paper, chocolates, and cookies. I was like uhh...cool....thanks. I was joking with my companion afterwards that someone must think I am full of crud haha. Then the person heard and said it was just a joke. We all had a good laugh at the gift.

It was raining pretty hard when we first got there, so we were running around. They were really pretty gracious about letting us into their houses to sing even though we were dripping. It was neat to see how grateful everyone was for our visit.

The picture with the rainbow was taken in Boquete after it stopped raining. Christmas Day we were invited to several houses to eat traditional foods such as pork with rice and guandu. I tried to stay up until midnight to see all of the fireworks but fell asleep. I only saw the devastating aftermath of sulfur, cardboard, and paper. Maybe I will make it for New Years. Last year was amazing. My companion was really grateful for the gifts that were sent to him in my packages. He keeps putting on the tie mom sent him and looking at it. He says his "uncle Whiting" sent it to him and loves it.

 

Thanks to everyone for all the awesome letters and packages. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I love you guys.

 

Love,

Elder Whiting

19 de diciembre

 

Tomorrow will complete my first week in Barrio 2 and in the new area. The room we are staying in is VERY tiny. I think I am going to get to know Elder Calderon very well. He is from Nicaragua and has about 18 months in the mission. He came from Tocumen to join me as zone leader here. The shower is super cold! I have no idea why it is so cold. I think it might be on the same line as Boquette or Volcan. I have actually considered not showering haha, but then I feel sticky and gross leading me to reconsider. We made the beds into sketchy bunk beds to give us more space and organized a bit. The owner is a super nice member. She is quick to help us with anything and washes our clothes. I am starting to get used to that. I am going to be bummed out when I have to start doing that again.

 

On Saturday we had our mission party and Stake Christmas Devotional. The mission party was fun. I am glad it is over though because that was a big source of stress for me. President Ward gave us all really cool molas with the new mission logo on it that I will send home. We sang the 12 days of Christmas and watched various talents from my zone, Concepcion, and Bocas. President Ward said something interesting that because the human race creates so many things (airplanes, cars, skyscrapers, sliced bread, etc) wouldn't it make sense that we are all children of a Master Creator? The Stake Christmas Devotional was neat. The stake choir sang, and we listened to some very interesting talks.

 

Merry Christmas everyone and have a great week. I love you guys and look forward to talking to everyone.

 

Love,

Elder Whiting

12 de diciembre

We left Monday night to arrive in Panama Tuesday morning because I had immigrations. That will be the last time I will go through that in my mission because the ID visas last for a year. I was not there very long. I just had to take my picture again and sign my card before they laminated it. They wanted me to go a week earlier, but I called and asked if I could knock everything out in one trip since we also had consejos in Panama this week. The rest of the day Tuesday President Ward gave Elder Mapa permission to visit some of his old areas since he is going home. I attached a couple of pictures from our visit to Tocumen. He was also "born" there. I had so much fun visiting everyone there. It was so strange going back to an area. We also went to San Miguelito and A. Dias. I have never been to those areas, so it was kind of boring for me. Our visits confirmed to me that I definitely want to come back after the mission and take more time to visit all of my areas. Wednesday we had consejos in the mission home. When we picked up mail I saw that I had all of these green letters and was wondering what they were all for. When I started opening all of them up I read that they all made a Christmas tree. I thought that was so funny. I think I am missing one or put it together wrong. It took me a while to figure out how they all fit together. Anyways, thanks to everyone that wrote to me, and thanks Morgan for thinking of that. It was awesome.

 

For Christmas we are going to sing our own version of the 12 days of Christmas. We have already designed some posters to hold up, and now we just have to teach the Latins in own zone how to sing it. I was put in charge of making all of the arrangements for the party in the interior (David, Concepcion, Bocas del Toro, etc). I have been pulling my hair out trying to find someone that can cook for everyone and find somewhere to have it. There is an activity in the stake center that day and our chapel is going to be undergoing construction/remodeling. That is the tough thing about being a zl in David. Since it is central to the other zones the planning for things like zone conference, interviews, and parties falls on our shoulders.

 

We have finalized our divisions with the other companionship in Barrio 2 to learn the areas of each other. This Wednesday I will be moving all of my things over to there house, and they will haul all of there stuff here. It is going to be really hard to leave this area especially since we have like five people that are going to get baptized. We worked super hard there. I always think of the saints when they were crossing the plains how they planted crops knowing they were never going to harvest them, but did it anyways to feed the people that would follow after. What was that? camp far west? winter quarters?

 

I hope everyone has a great week. I still have not found anywhere to skype from here, so this year might be a phone call. I will keep looking though and keep my fingers crossed. Maybe something will turn up in this new area. I love you guys.

 

Love,

Elder Whiting

Consejo de lideres de Zona

Orginally posted by Hna. Ward on the mission blog.

5 de diciembre

Last night I got to see the Christmas devotional. Even though I understood everything, I did not like the voice over translation. It is so much better to actually hear their voices. I really liked the comments of President Monson about the books he reads right before Christmas. I have never read the one about the mansions, but A Christmas Tale has always held a powerful message for me.

Something I do not remember seeing much last year is Christmas trees, but here a lot of people have them along with a nativity. This year I am also seeing more stockings and Christmas lights on the houses (some were already on the house from last year it appears but are now being turned on).

 

Love,

Elder Whiting

 

We also learned that he has been ill during the week and taking Pepto-Bismol. He only 'rested' at home for one hour while ill.
Each of the above pictures appears to show current or recent rainfall.

28 de noviembre

I celebrated Thanksgiving a day late this year. Hna Arauz (our cook and an angel sent from heaven) made us mashed potatoes and gravy, some delicious chicken, and yes a chocolate banana milkshake. Elder Mapa and I were in heaven. She is so awesome. She has a son serving in Argentina and several future missionaries in the house. Her daughter married an ex missionary that served here. He works for the CHP in Anaheim. In the pictures I have seen he looks Samoan.

On pday we went paintballing! We were kind of worried about the hermanas participating, but everything turned out ok. It brought back some really good memories of going with Br. Ward and friends. I walked away with yellow hair and a bruise on my inner thigh. Everyone had a blast, and I got a pat on the back for planning a successful pday.

On Sunday we had a baptism for the Hna. Aguirre. Her prebaptism interview was really short, so we were scared that there was a problem, but it turns out that she just knew everything so well that it didnt take any time at all. She was confirmed a member and given the Holy Ghost on Sunday. At 8 pm that same night we had a meeting with the stake president to talk about the missionary work here and finalize plans for our move. It looks like I am heading to Barrio 2 by the end of this change. We have already begun making preparations.

This week I received tons of mail and packages! I was going crazy because they had everything I needed and wanted like pants, pictures albums, cowtails, ties, socks, and more. I am saving the Christmas one for later. I thought Grants Peter Pan costume was so cute. What did Emery, Campbell, Liam, Griffin, Gwen, and Quinn wear? Speaking of mail, I still need the new address for Katie and Robert.

Love,

Elder Whiting

David

taken from the Panama mission blog. The top one must have been taken by President Ward when he went teaching with them.

 

 

 

 

21 de noviembre

We have been really busy this week. The elders from Bocas del Toro joined us in David for a training in the stake center. President Ward came with his wife and the assistants. The assistants stayed with us in our house the night before the training and the night before returning to Panama after coming back from Concepcion. They are both really funny, and we probably staying up later than we should have talking. President Ward gave a really good lesson on tithing. After the training we went on divisions with the assistants. The next day President Ward went out with us in the evening to meet some of the families we are teaching. It was a really spiritual experience to be able to teach with him. It always helps to have an older person with us because they can relate with each other better than we can. He is always really good to us and asked us if we had dinner and how we are doing. I was thinking about cancelling dinner so we could eat with him, but it was too late.

This Sunday we had stake conference. President Ward, the temple president, and a general authority from El Salvador came to speak to us. There was a really good turnout, and all of the messages were really good. I was sitting next to this babbling old lady. She kept saying "that is the stake president. I told you so. That's the stake president. Do you know where my brother is? Oh, its so cold in here!" I decided to exercise some Christlike patience and not move immediately. We spend a great deal of time as missionaries controlling conversations by getting people to talk, stopping people from talking, guiding their thoughts, etc. I have found the things I am learning now have other practical applications outside of missionary work.

Love,

Elder Whiting

Michael Mullen Christmas card

Dr. Michael Mullen sent this Christmas card to Elder Whiting. It depicts Joseph Mullen with the Czech flag and Jeff with the Panama flag.
A very touching symbol of the two best friends serving in very different parts of the world.
He drew this and made them pens from olive wood from Israel.

14 de noviembre

Dear Family,

 

This week I traveled with Elder Mapa to Panama again to go to consejos. We have consejos every month, so I will be making the trip several more times. It is always fun to see everyone, and we get fed amazing food. This last time was boiled potatoes with all of the toppings we wanted and chicken. Sister Ward always makes sure we get our vegetables too. I am starting to crave raw broccoli and carrots now. The two times I have been to consejos, I have been reminded of the great responsibility the zone leaders have.

 

Thanksgiving is not celebrated here. I am still going to go buy some special food for that day. I was wondering if maybe you could send me some recipes to make a tasty thanksgiving dish like pumpkin pie or stuffing keeping in mind my abilities in the kitchen.

 

Elder Mapa and I found a ton of new investigators this week. We went through our area book and pulled out some old investigators that looked positive. The problem is that the directions are terrible (usually a crudely drawn map), so we found lots of people just asking for directions and help. It was a surprisingly effective tactic to break the ice with people. Two people we contacted like that came to church on Sunday. I was laughing so hard one day because Elder Mapa convinced one of the kids of an old investigator that he knows everything. There was a little bit of information on our records, so he was telling the kid his dads name and how old he was. The kid then asked my companion to guess what year he was born. My comp asked the kid how old he was and then told him the year he was born. The kid was amazed haha. Quizás ésta historia no tiene sentido. Ya me di cuenta que no puedo explicarme en ingles. Elder Mapa and I have been using some hardcore Spanglish in the house. There are some things that do not have translations into Spanish/English, so we just use the two languages.

 

The stake president came to our ward on Sunday to set apart a new elders quorum president. He talked to us a little more afterwards about the details of our move. We will begin doing divisions with the missionaries currently there and will change areas completely at the end of this change. I imagine we will do more divisions afterwards as well. I am still kind of bummed that I will not spend Christmas with the members I already know here, but it will be a good move for the missionary work.

 

Hope everyone has a good week. I love you.

 

 

In last weeks email Elder Whiting mentioned that they had built a block wall around an investigator's home. These are pictures from that p-day activity. I noticed the absence of gloves which are useful for working with cement block, etc.

Consejo de Lideres de Zona noviembre

This might be Elder Mapa seated diagonally across the table from Elder Whiting.

Originally posted by Hna. Ward on the mission blog

7 de noviembre

Elder Mapa from San Mateo, California has come to join me as a zone leader in David. His parents are from Tonga, but he was born in California. He is going home at the end of this change, so once again I am "killing" a missionary. He is a really impressive missionary. I have heard good things about him my whole mission. I am really impressed by his work ethic and desire to give it his all his last change. A lot of missionaries become "trunky" and are not interested in doing a whole lot at the end of their missions. We get along very well.

I forgot my camera cable today so no pictures. It is too bad because I took a bunch of pictures of a cool service project we did. We built a block wall around an investigators house. From like 8am until 3pm we were carrying cement blocks, mixing cement, drawing water from a well, laying blocks, carrying and sifting sand, and cutting rebar (Isn't that what you call those steel poles?). It was so fun, but I was so tired afterwards. We missed the parades in the David in honor of flag day and their independence or something. We saw a bunch of young people walking towards the city with their uniforms and musical instruments. 

We are in Boquete today for pday. I always enjoy the cooler climate here. It is so strange how David is so close, but it is so much hotter there. The weather is always changing though. One minute it will be raining and the next a really strong sun will come out. I like the saying they have here - "if you don't like the weather in Panama, wait a few minutes". I thought that was funny because it is true.

We have been in a trio this week because an elder here is waiting for his companion that did not come out here. The elder is still in Panama and thinking about going home. We have been looking for someone who has a mission call to serve with him as a mini missionary for this change. I like the elder that has been staying with us. He has been really funny. I kind of like teaching with two other elders as well because it is a lot more interesting and breaks things up. We set a baptismal date with one of the couples we helped get married last change for later this month. I was kind of mad though because the mission president called and said the stake president wants us to move to the ward in the stake center. Apparently he "has plans" for that ward and wants the zone leaders close by. I did not know that the stake president could do that, but President Ward said he has the keys over missionary work in the stake. I have never heard of a stake president here actually exercising that power so directly towards the full time missionaries rather than on the ward missionaries, boundaries, etc.

To end on a happy note, my companion is awesome. I know I am going to learn a ton from him wherever we are. I love you guys and hope you have a great week.

Love,

Happy Halloween

These are from the Polynesian activity we supported in Boquete. KAMA TE KAMA TE KORA KORA!!!!

 

 

We had a lot happen this week. Wednesday our zone traveled to Boquete to help the hermanas there with their activity. We all danced the Haka and a couple other Polynesian dances. We painted our faces and wore little skirts called lava lavas. A lot of people showed up to the activity and everyone had a good time. There is an hermana serving there from Tonga or Samoa that taught us all the dances. She danced by herself for several of the really complicated ones. The branch president gave us all a ride back to David after the activity. His back right tire blew out when we went over a pothole. I think there was too much weight in the back too. There were like nine of us stuffed in there. It took all of us and several other people we called to change it. When it blew out, the tire got really jammed onto the axle. We kicked the tire and rocked the car, but nothing seemed to get it loose. Someone finally went under the car and hit it from the other side which I thought was pretty dangerous since the car jack that comes with the car is a dinky little thing that could easily fall. We all got back pretty late. These are the times when it is good not to be the one in charge.

 

Our ward had an activity Saturday night in our chapel. It was to encourage temple marriages. Most of the single young women dressed up in wedding gowns and several couples gave talks. The young women were given sponsors that found a dress for them to wear and made them up. It was really strange being there as a missionary, but we had six investigators show up, so we stuck around. My companion has been really worried about going home and getting married. He leaves in January.

 

Our zone will have changes this week. I will wait here in my area with another missionary and wait for our companions to get here. It is strange receiving the changes for all of the missionaries in my email right now. It is a different perspective.

 

I hope everyone has a great week. It is raining right now.

 

Love,

 

Elder Whiting