Changes

Surprise! I had changes this week. I was kind of bummed because I was having fun with Elder Bentz in Juan Diaz. I remembered that I only had one change with my trainer as well. I was really sad that I did not get to say goodbye to anyone since I was certain I would not have changes, but I stayed up really late packing and writing letters to as many people as I could. Luckily I had some pictures too.
Anyways, now I am in David with Elder Villacres as a zone leader. I completely skipped being a district leader, so I have been scrambling this week to try to learn everything. This zone is one of the biggest ones in the mission. This has been a couple of big adjustments for me going from junior companion to training to now leading the biggest zone is Panama. It is hard at times not to feel overwhelmed with everything. I have been very humbled as I make mistakes while breaking into my various assignments. I am trying my best though to live up to the confidence that has been placed in me.

It is so strange being so far away from the city. The bus ride was a good eight hours, plenty of time for me to let everything sink in and take a few deep breaths. My area reminds me a bit of Chorrera, but without the hills. It is kind of funny that mom mentioned in her last letter that it is too bad that we cannot ride bikes because this area actually has bikes. I think it is one of only 3 or 4 areas in the entire mission that ride bikes. I finally feel like a real missionary when I mount my awesome mountain bike. When it is raining and we are flying down the road, the back tire kicks up muddy water onto the back of me. I have a feeling my clothes are going to get destroyed here.

My water problems continue in this area. Each area I leave I say to myself, ok now I will have water. We pretty much always shower out of buckets here because even when we have water at night the pressure only spurts water out of our lowest water spicket (out front in the yard). I feel like I am in some monastery up in the mountains undergoing some Chinese monk training every time I am carrying buckets of water.

I love you all. Please pray for us and my zone. Thanks for all of your support. Sorry no pictures. You will get a lot next week though.

Love,

Elder Whiting

19 de septiembre

Elder Whiting and Elder Bentz

Looking toward Panama City

Looking toward one of the islands

These are pictures from P-day. They are taken on the Amador Causeway. The Causeway was built with some of the excavation to make the Panama Canal. It is also a breakwater and protective wall for the entry to the Canal and links three off-shore islands.


This week the mission has changes on Wednesday. I am pretty sure nothing will change within my companionship since the new training program is intended to last for two changes. Elder Bentz and I were talking about how fast this change went by yesterday and how every week goes by so quickly.

Our ward had a talent show on Saturday, and a lot of people showed up. We had a couple of investigators there too. I saw them laughing a lot, and they said they had a good time. The four missionaries from Juan Diaz and the three hermanas in Marcasa (a bordering area to us) were the final act of the night. We all sang a song, and had a little skit planned out that we ended up not doing. Ward activities really help people feel comfortable about church and they get to know a lot of members. I like how they see that for the most part we are normal people too.

I hope everyone has a great week. Thanks for all of your letters and support. 

Love,

Elder Whiting

12 de septiembre

 

Last Monday I finally got to visit the famous Panama Canal. We got there just in time to see several ships passing through. I thought it was incredible how they fill up the different locks, and all of the engineering involved in the canal. The whole time I was thinking what a waste it all was and why they did not just dig a giant pathway in between the two oceans, but then we watched a video that explained how the ships travel above sea level, the difference in elevation between the two oceans..etc The canal was really cool, and now I feel like I can leave Panama when my mission is over.

I turned 20 years old this week. I can hardly believe it. Everyone always asks us how old we are, and I have to keep correcting myself when I tell them. It did not really feel like my birthday at all since it was pretty much a normal day except for going to Fridays for dinner. The two times I have gone there have been the only times where I feel like I am back in the states before. All the members were really nice during my birthday week as they called it. Pretty much every dinner we have had there has been something special.

I did not remember Sept 11 until we got back to the apartment. Many Panamanians have taken an interest in it because they have been watching specials on tv. Some have asked us where we were when it happened. Was that really 10 years ago?

I gave a talk this Sunday on the relation between faith and repentance. Every second Sunday of the month the missionaries are assigned to talk on anything they want. I figured we are trying to help people increase their faith and repent daily and through baptism, so I thought it was appropriate. We have a couple of investigators in church on Sunday. The gospel essentials class also gets really animated because it is more of a discussion than the other meetings. One of our investigators asked me for the reference book I used in my talk "True to the Faith" which is slightly more interesting than a dictionary because she wanted to read it!

Have a good week. Thanks for all your love and support.

Love,

Elder Whiting

Katie noticed these pictures - they were posted by Sis. Ward on the Panama mission blog site.

5 de septiembre

This week has been so awesome. I was really sad to see everyone go from the medical brigade. I got to know a few of them pretty well and enjoyed working with them. Each one was an impressive individual. I mostly translated in oral surgery, but my last day they let me help in recovery where I was changing bloody gauze! I became professional by the end of the day. On the last day one of the dentists kindly cleaned my teeth, so I might not have to get dentures when I get home. I also snapped a picture with Elder Martino since I did not get a chance at zone conference.

Elder Bentz and I were really happy because we had two investigators in church on Sunday. One of them stayed for a couple hours and the other one stayed all three. We showed her the baptismal font after church and talked about baptism. We extended an invitation to be baptized, and she accepted a date. We passed by the other guy during the week and gave him a Book of Mormon to read which he accepted. We will be talking with him more and want to set a date with him too. It was a testimony to us to work until the very last moment. We found them both Saturday night.  That was part of Elder Martinos message too that we should work even when we are tired, or raining, or we do not want to. I love the talk by...Henry B. Eyring? that says the Lord usually blesses us after we have given 97 or 98 percent rather than in the beginning. Anyways, it is nice to have progressing investigators again. They both seem super positive.

Thanks for all of your love and support. I love you guys and hope you have a great week.

Love,

Elder Whiting