Week 19

¿Cómo han estado?

This week was changes! haha My new Comp is Hermana Patrick from Houston Texas! She has a year in the mission and this is her third area! She was really excited to come to Colón because she's half black and practically everyone here is black! hahaha She is a really great missionary and we have been having a lot of fun, working hard, and making it interesting!

This week we spent a lot of time contacting trying to find new people! Man was it hot this week and exhausting but I am starting to get to know the area better and enjoying meeting so many different people. 

WE HAVE A BAPTISMAL DATE FOR THIS SUNDAY!! I am so excited!! Her name is Michelle and she travels a lot back and forth from the city. She started taking the lessons because she started to date Ronny a member in my ward who left on his mission about 3 week after I arrived. (He is in El Salvador!) Anyways she started taking the lessons to learn more about the religion that she didn't really know anything about. She never really accepted a date when we taught her before (problems with family and Joseph smith)  but yesterday Hna Patrick asked if she wanted to be baptized and she said "Claro que sí!" it was awesome so we put a date for as soon as possible which is this coming Sunday!!! I am so excited she is so great and she also speaks perfect english and is probably the most talented person I have ever met! She is golden!

Next is José! He is also way chill and has been coming to church even before the lessons! It happened after we had a noche de hogar with his family and all we did was read  1 Nephi 1 with them to get them started on reading as a family and we had such a powerful discussion about just that chapter. ( Ever chapter is important!) After that he came to church the following Sunday and we weren't able to teach him very easily because he lives in a Red zone in our area. (red zones are areas that we as Hermanas aren't able to go in without priesthood...) On Friday we had our very first lesson with him and the Elders were able to come with us. We asked if he wanted to be baptized and if he believed what we said to be true and he responded by saying " I want to be baptized in this church. I know its true and I want to be baptized in the true church" !!!!! AHHHH We were so happy :) 

Update on Carol is that they are in the process of verification which lasts up to 8 days and then they will be married and she and her son can be baptized! :) We have a noche de hogar with them tonight! 

This week was just so great and the Lord really will bless us if we are diligent and willing to do His will. I love this gospel and this work! It is so great and so true! Seeing these people progress is the greatest feeling in the world! Everyone can find this joy in their life! We just need to be willing to act on the impressions we receive. We belong to the church of Jesus Christ! It is perfect because He is the one who established it. 

I love you all so much! Thank you for your love and support and prayers!

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Garcia


This is sasha one of the crabs we have found at our front door at night :) 

Multi zone Pday Hna Gilman, Salas and me!

Me and Elder Stracener (her BFF from the MTC)

 Elder Stracener Elder Córdoba (Hes from Miami and is way chill) and me

 Elder Mann was added into this one (another Elder from the MTC, he's from SoCal too!)

 Last Lunch with all four of us (Reeves, Gilman, Salas, and Garcia)

José and his family with Hna Patrick :)

Me and Diablo Rojo (The tricked out school buses here)

Week 18

Hey all!

This week was another great week! I learned how to marry someone here in Panama if they have lived together for more than 10 years! Woohoo Carol is finally getting married! Unfortunately they weren't able to do it within the week but they said they were going to do it today!! We shall find out tomorrow when we visit them!! So yeah this week we visited Carol and had a Noche de Hogar with them every night. Satan is really working hard on her future husband and it was really important that we had daily contact with them. It is always really special to see the Lords influence in the lives of people and to see the spirit touch their hearts when they recognize the Lord. Both Carol and her future husband want to be a family forever. With this goal I know they will continue to be strong!

Panamá I have come to learn is a very special place. Satan's influence here is so much more than in other places. These people here have something that Satan just doesn't want. Granted it makes the work a lot more difficult but man does it make it a satisfying when we win! :) The Lord is always there to help us if we are prepared and willing to obey what He tells us we need to do. He doesn't care about numbers. He cares about the people and their salvation. 

This week was my last week with Hna Salas and it went really well. I am really going to miss her a lot! We have gotten so much closer but I am excited for the change and the opportunity I have to expand and grow even more in this mission! I find out tonight or tomorrow who my new comp is! My first real change in the mission and I feel calm! So grateful for a week of already knowing! hahaha 

I want you all to know that I love you all so very much. Thank you for your love and your support and prayers. The Lord is there in everything we do. We just need to have eyes to see, hearts to feel, and ears to hear.

Les quiero mucho!

Hermana Garcia

 

 

(No pictures this week because her internet connection was very poor, but she promises lots next week!)

Week 17

Hello Friends :)

Tengo buenas noticias hoy! haha No one was transferred! They didn't close my area thank Heavens and Hermana Salas will be transferred normally and not of emergency! So that was happy news and we were able to relax and resume working hard for another week together! (we have transfers next week and we know for sure she is leaving and I am staying) I am really going to miss her but I am excited for this opportunity to experience my first real change on the mission and ending my training to be a real missionary! haha

We were able to visit Lourdes this week and she is totally solid! She still hasn't accept a date but that is alright because she is reading the Book of Mormon right now and is super positive! Just need to get her to come to church! We are getting there! 

We had a super awesome Noche de Hogar (Family Home Evening) with Carol and her family! Her future husband (that is what I am calling him now) actually is the one who asked for this one and set it up with us and it was so much fun! We talked about being united as a family talked about their marriage plans ( to get married here is very difficult and is a lot of blood work and paper work and just weird tests and what not but since THEY'VE BEEN TOGETHER 14 YEARS they only have to pay $30-$50 dollars and have 2 witnesses and yeah!) and what they can do as a family to invite the spirit into their home. It was great because they were talking about being an eternal family and how that is their real goal. They have agreed to read the Book of Mormon every night as a family :). We finally were able to make a baptismal date with Carol and her oldest son Hadid! 

Yesterday we had another Temple tour with our investigators and we brought Carol, Hadid, Illian (her 2nd son), and Noah! (the baby!) Her future husband almost made it but he had work but was incredibly helpful in getting her to go! He actually was the one to convince her! Anways it was so beautiful and the spirit was so strong. Carol's testimony grew so much there. She felt the spirit so strong and she cried and so did Hadid. The spirit really was so strong and even more so when she embraced it. She knows that everything we have ever taught her leads to the Temple and now more than ever she wants to go there. We are planning on getting them married and baptized this week before Hermana Salas leaves! I am so excited!! 

I hope you guys are enjoying your summer and that all is well! Thank you for all you love and support! This church is true and the Temple is the house of the Lord. I am so grateful for the temple in my life! I love you all so much! 

Les quiero

Hermana Garcia

This is Teri our guard dog :) He is always on our porch and He is always there when we get home! haha He even warns us where there are crabs at our door!!

Carol holding Noah and Hadid and Illian behind her :) They all fell asleep on the way to the Temple :)

All of us in Front of the temple after the tour :)

Me and Carol in front of the temple :)

Week 16

¿Qué loque mo?

This week was a doozy! Man oh man is Panamá HOT! I felt like every step I took I was melting into the asphalt! haha Like those giants in Hercules the fire guy with every step he took just melting into the earth and what not! Yeah the heat definetely got to us this week haha Pobresita Hermana Salas was dying! We kept on working though and she was a trooper!

This week we were able to find some new people! Thursday when we were dying of heat and really needed to use the bathroom we knocked a door and the people here are so kind! All we had to do was ask if we could use their bathroom and she let us in with no problem! Her name is Yolanda and she was super chill! She let us rest a little because this day was waaayy too hot and she even gave us a frozen treat to help us cool down! Afterwards we shared with her a message and she was willing to listen again! It was great!

We also found out that one of our investigators (who has been an investigator for a while and is super solid practically a member just need to be baptized but can't becasue she isn't married...) is going to get married!! Her "esposo" is a less active member but didn't want to get married. The best part was that he agreed to finally marry her so she could be baptized after he received a blessing from the Elders! The Lord works in mysterious ways but Carol (thats her name :)) was super diligent! She went to church and continued to read her scriptures and prayed all the time and now the blessing are coming through! With her maybe her "esposo" will be reactivated so that her family can receive the full blessings of the priesthood and be sealed for time and all eternity!

On Saturday in the middle of our Companionship study we got a call from President saying that Hermana Salas will be having emergency transferes because there are 2 sisters going home due to illnesses. With that there also aren't very many new incoming sisters so he has to close an area and it is very possible that he will be closing ours and I will also be changed to a different area. Needless to say we have been very stressed out waiting for a call from President which still has not come.. I know that whatever happens will be for the best and all its just sad to think of this area being closed will so much potential! I will keep you all posted on that next week because we still have no idea! We are "en ponga" as they say here in Panamá!

I love you all so much and this church is true without a doubt in my mind! The Lord has a plan for each and every one of us that we just don't understand but if we head the promtpings of the spirit will be able get where we need to go and learn what it is we needed to learn. He loves us more than we can ever imagine and it is a real, true and pure love. Thank you for your prayers and for you thoughts!

Les Quiero!

Hermana Garcia

This is a super fun couple from Venzuela whom I can't understand at all and bully us a lot but make really good food!

Hermana Mireya is our best dinner ever! Her daughter, Lelanie, is holding the baby (not part of their family) And her husband Ronny :) They also speak perfect english which is totally a plus! haha They are a super solid family in our ward!

This was our Zone lunch last week with only half of our zone in the pic but it was super chevere :)

This is Hna Reeves from Alabama! She is way chill