Another week, another email. Que bendición. It 'twas another great week in the work of the Lord. Normal as to changuinola standards but nonetheless great. Vamoos.
Professional Spike Ball in Panamá
So, there's an elder in our zone of 8 that was ranked top 5 nationally for spike ball before the mission. This means that he has a super nice spike ball net, knows all the rules, tips, and tricks, and that on P days we play for hours. He's insane and it's super fun. We get crazy into it, diving for the ball and pulling off some crazy hits. My dreams of going pro have begun.
The Other Side of the River
Somehow, we've been seeing some success on the other side of the river. Basically, the only way we find people there is if we go over there in a canoe and someone is hanging out with Pablo and his family. We then teach them, see if they're interested, and schedule time to go over there during the week. We now have three new friends that are progressing over there and one is on date to get baptized. It's a win win because we get to go on the canoes two or three times a week instead of just one. Our boy Orlando we found over there loves reading the Book of Mormon and paddling canoes. Gotta love Almirante.
Carrera de Canoe
Sadly, the canoe race has been postponed to this upcoming Wednesday, but a friend that we are teaching has become really good friends with us just by talking about it. He used to not really say anything, but I felt to offer to race him, and he opened right up. The Spirit came in clutch. The work here is a straight W (win). I'll keep y'all updated.
Finding Souls in the Swamp
In our area, there are a ton of swamps. Meaning a lot of houses on stilts, a lot of mosquitos, and a lot of... different... smells. This week, while braving dengue and nose blindness, we found four teenagers to teach, who started the lesson off not very positive, but ended up listening and asking questions. The Spirit definitely did its job and helped them understand the importance of our message. It was a fun experience.
Friends
Dalisbett is still doing great but is constantly busy with college. She's still really positive in the lessons but has missed church twice in a row now. She still has a lot of attendances, so this week we're going to see if she's still ready to get baptized this upcoming weekend. We'll see. Freddy and Yanett are also lovin it. Yanett is paying attention and understands almost everything. Freddy is a little less positive, but Yanett seems to help him along. We're also hoping that they'll be ready to get baptized this upcoming weekend, but they just moved over to the island, and we still don't have permission to go over there. That means we have to teach with video calls, and they have to make more of a sacrifice to come to church. Faith overcomes all and theirs is about to be tested. Orlando is the boy I mentioned earlier who likes to read the Book of Mormon and paddle canoes. He's a super smiley kid and has a lot of potential. He lives deep in the jungle across the river. Our boy Pablo is going to pick him up and take him to lessons and to church, so we have hope. Christian is another teenager from across the river whose entire family are members, but before they Christian, his brother, or his mom got baptized, they moved to Almirante. We're hoping to help them back onto the path, so we're gonna see what happens.
Spiritual Thought
This one will be really simple, but hopefully can introduce a little of the Spirit into your lives. We know that we need to build our house on "the rock," but what does that look like? Well, without going into detail and while also throwing in my thoughts and opinions, it means putting God first. It's a very basic principle, but if properly applied to our lives it can also be very powerful. That looks like morning and nightly prayers. Reading the Book of Mormon every day. Turning to God first when we're faced with a challenge and trusting in His will. It also means that we keep him in our thoughts. For example, when we're lying in bed, trying to go to sleep, do we think about our Savior and His atonement, or do we think about that one time or that one thing. "Look unto me in every thought, doubt not fear not" (D&C 6:36) "...spiritually minded is life eternal." (2 Nephi 9:39.) I now realize that this isn't short or simple, but it is necessary. Remember that to build our house upon "the rock," which is Christ, we need to put God first. Not just in some things, but in all things. Not just sometimes, but all the time. Of course, we can still have regular thoughts and conversations, but Christ should be involved more often than not.
Thank you to those who persevered to the end of this email. I hope it was worth it...
Elder Nelson
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