First Baptism This Week!!!

November 14, 2011

 

Hola mi familia,

Hey everyone, it feels like I just did this yesterday, but I´m glad that I can write you again. Things are going well here in Panama. We had our first baptism this week!!! Her name is Ilda Urunaga, and she was baptized this last saturday! Her story is really cool, because she actually took lessions 2 years ago, but her parents didn't allow her to be baptized. So for the past 2 years, she has just been attending church and reading the Book of Mormon, but on the 10th, she turned 18. So she really wanted to be baptized, so Elder Tauta and I set up her baptism! It was awesome, and lot's (relatively) of members showed up and supported her. She wasn't baptized by Elder Tauta or I. She was baptized by a member who goes by the nick-name "Pepe". I found out that Missionaries here actually aren't supposed to baptize unless we have to. We're supposed to see if they would like a member to do it first. That way, there's a stronger connection with the members and the person being baptized. I almost had to do it though, because Pepe got caught up in traffic! I was so worried that I ended up memorizing the baptismal ordanance in Spanish in only 10 minutes :) So yeah, it's crazy! Anyway, I got a lot of questions from you all about my area. So here goes. My house is in a town called San Vicente. So you can probably look it up on google maps and see satelite photos! Here, we go everywhere by Taxi or by Bus. Most of the Buses here are called "Diablo Rojos" (Red Devils). They have cool paintings all over them, and they have crazy loud stereo systems. Also, they have custom lights all over the outside of the bus, so they look really cool at night! So yeah, Taxi's are expensive, but you can ride a Diablo Rojo for as long as you want for only 25 cents! Panama is weird, because many things are cheaper here, but I think food is more expensive! I bought a box of cereal for $4... Anyway, my area is really good, but it is huge! So it's hard for us to work, because we have 3 towns (at least) in our area, and Elder Tauta and I are the only missionaries in our area! Though, on P-days we meet with the Zone and do things like play soccer, eat food, or go to random caves with a forest guide. Let's see, more about here. Everyone here has dogs! They're everywhere! It's sad, because most of them are really hungry. Mik would just melt if she saw some of the puppies here! That and there's many other animals. The frogs here make sounds that sound like they are being made by a cell phone or a video game of some sort. Also, the other day I saw a sloth! it was crawling to find shelter from the rain. So I stopped and took pictures of it. Unfortuately, that drew a crowd of people around the sloth, and suddenly the people started trying to pull it off of the bush that it was hiding in. Apparently, the people said that they are endangered, and that they wanted to save it from dogs. So yeah, a bunch of crazy Panamanians saved a sloth, and I have pictures :) Anyway, I'm running out of time. I'll tell you more next time! It was great hearing from all of you! Mik, sounds like you had fun at the aquarium! Chris, that baptism sounds crazy, but Chaz sounds cool! Mom, Dad, I'm doing just fine here in Panama, and I'm trying to think of what to do for Christmas, so I'll get back to you on that. Sorry that I didn't talk directly to you all that much. I'm terrible! Well, before I go, I have a few things. Please forward this to grandma, my e-mail is being stupid and won't put in her address. Next. I have my Mailing Address, I'll send it in a seperate e-mail. Also, I hope grandpa is doing alright after surgery. Tell everyone I said hi. Well, I love you all very much, and can't wait to hear from you next week! LOVE YOU!!!

Con Amor, Trevor