God be with you til we meet again

The Sanguino family from Venezuela lived here in Santiago for a year.  They arrived with an energy that helped revitalize the Santiago Branch.  Sister Sanguino was the Relief Society President, Brother Sanguino was in the Elder's Quorum Presidency, their daughter Mirna Sanguino was the Primary President and their son, Ronelly worked with the youth.  Their grand daughter Stephanie was a delight.  They moved on to the US earlier this month.  We can't even express how hard they will be to replace.  One of the great things they did was go and visit members every Sunday.  They were a great support to all.  

The Santiago Branch loves it's talent shows.  I think it's because they're all so talented.  A big going away party, a "depedida", was planned to send the Sanguinos on their way.  It was an incredible night of love, gratitude and friendship.

Miriam Sanguino taught us all how to make Venezuelan Arepas.

We made them for our refreshments.

Everyone sang songs.. the Primary- the children age 3 to 12, the youth, the men and the women.

Panama has a rich heritage of folk dancing.  Children learn from and early age.  We couldn't have a party without the dancing.

Speeches were made of lessons taught and friendships formed.

The most touching part of the night was when we all sang, "God be with you till we meet again"

 God be with you till we meet again;

By his counsels guide, uphold you;

With his sheep securely fold you.

God be with you till we meet again.

[Chorus]

Till we meet, till we meet,

Till we meet at Jesus’ feet,

Till we meet, till we meet,

God be with you till we meet again.

2. God be with you till we meet again;

When life’s perils thick confound you,

Put his arms unfailing round you.

God be with you till we meet again.

[Chorus]

Till we meet, till we meet,

Till we meet at Jesus’ feet,

Till we meet, till we meet,

God be with you till we meet again.

3. God be with you till we meet again;

Keep love’s banner floating o’er you;

Smite death’s threat’ning wave before you.

God be with you till we meet again.

[Chorus]

Till we meet, till we meet,

Till we meet at Jesus’ feet,

Till we meet, till we meet,

God be with you till we meet again.

Text: Jeremiah E. Rankin, 1828–1904

Music: William G. Tomer, 1833–1896

I love this song.  As we sang, The audience waved Venezuelan flags the kids had made out of crepe paper.

Sweet, sweet memories.  When our lives touch those around us or are touched by others.  We may be far apart, but there are memories that will always be a part of us, of our history.

The hot and the cold of it- new perspectives

It is hot here.  May I just say that when we arrived it was in the non-rainy season.  It was hot.  It was in the mid to upper 90's every day.  That made our tap water, sort of, kind of warm.  Not really "warm" as in US warm, but warm for here.  With the heat, it was a bit refreshing actually.

Now it's "cooler".  It runs between the upper 80's and low 90's.  It actually feels "cooler" to me and sometimes I'll ask Mark what the temperature is and he will say, "It's 84".  I think that's so funny.  When the temperature doesn't vary that much you really notice the difference even in a few degrees.  I will say though, with the days being "cooler" the water is freezing to me. I just grit my teeth when I shower and yelp a bit.  There are no long showers for me right now.

I have a friend from Arizona who moved to Illinois.  She's always cold.  I think I'm going to be freezing right with her when we get home.  I really notice when it's cold, and I don't like it. My perspective on what is hot or cold is very different these days.

Perspective is an interesting thing.  They say that Eskimos have tons of words for snow.  They have so much they distinguish between different types.  It's all in what you are used to.

As I think about perspective and what we're doing here, I think of the whispering of the Holy Spirit.  Before I really knew how to pray, my prayers were more a one way conversation with God.  I had been taught to pray as a child.  I loved Heavenly Father and I would pray to him.  As I grew and came to know the Lord more, I started recognizing the whispering of His Spirit.  They were probably there before, but I wasn't used to them, I didn't hear them. I have found that the more I listen to the sweet promptings of the Spirit, the easier it is to recognize them the next time.  I have learned to trust those promptings more here as a missionary.  Too often I second guess a prompting, "Is that really the spirit or just an idea I had?"  I have promised myself that when I get a thought to do something, I won't cast it off but will stop, listen, and try to act on the prompting.  I have been so blessed as I've been able to do this.

I think that people can limit what the Lord does in their lives because they're only used to one thing.  They don't really know what the alternative is.  I include myself in this too.  How often do I limit the Lord in my life by not being comfortable with something, when he puts me in different situations.  I'm trying to see that the Lord is trying to "stretch me".  He wants me to reach for more.  He wants to show me new perspectives.  I need more faith to do so.

As a missionary, I am sharing a very incredible message!  The church that Jesus Christ organized when he was on the earth has been restored!  After the death of the apostles, his church was rejected by those that were here.  It lead to the Dark Ages.  We look at the Dark Ages as dark spiritually also.  After the dark ages was a time of reformation.  Many churches arose trying to bring back the church as Jesus Christ had organized.  This led to many different denominations that exist today.  Then in 1820 Heavenly Father was ready to restore his church on the earth.  He did it through a young man, named Joseph Smith.  It's an incredible story!  A story that if true is the most incredible event in these modern times.  I know when I first heard it I thought it was too incredible.  I didn't even bother to ask if it might be true.  I dismissed it because I didn't know any differently.

But Heavenly Father, led me down a path where eventually I asked myself, "Could this be true?  Is this where you want me Lord?"  (I had already given my life to Him).  In answer to my prayer, I received a sweet witness of the Holy Spirit that actually yes, He did want me to listen, he did want me to learn, He did want me to join his restored church on the earth.  This knowledge challenged some preconceived ideas I had.  Some assumptions I had made in my search for God.  But I knew the voice of the Spirit. How could I not follow where the spirit led?  Since that humble prayer, I have received witness after witness that I indeed went in the right direction.  My life has been so blessed in ways that I could never have imagined in the beginning.  A new perspective.

I now can testify that I know it is a true message.  I know that I'm representing His church, I'm representing Him.  I'm so humbled by his love and his trust in me to do this incredible work.

I pray that each of us will trust the Lord to lead us in new directions, to be open to where He will lead.  To trust Him to really show us better things than we've ever seen before.  To bless us with blessings we can't even imagine.

The Chitre Branch

We have been asked to spend a couple of days a week in the Chitre branch.  It's about an hour away.  They have a beautiful building that we are used to attending for our Zone Meetings with the other missionaries.

We're excited to work in Chitre.  There are wonderful, faithful, members here that we are getting to know.  They have been great about going out with us and showing us around.

The church is organized in stakes.  A stake has about 7 congregations that are part of it.  When there are small congregations than they are organized into a district.  Santiago is part of a district.  The goal is to make the Chitre district a stake this year!!!  We can see that it will happen.  We have seen the hand of the Lord bring the right people here, he has been preparing less active members to come back and it WILL HAPPEN!  The Chitre branch will be split into two congregations.  We are serving in Chitre to help strengthen the members and invite the less actives to come back.  We truly have felt the Lord working in the lives of his children to help make this a reality.




Our District consists of congregations in Penonome, Aguadulce, Chitre, Las Tablas and Santiago.

We continue to be grateful to Heavenly Father for his love towards his children.  There are so many times I'm with people here and I feel Heavenly Father's love for them.  I know that He wants us to be happy.  Happiness does not come from things, it doesn't even come from not having trials.  Those are part of life.  He is there to help us through our trials.  I know this!  He is there for us if we will turn to Him.  Not passively, but with true purpose of heart.

Making "Rash" Decisions

The mission nurse and her husband finished their mission a few weeks ago.  There are no other mission nurses on the horizon.  I was elected to fulfill the role temporarily.

• No, I'm not a nurse
• No, I have no medical experience, other than as a patient- lots of experience there
• I am a mom, and sort of know when to bring in the experts
• This is not the run of the mill, take two pills and call me in the morning.

The first two weeks of my tenure we had:

• three cases of dengue fever, thus the picture of the mosquito below

• two missionaries hospitalized, thank goodness not life threatening, they are both better
• 4 cases of parasites
• multiple rashes
• body aches and pains normal for missionaries
• various run of the mill ailments

Basically my job is to receive calls from the missionaries, give them basic information on OTC treatments for colds, etc. They also need permission to go to the doctor's.  I am the one who screens this.  As you can see, the first week was a bit overwhelming.  Sometimes the missionaries themselves are the cause.  I talked with lots of missionaries about drinking enough water.  Most weren't drinking enough.

One thing I have noticed is that I truly feel the spirit guiding me.  There are some calls I agonize over what to do, but I go with what the spirit is guiding me to do.  I can hear similar symptoms and some I'm inspired to send to the doctor's and others I give OTC recommendations.  It has been a truly humbling experience to work with these young missionaries and to comfort them or encourage them.  Sometimes I think they just need a "mom" to tell them it will be okay.  Most of the rashes are heat related and easily treated.

I was also impressed with the medical care our missionaries received at the hospital.  They were very thorough.  I was glad I was able to see it up close and personal.

The first week, I had missionaries call and when I followed up they hadn't done anything.  When we met with the new missionaries arriving, we had an orientation.  I told them that I was also a busy missionary and if they weren't going to follow my advise, not to call.  They got a kick out of that.

I have also been touched by the care the missionaries have for each other.  A companion will call me, worried about their companion.  A district leader will call for the sisters in his care.  One elder, when bringing his companion into the hospital said, he'd carry him if he needed to.  When I got there, I smiled when I saw that his companion was probably twice his size.  "He ain't Heavy, He's my brother" came to mind.

The branch that plays together

 August 13, 2016

We had a really fun activity last weekend for the branch members.  Well, we didn't do it, they planed it.  It started with a nice rain storm.  Luckily most people were already there or no one would have come.  We had some relay races inside.  In the middle the power went out but luckily it was only for about 10 min.  Then it came back on and we continued our races.

What I loved the most, was the youth really had a lot of fun.  We have the best kids in the world.

 The missionaries got in on the action too.

It cleared up a bit so we played water balloon volleyball.  Everyone, of all ages, could join in.  It was a blast.

Lots of fun and fellowship.

House of the Lord

July 29-30

We were so excited for our Temple trip to Panama City in July.  We left Friday night about 5:30 from Santiago and drove to Panama City.  We had rented a bus and arrived about 9:30 p.m.  There was another big group from Chitre there also.  There is a guest house on the temple grounds.  For $6 each you can stay in a really nice room, with a/c and HOT water.  They are really beautiful rooms.  We ended up with two youth sharing our room.

The next morning we spent in the Temple.  Brother Maure, below, had worked on finding his ancestors' names.  His wife, Modesta, was able to do work for her parents.  She was just beaming all day.

  My dear sisters, Juana y Liseth.  Of course, there was Gino also.  We had a great time together on the bus and at the temple.

There is something special about going to the temple with people you know and love.  It is almost a sacred experience, like we're doing something spiritual together.

The Panama City Temple is so beautiful.  I have grown to love it there so much.  The grounds are peaceful.  It is beautiful.  This is our group.  We're missing the Padilla family.  They left before we did.  Whole families go on these bus trips sometimes.  In the front row is Kristamy.  She was so excited to go to the temple.

Even though the temple is about 3 1/2 hours away there is always sacrifice to go.  The bus ride and even the "Casa de Huespedes" or guest house.  To pull together that kind of money is a challenge for some families.  We all were grateful we were able to go.

Some of our young women went too.

Personally I go to the temple to reflect and pray for guidance.  I love it there.  Because it is a sacred place for us, there is a beautiful peaceful spirit there.  I always find I have time to reflect and seek guidance from Heavenly Father in a different, more profound way then in my normal prayers.  I love the temple.  I'm so grateful that there is one that I can attend once in a while.

Stand ye in holy places.

There is something I experience on a regular basis when we are teaching.  Mark will be teaching, I will look between him and those we are teaching and it is almost a sacred experience.  I have a friend who often says, real life doesn't have music playing in the background.  These teaching experiences come pretty close.  We are sharing a message of God's love for his children.  We offer invitations to read, to pray, to change, to know for oneself of His Gospel.  We promise the blessings of the Lord as they are obedient.

We often think of "Holy places" as sacred places of worship- a church or a temple.  We think of places where sacred things happened- as I would think you would feel in the holy land, or for us as Latter day saints- the first vision, etc.  These are holy places because of the things that happened there.  Things that one cherishes in their worship.

I remember a trip to Liberty Jail in Missouri.  The first time I went, I was impressed by the experience of B H Roberts in the jail.  He referred to his  time there as being in a temple.  This seems the most in-congruent term for a prison.  It was underground, there was a hole in the roof of the jail which was the floor of the building.  The room was not high enough for the men imprisoned there.  Conditions were terrible.  How could such a place be termed a temple....

"... that you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."

But the lessons of the winter of 1838–39 teach us that every experience can become a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father in Heaven through it. These difficult lessons teach us that man’s extremity is God’s opportunity, and if we will be humble and faithful, if we will be believing and not curse God for our problems, He can turn the unfair and inhumane and debilitating prisons of our lives into temples—or at least into a circumstance that can bring comfort and revelation, divine companionship and peace. (Jeffrey R Holland, CES fireside)

Luckily, we are not in terrible circumstances here.  We are received with love and warmth to most places we go.  Some are humble homes but filled with love.  

The point is that we can be in a "holy place" when we are doing God's work.  It is so humbling to be a part of a lesson where the person hearing is feeling the spirit.  We are so touched by their willingness to hear and then do.

Last night we were teaching a lesson to a young man we met through our English class.  He is such a good man.  He is curious about religion.  He says more than anything he wants spirituality and happiness in his life.  The spirit was so strong in that lesson.  It was a sacred, holy place.

I am grateful for the sacred, holy places I get to visit each week here.  Homes filled with love and light.  I am humbled by the opportunity to witness the Spirit of the Lord touch someone's heart and spirit.