A Week of Miracles

Happy Wednesday everyone. Sister Carmack (Mission President’s wife) has a blog that I follow. Each Fast Sunday they will be fasting for the same thing and they are inviting the families of their missionaries to participate. Excerpt from Hna. Carmack’s blog  à“ Our monthly emphasis for the mission in February will be unity within the mission (especially within companionships) and unity between the missionaries and the members. We will be asking all the missionaries in the mission to fast with these purposes in mind this coming Fast Sunday -- Feb. 2. We also want to include the Presley's recovery in our fast. Any families of the missionaries that would like to unite with us in fasting are more than welcome to join with us!”We would be happy to have anyone join us that would like to. You will read about the Presley's below and you will see that is clearly a miracle they survived. I don't think there is any doubt that Heavenly Father watches over his missionaries. 

My new companion is Hna. Medellin from Mexico and she is AMAZING!!!!  No but seriously she is super awesome and we are already super good friends. Heavenly Father definitely knew I needed a change. She is super fun and I am teaching her English (:

Hermana's Medellin and Wandell

We finally have food with the members! Lunch and Dinner!!

Okay so the Presley's got in a super serious car accident on Wednesday. It is literally a miracle that they are still alive. Especially Hna. Presley. There was a bee in the car and Elder P. looked down for a split second to let it out and then they ran into a metal guard rail that went straight through the car, exactly where Hna. Presley's head had been. It demolished the car obviously and here is the other miracle of it all. The only broken bone was his nose. Hna. Presley had to have part of her face reconstructed because her lip and cheek got ripped and also they had to amputate the Elder's pinky on his right hand. The doctors at the hospital told them that it was literally a miracle that they were alive and that they will never forget this case. When they got them out of the car Hna. Presley's head was against the window and that is the only reason that she is still alive. It just goes to show how protected the missionaries are. There was an awful picture of it in the news paper all over Panama. They were still in the car in this picture... (she couldn’t find the picture to attach so I have used the one from Hna. Carmack’s blog) She was against the window and he had blood all over his face and white shirt, and thank goodness that they had their name tags on because it was super easy to identify them and to find people that were associated with them. We went and saw them in the hospital and they are home now. Literally a miracle. But they are fine and they are at home recovering.

Okay I didn’t realize you knew about the Presley's but I am glad you saw the picture because I couldn’t find one to send. Yes, we are the closest to them, we are going to go over to their house every Tuesday to help clean and whatever we can do to help.

I LOVE HAMMOCKS!!!!!!!

You would love Boquete!!! 

Yeah there is this disgusting bean (but they are in pods so I call them peas) called guandu or something like that. Yeah well they are in season right now and everyone has them in their gardens...

Q. Who are you teaching English and Spanish too? Investigators, members, other missionaries, anyone who will listen?

A. We have an investigator that we are teaching English and I am teaching Spanish to the Swalm family.

Q. Don't the Panamanians use bright colors to paint their houses? Like pink and blue? I know Hna. Palmer lived in a bright pink Barbie house when she first got to Panama.

A. We only painted it white but yes the Panamanians usually have house that are bright blue or pink or green or purple or yellow or orange or turquoise or whatever other color.

Q. Oh when you told me about the meat being cow lung. I nearly gagged. Really? People actually eat that?

A. They also eat cow stomach and intestines...

Q. When does the Romell leave on his mission? I am just wondering if you will be there for his farewell. Or do they even do that in Panama?

A. Farewells are really just a Utah thing or a United States thing. Bahaha I learned that the full name for Mexico is the United States of Mexico so it is funny when I say I am from the United States because technically my companion is too.

 Hermana Medellin

Q. Guess who is Sarah's (Hna. Moss) mom/trainer? Hermana Hoff! Maybe you already knew this.

A. Yes I knew that Hna. Hoff was Sarah's trainer. Woo hoo!! She was born in the best zone in the whole mission!!

I MISS CAFE RIO!!! Lucky elders.... (I usually pay for the missionaries meal when I run into them at  a restaurant)

I’m not a polygamist mom!! - Even though half the world thinks otherwise - I will only have one husband and he most definitely will not be Panamanian!! (I teased her when she said Hna. Chavez told her she could marry her brother. I said she could have a Panamanian and a Guatemalan husband LOL)

Q. So if the zone leaders didn't go to changes, how did your new companion get to you? I am not sure she would know where to go?
A. There was one elder that helped everyone get on the bus to get out here. Hna. Gonzalez is a Z ella (her 1^st companion) now in the zone next to mine, which is also where Hna. Chavez is (2^nd companion).

Q. No fridge, no washer, no dryer? What happened to the washer and dryer?

A. The washing machine is "broken" and the dryer ran out of gas apparently.

Oh yeah that picture of the car is my area!!!

Pictures:

Hna. Medellin, The church, a cool bridge and stream, and the two of us.

Anyways I miss you and I love you! Hug my Abby for me please

Chao for now!!

When she mentioned their church was in a strip mall I asked her to send a picture. I am really grateful to be able go around the corner to our meetinghouse.