hey up there! i want to start by thanking all of you who sent me birthday cards! i FINALLY receieved them this past week during a training. our mission president came, and he came bearing gifts! i got a package from my dear mother, and about 25 birthday cards and dear elders! THANK YOU! your words mean so much to me!
so, like i mentioned, we had trainings or "capacitaciones" this past week in David. the Assistants and Presidente Ward came and taught us tons! one of the questions Elder Bentz asked was "is your area better now because you were there?" this question has been heavy on my mind and heart. it has given me a new motivation to talk to more people, bear my testimony more, and to never be afraid. i want to leave my footprints in Puerto Armuelles, and i want to do exactly what the Lord sent me here to do!
Hermana Cruz and i have planned an event for next saturday called "noche de talentos", and we have the young adults helping us out. its just a branch activity to get people back to church, to invite non members to learn about who we are, and to celebrate Daffne´s baptism! they have asked me to sing "amazing grace" in english, and go figure, someone found me a ukelele. i am grateful i mastered that before i left! so, that should be a neat experience. hermana cruz and i are also singing Come Thou Fount, but in spanish, and one of the members knows the piano part. some other people are dancing and doing skits. i am really excited for it!
on our way to plan on wednesday with the members at Family Home Evening, i heard a sweet voice call out from a car "do you speak english?!" it was music to my ears! a sweet woman named Lynn has just moved to our area from Maryland, and we helped her find the market. she is coming to our activity on saturday!
we have been visiting a less active member, Daisy, for a few weeks now. this past week, her daughter was off of work and sat in on our lesson. we taught the Plan of Salvation, and Doris (the daughter) seemed to really love it. she said "hermanas, my husband died 4 years ago, and i knew there was something special about where he is right now." we are continuing to teach Doris, and she has expressed her desire to be baptized! i am speechless. the Lord is really pouring out miracles for us!
i dont know if i mentioned this, but i received my first calling a few weeks ago. i teach english classes every saturday in our chapel. it has been hard trying to teach my own language. but its also helped me solidify my basic spanish vocabulary.
all in all, i am living the dream! oh, congrats to my cousin Amy-- she had her son Xander! i can´t wait to meet him! take care, yáll
-hermana bond
