Photos come with more difficulty these days

One of our students was calling her puppy.  His name is Lobo!!! I couldn't resist a photo of Rod with Lobo after all the Lobo stories he's told. 

Octavio is waiting for a mission call and arranged to meet with us to make use of this time.  He brought along his sister.  When they left the house I decided I need a photo.  We chased them down in the opposite direction that we were headed, even though we had to turn around.  We got the photo, retraced our path---and passed them in our own route.  Who knows why they chose theirs.  Anyway, two people on a bicycle like this is very common.  Unfortunately we don't have another piano for her and they don't live in the same house.

Lemon-aide -- first home remedies -- see video, then real doctor stuff, if that doesn't work...
   I spent my first time sick last week.  It was no fun.  I tried the brat (no not her -- Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast -- really BRT as no applesauce available) diet for two days and drinking lots of liquid.  Finally I resorted to Pepto Bismal.  It worked like a charm.  My stomach still isn't totally content, but I can work fine.  If it doesn't improve, the mission nurse said she'll order a stool culture.  One of the sisters today told us she buys water during this month because so many people are sick she thinks it is the water.  How should one know?  I don't.


Today during one of our lessons a bat was flying around.  Nicole tried to bat it out of the air with her hand.  I offered her my hymnbook and she stunned it.  We got this video.  Fun memories.  I hope the bat is happily eating insects again.  I do appreciate them, just outside.

We had dinner at our house with President Ward and his wife last night.  Poor man.  He had  more than one baptism, our dinner date, and the district called him (same day) and asked him to speak at a fireside (5 couples attended) they were holding.  He has trouble saying no.  His mission makes ours look like a piece of cake.  I love how our mission takes us into the homes of the people.  We get to try new things and have new experiences more than they do.  We also get to spend much more time together which we enjoy a lot.

Darin was pointing out that many of the things we try aren't our favorites.  He's right, but I still enjoy trying them.  This week we tried bollos, fried corn meal hot dog things, after I got to grind the corn.  I forgot to take a picture.  Rod was teaching our student during this time.  I thought he'd enjoy the teaching more than the grinding.  She also gave us a drink made from sprouted corn.  When we told another student that we'd had it, they accused us of breaking the word of wisdom saying that it is usually alcoholic.  This sister assured us that it wasn't, and I'm trusting.  Not real great -- I vote for banning it and would use the Word of Wisdom if necessary to bypass it another time.

Jose Angel Moran, a student from Penonome, called to tell us he'd received his call to Costa Rica.  It has been a long time coming, but he's thrilled.  We are too.  Missions can make a big difference in the life of a youth.  (Or old people like us, as well).  We are glad to be here.  Thank you for all your support.

End of an era, start of a new

Here is a makeshift table and chair for our lesson.  The girl at whose house we would normally have been was gone.  So we went to the young man's house.  As a bonus, we picked up one of his friends who lives close by.  We took this picture because we needed to be more than normally creative.  Often we use the arms of an overstuffed chair for a table, 5 gallon buckets work well for chairs.  They often don't have low tables where you don't have to crane your hands to play.  We are very anxious that none of our students get carpal tunnel.

Here we are with the table in use by the new student.  We often teach outside to pick up any stray breeze and stay out of the way of the family.

Janell insists that we have a graduation concert -- and she is right.  This is for Conception and Solano branches.  The first two rows are students who are playing.  They got to pick the hymn(s) to play.  There was only modest overlap -- I think there was some competition to find something different.  We played 'name that tune' to start things off as more people trickled in.  It puts a nice closure to our teaching and seems to leave people feeling good about themselves, the church and looking to continue to learn.  One young man played 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' and another got the keyboard to play accompaniment to Silent Night (we only teach the basics, he had to read the manual).
Janell had plenty of pumpkin bread and then we went to the grandmother of several of our students so that Janell could feel good about herself again -- She felt overdue for a haircut -- scalped is what she got!!  She forgot that some of these people may be Lamanites!!
Luckily, she likes scalped.

Here is Michael who played along with the keyboard for silent night.

I think letting the students learn (maybe even encouraging them) alternate songs like 'Titanic' helps keep them motivated.  Janell isn't as sure.  At any rate, Ashley is a star student here and had Titanic memorized. Our rule is that if you're learning a hymn a week we'll help you learn something else that you like.

Janell had her first sick day today.  She slept in the car every chance she got, and I got to give a first student lesson while she slept in their hammock.  Tonight seems to be better.  I think it was a blessing from the Lord so that she could direct the concert. He does send blessings our way.

Clean Sweep

 David was here for his lesson and Rod took over with the washing.  He's studying the centrifuge of the washer.  Usually it takes lots of patience for me.  He figured out that you can just squash the clothes in and usually the machine accepts it.  After over a year I find out this.
I should be grateful and I guess I am.

 This man was passing our house one day.  He has these plants cut to make brooms that people use to clean up the leaves outside their homes.  He posed, but wasn't really pleased when my camera was on video and it took me a minute to change it.  He had work to do.

 This woman was sweeping her leaves every day when we walked by.  One day I helped her sack them up.  Every day!! Not just in the autumn.  See her broom?  I found a saying on Facebook that I enjoyed.
It says "Women are angels, and when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly on a broomstick.  We're flexible like that."

 

 Years ago I enjoyed reading a comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, (I think).  He had "You might be a red neck" sayings.  At the time I laughed because he said you might be a redneck if the crack in your van window goes all the way across.  At the time, we had two in that condition.  Here is my addition.  You might be a redneck if you are a rooster in Panama.

 Rod thought you might enjoy seeing our schedule.  It has about 85 students on it.  We are assuming some will atrophy, but we are plenty busy.  We keep saying we're going to say no, but we don't quite know how.  Today, we both said no, for a miracle.  A mom wanted her child to have an appointment but she was too young, attending a class already, and the mom wouldn't accept the only opening we had.  End of story.  Wow!

This schedule is after a week of changes.  The pristine one is below.  We'll print again tomorrow.

People are appreciative for the most part, and I think we couldn't ask for more rewarding work.  The Savior lives, and His gospel is true.

Our "Third" Mission Begins

We have had a week of miracles as we've begun work in the city of David. People have helped us find our way around and have been very helpful as we were a bit late here and there. We received a lunch (from a home business family), ice cold watermelon which even Rod, a dedicated non-melon lover, had to admit tasted pretty good in the heat when he had the bite of the heart, as well as various drinks.

This appointment goes for 3 hours and has 6 students. (not counting the baby). There were others who came and went around their seminary schedule. Unfortunately, no one seems to have great desire here, but we like to give everyone an opportunity if they ask.
This appointment comes after our marathon one, and has 4 students, all a bit older and interested. We came away from it invigorated after being so tired we wondered how we could face one more
These girls' older brother taught us the ropes in his ward. This is called "typical" dress. Lots of work goes into the hair jewelry. The sisters do it for relief society meetings sometimes.
One night Rod called me into our "bedroom" to see a small lizard. I took photos of him and then let him be.


Later as we were sitting at the computer, Rod felt something on his neck and brushed it off. It was the lizard again. He ran away, seemingly unhurt. When I went to bed that night, Rod was reading and I looked down and there was the lizard crawling up my stomach. I put my arm down to make sure he didn't reach my neck, and he JUMPED onto it. Then he jumped onto the bed. At that point (which I've been regretting because I should have taken videos of the jumping) we decided he was just too friendly and Rod carried him outside.
Here he is on the tabs of my scriptures.

We have missed two days of work this week because there is a blockage of the PanAm highway. Indigenous people are blocking it to protest work the government is doing with hydroelectric plants. It has been blocked for 5 days now, and there is no gasoline to be had because everything comes by the highway. The farmers on this end can't get their produce to market. It will be interesting to see how it all ends. I'd feel better with a bit more food storage, but Rod says we have more than most people. He's right.

Tonight I played for the wedding of Carlos Quintero, our guide for Bocas del Toro when Audrey was here. It started one hour 45 minutes late again. (the other wedding we attended was for the same family) I had been playing more than half an hour after the appointed time to begin when we received a phone call. It was from the mother who'd asked me to play. She said "Sister, did you remember that today is the wedding"? Only much later I thought of a possible other reply, "Yes, I'm here in the church playing. Did YOU forget?" There was a dinner afterwards, but Rod's patience had run out before the food came. We came home for tuna casserole. We are really programmed not to want to have our time wasted.

It's good to remember that this is our mission and our time is the Lord's.

A young man we helped with his mission papers has received his call---to the Utah South Mission!! That is where we live in Utah, I think. What fun!

Thanks to everyone who takes time to read this. It is fun to share.