Keys and kids

 Yohanna got tired of playing her pieces after an hour and her family didn't come to pick her up.  We played Go Fish, and she read "Where the Wild Things Are" to me.  I enjoy her a lot.

 She brought me flowers again.  Her mother lets her cut them from their garden in Volcan.  Some of them last several days.  I really enjoy them.

 Keys and locks are not our favorite here.  Seldom do they work properly.  Yesterday we were in Boquete and forgot that the front door lock doesn't work.  We inserted the key and it wouldn't come out, or open the door or anything.  We decided to call the repairman who told us we'd need to handle it.  We called the Church Education System person (who is also a member of the mission presidency) who lives next door.  He was at a baptism in David.  He said "Oh hermana, that lock doesn't work"  DUHHH!!!  Anyway, by this time we were several miles down the road with a carload of kids. He wanted us to go back and break off the key so no one could possibly get in (even though we couldn't get in either).  Rod grudgingly turned around.  The kids wanted to try to get the key out.  I'd prayed all the way back thinking this might be a simple thing for the Lord to take care of, but we didn't get a miracle.  I finally borrowed pliers from a guy at a car wash across the street  and we tried with those.  When it just wouldn't work, I broke off the key and here it is.  I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do, but...

 Sunday morning with four students slated to play their first time in Las Lomas.  They were nervous.  The member of the bishopric told me "Hermana, you look more nervous than the kids.  Don't worry.  If it doesn't work, we'll just turn on the CD."  NOT what I wanted to hear.  They actually did fine.  Some almost perfect.  It is a big challenge to make yourself get over nerves and just do it.  I sat beside these kids to give them confidence.  They all got the idea that this might be interesting and fun LATE.  I'm not sure if they can pull it off to earn their keyboards.  I hope so.

 This lady is blind and on dialysis.  She is the grandmother of three of our students.  This grandson, William, was sitting by her in Sunday School class today.  Pretty sweet.  She's from Bocas del Torro, on the coast of Panama.  She gave us avocados one day, and called them "Peras", pears, because of their shape.  English (Jamaican) is part of her culture.

 I never get tired of these "group of students enjoying each other and the music".  We do have fun.

 Abril started really late and hasn't taken off.  This brother Alvarado tries to look out for her and calls her when she doesn't come for her lessons. 

 We were invited to dinner Thursday night.  Often there is a fair amount of time just sitting by ourselves and waiting until dinner is ready.  This time Rod had a book, so while I played Go Fish with the kids, he read.  He has played Go Fish so many times that he has no desire to play it again unless he is partners with a small child.

 Count your blessings normally at 45rpm playing at 78rpm

These two kids are our 11 year olds.  Genesis, directing with me, I think will learn her 10 hymns.  Lorenzo won"t unless we have another miracle, but he has learned something.  He did play it flawlessly in church.



The stake president's dog (the apartment under ours) likes to bark at us and jumps when excited.  Janell gets tired of him, but decided the jumping was of interest.

David Caballero, a student from Bugaba, rode the bus in and met us at Price Smart Saturday night.  We cooked meatballs mashed potatoes,pumpkin bread and lemon sauce.  When it came to decide for or against the sauce, I asked David if he'd rather play piano or make the sauce.  He said "Your husband likes the sauce."  I said yes, but that he could do without.  David then said "I like the sauce", so we made it.  We took him home about 8:30 and visited the Romero family. As we pulled up, someone came running down the road.  I said "Is that you , Pipo?"  No answer, so I figured I'd just blown it royally.  It was he, though.  He gave me a hug and then went right in for his teclado.  He sat down and played hymns the entire time as she cut my hair (by then it was 9:00).   One of his cousins, Patricia, a student who stopped practicing while we were there, played 5 hymns.  She may try to finish before we leave.  It's little time, but if she can focus she could do it.
It was a nice, relaxing night.  Rod read a book and didn't finish it until early in the morning.  Wow!  He knows he can sleep while I do things like this blog, I guess.

This week Rod's message was on prayer, taken from the bible dictionary.  Prayer is not meant to, nor can it, change the will of the Lord.  It is meant to help us to gain blessings that we can only have if we ask for them.  It was an interesting week.  I was focused on a need of one of our grandkids, and to hear that message 5 times a day, just after praying, was thought provoking.  Here I am, trying to practice "Thy will be done", and also "There is another kind of faith...it calls forth things that otherwise would not be".  I want to bless my family all that I can through my faith in the Savior.

Our lesson from Alma today talked about the sons of Mosiah and how even though they were doing right, they had hard challenges.  I just read Elder Hales conference talk which talks about life being  a time to have experiences that we learn from.  Shoot! Myles said, "If everything were peachy, you wouldn't be eating mangos there in Panama".  Our friends from Aguadulce, the Trejos family, sent us another box of them.  YUMMM!!!  Life is still good, and our health is still holding.  (That is we continue to pay for insurance and the money all goes for someone else's sicknesses -- guess we can't be too sorry for that!)  Have a great week!

More Flora and Fauna

 I walked to the fruit stand one morning alone.  On my way back I found this leaf.  As a child I wondered about leaves in the garden of Eden, but here in Panama there are leaves big enough to cover.  This one wouldn't work very well, but it was beautiful to me. 

 Here is the other side.  It reminded me of our tarantula, Dirty Harry, for some reason.  I threw it outside after the photos, and it scrunched up and dried and still reminded me of him.  I never tire of the variety that God has created. 

We picked up a student one day and found this (thankfully) dead beetle on his driveway.  His sister and I put our feet by it so that you could see the size.  I'd hate to meet it while it was flying.  The smaller ones are bad enough.

Yesterday we started our Saturday with our directing appointment.  We didn't meet construction on our way to the second one so we were a bit early and stopped at a used bookstore to get books.  We taught at our second appointment normally, but when we continued on to Boquette, neither of our students was there.  We sat in the church parking and read for an hour and a half before continuing on to our  last appointment.  When we arrived there there was no electricity.  We continued on to be on time to a birthday party we'd expected to be really late for.  Rod went to the wrong house (way out of our way) while I continued to read my book.  He didn't say anything aloud when I told him we were at the wrong house, he just backtracked.  When we arrived, we were the first guests and remained the only ones for more than an hour.  The party started 2 hours late.  We're not going to get this one figured out on the mission.  I give up.

Today we attended church in 3rd ward.  The bishop finally called a music coordinator so we wanted to meet her.  She had the music for today, and before we left had selected those for next week.  Hurray!!!
The students who  played sat at the organ until it was time for them to play.  They turned the volume very low and were practicing.  You could just hear the hymns, almost as if you were imagining it.  Then my attention was caught as I was hearing, not a hymn, but Fur Elise.  I caught Angel's eye and wagged my finger at him.  He smiled and changed back to hymns.  Two other students spent the entire hour of relief society in the back of relief society (which is the front of the chapel) practicing the piano.  They have assignments for next week.  I decided if no one else made an issue of it, I wouldn't either.

Our Stake President today talked in our relief society meeting.  He said as a counselor in the mission presidency years ago, he was assigned to guard a door during a meeting in which President Hinckley was speaking.  He had to stay outside and miss it all.  As he was watching, 3 large white cars pulled up.  PRESIDENT HINCKLEY got out of one of them, walked over to him, shook his hand and  patted him on the back and said "Hi, guy".  Fun tiny glimpses!  As he left the meeting, I said "Bye, guy", but he didn't hear, and no one else understood, so only I got to laugh.

I never cease to be amazed at the myriad details that SOMEONE takes care of so that the church can function smoothly.  I love it that each of us is needed so things work out.  Building the talents of the members is part of the magic of the gospel.  I'm glad to be here doing a little bit.

Time to go home .......... almost

 We gave some students a ride to visit a sick member.  This was the house next door. I guess some people like castles.

 These tiny yellow balls on a black tarp are a fruit called Nance.  They collect them and make them into a kind of sauce (it reminds me a LITTLE of apple sauce).  They eat it warm with white cheese.  We tried it and ate it on pancakes (because I can't stand to waste anything, especially anything that required that much effort), but, as Darin says I say a lot, it wasn't our favorite.  They also make a drink out of it, but it smacks of noni to me and I'd rather not eat it.

 This fruit is called Toreta, my student says.  This one is about 5 inches in diameter and isn't mature enough to eat.  I was going to ask for a knife to open it, but I forgot.  Maybe we'll get another chance.

Here it is growing in the tree.  It's tall.  I'm not sure how you'd harvest it.  I'd hate to have it fall on me.

Each time we do something which makes us shake our heads at our forgetfulness or something, we say "It's time to go home".  I suspect when we get home it won't cure this type of behavior.  I've been trying to figure out how you "have patience with yourself" as Elder Uchdorf said in his Forgetmenot talk, and yet keep striving to "do your best" as President Hinckley asked us.  I keep trying to love the people we work with with as much charity as possible.  For me that seems to be the key.  Edyn and I were talking about Elder Uchdorf's counsel to "not judge because the sins of others are different than our own".  I've thought about how grateful I am to have prophets to lead me.  One of my friends once expressed dismay at how I was willing just to follow a prophet.  I feel much more secure following a prophet than any other person or ideology that I could select.

Rod decided to write to Elder Martino, the 1st quorum of 70 member who supervises this area.  Rod wanted to find out his view as to the value of the work we are doing so that we could pursue (or not) the option of recruiting people who might like to do it from the couples who pass through the MTC in Provo.  Elder Martino answered our letter the next day (surprising) and encouraged us to recruit and also to come again ourselves.  We've committed to two years at  home with the family and then we'll see how our health is.  We've certainly been blessed with good health here.

Full-Fledged Fun

 Here is the bird full grown.  He walks around the furniture and they are teaching him to say "Corre"  "Run".  He climbed on Rod's hand with no hesitation. 

We had a concert Friday night.  It was the low-key variety.  This is Kenneth Acosta (right) and Ruben Vasquez.  They were enjoying one another's music before we started.  One of the challenges here is the organ.  It is much larger (I think a full-sized keyboard) and when you sit down to it you don't know where middle C is.  I've been tempted to mark it, but I've preached not marking keyboards for so long that I really hesitate.

We had 33 kids play just one verse of a hymn. We had them put their name in a bottle as they came in and then I drew names and they played in that order.

 We played name that tune to begin because people are always late here.  Those who come on time, I believe, deserve to have something to do, but I hate to begin and have the first students who play have only a few people to play for. And if you can follow that convoluted grammar you are doing well!

Some of the students played marvelously, like Gabriel Miranda who played Called to Serve flawlessly and maybe a little more than as fast as it should be.  Others, surprisingly some of our most accomplished, flubbed miserably.  I feel so badly for them when that happens.  One young man who we never would have expected came flawlessly dressed and played flawlessly.  It was a miracle.  Rod and I both confessed that we were praying hard on that one. We want so desperately for the whole experience to bless their lives and the lives of their families.

I prayed all day for no rain.  It held off until after the concert.  People don't like to come out in the rain.  They really believe that they will get sick if they get wet, even though for us this seems highly unlikely with warm rain.

We took Kenneth and his sister Ana and Ruben and his brother home after.  I asked them what we could do to make the next one better.  Ruben said "practice!!"  His mom told us that sometimes she makes him quit practicing just so she can hear herself think.  She said HER mother told her that she should hush up or just ask for lower volume.
 Ruben played the nation anthem and did a great job of it.  We really did get great variety.  We worried we'd get many repeats, but I think we only got 3.


Here is Gabriel Miranda playing called to serve.


Here is 'medley' of youth gathered sharing, after the 'concert'.

 Usually after an affair like this I am wired and have a hard time going to sleep.  This time, incredibly, it was Rod who couldn't stop talking about it.  It is fun to share something so fully.  We will do it at least once more, maybe twice before we go.

Last Thursday at Krishna Betia's home her father, whom we had never met, came out and visited with us. After a while he came in with a snack for Rod.  It was boiled bananas with a bit of rice and lots of milk.  For some reason boiled bananas (which we have had only once before) is the least favorite (except Noni, of course) of both of us.  Rod began to eat and I continued teaching.  We made it through at least two more verses and still he ate.  When he finished, we packed up, prayed, and went to the car.  When we arrived there her dad called out to us that he'd prepared some for "la hermana".  I gratefully told him we were late to our next appointment and couldn't return.  I counted it as my tender mercy of the day.  I hope he really enjoyed it himself.

One of our students requested books in English to practice with.  I have been wanting books to read, so when we had a cancellation I asked Rod to take me to the Importadora Americana.  They have children's books, often Newberry Award ones for garage sale prices.  We bought a few dollars worth and have been reading all week.  I love the escape of a good book.  It really is relaxing and keeps me from feeling like I need to drive myself all the time. I think my body appreciates it.  Now we have read them and will give them to her.  What a deal!

I love working here.  It is such a blessing to be part of the Lord's work.

Few photos. Life is normal now.

 We always hope that our students will help each other.  Rod was teaching April when Teo came.  He took over and Rod just watched.  It was pretty fun.  I was teaching Daisy in the background. Look at those faces and you can see why each student is precious to us.

 While we were teaching at Genesis' house last Thursday, she noticed these birds.  There was a pair.  He came pretty close .  You can see that he has a very long tail.  The blob at the end is a single feather.  He wags his tail.  You can see it in the video.  He has bright blue band above his eyes, which are in a black band.

Here's a bit closer photo.  He was pretty spectacular.

Sorry it is short, but you can see him wag his tail.

There really is little news this week.  We are wearing out.  Thursday night Rod was ready for bed when a student called to ask permission to come visit.  I tried to talk to the student but his phone cut out.  I assumed he would give up, so I got ready for bed only to hear a "Buenas" outside and here he was.  We did have a fun time with the piano (he's started working and so can't attend his lesson in the day any more).  Rod was frustrated with me as I've been saying I need to cut back.  It really is hard to cut back.  I admit, I don't know how to do it. The good news was that Rod could express it and I could accept it and we'll see if I try harder.

Today we visited Volcan.  We reclaimed a piano from a student who didn't quite earn it and didn't practice after when we gave her the chance.  We also visited our friend Yinive Franchesi and took her to church with us.  Her sister was baptized this afternoon, so we were able to attend the baptism and play the hymns for it. (the pianist arrived too late to do it)  In between we were able to teach a lesson to the District President's wife and a lesson on directing to one of our former students.  It was fun!  Rod started giving me a hard time about trying to fit too much in again.

We brought the other couple missionaries home from Volcan and had a final lesson in Bugaba with Juan Carlos Barahona.  It is interesting to share challenges with the Herreros (the other couple).  They are serving their 6th mission together.  They started earlier than we did.



 It's 8:50 and I'm going to bed.  That's good cutting back, right?
We're still glad to be here, and the gospel is still true.

Friends with fruit, rain and called to serve (kinda)

 We were richly blessed with fruit this week.  Students gave us a hand of natural bananas.  The same day we received a box of mangoes from our friends in Aguadulce.  They are the best we've ever tasted and we have eaten LOTS.  The Lord certainly has made wonderful things for us to eat.  We fill our bowls with mangoes then add raw oatmeal and milk (whole, of course).  The adjustment back to powdered skim may be a bit stiff.

 We had to have both of us pose so we could send the photos back to the Trejos family in Aguadulce.

 Maria, our friend who is organizing the music in one ward and allowing us to teach her to direct (including changing from left hand to right hand), gave us a melocoton.  We use that word for peaches, too, but this was different. 

 Here it is cut in two.  There weren't really large pieces of fruit even though it is large, because the two large seeds were REALLY cling peach pits.  You had to dig the fruit off each one of them.

I refrigerated some of it, and it was just as fresh the next day.
For flavor it was a hit, but I haven't seen it for sale.

We are down to 10 weeks, and I admit we are counting.  Our girls have sent videos lately and we're eager to see the kids in person.  They have certainly grown.

Interestingly, we are counting perhaps as much for the students as for ourselves.  Many just can't seem to feel the need to practice, yet they say they want to continue.

We are in to winter and have had "aguacerro"s or downpours each evening for the last 4 days.  One could get tired of it.  Our neighbor says that these are the nights for robbers to break into cars because the noise of the rain on the roof is so loud you can't hear the glass break.  So far we've been protected. Our problem is that here we are in the house and could call family, but we can't hear the computer at all.  Edyn sent videos and I listened to them again and was surprised to hear voices.  It is LOUD!  Friday night we were taking our usual route home during the rain when we looked ahead and saw a taxi submerged in water and unable to get out.  We reversed, but we found a few big rocks in the bargain and our car's nose is not as happy as it used to be.

We now have 4 of the 7 units who have a music director for us to work with.  It makes a difference for the youth to have someone to organize.  We're hoping the other three units will see the light soon.  One sister who directs poorly (and about whom some have complained) told us how wonderfully grateful she was to have someone offer to teach her because she'd accepted her calling expecting training and had not received any.  It makes me rethink how easily we judge others.

This week Rod was playing while I taught a sister to direct.  He can also direct while I play so that the students get "real" practice.  We are becoming more and more an equal team.  We keep marveling at the magic of being able to work together so much. We would have to go far in order to improve on this mission. 



This is so unprofessional that probably only family (or only we) will enjoy it, but it captures memories with a remarkable young man, Kenneth Acosta,  as well as Rod's persistence in learning.  Both admirable.

Wasp ant hatch

We decided to teach our students in the chapel so that they could have experience playing the organ they would play for church.  The touch is very different, and the keyboard so much larger that they are sometimes confused.  I love Teo looking at Rod, with Rod so relaxed teaching them.  It is wonderful to do this work.

Each Wednesday night we are treated to a special dinner here at the Miranda's.  Sister Miranda takes care with presentation, and the food is delicious.  This is one of the best steaks I ever tasted (I admit I was REALLY hungry) with patacones (double fried platanos) and carrot and cucumber spears.  She brings us the food as we are teaching and we just eat and teach together.  She is a strong mother, holding family home evenings with her children, and encouraging their spiritual growth.

Hattie likes to direct.  She was laughing at the picture because it looks like they are not on the same beat.  I usually play the piano so that they get a real sense of directing, so Rod helps them when they need it.

 This family is interesting.  Our student is the young lady (a returned missionary).  She didn't get the word that lessons were available, but found out from a cousin who is a student.  She just started and is working hard.  She invited us to dinner.  Lovely salad, macaroni, chicken with yummy tomato-based sauce and cheese.
Her older brother is a returned missionary from Nicaragua.  He received his mission call in Russia, where he had gotten a scholarship to study medicine for 7 years.  He spent the first year learning the language and basic biology, chemistry, etc.  Then he transferred to a different city for medicine and the branch of the church was in the next block.  Sounds like he was very active (mission leader).  His English is also quite good.  He is now doing his internship at a small hospital about 5 hours away by bus and boat -- he likes it better than the 1st year he spent in Panama city at a  large hospital.  He was home for the weekend.  He was able to come home every two years, so he basically spent 9 years away from home (mission and school).  The family is more well to do than most.  They seem very nice.

Ant hatch. 

I got started in English, but when Ana started asking questions in Spanish I switched.  She was asking if I hadn't seen something like this in my own country.  I haven't (thankfully).  I was amazed at their calm.  I don't like being buzzed by large flying insects shaped like wasps.

Nicole Ortiz, a student in Lassonde, came for her lesson this week after missing a week for a ward activity.  She said she wanted to play Nearer My God to Thee with both hands as written in the hymnbook.  I explained that it would be difficult and I wasn't sure we had time to do it.  She said "But Sister, I already know it" and she proceeded to play it, a bit slowly, but better than I can do.  I sat with my mouth hanging open.  I asked her how long she had worked at it, and she told me she'd done it in one day.  There are very talented youth here.  I love it that we can give them an opportunity to learn music.  Some of them at least will continue.

I have students asking to play the song "I'll Find You My Friend", written by Linda Leavitt Hartman.  I tried to find to to download, but was unable.  One night I was thinking about it and could see it in Edyn's home.  I called her and asked, and she did have it.  She scanned it and sent it.  With that information, I was able to contact Linda to ask if I could pay her for my copies.  She sent back a lovely letter telling me the story of how she had written it and offering to send autographed copies of the song for each of my students but asking me to then destroy the copies I had made.  I hope we can make it work out in the time we have.  What a generous offer.  She didn't realize that I have more than 70 students.  I didn't ask for that many copies, but she didn't blink at 25.  People are kind. The gospel is true.  I love the Savior.

Just in case anyone would like to read her account, here is the letter she sent:

Beehive Sales beehivesales@mac.com	May 10 (3 days ago)
to me

Hermana Watson,

You might enjoy hearing how the song came to be written.  I sent you in the previous email the story that I read that inspired the song but this is the rest of the story of how it came to be.

Throughout the years I have heard many rumors, stories and other amusing tales of how I'll Find You My Friend came to be.  I chuckle as I hear what has been passed around the church and would like to set the record straight.

I was preparing for my mission to Atlanta, Georgia in 1979 when my sister, Laurel Ann suggested I write a song for my farewell.  I responded with, "I don't know how to write a song, you've got to be kidding!"  When it was her turn to prepare the family home evening lesson, she had the whole family write poetry.  The poetry that came out of our little family was incredible.  This gave me the confidence, and along with her encouragement I decided to try.  Laurel Ann's greatest belief is that "YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT, IF YOU WANT TO BADLY ENOUGH!"

Laurel Ann also suggested calling Wanda West Palmer, composer of "Oh That I Were An Angel", who lived in Mesa to receive directions on how to even begin such a task.  When I called her, she told me the key was just to PRAY--that Heavenly Father would work through me as an instrument in His hands to write down His words.

Two weeks before my farewell the music came as I was visiting in the home of Ray and Frances Rolph.  I worked for two weeks on lyrics but nothing came.  I guess I had faith that it would, because I even asked a close relative, Lynette Carling to sing it for my farewell.

The day before the farewell, Lynette was to be at my home to rehearse the song which still had no lyrics.  She called me from a pay phone at the grocery store to tell me she was running a little late.  I was about to tell her not to come, when her child fell out of the grocery cart and she quickly hung up.  I thought. "she is going to be so disgusted when she drives all the way to my home and I have no song for her to sing."  I went to my room and began going over my notes for my talk when I read a story about two friends in the pre-existence.  One was being sent to an LDS home and one was going to be born to a mother in another part of the country and would know nothing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

After I read the story, I began to tingle.  It was as if a surge of electricity was penetrating my soul.  I felt the Spirit of the Holy Ghost so strongly and I knew this was the time to pray.  As I knelt beside my bed I pled with the Lord to help me with lyrics.  Within a few minutes the lyrics flowed through my mind.  I was finished before she arrived.

In 1985, George W. Dyer and Tina Brunsdale Wright recorded my album entitled, "Ill Find You My Friend."  Since the first publication I'll Find You My Friend has been translated into 20 languages.  In 1987, a sequel to the first album was released entitled, I'll Find You My Friend Part II with a song called I Found You My Friend.  Vocalists are George W. Dyer, Lori Bowen Whittle, Keenan Kanahele and Lynette Vance Carling.