Penonome Branch #5 "OHHH IM HALFWAY THERE OHHHOH LIVIN ON A PRAYER"

That was my theme song this week.

Me in my traditional Panamanian hat and my corn

Us shucking corn!

A really beautiful piece of corn

Hit my 9 month mark this week!! The baby bump is something everyone does here haha, so I had to do it too!

me in a tractor

a waterfall without water

a mountain

A 9 month Selfie with hna Schroeppel

a little green parrot

Me feeding a toucan! (I was freaking out, but it was really fun)

Some of the Jovenes (youth)

bamboo (all over the place)

us walking with this guy with no shirt and a machete. It was so freaking funny, I had to take a picture!

A million dogs running to come kill us ... (we lived though) #vivePanama

Hola Familia!

If you couldn't tell from the subject line, I hit 9 months this past week. I sure don't feel like I should have that much time, but alas. Here we are! I do not feel like an old missionary, but just as new as ever. Of course when I compare how I was to what I am now, I would not go back and change one thing! Especially with my Spanish haha!

This week, we had a pretty good mix of some great experiences and some kind of crappy experiences.

Goood stuff First!

We started the week great with the Multi-Zone Conference, which always get me motivated. It was also fun because I got to see Hna Vanini after so long!

Then we made some pretty good progress with the people in Anton, so we were feeling pretty good. We also had District Conference on Sunday in Chitre, as we were there a million times this week and it's 3 hours away, so we were pretty tired haha. But it was fun because I got to use my super mom knowledge (thanks mom) and brought a loaf of bread made into pb and j sandwiches becuase I knew that the Elders were all going to forget to bring lunch. I was right! So we fed everyone, including President and Hermana Current haha! Hna Current talked about the ability to receive personal revelation and I felt the Spirit so strong! I know it is real!

Now for the Crappy!

We did our baptismal interviews for Suleima and Angel, and everything was going great! Then on Saturday, as we were waiting for our two baptisms (a mom and her son), they called to tell us that her husband, who had given her permission to be baptized, got drunk and really angry and told them that no one was leaving the house and no one was getting baptized. You can probably see why we were a little bit bummed that day. After that, we decided we would try, and really try to find someone new, but without any success. I can honestly say it was the hardest day in the mission that I have ever had. But I was pretty surprised at how little of a bad effect on me it had. Even though this was an experience I always wished I never would have had, I felt so much help from the Spirit. As I pondered the ultimate question 'why', I felt warmth and comfort. I felt my Savior's love! I could feel that everything would be okay and I felt my faith in the will of God grow. After all, He is a lot smarter than I am, and He knows His timing too.  And even though this was a case when Satan tried his hardest to mess up God's timing, I know that with patience and long suffering, we can win! We will always win! I am so grateful to be on the front lines of His team and through the power of the Atonement, I know I am winning everyday!

Love you all sooooo much!

Trying my best!

Hermana Hallsted

Penonome Branch #4 "No Hay Agua"

Hola Familia!

This week was cool. We didn't have any water at all, so we used our buckets till that ran out, then the church also ran out of water, so everyone just goes and bathes in the river. So that's what we're doing too! It's kinda fun, but I would really love to have some agua and take, like a clean, organism-free shower someday. 

Also this week we went on divisions with the Hna leaders and I got to visit Las Tablas! I was all excited cuz that's where Hna Vanini was born, so it was cool to visit her old area!

This week Suleima painted my nails super pretty, she is really good! She and Angel are gonna be baptized this Saturday, so I am so excited for them!

We met this girl named Chantal, ande she is our age, really cool and we had one of the best lessons ever with her. She's catholic, but not really, haha. She doesn't think people should pray to saints, but to God and we were like Amen!! As we taught about the Joseph Smith story and told her that he saw God and Jesus Christ,, She was totally freaking out haha. She was soooo excited and especially loved the Book of Mormon. We are so excited to see her tonight!

Because there's no water, the toilets are just terrible. We've decided to just go in the house, but it has just been foul haha. Wayyy bad in the Church, cuz everyone has been using the toilets and so the church just reeks haha. Just wanted to mention that. 

Well, I love you all soooo much! I love the Book of Mormon so much! We are reading about the super companionship Alma and Amulek and I looove it! They talk so much about doing things by the Spirit and I know that's true!
Got to go, but love you guys!

Love,
Hermana Hallsted

Penonome Branch #3: "Pe "no, no" me"

Hi fam!

I love my comp, I love my new area, I love Panama, not too big fan of so much sun, but I sure love the awkward tan line on my toes!!

Penonome is beautiful! Mom wanted more weather updates, so it's just like all of Panama during the day (roasty toasty) and it is windy and I actually feel cold at night. I have started to wear socks every night!! Crazy huh? I haven't worn socks since I got here! The people here are way nice, but the work is tough as always. Our area is ginormous, so it stinks cuz there is no way we are gonna be able to go everywhere.

The best success we are having right now is with Suleima and her son, Angel. They are family of a recent convert here, but became investigators after I got here, which is cool so I can see all their spiritual progress. They are really progressing and this week Suleima told us of her strong desire to be baptized and we were just kinda shocked like, "yeah, I think we can make that happen!". We are also working with a man named Jose (classic), and he went to church this week with his girlfriend, who is a member, and loved it! I think he is coming along quite nicely! We also confirmed Nuvia this Sunday! She was baptized the day before I got here and just didn't show up 2 weeks in a row haha! Gotta love Panamanians!

Highlights of this week were: when Hna Schroeppel was telling a lady about her fear of dogs, and the lady switched over to talk about her fear of cars by saying, "I always have this fear that I'll get hit by a car someday" and Hna S responded, "espero que si" which means "I hope so". She missed the transition from dogs to the lady's propio fear hahahhahaha! It was so funny, cuz I was dying and the lady was all offended, and hna S had no idea what was going on!

Also: we go to this area called Anton every Friday, it's like a second area cuz It's super far away, but there are no missionaries out there, so we get to do it. Yay. But this huge guy we were teaching just loved us so much, he kept giving us a toooon of rotten fruit. They're really poor out there, so giving anything just is really nice. We had like 5 big bags full of it when we left. And as we were leaving he gave hna S. a HUGE hug hahaha! It was sooo funny and messed up her hair big time! After we dropped off all the fruit on some random person's door and ran, cuz we didn't know what to do with it haha.

Last one: We had absolutely no water for the past two days. That happens sometimes out here, so we have buckets and we had to take bucket showers with the water we saved in there. But we are kinda running out of water, so we will probs have to go shower at the church if it doesn't come back soon. That'll be fun!

Okay one more: Elder Gay from the seventy came and we had to watch it from Skype from the church, which didnt even work until the last 5 minutes. But what we heard was amazing! He talked about our ability to recieve personal revelation and how it can help us so much in the work. I loved it and I love being a missionary and being able to grow so much in the Spirit and know Jesus Christ is such an amazing experience!

Love you all!

Hermana Hallsted

Penonome Branch #2 "Penonome, Panama"

Us on a playground haha

Me holding a toucan and I was legit freaking out cuz he kept trying to bite me!

The lovely mountains of Penonome

It's legit sooo pretty! jKinda hard to find people tho haha

panamanian graveyard

Hna Schroeppel and I!! I love her!

Me eating a teeny tiny banana!

My super tan!

a parrot eating spaghetti

Hello my beautiful family!

This was only my first week in Penonome?? Wow, I feel like it has been forever!

Its not polluted here at all, only in one central street that we hardly ever go too. Normally we are just up in the beautiful mountains! Suuuper spread out! tons of animals! Also there is a tiger family that lives in the mountains so every one tells us we have to be careful and stuff, its pretty cool.

President moved me to where it's cooler! Yup! I'm like freezing here haha I'm gonna die when i get home.

Sooo guess who has impetigoooooo. Just a lil bit under my eye. Started today, so well see what happens tomorrow.

This week was probably one of the busiest of my entire life! We were teaching like crazy and going all over the place. When we have a Zone meeting, we have to travel 3 hours! My area is super huge and suuuuper far away! And for a District meeting we go about an hour and a half. So we do a lot of bus riding.

We found and invited to be baptized a mom Suleima and her son Angel, and they came to church on Sunday!!! They are so super awesome and I can't wait to see where we go with them!

On Branch President and his wife came and it was really fun to see them! I had to play to piano and the kids did a musical number and made me play that too, and without practicing or anything before, I did it! I was soooo nervous! But the Lord was definitely on my side, because I did okay. I really wish I learned more hymns before the mission. I know everyone says that. It's true.

Our branch really wants to become a ward, so the members are helping out a ton with the mission work, which is awesome!

Well, tell you more next week! I don't really have any time sorry!

Love you all!!

Love

Hna Hallsted