Okay so first off I am going to have to apologize. I can´t really upload photos because the computers have a 50% chance of destroying your sd card... also these emails won´t be as long because i only have 1 hour down here and the chances of my sentences being written correctly is slimmer because i have to use a spanish keyboard and have no idea how to do certain things.
my journey to panama was crazy. So we took the plane to Houston then to panama and when we arrived the first thing I saw once i got out of the airport was a stop sign that said ¨alto¨ then i thought ¨what did i get myself into¨. that night we stayed in a hotel which looking back i should have taken better advantage of... but the next morning we went to work out in the hotel gym... it was so hot. i was sweating like crazy. the humidity is crazy but i was expecting it to be worse. that day i took my first bus and taxi too... its crazy. and people charge more money because i am white.. dumb. you have to hold on for dear life. the roads really have no order and the drivers just drive. i was terrified. we got to the main bus station to buy bus tickets because my area is 12 hours away from the city... yeah i had to take a 12 hour bus ride. i am in a little town called Bocus del Torro.
we have a little branch.. it is super tiny. the culture is so different. my first day here i saw 3 women just openly breastfeed their child while talking to us... yeah. we walk pretty much everywhere.. the first couple of days i had cankles. i wake up every morning with 1 or 2 more bug bites on my legs... our house is litteraly as big as my bedroom back home. that isn´t a lie. my closet is the size of our bathroom and our shower consists of a bucket full of cold water and a littler bucket to scoop the water. it isn´t so bad though because it isn´t cold whether.
panama is so different than california but it is beautiful here and the people are so willing to talk to you. i don´t really like how much i stand out. i am the only white girl with red hair and green eyes... but hermana hendley my mtc comp is in my zone which is super cool. she is the only one i can talk to and understand completely what she is saying. i am starting to think spanglish.
my companion is so great. her name is hermana barraza and she is the only panamanian in the mission.. that means she doesn´t speak english. my spanish dictionary is seriously my best friend. i can tell that i frustrate her sometimes but i get frustrated too so it is alright. we make it work.
Panama is so different. i have said that a lot but it is true. i already know how much the lord is looking out for me. i am so grateful for my time in california.. if anything i learned how to be a missionary and follow the rules because they don´t follow the rules here. it is hard but i know what i need to do and i am just being responsible for myself in most situations. now that i am here i know that i am going to learn a lot. for starters one thing i have definitely learned was while i was looking at all my bug bites and swollen ankles i realized that it didn´t matter. my body was a gift and as long as i am doing the work god wont let anything hinder it. i can tell you that i know how much i need to be humbled... and without a doubt it is going to happen here.
i love you all so much and i am so grateful for everything you have done for me. you all are my greatest support and i look forward to emailing you every week. things arent as easy here. there are much more struggles and challenges that we dont have in the united states and it is sad to see how people live sometimes. must of the peole here live inside 4 walls. life isn´t easy for us and i thank god everyday for the family that i have and for everything that i hadn´t even realized he had blessed me with. his hand is in everything. i learn that more and more everyday.
i love you all. i am so blessed to have you.
Love, Hermana Eardley
No comments:
Post a Comment