Hola Familia,
It’s been really hot here lately, and the rainy season is definitely upon us. My hair is getting as blonde as it was when I was a kid, and the sun is turning me brown. We had a solid week this week. There are three really good experiences I have to share:
Emerson Morris Baptism
We had a really good baptism this week! Emerson Morris is 13 years old, and from right here in Irgandi. He is a friend of our “superstar church member” Christian. His friends are literally his family. He is with them at all times.
Here is how it all happened…we set a baptismal date with him 8 days ago, but he seemed only marginally committed. (He is the same person that was interviewed after we were locked out of the satellite room in our branch--the one where Christian saved the day and came and opened it with a pair of scissors). Then, Emerson disappeared. That was a super stressful moment last week.
Because we do not have a phone, the only real way of getting the baptismal interview done is to catch the APs while they are on their computers. They are probably the only missionaries in Panama who are there at the ready to do interviews over FaceTime or Google Hangouts, as needed. So, we were lucky to get them.
Back to the story…well, one detail I left out last week is that one of the reasons he disappeared so quickly is because we too had to leave, and we just got separated without a way to connect again. Part of the reason for our separation is that right after his interview we had to leave to another island to be enroute to an all mission conference in Panama City. Emerson didn’t know any better so he just took off.
The crazy thing is that what caused all this confusion is the lack of a reliable panga (boat) schedule or sense of time to get to other islands. We were rushing to see if a boat was coming by that we could catch before it got too dark (it is not wise to get on any boats as it is getting dark—big no no).
We got there for the boat and ended up not being able to catch it after all because by the time it showed up, it was too dark. This meant we would have to wait until morning and catch the first boat out. All this time, we had no idea where Emerson went.
Well, we caught the first panga out the next morning, went to our conference and came back to Irgandi, and there was Emerson! Literal miracle. We asked if he was ready to be baptized and he said yes! So, Elder Yapias went and got his white pants, and we headed for the river to baptize him. Christian and I were the witnesses. It was a really spiritual, peaceful experience. We confirmed Emerson right there on the bank of the river. Super good experience.
Miracle on Ukupa & Fabiano Perez Baptismal Date Next Thursday
Getting out to Ukupa Island can be hard at times. We had not been there for two weeks for many reasons. It has been sooooo rainy and the river we have to cross to get to the bridge has been a lot higher than normal.
Plus, earlier this week I had bruised my foot really bad (we only wear Jandals, so it’s part of life) and it hurt to walk. Well, the rain was not letting up anytime soon, so we decided to do the 1.5 mile hike in the pouring rain anyway. The river was harder to cross than normal, and we finally made it out there.
One of the first things we did was go talk to the branch president. While talking to him, he said he was doing tithing settlement and a 14 year old young man named Fabiano Perez came in to review the tithing he had been paying.
Fabiano was a regular, and his family all lives there on Ukupa. It turns out that he was not even baptized yet! There were no records anywhere of him being baptized, and he said he wanted to be baptized! Everyone thought he was already a member! So, the branch president asked us to teach and baptize him. Unreal.
One of the best things is that he speaks Spanish! It is sooo nice to hear fluent Spanish or English after hearing Dule Gaya for so long. We are getting to know him and teaching him. He is originally from Panama City (that is where he learned Spanish so well), and has accepted a baptismal date for next Thursday.
Mission Conference in Panama City
This week we had an “all mission conference” in Panama City, with Elder Brent Taylor training us (in English and Spanish) from 9 am to 4 pm in Bella Vista (near the main offices). He didn’t have a formal agenda but really taught by the Spirit on topics we needed to hear about.
Getting to the conference from Irgandi was a bit sketchy. I already mentioned the first hard part of randomly being able to catch a panga (24 person boat) when we needed one to get from Irgandi to Playon Chico Island, where we would pick up more people.
You might think of pangas like a floating, randomly available boat system (kind of like buses with no schedule) that shuttle people long distances to islands that are hours away (e.g. anytime you would not use a cayuco in deep open water). They are stopping and picking up people or dropping them off all the time at random little islands.
Well, the boat ride to get to our transport through the Panamanian jungle was sketchy to say the least. It is the first time I was a bit scared on the open water. Very rough seas. Big waves…not huge, but big. I thought our panga was going to fall apart. This is exactly why you go with the biggest boat available, all the time. We arrived safely and were on our way to the conference.
The funny thing is that when we arrived at the conference, people were looking at us like we just returned from being on the moon. They were asking what San Blas is like, how we do this, how we do that, pretty funny. They all want to think they understand it, but they totally don’t. It’s just not even describable.
Some of the APs were talking to us, and asked how they could help. Honestly, the best way they can help is to just speak English or Spanish to us rather than Dule Gaya. It is literally so refreshing to hear Spanish and English.
Thanksgiving is coming soon. Of course nobody on Irgandi cares (as you would imagine) but Elder Yapias and I are going to cook 20 lbs of rice with ketchup for the whole village. They love ketchup b/c it’s pretty rare. We’re excited. The jovens (teenagers) are excited too.
They are so funny, one of the main reasons they love to talk to us is to use our propane cook stove. That cook stove is the main draw to our place. They’ll go out and catch an octopus or fish to eat and want to come over and cook it / season it with our seasonings (or not) and eat. We have to be careful that they don’t eat all of our food. We give them what we can, but we have to be smart about it so we don’t run out!
Gotta run. Much love,
Elder Doxey
It’s been really hot here lately, and the rainy season is definitely upon us. My hair is getting as blonde as it was when I was a kid, and the sun is turning me brown. We had a solid week this week. There are three really good experiences I have to share:
 |
| Christian, Elder Yapias, Emerson Morris, Elder Doxey |
Emerson Morris Baptism
We had a really good baptism this week! Emerson Morris is 13 years old, and from right here in Irgandi. He is a friend of our “superstar church member” Christian. His friends are literally his family. He is with them at all times.
Here is how it all happened…we set a baptismal date with him 8 days ago, but he seemed only marginally committed. (He is the same person that was interviewed after we were locked out of the satellite room in our branch--the one where Christian saved the day and came and opened it with a pair of scissors). Then, Emerson disappeared. That was a super stressful moment last week.
Because we do not have a phone, the only real way of getting the baptismal interview done is to catch the APs while they are on their computers. They are probably the only missionaries in Panama who are there at the ready to do interviews over FaceTime or Google Hangouts, as needed. So, we were lucky to get them.
Back to the story…well, one detail I left out last week is that one of the reasons he disappeared so quickly is because we too had to leave, and we just got separated without a way to connect again. Part of the reason for our separation is that right after his interview we had to leave to another island to be enroute to an all mission conference in Panama City. Emerson didn’t know any better so he just took off.
The crazy thing is that what caused all this confusion is the lack of a reliable panga (boat) schedule or sense of time to get to other islands. We were rushing to see if a boat was coming by that we could catch before it got too dark (it is not wise to get on any boats as it is getting dark—big no no).
We got there for the boat and ended up not being able to catch it after all because by the time it showed up, it was too dark. This meant we would have to wait until morning and catch the first boat out. All this time, we had no idea where Emerson went.
 |
| Elder Yapias baptizing Emerson Morris in the river near Irgandi |
Well, we caught the first panga out the next morning, went to our conference and came back to Irgandi, and there was Emerson! Literal miracle. We asked if he was ready to be baptized and he said yes! So, Elder Yapias went and got his white pants, and we headed for the river to baptize him. Christian and I were the witnesses. It was a really spiritual, peaceful experience. We confirmed Emerson right there on the bank of the river. Super good experience.
Miracle on Ukupa & Fabiano Perez Baptismal Date Next Thursday
Getting out to Ukupa Island can be hard at times. We had not been there for two weeks for many reasons. It has been sooooo rainy and the river we have to cross to get to the bridge has been a lot higher than normal.
Plus, earlier this week I had bruised my foot really bad (we only wear Jandals, so it’s part of life) and it hurt to walk. Well, the rain was not letting up anytime soon, so we decided to do the 1.5 mile hike in the pouring rain anyway. The river was harder to cross than normal, and we finally made it out there.
One of the first things we did was go talk to the branch president. While talking to him, he said he was doing tithing settlement and a 14 year old young man named Fabiano Perez came in to review the tithing he had been paying.
 |
| Elder Doxey pounding hard red rice last week, separating the husk from the rice grain |
Fabiano was a regular, and his family all lives there on Ukupa. It turns out that he was not even baptized yet! There were no records anywhere of him being baptized, and he said he wanted to be baptized! Everyone thought he was already a member! So, the branch president asked us to teach and baptize him. Unreal.
One of the best things is that he speaks Spanish! It is sooo nice to hear fluent Spanish or English after hearing Dule Gaya for so long. We are getting to know him and teaching him. He is originally from Panama City (that is where he learned Spanish so well), and has accepted a baptismal date for next Thursday.
Mission Conference in Panama City
This week we had an “all mission conference” in Panama City, with Elder Brent Taylor training us (in English and Spanish) from 9 am to 4 pm in Bella Vista (near the main offices). He didn’t have a formal agenda but really taught by the Spirit on topics we needed to hear about.
Getting to the conference from Irgandi was a bit sketchy. I already mentioned the first hard part of randomly being able to catch a panga (24 person boat) when we needed one to get from Irgandi to Playon Chico Island, where we would pick up more people.
You might think of pangas like a floating, randomly available boat system (kind of like buses with no schedule) that shuttle people long distances to islands that are hours away (e.g. anytime you would not use a cayuco in deep open water). They are stopping and picking up people or dropping them off all the time at random little islands.
Well, the boat ride to get to our transport through the Panamanian jungle was sketchy to say the least. It is the first time I was a bit scared on the open water. Very rough seas. Big waves…not huge, but big. I thought our panga was going to fall apart. This is exactly why you go with the biggest boat available, all the time. We arrived safely and were on our way to the conference.
 |
| On the way to mission conference from Irgandi to Panama City |
The funny thing is that when we arrived at the conference, people were looking at us like we just returned from being on the moon. They were asking what San Blas is like, how we do this, how we do that, pretty funny. They all want to think they understand it, but they totally don’t. It’s just not even describable.
Some of the APs were talking to us, and asked how they could help. Honestly, the best way they can help is to just speak English or Spanish to us rather than Dule Gaya. It is literally so refreshing to hear Spanish and English.
Thanksgiving is coming soon. Of course nobody on Irgandi cares (as you would imagine) but Elder Yapias and I are going to cook 20 lbs of rice with ketchup for the whole village. They love ketchup b/c it’s pretty rare. We’re excited. The jovens (teenagers) are excited too.
They are so funny, one of the main reasons they love to talk to us is to use our propane cook stove. That cook stove is the main draw to our place. They’ll go out and catch an octopus or fish to eat and want to come over and cook it / season it with our seasonings (or not) and eat. We have to be careful that they don’t eat all of our food. We give them what we can, but we have to be smart about it so we don’t run out!
Gotta run. Much love,
Elder Doxey
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