Hola!
Question: How’s the work going in Ustupu?
Elder Doxey: Well, at the moment, it is P-day I am here at the Ustupu branch basketball court with Elder Richins, and a solid 17 year old church member by the name of Jose Smith (that is really his name)!
Jose is probably the most active member of our branch, and a pretty good basketball player. His parents are church members, as is his 15 year old sister. His sister cooks most of our meals and is a really good support to us. We pay her to cook and she does a great job.
Question: Has this week been any different than last week?
Elder Doxey: Yes. I have been in my area practically the whole week, which feels amazing.
Last week after that crazy time being stranded on Carti-Tupile (after getting the food for the zone) and sleeping in the branch building, we finally got back to Ustupu. Then, two days later Pres. Garrett called and asked me to come back to Panama City for a leadership conference. Ugghh. Zone Leaders travel a lot. Elder Richins and I grabbed our bags, our hammocks and were off.
Of course, the panga that was supposed to pick us up and take us straight to the ground transport as planned never showed up. So, we got a late start for Panama City and had to island hop (making tons of stops at each little island) rather than go directly where we needed to go in the panga.
By Tuesday we were back in Panama City for the leadership conference. At the leadership conference, there were 30 mission leaders there. We talked about goals. The Elders that were finishing their missions bore their testimonies.
On Wednesday night, we were back in the Nargana branch for the night, which is near the North end of the zone up the coast. Ustupu is at the South end of the zone, down the coast toward Colombia. When we finally got back to Ustupu, we settled in and tried to keep the work going here. We have slept in Ustupu for four nights straight now, so that’s pretty good.
Question: Are you teaching Seminary on Ustupu?
Elder Doxey: No. There is a seminary teacher called and that teacher handles it all.
Question: Would you consider Ustupu a strong branch? Do church members help with missionary work?
Elder Doxey: Yes, it is a strong branch. Church members are willing to help but I have not been here much to tell you the truth. The momentum of keeping missionary work going and having pools of people to find, teach and baptize can stop immediately if we are not even in the area.
If you have not been in your area for 10-12 days, you can pretty well count on all missionary work progress to stop. It is hard to balance being a Zone Leader but also doing the normal missionary work I need to be doing myself with Elder Richins. We’re just getting lessons set up with Gina, Ina and Jeanette but have not taught them yet.
Question: Last week you mentioned Elder Gutke was getting sick. Is that still the case?
Elder Doxey: Yes. He actually got really sick—so sick that we made the decision to fly him out of San Blas to Panama City yesterday. I did not know he was that sick because I had not been able to speak to him for two weeks. As you know, he was on Playon Chico, then in Irgandi with me, and then he went back to Playon Chico because there is a health clinic/ hospital there. He did not look good at all. He thinks he had lost 40 lbs. because of a parasite.
Question: Did it help to get him to the clinic on Playon Chico?
Elder Doxey: Efforts at the clinic on Playon Chico did not seem to do much for him. We were talking to the mission nurse about how we could help Elder Gutke and she recommended we try to go buy some applesauce to get some calories in him, but of course that is not something I’ve seen anywhere in San Blas. We’re probably 9 hours away from the closest applesauce!
I don’t think the mission nurse was happy that we waited so long to talk to her about Elder Gutke being sick. Elder Richins and I went to see how he was doing and asked him if he thought he needed to leave San Blas. He said, “Yes” so I made arrangements, got him on a plane and he’s now in Panama City.
Question: How has your health been?
Elder Doxey: Perfect. How’s yours? Well, I guess I could say I had a nice black hornet sting me when we were walking through the jungle, but that’s normal. I went to a health clinic and the doctor there wanted to charge me $20 for a little tube of ointment. No deal. I look at all these nice Kuna folk that get stung all the time like this, and they get by without a $20 tube of ointment. I’m just watching it, and trying to not let it get infected.
When I was in Panama City, President Garrett talked to me about health. He said, “Elder Doxey, what are you doing that makes you never get sick? How are you so healthy?” I told him, I just drink the healthy water, and eat the healthy food.
President Garrett later said, “You know Elder Doxey, you’ve been out there for 7 months. You have to imagine your time out there might be limited. What do you think about that?” I told him, “Of course I’ll go wherever I’m needed, but I love it out in San Blas. I could be out there a year or more and be happy!” He said he would take it all into consideration when changes come. Later, Elder Richins was talking to him about the same topic, and he told President “Elder Doxey knows San Blas really well. He needs to stay out there forever!” I thought that was funny.
Question: What are some of your goals this week?
Elder Doxey: Teach lessons. Set dates. Conversions.
Question: Have you had any baptismal interviews to do lately?
Elder Doxey: Yes. The sisters on Carti-Tupile have been teaching a young man who was ready to be baptized. I conducted the interview over Google Hangouts.
Question: Is there anyone on Ustupu who knows anything about church members on the island of Ailigandi? We know Jose Coleman lived there, as did Aurelio Munoz. Aurelio is probably 80 now, but has a big family and all were church members. They even wanted to come up to BYU at one point. Someone has to know that family. Ustupu is the closest branch to Ailigandi. Will you ask everyone in your branch if they know of Aurelio’s family?
Elder Doxey: Yes. I know there is not a branch on Ailigandi, but there is an Evangelical church. It is against the rules to go out of our area, but I will ask church members in the branch if they know any church members over there.
Gotta run.
Love to all,
Elder Doxey
Question: How’s the work going in Ustupu?
Elder Doxey: Well, at the moment, it is P-day I am here at the Ustupu branch basketball court with Elder Richins, and a solid 17 year old church member by the name of Jose Smith (that is really his name)!
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| Local Traditional Ceremony |
Jose is probably the most active member of our branch, and a pretty good basketball player. His parents are church members, as is his 15 year old sister. His sister cooks most of our meals and is a really good support to us. We pay her to cook and she does a great job.
 |
| Dinner |
Elder Doxey: Yes. I have been in my area practically the whole week, which feels amazing.
 |
| Dule Masi, and More Dule Masi |
Last week after that crazy time being stranded on Carti-Tupile (after getting the food for the zone) and sleeping in the branch building, we finally got back to Ustupu. Then, two days later Pres. Garrett called and asked me to come back to Panama City for a leadership conference. Ugghh. Zone Leaders travel a lot. Elder Richins and I grabbed our bags, our hammocks and were off.
 |
| Basketball with Church Members in Carti-Tupile |
Of course, the panga that was supposed to pick us up and take us straight to the ground transport as planned never showed up. So, we got a late start for Panama City and had to island hop (making tons of stops at each little island) rather than go directly where we needed to go in the panga.
 |
| Island Hopping Around the San Blas Zone |
By Tuesday we were back in Panama City for the leadership conference. At the leadership conference, there were 30 mission leaders there. We talked about goals. The Elders that were finishing their missions bore their testimonies.
 |
| It's Sooo Nice to Be Home in Ustupu! |
On Wednesday night, we were back in the Nargana branch for the night, which is near the North end of the zone up the coast. Ustupu is at the South end of the zone, down the coast toward Colombia. When we finally got back to Ustupu, we settled in and tried to keep the work going here. We have slept in Ustupu for four nights straight now, so that’s pretty good.
Question: Are you teaching Seminary on Ustupu?
Elder Doxey: No. There is a seminary teacher called and that teacher handles it all.
 |
| Amazing Handwork in Ustupu |
Question: Would you consider Ustupu a strong branch? Do church members help with missionary work?
Elder Doxey: Yes, it is a strong branch. Church members are willing to help but I have not been here much to tell you the truth. The momentum of keeping missionary work going and having pools of people to find, teach and baptize can stop immediately if we are not even in the area.
If you have not been in your area for 10-12 days, you can pretty well count on all missionary work progress to stop. It is hard to balance being a Zone Leader but also doing the normal missionary work I need to be doing myself with Elder Richins. We’re just getting lessons set up with Gina, Ina and Jeanette but have not taught them yet.
Question: Last week you mentioned Elder Gutke was getting sick. Is that still the case?
Elder Doxey: Yes. He actually got really sick—so sick that we made the decision to fly him out of San Blas to Panama City yesterday. I did not know he was that sick because I had not been able to speak to him for two weeks. As you know, he was on Playon Chico, then in Irgandi with me, and then he went back to Playon Chico because there is a health clinic/ hospital there. He did not look good at all. He thinks he had lost 40 lbs. because of a parasite.
 |
| Some Buildings in Ustupu are Made of Cement |
Question: Did it help to get him to the clinic on Playon Chico?
Elder Doxey: Efforts at the clinic on Playon Chico did not seem to do much for him. We were talking to the mission nurse about how we could help Elder Gutke and she recommended we try to go buy some applesauce to get some calories in him, but of course that is not something I’ve seen anywhere in San Blas. We’re probably 9 hours away from the closest applesauce!
I don’t think the mission nurse was happy that we waited so long to talk to her about Elder Gutke being sick. Elder Richins and I went to see how he was doing and asked him if he thought he needed to leave San Blas. He said, “Yes” so I made arrangements, got him on a plane and he’s now in Panama City.
 |
| Ustupu |
Question: How has your health been?
Elder Doxey: Perfect. How’s yours? Well, I guess I could say I had a nice black hornet sting me when we were walking through the jungle, but that’s normal. I went to a health clinic and the doctor there wanted to charge me $20 for a little tube of ointment. No deal. I look at all these nice Kuna folk that get stung all the time like this, and they get by without a $20 tube of ointment. I’m just watching it, and trying to not let it get infected.
When I was in Panama City, President Garrett talked to me about health. He said, “Elder Doxey, what are you doing that makes you never get sick? How are you so healthy?” I told him, I just drink the healthy water, and eat the healthy food.
President Garrett later said, “You know Elder Doxey, you’ve been out there for 7 months. You have to imagine your time out there might be limited. What do you think about that?” I told him, “Of course I’ll go wherever I’m needed, but I love it out in San Blas. I could be out there a year or more and be happy!” He said he would take it all into consideration when changes come. Later, Elder Richins was talking to him about the same topic, and he told President “Elder Doxey knows San Blas really well. He needs to stay out there forever!” I thought that was funny.
Question: What are some of your goals this week?
Elder Doxey: Teach lessons. Set dates. Conversions.
Question: Have you had any baptismal interviews to do lately?
Elder Doxey: Yes. The sisters on Carti-Tupile have been teaching a young man who was ready to be baptized. I conducted the interview over Google Hangouts.
Question: Is there anyone on Ustupu who knows anything about church members on the island of Ailigandi? We know Jose Coleman lived there, as did Aurelio Munoz. Aurelio is probably 80 now, but has a big family and all were church members. They even wanted to come up to BYU at one point. Someone has to know that family. Ustupu is the closest branch to Ailigandi. Will you ask everyone in your branch if they know of Aurelio’s family?
Elder Doxey: Yes. I know there is not a branch on Ailigandi, but there is an Evangelical church. It is against the rules to go out of our area, but I will ask church members in the branch if they know any church members over there.
Gotta run.
Love to all,
Elder Doxey
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