WEEK 1 IN THE FIELD!

¡Hola familia y amigos!

I hope everyone is doing well. This was by far the craziest week of my life, and I have a ton to write about. I will talk about the trip to Panama first. When all 25 of us Elders landed in Panama, it was a hassle and very difficult getting through customs, checking our Covid vaccination cards, security, and stuff because none of us knew spanish so we didn't understand what the people were saying at all. It was the best feeling when we saw the Mission President, his wife, and the APs. We then loaded our luggage on the back of a sketchy truck, and we took a bus to Panama City. I knew for sure that my bags would be lost, but luckily they didn't fall off. We stayed in a pretty nice hotel that night, and we got picked up the next morning by our trainers from the mission office which is also the Stake Center in the city. My comp is Elder Putt and he is super cool. He has taught me a lot already. From there, we walked to the metro and took a 15 minute subway ride then we hopped on a bus which was a 2 hour ride. Then once we got to town, we took a taxi to our house. My area is called El Progreso which is to the left of the Panama Canal and south, right near the beach. This area is super beautiful. 

The first couple days were rough and long because I missed the family a lot and I still do, but General Conference saved me haha. Was that not just absolutely amazing or what?? All of the talks were so good. Even though it took 3 hours to watch the Saturday morning session due to poor connection issues and an hour of buffering overall. Luckily, we went over to the Stake Center and stayed there all day and night to watch the afternoon and night session, and we also watched the morning session there on Sunday. Some of the talks were focused on missionary work and it got me pumped and excited to do the Lord's work. All I want is to stay busy and lose myself so I can forget about home and focus on why I am here. I can't wait to bless the lives of people. For the Sunday afternoon session, we had the plan to watch it at a non-member's home. She wasn't answering for a while, but she finally told us that we could come to her house at 4. So we had to leave in the middle of the session to walk to her house. We got to her house just in time to catch President Russell M. Nelson's talk. Her name is Clementina. She is amazing and loves to talk haha. I didn't understand a word she said the entire time but I know that she enjoyed General Conference. After our Prophet announced the new temples including another one in Texas so let's goooo, we gave her a lesson. The spirit was so strong, and we all felt the spirit. It was just amazing. She even said she felt the spirit also. We´re going to invite her to church next time we see her so hopefully she accepts. After our lesson, we walked to the Canto family's house for dinner. We were an hour late, but they didn't care and they were so nice. The food here in Panama is amazing and I love it more than American food already. I never ever know what I am eating or what it is called, but all I know is that it tastes good and it isn't spicy. Our area spoils us and we are actually treated really well. Apparently we have at least 1 meal every day from family members in our ward. And we also have a lady that washes our laundry every week. She has been washing the clothes of missionaries for 25 years, she said!! I cannot wait to meet all the members for the first time at church this week. 

This morning, Elder Putt and I went on a run to the beach, but sadly we won't be able to go back because apparently it is unsafe. That's okay though because I am sure that I'll see many beaches here. Here in Panama, we walk A TON and I love it, especially after being stuck on zoom calls for 6 weeks. We also take buses if we have to go somewhere that is farther away, like the Stake Center. All the buses are super cool and colorful, and it's only like 50 cents. Panama is super hot, humid, and rains a lot, that's for sure. At first I thought the rain would suck but it's actually so refreshing and keeps us cool, so I love it when it rains. Right now it is winter in Panama so I am not looking forward to summer haha especially because it never rains in the summer apparently. 

Anyways, something that stood out to me during the conference was a quote from the scriptures. It was "Be of good cheer, do not fear." This quote brought me much peace and I realized that God wants us to be successful. No matter what hardships we have, everything will turn out okay. There is much to look forward to! Another quote that is constantly in my head is a quote that my brother, Michael left in my journal. The quote is "Shall we not go on in so great a cause?´" I am so thankful for this quote that my brother shared with me, because these words by Joseph Smith are so powerful, and we must do everything we can to participate in God's work, to bring his children back to him. 

I love you all, 

Elder Felt