Panama is becoming my home.

Ah man. If you guys only knew how much I love reading your emails. It just makes me so grateful for all the blessings The Lord is blessing our family with. It´s awesome to think that pretty soon our family will recieve twice the blessings!! DAVE! I´m so dang pumped. You ready for my guess? Japan. I really feel like you´re gonna be a 12 weeker in the MTC - if it´s not japanese or chinese, it´ll be some other hard language. You´ve got brains for a reason, my man. Anyway. I can´t wait to find out this upcoming week.

So anyway. I´ve just gotta tell you guys first thing. Panama is becoming my home. Last night we were out visiting with a member in the cool night, and it just felt homey!! It reminded me so much of a peaceful sunday night walk back in American Fork. Except the members like my friends and family. The neighborhood just like my neighborhood at home. Man. It was weird but it just helped me realize how much I am loving this place! Being a missionary is the best.

Allright so best news of the week - we had a baptism Saturday!! Síria. The other fecha - Ariel - we had him postponed till the 10th of November cuz he wasn´t quite ready... and the 3rd of November - this upcoming Saturday - is indepence day here in Panama. Their celebrations are crazy too - just like the 4th of July. Sooo.... we figured no one would really show up to a baptism that day. Haha. But anway... the baptism of Síria was awesome!!! Elder Stegelmeier´s first in the mission :) Him and I sang ¨I like to look for rainbows¨ (Cuando me bautice) for the special musical number, and Síria chose me to baptize her. It was a great service.

Also. I don´t know if you guys heard or anything...... but recently there has been a lot of issues here in Panama. The government had temporarily passed a law to sell of all the extra land of the panama canal.... and the people went bonkers. Protests, food hoards, robbings, etc, and even a couple deaths broke out throughout the country, but mostly just in Colon - the city closest to the canal. Anyway. as a result, the missionaries in Colon were pulled out for safety, and dispersed throughout the rest of the mission. We were lucky enough to have 2 more Elders accompany us this week in the house as a result!! Elder Olivas and Elder Mendez - from El Salvador and Honduras, respectively. We did splits and stuff and it was really awesome. We also had a huge noche de hogar (multi-family night) this past Thursday and it was a huge success. The work is going wonderfully here, and I´m focusing in on trying to find some new investigators for Elder Stegelmeier and his new comp.... I think I´m leaving the area the 14th of November. But knock on wood.... who knows... maybe I´ll stay! That´s pretty much all the news I have for you guys. Oh! Actually... I got my birthday package :) I sent a pic of it waiting in my closet..... haha. Super excited. Lastly, I would just like to say that I love my bishop. Obispo Sanjur. What a man.

Allright well you guys have a wonderful week! I love you all and can´t wait to hear about Dave´s mission call!!! Chou!

-Elder Clarke