Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Wow

Wow it has been a VERY long time since I've blogged. I think I say that every time I update my blog and I know I'm terrible at it but hopefully once I finish school I'll be better. I saw the last time I blogged was when we were about to go to Panama, back in MAY! So this blog will be all about the trip. To save myself from a lot of typing and whoever reads this from a lot of reading, this post is mainly pictures and will be the main points of the trip.

Going to Panama was such a great experience! I had never been out of the country and to be able to go back to my husband's mission with him was awesome. Zach always told me how Panama was and what to expect, but you never know until you experience it. It was definitely a humbling experience when I met those people, saw how little they had, and yet how happy and giving they were. There were so many times when we would visit families and they would grab whatever food and drink they had to give it to us. Sometimes they even sent their kids to the store just to buy us crackers and soda because that was all they could afford. It was so humbling. So the main part of our trip was visiting people he taught or member families and seeing some sights as well. It was hard being in a place where you hardly understood what anyone was saying, but it was great just to see how the people reacted to Zach and how they instantly loved me just because I was his wife. You could see and feel the love they had for him and tried to include me in all the conversations even if I didn't understand most of it. :)

At the airport ready to go! My very first passport




One of the best families in David. They were so great


This is a typical house in panama


A beautiful garden in David. It was just two houses where these people had a beautiful garden and just let anyone walk through it. It was awesome








The other amazing family in David. Pamela and Lucy. They had one of the smallest houses I had ever seen and were some of the happiest people.


Teo. He LOVED Zach


The bishop and his wife in David


Jonathon


One of Zach's favorite little boys, Aaron, and this is my favorite picture!



The Panama City temple. We thought this picture didn't turn out but it kind of looks like a cool sketch so we kept it


The Panama Canal




Panama Viejo. It's the old Panama city that was destroyed by pirates so now there's just ruins. It was way cool



These were the original stairs leading up to the top of the cathedral tower




The view from the top of the tower

Casco Viejo. Another old Panama city but it wasn't destroyed. It just has a lot of cool old buildings.



A view of Panama City


This is where all the Indians would set up tables and sell their things. It was kind of like a swap meet Panama style.


Another family in San Vicente. This is one of the most dangerous areas in Panama. Zach got robbed and his companion got beat up here! So Zach made me take off my ring and duck down in the car so people wouldn't see me. Kinda scary!



The last family we visited and it was Zach's favorite family! I could see why. They were so welcoming and gave us so much! They also drove 30 minutes just so we could follow them back to the hotel because we kept getting lost!



The girl in the pink in the big family picture is Andrea. She made this for her little sister for her birthday and she gave it to me before I left. She kept sitting next to me and practiced her English with me. It was simple questions that she was learning in school but she was so cute and we communicated as best we could. She practiced her English and I practiced my really rough Spanish.



This trip is something that I will never forget. I don't know if we will ever go back, it would be nice to, but it was nice to see it at least once. I think that if we could all experience something like that it would teach us so much. Now I understand why guys who go on missions end up loving it and falling in love with the people wherever they serve. I didn't get the spiritual experience that missionaries do with baptisms and all that but at least I got to experience the people and the culture. Now I have a little place in my heart for Panama too.

1 comment:

  1. Wow, what an awesome trip!! That looks SO neat. Jake and I are hoping to go back to his mission in Argentina and this post made me so excited to see all the people he taught and the places he was for two years. So glad you got to go and that you stayed safe! :) All your pictures are so cute.

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