Lots of stories to catch up on here in Panama.

It has been a couple of weeks since I updated the blog, and so much is going on that I want to share. Lots of different parts of this blog, so please continue all the way through. We love sharing our mission with you. 

These are the Montezuma children. From left to right is Moises (just graduated from seminary), Isidoro with Albert on his lap, and Mariella. They are a special family to us. The boys help us around the large yard, and we love having them all visit.

Last week was Albert's 6th birthday. Lynda and I decided to have a small birthday party for him, along with his family. We were also please that his Dad was with us, as well as 4 surprise guests, the Assistants to the President (one is looking on at the cake). We had an enchilada dinner, a cake with candles, a couple of small gifts, and a Spiderman pinata! What fun.

these are the 4 Assistants to the President. Normally there are only two, but the two current are going home in a couple of weeks and are training the other two. These are very special missionaries who I know will continue to lead the church in the future. We love them and welcome their visits. By the way, the Elders on each end are the ones going home after having a most successful mission.

This is wear the Montezuma family lives currently, back in the jungle area. It is one room, all live in there together, no running water, no floor, other than dirt, no door, other than a cloth. Along with a dog with 2  puppies. they bath in the nearby river. Brrrr

this is their "kitchen". A wood burning slab, which usually has a pot of rice on it to eat, with some chicken in it. What, if you could do something, what would it be?

With the help of some great members of the branch, including a true blessing from God to send us a man named Lloyd Gentry, we are constructing a house. For a while, I wasn't sure it would get completed, but with these special angels that have been sent to help, we are moving forward. Lloyd is a great handy man who can do anything and everything. Here, we are completing the welding of the framework, getting ready to put the roof on.

Lloyd welding the framework.

Once the framework was completed, the roof of metal was put into place, along with two clear plastic sheets to provide light.

Isidoro and Moises dug the hole for the Septic Tank. You cannot imagine how hard this is. Not only is the dirt solid and filled with rocks from volcanic activity, but the tools are nothing more than a shovel, pick, and a metal bar. This house will have a small shower, toilet, and a sink. It will have a propane gas stove in the kitchen area, A room for the girl, a room for the boys, and a room for Dad, along with an eating/study area, kitchen, and bathroom. It is incredible!

And then, the cement floor. What an incredible job. I was exhausted after working all day, shoveling and lifting buckets of rock, sand, and cement. Here, our Elder's Quorum president, Augustine, and I were in charge of the mixing of the ingredients, then wheelbarrowing it over to Lloyd and another blessing of a member who just moved here who is also good at construction. They poured and set the floor. We were also blessed to have a neighbor who rented us his gas powered mixer. This was wonderful to have. I am continually humbled at the Lord's hand in providing what is needed to get the project completed, although the work is some of the hardest I have done in years.

This is our friend, Mr. Iguana. He decided to show up on our yard wall last Sunday while I was teaching a class inside. The dog was going nuts, we went to see what was going on, and Wow! what a treat to see such a reptile. It was like Jurassic Park in my yard. Watch out for the tail, because he can whip it and strike a welt!

Once we had him off the wall, he couldn't set his feet to whip, and it was quite a unique experience for my two pre missionary students and me to hold him. We released him to a near by Mango tree, and he has been hanging around ever since.

A few days ago, our neighbor (we only have 5 neighbors scattered about this area), hollered at me that there was a large snake in the area. I grabbed my camera to check it out. This is a viper called an X, or a Fleur. It is one of the most poisonous in Costa Rica and Panama. This was a female, about 7 feet long, and had a sack of eggs hanging out of it after being killed, not to mention the fangs wide open. Panamanians in this area have no patience for snakes,as one bite here could be fatal, as the nearest medical facilites are 30 minutes away in David. We have to be very careful.

Have you ever heard of an Alaskan Huskie drinking coconut milk right from the shell. He loves it!