Zipping along in May 2014 with Kathy Jones

Well, May has gone by, and almost all of June. At the end of this month will be our 1 YEAR anniversary as missionaries called to serve in Panama! They say time flys when having fun. Let's jump right into some of the fun things we did these past 6 weeks:

A few weeks ago a large infected lump raised up upon my already messed up right hand. Boy, did it hurt. I finally decided to go to the doctor here in our little town, Dr. Boyo. I won't show you the picture of the infection, but it was nasty. She cut open the infection, and found a small bead of glass from the windshield of the car embedded deep. When she pulled it out, it looked like a small diamond. I thought maybe I was producing some kind of new gem! Anyway, here is the stitch up picture, and below the bandage.  It has healed up quite nicely and no more swelling or pain. And yes, that is correct, it is my 3 fingered hand...

Do you like the Michael Jackson glove look? I don't think I will be a hand model in the future. I am just glad and blessed to have a hand that still functions!

We have certain times when we have no water coming into the area. We have reserve tanks, but they can get really low when there is no new water coming in for 5-7 days. So, showers are short and the water that flows from the shower is saved and used to fill the toliet tank. We have become very resourceful here, and realize how blessed we are in the states. Here, a bucket and pail come in very handy!

The first week of June we had a great time with one of Hermana Presley Best of the Best friends, Kathy Jones. She was here for her very special birthday, and we were lucky enough to share it with her. We didn't let the grass grow, or the jungle, grow under her feet and kept her busy. She gave us a real boost while here, and we really enjoyed showing her our little city of Boquete and where we live and work as missionaries.

We visited many members, many who are "expats" who are Americans who have retired here. These are the Gentrys.

Here we are with Frank Sciaca. He has been pretty ill for several weeks and may be going back to California to be with his children and get some additional medical attention. He is a great man and so fun to talk to.

We certainly had to take Kathy to some of our favorite little spots, like this Italian Gelato spot. Mmmmmmm, good!

Exercise was not put on hold while Kathy was here. We went to the gym, (she got pretty sore from that), and we took our mile and 1/2 walk with the dogs. Here comes Lynda and Kathy in the gate with Monte, our gentle giant of a dog.

Add to finish it off, for Kathy's special birthday, we took her ziplining for her FIRST time ever through the jungles of Boquete, Panama. We all had a great time, and she was an expert in no time. This is one of mine and Lynda's favorite things to do wherever we go. 

Lynda zipping through the canopy of the Jungles of Panama

Antother successful zip line adventure!

Now, back to work at home. At times we help our "kids", the family who lives in the house that we built for them, with their homework. Isidoro had a school project to make grape juice from grapes to get the experience of how it is done. Don helped him mash these grapes into a juice (it wasn't very good tasting...)

At times, we also entertain the rest of the family who live in the house behind us. Here they are enjoying a movie on dvd while eating some popcorn that Lynda prepared for them. These are special times and treats,since they have no electricity, and popcorn is not ever prepared for them at home. We really enjoy spoiling them every once in a while.

Did I mention we are missionaries? I was able to baptize this young lady. She is nine years old, and had not yet been baptized in the family, although she comes with her grandmother every Sunday. We had the whole family here, including one that was not a member, and several that had not been to a church service in a while. It was wonderful to enter those baptismal waters again. This is Caroline Montezuma.

Seminary is taught in our home at 7:45 pm until 8:30 pm due to school schedules that conflict and don't end until late in the evening. Lynda likes helping out, and Don is more than willing to share in the joys of teaching the youth.

At times, there is still work to do on this "farm" we like to call it. We live on about an acre, with 5 large mango trees, as well as several other plants and trees. Don and Isidoro decided to do some tree trimming of the Mango tree that hangs directly over the driveway. Of course, it is always best to yield to the youth to climb up and start sawing large branches by hand. Don does a great job holding the ladder and giving encouragement.

Between the two, we were able to cut thmango branches into pieces with that little hand saw. Not too much to use as far as tools go around here. so we do our best with what we have. Don bought the saw so they didn't have to use a machete, which would have been a tough job. 

We also had to go to Panama City to get our visas renewed at immigration. While there, we ran into several missionaries doing the same. Two of our favorites, who had served with us here in Boquete were there, and we had not seen them for some time after their transfers. This is Hermana Valdez on the outside, and Hermana Herrarte next to Lynda. Terrific young ladies!

With all this work, we had to have a little time off, so during this one year mark of our mission, we went to a favorite spot in Santa Clara, about an hour outside of Panama City, before we met up with Kathy Jones. It was wonderful to relax for a few days and recharge the batteries.

Now, back to work!! We love miss you all and are doing well and staying healthy. Thank you for all your facebook comments and emails. Please stay in touch. It gives us lots of strength while so far away from all our family and friends.