Panamapresley: Wow! 15 months in Panama

With just 7 months to go, it seems like we have been here forever, and at the same time, just a short time. We are experiencing so many opportunities to visit, teach, and see the country, it is hard to keep up on the blog with the pictures. But, here are some of the many things we have been involved with in these past couple of months. Thanks for sharing our mission with us!

Let{s start out with the obvious. Seems like a missionary can't get a "break today at McDonald's" without some commentary from the management...

On Collin's second anniversary of his death, the family requested that we all do a service project in Collin's name, so we went to the Panama Temple, along with PooBear, a Collin and Regan favorite, and cooked dinner for the Boquete branch when they arrived after a 8 hour rugged bus ride.

Here are a few of the members enjoying the food made for them by Sister Presley. Unfortunately, I was pretty sick with the flu, and was just glad to get in the picture!

We have to say goodbye to our U.S. members occasionally, and it is very sad. Frank Sciaca has been a good friend. He got very ill with diabetes and also recurring Hepatitis C. We have been doing our best to care for him and check on him, but his family finally insisted that he come home to get the proper medical attention. It is a good decision, but we will miss this big boy! Saludos, nuestro amigo.

Being here in Boquete our entire mission, we get to experience the blessings of many missionaries coming and going in assignments here for anywhere to 4-6 months. We truly enjoy their spirit. This transfer took Hermana Delgado (on the right) from us. We also received Hermana Pula, a Samoan from the state of Washington. This was a very exciting pair of Missionaries, with incredible joy for the work. Hermana Pula brings to us great memories of my term as Bishop of the Young Adult ward which was 80% Samoan and Tongan. It just makes me a little homesick....

History has been made here in Boquete! We now have 6 missionaries, two Elders and two Hermanas, and us! The Elders stayed with us a couple of days as we worked on getting them a place to live, and in the meantime, took advantage of them walking the dogs. Welcome Elders Duron and Taylor!

We had a busy August, not only with new missionaries coming to Boquete, but also had the senior missionaries who serve in the Panama Temple come to visit our little town. We had the Bjorneson couple in our house, and the Mattheson couple stayed with the another family. We took them around the town, and to our favorite spot, the rickety bridge that leads to some members house in the tropical forest. What fun to have them here for a couple of days.

This is our Branch Presidency and EQ presidency at our home. President Sanjur is standing in the middle with his 2nd Counselor, Brother Miranda to the right. Seated is the Elder's quorum president, Augustin Toribio, and his 1st counselor, Isidoro Montezuma. Great group of men to work with.

One of the blessings we have is to teach mission preparation class. Here is Romel Espinosa, who we taught and we are with him as he boards the bus to leave for his mission in Mexico. We miss him, but we write often and hear that he is doing very well.

Other work we are enjoying is that which we do in our work with the Boquete Branch. We are responsible to do alot of the training of the leadership, as well as fill in on various callings in the branch. Here are some of the primary class that Sister Presley teaches. She is the music leader, as well as in charge of the music selected for our meetings.

This is 3 year old Ruth, who lives in the house that we built behind us, along with 10 other members of the family. She is very curious and has a smile that will melt anyone's heart. Ruth is mystified at many of the things we take for granted, like Ipads.

Being the good teacher she is, Hermana Presley takes time to show Ruth how the Ipad works. Lynda looks like she is in Heaven, and I am sure she is imagining that she is holding one of her grandchildren.

This is the Osbaldo Montezuma family, at least 4 of the 6 of them. Wife Anna, Ruth, and Randy. They are members, but need to be more active. We are working with them.

We are also the homework center for the older kids that live in the house behind us. This is Moises, 17 years old, finding information on my laptop for his class later in the day.

some class assignments are just very odd. Isidoro had a class assignment on how to make "wine", but it was actually just grape juice, no fermenting. We had to go buy grapes, then crush them by hand, then filter the juice out into a bottle and mix with some sugar to make it drinkable. What happened to reading, writing, and arithmetic? ;-)

Of course, Bobbie, the Huskie, had to take my chair and do his own teaching to Monte. These two dogs are wonderful, and will be hard to leave behind. We "inherited" them with the house, and I guess the owner assumed we would take care of them. He was right! We love these guys, and they are very good watch dogs that protect us.

Occasionally we have a movie afternoon on a Saturday. Popcorn and water, and a Disney movie in Spanish is a real treat for the kids. These are 5 or "our" kids from the back house.

The little pool at our house is a fun place for the boys to play in the hot, humid afternoons. Don is always sure to be there when they swim. No accidents, please!

Repairmen and general city work is done a bit differently here, and sometimes I think even more efficient. At least creative. The electric company guys had some branches in the way, so what else would one do but climb up and cut away the branches with your trusty machete? Makes sense to me.

Broken water pipe (yes, these pvc tubes are our water source). Our neighbor fixed his with a piece of cloth and a shoe lace! If you wait for the city to come fix the pipe, you may not have any water for days. Don helped later and got a little joint and glue and made a permanent fix for about a dollar. He now has a second career!

Let's not leave Lynda out of helping whenever it is needed.
We are in the rainy season now, and when Don needs
to bring the car in from a meeting, Lynda treks out in the pouring
rain to open the gate. As she says as the car enters the yard,
"It must be love"...

We have a good friend, Dave, who turns local woods and makes bowls,
plates, and lots of other beautiful things. We gave him some branches
from our mango trees, and he made this beautiful bowl, which he then
gave to us as a gift. Can't wait to show it off at home!