Can you
believe Christmas is almost here??
I
can't mostly because there is no snow, and I am not smelling the tantalizing
scent of mom's mountain of Christmas goodies she always makes. But, the Panamanians are really starting to
get in the Christmas spirit! In the main part of David, there is a big Christmas
tree with lights and ornaments and all the Santa Claus blow up things, and a
lot of people have decorated their houses with lights. The Christmas lights were always one of my
favorite parts of Christmas, so it is nice to see the lights when we are
walking at night. Even more that
the presents, lights and Christmas goodies, I love the true meaning of the
season. It is a season of thanksgiving
and remembrance, and at this time I am especially grateful for the opportunity
to serve a mission here in Panama. I
have so many blessings to be grateful for, and the Lord continues to bless
me.
The last week was good,
we are still teaching M, and we started teaching his brother too. M used to drink with his brother and
brother in law almost every day. They
would go out and spend 80 dollars on beer and it would be gone by the end of
the day. He told us that he really wants
to drop it, and we have been praying for him. He hasn't drank for over a week and a half
now. We went to pick him up to go to
church yesterday, but he wasn't there, so now we just need to get him to church
before he can get baptized.
His brother, S, has
been a little tough to work with. He is ALWAYS drunk. Here, the majority of bad things like
violence and stuff start with alcohol. So,
when he is drunk, we don't teach him. Bad things have happened to missionaries
with drunk people, and president just tells us to stay away from them when we
can. But, when he sees us walk away, he
gets angry that we don’t want to talk to him. We found him yesterday, not quite drunk yet,
so we taught him, and he told us that he wants to quit drinking, but he feels
like he can’t do it because he is weak. I
got the impression to share the story of Ammon, when he talks about how, in his
own strength, he was weak. Have you seen
pictures of Ammon? He is huge ! He then
says that through the Lord, he has the strength beyond his own, and that
through the Lord, he can do anything. After sharing the story with him, he said
he wanted to pray. He offered one of the most sincere prayers I have ever heard
in my life. It will take a while for him to change his habit of drinking, but
that is why we are here…to help him.
Other than that, not
much happened this week. We contact a
lot, because we don't have many solid investigators. I DID get my guitar back this week, so that was
sweet! I love the power of music and the
spirit it brings. Changes are this week. My companion is probably getting changed, so
on Thursday, I will most likely be with someone else! It has been a good change, a little
frustrating, but despite that, I have learned a lot from my companion and we
are great friends.
Well, time is running
short. Gotta go hit up our zone bbq! I love you all so much! I am so happy to be
out serving right now, and I know that we are all being greatly blessed. I am happier than I have ever been, which is
weird, because the mission is definitely the hardest thing I have ever done! I hope the best for you all, and will continue
to pray for you!
I love you all!
Love,
Elder Austin Michael
Kipp
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