Don't forget to switch on the breaker when you move into a new house.

Diana's baptism! Sorry that there weren't more photos, the camera was dead until I went to San Jose...

Hello, English speakers!

I sure do miss speaking English sometimes haha. 

This week was pretty unusual. Actually, thinking about it, I haven't had a usual week since I got here to Zona Sur. I think it's just part of being down here and being a Zone Leader, haha...

So Monday and Tuesday were indeed quite normal, but that was it. Wednesday I was on a bus all day to San Jose, with Elder Carbajal and Elder Aviña, to get our Cedula's (ID) renewed! So we stopped on by Paso Ancho to eat a nice dinner with the Alvarado family, and say hi to the Paso Ancho missionaries. It was so great to see my kid (Elder Gonzalez). He's doing great and I'm so proud of him. He's really become a great missionary.

So after that nice Wednesday of waiting around all day to get to San Jose, we had some nice Thursday waiting to leave the office so that we could go wait to get the cedula so that we could head on over to wait for the bus where we would, of course, wait 7 hours to get to Zona Sur, where a house change was awaiting me! It was a pretty boring 2 days haha. The cool part though was that missionaries from the West Mission were there too, including some friends that I hadn't seen for a while.

Then on Friday we had a change of plans and, instead of going into the super fancy but really small apartment we had found, my companion had found a much larger, nice, 3 room house! So we headed over to check it out real quick, called the owner who lives far away, and made plans to move in the following day because we didn't want to have to pay another month in our then-current apartment.

So Saturday morning at 6:30 we get to meet the landlord, who's a cool guy, we see the house from the inside, which everything was good, and we're gettin' ready to pack up and head over at 8 am when we realize that there's no water, and no electricity! The people who had been living there before didn't pay their water bills. Oh dear.

So we kinda hijacked water for 2 days, and were living without lights. Luckily, today, we paid the water, and realized that the problem with the electricity was that the breaker was flipped off (oops hahaha).

So that was my unusual week.  Today I went to Panama to shop (with permission of course) which was weird because they use the US dollar, and have lots of US stuff, but they don't speak English haha. And this coming week we've only got 2 days to work in the area, because on Wednesday we go 3 hours away to find a house in Puerto Jimenez where missionaries will be heading down next change, and Thursday we head up to San Jose again for the leadership council. 

We lead interesting lives down here in the jungle!

I love you all. I really know that the work we're doing is the work of God. The adventures are great, but the most special thing about this week was knowing that my convert Isabel was able to enter into the temple and be sealed with her husband and start an eternal family. That's what the work's really about :)

Have a great week, all you English speakers!

-Elder Henry

Some highlights from emails back and forth:
"Everyone calls me an elbow here :) It means refusing to give or spend money haha." (he's a Henry kid ;) )

Mom: no pictures from Panama?
"No it's just really ugly where we go, haha just a bunch of malls."

Mom: Have you seen any cool animals yet though? "Um iguanas, and iguanas. I see a lot of weird bugs though. Did I ever tell you that some caterpillars here are like deadly poisonous?"

Mom: Nope, stay away from those. Oh wait, you are my cautious child. Thank goodness! Were you scared going over that suspension bridge you sent the picture of? Are there a lot of those?
"No the suspension bridge isn't scary at all. And it's the only one I've seen.
But yeah as far as monkeys and sloths I'm still waitin. I think that this week we'll be going on a boat, which will be a fun story. :)"

Mom: Best mission ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =) 

 (about his convert Isabel's wedding photos) "I was super happy too :) The photos turned out super awesome and they look happy as can be."

Mom asks about mosquitoes which carry Dengue down there.
"The mosquitos haven't been a problem anymore. I think I've gotten used to it. Tomorrow when I was my clothes (washin my own clothes oh yeah!) I'm gonna apply the repellent spray when I hang the clothes up."

"Oh hey about BYU housing and all that, I'm gonna room with Tullis for sure. 

And, I was talking with Elder Nelson, the secretary, and he's totally down to room with us too. He's way awesome :)"

Two pics from Pres. Hayes and a couple from his surprise visit to Paso Ancho: