Hello my wonderful family!
How are you all doing this wonderful week? Isn't this the best moment to be alive? I love being alive; to experience the life that our Heavenly Father sent us down here to experience, and grow. What a wonderful merciful Father we have that watches over us and helps us day to day.
I have received both packages that you sent! Thank you so much for all that you give to me, Mom and Dad and family. You guys are my backbone out here. I print off your emails every single week and read them during the week sometimes. I read them after I print them off because I take so much time to email you guys that I don't have time to read any of your gigantic emails :) I love them all. I would like to let you know that every single one of your emails that you send me puts warmth in my heart, and helps me to remember how amazingly blessed I am to have all of you faithful and loyal to Christ and His gospel. I love you all with a love that I did not know before the mission :)
How is everything? Everything is great out here in Panama. Let's just say that the language is going pretty well! I am surprised. But why should I be surprised???? I know that God can do anything. My goal is to be able to speak all that is needed and communicate all that I want in one month. Think it's a tall order? I know I can do it with God on my side. As Nephi says, He wouldn't give me this language, if He didn't prepare a way for me to learn it. This next month is going to be one of much work and studying. I would ask for all of your prayers, even though I know you already pray so much for me, which I am so grateful for. I feel of your love and support out here.
This week, we went on divisions and I went with a Latino elder, Elder Juarez, to his area in Camatillo. (camateeyo) And how amazing that was. I improved my Spanish and guess what? I contacted, and taught an entire lesson by myself, IN SPANISH. God is loving. The gift of tongues is a gift of the Spirit. I am so blessed by Him to be learning this language this fast. I am not a smart guy. So I can testify that this is from Him and no other source. I simply had to exercise my faith, and according to my faith, it was done unto me. Faith, showing my faith by going and contacting, and trying, the Lord showed me His mercy.
There is a lot of funny stuff here in Panama. Taxis charge us so much when we want to take them, so we never do. But it is because I am white. It's funny, they think that because I am white, I am rich. Hahahaha I am a missionary! All I am rich in is in soul and spirit. I am rich in scripture and rich as in I know that I can have the greatest gift given to all men, even Eternal Life! Oh, the gospel is true. What more can I say? :) My testimony is swelling within me. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is His true church without a doubt in my heart and soul.
The accent here is insane! Honestly, here, they mumble, they drop letters off of their words, they have such slang it's insane. I am surprised I even understand them sometimes. The Lord is helping me though. But some people... crazy. There is so much pornography here. There is so much bad language, disrespect of our bodies, and all sorts of sin. I wonder how God feels to see His children sinning and walking in the ways of the destroyer of their souls, leading them down to hell. There truly is an adversary. His name is Satan. He seeks our destruction. It is either God or him. I choose God :)
Thank you, Dad, for letting me take out some money. I might take some out today to buy things for Christmas. But I won't take out all that you told me I could right now. I would just like to thank you for the money you provide for me. I truly have learned gratitude out here. One pair of my church shoes and my gym shoes also, already have holes in them. So I am so grateful for shoes! I have so many pair at home I don't know what to do with them. I am grateful for this mission experience, to show me how blessed we really are. You don't know how blessed you are, until it is taken away.
I have learned so many lessons out here, it would take hours to tell you all that I have learned, all of the crucial lessons I have been taught, all I have been given. God is so merciful. I think sometimes, we take for granted the sacrament. What a gift from God! To renew our covenants, fix our imperfections, and remember Him, to have His Spirit! This Sunday, take into account the Savior when you partake of the sacrament. Take into account that without Christ, all hope would be lost. We could never conquer the enemy of our souls. We could never conquer our sins, or guilt, if it weren't for His infinite atoning sacrifice. Be grateful this Christmas season, for all that we have. What a time of rejoicing! Christ was born at this time! Our Savior came into the world to redeem his people! He came to give us a second birth. Let us remember Him every day. Pray to him all the day long in your hearts. Recognize your unworthiness before him at all times as Amulek says.
We have changes this Wednesday, but I have been praying not to be changed and not to have my companion changed. Neither of us are being changed, but every single other companionship in our zone is. What a blessing! I have been praying for my comp and I. I have been pouring out my heart in prayer for forgivness because we haven't been being exactly obedient. It has been killing my heart to not be doing so. It is hard to be exactly obedient when your comp won't go home until after 10:30. Then the next day we both suffer from that poor decision from being tired. Let me tell you all within the sound of my voice, I have a testimony of exact obedience. I know for myself, the good from the bad because I have tasted the bad. Let me just say that it is so bitter. I have obeyed in things in which I can control, but some things you can't control, especailly if you can't speak Spanish. But yesterday, I had a determination to be bold to my companion. I had been praying for many days to know how to do it, and what to do with this situation with my companion. So, yesterday I decided to say it all to him and... machette him... if you will hahaha. We needed it. Anyway, before I could even get a word in, he said how he has felt so guilty about how he has been acting, about how he has been disobedient and not been the best missionary, about how he wants to work harder and be obedient with exactness. God hears our prayers. He answers them.
My comp had a dream the first week he got here. We have a Zone Leader that is thee most disobedient person and missionary I think that I have ever met. He does everything for himself and doesn't obey any rules. He leaves his comp, he has a cell phone and plays video games and watches all sorts of movies and listens to music. My comp had a dream the first week though, that he was in trouble and someone was holding him down. And the Zone Leader was there, and my comp called to him for help, and he just left him to his doom. But then my comp prayed for help, and according to his prayer, he cast the influence out. Then he saw me. I came and helped him up, and we went. I do not think with a slight doubt that this was a coincidence. But my comp didn't see the significance of the dream until now. The Zone Leader influenced my comp to be very, very disobedient. He brought him down to not want to be a missionary that much and by that, my comp was brought under, and didn't have the Spirit to help him. But then he prayed, and wanted to change. Then, he saw me. I am the one that helped him up. This is my responsibility to help him change, to help him with his decicion to change. I know that this dream was a gift to him, to see that he can change.
What a wonderful gift from our God. He gave His only Begotton Son, Jesus Christ, to come for us, to suffer for us, that we might live; that through His grace and His mercy, we can change and become like Him. That is what repentance is. It is, in it's literal meaning, a change; a change of heart, a change of desire, a change of state of being. That is what my comp has done. He has put his desires aside, and now is willing to come before the Lord. This next change is going to be one that was much different from the first. It is going to be a change of hard work, dedication, spirit, personal revelation, finding those people who are ready.
I would like to share with you all my absolute favorite scripture that I found this week. It is ALMA 57:21. It is my favorite scripture now, and that is saying something! Because there are so many scriptures in Nephi, and Mosiah, and all others that are gold to my soul. But this is so important to me. It applies to me in every way. It says that they were exactly obedient, and they were taught to be that way by what their mothers had taught them. I would just like to thank you Mom, and Dad, for raising me the way that I am. Surely the Son doeth nothing, but what he seeth the Father do. You both are amazing. You are the best parents. You have taught every one of your children so well; to read the scriptures, to have family prayer. Oh how you have taught me. I thank God every day for the privilege to be born of goodly parents. As it says in my patriarchal blessing, ¨You will be able to say throughout your life, as did Nephi, 'having been born of goodly parents,'¨ I have been blessed to hear and feel your sweet testimonies. Oh how I love you. Thank you for teaching me in the truth.
I love you all. I will try and write more information next time. I apologize for not saying much. I love you and hope this is a strength to you. You are to me.
With all the love that I can muster,
Elder Bitter
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