Elder Jakob Lutze: Semana 22 (Cat in Carcel)

This week was super good! The area is a bit slow, but we be working like crazy! Especially with the members.

We had a zone conference this week which was super good! Literally just free revelation. It's always fun to see other missionaries. All the focus was on just working with members. So the mission Panamá is gonna be going crazy! (It already is!)

We got some fun opportunities to serve. which we don't get very often here which is lame. I love service and it's always super fun!

Something really cool happened this week when we did a cosecha. We prayed for guidance and revelation for where to go and who to find. Elder Buhler thought of a blue house with a mom and a kid. I thought of the number 6. So we set off. The last house we found in the most random place was blue, had a mom and her kid, and had 6 identical mariposas (butterflies) on the wall. It was crazy!!

Hermana Bapp always puts her cat in 'carcel' when we eat at her home. It's pretty funny - "Cat in carcel." Hermana Bapp is literally crazy! I love her so much. She just shows up to church with random children. We don't know who they are or where they come from.

I also finished another book and started another one. The one I'm reading now is the biography of President Oaks. It's so good! That man worked!!

Other cool things would be that a young boy named Diego went to 'SOY' which is 'FSY' in Panama. By the last day he said, "I want to be baptized." He was baptized this week which was super spiritual!!

We saw a massive trash pile which was a bit sad. It's also kinda funny because it looks like a river of trash!

I went on an intercambios with Elder Fabián this week! He's Latino. Super cool. We had a lot of fun, but we did not work at all. I went over to their area and just followed him around. The Elderes there are a bit apostate. It was fun, but no work occurred. A random dog followed us the entire day, literally waiting for us everywhere.

Speaking of intercambios, I went on one during our last transfer and I found these people with Elder Wutckee in Don Bosco. They got baptized this week too! It's so crazy how the Lord works and how His timing works!! I was really happy to be even a small part of that baptism.

My spiritual thought has to do with what happened to Diego. The missionaries initially never could get him to listen or be baptized. He was only baptized because of the friends he met at SOY. Missionaries are good and all, but truly the best conversions I ever see are through others - the members. Every single person has the opportunity to be a missionary at any moment - with a plaque or without one. The Lord truly is counting on every single one of us. This work is so important. I truly testify that each and every one of you can make THE difference in another's life. We have been given great knowledge, but that also means we have been given a great responsibility. If you even have the slightest desire, then let it grow, and let the Lord work in your life. Better yet, let the Lord work through your life to help others. That is where true joy comes from. I promise you will receive so many blessings.

I love you all! Thanks for all the support! Now go work hard! I'm praying for all of you! Panamá is the best mission! I love it here so much! And I love the people so much too! Even when they are insane!

-Elder Lutze