Week 57

I'm pretty sure this has been a crazy week for just about everybody on the planet, but if anyone is quarantined and looking for something to read, pues, I got ya.

We did a bold thing and decided to do divisions with the Hermanas of Ticantiqui Island (this was before everything escalated...), so we got up early on Tuesday morning and caught a panga headed por allá. Being in a panga just feels like the last 15 seconds of Star Tours when the ship is skidding and bouncing to a stop, but instead of 15 seconds, it's 2 and a half hours. It was very scenic and fun but also made us very woozy so when we arrived and Hna Lopez didn't feel good we didn't think much of it, until BAM. Throw up. pain. diarrhea... The whole shabam. Hna Lopez was sick! [but not me, gracias sea bands and Dramamine] and we were like "wow we're just the worst hermana leaders ever, we're so sorry."

Anne of Ticantiqui Island

But then on Wednesday she was better, so we started divisions and about mid-day the Branch President was like "Bye kids, I'm gonna go pick up some food in the port before it closes" and we were like "They´re closing the port?" and he goes "Yeah, this is the last panga and then we're not going back out again" and we go "wot!" and he goes "yeah ya'll better hurry and hop in cause it's leaving in the next 5 minutes" and we said "wait for us!" and we scrambled to pack up all our things and skidadle over to the dock and then they go "Oh wait no, they're closing the port but you can still travel between islands for now" so it was just a false alarm and we stayed there to finish divisions but there was lots of stress and spice because one of the Hermanas over there is finishing her mission in 2 weeks, but we all know there's been lots of drama about traveling and such so she was very worried.
Anyways.

Ticantiqui Island (red pin that says Panama) is a 2.5-hour boat ride from our island of Carti Tupile (over on left side).

Ticantiqui Island, off the coast of Ticantiqui, Panama

This is someone's pet monkey who lives on Ticantiqui. He used to be depressed cause he just had a log to live on and he was tied up but now he has his own tree and he's a happy boy. He was very funny and would grab anything you had loose in your bag and try to eat it.
His name is Ricardo.

Us with Hna Brian and Hna Call

Kids on Ticantiqui with herbal necklaces to protect them from the coronavirus

Ticantiqui Crab

We get back from divisions and BAM Hermana Tolman gets struck down with a cold. Not coronavirus, just a cold. But it's a bad time to be having a cold. The Kunas are going ALL OUT with their medicine. Everyone's burning leaves outside their homes and has protective necklaces and face paint and plant water. We were just observing from afar until yesterday as we were walking out of the Branch president's house, one of the members grabs my hand and starts rubbing this sticky clear juice all over it (they smash the seeds of a plant with a rock and then wrap it in cloth) and turns out it's the very same sticky plant juice that they use on the girls when they go through puberty and with time it stains your skin DARK DARK blue and apparently is "armor". 

Armor hands and a protective doll necklace, courtesy of the Kunas

Anyways they proceeded to paint our faces and noses and tie medicinal plants and tiny dolls around our necks that will supposedly protect us from coronavirus and visit us if we pray to them. It's been a strange balance this week of respecting cultural beliefs and accepting their love and care but also being like "Hey woah, praying to tiny dolls is BAD and against the commandments of God!" And it's funny, cause we take off the paint and then right when we leave the house they come out of nowhere and paint us again. What can ya do. 

We've heard from a lot of people this week that the Kunas are 'immune' to Coronavirus because supposedly Christ told that to them when he visited them anciently. That the rest of the world can be affected by mass plagues but that their blood is different and it can't happen. All they need to do is sweep their houses and go to congress and they'll be fine. The thing is, their dialect isn't written it's just spoken, but what they believe is that a man in white came down from the heavens with a woman and when he spoke at first they thought it was just the sound of the river and they didn't understand but then eventually they did. And then they taught them how to cook and sew and build houses and bury their dead, and then they chose 12 men from among them but only 3 of them stayed forever. It's basically just 3 Nefi 11. They're the Nephites. But there's been some major apostasy happening and they've been changing things over the years from retelling the story verbally.
Anyways. That's all I think. 

Panama apparently has very much Coronavirus (all the Kunas gather around the 1 TV in the Sila's house and we saw this week that Panama reached 100 cases!) but it's not yet reached San Blas and no one's allowed to come or go so I guess you could say I'm safe and sound. I'll just have to stay here forever and marry a Kuna and go hunting in the monte to survive. 

Just kidding that was all a joke, this is all part of God's plan and I know if we follow the prophet we'll all be just fine. I've felt lots of peace that we've been put in the places we are with the people we're with for a reason. But that doesn't mean we don't need to repent and come unto Christ, cause believe me...

we do.

Hna Lopez and I with some protective necklaces that a member made for us. It's some sort of herb from the monte that's good for the lungs wrapped up in fabric.

The big cauldrons are the women of the island making dulemasi (a soup of coconut water and bananas and salt and lime) for the whole island cause another little girl  reached puberty. We helped them fan their fire for a solid hour and we were dripping sweat from how big the fire got. None of the ladies spoke Spanish but they were delighted to receive our help. (This was right when we got back to Carti Tupile after divisions)

Ticantiqui Vibes