"So it turns out I'm like a pro dancer."

Hey!

Just got internet again.

So as you know Tikantiki is now a hermana’s area and I got changed to Carti Tupile. I was super sad to leave but I love it here too. This island's way smaller and a little more crowded, but super fun. There are a lot more teenagers and niños here and like half the Panama Viejo Kuna squad moved back so it’s been sick.

Our house is really cool. It’s the second story of a little shop so we have a view of basically the entire island. I’m sure I could throw a rock from one side to the other. There’s two old Kuna ladies that live behind us, that own our house, and they’re hilarious.

We're way farther from the Monte now, it would probably take like an hour in a cayuco, so we never go, but now we’re closer to better fishing spots so we go all the time.

Carti is actually a little cluster of Islands. I think there’s like four others right by us that are part of our area but we have no way to go visit them, so I asked President for a cayuco and he said we should have one by the end of the change. So stoked.

And we haven’t cooked a meal by ourselves yet. Our neighbor next door, named Zobey, loves missionaries, and they said they’d eat with her like once a week but I’m definitely her fav ever then because I’ve had like breakfast, lunch, and dinner with her everyday- haha. When we’re in the house she´ll always yell for us to come over to eat. She’s our best friend no doubt.

And yeah near about this entire island is members but there’s only like 20 who are active. So really all we do is visit the less actives. They’ll usually come if you invite them. Everyone loves us so it’s easy to talk to people and really try to get them to come. Our main goal is just to be friends with everyone and we’ve been trying to plan lots of activities.

Don’t know what else to say, I guess I’ll just tell some stories.

Like my first week here I was fishing a couple hundred feet off the island with one of the members named Arnie and we could see a storm coming off in the distance. So we were thinking about going in but we were catching bucco fish so we stayed. Like five minutes later we heard conch shells being blown everywhere and the waves started getting huge. Then we were in the middle of the storm and our anchor was dragging on the ground it was so strong. So I pulled it up and we started rowing back towards the dock. Took like five minutes and it was super sketch. We like almost didn’t make it- haha. There were a couple other cayucos out and a sailboat that were getting taken away fast, so everyone with motors was running out to get them. So that was nuts but I’m alive so it was sick.

We had Zone Conference a week or so ago in Ukupa. It’s a little coastal pueblo like half an hour past Tikantiki and they don’t have a dock so the Elders there had to row a boat out in the water and we jumped from our panga to theirs to get to shore. Such a sick little place. They’ve got bucco beach, two rivers, it’s a legit paradise. We were there two days and the second night we had like a talent show with everyone there. I wasn’t planning on doing anything for it, but before it Elder Sagers was singing a song and Elder Senden and I started to dance. And I was like, dude we can dance.  So we danced to that song to start it off. Later Elder Mann, Gibby, and Senden were going up to do the 'Evolution of Dance' dance and he asked me if I had seen it. And I said yeah like 50 years ago, but I joined them and none of us knew it but we killed it. So turns out I’m like a pro dancer.

We also had District Conference this past week. So members from Tikantiki and Nargana came here for that. Super fun because I basically knew everyone. President Carmack came out too and the first day he spoke on authority and power and where it comes from. Like we´ll listen to a policeman because he can put us in jail or shoot us, but like for a parent or teacher it comes from love. When you love someone enough for them to love you back, then they will listen to you or follow what you want for them because of that. Something like that. I thought that was cool.

As we were walking across the island he gave me some great advice as well. He said "Elder Green, just some advice for when you get home from your mission. Get checked for worms. Most of the elders who walk around barefoot out here get them." So remind me about that in 17 months.

That’s it for now, I’ll email again this Monday. I’m the new institute teacher so I teach Tuesdays and Thursdays so I’m gonna bounce to go prepare for that.

Love y’all!

And happy birthday to Hatmotaf (Braiden).

Elder Green

No new pictures this week...but here are some from before he left Tikantiki...

An island cat in a tree.

Kuna kids enjoying the rain.

Friends on Tikantiki.

Bedrooms...look how tidy...

Kitchen...

Shower...

His bathroom...outside and inside.

Taylor drew a picture and asked one of the sisters on the island to make him this Mola tie.