Week 9 - Greenie Gringa

Hola!

Yes I am indeed alive and still keeping it all kinds of classy here in a foreign country. Ohhhhh where to begin! I have so much to say and so little time!

First OFF! CONGRATULATIONS TO ASHLEY!!! I had a dream a couple of months ago about her being among asian people and I told her about it. So BAM! My dream came true!! That is awesome she is going to do great!

Brett I am glad you are in Ecuador and eating well.

Ok So Panama! AKA a place where I was meant to be, is like a dream come true for me. I was in Panama City for three days and it is amazing. Skyscrapers galore!!!! I was like o my heavens. It is huge and right by the Pacific Ocean which is full of boats. We went to the Temple and believe me, it is amazing. I seriously love it with all my heart. It's in the jungle. I saw a monkey run across the road and I was whoa, that is random.

I took a ton of pictures, but unfortunately since I have an XD memory card, I can't ever send pictures so you most likely won't see any pictures unless I print them off and send them. All the computers here only take SD cards. BLAST IT ALL!!!

I have seen the Panama Canal and believe me it is breathtaking. I was freaking out. I hope I get to explore more of it sometime while I am here.

So the area I have been assigend to is SANTIAGO! Which is 4 hours south west from the city. It's a rural poor poor place. People live in little tiny concrete houses. No washers here, no stoves, no microwaves, nada. Which is how I like it. I seriously haven't gone through any culture shock yet. I walk down the streets where chickens are everywhere, dogs barking, people half naked sitting in their hamock just enjoying life. It is quite interesting. I love love love the people here. They are my kind of people. They are so nice and friendly. They hardly wear a thing because for one it is sooo blasted hot here. Just big t-shirts like I use to do and they are wallerers. He He.

We have two sisters getting baptized next month and I love them. They talk sooooo fast. I can't understand hardly any spanish here and I found out that every bit of spanish I learned doesn't apply here so I am basically starting from scratch. Which is fine. I just like to listen and learn. It will all go well. I am not even worried about it. I have a latin companion and I can't understand a word. So I act out what I want to say.

It is hotter than hades here and rains like you wouldn't believe. It was so crazy yesterday. I was drenched. I was walking in some pretty deep water it was crazy. I love it! The food here is amazing. But hardly any of it. So I am starving, but it's good because the pounds are dropping. OOOO so I am rethinking about the dressing like a nun thing. Because the men here are crazy. I am kinda wondering if I should dress down. Well there is no point in putting on makeup anyway. It melts off. And my hair gets greasy around 12 in the afternoon. So I am like All is well. I just smile and work it.

I stick out like you wouldn't believe. I am a foot or more taller than these people. And white and blonde so the members like to come up stand by me and touch my hair and look into my eyes. OH and the way to greet is kissing on the cheek. It's been fun to do that, I am getting out of my comfort zone. But anywho, all is well and I am loving every bit of it. It's going to be hard to leave I can already tell.

I have found a purpose and I think one them is teaching children and youth here. I can really relate to them because of.....get ready for it......DRAGON BALL Z!!!! Hahahahha who would of thought that all those days of watching that TV show would get me into houses and really get to the children and then get to the parents. HaHA I knew my cartoon days would come in handy.

I am finding all my answers I've been looking for here. I really do believe that a mission is part of the plan. I am finding the joys in life and our purpose here. And what it means to be happy. I am changing big time I can feel it, I love it! Well I love you guys and hope all is well!

I miss you but not enough to come home! -- Hermana Channing Jackson

It Appears She's Alive!

We haven't heard from Channing since she flew to Panama on Monday, but I checked the mission blog and look what I found!

Week 8 - The Last week in the CCM‏

Hola Familia!

Well it is the last week being in the CCM until PANAMA!! I am so excited and I can't wait to leave this place. That sounds horrible, but it is oh so true. The CCM has been a tough ride. Harder than school or anything I have gone through this far, but it is a great learning experience. I never would have thought that I would learn this much or work this hard and it feels great.

Last night we watched a video of Elder Bednar and he said the words, "You can do this!" That small little phrase lifted my spirits so much. I felt my best friends, my family, my teachers, leaders, apostles, prophet, and Jesus Christ tell me, "You can do this!" It really touched my heart and I know right now I can do this and everybody better watch out because here comes the gringa, Hermana Channing Jackson, about to preach your ears off.

Not much has been happening here. I have just been cramming down the Spanish and the Gospel into my head. My teachers said my Spanish comprehension has improved a ton, which makes me feel good. I know once I get to Panama I will have no idea what is happening or how to communicate, but I know that it will all come in time.

Hermana Hurst and I went tracting on our own yesterday without a latina companion. We were terrified. I was like crap, how in the devil are we going to communicate, but we did ok. There was one lady we ran into who we could understand. She works for Avon and I had alot to say about the makeup I liked. Good thing I learned all the makeup vocab this week. He He. It was the day after voting here and Guatemala's Independence day so it was a party. Gun shots, groups of people, fireworks, the works. So alot of people were out and about.

Mostly everyone would put their heads down and would avoid us. I have found that I need to be more forward which is difficult for me. But while I was walking down a street I heard these words in my head. "Be Aggressive Channing!" And can you guess who's voice it was? Dad's when I heard him yell that at me in the High School Gym at my basketball game. I was like, "Ok Dad.....I got this! " And I went forward and was aggressive.

On Monday I head to Panama so I don't know when I will be emailing. Here is the address they emailed me.

Misión Panama

Edificio Hi Tech Plaza, 5-D

Calle 53 y Calle 50

Marbella, Panama City

Republica de PANAMÁ

Ok so the sisters here have been reprimanding me for not taking certain kinds of vitamins or prenatal crap. This lady I have a class with on Sunday told me that I need to be taking all this stuff in order to have a healthy babies. She said some ginger plant would do it for me. I just smiled and said I will think about it. PFFFFFFHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I was no thanks.....I am not a partaker in herbal nonsense. Don't you know that I BELIEVE IN SCIENCE!!! Ha ha Nacho Libre is quoted quite often here.

The President here was giving a devotional about something, I wasn't really sure where he was going with it, but he came up to me in front of all the north Americans and said, "Sister Jackson I know you want to be a great cook for you family and kids someday". If anyone knows me they would know how I reacted. I laughed and realized the man was serious. I was like ummmmm I think I would rather marry a man who could cook or a man rich enough to hire a cook. Everyone died laughing. Some of the women of course, were blown away at my answer. I guess some people think that all of us women would jump at the chance to cook food for a man and children, wash their clothes, clean up after them and take care of them......WROOONNNNGGOOOOOo. I am stilling working on the vision of me being a Mother in Zion. Maybe I will get there someday. LOL

Well I'm glad that Cambria is playing volleyball, Dad is still hunting, Mom is doing Zumba, and Blake is still kickin. I hope Brett has a great time in Ecuador!

Well I love yah all. And hope you are doing great! I miss you but not enough to come home!

--
Hermana Channing Jackson

WEEK SEVEN - YO HE HABLADO‏

Hola Hola!!!

Well this week has been an interesting one, that is for sure.

I was a part of the welcome team for the new missionaries. I was the one telling people whats up and how this place is havoc. Because no one keeps to the schedule here or really follows the handbook. All the North Americans are a bunch of weirdos and the Latinos are really nice.

My companion was sick for a week and another hermana's companion was sick also. So me and Hermana Neighbor teamed up as part time companions and it was really good. My companion was soooo sooo sooo sick. She had something I don't know what but it was bad. The president gave her all these anti diarrhea pills and she took so many that the doctor said she paralyzed her bowels. She cried with happiness the other day when she could poop again. Poor woman.

The CCM is a festering place of disease. Everyone is sick and pathetic. My classmates were almost all gone this week. One Elder, who I talk with a lot, went to the bathroom over 30 times in the space of a couple of hours. Bless that mans butt! I started to get what ever was going around one night, but I told my body that I have had enough of this sick business and I pulled out the hand sanitizer and pills and was done with it.

Ok here is a word to the wise. NEVER EVER EVER EAT EGGPLANT!!!!! Holy mother of disgusting vomit! I have never been so sick slash grossed out in my entire life. I thought milk and cheese was sick oH no it is eggplant . I was so excited to try it because in the princess diaries novels Mia praised them to the sky. She is a liar! So I was eating my dinner and I saw this purple looking squash thing and I have tried everything I have been given. Well after the first bite I thought, something isn't right here. I took another and I was like ummmm this not that good. Before the next bite, I saw all these black seeds fall out of it that looked like frog eggs from a frog I dissected a couple of years ago. That's when the heaving stared and the gagging. I left and headed straight to the bathroom and didn't leave for most of the night. Both ends of me were not pleased.

I taught relief society to the North Americans this week. It was weird teaching in English but I loved it. Alot of Hermanas came up to me and thanked me for the great lesson. It was about Seeking the Companionship of the Holy Ghost. I reminded them that we are spiritual beings having an earthly experience, not earthly beings having a spiritual experience. Which is really an interesting thought and something to think about.

So you will all laugh at this one. You know how I hate musical numbers and singing it front of people and how I refused to do it as a missionary because that's all the Sister missionaries do. Well I have been dragged into about 5 or more since I have been on my mission. Ridiculous. And guess what! They are all high pitched songs. One Hermana said you really dont sing high do you? I told her I prefer to sing with the men. She was a little shocked but she realized I don't sing high when I sounded like a screeching owl in the night. He He He

Mission work is hard and emotional. I gave up my," I am not going to be emotional on my mission", because you cannot not be emotional. A teacher and I have been bumping heads about alot of things. He thinks I cant do alot of things and thinks I am a fragile stupid American who doesn't understand Spanish. But I showed him this week. He talks to me like I am a child and likes to point me out in class and draw attention to me, which I loathe. So what do I do? I slam it back. I am not going to take crap. You speak Spanish to me like I am a child, I will speak to you in advanced Spanish. So while I was teaching him this week I showed him a thing or two about the having the Spirit on your side and a whole lot of Spanish. He didn't know what to do with himself. He He He. I said to myself, "Take that rewind it back because the Spirit and I are bringing it back!" Oh man he really pushes me to the edge, but I keep telling myself two weeks two weeks. Oh well. I am nice to the man and all, but eeesh it has been difficult.

It sounds like everyone is doing great. Cambria you must be on top of math, don't let math take over your life and make you miserable. So math whats up! And I hope volleyball will get better. Just be goofy and have fun and hit the dang ball!!! Blake, I hope you have fun at photo shop world and school. Brett you are awesome and I am glad we are both doing what we are doing. Mom you are awesome and one sensible woman and young women's will be good. You have great counselors and people on your side. Dad you are the greatest! I don't know what I would do with out you. I love you all!

I hope everyone is doing great! I miss you all but not enough to come home. Love yah!

--
Hermana Channing Jackson