Transfer to San Blas Islands

6/22/2016:
"Hey Everyone!!! I got permission to get on a computer and let you guys know the awesome news. I got my change information and I have a new area. Im going to San Blas in an area called Ukupa. Its on the coast and is supposedly an awesome area. Im about to start having some really crazy stories. Also, they dont even speak spanish there. Only a few of the men speak a little but they dont understand much. Supposedly, this is one of the most cultural areas in all of Kunayala (technical term of all the islands and areas of the Kuna people.) Its an Indian reservation where the culture and laws (they have their own government and are separate from Panama control). Its completely different. For example, all the women are always shirtless (not even a bra) and there is no bathrooms on the island. My island we can bathe in the rivers (occasional crocodiles there) or we use well water. Best thing to use is supposedly collecting the rain water. We have permission to go barefoot and flip-flops since my area is basically one big beach near the crystal clear waters. haha!! We are allowed and encouraged to go fishing, hunting, and working in the jungle with machetes. The last Elder there that just left, went with the tribe last week and they caught and cooked a crocodile. We go out to our area tomorrow on these skinny wooden boats called Pongas. Just a heads up..internet is slow there and sometimes doesnt work. I have no idea how it will be sending pictures and writing each week. Well..Things are about to get really crazy!! Love you guys!!"

-Elder Hawes 

6/28/2016: 

"Hey Everyone!! This week has been one of the craziest weeks in my life. I got to my area on Thursday. The other days were spent gathering food and supplies since there are not really stores on the island. Thursday morning me and the group of Elders going to Kunayala woke up at about 4 AM and got on a truck taxi with all the stuff. We then traveled by car about 3 hours going up through the jungle. It was crazy. Like something out of a movie. Going over potholes in thick jungle through the mountains and passing military checkpoints guarded by men with machine guns. There were some beautiful views. We eventually got to a beach that is used as the launching point for the boats heading out to the islands."

"Me by the shore where we took the ponga to get to our new areas. If you can see the boats in the background those are pongas." 

"From there we got on a ponga. I have to correct something I said in the last email. I said a ponga is a skinny wooden boat, that's wrong. Those are called Kayukus. Not sure if I spelled that right. A ponga is one of these crappy boats meant for seating passengers that usually have really crappy motors."

"The other pic is me with the other people going to San Blas. The guy to my left is Elder Mann and he is our zone leader. Hes a really good friend of my trainer Elder Perkes." 

"From there we stopped at each of the different islands that missionaries would serve on. Since mine is one of the most remote I was the 2^nd to last to get off. In total I was in the boat for about 7 hours. That honestly wasn't all that fun though because water would splash into your face unless you covered your body with this clear plastic tarp they gave each row to share. Pretty much had to keep my head between my knees." 

"When we were close to the island, I had to get off the ponga into a skinny Kayuku since there is no dock for the island and had to try not tipping the skinny boat. The first thing I see on the island is a bunch of little naked kids. Haha! Something that I realized the others exaggerated about the island is that the women aren't always shirtless. They are a lot of the time. But not always. Also, the majority of the people here understand Spanish, they just don't respond to us in Spanish. So I at least know they understand me, I just don't understand them that much when they respond to me in Kuna. My first day my companion just showed me around to the village. There is a little over 300 people here supposedly. They all live in little huts built of straw and sticks over the sand." 

"Picture of me sitting at the lunch celebration we got invited to. Notice the women. They are wearing the traditional outfit of the Kuna people." 

"The people all seem pretty nice and love the missionaries. Especially the little kids. Also, we live in the church right now. My second day we got asked by this old guy named Juancho to come work in the jungle where he plants his produce. We helped him to plant coconuts, gather mangos, and cut away the jungle plants surrounding his bananas, pineapples, yuca, coconuts, and all the other stuff he had." 

While working I kept seeing this big holes in the ground and I asked him what they were. He told me they are crab holes and that the one I found had a crab that people can eat. I of course stuck my hand down the hole and started trying to feel for it. I felt when it nipped my finger and I dug the sucker out with my other hand. I caught it and cooked it the following day. Haha!

 "It started to spit bubbles."

"It wasnt too big but tasted good."

"Working in the jungle was crazy it started pouring rain while we were out there and I couldn't help but think how crazy it is that I'm here. Here in San Blaus some of the missionary rules are a little different. We have permission to rinse ourselves in the ocean to facilitate cleaning here. This is usually a rule very strictly guarded that shouldn't be broke. After rinsing in the ocean we further cleaned ourselves with water from the well. There is no cover when rinsing there and for some reason the kids always stare at us because they find it funny. I just keep my shorts on. Since we live on a beach, there is no escaping sand. I always have sand on me somewhere. This week I also got to go bath in the river. That was awesome. The water is cool and really clear. It connects into the ocean as well. When we bath there we have to bring our large water containers to use for drinking in the house. That kind of sucks having to carry because its a 20 min walk. Crocodiles supposedly never really go into that river during the day. During the night they do though." 

I've never seen a place more beautiful. Near the river the ocean, river, village, mountains, the jungles and tropical plants and flowers create such a beautiful view. I've never seen sunsets so beautiful in my life. Our house is right in front of the beach. Oh..also, as missionaries we have a bathroom. It just doesn't work that well. I still use it. The Kuna people have a certain part of the ocean away from the village where they go. Some crazy cultural things I've seen...Sometimes people here paint their kids black using charcoal. I asked why and someone told me to ward off evil spirits. There is an island witch-doctor that goes around and burns plants and does this song that somebody told me is similar to a prayer. There have been some sick children on the island so he has been trying to heal them. We also go permission to give the children blessings so that will help at least. Something really awesome about their culture!! They believe in someone called Ibe Orgum which according to their history was a white bearded man surrounded by light that came down to them and taught them how to live. Taught them how to run their government, help one another, and how to worship god. Still to this day their government has 12 people just as Christ had appointed the 12 apostles to help the people when he came to the Americas. Read 3 Nephi chapter 11. These people in their own culture still have record of the coming of Christ to the Americas!!! This was a long time ago and they have strayed in many cultural customs but they know this gospel is true. Their own culture is evidence of that. Nearly all the people on the island are members its just that a lot of them are less actives. In church we only had about 40 people there but the people know its true. We have two investigators and one has a baptism set 2 weeks from now. I thought that was really cool and thought you all would want to know. There is so much evidence as to the truth of the Book of Mormon. Its almost as if god gives a countless number of reasons to believe then throws in a few curveballs to test our faith. For us to show whether we have the desire to believe and act in accordance. Living here I cant help but think this is exactly how people lived during the book of Mormon. People hunt and gather fruits. Live off the land and share it together. Its a simple and honestly amazing way that they live. Oh..fun fact. I was in charge of the primary class this Sunday. The little kids don't know Spanish. We sang a lot of hyms and I tried getting help with Kuna. Haha!!" 

"Well everyone.. I got to go. I have so much I want to talk about but have been typing a while. I'm guessing I will be out here a while. At least 5 months is my guess. I will do my best to fill all of you in. Well..I hope all of you have a good week! Love you guys!!"