Its a small world after all...

Once again, I apologize for slacking. I've been a bit off task in terms of blogging, but be happy to know I've been ON TASK serving ;) Aside from regular activities and a few service projects which I will happily share with you in just a moment, I've been blessed to have some really amazing teaching experiences. The funny thing is, the Bahai community is so diverse and widespread but also so interconnected that I'm still left speechless when I map out the 6 degrees of separation I have with a random stranger.
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This leads me to share my fun free day with my girl Mahsa and two of her friends that she met while she was in Brasil, who were in fact from Haifa! Are you starting to catch on to the connection with the title of this post? So I met Mahsa through a friend in Panama. And Mahsa met this couple when she was in Brazil. The couple, young, just married, have been spending their honeymoon backpacking through South and Central America. Pretty BA if you ask me. Anyways, it was their first day in Panama and Mahsa was our tour guide through the city.

We walked from downtown to Casco Viejo only to get caught in a tropical rain storm. No worries though, unless your wearing white pants again! Im kidding, I learned my lesson. But we were definitely soaked by the time we got to Casco.

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We spent the day meeting new people at a local hostel that housed a large number of Israeli tourists, walked around, explored, grabbed Cafe, and discussed the presense of the faith in Haifa, their own interest in the faith, their understanding of the teachings, and the desire to learn more. Well talk about a teaching opportunity presenting itself.

They had questions and I had answers. I think if I've learned anything from service, one of the things is becoming more comfortable sharing my beliefs with others and really learning how to TEACH the faith. I mean ofcourse it has alot to do with the audience you are addressing and their level of interest, but it was good practice and I realized the more comfortable I am the better able I am to present the foundation and binding principles of the faith.
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Now for a bit more of a hands on experience, my Jr. Youth group just completed a really awesome service project! We took a break from class and spent some time cleaning up trash in the neighborhood park and on the side of the road.

It makes me really sad because Panama is a really beautiful country, its like they have literally built INTO the jungle. But in light of all the development, the natural beauty and cleanliness of the country has been neglected. There isnt really an established system to dispose of garbage and people dont actively use the trash. Garbage is just thrown out on the side of the street or out in empty lots. The funniest/saddest part is that most of these areas of land have signs all over asking people to not dispose of their trash. But its not enforced which in turn causes garbage to pile up behind homes, on the side of the road, and in parks where the kids play. So I'd like to think we made a difference!

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Aside from some pretty amazing service opportunities I ended my week with the most reminiscent batch of Ghormeh Sabzi ever! "Jaw oftadeh" and amazing "Jaw toon khalee" Lets just say Ghormeh Sabzi is as good as it is in Panama as it is in the States! God Bless Senora Shahnaz and her "dast pokhtee" for making me feel right at home! Eat your heart out people, Lord knows I ate mine!