Dedicated to Armando...

I served my mission in Panama, and loved every minute of it...at least that is what I remember. I was transferred off the islands of San Blas after three months, and sent to an area called Burunga. I was excited about the transfer and sad at the same time. I loved the islands and was sad to have to leave. Yet, I felt that this new area would be a great area for me. My companion was North American and was nothing but patient with me and my quirks.

The first day that I got to Burunga, she introduced me to all the important spots that I would need to know. And then we arrived at our house. It was an apartment attached to another apartment where our landlord lived.

That was the day that I met Armando. He was our landlord. He was like a grandfather to me from that day on. He treated my companion and I with great respect. And he took care of us. When we ran out of water, he let us use some of his so that we could shower. He was the one that told us about the attacks in New York on 9/11. He took us to the beach with the elders on our Pday. We even tried to do some matchmaking with him and one of our other investigators in the same area. And one day, we asked him if he wanted to learn about our church.

Armando was golden! He learned so quickly and accepted all that we taught him. I gave him my tapes of the Book of Mormon so that he could listen to them. He was paralized on one side of his body, so it was really hard for him to read for long periods of time. He went to church every Sunday and paid his tithing. The day he was baptised was so special for me. We tried to heat up the water so that his body didn't go into a lot of shock. We made cookies for the occasion. He was just so very special! (Armando is the older, non missionary in the picture)

I found out yesterday that he died. And while I was sad, I was so happy for him! He lived such an amazing life. Serving those around him and doing his best to live a good life. His testimony of the church never faltered and I will always be grateful for his example while I tried my best to teach him the gospel. Now, he is in a better place. He no longer suffers from his paralysis and I can only imagine his happiness.

Thank you Armando, for teaching me so much about life. I will forever be grateful for that.