Meeting the Marcus Family

We had the amazing experience of meeting a wonderful family during our stay in Boquete, Panamá. The way it turned out was definitely by divine design. As my brother and I walked towards the Rio Caldera hoping to find a place to wade, we debated which way we should go to find the best spot. Trusting Google maps, we walked towards a place it said there was a bridge. Upon arriving, we noticed a small trail going up the mountain slope that ran alongside the river. It was intriguing for some reason, and I now know that it was the Spirit that prompted us to take that route. We climbed up the path and realized that it led to a small Ngobe indian village. Tiny heads of children poked out from above and they surely must have been wondering what two tall, white people were doing invading their village! We made it up and said hello to a young mother washing outside. She told us the trail didn't continue past the village and ended there. As we turned to go back down the mountain, I felt strongly the impression to return to the house where the children had stared at as and ask the mother of the family if I could interview her for my class. I debated it for a second but ultimately we trekked back up. When we arrived, the mother invited us in without a moment's hesitation. We introduced ourselves and began talking with this amazing woman and her 3 sons when a young girl walked out of their wood hut and I immediately recognized her. It was a girl I had met that same day in the Boquete Tuesday market! She had been there and we had talked for a bit and I had learned that she was a member of the Church. When I saw her and asked her name she sassily replied “No me recuerdas?!” (You don't remember me?) It was a crazy moment and I realized this was a family of members of the Church! God sent us there to minister to them, of this I have no doubt. (Although I think they more ministered to us.)  How we ended up in this little tiny village up a mountain over a river I don't know how to explain. The mother was wearing a traditional Ngóbe Bugle dress and the kids were dirty from having been playing in their little dirt patio with a puppy and chickens. When I asked if I could interview the mother, she heartily agreed and invited us into their little home. We all sat around the dirt floor on the thin mattresses lining the room and left the door open wide so the daylight illuminated our faces. They had been doing laundry that day and had all the clothes hanging around the hut, because the rainy climate wouldn't dry them outside. I learned so much from the questions I asked Amalia. She was born in a small village called Cerro Gavilan in the province of Ngóbe Bugle up the mountain from the pueblo of Tole, Panamá. Her father was a cultivator of rice, bananas, beans, and peas. She said her father was God-fearing and taught her about God, but they never went to church. Her mother died when she was 8 years old. She married Agustín Marcus and had 7 children. Their names are Brenilda, Agustin, Laman, Alejandro, Bruno, Juan Manuel, and Levi. She told us that her greatest blessings are to know God and to have her family. One touching moment of the interview was when asked if she believed her family could be eternal she pulled out a carefully kept album where she showed us pictures of the family's sealing! Turned out they had been sealed about 3 years ago. She carefully showed us the pictures and it was inspiring to see the smiling faces of the entire family in the photos in front of the Panamá City Temple. She also taught us a few key phrases in their traditional language known as Sabanero. Before we left, they gave us loaded bowls of white rice each topped with a hard-boiled egg. I will never forget this humbling, and thought-provoking experience. We encouraged the mother to take her children to church to partake of the sacrament each Sunday despite the difficulty in travel each week. It was interesting to learn about the Ngóbe indian culture and see how many customs have been upheld across generations. The experience causes me to question: what really matters in this life? Is it wealth, popularity, fame, luxury, television, sports, etc.? I think Amalia has got it right. The greatest blessings, what matters most, is to know God and Jesus Christ and to be part of an eternal family. This little Ngóbe Bugle family has what matters most, and now all that's left is to stay on the path. I want to be a person that doesn't fret over small things. I want to be a person that doesn't pursue the vain things of the world. I want to be a little more grateful, a little more loving. I am thankful for this family, thousands of miles from home in the jungles of Panamá, that reminded me of this. 

Here i am with the wonderful family! Missing the father, and three sons that weren't there.