Monday, April 22, 2013

The Work is Heating Up!

Dear Family,

Hello everyone. It's been another wonderful week. This week my email is on time so you're all welcome. Sorry, last week we were still moving and things. I love my new apartment and the spirit is so much stronger in there because we keep it clean and are the first missionaries to live in it, so all is well here in Mabini. We actually live in Escalante now, which is in the city, so we're closer to everything that we need (I know that Mom was asking). This week was a pretty good week and was really crazy. My legs hurt, but I'll get to that part later in the email.

On Tuesday we had district meeting which was super fun. I love district meeting, we sang "As Sisters in Zion" for our opening hymn. haha. Just something funny to do, I guess, andd then we worked right after that. We have our district meetings in Mabini with the Elders from "Stop". A lot of people punted us and either weren't home or were busy, so it was a little bit of a sad day. It's still summer time here and the weather is soooo hot. It was a long day, we always walk so much and it's all in the mountains.  Here the mountains just have sugar cane, it's not like trees and stuff like Utah, so the sun just beats down on us the whole time and it's tons of fun. I'm getting really dark.
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Walking to the church
Comfort Room at Stop
 
On Wednesday we worked a lot! We went to see Brother Despojo who will be baptized on May 18, but we're thinking of moving it up to May 11, because he's super ready we think. We're looking forward to that day when he makes that covenant of getting baptized. He will then be completed with his family!  After meeting with him, we walked like forever down the mountain, (Bro. Despojo lives at the top), and we taught another member who's like 10 I think. The mom is a member, but was at work. The Dad was there and he's not a member yet. He really likes to smoke and drink, which is really sad. I now know why we have the Word of Wisdom because that stuff destroys families! It's super sad, so we're trying to help him and his wife is trying to help him too. They both work in the Cane fields a lot, so I don't know the situation that well. I just know Sister is a recent convert and she comes to church every Sunday and is super active.

On Thursday I had exchanges with Elder Sobreviega in Stop Aguinaldo. That area is CRAZY! I thought we had a crazy mountain area until I went and worked in their area. We have motorcycles that will take us to the top and we just walk down and things like that, but they don't. There's no way a motor can get anywhere in this area. We walked miles and miles in the hot sun and up the steepest mountains, like climbing kings peak for 3 hours in my missionary shoes, luckily those things are amazing beasts! I love my shoes. The new house that the stop Elders moved into doesn't have water yet, it does now, but on Thursday it didn't, so we had to go get water from the well in the back just to shower and to use the pooper. I also played with a lot of goats!
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On Friday the Chin couple came and looked at our apartment. They visited all the elders and did apartment checks, ours in brand new so they pretty much walked in and said, well good, then left. haha. They just gave us some papers and things that we needed and then took a picture with us and then we worked. We had 10 teachings this day which is quite good actually, so we were happy! We taught Brother Despojo about the Plan of Salvation and that was a great lesson until he asked where hell was, so that was fun. We also taught Avele who should be baptized on May 4. He is totally ready and totally knows all the answers. He's only 8, I know, don't make fun, but he's totally awesome. He has tons of support. His parents are both dead and he lives with some family members. I thought his parents were away at work, but Elder Daplin explain they died, so yeah. I also hit my 7 MONTH mark! Dugay pa gid. However, that was a great day. Don't know why but it just feels like I'm making some progress. hehe.
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Before the Storm
 
After the Storm
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YW preparing to make a run for it
 
Saturday we worked all morning. It was hot, no clouds, the humidity was way high, around 80% I swear, and then we found out why. During a lesson we were outside under this shack/tin roof thing, and then the clouds came and it starts POURING like it usually does here in the Philippines of course. Earlier I had let Sister Caren, the recent convert borrow my umbrella because she was in the sun and I love just standing in the sun and getting darker, so I let her have it and I was just going to get it back on Sunday at church. Anyway, then it rained, and now I have no umbrella! haha.  I have a way cool picture though. Anyway, so Elder Daplin gets the "impression" that we need to go to the church. If I could only explain where the heck we were, it's like 2 miles to the church. I have no umbrella and we're under a roof and safe currently. Why on earth do we need to go to the church. However, I let my self ego go and respected my senior companion. I walked from Crossing Buli, to the church 2 miles away, with a rice sack on my head, with the rain beating down on us. We arrive to the church and we're not needed. I have no clue what might have happened if we stayed or why we needed to go. I'm still trying to figure that one out. It's a cool story to tell though!
 
Sunday was so humid because it rained all night. Bro. Depojo, Bro. Avele, and Sis. Garcia our investigators all came to church. We also had a lot of Less actives there, so that was a good thing. Our teacher for Sunday school is way good. She's an RM so she knows a lot of stuff and really makes the class fun and enjoyable. I also stepped in a huge mud pile, that wasn't fun. My shoe was covered in mud. haha.

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TUKO--the hypnotized lizarad
 
So that's pretty much my week. I hope that everything is going well in the USA! Be lucky that you live in the USA, it really is the promised land. I love the church and I love the Book of Mormon. I read like 30 pages this morning in my personal study in Alma about his last words to all his sons. It's super good. I learn so much every time that I read it. I love y'all back home. Thanks for all the prayers and support! I couldn't do this without y'all. Love you!

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