Hello. Here's a wonderful announcement. I will be able to skype next week. On Monday. I will skype at 10:15am here in the Philippines. Not sure what time that is there, but I'm sure you will figure it out. I'm looking very forward to our being able to see each other face to face as I have missed my family so much since Christmas time and I'm excited to see y'all again. This week was a different week. I forgot to tell you last week, but last Sunday we received a text from President Lopez asking me to go on exchanges with Elder Pingol in Old Escalante Branch from Tuesday until Friday at our Zone Training meeting. I was rather confused as to why 4 days, since exchanges are normally only 1 day, but I went. It was rather fun and exciting. Old Escalante is way cool and is a peninsula so the ocean is ALL AROUND it. Elder Pingol is a great missionary. This email might be a little weird, just because if I start telling you things about Old Escalante it won't really make sense. The people are way nice, but I'll try and let you in on some things.
Working with the Members
Monday:
P day. We played basketball for 3 hours in the hot hot sun. I was exhausted, but it was so fun because I haven't played in such a long time. I was pretty decent actually for not having played. It's been nice losing weight too because now I can move faster than I could before and so it was a lot more enjoyable! My 3 is way off though. The lines here are like college 3 point, so my shot is a little short. Also we played ping pong. Every church has a ping pong table and so I was able to beat some Filipino's at that, since I'm a little good. Joke, joke, but really it was way fun. I miss just being able to go into the basement and play whenever I wanted. As long as Ashlyn would play with me. Or Sam. And Sydney would sometimes hit the ball back. haha. Just playing Sydney. Then we went home and had hot water because it's been heating up all day under ground, so I was able to take a "hot" shower. Or after like 3 minutes it went to warm... then cold. But it was nice to finish off with cold because well, it's hot here.
Tuna Melt
Tuesday:
We didn't have any district meeting because of the Zone Training that took place on Friday. So we did our morning regular studies and then Elder Pingol and his companion Elder Macapugas came over to our apartment and then we exchanged. So then I went with Elder Pingol to Old Escalante. We just rode a tricycle for like 20 minutes and we were there. The house has no water, there's not many lights, there is one by the desks and one in the bedroom. The bathroom had no lights. Well, they were just broke or something. Not really sure. So yeah, it was an interesting little adventure! We got there, i hung up my white shirts so they didn't get super wrinkled and my ties, and then we went straight to work. Or should I say, straight to getting punted. All the people didn't receive us or just said come back later. Sister, we're 3 kms from our house, we're not coming back later! Crazy people. However at the end of the night we were able to teach 2 less actives. So it was a complete skunked day. Kinda like fishing... at least we caught something.
Wednesday:
This was even worse. We walked to the ocean port that goes to Cebu, yes I can see Cebu from this place. We walked like 3km to the port and taught a recent convert. They literally live on the water. I can go out their back "door" and step into the ocean my first step, well, during high tide. Then after that, we taught nobody else. We visited people, visited people and tried to teach, but everyone was "too busy" or they had a "laktan" which means like a place to go. Usually they don't have either of the two. They're just chilling at their balay and don't want to do anything. It's called "Pahuway" or in Cebuano "Pahulay". We finished the night by eating pig BBQ at a members house and it was so good. With rice and this like sauce that's really hard to describe but it's so good! I've got to find out how to make it.
Cebu is in the background
Cebu is in the background
Thursday:
We had 3 members of the Old Escalante Branch work with us today. One was an RM. One has a mission call. And the other is deaf and can't speak and so he can't really go. However, he prayed during one lesson and it wasn't sign language. He spoke, but it wasn't really speaking, it was just like sounds. But it was still cool. It's always fun to work with members. They really just make missionary work so much more fun and it's someone else to talk to other than the one person that you are with for 24 hrs a day, minus the 5 min. in the shower in the morning. We taught 3 less active members and then 1 investigator, who was a 9 year old girl. So that was fun. Teaching Law of Chastity to a 9 year old gets kind of fun.
Friday:
We had our Zone Training with President Lopez. I don't know what the pictures look like because well, I don't have a facebook! But you asked about what the hot dogs were made out of... it's actually dog. Just kidding, it's pig! Just like America! And we had burgers and it was good. They were pretty decent actually. His training was on how we can get a baptism every single week, which is pretty crazy, but I think we can actually do it. He said that he and his wife could do it, but then said, who would be the mission president. So I want to do it! I want a baptism every week and I know that's it's achievable through obedience and hard work. Then we exchanged back. On Friday's we have a dinner appointment at our Branch President's house. This week it was chicken. SO good! I love chicken here! With rice and this special sauce, it's like honestly the best thing in the world. I'll make you some when I get home. And you'll have to eat it with your hands only. No fork! No Spoon. Only Kamot (hands).
Teaching about the Godhead
Hotdogs & Hamburgers!
Saturday:
So we were super excited for our baptism. We went to work straight ahead to get in some teachings before the baptism which was at 4. We taught Bro. Despojo who will be baptized on the 18th now. We let him decide. He was at church on Sunday too. So that lesson was really well. We taught tithing, WOW, and LOC all in one lesson. He understood it all and accepted that. We're super excited for him. Then we go to the church, well walked there from like 2 km up a mountain, that's where Bro. Despojo lives, so we had some walking to do. We get a text from the Branch President and it says, "Elders, we have no water" hahaha. No water, no baptism. So we were freaking out, then just decided to do it tomorrow... being Sunday. In the morning before church.
Sunday:
BAPTISM! Abel was baptized at 8 am on Sunday morning. Then at 9 in Sacrament Meeting confirmed a member of the church and received the Holy Ghost. What a blessing. I'll send you some picture after this email.
So there's my week! I hope my email are still interesting to all of you and I hope that you are having a great week! I love you all and I miss you so much. Looking very forward to skype next Monday. I can also send a weekly email in addition to skype too. So that's a nice thing that President is letting us do this week. I know that the church is true. I finished the Book of Mormon this morning again and I know that it's a true book. Read it and find out for yourself. Talk to y'all next week!
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