Letter #4

What week is this??

Kamusta mo!?

Wow, I don't even know how long I have been here..what week is it?! What day is it? Alright, so on Saturday we got a text (the sisters here have cell phones..)PARENTS CALL ME AT 6 PM ON MOTHERS DAY. EMAIL ME BACK SO I KNOW YOU GOT THIS. you are going to have to get a card or something. one hour to talk so get all your questions ready, etc. :)

Alright so Saturday we got a text and it said we needed to get to Tacloban by 8am Monday morning so sister Lemmon could renew her visa. We were so excited cause that meant seeing some of our batches and then eat some marasa food. So right now I am in Tacloban and it’s been a fun day. Last night we stayed with some sisters--mattress on the floor, which is fine, except they have cockroaches and mice..and I had stuff crawling on me all night long I am not kidding. and they have no air circulation so when there were TWO brown outs the fan stopped and it woke me up cause I couldn't breathe cause it was so stuffy! So I didn't sleep too wonderfully, but it’s okay. Today has been fun and there were a lot of missionaries from around the mission in town today and so we got to be together for pday and eat lots of delicious foods.

Well, this week we did pretty good with teach rcla lessons. Our standard of excellence for the mission is hard hard to reach. Especially for our area. We cannot count lessons to investigators unless there is a member present--but not just any member--the right fellowshipper that has been assigned, prayed about ,etc. that is tough. but we did teach about 20 rcla lessons this week and had great experiences. Our investigators seem to be hiding/moving away from us which has been super weird, but we have 12 new investigators.

Actually! I am really excited about these four youth that we randomly found one day. Wendy 17, Alvin 18, PJ 14, Eva may 16--they are super smart and awesome. WE taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ as well as message of the restoration. THEY totally understood it and were asking awesome questions! Wendy was amazed to hear we have a prophet today! I taught first two principles in the lesson--I struggled through the prophets part (first time teaching it!) but it turned out okay and they were super patient! I seriously love them. I know that I am supposed to work with youth. They have a special place in my heart and I know that is what I will be doing with my life. We gave them Book of Mormons and a commitment and I am excited to go back.

Well, like I said our investigators have been weird this week. ITs true, the mission is full of ups and downs and they are very close together, but that is okay! We just keep pluggin along. There is these beautiful homes in our town (well two) and every time we pass them I say, we have to knock on their door, I have to know who lives there! This week, a lady was sitting outside the house/gate and so I immediately went up to her and found out she lived in America for 20 years and speaks English! How fun for me cause I was finally able to be myself and talk to her and I was so excited to get to know her. She lives alone b/c her two kids are back in America (Ohio I think..) and her x husband is American and also there. I was like, I am new here , let’s be friends! We are visiting her this week.

We also were on an epic walk to visit some recent converts on a very hot day and there was this community up the mountain a bit just staring at us so my comp and I decided to go talk to them. They are so nice and we shared with them and will share again this week.

Well, our awesome investigator, Raymond--he is so hilarious and I just love this kid--has to extend his baptism. :( so sad. Its harvest time and so his parents won't let him go to church or get baptized on Friday b/c he has to harvest. ...so now he will have to wait a whole month b/c he didn't get to church 3 weeks in a row. he is way bummed...and so are we. But maybe it will be good for him to grow even more. I am just slightly worried about that area of people... We are also striving to figure out a way to serve his family better. it’s tough since I literally can't communicate a thing to them (they speak tagalog) but we are thinking we might be able to help them finish their house.

I prepared for a lot of awesome lessons on Saturday and we just got punted over and over. . bastay lan.

OH! We did a cool object lesson this week!

The whole "here is a delicious cookie for you, but I added just a little bit of dirt on it...you still want it.." lesson. Relates to our lives and how we need to completely dedicated and not do even the littlest of sins; one bad movie, one immodest shirt ...

Well, there are no cookies here; but we decided to get some bread rolls and stick poop in it! We are so innovative, right?! WEll, please imagine my dear sister Lemmon and me trudging through the jungle looking for Caribou pooop! We seriously were dying of laughter and found some and it was an epic struggle to get the bits of poop in the bread roll. Anyways, we taught it to an incredible member family and i , of course, was speaking bisayan and was in charge of the whole "object part" but as I was doing it , I forget the word to STOP the poor little kid from eating the poop bread , and it literally touched his mouth, and my trainer started yelling, ANAY ANAY ANAY!!! and then that gave me a heart attack and we both just started dying of laughter and then I explained about the poop...that poor kid was so scared! But after much laughter (the family also was dying of laughter) we got the lesson out and shared scriptures and we asked the dad if he had anything to add and he said, "pinaka maayo sa lekson." pretty much saying, that’s the best lesson ever, nothing to add...

:)

Ha-ha, Filipinos love object lessons--and so do we!!! :)

Well, I am having a great time here. I love my mission and I am loving the people I get to be with every day. I am surrounded by great missionaries and leaders and I have a wonderful trainer. WE laugh constantly and I just can't imagine my life here without her.

The members are great and my bisayan/waray is still not really existent, but I am doing a bit better; line upon line, right?

Actually, the language is definitely up and down. One night this week I truly and completely got frustrated. IT was a tough night . And also, it was a night that one of our investigators said that they drank and didn't understand why it was such a big deal. I couldn't communicate to him at all and it broke my heart. So frustrating. But honestly, if you are down, you must come back up, and that is what happens. Lots of ups and downs, so just keep going until you are back up again.

Zone reactivation was in our area on Friday and it was really great! I met people I didn't know where members and got to share messages with them. Sister Lemmon is awesome and she does a great job at making me use my singing. I just love her.

I've had a great opportunity to really study in Helaman this week and I've really appreciated that. It’s been incredible to see how as I study and pray for guidance to what to teach the people we are completely inspired as to what to study. Such tender mercies and miracle occur when you apply all those things that the Lord and prophets have told us to do.

This week I was really focused on being guided --learned how to say that in different ways in bisayan-- and the Lord completely and fully answered my prayers. It’s interesting too to see what answers come immediately , and what isn't answered--and how the Lord is helping me work on patience.

WEll, I received lots and lots of dear elders and my first letter from JARRETT! Being in Tacloban I got all my letters so thank youuuuuuuuu:

Bianca! -how fun becca and brianna were there!!

Maggs!!--Alicia and your brothers! how awesome. wow, I bet opening your call was incredible!

Nat--miss youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!

Jarrett--I was so happy to hear from you and get your pics! you sound like you are doing so well. thanks for your advice! I like advice. :)

Kerry--I hope your kids are better. I love reading about your mission! happy late bday!!!!!!!!!

Katie--happy early bday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and happy early bday to spank! also, the talk by Elder Holland--ministry of angels--so good. (vt)

Kiera--Benson so cute and I am so happy you have that group of girls in your ward!

Urs and Noel-- love hearing about your lives! thanks for all the advice and love and support. you both are the best.



well, the church is true--so what else matters?! :) despite the heat and the sweat and the ridiculous things and situations we may find ourselves in....the church is true, so keep plugging along, even when you know you are in the "down" of life...keep going, cause soon you'll be in the ups! Da ba?!



love love love,

sister b.

aaron--thanks for the talk. I really enjoyed it.