Zone Conference and National Family Week

TUES: Had 2 lessons in the farthest area and walked back, Went Tracking, along the National Highway. It was really fun. We Yelled "Mga Missionaryo Po KAMI." to the air. It was 2 and that is when people are having their National Nap time. Everyone takes a siesta at 2 to 3 then back to work at 4.  Once we had gotten back to the Church we only had time for one more lesson so we taught our RS Presidents grand kid and his father. Every time we ask them to pray they cry I want to just shake them and say "YOU ARE FEELING THE SPIRIT DOESN’T IT FEEL GREAT!??" The RS Prez, has told us that her biggest dream is to have them come to church as a family.

That night the Missionaries in their new apartment got spooked by someone trying to open their door, (drunk man most likely) so they called us and we called the Branch Pres. to pick them up and bring them here.

WED:
Another Miracle: We rested on Wednesday because we both felt sick we have been taking care of the new missionaries through the night. When we woke up, we called our Branch President and said we need to go to the Rumaldo Family we promised him that we would visit every Wednesday. So we were there and their youngest daughter came and she asked the Branch President to give her a blessing. If we had gone there at the time we originally planned we wouldn't have been able to get the Branch President there and then he wouldn't have been able to give her a blessing.  yay!

THURS:
Zone Conference! IT was amazing I came back from that so refreshed and full of the spirit!  It was all about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. SO GOOD! Now this week we are teaching all our people about the Savior, we want them to be converted But not to us and not to Joseph Smith, To Jesus Christ. We got there by rented vans that the ZL's hired it was so much fun. Road Trip. 

SATURDAY: This week is National family week, what’s cool about it is the president of the Philippines met with some Mormons and they offered up the idea and the Prez was like ya that sounds cool let’s do it.
We had Family week Celebration on Saturday it was fun to see all the Branches together. Playing games like the first Branch to 30 baskets, and making up Branch Chants, and ya. It was at Nueva Viscya University stadium. Mostly bleachers with a grass field and a basketball court in the middle with a dirt track around it. While Family week was going on on one side the ROTC Marches where going on on the other side. It was fun to see them march in formation and practice with the wood weapons.  

Language is coming along, Funny things I have said to people during lessons: When we go to church the Spirit can learn from us.

I know that we are Good examples to Nephi.

We get General Conference On Oct 12th and the RS Broadcast is at Oct 6. So I guess it takes a week to translate it into Tagalog but I am still excited! Wow I have seen General conference in England and now in the Philippines yay!  It’s getting cooler here, say cooler because it feels like Hawaii now hahaha My Kasama is dying of cold but I am like it is fine.

The Indian next door and the Sri Lankan upstairs.  Hahah.

This is a Jeepney

My favorite Poly friends!

Of Sickness, Dead Animals, Amazing People, and RAIN!

MONDAY: Rain:  Got trapped by it and stayed there until the rain died down, Drew a map of the USA for Marvin Bunsay. He asked where all the Basketball teams were located. Like San Antonio, and the Miami heat and the Chicago Bulls, and the LA team it was fun. 

TUESDAY: District meeting and helping Sister Welleayn Buy food that won't hurt her stomach (she is from Sir Lanka) and just helping her with language study all day and then it rained and we couldn't go out because Sister Diola was already sick from yesterday. We rested. We then got out to at least teach one person and went to sister Rubeliza. She had a High Fever, her husband was gone and her mom lives in Manila. Sister Diola knows some pretty cool ancient Mesage with mint oil and baby oil, and gave Rubeliza a head, back and neck mesage. We called Prez Villaran he couldn't come but the next day he went to see her. We couldn't make it there. Amazing person sister Diola. Dead animal A Dog with all its guts hanging out all over the road (I first thought it was a crumpled plastic bag.... Ewww)

WED: We had Lunch at the New missionaries Apartment (its big) Sister Perlas made the noodles Sister K (American) made an omelet and we brought the soda. After that rain again and we rested again Sister Diola was still sick. We then picked up a Cake we had ordered for Little Melvar Bunsay the youngest (out of 9 kids) of the Bunsay family it was his first birthday.

The amazing person here is the oldest Bunsay kid and her Girlfriend they came and stayed for a week to take care of the Bunsay family. It was so great they bought light bulbs and a generator, and it was just fun!  Dead animal: some dog or bird in the Trench

We had made an appointment to have a Jeepney driver to help us teach with our RS President. IT was fun!!! I love jeepneys but having a Jeep all to ourselves and having it dry inside was super awesome. We taught the plan of Salvation but forgot to pray at the beginning. I couldn't spew out a single Tagalog word (Which is bad because they are Illicano so they know a lot of Illicano Medium Tagalog and little English) and then we remembered and we prayed. Then I said something that I hear a lot but never really used, and made some complete sentences. Amazing the power of prayer.

THUR: Ate lunch at Reyes Family sister Diola still not well so she was clever and kept a discussion up so she could stay sitting. It was an uplifting and spiritual discussion but she kept it up by connecting scriptures and asking them what their favorite scripture was and why. Then we worked it was good. We went to the Ojias family, that we haven't gone to yet. It was the house that had the chalk drawing of Goku on it. The house leans downhill but it was pretty sweet on the inside. it’s amazing how people can take something that looks like a hut on the outside and fill it up to make it seem like a normal room on the inside.

FRIDAY: Slower day we tried to find people and ended up in a field in the middle of the city. Random. Saw a dead cat, taught brother Tayag and his family about the scriptures and how they help us. Pulled out an amazing stunt, I asked them what was their favorite person in the scripture (everyone always says Nephi, so I have the I will go and do the things the lord commands scripture ready) he said Benjamin... :| so I flipped open my scriptures to Mosiah 4:6 it was cool. Then told them that the scriptures are for you! This is guidance for you use it. <-- in a nicer way but ya.

SATURDAY: Amazing there was a Typhoon but only category 1 so it just blows a lot. So we bought food just in case the Typhoon was heavy then we couldn't decide what to do, I wanted sister Diola to Rest she wanted to go out but we had no one to drive us and she didn't want to walk in the wind. We Prayed Twice and after that 2 YSA men just drive up in their trycie and said "let’s work!"  We then called a sister in the ward at random (to get another lady there) and she was just at home because she had gone home early from work because of the wind. She told us of 3 people she knew that haven't been to church in a long time and it was just special! Yay! And we got a new investigator from that and after wards we had a FHE at Tatay Tayag family. Also the wind Blew down a metal house next to the Highway It was crazy and the old man that we taught asked us why we were there when there was a Typhoon and one of us is sick, we just smiled and said the lord wants us to be here sir. He was impressed.

SUNDAY: We had the Area Assistant, President Pascua. He was there to train the branch in how to have Branch council meetings and how to have Branch Missionary Coordination meeting.  It helped us get some new less active members to teach we also whipped out the handy dandy membership Records. It was such a big help!! yay.

TODAY: Saw a dead dog in the Trench, it has stopped raining and now it is P Day. yay. We cleaned the apartment and got most of the leaves from off our porch. I don’t know why there are so many dead animals everywhere I think they are all just wet and sick of the rain. Some got ran over.

Mahal Ko Kayo (I love you guys) Sister Perkins

Happy 1st Birthday, Melvar!

I am a zombie at a water fight

the cake

Funny Things and Hail

Funny things: Little boys skinny dip in the trenches here (the water pit that all the  motor oil, garbage, bathwater, and other unmentionables goes) the farmers here don't even want that water in their Rice fields so they build up walls to stop that water from contaminating the rice...

Frogs here sound like cows or someone revving their engines.

People here love Videoke like Karaoke and they like to party.  The other day there was a party that set up at 6 in the evening and partied until 12 noon the next day. They had all kinds of songs from pop songs to traditional Filipino songs. There is a traditional dance called Tenikeling (we learned that in Elementary one time) with 2 wooden dowels (long sticks) and people jump in between them to the beat it's like jump rope and dancing and another one where they have a cup with a candle balanced on their head and two cups balanced on their fists. They also have a restaurant here called Jolibees It's like a McDonalds but it’s not. They have spaghetti on the menu and fried Chicken with rice.

Jeepny rides you sit on the persons lap next to you hahah it is two long benches on the inside of a bus kind of thing that use to be a jeep from the war but they cut it up and painted it and welded it back together. It’s really fun.

Tricies are for within the city and the Buked (book-ed means country) around the city. Jeepnys are for next 2 or 3 cities over and buses (like a gray hound buses but cheaper) are for going to farther distances. We use the bus to go to the Mission house but when it is transfers they hire a Jeepny to get us to our areas for sure.

Every night there is a lighting storm not always rain but always lighting even if sometimes it is on the horizon.

Last week it hailed, the first time in people’s lives to see Hail. The lighting storm was so bad, but it was fun. They thought it was snow. What was funnier was that last Sunday in Sunday school we talked about how it hailed on the enemies of Zion’s camp.

ube is purple treat here and it is delicious Sticky rice

Food that is delicious (masarap! ) . Pork and chicken Adobo please look up the recipe and make it with rice for your family and Chicken Inasal (like barbeque chicken)

And Pancit (Asian noodles) I love noodles :) they also have Spanish bread that is good.

Rice cake is really good sticky rice too but in a banana leaves and fried on a grill really delicious.  

So this week has been AMAZING! The lord has strengthened me to a point of bursting! Oh my gulay (veggie)!

SUNDAY the Highlight of the week; we had Branch Conference and worked with the Branch Counsel, about the work. We got others to help us work other than the Branch president and we planed out who would work and what days they can. It's hard here because they work every day except Saturday and Sunday and that is the days they buy things and get close to family so ya. The couple that worked with us on Sunday was George and Lin Reyes (not related to Tatay Reyes) they are the most interesting couple I have ever met. He is Pilipino and she is from Thailand I miss car rides but Tricey rides make my day. We drove with them to our appointments. They are 48 her and 60 him years old but they both look and act like 28 and 30 year olds. It’s amazing how young these people look. They said that they only act that way is because they have the gospel of Joy in their lives. They have both almost died like 10 times. it was amazing and I felt like I was on a car ride with my three best friends and 2 just happened to be married it was fun but it was spiritual as well. He use to be a preacher because he was being punished he was forced into a Catholic service he knows a lot about the church and studies so much about the gospel because it has changed his life. What I thought was really cool is they were married and he was LDS and she was Buddhist but he refused to preach to her because he wanted her to found it out for herself and one day he asked her just to try and pray like he did. She felt something then he sent her home to be taught by the missionaries at her home land so that she would be taught in her own language. So amazing! gaahhh and they are so sweet to each other. Then we had a dinner appointment and it was hot wings FOOOOD! yaya Hot wings! So good I have loved this week.

Love Sister Perkins.

A Baptism!

The humidity doesn't even faze me anymore hahah sometimes it will be raining and I can't feel it. Yes my tan is gone but today I got sunburn for the first time ever. We had a BBQ for the going away ELDERS in our zone. It was fun we played volleyball and sprayed each other with the water spicket.

Lately we have been giving food to the little kid beggars on the street. It warms my heart. We can't give them money but we buy muffins or ice cream from the ice cream man. We have gotten a lot of Referrals lately but none of them are in our area anymore. Our area is splitting to accommodate the new missionaries. We have to start over from scratch. Tomorrow and the next day we are going to Cauayan to say bye to the leaving missionaries and giving the new missionaries their new area book with the people we have been teaching. It's sad but we have been saying good bye to them.

We didn't go to the Rice Terraces it was canceled because we are now only allowed 1 District activity and 1 Zone activity every cycle (month) and we wanted the BBQ so next time we are going.

The Branch president helps us a lot with our work. He gives us free tricy rides all over the place. (When he has time) some of our areas are far so if we were to pay it would be 30 pesos.

But they aren't very organized here. The visiting teaching and home teaching is next to none here, Most of the time it is the RS pres. and us going around. Oh well.

This week we said good bye to the people we teach that aren't going to be in our area any more. Friday I read Alma 26 where Ammon was rejoicing over his mission. I felt so happy! This was so great! But then we had companionship inventory and everything I had done wrong was back. But I decided to not let that bother me. Saturday was our Baptism of Marvin and Merriam it was so good!
Sunday I invited our investigator family to baptism and how amazing it was!!!! It was epic! The overwhelming happiness yay!

On Saturday was the final burial for Marielle's brother, they had a huge parade from the Church to the Cemetery. There was trycies on the side for those that are older or can't stand the heat.  I was walking with one of our less active old ladies and my kasama was with another. The lady wanted to get on the tricey so I lead her to it and sat down on the back. I yelled to my Kasama telling her where I was and then the tricey driver speed off!!!! My kasama wanted me to jump off but I was frozen. He drove to the Cemetery where the parade was close to. After he stopped I jumped off and jogged to the Parade. I thought that the Trycie driver was going to just keep following the precession that I could just be in sight and sound next to the parade. It was scary. 

We had the BAPTISM of Marriam and Marvin Bunsay!!! this week. It was cool. They are cool kids. Marvin and the family that I committed to baptism are friends. Merriam is pretty shy but she can see how much this gospel has changed her family and really believes it. She stopped drinking coffee for it! haha it was good.

Love sister Perkins

This Week I invited a family to be baptized. So the Mom and brother don't really know that much English and we had the third lesson on the restoration we had the restoration video. They go to church and really like it there. Anyways we were talking about the restoration and the topic was praying to know if it is true. Then it was my turn to speak and I just said in English "ok when you come to know that these things are true then what do you do?" They just looked at me and the sister (she goes to college so she knows English) Nodded. I continued "you act. You follow Christ because when you follow Christ you get closer to God (Heavenly Father) and when you get closer to both of them you have a better life. Then I said "Susudin mo ba ang Halmbawa Ni Jesucristo sa pamamagitan ng Ipapabinyang Sa isang tao ng athority ng preisthood ng Dioys? " the baptism invitation. It was great! The brother said Yes Immediately. I just cried after that and spoke English on how great it was for them to prepare and that we are there for them though the whole process. I felt like the purpose that I have been reciting for 2 months was actually my purpose. To help others come unto Christ! It was so happy. It was amazing. There are no words to explain how cool it was.   

Baptism! Marvin and Merriam

Splits with Sister Training Leaders

Happy BIRTHDAY!!!  DAD

I am so thankful for all that you do! It is really cool how you are working with the12 Apostles. Don't worry or freak out about your project coming up that you have to present. Be patient even if the computer is slow or not working hahah. I haven't been able to do the stress thing because we go to this Internet Cafe that has a lot of blocks (we use it because it is the safest one.) and it blocks the videos. So we will have to go to another Internet Cafe to watch it. I am sure it is awesome! It's just hard with Time too.

Ya there was another Typhoon but we didn't hear about it until later and it didn't affect any of our area.

We don't exercise at all it is too hot. I stretch in the morning and at night I stretch my back, but other than that nope. We eat a lot of snacks but we are changing that. Its apart of the culture to share snacks to every guest.  I have no appetite but I think that is just the food, and I didn't feel good last week I am better now though. We walk a lot though.

Here at night the storm clouds flash lighting but it doesn't rain it is so cool like someone is taking pictures of everything but it is lighting.

This P-Day we helped the Housing elders with the new apartment for the new sisters. A Lady owns it so we where around to help them get it ready with her around.

Thanks for all your personal letters they are great fun! And I can feel you put your soul into them.

This Sunday we had 7 investigators come to church so happy! And 3 baby blessings! Wow! I wish I could have been to Clara's but It is cool that there is baby blessings happening all over the world.

So I am feeling a lot better. I had interview with our mission president this last Tuesday and his wife. She gave out M&M's that were delicious! Masarap! I realized I haven't had Chocolate in a long time. They have chocolate here but it is like the fake Chocolate like the Chocolate frosting off of a cake, it’s fake and processed so it lasts long but doesn't taste half as good. Yes there is American candy here a lot of it but I can’t get myself to buy any of it.

On Wednesday we had the sister training leaders go on splits with us. I was split with sister Peckhem She was American and everyone was super surprised that she could speak fluently. (I guess they were just use to me struggling hahah) I told her about the people we were visiting and we were reminiscing on America and I was asking her what all the strange sicknesses she has had. And the strange things she has eaten. She has been here for 14 months. Before the splits me and my kasama actually planned each lesson so that I could somewhat take the lead. It was good. I love it when I am placed with someone that doesn't know and I have to take the lead. I'm not that good at it because my kasama knows the area and the people know her and well ya. Yes sister peckhem talked most of the time because she could speak and understand but I was the one giving her the opportunities to speak. We went to a house that was on top of the mountain and there was a hike to get it. We taught the people there how to take the BOM and apply it to their lives. It was great I felt we really helped them. We also visited our non progressing less active. I wanted to see how sister peckhem would handle her. Sister Taborda is joining another church and losing her testimony. She is so confused and it is hard to see it. She is such a sweet old lady and thinks of us as daughters. I talked to my mission prez about it. He said we might have to drop her. Missionaries have visited her for 3 years and she hasn't progressed much she loves listening to us but won't pray or read. "no time!" and yet she goes to bible study everyday but not enough time to pray to find out what is true? Gaaaahhh!

Anyways the split was good sister Peckhem showed her some bible and BOM verses that supported each other and asked her to pray about it Again. Next time we will teach the first lesson (the basics) Again and then ask her to pray about it then drop her.

The sister training leaders stayed that night and it was fun to have kind of a sleep over. (Except it ended at10:30 but still)

Also on Wednesday a new sister from Sir Lanka came she is staying with the sisters that live above us in the apartment complex she is sweet and so confused. I don't blame her. She has a little bit of English and even smaller bit of Tagalog and has to just push along. She is so happy anyways and her two sister trainers and helping her all they can.

This Thursday we went to the other side of our area. SSSSOOOOBRONG Pretty! It is a long cement road in between miles of rice fields that connect to and island of houses! And then that island turns into a hill and then on top of that hill an old Army camp that was used way back when and now is just a cute neighborhood. We taught a referral there a sister Lebombon She seemed pretty open to our message and we asked if she had any family that we could talk to as well, they weren't home. Then we visited another investigator who just had a surgery, we showed her the Restoration video and asked her to pray about it. We also told her that we wouldn't be there next week because our Area is splitting. All the investigators on that side of the split we visited to tell them that new missionaries would come to teach them on September 11th we are getting 4 new sister missionaries. They will take over that new area. After that we had dinner at brother and Sister Allen’s house.

Brother Allen is a white American that can’t speak a lick of Tagalog and Mumbles his English. His Wife is a talkative native and speaks English super clear and Tagalog Fast! They are so interestingly different. They met though her bishop that was white American in Tokyo that knew Brother Allen. It was cool we had onion pork steak with vegetables and ice cream at the end we shared a message about prayer. 

Friday The Bunsay kids we got them their baptismal interview! yay. Mariam is super nervous and shy and whenever she speaks to me I can’t hear because she is so quite. Marvin on the other hand has started memorizing the Sacrament prayer and is super stoked. They are both worthy and willing and they both see the difference that having and living the gospel has help their lives. After that we ate a McDonalds’ (Macdoh here) they are pretty chill kids. After that we got lost but whenever we get lost we talk to a lot of different people. We talked to an old man that was in the army and stationed in Alabama he was so open to the Gospel we handed him the restoration pamphlet and he just began reading it right away like bam! He was retired and just sitting on his porch. we then Asked these little old ladies for directions and one was a bore again Christian, I told her that if she ever wanted to just come and see what we were all about she could come on Sunday. She said it was good to share with other churches and then said I am happy to praise God In any Place. hahah she was cute.

We then visited the Dagiou family. The mom was there and just broke down crying we comforted her and asked her to come to church. (We wanted her to stay in the Chapel after sacrament so we could feel the spirit a little more and just talk.) She didn't come to Church but we will keep on trying.

We then ate ice cream on bread, like a sandwich it was cool.

We then taught the Orleano kid again his mom wasn't home but he had like 5 friends there so we popped in the restoration movie and talked about it after wards and then set them free. haha the Orleano kid even though he is a punk and really distracted he really soaked up all that we have been teaching him and his mom. He was showing off to his friends how much he knew, which was a lot! I was impressed.

We then we found out that that Marriel's brother got hit by a semi and died. It was a bummer and we were worried about Marriel and her Dad Brother Pat. Pat had just begun to come back to church and Marriel had just been baptized. We prayed hard that they wouldn't doubt their new found faith, and that it would strengthen them. We went to the funeral service after church on Sunday. They took all their furniture in their font room and threw it out on the law covered it with plastic (because it was raining) and had the casket brought in. we sang Hymns and the mom Broke down. Pat was pretty strong and so was Marriel. All of the family members wore a black ribbon pined to their clothes. It was weird because there where people there that wore sportswear to normal clothes to church clothes it was kind of like whatever. Brother Pat gave his testimony and said he was glad about the plan of Salvation, and my Kasama Gave a Talk about the Plan of Salvation. It was nice

(Side note for john ricks): I have to applaud the Morticians, he looked like a perfect wax doll, considering that he got hit by a semi, they did a good job.

After that we ate food at a RM Families house they invite us a lot of the time with sister Illagan and Sister Flory. They tell us things in their mission and we tell them things of ours. They are like a success story of RM both returned and got married and now both are strong and now both are seminary teachers and they have a little son. It was a good ending.

Baptism Week! On the 5th and then next week transfer meeting, new missionaries coming in and old missionaries going out on Sept. 11th.

This next week I am supposed to take the lead with everything we will see how that goes. This next month we are going on an activity with our district I think Benuwe (rice terraces) or another hike somewhere. That will be cool.

Love you all love Sister Perkins

FHE! nanay Dela roca's daughter Prez Vill and his wife, the RS Prez Jane Vasques, me Nanay Vasques, nanay Dela roca, my Kasama, and the kids the oldest one is the YM Pres.

sister Training leaders! in our bright green apartment

off to the funeral with the young men and women. One of these things are not like the other, can you spot the difference ahah

the New Sir Lankan sister

Us ummmm... helping the housing elders....

The new apartment is marked Decepicon territory. We better watch our backs.