One Year in the Philippines!

This Monday and last Monday are total "get everything ready before transfer day" days.

Tuesday: really hot at night didn't sleep, went to our District meeting took a nap and went to our two investigators that are really really close to being baptized. 

Wednesday: Brown out (no water no electricity) the whole night. No sleep again I ended up on the hard but cold cement floor. Slept in but woke up did the regular stuff and worked. Amazing work visited new investigator and she asked about death. We taught her the plan of salvation what happens after life. Also taught her to keep praying and don't give up on God keep your faith. She has had a hard time because her little boy is sick and they are worried it is typhoid. I have prayed really hard for them. 

Then visited a new investigator again, Totot. He and his sisters asked a lot of questions. He is a former investigator and still remembers a lot. He even answered some of his sister’s questions. Because we are teaching him sister Gladys (his girlfriend) has totally warmed up to us. She is kind of a tough girl and is totally cool. 

THURSDAY: ONE YEAR ON A MISSION! And splits with the STL's but sister Minzer was in pain a lot of pain so we went to the hospital and stayed at the mission home for two nights and three days. Come to find out that sister Minzer had 20 small kidney stones and now has to take 12 pills a day for a week but it was fun at the mission home it was Air conditioned and had waffles, cinnamon rolls, real milk a hot shower, chips and salsa. It was good but not too good because the Aircon made me sick; I am not use to the cold. 

Saturday: on the way home my head hurt really badly. I just got home and laid on the floor, and drank Advil. 

Sunday: felt a little better. Thought I could fast. So I skipped breakfast; was dying of heat by sacrament meeting. They had no speaker and asked sister maugutu. She refused. I saw it was turning out badly so I just volunteered, so I gave the first talk and literally the spirit said everything I had nothing prepared and I was dizzy. I said something like Mormon 9: 21 Doubt nothing and the Marjorie Hinckley’s saying I obey first and then I understand. So about obeying the commandments doing what you know you need to do and then your life will turn out ok. Don’t doubt the Lord and his promise. I said all the investigators that do I don't have to worry about them all the members that do won't become less active. You don't have to know everything to trust God. That is what faith is. 

After that I went home and slept and drank tons of water all day. I had a fever and my throat hurt so badly. My comp went on splits all day. I stayed with a member that was a RM. 

I didn't feel like food but I had to eat something and so I got out some chicken noodle soup. I finally asked some of the elders to give me a blessing. 

The Work Continues

TUESDAY:  Best day ever because it was good weather. Cloudy and windy about to rain but didn't rain at all; the best. We had really good fellow shippers. We got many Referrals, and we got the news that the whole RC family went to church on Sunday with their less active mom!!!!!! We also climbed past a fence. It was an adventure. Also apartment checks but that is normal and we passed.

WED: talked to our RC Marvelyn about how not to be homesick when she goes to a different country to work. We started to talk about how a patriarchal blessing could help her. We have a family of sisters that listen to us teach every time someone different joins the lesson. It is really fun. The sisters have a big testimony of prayer and that makes me happy. Prayer works and they have felt a difference. Also the youngest one told us she knows a ward member so now we know who to bring as a fellowshipper next time.  Talked to a less active about the Priesthood. I am so glad to have the Priesthood in my life. It makes a lot of difference. Also it helps when people try to debate with you all you say is by what authority do you teach??? They can't answer. 

We went to one appointment and the girl’s drunk uncle interrupted crying. We read one scripture and prayed and left. It made me think that all of his problems stem from drinking and if only he could let that go he would be happy. Also it has been so hot I have been waking up at like 4 am just sweating even though I have a fan on me all night. The rainy season has started but right now there is a break and it has been hotter than usual. Oh well. 

Friday: in the morning we had a Community project. It was weeding but we had a baby cow to help us. hahah it was cute. We fed it the grass we pulled up. 

After that we had nowhere to go because it was a fiesta in one part of town, and school started our part of town was dead So we walked and I thought hey lets go to our part time investigators. They can't be baptized because it is all little kids and one really old nanay that can't go very far from the house. It was the little girl’s 7th birthday and the nanay said that if she could write her name how many times until the sisters would come. Well we did and it was super humbling and cool to be an answer to someone’s birthday wish, A birthday wish that she worked for. 

We had a less active lesson and even though I was spacing out through it. She looked us in the eye and said I promise to go to church next week. We committed her to start building good habits and build up to going to church. If she feels the spirit more it will motivate her to go to church more than her shyness.

Sunday: a northern Philippines broadcast that just hit hard on all the problems we see every day in the Philippines. No marriage "families" how families need to be taught to everyone (by Carol McConkie).

Even though it is hard life God makes it so that we can succeed. (a lot of people complain to us that life is too hard in the Philippines) also if you have a temple in your community it blesses all people of every religion (by Bishop Dean)   Not doing what you say you will do. Integrity.(by Teh he is Pilipino) 

 Quentin L. Cook Just hit it hard with you can be poor, no education, no transportation, but you still have a choice of whether you want to be faithful to God and he will Sustain you if you do. You can still be happy and you can have all the education in the world, all the wealth in the world and all the airplanes you need and you can be the saddest person ever because you didn't make Religious worship and building a testimony of the Savior your first priority. BOOM PANIS! 

In our far area it is hard to find a ride back to the main town but we got picked up by someone coming home from their Baptist church. He was so nice and respectful. He wouldn't let us pay for our ride so we handed him a pamphlet. After that we walked past an inglasian church we try to walk past unnoticed but the pastor just yells out "SISTERS" and waves us to come over. We say "good evening brother we have to go somewhere it is really dark but thanks." he wanted to debate. I liked the Baptist guy I hope that we can be like him and respect others peoples religion and to be interested in other religion without losing our own faith and without bringing in contention. The contrast was interesting.

Such hard workers, haha, they were all waiting for interviews...

The whole group

Hard workers, haha.... 

Chopping firewood with a knife!

This kid lines up his army men and then takes his toy cars and destroys it all.

Thoughts

Cool things the spirit has told me to tell to others:

Taking the Sacrament makes you the coolest you you can be. (but in Tagalog)

If you don't do the things to invite the spirit into your life he is shy of you. (This one sounds funnier in Tagalog as well)

The Spirit can whisper answers to your test. Try inviting him before your next big test. 

Words in Tagalog that we don't have in English. (Rice) 

Bigas (uncooked rice)  kanin (cooked rice)   Panis (Moldy rice)

Boom Panis (OOOOOOOOHHH BURN) like if no one has any come back BooM Panis! 

Astig literally is HARD. But it is like the word sick. THAT'S Sick BRo! that is awesome. Astig yan! 

Our district leader has told us to share things from our family to make the lessons more personal. 

The Manning’s Rule of 5 years have passed you can say it. The application don’t be shy to go to church even if all you have is pants to go in, because in 5 years it really won’t matter to people but to God it will matter a lot. 

To fight off negative thoughts, there is always something positive that we can comment on. 

Also I shared about my Psychology class the Placebo Effect. It doesn't mean that medicine doesn't work it means that Faith is much stronger. 

This week has been going to Myla and Princess our two baptisms and making sure they get into the habit of reading the Scriptures. We teach them about baptism then give them scriptures about baptism. In the next meeting they have to share with us what they liked about it. Then we clear up anything they have questions about it. It has been a good way to teach them. They are really ready. 

 Told Rexson our resent convert that he now can go to church with his wife. haha his boss was having meetings on Sunday but his boss right hand man is a church member and talked to the boss to get Rexson excused from the meetings so he can go to church. That was cool. Especially because the Lord Has called his wife to have a job in a different country and now is the time they have to spend with each other before she goes. (I say the Lord has because there has been so many miracles that make this job possible)

The 4th was my comps birthday! We ate cake and pizza it was happy. 

On Sunday we went to go get the Patriarchal blessing of sister Mau. (My comp) it was fun. We stopped in one place for the sacrament then we got to the one patriarch of the whole Cauayan mission. It was an adventure and I am so great full for my patriarchal blessing. It helps a lot. It is so cool to. After the blessing I told my comp to sit in the chapel and write down her feelings. I did some personal study. 

After that we got home made pancakes and tried to go work in our far area but the rain just let out and it was so heavy. We were half way to our far area but the trycy driver wouldn't go any farther until it let up. He told us with the wind and rain we could get into a crash and that he can't see that well. Also trycies are not waterproof. We were all wet. So we waited at a gas station until it let up. After that we drove back to the house, dried off a little, then visited one less active, and had a dinner appointment. haha oh man.

District Activity and a Baptism

Baptism of an 8-year-old in a less active family.

The clouds here are beautiful!!!!!! Maganda ung mga Ulap dito! 

mahal kita.

 Our District activity.  We had fun with charcoal.  It was a cookout at the church.

After the charcoal fight, we washed off and ate on leaves.