Tapas na ang training ko

     As of tomorrow I will have a new comp... I don't know anything about him other than he is a Filippino. I will be the only American in our house so goodbye to english! This week was pretty good but also pretty tough. We have been working super hard but not getting much success really. Our investigator who we had a baptismal date for has started to not be as interested and avoid us so that doesn't really bode well for us. This week we didn't get anybody to church which is the first time that has happened while I have been out. It is disappointing but it happens so oh well. One thing that I have learned from this week is that as long as I am doing my best I don't need to be too sad. Even though our week was tough I know that I did all that I could and so I can be proud of it. We are teaching this one tatay who is super funny and I think we have a chance with him. He obviously didn't come to church but when we went to his house after he promised us he would go to church next week. I know it is still a while away but he seemed pretty sincere. He said "okay three times you have asked me next week I will go" and as he said it he even raised his arm to a square so I'm pretty sure that means he has to now. Funny story real quick, while we were coming home from salay it had started raining really hard and then let up and because of the rain there have been all these super annoying bugs. (kinda like gnats but about as big as flies) we had to go across this bridge and they were in the air so thick we just had to hold our breath and run. After we got away there were bugs everywhere in our hair and in our pockets and just all over. Gross but I guess that is just the way it goes. I think another reason this week has been a bit tough is because I was/am a little sick still but I'm getting over it just a sore throat and stuffy nose so no big deal. 

Fast Week

     This week went by crazy fast. I know we did a lot but it is hard for me to think about what we did. Monday as we were walking a girl stopped us and asked what we do. So basically a missionary dream come true. We have taught her a couple times since then and hopefully she will get baptized eventually but she still has a long way to go. 

Tuesday we went out and worked of course, but I can't really think of anything special that has happened. The rest of the week we just focused on finding people who are willing to keep commitments. It has been a little rough because we work super hard all throughout the whole week and then nobody comes to church and they just say they aren't super interested but I know as we keep working we will find the people willing to listen to the message of the gospel we have to share.

     On Wednesday during comp study we had a very spiritual experience. I was sharing what I read in personal study and it just hit me that God gives us trials for a reason. I have heard that so many times but I didn't really understand it until now. I was reading in Mosiah about the people of Alma and how even though they were good people they were still put into captivity and even killed if they prayed out loud. That story just really goes to show that we have to go through hard things for a reason. Almost always while we are going through our trials we have no idea why bad things are happening to us and it is only after that we see why we had to go through such a hard thing. After sharing about this I was able to see my homesickness in a different light and since then it hasn't bothered me as much as before. 

     Saturday we went on exchanges so that means I spent the day with a Filipino that doesn't speak any English. It was tough but we also had a really fun time. His area is across the lake so it was fun to ride a boat to get there, really crowded though. 

     Sunday I gave a talk in sacrament about Jesus Christ and his gospel. It went a lot better than I thought it would and I'm pretty sure I got my message to the people so that is all that really matters.

I love you all so so much and I hope that you can feel the peace that the spirit brings through the scriptures and the gospel. Have a good safe week!

                                           Funniest thing... that sign is pretty dang funny I think.

 The craziest thing I saw this week was the butterfly I put in the pictures it was about as big as both my hands

Wow

      This week was pretty crazy for me.  Tuesday we had exchanges with the ZLs and that was a blast. They were nice and let me go with Elder Miller (from Utah, Farmington). He was way nice and super good at teaching. He goes home in January so he has had lots of practice. He also gave me hope because he said when he got here he hated fish and veggies but now he likes them. He was a way good cook and so hopefully after I've been here a while I can learn to cook like him.  He made us breakfast the next day that was kinda like oatmeal but with rice instead. 

     Wednesday we didn't get too much done because we had to go back to Iriga so we could make it to the mission tour on time Thursday. So we spent the day figuring out where we would sleep and when we would leave and stuff like that.  When we were in Iriga,  a big spider crawled out from behind the trash can (not too big but still probably like the size of my fist) and elder Sadiler tried to kill it. He sprayed it and it just jumped at him so he started freaking out and they just basically were chasing each other around the kitchen. Then he got a bug zapper and fried the life out of it. Pretty funny though

     Thursday was super awesome. That was the mission tour with Elder Hayne. He was way nice and really smart. He talked about how we need to work hard all the time and just try to be even better than we are now. He said the church here is growing faster than anywhere else in the world and we are the luckiest missionaries to be able to serve here. I have like 3 pages of notes on other stuff he said to us and spiritual knowledge which maybe I'll share just throughout my next couple of emails. 

     Friday we just went out and worked. We taught with some members and that was a little tough because they would just keep talking and go into some deeper doctrine that you don't usually share at first. (like temples and stuff that just confuses them) 

     Saturday we had a baptism!! Marie Louise has been getting ready forever and it was awesome to see her finally get baptized. Elder Brown baptized the sister's investigator so it was cool we could baptize together. 

     Sunday was a good day too. I was feeling a little bad in the morning and homesick but then in sacrament I opened my scriptures up and read in D&C 122 where Joseph Smith is having a hard time and the Lord says that all the things that are hard are for our benefit. That hit me really hard that the Lord knows what I am going through and He knows why I am as well. It just goes to show it pays off to trust in the Lord. 

I love you all so much and I hope you all have a great week! Stay safe!!

                                                          How we ride the jeeps

                                                              Hike near Buhi

And the rains came down

     I know now that I should have never commented on the fact it hadn't rained much. After I finished emailing it started to rain. Tuesdayit rained all day and lots. The rest of the week it continued to rain on and off. I sure do miss the sun sometimes. Probably one of the coolest things that happened though is because it rained so much Tuesday we had to wade through water to get to our house.  

     Our work has been going pretty well. We are still always looking for people that we can teach and people who will actually let us come back for another lesson. We have a few people that are progressing but we are having trouble finding any more. We have a baptism this Saturday so that is really exciting. Marie Louis is super ready and has been preparing for a pretty long time. We were supposed to have mission tour this week but because of all the rain it was cancelled and will hopefully be this week. 

     Halloween in the Philippines is nothing pretty much but Nov 1 and 2 is when they celebrate the day of the dead or Araw ng mga Patay. From what I could see it was just everybody go to the cemetery get drunk and eat a ton of food.

     The sisters in our area had a good idea to put up a referral section on the board at church so we did that this morning and I guess we will see if it helps or not. One good thing about the sisters is that they are super good at finding chances for us to give blessings to people. We gave I think 4 this week. It is awesome that we are trusted with the power to do that and the more we have the more comfortable I have gotten at giving them. Yesterday we got invited to an RC families birthday party. The tatay was turning 50 so a pretty big deal. and all birthdays here are a big deal but they do them a little different than back home. The person whose birthday it is cooks all the food and is basically just in charge of making sure the guests have a good time. We didn't stay very long though because since he is the only one not a member he had all his friends and they were doing karaoke and getting drunk. Still it was a fun time to sit in the house with them all singing (not super greatly) outside. Look up D&C 18:10.  I this scripture right now

                                                     Wading home Tuesday

 Yeah it was way creepy I tried to get my hand up there for size. the thing is, remember that pic I sent of the other spider. it is probably double the size of that yellow one

 This is how they dry the rice. Usually you don't find the rocks till you bite them so that is always fun. No soy sauce or butter but you just put whatever you are eating on it.  I usually eat eggs mixed with canned meat and rice. that is probably the best meal we have. I bought a can of corn the other day and it was way good but a little $$