So first off - I have NOT been transferred! I am staying in Vintar for at least 6 more weeks. I have a new companion coming tomorrow - Elder Sm. That's all I know. Elder S is going to Sinait in Ilocos Sur. We found out this morning. We woke up at 5am and went to the mission home and read the list.
We had our baptismal service on Saturday. It went so well. They were all there on time and they all were so ready. The only problem was that we forgot towels.
When Elder D baptized M, he did it almost like a wrestling move and slammed her down into the water. We said he made her sins "tap out".
I gave my talk in front of over 100 people - the biggest baptism any of us had ever seen. My mission president and his wife were there with the AP's, ZL's and the stake president. I was really nervous but because I got started on it early in the week and because Elder S is so magaling (skillful) at Tagalog (I had him proof-read it) and because I prayed endlessly for it to go well, it went great. The baptismal service was beautiful. That scripture of how great your joy will be if you bring many souls unto Christ is so true. I can think of few, if any times where I was more happy - true happiness that made me feel warm and complete. Difficult to describe properly, especially because my writing in English is getting worse and worse. I have to consciously think about it now before I write it down.
D bore her testimony. It was epic - a thanks to everyone, and she called us guapo (handsome) like 17 times. The others bore beautiful testimonies. The awesome thing was that they were all about the Book of Mormon - not about the wonderful people at church, or the skills of the missionaries, but the power of the Book of Mormon and how it had changed their lives so profoundly that they had to testify of it.
Now that D, R, B, A and M are baptized, we have to help them become productive members of the Church. It must be hard for them to be the new ones. Do your best back home to watch out for those new investigators and recent converts. They are soooo important.
Afterwards I was feeling a little saucy and ate my first fish head. It was good. Elder H, a senior elder, said he can't eat anything that is looking up at him. I told him the trick is to eat the eyes first - so I did......I don't think he liked that.
We had a dinner appointment last night with D and six other families. I had pigs head for the first time. I walked into the room and, hey, there's a severed pigs head upright on the table. They made us go first to get
food. I get to the pigs head and look back at Elder S as if to say, "I don't know how to go about this" and then this guy comes up from behind me with a meat cleaver and starts going all Lizzie Borden on the pig head. It was sooooooo gross. And then he slapped a huge piece on my plate. The skin is really crunchy and fatty - good though.
They're all about eating here. It's how they get to know each other. Such a social thing and that seems to be lost from our culture to some extent with all the fast food and eating on the go.
After we got back today Elder S started packing and I started feeling the same feeling as when I left you guys at the airport. Missing someone is among the worst pains in the world. He's been a great companion and has taught me so much about this work and about the gospel, (and about how final fantasy relates to the
gospel). We have had so many great times and now God has decided that we need to part ways.
I realized just how big an impact our actions have on others. That's why God has given us advice, guidelines and commandments. As long as we do our best to follow them, the outcome of our actions will be for good in some form or another. It makes so much sense to me. I am trying my best to be the best example I can be so I can have the best effect possible on God's children.
We bought this pie thing at a bakery near the jeep station in Vintar and guess what it was? The same stuff that W made on that family day where we all made Filipino food from recipes from the Internet. The pie that was soooo good. Good job W! Yours tasted just like the native ones here!
I saw my first dog fight this week. Just feet away from our apartment two dogs were just ripping into each other. I felt so bad for them - poor things. They had blood all over them and they weren't holding back at all. Don't worry I stayed safe, but I did do an umbrella thing like Sean Connery in "Indian Jones and the Last Crusade". They stopped fighting for a second and looked at me and it seemed almost like they were saying, "Stupid white guy". Then they turned back and fought. The owner came out after a while and hit them both with a stick and they ran away. Crazy though.
We taught a lady this week who refused to believe in living prophets or accept the Book of Mormon. Elder S shared a scripture with her and she agreed with it and said it was beautiful. He said, "That's from the Book of Mormon". It was a real "Green Eggs and Ham" moment....only with a less happy ending.
Elder S also got me a caribow (water buffalo) horn belt. It's so cool! He's awesome. He also said he thinks a temple in Ottawa will be announced in General Conference. I realllllllly hope he's right. If he is, I will try to go every morning, or at least every two days. I have never missed the temple so much before.
We have another Typhoon coming tomorrow. It's a big one so wish me luck!
Anyways, we gotta bounce off to see our buddy E, the payong (umbrella) wizard (Docta Payong, some call him.....mostly us). Take care of yourselves. I love you lots and think about each of you often and pray for you just as much. IGNAT!!!!!
-Elder Dustan
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