First I'll answer some of your questions: I did not turn my clock ahead or back. I put it on my left hand now instead of my right but that's about the only difference. And if I was supposed to, I don't think I would ever find out because everyone here is late for everything anyways. But for reals, I don't think that they have time
change like that here. I don't know why.....come to think of it, I don't even know why we have it in Canada.
As for the area, it's different than that of the Zone Leaders'. They work here in Narvacan and we work in
Santa Maria. Very different places. Most of the people in central Santa Maria are young girls who go to college......other wise known as college girls I guess (my English is getting worse and worse). So we can't ever teach them because there is never a guy home So we have to go to the outer brgy's which are entirely bukid (rice fields). Typical Philippine province - cement or dirt road and endless rice fields with mountains in the background. One of our appointments is an hours walk!!! We go there on Sunday and my legs are dead afterwards. We would take a trike but they are mahal (expensive) and we wouldn't get one coming back anyways because it's too far.
I'm getting lots of sun though. I wish you could see my tan line on my neck! This week was pretty frustrating though. I had a lot of issues with the language and I don't know why. A few times it was because I didn't have my language study in the morning as we had meetings instead. All my issues aside, one of our fellowshippers who had been an AP in the Baguio mission said he knows that my companion will get transferred next transfer and I will become a trainer - a bit of a confidence boost. He said he got it right when he told Elder D that he would be an AP. Well, I didn't have the heart to tell him Elder D is a ZL not an AP.
Anyways, I continue to struggle with the language but it keeps me humble.
We exchanged with the AP's this week. Elder P and Elder C (I love those guys!).
I saw a bus go by this week with a picture of a cat and mouse fighting on it (they were a cartoon) and written beside them were the words, "Tom and Terrence"!!! Slight copyright infringement? That's gotta be a great cartoon though, like Mortimer the Retarded Rabbit.
I met one guy whose sister and brother live in OTTAWA! He invited us back and I'll see where exactly they live (might have a referral for the sisters!.....they might have to brush up on their Ilokano and Tagalog though!).
Anyway, that's all for this week. I love you all so much and thank you all for helping me gain a testimony of my own and helping me get here. I treasure my testimony so much. I know this is where I am supposed to be.
Take care of yourselves!
-Elder Dustan
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Punched By a Monkey - Week 28. Serving in Santa Maria
I am emailing from Narvacan now. It feels weird still - not to be in Vintar. I'll give you the lo-down on my new area and companions. My area is Santa Maria. It's about 20 minutes outside of the booming metropolis of Narvacan. It's as Vintar is to Laoag except Narvacon isn't as big as Laoag and Santa Maria is way bigger than Vintar (not in terms of area but in people definitely). We stay in an apartment with two huge Samoan Elders: Elder M (who is almost done his mission) and Elder I (pronounced ya-wan-eh... don't worry, I have used every joke possible with his name....just not out loud as he's HUGE!).
We have our own room and our own aircon (AC) but we sleep in the ZL's room to save electricity. We bring our "mattresses" in every night (old worn down pieces of rectangular foam that have been eroded by the sweat of multiple sets of Elders....I use a sheet, don't worry) and sleep in between their two beds. There are TWO showers. There is no shower head or bucket - which was new to me (I love the bucket system). Instead, just a drippy tap and a juice jug. It works pretty well though.
Here's our schedule: wake up at 6:30 and yell at Elder I to get off me as he usually falls at least partially off his bed and lands on me. He's huge too. He likes to play foozeball and he went to military school in Roswell New Mexico (he's definitely an alien). I exercise with weights (they have a metal bar with concrete-filled buckets on either end...it works) for 30 minutes every morning and I feel great.
At about 7am I go out and get some pandasal (a cheap bread that everyone eats here. It doesn't have much taste, rather more of an illusion of taste, but it's one peso each so who's complaining?).
When I get back, I shave and shower, iron my shirt, tie my tie and then find that half my pandasal is gone because the ZL's got into it again. We study and then we go to the mall. Yes, the Mall. The Narvacan mall is pretty sweet. Of course, it's like all things here that are similar to things back home - they're just not quite the same.
We eat in the food court every day. I didn't like the sound of it either till I got there. A member owns a little place in the food court and she gives us free shakes and juice and soup. Then for 50 pesos we get two servings of rice and two ulam (anything you can put on rice is called ulam...except more rice). There's veggies there too. I usually have carabasa which is mostly squash.
Then my companion and I catch a bus outside the mall (like a worn out Greyhound bus) for 10 pesos each and we go to Santa Maria. It's a College town and is essentially a city. Bit of a change from the small-town life of Vintar. Then we go to the outside of town and it's all bukid (rice paddies) and jungle. So no matter where I go it's different than Vintar and I now realize how perfect that area was.
My companion is Elder C. He's pretty cool. He's from Quezon and has been out 9 months. He is quiet but speaks English fluently. He is really nice and says profound things that really get me thinking. He's really easy going and gives me lots of teaching time which I love.
I had to give training to the Zone leaders and give a talk on Sunday as well as do my first accounting on Sunday night. It was a crazy week and I would have normally gone crazy with stress but because the Spirit is with me, I did no such thing. I was calm and I was led to the exact things I was supposed to say.
Elder M is amazing! He's really fit and played for the Samoan olympic volleyball team. He also has some crazy stories. Some of them are too terrifying to tell you but once he passed by a man who had just shot and killed a woman. He struggled with him for the gun and ended up punching him and breaking his jaw and subduing him until the police arrived.
On Friday the ZL's saw a man get hit on his bike by a Partas bus (partas is Ilokano for fast and they hit lots of people because of that). They said he died instantly. Later that day they came to a house where an old man (a member of the Church they went to visit) was laying dead on the ground because a Python bit him and he had a heart attack. They said the python was pretty big too.
The girl who works at the food court in the mall....her legal name is Sexy! She is the daughter of the owner. She hasn't been there for a couple of days though, as she has been sick. I have a feeling that when the owner goes to work today she's "bringing sexy back".....bam! Anyways, point is, names don't always mean something.
I also caught a runaway goat this week. It got away from its owner and I snagged it and gave it back to him (shoulda kept it....finders keepers!).
I've realllly felt blessed this week. Things, although tough at times, have gone according to the plan of God - it's so obvious to me. My life is guided at all times. Sometimes I may override the right plan with an unwise choice (and it usually involves a lot of anxiety and discomfort), but as long as I choose the right, I can stay on the path that God has given me and He will lead me to happiness and the best ways for me to grow. I love my mission. Anyone who is of mission age and in their right mind will choose to serve and if they don't then they can't even comprehend the kind of things they are missing out on.
I've been blessed. You all helped me to make the right decision, and now I've been blessed some more.
I was going to think of some wonderful way to incorporate my last experience in Vintar but I'm running low on time so I'll just tell you: I got punched by a monkey!!!! Elder Sm had been teasing it in increments over the past month and the once pleasant monkey became a sour one. I wanted a picture with him but got too close and he literally full-on punched me in the head! It hurt too!!!
Anyways, I love you guys so much I wish I could say it better. Don't ever worry about me. I am safe in the protecttion of the Lord and two Samoans! You are all always in my prayers, specifically named and everything.
-Elder Dustan
We have our own room and our own aircon (AC) but we sleep in the ZL's room to save electricity. We bring our "mattresses" in every night (old worn down pieces of rectangular foam that have been eroded by the sweat of multiple sets of Elders....I use a sheet, don't worry) and sleep in between their two beds. There are TWO showers. There is no shower head or bucket - which was new to me (I love the bucket system). Instead, just a drippy tap and a juice jug. It works pretty well though.
Here's our schedule: wake up at 6:30 and yell at Elder I to get off me as he usually falls at least partially off his bed and lands on me. He's huge too. He likes to play foozeball and he went to military school in Roswell New Mexico (he's definitely an alien). I exercise with weights (they have a metal bar with concrete-filled buckets on either end...it works) for 30 minutes every morning and I feel great.
At about 7am I go out and get some pandasal (a cheap bread that everyone eats here. It doesn't have much taste, rather more of an illusion of taste, but it's one peso each so who's complaining?).
When I get back, I shave and shower, iron my shirt, tie my tie and then find that half my pandasal is gone because the ZL's got into it again. We study and then we go to the mall. Yes, the Mall. The Narvacan mall is pretty sweet. Of course, it's like all things here that are similar to things back home - they're just not quite the same.
We eat in the food court every day. I didn't like the sound of it either till I got there. A member owns a little place in the food court and she gives us free shakes and juice and soup. Then for 50 pesos we get two servings of rice and two ulam (anything you can put on rice is called ulam...except more rice). There's veggies there too. I usually have carabasa which is mostly squash.
Then my companion and I catch a bus outside the mall (like a worn out Greyhound bus) for 10 pesos each and we go to Santa Maria. It's a College town and is essentially a city. Bit of a change from the small-town life of Vintar. Then we go to the outside of town and it's all bukid (rice paddies) and jungle. So no matter where I go it's different than Vintar and I now realize how perfect that area was.
My companion is Elder C. He's pretty cool. He's from Quezon and has been out 9 months. He is quiet but speaks English fluently. He is really nice and says profound things that really get me thinking. He's really easy going and gives me lots of teaching time which I love.
I had to give training to the Zone leaders and give a talk on Sunday as well as do my first accounting on Sunday night. It was a crazy week and I would have normally gone crazy with stress but because the Spirit is with me, I did no such thing. I was calm and I was led to the exact things I was supposed to say.
Elder M is amazing! He's really fit and played for the Samoan olympic volleyball team. He also has some crazy stories. Some of them are too terrifying to tell you but once he passed by a man who had just shot and killed a woman. He struggled with him for the gun and ended up punching him and breaking his jaw and subduing him until the police arrived.
On Friday the ZL's saw a man get hit on his bike by a Partas bus (partas is Ilokano for fast and they hit lots of people because of that). They said he died instantly. Later that day they came to a house where an old man (a member of the Church they went to visit) was laying dead on the ground because a Python bit him and he had a heart attack. They said the python was pretty big too.
The girl who works at the food court in the mall....her legal name is Sexy! She is the daughter of the owner. She hasn't been there for a couple of days though, as she has been sick. I have a feeling that when the owner goes to work today she's "bringing sexy back".....bam! Anyways, point is, names don't always mean something.
I also caught a runaway goat this week. It got away from its owner and I snagged it and gave it back to him (shoulda kept it....finders keepers!).
I've realllly felt blessed this week. Things, although tough at times, have gone according to the plan of God - it's so obvious to me. My life is guided at all times. Sometimes I may override the right plan with an unwise choice (and it usually involves a lot of anxiety and discomfort), but as long as I choose the right, I can stay on the path that God has given me and He will lead me to happiness and the best ways for me to grow. I love my mission. Anyone who is of mission age and in their right mind will choose to serve and if they don't then they can't even comprehend the kind of things they are missing out on.
I've been blessed. You all helped me to make the right decision, and now I've been blessed some more.
I was going to think of some wonderful way to incorporate my last experience in Vintar but I'm running low on time so I'll just tell you: I got punched by a monkey!!!! Elder Sm had been teasing it in increments over the past month and the once pleasant monkey became a sour one. I wanted a picture with him but got too close and he literally full-on punched me in the head! It hurt too!!!
Anyways, I love you guys so much I wish I could say it better. Don't ever worry about me. I am safe in the protecttion of the Lord and two Samoans! You are all always in my prayers, specifically named and everything.
-Elder Dustan
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Firrrrst Trrrransfer! - Week 27. Last Post From Vintar
We met a realllly old man two days ago. We were having a really bad day (we got "punted" about 16 appointments in a row over two and a half days!!!) Then we saw the old man and said hello to him but he just stared at us and didn't respond. We thought maybe he was one of those that a pare (priest) had told not to talk to us. So, of course we went right up to him. As we approached, he says in a really loud voice and rolling his r's, "What is yourrrrr obligation??" (.....what do you say to that?) He repeated the question and so we told him we were missionaries. He then said, "So yourrrrr obligation is to the churrrrch!" (Spot on). We then asked him in English (but English with a Tagalog accent so they understand better....you will all think I'm strange when I call home at Christmas), "What is your name?" He said "I am Orrrrlando L. - one of the most powerful in the world!" We started telling him about the Church but he stopped us and said, "Sorrrry, I cannoot hearrrrr so goood, the Japanese arrrrrtilary went off rrrrrright by my earrrrr". He then told us how the "japs" had fought here at the school which he lives beside. They were using it as a base to fire on the other side of the ilog (river)! How crazy is that!!?? Anyways, so now you know who is one of the most powerful in the world.
So here's a fun fact: I got TRANSFERRED! Yep, and I called it too. It hasn't really set in yet. Elder Sm is staying here in Vintar and I am going to Santa Maria, but my apartment will be in Narvacan (which sounds like a drug to me - "do not put in ear"). I am getting a Filipino companion and Elder M, to whom I was a ZL in the MTC will be coming to Vintar.
On Halloween we were on the way home after a weird night. We got punted because our guy we were teaching had a serpent loose in his house and it had eaten one of his chickens! We showed up at the gate and he says, "Teka lang, may ahas diyan." (or, "Wait a second, there's a large snake in there!!"). He was carrying a machete. When we came back the next day, we found out it was 2 metres long and was a type of cobra! Crazy! He lopped its head off too.
That same night we passed some people having a party and they said, "Kain tayo!" (or "Let's eat!"). People always say that so we laughed and kept walking. But they said in English, "Seriously, come on in!" So we did. They fed us and we met a guy from Laoag who lived in Saudi Arabia who is a muslim. He shared his beliefs with us and then we shared ours with him. Then we gave him a Book of Mormon and he was so impressed. He excused himself for a moment, then came back with a copy of the HOLY QU'RAN (holy quran Batman!). He said we can't keep it but we could borrow it as long as we want and then return it to their house down the road. So we have a copy of the Qu'ran on the table.
I will be in the ZL apartment in Narvacon and we will have to commute to our area (it was just opened too - just like Vintar). The ZL's are apparently Polynesians so should be fun.
I found out why retired teachers here say "retarded" instead of "retired". I always thought they knew the difference and did it as a joke but they just don't know English well enough so they conjugate retired to what they think is the past tense by adding "ed" - "retired-ed teacher". With a filipino accent, it sounds like retarded. Sweet! We also tao po'd (knocked on the door of) one house and a guy named Ri let us in and was so kind. He was also really ripped and had really hard eyes like he was interrogating your soul as you talked to him. We asked him what his work was and he says,"NBI".... we raised our eyebrows so he flashed a badge - National Bureau of Investigation! When we explained where the church was in Laoag and how there is a car junk shop at the bottom of the hill, he said, "Oh, kung saan may carnapan" At first we didn't understand but then later realized that putting "an" at the end of a word sometimes means a place where that thing is done. He said the "taglish" word for it, meaning, "The place where they are doing car napping!!!" I guess he would know (and those people had seemed so nice before!).
Anyways, I LOVED the W family's Halloween photo!! So good! I'm going to show it to Elder D as he really appreciates Star Wars oriented humour.
I still carry my little photo album of family pictures with me everywhere and I use it as a teaching tool for lessons and such. In it is the one of the W's and me in front of the mountains in Canmore. I taught one lesson to a member about the powerful effect for good that righteous members can have and I used that picture. I explained what the W's had done in helping me serve a mission. Anyway, thanks W's!!!!!!!!
I am learning more and more about the Holy Ghost. I had thought that I knew what it meant to have the Holy Ghost as your constant companion, but I really didn't get it. I am still now only scratching the surface. It makes life so much more enjoyable, and understandable.
W said something great in one of her Dear Elders, about not living event to event, but enjoying the moment. I have always lived event to event. It really makes you miss out. I have been trying to enjoy, appreciate and make the most of the moment, but realized it's impossible without the spirit. With the companionship of the Holy Ghost, life is better.
We only have a limited time on this earth and sometimes people use that as their argument for unrighteous living, "We should have fun while we can". I've tried that and it sucks and anyone who says otherwise is lying to themselves and God. I know now that the gospel helps us make the very most of EVERY second of life. Anyways, that's my rant.
I love my mission. I am learning so much. I am now a DL and terrified to give training to Elders and Sisters who have served longer than I and speak the language better, but I know that the atonements power and the companionship of the Holy Ghost will help me be an adequate servant.
So thats all folks. I gotta go and teach my last three or four lessons in Vintar. Poor Bishop cried when I told him that I was leaving. It felt strange...I don't know what to do when people cry. Pretty sure I patted his shoulder awkwardly.
I love you all and will never stop thinking and praying about/for you. Do all you can to "Live after the manner of happiness" as Nephi says (though surely this involves the temple.)
LOVE YOU!!!
-Elder Dustan DL, NBI,
So here's a fun fact: I got TRANSFERRED! Yep, and I called it too. It hasn't really set in yet. Elder Sm is staying here in Vintar and I am going to Santa Maria, but my apartment will be in Narvacan (which sounds like a drug to me - "do not put in ear"). I am getting a Filipino companion and Elder M, to whom I was a ZL in the MTC will be coming to Vintar.
On Halloween we were on the way home after a weird night. We got punted because our guy we were teaching had a serpent loose in his house and it had eaten one of his chickens! We showed up at the gate and he says, "Teka lang, may ahas diyan." (or, "Wait a second, there's a large snake in there!!"). He was carrying a machete. When we came back the next day, we found out it was 2 metres long and was a type of cobra! Crazy! He lopped its head off too.
That same night we passed some people having a party and they said, "Kain tayo!" (or "Let's eat!"). People always say that so we laughed and kept walking. But they said in English, "Seriously, come on in!" So we did. They fed us and we met a guy from Laoag who lived in Saudi Arabia who is a muslim. He shared his beliefs with us and then we shared ours with him. Then we gave him a Book of Mormon and he was so impressed. He excused himself for a moment, then came back with a copy of the HOLY QU'RAN (holy quran Batman!). He said we can't keep it but we could borrow it as long as we want and then return it to their house down the road. So we have a copy of the Qu'ran on the table.
I will be in the ZL apartment in Narvacon and we will have to commute to our area (it was just opened too - just like Vintar). The ZL's are apparently Polynesians so should be fun.
I found out why retired teachers here say "retarded" instead of "retired". I always thought they knew the difference and did it as a joke but they just don't know English well enough so they conjugate retired to what they think is the past tense by adding "ed" - "retired-ed teacher". With a filipino accent, it sounds like retarded. Sweet! We also tao po'd (knocked on the door of) one house and a guy named Ri let us in and was so kind. He was also really ripped and had really hard eyes like he was interrogating your soul as you talked to him. We asked him what his work was and he says,"NBI".... we raised our eyebrows so he flashed a badge - National Bureau of Investigation! When we explained where the church was in Laoag and how there is a car junk shop at the bottom of the hill, he said, "Oh, kung saan may carnapan" At first we didn't understand but then later realized that putting "an" at the end of a word sometimes means a place where that thing is done. He said the "taglish" word for it, meaning, "The place where they are doing car napping!!!" I guess he would know (and those people had seemed so nice before!).
Anyways, I LOVED the W family's Halloween photo!! So good! I'm going to show it to Elder D as he really appreciates Star Wars oriented humour.
I still carry my little photo album of family pictures with me everywhere and I use it as a teaching tool for lessons and such. In it is the one of the W's and me in front of the mountains in Canmore. I taught one lesson to a member about the powerful effect for good that righteous members can have and I used that picture. I explained what the W's had done in helping me serve a mission. Anyway, thanks W's!!!!!!!!
I am learning more and more about the Holy Ghost. I had thought that I knew what it meant to have the Holy Ghost as your constant companion, but I really didn't get it. I am still now only scratching the surface. It makes life so much more enjoyable, and understandable.
W said something great in one of her Dear Elders, about not living event to event, but enjoying the moment. I have always lived event to event. It really makes you miss out. I have been trying to enjoy, appreciate and make the most of the moment, but realized it's impossible without the spirit. With the companionship of the Holy Ghost, life is better.
We only have a limited time on this earth and sometimes people use that as their argument for unrighteous living, "We should have fun while we can". I've tried that and it sucks and anyone who says otherwise is lying to themselves and God. I know now that the gospel helps us make the very most of EVERY second of life. Anyways, that's my rant.
I love my mission. I am learning so much. I am now a DL and terrified to give training to Elders and Sisters who have served longer than I and speak the language better, but I know that the atonements power and the companionship of the Holy Ghost will help me be an adequate servant.
So thats all folks. I gotta go and teach my last three or four lessons in Vintar. Poor Bishop cried when I told him that I was leaving. It felt strange...I don't know what to do when people cry. Pretty sure I patted his shoulder awkwardly.
I love you all and will never stop thinking and praying about/for you. Do all you can to "Live after the manner of happiness" as Nephi says (though surely this involves the temple.)
LOVE YOU!!!
-Elder Dustan DL, NBI,
Friday, November 4, 2011
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Pasco! - Week 26. Serving in Vintar
I heard a bit about Halloween from you guys. Thanks for rubbing it in!
Apparently there is no Halloween here. They jump right into preparing for Pasco (or Christmas). At the start of the week we left the apartment and D was hanging ornaments and getting all excited about Pasco. She decorated our place a little too. Christmas songs are playing everywhere! Even all the karaoke we hear from peoples' houses is for Pasco now, no longer the usual mix of children's songs and 80's music. One song that they've been playing quite a bit is "Star ng Pasco". It's a Tagalog song and it's quite nice. Look it up, you'll be singing it all the time.
This week we had two exchanges (the DL has to exchange with every companionship 2 times a trasnfer, which means I have to do it too). On Tuesday, Elder M came to Vintar. I remember him from the MTC! He was in the group ahead of me. He's taga Idaho (no Udaho). He has only been out for 6 weeks more than me so it was two rookie white guys leading the area for a day. It was great too, because I made sure to schedule no appointments all day and just find instead. It was sweet - lots of weird stories come from finding. We taught a family (we actually stopped a little girl's birthday party to teach this lesson......I felt bad but that's what we have to do sometimes) early in the day and there was a guy there from the Visayas (southern Philippines) and he is Muslim. He seemed pretty accepting of the 1st vision though. We gave him a pamphlet and might see him this Saturday if he doesn't go home before then. It was a really long day and was pretty draining.
For supper I finally cooked those Idahoan packaged mashed potatoes you sent me. I figured "what better time to have them than in the company of a real Idahoan".....he wasn't very impressed though. I thought they were pretty good.
On Thursday I exchanged with Elder U, Elder D's companion as a ZL and my friend Elder T's old trainer. He has only been a member of the Church for 2 years - or even less than that as one of the elders who taught him is still in the mission (Laoag mission too, as he's from here). He got baptized here and then moved to Quezon and then decided to magmisyon and got sent here. He's hilarious too.
We blessed a less active tatay who is kind of losing it. He asked us 3 times if we were confirming him! We then taught a really old tatay with no teeth but he's still very sharp (not his teeth though). Although, he refuses to hear about any other book other than the Bible until we can prove it through the Bible. So that was a fun challenge.
It's not easy for some 21 year old white guy to come and tell you in broken Tagalog, something different than what you have always believed.
That's a skill I really need to improve on - seeing things from others' point of view.
Later in our exchange, we met a guy from the Dating Daan church ("The Old Way") founded by an Eli Soriano who rants about other churches on his radio show and then finishes with, "We need to return to the dating daan". This guy we met kept quoting from the radio show about how Joseph Smith was a false prophet and how the church is building a secret temple on the border of California or something like that. Elder U started getting a bit upset at him and saying, "Mail kayo tatay", or "You're wrong Pops, you're wrong." Anyways, that was an interesting lesson.
Elder U is amazing at teaching in all three languages.
Everyone has their own skills and flaws and it's only through recognizing them, actively trying to improve them, and seeking the Lord's help that those flaws can become strengths.
T.B. sent me a scripture from Romans about the body of Christ as the Church and we are all good at certain things but when we work together we are an effective, full body. I was thinking about that the other day sitting at the jeep station in VIntar. I had never before realized that I have a part to play in our eternal family. You are all amazing people who I will always look up to, but I had never fully realized before that what I do has an effect on our family. I wish I had realized that before I left on my mission, when I was a teen ager. And then I realized that for you guys, you each have things you are good at, and not good at. Instead of trying to hide things we are not good at we need to lean on each other for help to get by and improve our weaknesses. No one can do everything by themselves. Anyways, it was a great exchange in Laoag.
I learned something about a true companionship too. As I listened to Elder U and Elder D talk, I realized that they are the ideal companionship. They never say anything bad about the other. They always do things for each other like ironing each others shirts and stuff. They always have fun together and they know each other's limits and strengths and weaknesses and do all they can to build off of each other. The beautiful thing about the gospel though, is the constant possibility of improvement. I am really loving that concept of getting a little better every day.
We gave a blessing to an old nanay who has been sick for a while. They asked for a blessing and we explained the power and origin of the priesthood to her and blessed her. Then after that, all of her sisters and brothers (all old people), "blessed us", which is when you shake hands with a filipino and if they're very old you put the back of their hand to your forehead, but they all did it to us.
Anyways, crazy week, and I am learning lots. I have one week left until transfer day too! I'm pretty sure I'll be transferred, though D says I have to stay until Pasco.
We taught a guy named J who I told you about before. He couldn't go to church because his child was sick, and so he asks, "Do you believe in fasting? I think I might fast so I can go to church." Has this place been prepared or what??
Anyway, I have so much more to share but I'm out of time. I miss you guys so much. This is the greatest time of growth I have ever experienced in my life - even more than when I had that plantars wart (baha!). But for reals, I love it here. I love the people. I know this is the place I need to be. Never stop trusting in the Lord. I just finished the book of Joshua and that really drives that message home. With the Lord, ANYTHING is possible. My time I've "survived" here as a missionary is testimony to that - how is it that a guy who hates being wet and hot can live in the Philippines just fine, and that I can study for hours at a time, when back home I couldn't for more than 15 minutes?
Do all you can to do your part in our eternal family, and I will do all I can to do mine. I love you guys so much, think of you as often as I can, and pray for you always - and every prayer gets heard AND answered - that's not just a saying.
Give Ryan a "Sweet Patatas" from me and a high-five, and do all you can to be good missionaries back home. We need a temple in Ottawa! Love you lots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Elder Dustan
ps-I was told not to use the word hinarharap which means future, because it also is used for boobs... future, the things in front of you.. get it? Now I get why so many people laughed randomly in my lessons!
Apparently there is no Halloween here. They jump right into preparing for Pasco (or Christmas). At the start of the week we left the apartment and D was hanging ornaments and getting all excited about Pasco. She decorated our place a little too. Christmas songs are playing everywhere! Even all the karaoke we hear from peoples' houses is for Pasco now, no longer the usual mix of children's songs and 80's music. One song that they've been playing quite a bit is "Star ng Pasco". It's a Tagalog song and it's quite nice. Look it up, you'll be singing it all the time.
This week we had two exchanges (the DL has to exchange with every companionship 2 times a trasnfer, which means I have to do it too). On Tuesday, Elder M came to Vintar. I remember him from the MTC! He was in the group ahead of me. He's taga Idaho (no Udaho). He has only been out for 6 weeks more than me so it was two rookie white guys leading the area for a day. It was great too, because I made sure to schedule no appointments all day and just find instead. It was sweet - lots of weird stories come from finding. We taught a family (we actually stopped a little girl's birthday party to teach this lesson......I felt bad but that's what we have to do sometimes) early in the day and there was a guy there from the Visayas (southern Philippines) and he is Muslim. He seemed pretty accepting of the 1st vision though. We gave him a pamphlet and might see him this Saturday if he doesn't go home before then. It was a really long day and was pretty draining.
For supper I finally cooked those Idahoan packaged mashed potatoes you sent me. I figured "what better time to have them than in the company of a real Idahoan".....he wasn't very impressed though. I thought they were pretty good.
On Thursday I exchanged with Elder U, Elder D's companion as a ZL and my friend Elder T's old trainer. He has only been a member of the Church for 2 years - or even less than that as one of the elders who taught him is still in the mission (Laoag mission too, as he's from here). He got baptized here and then moved to Quezon and then decided to magmisyon and got sent here. He's hilarious too.
We blessed a less active tatay who is kind of losing it. He asked us 3 times if we were confirming him! We then taught a really old tatay with no teeth but he's still very sharp (not his teeth though). Although, he refuses to hear about any other book other than the Bible until we can prove it through the Bible. So that was a fun challenge.
It's not easy for some 21 year old white guy to come and tell you in broken Tagalog, something different than what you have always believed.
That's a skill I really need to improve on - seeing things from others' point of view.
Later in our exchange, we met a guy from the Dating Daan church ("The Old Way") founded by an Eli Soriano who rants about other churches on his radio show and then finishes with, "We need to return to the dating daan". This guy we met kept quoting from the radio show about how Joseph Smith was a false prophet and how the church is building a secret temple on the border of California or something like that. Elder U started getting a bit upset at him and saying, "Mail kayo tatay", or "You're wrong Pops, you're wrong." Anyways, that was an interesting lesson.
Elder U is amazing at teaching in all three languages.
Everyone has their own skills and flaws and it's only through recognizing them, actively trying to improve them, and seeking the Lord's help that those flaws can become strengths.
T.B. sent me a scripture from Romans about the body of Christ as the Church and we are all good at certain things but when we work together we are an effective, full body. I was thinking about that the other day sitting at the jeep station in VIntar. I had never before realized that I have a part to play in our eternal family. You are all amazing people who I will always look up to, but I had never fully realized before that what I do has an effect on our family. I wish I had realized that before I left on my mission, when I was a teen ager. And then I realized that for you guys, you each have things you are good at, and not good at. Instead of trying to hide things we are not good at we need to lean on each other for help to get by and improve our weaknesses. No one can do everything by themselves. Anyways, it was a great exchange in Laoag.
I learned something about a true companionship too. As I listened to Elder U and Elder D talk, I realized that they are the ideal companionship. They never say anything bad about the other. They always do things for each other like ironing each others shirts and stuff. They always have fun together and they know each other's limits and strengths and weaknesses and do all they can to build off of each other. The beautiful thing about the gospel though, is the constant possibility of improvement. I am really loving that concept of getting a little better every day.
We gave a blessing to an old nanay who has been sick for a while. They asked for a blessing and we explained the power and origin of the priesthood to her and blessed her. Then after that, all of her sisters and brothers (all old people), "blessed us", which is when you shake hands with a filipino and if they're very old you put the back of their hand to your forehead, but they all did it to us.
Anyways, crazy week, and I am learning lots. I have one week left until transfer day too! I'm pretty sure I'll be transferred, though D says I have to stay until Pasco.
We taught a guy named J who I told you about before. He couldn't go to church because his child was sick, and so he asks, "Do you believe in fasting? I think I might fast so I can go to church." Has this place been prepared or what??
Anyway, I have so much more to share but I'm out of time. I miss you guys so much. This is the greatest time of growth I have ever experienced in my life - even more than when I had that plantars wart (baha!). But for reals, I love it here. I love the people. I know this is the place I need to be. Never stop trusting in the Lord. I just finished the book of Joshua and that really drives that message home. With the Lord, ANYTHING is possible. My time I've "survived" here as a missionary is testimony to that - how is it that a guy who hates being wet and hot can live in the Philippines just fine, and that I can study for hours at a time, when back home I couldn't for more than 15 minutes?
Do all you can to do your part in our eternal family, and I will do all I can to do mine. I love you guys so much, think of you as often as I can, and pray for you always - and every prayer gets heard AND answered - that's not just a saying.
Give Ryan a "Sweet Patatas" from me and a high-five, and do all you can to be good missionaries back home. We need a temple in Ottawa! Love you lots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Elder Dustan
ps-I was told not to use the word hinarharap which means future, because it also is used for boobs... future, the things in front of you.. get it? Now I get why so many people laughed randomly in my lessons!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tim Tam Slams! - Week 25. Serving in Vintar
Hey guys! It's been a while, but this week actually went by the fastest so far I think. I usually make a small list of points I want to tell you about in my email on a little post-it in my planner, but I didn't even have time for that this week.
We had interviews with President O this week, a movie night, an exchange and some baptismal interviews in Sarrat. Busy, busy. So here's the low down.
Interviews with the president once again felt like an eternally significant moment. It's so hard to explain but every time it just feels like I am learning things that will benefit me forever. While we were not being interviewed, we hung out with Sis O and she gave us our mail (I think I got a couple Dear Elders from you guys but this week has been so busy, I can't remember!!!).
Also a random tangent - a few times lately I have had weird déja-vues, but more real. I remembered a few dreams I have had and saw that they really ended up happening in real life, and the feeling didn't go away like a usual déja-vu..... Cool but weird.
We had a movie night at D's house - the full Joseph Smith story. It was great. I love that movie. It really bothers me when people don't appreciate what he or any of the early saints did. Also D and R were there and they have both been a little mahia (shy) about sharing the gospel in Vintar. I know it's hard because I wasn't good at it back home but we are really trying to get them to come out of their shells a little - and they have a bit. D went with us when we taught one of her friends, N (we call her Street Nanay because we met her on the street and only ever saw her there and never knew her name). We gave her a Book of Mormon on the street and she read the whole thing. I know because she told us her favourite part was with the Anti Lehi-Nephis!
R helped us teach his girlfriend's brother. He taught amazing things. R is one of my favourites!
I got a PACKAGE from T.B. She sent me some Aussie foods, socks, a lot of church stuff that I can give out to kids, and these "milk flavouring straws". They are just normal straws but have little filtery things on each end and inside are little chocolate balls! So I bought some milk - imported stuff from New Zealand that doesn't need to be refrigerated, and tried it.....it's AMAZING. She sent me "Tim Tams" too - it's a chocolate cookie sandwich thing. Sister O told me that they have "Tim Tam Slams" in Australia and New Zealand where you eat the middle of it and drink milk through it. Then later Elder Sm asked me about Tim Tam Slams too! Yesterday an RM from Australia who served here was in our ward and he asked if I'd had one yet. So the talk around here is all about Tim Tam Slams.
I had an exchange again with Elder D. We worked here in Vintar. He's pretty awesome. His Simpsons quotes are flawless and he has a deep appreciation for Star Wars and how is relates to the gospel..... All that aside, he gave me a lot of good tips and really helped with a few of our investigators.
We have 4 new baptisms coming up!!!! The family that has been coming to church decided to be baptized! They are all excited for it. They're so great. The tatay is a town counsellor for all of Vintar. I am way excited.
We went all the way to Sarrat on Saturday and had a baptismal interview from the Sisters there. The area is beautiful and I've now been to every area in this district! The interviewee unfortunately didn't show but the sisters made us pancit and HOME MADE ICE CREAM!!! It was soooooo good. The sisters are the best.
I finally finished Deuteronomy! Took forever but I'm done and into Joshua now. I loved how Moses was 120 years old and he was still going strong (there's a sweet verse in the last chapter about it) because he wore his life out in the service of the Lord, and for that, the Lord wouldn't let him wear out. I am just starting to see that here. I'm more tired than I've ever been. My sleep even seems to be tiring because we usually teach in our sleep! Elder Davis woke me up talking in his sleep asking me, "Claro po ba iyan?" ("Is that clear?") and went on to teach another principle in bits and pieces. My back and arms and sides and legs and neck all ache but sometimes it feels like the pain is just gone and like I'm almost floating. It's weird, but I know I'm being helped.
This is the greatest work there is and I love being part of it. I have seen peoples' lives change from complete sorrow to utter joy and have seen it in their faces, eyes and in their countenances. It's a great thing to see.
I love you guys and think about you all the time. Never stop spreading the gospel, even if it's outside of your comfort zone because that's when we grow the most. Take care of yourselves.
-Elder Dustan
We had interviews with President O this week, a movie night, an exchange and some baptismal interviews in Sarrat. Busy, busy. So here's the low down.
Interviews with the president once again felt like an eternally significant moment. It's so hard to explain but every time it just feels like I am learning things that will benefit me forever. While we were not being interviewed, we hung out with Sis O and she gave us our mail (I think I got a couple Dear Elders from you guys but this week has been so busy, I can't remember!!!).
Also a random tangent - a few times lately I have had weird déja-vues, but more real. I remembered a few dreams I have had and saw that they really ended up happening in real life, and the feeling didn't go away like a usual déja-vu..... Cool but weird.
We had a movie night at D's house - the full Joseph Smith story. It was great. I love that movie. It really bothers me when people don't appreciate what he or any of the early saints did. Also D and R were there and they have both been a little mahia (shy) about sharing the gospel in Vintar. I know it's hard because I wasn't good at it back home but we are really trying to get them to come out of their shells a little - and they have a bit. D went with us when we taught one of her friends, N (we call her Street Nanay because we met her on the street and only ever saw her there and never knew her name). We gave her a Book of Mormon on the street and she read the whole thing. I know because she told us her favourite part was with the Anti Lehi-Nephis!
R helped us teach his girlfriend's brother. He taught amazing things. R is one of my favourites!
I got a PACKAGE from T.B. She sent me some Aussie foods, socks, a lot of church stuff that I can give out to kids, and these "milk flavouring straws". They are just normal straws but have little filtery things on each end and inside are little chocolate balls! So I bought some milk - imported stuff from New Zealand that doesn't need to be refrigerated, and tried it.....it's AMAZING. She sent me "Tim Tams" too - it's a chocolate cookie sandwich thing. Sister O told me that they have "Tim Tam Slams" in Australia and New Zealand where you eat the middle of it and drink milk through it. Then later Elder Sm asked me about Tim Tam Slams too! Yesterday an RM from Australia who served here was in our ward and he asked if I'd had one yet. So the talk around here is all about Tim Tam Slams.
I had an exchange again with Elder D. We worked here in Vintar. He's pretty awesome. His Simpsons quotes are flawless and he has a deep appreciation for Star Wars and how is relates to the gospel..... All that aside, he gave me a lot of good tips and really helped with a few of our investigators.
We have 4 new baptisms coming up!!!! The family that has been coming to church decided to be baptized! They are all excited for it. They're so great. The tatay is a town counsellor for all of Vintar. I am way excited.
We went all the way to Sarrat on Saturday and had a baptismal interview from the Sisters there. The area is beautiful and I've now been to every area in this district! The interviewee unfortunately didn't show but the sisters made us pancit and HOME MADE ICE CREAM!!! It was soooooo good. The sisters are the best.
I finally finished Deuteronomy! Took forever but I'm done and into Joshua now. I loved how Moses was 120 years old and he was still going strong (there's a sweet verse in the last chapter about it) because he wore his life out in the service of the Lord, and for that, the Lord wouldn't let him wear out. I am just starting to see that here. I'm more tired than I've ever been. My sleep even seems to be tiring because we usually teach in our sleep! Elder Davis woke me up talking in his sleep asking me, "Claro po ba iyan?" ("Is that clear?") and went on to teach another principle in bits and pieces. My back and arms and sides and legs and neck all ache but sometimes it feels like the pain is just gone and like I'm almost floating. It's weird, but I know I'm being helped.
This is the greatest work there is and I love being part of it. I have seen peoples' lives change from complete sorrow to utter joy and have seen it in their faces, eyes and in their countenances. It's a great thing to see.
I love you guys and think about you all the time. Never stop spreading the gospel, even if it's outside of your comfort zone because that's when we grow the most. Take care of yourselves.
-Elder Dustan
Like a Reeeeal Filipino! - Week 24. Serving in Vintar
Yesterday we got ready and went to our investigators houses to round them up for church because they are less likely to go if we don't. We had to wait in one family's house until she started getting ready. I'm learning to be a real filipino now in the sense that there is no personal space/privacy. We just walk on in to peoples' houses and are way upfront and way rude by north american standards. Because of all our efforts and a huge help through prayer, we had 12 investigators, 2 Less actives and four recent converts at church!
Great day! In total we had almost 20 investigators at church (between us and the AP's). President and Sister O were there too (they kind of tour around the wards). So the chapel was literally too full (its not small either!). So yeah, sweeeeet day.
We had a very malalim (deep) lesson in priesthood class where the teacher and other older men started discussing opinion as if it were doctrine. Pres. O doesn't speak Tagalog so he didn't catch it right away but one of our investigators spoke up at one point and corrected them with the proper doctrine (he's only been taught 6 times, and we had never discussed those things) but he was right and it was hilarious!
After church we went to the mission home in the AP's apartment as we usually do between church and PEC meeting. We got free pizza - with ranch dressing! What a sweet day. We had to leave early and give two sick people blessings, taught a lesson at someone's home and then went to
PEC meeting.
After PEC, as we were leaving the chapel, we heard yelling and smashing glass. We looked down the hill (as Bantay chapel is essentially a castle on a hill) and the two shacks at the bottom near the junk shop were fighting each other. One drunk guy from one shack had a bottle in his hand and a bit of blood on his arms and the one from the other house was hiding behind a fence. They pretty much had a snowball fight with bottles and the road was covered in glass. They yelled and fist-fought a couple of times too. We don't know how it started. The best part was that it's 2 minutes from the PNP (police) station (campo) and they didn't show up for about 20 minutes. I would hate to see their reaction time if there was something happening in Vintar! They showed up with automatic rifles and everyone freaked out. It was a very interesting Sunday! My first domestic dispute (I was told by the other elders that it's a regular occurance and that they usually use rocks.
Last monday I got a haircut from a bakla and it was terrible! I told him I had 15 minutes and he took 1 hour and it was 60 pisos instead of the 38 it usually is!
We taught a guy named J who had been taught by other missionsries in the past. He said he knew the Book of Mormon was true before and felt his sins being washed away. I'll keep you posted with him.
We realize that too many people just won't commute to Laoag, so we are now trying to teach men with cars so they can bring their families to church and establish a priesthood base in Vintar. I realize now that there is order to everything. We can't teach everyone. We have to start with people that can and are willing to go to church. Anyways, it's going well. We have a few families we are teaching now. We taught the Plan of Salvation to one of them and then the dad asked some very deep questions. It was great though. I learned the importance of only saying what I know.
In Alma 11:22, Amulek only says what he is prompted by the Spirit to say. I love that because one of my goals is to be better at thinking before I speak.
We taught an old tatay who told us he "nag-abroad" (mix of Tagalog and English words - I love it! Means he went or worked abroad) in Iraq in the 80's. He said he built houses for the government. We asked him if he's seen a guy named Saddam Hussein before! He said yes but we doubt he's serious - pretty good dead-panner, that guy.
Also met a drunk guy two nights ago who said he has seen some crazy things when he fought in the Iraq war (I didn't know the Philippines was part of that one!).
We visited one of the families we are teaching. The tatay wasn't there. He was in Manila, but luckily we had R teach with us. The whole family is baptist too except for the tatay. He is the one who let us in. The others are a little hostile. The oldest girl was there though. We had never met her before. We assumed she was hostile too but once we finished teaching about the apostasy and started teaching about the restoration, I explained that Joseph Smith wanted to know which church to join so he went into the woods to pray. All of a sudden, in a whisper on the edge of her seat, she asked, "What happened??" We told her about the First Vision (which I can say in my sleep now and sometimes do) and she was shocked and said, "That really
happened??"
That was so good to hear because people are seldom really interested in it. They seem to assume it was in the Bible and they just never read it so they don't ask questions. They think we will find out they don't really read the Bible.
We taught the girl about the Book of Mormon and that we would give her a copy. She told us that the day before we came over, she had been saying to her mum that she needed to find a religion as she felt lost. She had tried all of them and none felt right. The only one she hadn't tried was Islam and she was thinking of checking it out.
She had tears in her eyes and was so happy and kept saying things like, "This must have been planned!"
She has a three month old baby so maybe my nephew, C, will serve with him in the church at some point! So that was sweet. We teach them again tonight. We taught another guy named J, who asked lots of questions and was great and then when we mentioned prophets he said "teka lang" (just a second) and ran off to get something. He came back reading a Gospel Principles book, looking at the prophets section! Turns out he reads that book all the time AND he has six copies of the Book of Mormom!!! Turns out his brother's a member somewhere.
So much has happened this week! We stayed out until 9 every night and I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life. I reallllly love my sleep now, no matter how short.
This brings me to the real reason for the email subject! I harvested rice this week (naggapas). We asked a family we teach if they would let us help them in their bukid (field). I thought they would wear as few clothes as possible in the heat but they bundle up! I wore jeans and socks and my crocs with a long sleeved shirt I bought (way cheap, way big like it's supposed to be, and it has a big pirate parrot on it and says "Castaway
Bay"....stylin'). Anyway, they gave us each a little hand held sickle that is sharper than all the Subway knives in the world and we harvested rice. It was reallly hard work - so hot and really hard on the legs, arms and back. We finished one of his fields for him though. All the filipinos stopped gapas-ing and watched us. White
people in the bukid is unheard of. It was so messy and rough but I loved it. I would love to do it again and might get to this week.
I''m loving it here, even though sometimes I still really really miss home. On the other hand, sometimes I forget and think Vintar is my home, it's weird. Being transferred will suck.
I think of you guys so much and miss you so much. You are all part of the reason why I am able to do what I'm doing as I know back home before my mission I would NOT have been able to do this - to work in the bukid, work all day until 9 and still get up at 6:30 happy and ready to go. It is great here and I am so happy you all helped me and encouraged me to get here. R gave me a letter yesterday and said he didn't want a repeat of Elder S leaving almost without notice so he gave it to me now while he knows I'm here. It essentially said that he would never ever forget what I've done for him. That is something that I never have felt before, and don't think I could get that kind of satisfaction anywhere else. Because of all you have done for me I was able to do all I could for him. Now he feels the full joy that ONLY comes through the gospel. What an amazing work this is! Anyways, we have a lot of groceries to do today so I gotta get going (I haven't been eating very healthy as we have been eating whenever we get the chance to. It's like being in North America all over again).
Keep up the good work back home - just by your support you are spreading the gospel. You are all amazing missionaries and I love you all. Stay safe, never stop trying your best, and don't eat yellow rice (they dry it on the road and animals pee on it and sometimes poop too.....that also why there's rocks in my rice all the time and it kills my teeth).
LOVE YOU!
-Elder Dustan
Great day! In total we had almost 20 investigators at church (between us and the AP's). President and Sister O were there too (they kind of tour around the wards). So the chapel was literally too full (its not small either!). So yeah, sweeeeet day.
We had a very malalim (deep) lesson in priesthood class where the teacher and other older men started discussing opinion as if it were doctrine. Pres. O doesn't speak Tagalog so he didn't catch it right away but one of our investigators spoke up at one point and corrected them with the proper doctrine (he's only been taught 6 times, and we had never discussed those things) but he was right and it was hilarious!
After church we went to the mission home in the AP's apartment as we usually do between church and PEC meeting. We got free pizza - with ranch dressing! What a sweet day. We had to leave early and give two sick people blessings, taught a lesson at someone's home and then went to
PEC meeting.
After PEC, as we were leaving the chapel, we heard yelling and smashing glass. We looked down the hill (as Bantay chapel is essentially a castle on a hill) and the two shacks at the bottom near the junk shop were fighting each other. One drunk guy from one shack had a bottle in his hand and a bit of blood on his arms and the one from the other house was hiding behind a fence. They pretty much had a snowball fight with bottles and the road was covered in glass. They yelled and fist-fought a couple of times too. We don't know how it started. The best part was that it's 2 minutes from the PNP (police) station (campo) and they didn't show up for about 20 minutes. I would hate to see their reaction time if there was something happening in Vintar! They showed up with automatic rifles and everyone freaked out. It was a very interesting Sunday! My first domestic dispute (I was told by the other elders that it's a regular occurance and that they usually use rocks.
Last monday I got a haircut from a bakla and it was terrible! I told him I had 15 minutes and he took 1 hour and it was 60 pisos instead of the 38 it usually is!
We taught a guy named J who had been taught by other missionsries in the past. He said he knew the Book of Mormon was true before and felt his sins being washed away. I'll keep you posted with him.
We realize that too many people just won't commute to Laoag, so we are now trying to teach men with cars so they can bring their families to church and establish a priesthood base in Vintar. I realize now that there is order to everything. We can't teach everyone. We have to start with people that can and are willing to go to church. Anyways, it's going well. We have a few families we are teaching now. We taught the Plan of Salvation to one of them and then the dad asked some very deep questions. It was great though. I learned the importance of only saying what I know.
In Alma 11:22, Amulek only says what he is prompted by the Spirit to say. I love that because one of my goals is to be better at thinking before I speak.
We taught an old tatay who told us he "nag-abroad" (mix of Tagalog and English words - I love it! Means he went or worked abroad) in Iraq in the 80's. He said he built houses for the government. We asked him if he's seen a guy named Saddam Hussein before! He said yes but we doubt he's serious - pretty good dead-panner, that guy.
Also met a drunk guy two nights ago who said he has seen some crazy things when he fought in the Iraq war (I didn't know the Philippines was part of that one!).
We visited one of the families we are teaching. The tatay wasn't there. He was in Manila, but luckily we had R teach with us. The whole family is baptist too except for the tatay. He is the one who let us in. The others are a little hostile. The oldest girl was there though. We had never met her before. We assumed she was hostile too but once we finished teaching about the apostasy and started teaching about the restoration, I explained that Joseph Smith wanted to know which church to join so he went into the woods to pray. All of a sudden, in a whisper on the edge of her seat, she asked, "What happened??" We told her about the First Vision (which I can say in my sleep now and sometimes do) and she was shocked and said, "That really
happened??"
That was so good to hear because people are seldom really interested in it. They seem to assume it was in the Bible and they just never read it so they don't ask questions. They think we will find out they don't really read the Bible.
We taught the girl about the Book of Mormon and that we would give her a copy. She told us that the day before we came over, she had been saying to her mum that she needed to find a religion as she felt lost. She had tried all of them and none felt right. The only one she hadn't tried was Islam and she was thinking of checking it out.
She had tears in her eyes and was so happy and kept saying things like, "This must have been planned!"
She has a three month old baby so maybe my nephew, C, will serve with him in the church at some point! So that was sweet. We teach them again tonight. We taught another guy named J, who asked lots of questions and was great and then when we mentioned prophets he said "teka lang" (just a second) and ran off to get something. He came back reading a Gospel Principles book, looking at the prophets section! Turns out he reads that book all the time AND he has six copies of the Book of Mormom!!! Turns out his brother's a member somewhere.
So much has happened this week! We stayed out until 9 every night and I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life. I reallllly love my sleep now, no matter how short.
This brings me to the real reason for the email subject! I harvested rice this week (naggapas). We asked a family we teach if they would let us help them in their bukid (field). I thought they would wear as few clothes as possible in the heat but they bundle up! I wore jeans and socks and my crocs with a long sleeved shirt I bought (way cheap, way big like it's supposed to be, and it has a big pirate parrot on it and says "Castaway
Bay"....stylin'). Anyway, they gave us each a little hand held sickle that is sharper than all the Subway knives in the world and we harvested rice. It was reallly hard work - so hot and really hard on the legs, arms and back. We finished one of his fields for him though. All the filipinos stopped gapas-ing and watched us. White
people in the bukid is unheard of. It was so messy and rough but I loved it. I would love to do it again and might get to this week.
I''m loving it here, even though sometimes I still really really miss home. On the other hand, sometimes I forget and think Vintar is my home, it's weird. Being transferred will suck.
I think of you guys so much and miss you so much. You are all part of the reason why I am able to do what I'm doing as I know back home before my mission I would NOT have been able to do this - to work in the bukid, work all day until 9 and still get up at 6:30 happy and ready to go. It is great here and I am so happy you all helped me and encouraged me to get here. R gave me a letter yesterday and said he didn't want a repeat of Elder S leaving almost without notice so he gave it to me now while he knows I'm here. It essentially said that he would never ever forget what I've done for him. That is something that I never have felt before, and don't think I could get that kind of satisfaction anywhere else. Because of all you have done for me I was able to do all I could for him. Now he feels the full joy that ONLY comes through the gospel. What an amazing work this is! Anyways, we have a lot of groceries to do today so I gotta get going (I haven't been eating very healthy as we have been eating whenever we get the chance to. It's like being in North America all over again).
Keep up the good work back home - just by your support you are spreading the gospel. You are all amazing missionaries and I love you all. Stay safe, never stop trying your best, and don't eat yellow rice (they dry it on the road and animals pee on it and sometimes poop too.....that also why there's rocks in my rice all the time and it kills my teeth).
LOVE YOU!
-Elder Dustan
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
A Week Full of Tae & Ihi - Week 23. Serving in Vintar
Once again it feels like a year since I wrote last.
Every day feels like a week - I just do so much. It's bananas (you know the song)... just this second I heard a little filipino voice behind me say "bananas" and then realized there's a little crowd of kids behind me....I guess people are following my emails here too, not just back home. Hahaha, I wish you could be here, they're reading every word I write.
Anyways, this week was great. We had training from our AP, Elder Cooper in District Meeting about false beliefs/traditions ( in tagalog, haka-haka). It was very insightful and hilarious. He told us about some false beliefs in our mission. One is that some people think that after Sacrament meeting you have to wait for the bishop to stand before you get up. Every Sunday someone will always get annoyed with us for "being rude" and getting up before him. A myth among us missionaries is that Sister O (mission president's wife) sends out her own weekly message but not to every missionary like the President does but only to a select few whom she favours (she thought that one was hilarious, and I told her I'm part of it and have the Sister O fan club ring to prove it). Another myth is that you can't pass the sacrament if you don't have a white shirt. I thought that last one was true. Apparently it's encouraged for all priesthood holders to wear a white shirt, but if they don't have one that's okay. In the Young Men program when I was a youth, we used to purposely wear a blue shirt so we didn't have to pass the sacrament, so this puts a stop to that too. Anyways, I loved learning about the proper protocol of the Church because it always makes sense - never too far left or right.
So... you're probably wondering about the subject of my email. We will start with "ihi". It means pee. And I really noticed this week how much public urination there is. Not hidden by any means either. We went back to see the Vietnam vet, E.R. this week. He's a caricature of a stereotypical nam vet. He told us all kinds of crazy theories and then said he would be right back. He walked three steps and didnt unzip but peed out the pant leg of his shorts! I know it's not effective because when he shook our hands later I felt the evidence...... Don't worry we sanitzied after. He also gave us copies of the Gideon Bible in Ilocano which was good because we tao po'd (tracted or knocked on the door of) a house later and ended up teaching an old Ilocano man and used that bible. He loved it (if it weren't for that Bible all I could have said is "why?", "where are you going?", and "don't be shy" - the extent of my Ilocano vocabulary).
Which brings us to "tae". We went to teach the D family as the mother is back now. We had taught them many times but their mother was in Manila working. She's a less active member and a single parent. As we were there, her other kids who had moved out all come back randomly! The whole family was there! The lesson went way over time and I was worried my shoes were going to get wet as I had left them outside and I thought it was going to rain (we're due, as it has been SO hot and stagnant for so long). It was a great lesson too. When we left, I walked out in my socks and put my foot in my shoe and then the little girl said, pointing at my feet, "tae". I looked down and a dog had pooped on every flip flop and shoe that was in front of the door and then pooped it's way back to the road! I thought it was a cow but the alleyway is too narrow for a cow. I first stepped in poo in my socks, then kneeled in it with my left knee as I put my tae-filled shoe on my tae-covered sock! Then as I got up, my book-bag swept across the tae and before I knew it, I was totally covered in poo! What a night! The church member that came to teach with us just looked at me and said, "You've got poo on you." and that was all. No one thought it was any big deal. Anyways, thats enough C.R. stuff.
We taught R this week - the first time since his baptism. He seemed grumpy and distant. When we finished, we asked if he had anything he wanted to say. All he said was, "Am I allowed to hold the priesthood?". Once we said yes, he was all smiley again. I love that guy!
I accidentally sliced my finger with my machete (first blood) this week and it bled everywhere. It wasn't deep at all, it's just so sharp! I also got cuts all over my hands from other things that I can't even remember, so doing laundry this week was brutal (we do all our laundry by hand in a tub with an old fashioned washboard). Good thing I'm a pro and can do it way fast.
General conference was amazing!!!!! I loved it. I went in with very specific questions and got very specific answers in return. One of my questions was, how can I best help my family while I'm here and the answer I got wasn't about you guys. I realized I need to apply what I teach. Missionary work is important, I tell people, but it starts in the family. I can't wait to be a missionary in Ottawa, and I realize now that we need to focus on our family first. That's what I want to ask of you guys while I'm gone - do everything you can as directed by the spirit to help our eternal family grow!
We had an amazing Family Home Evening with that family that came to church last week! We shared all about the Book of Mormon and how important it is. Then we played a game where there was a category and we went in a circle and had to say something about the category (animals, etc.) and then if you repeated or couldn't think of one, everyone got to draw on your face with a marker. It was soooooo fun. They loved it and are so excited to come back to church.
I'll try and think of something to email to the young men back home or write a letter to the ward soon. I just keep thinking of how close I came to not serving a mission and how much I would have regretted missing that opportunity. I feel the need to do all I can to help them avoid that.
I've learned that sister missionaries are what make missions successful - for real! The sisters' areas here are the best ones.
A woman named N finished the Book of Mormon we gave her a month ago and knows it's true and is a great friend of D's (who was baptized last month). She came to General Conference and loved it! I'm sure she'll be baptized.
I miss you all very much and love you very much too. Everyone take care of yourselves and never let a single day go by where you don't truly converse with our Heavenly Father.
Okay, I gotta go get a haircut now. My first haircut from a barber in Vintar ...wish me luck.
Love you lots,
-Elder Dustan
Every day feels like a week - I just do so much. It's bananas (you know the song)... just this second I heard a little filipino voice behind me say "bananas" and then realized there's a little crowd of kids behind me....I guess people are following my emails here too, not just back home. Hahaha, I wish you could be here, they're reading every word I write.
Anyways, this week was great. We had training from our AP, Elder Cooper in District Meeting about false beliefs/traditions ( in tagalog, haka-haka). It was very insightful and hilarious. He told us about some false beliefs in our mission. One is that some people think that after Sacrament meeting you have to wait for the bishop to stand before you get up. Every Sunday someone will always get annoyed with us for "being rude" and getting up before him. A myth among us missionaries is that Sister O (mission president's wife) sends out her own weekly message but not to every missionary like the President does but only to a select few whom she favours (she thought that one was hilarious, and I told her I'm part of it and have the Sister O fan club ring to prove it). Another myth is that you can't pass the sacrament if you don't have a white shirt. I thought that last one was true. Apparently it's encouraged for all priesthood holders to wear a white shirt, but if they don't have one that's okay. In the Young Men program when I was a youth, we used to purposely wear a blue shirt so we didn't have to pass the sacrament, so this puts a stop to that too. Anyways, I loved learning about the proper protocol of the Church because it always makes sense - never too far left or right.
So... you're probably wondering about the subject of my email. We will start with "ihi". It means pee. And I really noticed this week how much public urination there is. Not hidden by any means either. We went back to see the Vietnam vet, E.R. this week. He's a caricature of a stereotypical nam vet. He told us all kinds of crazy theories and then said he would be right back. He walked three steps and didnt unzip but peed out the pant leg of his shorts! I know it's not effective because when he shook our hands later I felt the evidence...... Don't worry we sanitzied after. He also gave us copies of the Gideon Bible in Ilocano which was good because we tao po'd (tracted or knocked on the door of) a house later and ended up teaching an old Ilocano man and used that bible. He loved it (if it weren't for that Bible all I could have said is "why?", "where are you going?", and "don't be shy" - the extent of my Ilocano vocabulary).
Which brings us to "tae". We went to teach the D family as the mother is back now. We had taught them many times but their mother was in Manila working. She's a less active member and a single parent. As we were there, her other kids who had moved out all come back randomly! The whole family was there! The lesson went way over time and I was worried my shoes were going to get wet as I had left them outside and I thought it was going to rain (we're due, as it has been SO hot and stagnant for so long). It was a great lesson too. When we left, I walked out in my socks and put my foot in my shoe and then the little girl said, pointing at my feet, "tae". I looked down and a dog had pooped on every flip flop and shoe that was in front of the door and then pooped it's way back to the road! I thought it was a cow but the alleyway is too narrow for a cow. I first stepped in poo in my socks, then kneeled in it with my left knee as I put my tae-filled shoe on my tae-covered sock! Then as I got up, my book-bag swept across the tae and before I knew it, I was totally covered in poo! What a night! The church member that came to teach with us just looked at me and said, "You've got poo on you." and that was all. No one thought it was any big deal. Anyways, thats enough C.R. stuff.
We taught R this week - the first time since his baptism. He seemed grumpy and distant. When we finished, we asked if he had anything he wanted to say. All he said was, "Am I allowed to hold the priesthood?". Once we said yes, he was all smiley again. I love that guy!
I accidentally sliced my finger with my machete (first blood) this week and it bled everywhere. It wasn't deep at all, it's just so sharp! I also got cuts all over my hands from other things that I can't even remember, so doing laundry this week was brutal (we do all our laundry by hand in a tub with an old fashioned washboard). Good thing I'm a pro and can do it way fast.
General conference was amazing!!!!! I loved it. I went in with very specific questions and got very specific answers in return. One of my questions was, how can I best help my family while I'm here and the answer I got wasn't about you guys. I realized I need to apply what I teach. Missionary work is important, I tell people, but it starts in the family. I can't wait to be a missionary in Ottawa, and I realize now that we need to focus on our family first. That's what I want to ask of you guys while I'm gone - do everything you can as directed by the spirit to help our eternal family grow!
We had an amazing Family Home Evening with that family that came to church last week! We shared all about the Book of Mormon and how important it is. Then we played a game where there was a category and we went in a circle and had to say something about the category (animals, etc.) and then if you repeated or couldn't think of one, everyone got to draw on your face with a marker. It was soooooo fun. They loved it and are so excited to come back to church.
I'll try and think of something to email to the young men back home or write a letter to the ward soon. I just keep thinking of how close I came to not serving a mission and how much I would have regretted missing that opportunity. I feel the need to do all I can to help them avoid that.
I've learned that sister missionaries are what make missions successful - for real! The sisters' areas here are the best ones.
A woman named N finished the Book of Mormon we gave her a month ago and knows it's true and is a great friend of D's (who was baptized last month). She came to General Conference and loved it! I'm sure she'll be baptized.
I miss you all very much and love you very much too. Everyone take care of yourselves and never let a single day go by where you don't truly converse with our Heavenly Father.
Okay, I gotta go get a haircut now. My first haircut from a barber in Vintar ...wish me luck.
Love you lots,
-Elder Dustan
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)