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!
No comments:
Post a Comment