Too Much Banana & Not Enough Mango - Week 52. Serving in Camalaniugan

This week was straight-up bananas. Actually, speaking of bananas, we have been eating tons of them.....actually kilos. We had almost 3 kilos in 4 days. I don't know if that's healthy, but they just go bad so fast. Our transfer focus for our companionship is to follow the Word of Wisdom - and we mean FOLLOW it. Not just the bawals (restrictions). We have been doing it this week and I feel great. We go for a 20 minute run every morning. We jogged up bantay. It makes Currahee look like Saskatchewan - way steep. Everyone stops and stares and a few of them shout at us. They all workout for a living I guess, so they have no need to jog. I imagine they all wonder what we are running from.

It is the close of mango season. I love those things. But back to the craziness of the week. It started with us getting punted by EVERYONE. We visited everyone we know in the area and got only one lesson in - lots of walking! This week has been the hottest week I have ever experienced in my 22 years on the earth. I finally got a sunburn too. The air is usually too thick for the sun to even get to me. I have worn sunscreen once or twice way back when I was a greenie, and only now do I get a burn - not a bad one though.

We ended up on all kinds of back roads and grown-over paths that I had never been on before. As we were leaving a less active member's house in the middle of nowhere, their little litter of baby ducks followed us. When we would stop, they stopped. Then we'd walk and they would follow. We took one step, they took one step too. It was like a cartoon. Maybe it's a sign that the family needs to follow us back to church.

I had a good week of exercising my priesthood too. I had one experience that  I can't really go into, but through it, I learned the connection between the Holy Ghost and the priesthood as well as the calming power of the spirit. It also really showed me the power of the priesthood.
We filled a ditch in our yard with cement this week. We had no tools so we mixed it and set it with our hands. Filipino cement is one part dirt, two parts cement. I also learned how to make two new pinoy dishes. One is called puki puki, an Ilocano eggplant dish.

We found a dying kitten in the back yard. We set it on a towel, and nursed it back to health, or at least kept it alive until it's mama cat came back for it. Cute though.

We visited with one of our investigators yesterday. Because of family issues, he's recently been left alone to raise his 5 kids. He has a 1 year old baby and his other little daughter can't go to school so that she can watch the baby while her dad works. He was really upset and cried a lot. Filipinos are often too "mahia" (or shy) to ask for help but he was sufficiently humble, swallowed his pride and asked us for help. We told him to pray and then write down on paper any ideas he has of what he could do about his situation. Then we prayed with him and gave him a hug. I can see the amazing effect that a simple hug and prayer had on him. Love needs to be shown.

Then we went to get the members together to help him. We saw it as a great opportunity to show people that this is Christ's Church. We went to a member and asked her to cook for the family (this being one day after she cooked for the whole branch council and district leaders). She said she would be happy to do it. I caught a glimpse of what the people of Zion in Enoch's time must have been like. Anyone who jumps at the chance to help any member of our heavenly family is of Christ. I have never felt any greater thrill than helping others. Just by offering that hug to our investigator, I got a bigger thrill from God's mercy and love than I ever would on any thrill ride, any worldly pleasure or any selfish desire.

Thanks for all your prayers guys. Love you lots!!!!!
Elder Dustan