So much has happened this week. Last P-Day we went to the
hospital to visit M who had been admitted for a fever and trouble breathing. Poor guy was in a
room packed FULL of people on stretchers. He was in the back corner of the room
with an IV in his hand and a big smile on his face as usual. I love that guy.
We stayed and chatted with him and E, who was right there by his bed side
joking and laughing. Later M's mum showed up and she talked to me about their
baptism. She said that she was baptised before (not LDS though). It was a
wonderful experience for her and she wants her son and E to have it as well.
She is a really sweet lady. We also brought them some copies of the Liahona including the one on the temple (Mga Templo). M opens it, sees the
picture of Moses ordaining Aaron, points at it and says to us,
"Priesthood?" We haven't even taught about ordination yet. He's a
sharp kid.
After we left (everyone in that crowded hospital room stared at us the whole time), we went to P's house but he was sick too! Everyone is getting sick (just wait, there's more of them).
We tracted into a 30-ish year old man and his mother in a little bahay kubo and taught them. They were way nice. After we had taught them I noticed we were all on a bit of a "high", as in we were all suddenly happier. I realized that we have been slacking in finding new people to teach. Sure we have really been helping our recent converts, current investigators and less actives to progress but there are still so many more people around us that haven't heard the gospel. The feeling we all had from sharing the gospel can't be felt in any other way.
Saturday we went to the stake president's house for lunch as it was his birthday. He's a nice man. He lived inCalifornia for years and then
came back. He loves cars so he and Elder M get along really well. They fed us
and fed us and fed us. I was full multiple times. They are a fun family too.
We went to teach P and his wife, S. This is our first time teaching S since she had been in the hospital and had told us she wanted to be baptised. Our plan was to get her to bring it up to see how interested she really was. Then right after we opened the lesson, P says, "S, don't you have something to tell the Elders?"
She is a really shy filipina but in this lesson she spoke openly about what she felt and it was great. She said that when she was in the hospital she was worried about her sins and she decided she wanted to be baptised. She asked us what she needed to do... best question ever! We had Elder S invite her to be baptised. He did a really good job and I think it really boosted his confidence.
After that, we went out to visit a member family and it turns out that nanay was really sick. She could barely move. They live in the middle of nowhere. We gave her a blessing as she asked and then we went and tried to find her a trike to get to the hospital. Just as we started looking, her neighbor came home in a trike. Convenient! But EVERYONE seems to be getting sick!
Sunday I fasted and it was a great day. Can't believe I used to hate fasting. I found a lot of answers and strength. I wanted a way to help M and his family and to help my companions too. We were asked to go and give the sister in the hospital the sacrament and afterwards we were asked to check her out of the hospital. We had to go and get a paper from the nurses and on it was a little line for every department in the hospital and a thing that said which ones the sister had gone to. Before we could check her out, we had to go to each department and get someone there to sign the thing for us. It was a medical scavenger hunt - way fun.
We brought Tatay P the sacrament again (two opportunities to administer the sacrament in one day, which was awesome). He asked us what the thumbs up symbol meant. We said it means "verrrry gud". He asked about the thumbs down and we said, "verrry bad". Then the thumbs sideways and we said, "verrrry okay". So now he uses those all the time. He says that every day is the same except when we come over. Really nice man. We told him how one duty of the priesthood is to exhort others to pray and that he could get his family to pray together to exercise his priesthood. He was so excited. He said in a quiet voice, "yes.. priesthood duty" and then agreed. His family aren't members and we asked him to introduce us next time.
On Tuesday Elder M and I went up to Claveria. As I mentioned before, the new rule in the mission is that no one gets washers or dryers. A few areas had them but most didn't. We went to pick up the Claveria elders washer and dryer. I felt bad... I also felt like it was a little hilarious because it's Elder T's area! He teased me for being in the office and now he will be washing with his hands again (the mission home is the only place with washer/dryer privileges because we work later than other missionaries).
A signal-two bagyo/typhoon rolled in while we were teaching E and M. After we left the rain picked up and we got soaked, which I really don't mind. While we were walking, a cube van pulled up and it was the stake president. He asked us to get in and so we sat in the back of a cube van like a bunch of illegal immigrants until we got to our next appointment. When we got out, the rain was crazy. We went to the van window to say bye. They would give away their kidneys if the missionaries asked them too - such sweet people.
The lighting in the bagyo was NUTS - like about this time last year in Vintar in that big bagyo when the lighting hit right outside the apartment.
Our lesson with E and M last night was the last before their baptismal interview this Saturday (tomorrow). They are amazing. Though they don't yet understand it all, they know an awful lot. I noticed I often forget E is just 13 and expect too much of her. M told us that his life has changed. He used to feel like life made no sense, like there was a big fog in his life. Now the fog is gone and things make sense. He is so cool. Then we taught the A family. They are so sweet. They are paying tithing now and were asking us about fast offering.
A mission would be worth it solely for the amazing people you meet and how much happiness they bring you.
No mail is coming through because of the flood inManila
and the storms around here so I won't be sending
letters for a while. Letters have been coming is with pieces soaked and damaged.
I love you guys lots. Ingat
-Elder Dustan
After we left (everyone in that crowded hospital room stared at us the whole time), we went to P's house but he was sick too! Everyone is getting sick (just wait, there's more of them).
We tracted into a 30-ish year old man and his mother in a little bahay kubo and taught them. They were way nice. After we had taught them I noticed we were all on a bit of a "high", as in we were all suddenly happier. I realized that we have been slacking in finding new people to teach. Sure we have really been helping our recent converts, current investigators and less actives to progress but there are still so many more people around us that haven't heard the gospel. The feeling we all had from sharing the gospel can't be felt in any other way.
Saturday we went to the stake president's house for lunch as it was his birthday. He's a nice man. He lived in
We went to teach P and his wife, S. This is our first time teaching S since she had been in the hospital and had told us she wanted to be baptised. Our plan was to get her to bring it up to see how interested she really was. Then right after we opened the lesson, P says, "S, don't you have something to tell the Elders?"
She is a really shy filipina but in this lesson she spoke openly about what she felt and it was great. She said that when she was in the hospital she was worried about her sins and she decided she wanted to be baptised. She asked us what she needed to do... best question ever! We had Elder S invite her to be baptised. He did a really good job and I think it really boosted his confidence.
After that, we went out to visit a member family and it turns out that nanay was really sick. She could barely move. They live in the middle of nowhere. We gave her a blessing as she asked and then we went and tried to find her a trike to get to the hospital. Just as we started looking, her neighbor came home in a trike. Convenient! But EVERYONE seems to be getting sick!
Sunday I fasted and it was a great day. Can't believe I used to hate fasting. I found a lot of answers and strength. I wanted a way to help M and his family and to help my companions too. We were asked to go and give the sister in the hospital the sacrament and afterwards we were asked to check her out of the hospital. We had to go and get a paper from the nurses and on it was a little line for every department in the hospital and a thing that said which ones the sister had gone to. Before we could check her out, we had to go to each department and get someone there to sign the thing for us. It was a medical scavenger hunt - way fun.
We brought Tatay P the sacrament again (two opportunities to administer the sacrament in one day, which was awesome). He asked us what the thumbs up symbol meant. We said it means "verrrry gud". He asked about the thumbs down and we said, "verrry bad". Then the thumbs sideways and we said, "verrrry okay". So now he uses those all the time. He says that every day is the same except when we come over. Really nice man. We told him how one duty of the priesthood is to exhort others to pray and that he could get his family to pray together to exercise his priesthood. He was so excited. He said in a quiet voice, "yes.. priesthood duty" and then agreed. His family aren't members and we asked him to introduce us next time.
On Tuesday Elder M and I went up to Claveria. As I mentioned before, the new rule in the mission is that no one gets washers or dryers. A few areas had them but most didn't. We went to pick up the Claveria elders washer and dryer. I felt bad... I also felt like it was a little hilarious because it's Elder T's area! He teased me for being in the office and now he will be washing with his hands again (the mission home is the only place with washer/dryer privileges because we work later than other missionaries).
A signal-two bagyo/typhoon rolled in while we were teaching E and M. After we left the rain picked up and we got soaked, which I really don't mind. While we were walking, a cube van pulled up and it was the stake president. He asked us to get in and so we sat in the back of a cube van like a bunch of illegal immigrants until we got to our next appointment. When we got out, the rain was crazy. We went to the van window to say bye. They would give away their kidneys if the missionaries asked them too - such sweet people.
The lighting in the bagyo was NUTS - like about this time last year in Vintar in that big bagyo when the lighting hit right outside the apartment.
Our lesson with E and M last night was the last before their baptismal interview this Saturday (tomorrow). They are amazing. Though they don't yet understand it all, they know an awful lot. I noticed I often forget E is just 13 and expect too much of her. M told us that his life has changed. He used to feel like life made no sense, like there was a big fog in his life. Now the fog is gone and things make sense. He is so cool. Then we taught the A family. They are so sweet. They are paying tithing now and were asking us about fast offering.
A mission would be worth it solely for the amazing people you meet and how much happiness they bring you.
No mail is coming through because of the flood in
letters for a while. Letters have been coming is with pieces soaked and damaged.
I love you guys lots. Ingat
-Elder Dustan
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