That’s awesome about Patrick! Man I’m so excited! Tell him to email me and I'll tell
him what to expect. I want him to be more prepared than me hahaha
SO this week was... sa madaling
salita, pinaka (in other words, most)-the best!
Monday I had a canker sore that
rivaled that of the one I had in college. I don’t know if you remember that but
it was around Thanksgiving and lasted through Christmas. It hurt so bad. But it’s
gone now, so no big deal. I also was feeling terrible on Monday; I had this
really bad pain behind my eyes. But that’s gone as well.
Tuesday was sweet, we went walking
to this new place and I found out Elder Abuan is so in touch with the spirit, it’s
amazing. He stopped at this one house and the lady didn’t hesitate one second
to let us in. So we taught her and her dad (who looks like he's 100 years old).
Immediately afterwards, her neighbor came home and we taught her to! She was
super mabait, (kind) it was like
talking to a member.
Wednesday was a bit frustrating. We
went to Dingalan for DDM and had to take a trike all the way there, it cost
like 70 pesos. Afterwards we were on our way home (we were lucky enough to get
a bus) some really bastos (coarse) lady kept making comments about my nose. Once we
started working, we went to Bugnan (the really far area, I’m sending a picture
to help understand how far it is.) were teaching a less active (I am kind of sawa teaching
them. They know everything they need to do, they just won't exercise faith and
do anything.) While we were teaching, we got interrupted by a
"Bombay." "Bombay" is slang for people from India who come
to the Philippines and loan money to people then charge crazy interest. They're
incredibly good at English and Tagalog. He completely destroyed the Spirit of
the lesson. After that, one of the members asked for a blessing, and guess who didn’t
bring any oil? So we spent a long time walking back and forth to members trying
to find some olive oil. ON the way home, I accidentally left our cell phone in
the trike
Thursday was much better than Wednesday.
Around 8am our branch mission leader came over, then we gave him some money
and he went to find our phone. He found it and came back around 9am. At lunch,
we went to our branch president’s home for lunch and got haircuts. But it was
super sketchy. He looked for some scissors, threw a plastic bag over me, and
mentioned he is kind of new at it. We just went behind his house, between him
and his neighbors. His younger brother was climbing up coconut trees while I was
getting my haircut. I don’t know if you've ever seen a person climb a coconut
tree, but man it was way cool.
Friday we taught the guy
with the guns. He is seriously the coolest. Before we taught, he told us all
about his imported gun holsters from India and United States. I don’t know much
about him, but he's totally into some shady stuff.
Love you
Elder Williams
Saturday.... BEST. DAY. EVER. Remember
that time in September when it rained a lot and we almost got flooded? Today
was way worse. So at 10:00am, RJ and Harold (our first counselor) came over and
worked with us. It was super hot, the hottest it’s been in Gobaldon since I've
been here. 11:30, we went to Bugnan and ate lunch at members home (one
of the best members in our branch). I love Bugnan, we always get
fed, and even the poor people will offer us food. These people have stronger
faith than anyone I've ever met. They never miss a week of church. We rested
from 1:00 to 2:26 (we are supposed to leave the house very day at 2:30.) then
went to work. Our first lesson was a family, but we stopped at a members home, to schedule a teaching appointment for the neighbor.
Then she told us to eat dinner at her home. So we taught the family
around 3:30. Our plan was to go to a members home at 4:30, teach, then eat
dinner then go home. While we were teaching the family, we literally watched the
rain come over the mountains into the Bugnan Valley. It was cool to watch, and
it was flipping string rain! So we got to the members house, and it was the two of
us, and a Sister , her 2 yr old son, and one investigator. We decided to wait
for the other one (our investigators friend) and the rain got stronger and
stronger. I texted our zone leaders and told them we might not make it home
that night because of the rain. Around 5:00 his friend showed up and we started
watching The Restoration, but the tin roof made it so hard to hear. Around 5:45
they went home and we started eating, and a Sister (the place we ate
lunch) texted us and told us to go home with Harold, who would be in Bugnan
soon. It was the perfect situation:
So we were here in Bugnan at the members home, and they were about to leave to pick up their two daughters from seminary, who went into Gobaldon (the other side of the river) for seminary. We would meet them at the river, and then take a trike back to our apartment. (About this time, peoples home started flooding and the river was getting higher and higher. This is the river where people pull us across, there's no bridge or anything.) So we got the river, and we are waiting for her daughters to show up with Harold. By this time it’s late and all the people who pull rafts have gone home. There was one old guy who said the river was up to his neck, nobody was getting across. So there we were with a worried mom separated by a dangerous river and no way to get home. At 8:00pm, I texted our zone leaders and said we wouldn't be able to make it home. They asked what our options were and they said to take a trike to Dingalan if we had no other choice, but they obviously don’t know much about our area, which is why I included the map for you to better understand. I explained the situation and they told us we can't stay at any members with children, especially girls. But it was the perfect situation. Both of the members daughters were on the other side of the river, and we were stuck at their house with us two, the two of them, and their 2 yr old son. The ZL's agreed to let us stay, so we went back to her house. She gave us some of her husband’s clothes, and then made some more food. I read from the D&C study guide, then we made our beds, and the rain didn't stop. I also used a mosquito net for the first time ever. It was so weird,,, I didn't even really feel like a missionary. It was like just being over at someone's house.
So we were here in Bugnan at the members home, and they were about to leave to pick up their two daughters from seminary, who went into Gobaldon (the other side of the river) for seminary. We would meet them at the river, and then take a trike back to our apartment. (About this time, peoples home started flooding and the river was getting higher and higher. This is the river where people pull us across, there's no bridge or anything.) So we got the river, and we are waiting for her daughters to show up with Harold. By this time it’s late and all the people who pull rafts have gone home. There was one old guy who said the river was up to his neck, nobody was getting across. So there we were with a worried mom separated by a dangerous river and no way to get home. At 8:00pm, I texted our zone leaders and said we wouldn't be able to make it home. They asked what our options were and they said to take a trike to Dingalan if we had no other choice, but they obviously don’t know much about our area, which is why I included the map for you to better understand. I explained the situation and they told us we can't stay at any members with children, especially girls. But it was the perfect situation. Both of the members daughters were on the other side of the river, and we were stuck at their house with us two, the two of them, and their 2 yr old son. The ZL's agreed to let us stay, so we went back to her house. She gave us some of her husband’s clothes, and then made some more food. I read from the D&C study guide, then we made our beds, and the rain didn't stop. I also used a mosquito net for the first time ever. It was so weird,,, I didn't even really feel like a missionary. It was like just being over at someone's house.
Sunday morning we woke up to a
breakfast of eggs and rice, super delicious. Then they took us to the river, it
was still super high, but old guys were pulling people across. So then we went
home, showered again, and went to church.
That’s what happened to me this week
Elder Williams
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