Phlying through the Philippines on a Trike!

Last Monday I had a cool experience I would like to tell you about. We were trying to teach this recent convert at 6:30 but then we didn't think we had time, so we were just going to go to our dinner appointment at 7. Then our dinner appointment cancelled. Then we tried to teach one of our investigators with a baptismal date, but he wasn't home yet, so we just went to the recent convert’s house. The man her mom is living with answered the door and he usually just pushes us away and acts like he doesn't like us, but he let us in and told us to wait for our recent convert until she got back. We weren't going to go in, because we thought we would just try later, but for some reason we just went in and waited for her. Then we started talking to the man and he is telling us about his work and I asked him what his religion was and he said "Actually, I am a less active Latter-day Saint." Then this man just goes on this big thing about how he was sealed in the temple, but then something happened that made his wife unworthy and then his wife died and he was so sad she wasn't buried in her temple clothes. Then his kids started making all of these mistakes so none of them are worthy. Then he was unworthy so he told us how he knew he was unworthy so he just properly disposed of his garments. I have literally never seen so much pain in someone as they were talking. He just kept saying, "We were all sealed in the temple, imagine that." Then while we are sitting there, someone calls him on the phone and he answers. Then he proceeds to have a heated and super sad phone conversation with his son. He just kept saying "ano nang yari?! ano nang yari?! uminom ka ba?? nagdrug ka ba?" So from the conversation, we gathered that his son had drank, done drugs, slept with a girl, then passed out and called his dad to confess it all to him. So that was a little dramatic and awkward for us to listen to. Then his dad just kept saying on the phone "you should be going to seminary. You should be preparing for a mission and to get married in the temple." So then, he hangs up and literally was just the saddest human being I’ve ever seen and he starts to tell us about how he feels hopeless because of the choices of his family and how it kills him that he wasn't keeping his covenants and he really wants to come back to church but he thinks he has used up all of his chances. So we had a really good lesson with him and reminded him about the Atonement and told him that now was his chance to come back to church. It was so amazing that the one time he happens to let us in the gate is the time his son calls and he just is breaking down because his life is falling apart. So we told him that Heavenly Father wanted him to come back and that was why we were at his house when all of this was happening. He started to seem really comforted and agreed to let us teach him.

We have been focusing more on finding this week because we are super sick of our dwindling pool of investigators who do not progress. We found a lot of potential investigators so we'll see how that goes. We have been having a big problem with getting punted all the time. A few days ago, we only had two lessons and the first one was at 6:30 and the next was at 7. That was super rough. Anyways, a lot of people came to church yesterday so that was good! Also, there is a less active member who is returning to church and she is dating this guy that wants to be baptized! They are so kind. They're living together, so we’ve just got to get them married then get him baptized and then they can live happily ever after!

We had to move one of our investigator’s baptismal date. He didn't come to church and then it turns out it was actually a blessing because he had been drinking coffee too and not telling us. He was so so so sad when we postponed it. But, he's good now and we're going to make sure he's ready.

Last night, the woman that cooks for the mission that has a son on a mission in Idaho Falls made the Sevilla ward missionaries a DELICIOUS feast. It was the best.

For some reason, the ward wants us to teach the youth how to be missionaries so they can go proselyting by themselves. We keep just saying to ourselves that it isn't the job of members to go proselyte. They need to do member missionary work and fellowshipping. We've been trying to get visiting and home teaching set up in this ward since we got here. We are just trying to work our guts out to build up the Sevilla ward. I’ve been told that the Sevilla ward is actually one of the, if not the most functioning ward in the mission.

I am really happy. I feel a lot better now in my mission than during my training. I had a hard time with being a missionary and the work and everything in my training. But now it is really good! I am working really hard and my Tagalog is getting much better because I now do so much of the talking... I am finding much more joy in being a missionary.

My new companion and I are getting along well. She's nice and we don't have any problems. We’re just trying to focus on the work and it's good!

[We commented to Ally that it seemed like less crazy stuff is happening to her.]

That either means I'm used to the crazy or it was too crazy for me to tell you about... haha, just joking...and I’ll use my judgment about what I share with you!

I love you all very much! Thank you for everything! You're the best and I appreciate all you do for me!

The best part of this picture is that Sister Dial is sitting on the back of the trike behind us taking a picture. And hopefully, you have learned by now that pretty much anything goes in the Philippines!

[A couple of older pictures of Ally]