Well, so this week we had our transfers and I am staying here and I'm leading the area and my new comp is pretty cool and chill and he has about 6 months left and he's from America so it's cool to have a comp that I can shoot the breeze with, in English -haha. But it's interesting to see how Americans do missionary work. I realized this week that I am actually doing just fine and I don't need to push super hard every day to learn Tagalog but just be consistent. Also, this week I have gained so much confidence and I really have enjoyed leading the area. Before, with my Filipino comp, I was nervous to speak cause I am not perfect in Tagalog but with Elder Aiono, I can mess up and its no worries. But one cool experience I want to share from this week is what happened with our investigator. Alesa has been good and an investigator for a while but she has a hard time committing to church and stuff. Back with my other comp, I never fully spoke to her about problems and figured everything was ok. This last time, I really spoke and talked and asked deep questions. I found out her parents don't really want her to be baptized. She is 19 and can choose for herself but I understand her dilemma. So in the lesson, my comp shared a great scripture and I just talked to her about how she will be helped to do the right things. Anyways, moral of this story is that It took me stepping outside of my comfort zone to really ask deep questions to help this girl and for us to know what to say to hopefully help her. I realize missionary work is so unscripted and depends on each person and each situation and is hard. But I really have a testimony as we try, just try our best and live worthily, God will help us. I know its true.
I loved the Easter concert we had here and learned that we are in a talented stake. Really some good singers. Also, quick fact on the Philippines, they love, love, love to blare the music where ever they are- haha. But also at the concert, a guy spoke about being Human "Beings" and really being people and not just doing, but making things part of who we are. I thought was cool. "Human Beings" not "Human Doings" Really become who you want to be.
This week has been good- just busy with transfers and a deep cleaning house day. Mission-wide cleaning day. One of the highlights for me was on Thursday night it really, really, really, really, really rained!! It hit like super fast and so hard. We were at the bottom of this area and there is no cement there so all the hills and houses are built on dirt and there are no roads. At the bottom, we went to a member to say hi and ask a few questions, then as we left it dumped rain. The dirt turned to a chocolate shake and just flowed down the hill. It's super steep and we were just sliding all over the place and I was laughing and hollering and just loving it cause I thought it was so cool. Then we hiked up a mud river to the top and almost fell but luckily didn't, then we ran to a little store and sat under a little area of plastic roof to get some cover. We don't have an umbrella and I just sat there and laughed and loved it. I was completely soaked and can say there was nothing that was dry -haha. We waited there to go to an FHE with the sisters in our ward and so we went there soaking wet in this really really small house- haha. I cant believe we did an FHE there cause really I had to sit in a ball on the floor to conduct and it worked out just fine honestly- haha. I really, really am humbled by how little they have here and how generous they are to give and how kind they are to people. It's really really cool. Moral of the story is that I love the rain, God is good and I really have been humbled here with the conditions of life here. Life is great and God is good.
Well, good week and there is just too much to share with people and not enough time or space in the email. Last thing. The day Elder Aiono arrived I told him how I've wanted to sleep outside he said let's do it so we did. We slept on the porch with our mattresses- haha. Super nice. Much cooler- haha.
Here are the main points.
It's nice to sleep outside. Much better than indoors.
Missionary work requires you to stretch and grow and God will guide us when we try.
We need to become human Beings by making things we do part of our Character (Christlike attributes)
The Philippines are humbling and people are nice.
The rain is flippin' awesome and I love it!!
And life is great and God is good. Every day is a great day to be alive! Make it a great week everyone. Love all you.
Elder John Landon McAllister
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