Palompon Week 18

Mom~
Have you put any fans in the bathroom so that the paint can dry? o_O We always end up putting a fan on our clothes if they are heavier because otherwise they would take days to dry.

~
I don't remember what it feels like to be 'normal'.

I was looking at our white board we have for writing our investigators on and I noticed that we have more people committed to baptism now than I've ever had on my mission. So that's awesome! But the really weird thing is that even if we commit people to baptism on the first or second lesson, they still end up falling through! We teach them once or twice, commit them to baptism, and then a couple of them we barely ever see again and they tell us they're too busy. The only thing I can think of is that Satan is working really hard on them once we help them decide to do a good thing. More people will agree to baptism than actually come to church or even READ. x_X

We don't live with anyone. It's actually (bawal) not allowed to have anyone else in the apartment except for Sister missionaries. It must be nice to actually live with someone.~

One of our investigators, Risa, is living with her boyfriend who is an in-active member right now. She wants to get baptized and she's come to church twice. She has something of a hard time understanding what we are teaching though. So the last time we went to go visit her this week, she had "Book of Mormon Stories" on her lap. She said the actual Book of Mormon was difficult for her to understand, so she borrowed the member's copy of "Book of Mormon stories"!! Hahaha. She's been reading it and praying a lot, but didn't come to church the past two weeks. We're really excited to still be teaching her. She was able to tell us the whole story that Nephi went to go get the plates and Zoram ended up accompanying him. It's amazing to think how the Spirit will really help people remember and understand when they do their part.

We have a long-time investigator family named the Pitugo family that lives near the Branch President's house. They have been visited by missionaries for over 1 year now and they are still investigators. Brother is working on trying to be able to get Sunday off of work and to get rid of his problems with the Word of Wisdom. We've been following up his cigarettes this week so he knows we're going to ask how he's doing. He's gone from 10 cigarettes a day to 1 cigarette, because right now he's working on eating a lollipop anytime he gets a cigarette craving. Haha. But we saw him drinking last night with his friends. We need to talk to him again x_X Sister just needs to make sure she finishes all of her work on Saturday night so that she can come to church the next day. And her mom is very very opposed to them becoming Mormons. (Her dad is a Catholic pastor, and doesn't have a problem with it. haha) We haven't met those two personally, but maybe someday. They are one of the few few investigators who actually do read. They're in 1 Nep 18 or so right now. :)

We had a one day mission on Saturday! We had 21 members all dress up and we all went to San Miguel area, about 2 kilometers away from the church. There's no members there yet, and the Branch Presidency was thinking that maybe it would be good to "open" up the area over there. So we all got in a cab and headed over and started going from door-to-door. It was really awesome leaving one house and then seeing your fellow member missionaries next door talking to other people too. We got a lot of names of people that are interested, so next Saturday we're going to go work over there with some members so we know where the house is. I was a little frustrated at first though because we gave all the members "potential investigators" lists, which has slots for their names and addresses. But the addresses are different here in the Philippines. There's not really numbers for every house in the smaller barangays (communities). They just say they live in so-and-so barangay and then you have to ask around and figure out where they live. It can end up becoming dead ends. So the members just wrote that those potential investigators lived in San Miguel. So as I looked at it, I thought: This information is so unhelpful! >_< But yes, the members are going to come with us to find the houses again, so its all good I guess. :S People here are just so vague though. They don't give specific times or addresses. Most of our appointments aren't there half the time. They just always tell us: Oh, I had to go out for something. *Sigh* But we had an appointment! :(

I was thinking about something that our AP, E. Cerdhe, said last LTM) Are we drawing people to baptism or dragging them? So I sit here and think about my investigators and I think: It seems like most of them are just... standing there! Or at least, turning away their faces from it. I don't know what to do to draw them other than what we've been doing. It also reminds me of the recent article we had in our mission newsletter (The FIRST one I've had in my mission!) about how outstanding young people might have a hard time on a mission. And I think it's true. Some of our key indicators (like progressing investigators) are based on how OTHER people will use their agency, not on my characteristics. I feel like I have basically no control about things like that. Sigi lang. (Oh well)

It just seems like there are an awful lot of tares in comparison to the wheat.

Challenges will come, but I know I'm supposed to be here! Missions are hard, but I've already grown so much just as a person. I've still got a ways to go too.

See you next week my dear loved ones! <3
Oh that I were an angel and could have the wish of my heart, that I might go froth and speak with the trump of God with a voice to shake the earth and cry repentence unto every people!
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~the end~


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I am a LDS sister missionary serving in the Philippines Tacloban area. I made this blog so that I may share my experiences with my friends and loved ones and anyone who may need to hear my story. My sister will be updating this blog with letters that I'll be writing home.