Nearer my God to thee

Ok its time for 100% honesty the last two weeks have by far been the most difficult time of my life!

I can also see how they are for my benefit! Someone told me my future children are watching me right now and that made me think about how these struggles aren't just making me a better missionary but a better future father and husband! I'm going to split up the stories from this week again.

 

1. Patotoo (Testimony) : A story about me bearing my testimony

2. Lumalakad (Going): How I travel

3. Pagkain (Food): The food here

4. Mga bagay maliit (Little things): The story of going shopping last week

Patotoo (Testimony)

OK so me and my comp are teaching a lesson to an investigator who we will just call Sister Investigator.  So I can't speak alot of Tagalog because the language is so difficult! (I'll start telling you guys more about the language in another email).  Anywhooo so a lot of the lessons consist of my comp teaching and me bearing my testimony and sharing scriptures occasionally. So during this lesson that is exactly what happened.  My comp finished teaching a certain part and then looks at me and I strated to bear my testimony and in the middle our investigator just starts laughing at me. I was so surprised, I had expected a lot of negative experiences, doors being slammed in my face, getting denied, and even made fun of.  But I always thought once I got them to listen to me they would atleast respect how important this was to me.

 

Anywho so I hear her laugh and I panic which made my Tagalog even worse which made her laugh more so I just cut it off early.  It was like "I know families are important to God (she starts laughing) so... uhh. uhh.. we should be with our family." And just handed it off to my comp.

 

Well I was thinking really negatively and was honestly super mad and offended but then I figured maybe she wasn't really laughing at me because her daughter across the room was making funny faces. So I was like ok it's ok. So my comp hands it off to me again and this time first word out of my mouth boom she's laughing and I was looking at her daughter and yeah she wasn't laughing at her daughter.

 

So now I really want to say something to tell her off, I won't go into details, but something I'd regret. Anyways as I was thinking I thought about the story of Christ and how he goes to a town of Samaritans and is kicked out and denied and Peter (I think) turns to Christ and says "Aren't you going to destroy them?" And Christ says "I'm not in the world to destroy people. I am here to save them." Luke 9: 52-56 

 

It made me think about how as an ambassador of Christ it's not my job to yell at people. It's my job to testify and try to get them to listen. I still felt really bad though.

 

Another scripture popped into my head Ether 12: 26 It's the one on my plaque and basically God is telling Moroni that it's ok that he isn't able to fully express how he feels because his writing isn't enough. That the people who made fun of him are the ones who ultimately lose out and it made me feel a little better, until I looked at our investigator and her family and realized how tragic it would be if they never accepted the gospel. I've been keeping her in my prayers and also ask you guys to pray for all my investigators.

 

Lumalakad (Going)

Haha thats tagalog for walking. So yeah we walk alot and let me tell you this nothing is more disappointing than walking for like 2 miles getting to our appointment and finding out no one is home! Yeah it's always a rough walk to our next appointment. The main thing I've learned from this is patience because I keep trying to contact people while walking but my Tagalog is so bad I mostly just confuse people and then they are like "Oh I gotta go" and leave which is very discouraging. But I can see how its making me better! Doctrine and Covenants 122:7

Pagkain (Food)

Ok so the only way I can really describe the food here is telling you that they use every part of the animal. Like today me my comp and two other Elders are at a restaurant and I get something that looks kinda like beef and they give it to me and one of the other Elders were like "Wow you like pig intestines?" Dang... yeah lots of experiences like that!

 

Also all they eat here is meat and rice, I cannot express to you how much I miss bread. Truly wheat is the superior grain! Also I am like always eating all the members feed us and I think since getting here I've gained like five pounds. Even though we walk everywhere. But weirdly enough I never feel satisfied like I'm full but it's like I just feel like I need some other food. But don't worry I brought vitamins supplements so I'll be ok.

Mga bagay maliit (Little things)

So that means "little things" and I cant tell you how much I've learned to appreciate small things!

 

Like last week when I went shopping with my comp, the whole time I was just like "Gotta find toilet paper, gotta find toilet paper, that's all that matters!!"

Anyways once I got it I was like "Ok lets go."

And my comp was like "Do you need anything else?"

And I was just like "Nah I'm good"

And he's like "Really not like soap or anything?"

And I was like "Yoooooo I wayyy need soap!! Thank you so much!!" so I get soap. And I'm like ok let's go.
And he's like "Shampoo?"
And I was like "Oh heck yeah I want shampoo! Let's get me some shampoo!" So we get the shampoo.
And he's like "Want any snacks?"
And I was like "Yes I want snacks!" So we got Apple juice and cookies.

I can't tell you how pumped I was about those things. Very unChristlike of me but I'll be real, the amount of happiness I got out of those material things was probably in the top ten happiest moments of my life.

Anywho love you all! It would be great to hear from you!

Anyone interested in sending packages or things for Christmas. Julie Hess is the best way she has a blog page with all the directions here.


Philippines Missionary Packages

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