THE MAKE-IT-OR-BREAK-IT WEEK

January 19, 2015

RAQUEL – we sat down and started helping her with her laundry before teaching and she said, “Guys, the kids are too crazy (her grandkids that she takes care of everyday). I think I’ll wait to go to church for a couple of years. Maybe 2 years from now I’ll try again.”Whaa?? Sister Apin did such a good job handling the situation. She just asked a bunch of questions. Why are they so crazy at church? What can we do to help them calm down? What do they like to do? etc. And she listened really well until she found the real reason. The kids always cry and throw fits because they want to go to sari sari stores and buy snacks during church. But Raquel has no job and no money – she takes care of the grandkids all day while the parents are at work. So, Sister Apin helped Raquel come up with a solution to her own problem. Save the extra change from the kids' lunch money each day and use that to buy snacks! Raquel thought that was a great idea. The only problem is she was going to buy the snacks on Sunday. We went back on Saturday afternoon and explained the Sabbath day. She bought the snacks Saturday afternoon and made it to church yesterday. #makeit

ELMA – was progressing so much. Last week she started praying to see if she should get baptized. She told us that the answer she received was that she needs to get her life together first, then she will go for it (this was last Friday). Then she didn’t come to church. Later she told us that she had decided to not come to our church, ever. She told us she is thankful for us because she has learned a lot and will continue to do everything we taught her, but she isn’t going to join the church. We tried everything; you name it, we tried it. Nothing worked. She said we could come teach her, but she wouldn’t come to church or get baptized. She got a little teary when we said goodbye. We told her to text us if she changed her mind and that we still loved her. #breakit

LUCBEN – last Saturday night I had a mighty prayer. I had read about when we can and can’t ask for signs in personal study that morning, so that night I basically said, “Heavenly Father, we have done the best we can with this family, but now we want to drop them because they haven’t come to church in a month and we haven’t been able to teach them for almost 3 weeks now. So, if they come to church tomorrow, we will keep teaching them. If not, we will drop them so that they can realize what they are missing and hopefully give the gospel a chance.” My companion and I were sitting up front at church last Sunday. We both were turned around, watching the people coming in. Sister Apin gasped. She said, “oh my gosh. Look!” guess who came? Lucbens. #makeit

BONG FANGONILO – after attending Errol’s baptism and hearing about one of his relatives preparing for baptism, he asked us on Wednesday if he could possible get baptized on the 24^th of this month. We said yes! He said he wants to get baptized to be the example and guide for his children. #makeit

I ran out of time to tell you about another great investigator. I’ll tell you more next week.

I just want to end with a quick shout out to Grandma and Grandpa Anderson, the Parker family and the Brown family. Thank you so much for the packages. Grandma and Grandpa, I am still thinking about who to give the Books of Mormon to. Your Tagalog was great, by the way! Parkers, I decided to throw my “trunky diet” out the window. Why would I care about being skinny when I get home when I can eat cheesecake, fudge and cookies in the Philippines?! I haven’t showed my housemates the Bingo game yet. I’m waiting until this afternoon. I’m super excited to surprise them. Browns – thanks so much for sending the pictures and stories and mints! It was fun to see what you have been up to for the past year. YOU VISITED HIGHCLERE CASTLE WHERE DOWNTON ABBEY IS FILMED!? Oh my gosh!

Anyway, I love you all. Hope everyone has a fantastic week. I can’t wait to tell you about Bro. Bong’s baptism. 

Sister Fe Castillo and her grandson - I'll tell you more about them next week

BAPTISM AT THE BEACH

On the morning of January 10, we got a text from our Branch Mission Leader telling us that we had a problem. Turns out we had a BUNCH of problems (this was by far the baptism with the most problems), but the biggest one was the fact that the church had no electricity until 2pm. So, no water in the font. Good thing the beach is just 15/20 minutes away!

We had the program at the church. Then, it was like herding cats, but we all got in trikes and made it to the beach. We actually had more investigators and missionaries in attendance than ward members. #bittersweet

To get baptized in the ocean, they go stand in the waves about calf or knee high. The one performing the baptism says the baptismal prayer. Then they walk out a bit further and when a big wave comes hi dunks him in the water. From a viewer’s perspective it looked like he just shoved Errol over. :)

We hopped back on the trikes and headed back to the church to hear Errol’s testimony and President’s closing remarks. Errol’s testimony was heart touching. He said he is going to continue to repent, go to church, receive the priesthood, go on a mission and endure to the end. He was so nervous – he was clapping his arms at his sides, but the testimony was really great.

Here is a text we got from Errol last night (we texted him to ask if it’s ok if we drop by today). He said: That is super ok as long as it’s my big sisters, hehe :) Yes sister that’s ok as long as it’s you and Sister Apin. So funny.

I am so thankful that I got to be here in this area right now and witness a baptism of another Ordinario. I feel so blessed to be a part of their lives. Missionaries are so lucky! And I’m feeling like one of the luckiest right now. :)

Well, I’m in San Fernando! I gotta dash cause I’m hoping to run into lots of missionary friends today. And I’m gonna eat a burger. I miss my MacDo. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Everyone was drunk. Super drunk. Even at two in the afternoon. Tatay Memerto was already totally wasted. We started teaching Nanay and Errol outside and even though Tatay was inside he kept chiming in, “Where are you from again Sister Jackson?” “I have cousins from that place. I bet you know them.” The best was when he said, “Errol…Sister Apin, you look the same.” (Here that’s like saying, “You’d make a cute couple.) Nanay asked Errol, “What do you have to say to that?” Errol just blurted out, “I ACCEPT!” SO FUNNY! I love that kid.

Errol passed his baptismal interview!! And he told Elder T that he wants to be a missionary someday. He is going to go back to school in June (that is the beginning of the school year here), graduate, and go on a mission!

The whole Ordinario family made it to church! Tatay kept his New Year’s resolution.

On New Year’s Day everyone was hung-over, or drinking off the hangover. Even though Sister Apin and I didn’t go partying we were still totally exhausted because our next door neighbors rented a videokee machine and put it on the front porch in between the two houses. They did videokee, fireworks and blew horns from the afternoon of the 31^st until the afternoon of the 1^st. On man, I was so tired. I started nodding off in a lesson, and the people we were teaching weren’t hung-over. #offtoagreatstart

We found Less Actives again! Two guys, 19 & 18 years old. Their mom, 14 year old brother and 11 year old sister have not been baptized. The mom’s parents are members and the two oldest boys were baptized when they lived with their grandparents for a couple years. Christie, the mom, cried, telling us she isn’t doing her job as a parent because as a single mom she is working Monday thru Saturday, 6am to 8pm, and feels like she has no time to “guide” her kids, which is “the most important part of being a mom.” Wow, what a great lady! Mark (19) and Loraine (11) made it to church this week. The others will come next week.

We went “finding” (rather unsuccessfully) all day on the 2^nd. Everyone was busy catching up on everything they had been neglecting for a while. One neighbor kid, when he saw us knocking on a gate and yelling, “Tao po!” said, “Just go in there. There are lots of houses behind that one too.” Nice! Thanks kid! We opened the gate and walked through it. Then he said, “Be careful. There are lots of dogs over there.” Haha #atleastheshonest

My companion and I saw a lady in labor. A big, giant pregnant lady about to have her baby. It looked awful. It was 8pm. She was walking around the compound. Her family told us she had been in labor since 6am. Oh my gosh. Ouch!! Her mom and sisters were sort of just sitting there watching her. Her two year old kid was following her around as she was pacing crying. Her husband wasn’t much help either. It looked so terrible. *shutter*

I have been thinking lately how lucky I am right now. Not to just be serving a mission, but to be serving HERE! Ah! So lucky. I can’t even write about all of the great investigators we have (partly because I don’t want to jinx it; partly because there are so many!) The Fangonilos want to be baptized together – it will happen in February. It’s so good! I’m so happy for them! I realized that’s the first thing that I’m planning right now that I won’t be here for. (I’m probably getting transferred in a couple of weeks.) I just really hope the next missionaries here are hardworking because this area and these people really deserve hard working missionaries! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Love you all!

District from the MTC mates!! 

Now we are all assigned here in Agoo.

We had a zone activity at the beach. 

The water looked so good, but next time na lang.

Birthday shout out to my good friend and "sister" Sarah Shore! Welcome to adulthood!!

Carolers... if only looks could kill you...