First Baptism!

Monday, September 9, 2013

Mark's Baptism

By far the best week in the mission!  So much is going on in our area and in the mission!  On Saturday alone there were over 40 baptisms just in our mission!  That's not even including our baptism that we had on Saturday!  Right after I wrote you last week, Elder Guevarra told me that the Branch President texted him and said that a member saw Mark smoking a cigarette.  I didn't believe it because Mark doesn't look like the person who would smoke but we had to go find out.  When we got to his house we asked him how he was doing with the word of wisdom.  He told us he was keeping it but after the lesson we asked a member if she had seen him smoking or anything.  She said that Mark is a good boy and would never do anything like that and she promised with her arm to the square.  It was really good news to hear!  Probably some of the best news I've heard in a long time!  We baptized Mark on Saturday!  It was a really good baptism and you could feel the spirit really strong.  It was awesome when he bore his testimony after.  It was short but he thanked us for teaching him the truth and thanked his friend for telling the missionaries to teach him.  

 This week on Wednesday we had a CSP (Community Service Project) it was at a school and our whole zone went to help out.  We needed knives to cut down trees so the teachers just asked the students and then all of a sudden the kids come running out of the bushes with huge machetes!  It was scary to think all these little kids had huge knives and we're running towards us with them!  No one got hurt but it was funny to think that in America every single one of those kids would have been suspended or expelled!

On Thursday my companion had a language study test at the mission home in Cauayan.  The test is to see if he knows English and if he passes he'll receive a certificate that will help him get a job after his mission.  While he was taking the test I went to the trainers meeting.  It was funny because everyone thought I was going to be a trainer even though I had only been here 6 weeks!  I could hear some of the Elders saying "I guess there's a first time for everything." It was pretty funny but then President cleared everything up because he could tell people were confused.  After my comp finished the test, the senior couple made us a huge banana split that was probably the best tasting thing in the Philippines at that moment.

FHE at Nanay Tumamows house!

The little girl that pulled my chair out is on the far right!

That night we had an FHE at Nanay Tumomows house.  There were a lot of people there and everyone was having tons of fun!  I got up out of my seat to get a drink and when I went to go sit back down the little girl next to me pulled the seat out from under me.  It didn't hurt or anything but I felt pretty stupid.  Probably the stupidest I’ve felt the whole time I’ve been on my mission!  The little girl was laughing but for only a little bit.  Nanay walked over and smacked her upside the head!  It was kinda funny but I didn't laugh and I told nanay it was okay!

The snake! It's about 4 feet long and I'm not positive it's a cobra!

Last night was probably the most adrenaline pumped night so far in the Philippines!  My companion, fellowshipper and I were walking back in the dark on a dirt road with just a little light to see about 3 feet in front of us.  While we were walking all of a sudden our fellowshipper freaked out and then I freaked out and then my companion freaked out!  We almost walked over a snake!  It wasn't moving so I went to find a rock to hit it with to see if it was dead or alive.  I couldn't find a big rock so we just hit it with a little one and it didn't move.  We thought it was dead so we started to take pictures of it and get closer when all of a sudden my comp and the fellowshipper started screaming and running!  When I looked down at the snake it was moving and then I started running!  Back at our fellowshippers house there mom said it was a cobra...  "I could have died" was the only thing that was running through my head when she said that!  Every time before we go out and teach I pray that we will have safety as we travel to and from appointments!  I'm glad I do because it could have been a pretty bad night last night.

The next time I write I will have a new companion.  My comp leaves me tomorrow and goes home on Wednesday.  I'll be kind of sad to see him go because we've gotten pretty close and all the area really liked him.  He's a really hard working missionary and a really good trainer.  Pray for me that I’ll get another good companion!  I'm starting to have conversations in only Tagalog.  The language is coming along pretty good and I hope my next comp will help me a lot in the language!  My companion keeps telling me to cherish my moments left here on the mission because time flies by and before it you'll be home.  Time really does fly by when you're on the mission.  I've already been out three months and it feels like yesterday I was giving my farewell talk.  

Mahal kita,

Elder Tribe