Tag Along in Tagalog: Kumusta Diyos!

WEEK 4 - PROVO MTC

You gotta have at least one jumping photo, right??!!

This week has simply flown by. And I think it was more eventful than I remembered, I also think it was more spiritual than I remember, because looking at my notes, it seems like I am just having a party all the time here. Not true. I am working rul rul hard I promise.

So first off, holy packages Batman! I think I got a package every day this week. Props go out to Gma and Mamma D. I laughed so hard when I opened Gma's package and I have, tomatoes, a huge cucumber and a jar of jam. They all arrived in perfect condition, so that good news. I also ate and shared all the fresh stuff (the tomatoes were gone before the hour was out, the were sooooooooo goooooood) and the Sisters and I just bit into that cucumber like it was a giant pickle. We are ladies. As far as the jam goes, I have brought it to breakfast every day this week and have been sharing the home made goodness around. It is so refreshing to eat actual good food.

Homemade and Homegrown goodies. The best!

This brings me to what happened last nigh. So before class I offered my teacher a chocolate chip cookie bar, but he declined because we are not supposed to eat in the class room. Then at the end of class he asked where the chocolate chip cookie bars were and I said "Brother Nicholes, you said that eating was bawal (forbidden)..." and proceeded to give him a hard time about his double standard. So yesterday when I got the fresh box of cookies, I brought them to class and told Bro. N that he could have some at the end of class. Class ends and I get the box out and Bro. N asks me how many he can take, I have a whole box, and I really did not expect what happened, so I said take as many as you want. Home boy peaced out with eight, EIGHT chocolate chip cookie bars. He just like double fisted them and walked out the door. I was so shocked, as was the rest of my district, but I wasn't even mad because I still had an entire box of cookies.

Talking about food also reminds me of when we have "Personal Exercise Time" scheduled. It is supposed to be and hour and a half where you do personal exercise in your room. The other option is to run outside and we all KNOW that aint happenin'. So the first week, when we see this in the schedule, my kasama just says "Personal Exercise Time? Reads like Personal Nap Time" so that is what we have called it, but this week it was extra special because my kasama got the package of all packages. There was DR. PEPPER. With caffeine - which is bawal on the MTC campus. Those who say there is not a need never went to class for six hours a day then had independent study for another three. So with all the goodies from my packages and her Dr. Pepper, we had "Personal Party Time" wherein we lived the Chub Lyife, as Sis. Hagee would say, and played Would You Rather. The laughing that happened during that game was the best work out I have had all week. Minus the attempts at playing volleyball which happen on a regular basis. Have I mentioned that I am not athletic? Because I'm not.

Personal Party Time
Exercise? Who needs exercise?

Another story about food. On Tuesdays and Sundays the MTC has ice-cream from the BYU Creamery and everyone gets pretty pumped over it. So on Sunday Elder Payne was eating a bowl of Coconut Joy and was going crazy about how amazing it was when he just goes "Shut up! Are there almonds in here?!" everyone paused and I was thinking 'shoot, where is his bag? Where is his Epipen?!' because I was convinced that he was going to be allergic and then die in the cafeteria. But then he goes "I LOVE almonds!" The timing and the phrasing was so perfect it was like it was from a movie. And maybe part of it is that you have to know Elder Payne, because he tries to be funny all of the time, but is most funny when he is not trying. The district continues to laugh about it.

So I am a bit of an awkward person, if y'all didn't know. And in one of my lessons this week with our investigator Alex, who is really just Bro. N role playing, I was trying to tell him how prayer does not have to be something that you sit down and take 20 minutes to do, but my Tagalog is not really up to the task so I just say "for example, you can just go 'Kumusta Diyos!'" which is about the equivelent of "Hey God!" and as it came out of my mouth I was like 'No! No! Come back!' but it was too late. My kasama just started to laugh and I could tell that Bro. N was trying so hard not to laugh and I just felt like an idiot. So that is embarasing moment number two with Bro. N front and center. Nailed it.

In other news, Sis. Smith and I had an amazing lesson with our other investigator Nel, who is Brother Roxas doing a role play, we were reading the first twelve verses of First Nephi chapter one with him because he had talked about how hard it is to read the Book of Mormon in our last lesson. It was cool for several reasons. One being I was impressed at Sis. Smith's and my ability to read in in Tagalog in the BOM, and at our ability to explain what was going on in the verses. Two being how strong the Spirit was in the lesson. Three being how, later, Bro. R said that reading with us made him want to read the BOM in Tagalog again. And four is a little good and a little bad. But Bro. R told us about how subtle changes can happen in lessons with investigators and how basically if we had asked Nel to be baptized right then, he would have said yes. But we didn't ask him! Even though Sis. Smith had the impression that she should, she didn't think the timing was right. So that was a bummer and we were both so disappointed that we missed that initial opportunity. But we made the goal of "Do Not Hesitate" to do anything that is good or that can invite someone to come closer to Christ. My logic is that it's never a bad time to ask someone to be baptized. You just have to go for it and pray for the Spirit to help.

Okay, well kapayapaan! I love you all so freaking much that it hurts!

Sis. Bet