I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Bananas Dittlily Dee....

So this week is just going to be an excerpt from my journal, because it just kind of exemplifies my experiences this week. So you won't know who all the people are/places, but just roll with it, sige?

Look! Megan can ride an elephant side saddle :)

10 September 2013

"So today. I am cold--never thought I would say that in the Philippines--I am tired, I am wet. Just...oh...today. So we headed out at one, as usual, and I think "I should probably put on my rubber shoes" But I look at the sky, its a little dark, but not too ominous. So I go out in my canvas Keens. Sis Se and I teach two lessons in Poblacion, then start walking towards Cabaroan when it starts to get darker and darker. We go to Brother Rea's house--he was not there--so we tried to find Jovan--Sister Gemma's son--he was not home from school yet. We knew our other lesson was not going to be home until 4:30 and it was only 4, so we went to the Rapacon's to try and teach Tatay--he was just about to start cooking--so we couldn't teach him. Sister Marryanne saw us and took pity and told us that we could come and teach her, so we go inside, then Brother Carlos came home and we were able to do a lesson that was mostly practice for Brother Melchor's lesson tomorrow, which will be a great lesson thanks to Brother Carlos.

But while we were teaching the Rapacons, it started to POUR rain outside. Like. Really come down. But our lesson was over, so we had to go to our next lesson. The Rapacons begged us to stay, but missionaries go out rain or shine, right? Plus, if it is raining this hard, people are more likely to let us in. In my mind, I wanted to stay at the Rapacon's, but I knew we had to go out. So we did.

We walked through ankle deep water almost the entire way from Cabaroan to Riverside. When we were walking past the cemetery Sis Se said "gross! Dead people water!" and I was like "gross! Why did you have to point that out?!" but really, we both loved walking in the rain. So we get to Riverside--it is still POURING like there is no tomorrow--and we get punted yet again because we couldn't teach the kids (Ada and Charles) because their Gma was asleep. So back to Cabaroan. Dead people water. Etc.

We get back and are finally able to go inside someone's house. We got inside to teach Jojo and Sonya Real. The first time I taught Jojo, he was so animated and talked so fast, I could not understand a single word that he said. But he asked a lot of good questions and he is really smart. So I left the lesson feeling excited, but Sis Se made him sound like a pastor who was just trying to talk us into a corner. So I went into THIS lesson a bit on my guard.

But it turns out I was totally right the first time, he is just curious and is searching so desperately for the truth and when he hears it, he just gets excited. So we talked about the Priesthood, the Holy Ghost, baptism and the God Head. He asked so many great questions and at the end of the lesson he gave us two giant bunches of bananas.

We are leaving his house and it is still raining, but not nearly as hard, and walk and walk and walk until we find a tricie to take us to the church because there was a going away party for Miko Reupta because he goes into the MTC on Friday. So we get there, dirty, tired, and so so so wet and it turns out I am giving an inspirational thought about missionary work and oh, yeah, all the sisters are singing a song. In front of basically the entire branch. Greaaaaaaat. So did that, then it was too late for us to stay and eat with everyone, but it was a good thing that we left the church when we did because we stepped into our apartment at exactly 8 pm and got a call from President and his first question was "Sisters, where are you?" "Home President!" Phew. Nailed it. Good day."

Yeah, so that was basically my week. Missionary work is hard, but the rewards are often bananas. Especially when your investigator is a produce distributor.

Mahal,

Sis Bet

Yeah, I glow in the dark compared to all these Filipinos! This was at a ward FHE activity at a recent convert's house, I tried to explain Scatergories, didn't work out. and just riding that elephant side saddle like I ride a tricie. Like a boss. PS: a trice is a motorcycle with a covered side car, and when the four sisters need to go places together, we fit four of us on one, so three inside and one riding outside behind the driver, side saddle. My favorite spot is outside because it is nice and breezy. They need to have a show called Pimp My Tricie, Ill send a picture next week, because these things are the best. Just you wait.

Ipinapapray, Trinanslate and Pagpabaptize

Yes, those are all Tagalog-ized English words that are used on the reg reg by members of the branch. I have to try really hard every time they say them, not to laugh out loud.

A moment of business to those who this would effect: if you have the desire to send me a package, please only use the LBC service I told you about earlier or USPS. Apparently FedEx and UPS and other shippers require a large amount of money for the mission home to pick them up, and that will come out of my support money, so that is hindi pwede. So just so you are aware.

Note from Deon: "Here's what Megan previously wrote: Some order of business: I talked to the Office Elders and according to them the best way to send letters is still DearElder. FedEx is a bust, so don't use them. The USPS is still good and if you want to send packages use this place called LBC. Apparently they send packages of any size or weight around the world for only $55. They told me there is one is SLC, but I am not 100% positive. I'll leave that to yall." Here's a link you can checkout http://corpsrv.teamlbc.com.ph/lbcexpressweb/ph/courier.aspx.

I have not sent a package yet, but I will try the LBC option and let you know how it goes :)

In other news: I had another baptism this week! Her name is Gemma De La Cruz (yes, I know, Gemma. I loved it. Note from Deon: Gemma is one of Megan's favorite names and one of her favorite fictional characters from the series "A Great and Terrible Beauty") and she has been taught by the missionaries for almost a year, and she finally was baptized. I think she looks a lot like Mamma D, except for the fact that D is not a Filipino and has all her teeth, her bionic titanium tooth aside of course. But anyway, Gemma is super sweet. We went and talked to her about doing service the other day, and she told us a story about how she had bought some medicine for one of her neighbors who could not afford it. Yeah, Gemma is a wash woman and her husband is a fieldworker, so its not like they are rolling in it either, but she wanted to do the Christlike thing and help in the way that she could. So golden. 

Baptism! Gemma De La Cruz, Sis Bet, Sis Sese

Another baptism! John and Jaydel

Gemma is also neighbors with the Rapacon family, and they are, like, the most solid family in the ward. They work with the sisters every Sunday, and it is my favorite. We get to ride around in their family tricycle, which we call "The Basket", and oh my land. When Marryanne Rapacon cooks? It is so masarap. I could eat for days. I am trying to get her to teach me her ways, but there is just never enough time! Also, sister Rapacon reminds me a lot of aunt Marianne because Sis R is also a stay at home mom, is stinking adorable, and helps to manage her husband's business (distributing Pepsi products, they are really well off, we call their house the Pepsi Castle). Sis R also comes up to about my shoulder when she has her three inch heels on. So they have that going for them too.

The Basket. Yeah, we fit up to 10 people on that bad boy on the reg reg. A little scooter fits a family of four here, plus their groceries. NBD.

We also have an adorable recent convert family in the ward, the Ridaos. Let me just tell you a little story that happenedSaturday: Sis Se and I just kept getting punted and punted from house to house where people were either not home, or they were busy or whatever. So we went to one of our investigator's homes and she was busy doing laundry so we are walking back out when we see sister Ridao talking to two women sitting outside the local sari-sari shop that we had walked passed on our way to our investigator, and the moment sis Ridao sees us, she pulls out two chairs and says "sisters! Sit!" Then she looks at her friends and says "makinig! makinig!" or "listen! Listen!" So Sis Se and I just plop on down and teach an impromptu lesson one. THEN after the lesson was over, sis Ridao took us over to a group of houses and was just introducing us to relative after relative and telling us that we just had to come back and teach them. We met, like, seven new people that we can go back and teach in about 20 minutes. It was insane. Especially since we taught the Ridaos about the importance of member missionary work just a few days before. She really took that lesson to heart. AND there is a ward FHE activity at their house tonight as well. They are just jumping in with both feet. Don't worry, I'll take some pictures.

Love,

Sis Bet              

Megan on game day. Go Utes!!

  

Oh, So By Toilet You Just Mean The Floor.

SEPTEMBER 1, 2013

YES. That is right. I peed in/on my first real Mag-CR. Ya jealous? I have not really said this yet, but Sister Sese's and my area is really nice. Like all our homes have tile or cement floors and they all have furniture. But I went on exchanges this week a little ways north of Vigan to Sto. Domingo, and that is more of a rural area. So I am out with Sister Cabato, and a fellowshipper from her branch, Carmine. So about half way through our visiting appointments, Carmine says that she needs to pee and I am like, |shoot. Me too." So we get to this families house and Carmine starts poking around for their CR and opens a door and is like, "Oh, I found it" goes in does her business and comes out. So I go over and look in the room. Yeah, it is just a floor. I kind of look at Carmine and she just says "just use the water bucket to wash it out side" because there is a little slant to said floor and a little gap in the wall to the outside. So I go in, lift up my skirt and think "it is a good thing I camp." So that happened. And will probably happen again and again. Go Philippines.

Other things that happened this week: we had our first baptism! It was for two young boys named John and Jahydel. They are 12 and 10 respectively and they are so cute. They dont have any contact with their parents and their caretaker is paralyzed and I just so hope that the Church can be a place for them to find people who will love and take care of them. Like the other week, Jahydel did not come to church because he didnt have anything nice to wear. He does his own laundry and here that means squatting over a bucket of soapy water for three hours, and he is only ten years old. My heart broke a little when he told us that.

A little more on exchanges. I went to Sto. Domingo with Sister Cabato and her companion, whose name I do not know how to spell, came to Vigan. It was strange being in their apartment because the two other sister's who usually live there were in Laoag, so it was just the two of us. It was really quiet. But Sister Cabato was really nice and she gave me a nice pep talk during language study, which was something I really needed this week. Sister Keith and I have really hit a wall this week on language study. We both just feel like we are plateauing instead of moving forward and it doesnt help that Sister Sese, our one native, prefers to speak English (people mistake her for American all the time, I think she comes from a pretty well off family in Manila), and Sister Keith's companion, Sister Kenfield, has been here longer than all of us, but speaks the language about as well as me and Sister Keith and Sister Kenfield is now training her second missionary. So she should be better, but she really just has no desire to buckle down and work. Frustrating to say the least. I have hope for better language study this week though. Sister Keith and I have some plans up our sleeve.

So yesterday was my first fast Sunday in the field and I was really nervous. At home I am not the best faster and here, you are working all day, in the heat, teaching lessons etc. So I prayed and prayed all day that I would be able to have the strength to do all the things we had to do and that I would be able to understand and contribute to the lessons with Sister Sese, and ya know, at the end of the day, I was not dead. During the day, I was hungry, but my stomach was not as vocal as it usually is AND I was able to understand the basic concept of what people said and was able to talk coherently as well. So the power of prayer is neat.

Yesterday we also got to teach a bunch of little kids, like six or seven of them, it was awesome. We taught them about the Savior and about prayer and they were really sharp. We would teach them something and then ask them what they should do, like "should you pray every day?" and they would all answer "wen Sister! Wen!" (wen is Ilocano for yes) and they all said that they would pray and read the Book of Mormon for the next time we came. Then one of them gave the closing prayer, she said she was thankful for the missionaries, Jesus and food. Oh children. Adorable.

This week we also ate at a member's house. Sister Mary Ann (she really reminds me of aunt Marianne) and Oh. My. Gosh. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Her food is so good. She is going to teach me. So much yay.

Love,

Sis Bet

NOTE FROM DEON; No pictures this week :( Megan was in a different place and the internet service was very, very slow. More next time!

Do You Want Ants? Because This Is How You Get Ants!

AUGUST 25, 2013

Me looking like a rock star in my Filipino mumu cooking spam with a head lamp because the light in our back dungeon, where the stove is, was broken. My life rocks.

So there is this most delicious roll place that is really close to our house called Durong's and it is freaking fantastic. So the sisters and I of course stop there often to get a big bag of rolls for about 50 cents. You have to love the Philippines. But one day last week, we got a big bag, set it on our kitchen table, and not five minutes later, the entire bag was crawling with ants! You don't have to love the Philippines. So we dumped all the rolls into a plastic container and made sure to toast the rolls before we ate them. Yes, we still ate them. They are too good to waste!

I gave my first baptismal invitation sa Tagalog yesterday. Right before the lesson started, I asked Sister Sese what the last half of it was in Tagalog (because we had planned to invite this brother in our planning and I was nervous that I would forget the wording) so when the time came, I would be able to do it right. So I invite him to be baptized, I was shaking so hard, and before I could even finish the invitation all the way, he just said "Yes!" it was so cool. Then two of the brothers from the branch that we had brought with us gave brother Melchor's (the one who said yes to baptism) baby a blessing. The poor little thing is less than three months old and has had to be in the hospital for almost a month because it had permanent brain damage. It was so cute, but he just lies in his mothers arms and looks around with these blank eyes. It broke my heart. But the power of the Priesthood is real, so hopefully a miracle will happen. I know Melchor has the faith for one.

I also have my first baptism on Saturday. They are two young boys ages 10 (Jahydel) and 12 (John) and they are brothers and they are about the cutest little Filipino boys that I ever did see. Teaching them is hard because they are so young that they cant understand a lot of the gospel principles if we taught them how we teach older people, so we have to use creative ways of explanation which is hard when you don't speak the language. But its okay.

We had a zone conference on Tuesday last week where we had interviews with President Barrientos. He and Sister Barrientos are so dang adorable. Apparently they met while Sister was on her mission and he was the ward mission leader in the ward where she was serving. She also had a boyfriend at the time who was serving in her same mission. Gasp! But don't worry, they assured us that they didnt start courting until after she was done with her mission. I'm looking at you Doug and Deb.

Sister Sese, my comp (the brown one) and Sister Kieth (she was in my zone at the MTC) cooking Pancit for zone conference. so yummy.

Well, another week of an overwhelming mail box. Keep up the good work team!

Make good choices!

Love,

Sis Bet