Just Take A Right At The Dancing Tatay

Ahhhh.  .  .

All the Sistah's in our Apartment

Melchor's Baptism

Sis SeSe's Massive Spider Bite

Megan's Heat Rash + Multiple Mosquito Bites

The Worst of Megan's Heat Rash. Yikes!!

Melchor's Baptism (He's on the left)

Vigan Environs

Sis. Sese and I walked, straight, for an hour and a half the other day. And we were fasting. Awesome. But you would think "sisters, you should have been talking to people and trying to make contacts" and you would be right. Except for the fact that there were rice fields on our left and on our right and only mga baka to buoy us up. So yeah. That was awesome. But as we were mostly done with our long walk back towards some semblance of civilization, we came to a street where we had made contact with a referral about three weeks ago. So since we were just trudging along, we went to see if he was home and if we could teach him. He was, but there were no sisters so we set up a return appointment. But the best part of that story is how we recognized the street we turned down one night three weeks ago: you just hang a left at the Dancing Tatay. Yes. The old man who is the land lord, and is not totally there if you know what I mean, just stands on the side of the road dancing and waving money around. True story.

Next story. Tuesday night Sis Se and I were on our way to see if an appointment we had scheduled for later in the week was available, just because we were in the area. As we are walking up to the house, it is about 7:30 so it is pretty dark, I remember that there is a monkey chained to the tree that is right by their gate, so as we walk in, I look into the tree and see Mr. Monkey creepily hiding in the crook of the trunk. So we talk with the woman, she was not available, and as we are walking towards the gate, I have the thought "you cant trust a monkey..." and sure enough, just as we approach the tree, Mr. Monkey lunges out at us, to the extent of his chain and scares the living day lights out of me and Sis Se. You know how easily I startle, even when I am expecting it. I am just glad that he didnt throw any poop. Monkeys do that right? You cant ever, EVER trust a monkey.

Megan in the tourist-ie part of Vigan with Elder Randall looking like Bigfoot!

In another lesson on Saturday, the worst thing in the world happened. My water bottle opened in my bag. I think I almost cried. There was a lot of "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Please Heavenly Father nonononononononono!!!!!!!!!" Dont worry though, the damage was really minimal, my camera is in a water-proof case, my scriptures were mostly saved by my case (thanks to the Barnes ladies) but my poor little planner was pretty damaged even though it is in a cool little case too. And to all you former/current missionaries, you know how devastating that 

 is. The planner is EVERYTHING. So I get to have a slightly damp, ripped and bled through planner for the next four weeks. But the scrips and camera are okay, everything is mostly fine.

Miracle of the week. Benedict Dupay (less active) came to church!!!! In the last lesson I had with him and his wife together, he would not look at us, he would not talk to us, he was 100% unresponsive and it was just breaking all of our hearts. But, we went to go visit him and Alysa (wife) in the hospital because Alysa is having a sensitive pregnancy, and there was just something different about him. He was smiling, and he was interactive when we shared our spiritual thought with them, and, I dont know, they just had a different feel about them. Because before, Alysa was thinking of moving out, and Benedict was just like "okay, thats fine" but now, OH! They just look so happy. They only came for the last 15 minutes of Sacrament, but I dont even care, I am taking it!

The miracles are right, and big and bright *clap clap clap* deep in the heart of Vigan!

Its not a perfect fit, but you will deal.

Mahal Kita!

Sis Bet

The Itchy Adventures Of Sister Rash and Sister Spider-bite

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

So about a week ago, Sis Se and I came home from teaching and we get inside and, of course, kneel down to pray, and as soon as I kneel down the backs of my knees are on fire with itchy-ness. So I just try and focus on the prayer that Sis Se is giving, but really my mind is counting the seconds until I can stand up and itch the crap out of the back of my legs. Sis Se says 'amen' and I rocket off the ground and go over to the mirror to see what in the heck is going on down there. The backs of my knees are just all puffy and itchy and bumpy and gross. So I just say "Ewww! What is it?! Ewww! It itches!!!" Oh, it itched like you would not believe. Plus, I have developed a nice bit of heat rash that has spread all up my calves. So I am just walking around, looking like a diseased freak, all I want to do in lessons is itch my legs. Just itch and itch and itch.

So I don't know what the back of my knees is all about, and it took a good week and a half to figure out that my heat rash was indeed heat rash. But now, a jar of itch cream (that turned all my rings brown because it had sulfur in it) and some prickly heat powder later, it all seems to be clearing up. My legs still look gross, but I dont want to chop them off anymore. So yeah!

But Sis Se got bitten by a spider while we were riding in a tricie to District Meeting two weeks ago, and at first I thought she was fine, she was tearing up a little because of the pain, but as we walked into DM, she was saying she was fine, no she did not want a blessing and she is not the kind of person who likes to be fawned over when she is injured, so I just go about the normal thing, but during Elder Mabunga's training, I look over and she is fanning herself like there is no tomorrow, and she is crying and there is even a little snot dribbling out of her nose. I see all this and I just think "good gracious woman, how are you such a mess?!" Turns out that spider bite did a number on her. The place where the spider bit her swelled up to the size of a baseball and was all hard and hot and itchy and gross. But we got her some meds, and she is also healed up nicely. Needless to say, there were many a Spider Woman joke made in her honor.

Other cool thing this week, we got two new sisters in Vigan. A huge help for the work here, our area is just too big to handle, and even with the two new sisters, it is still a little big. But we are making it work, even though the six of us are crammed into the same small apartment and things are getting a little tight if you know what I mean. But it is only for one more week, then they move into their own apt and we have all our space back.

So this week, Sis Se and I taught a family that I have not been able to meet yet, they live in this little raised bamboo shack behind a nice house that is off the national high way. It was an amazing lesson, I was using all sorts of great Tagalog, and the Spirit was so there, and this sister who used to run and hide when the missionaries came by came into the lesson half way through and just sat and listened, then at the end she was like "sure sisters, I'll pray" it. Was. Awesome. Sis Se and I also looked exactly like the picture on page 60 of the September Liahona. We were even teaching a 21 year old woman and her three children. Oh Vogue, photo shop my life!

ALSO Melchor Santiago's baptism was on Saturday. He is going straight to the Celestial Kingdom I am sure. He is just so solid. He has never fallen through on a commitment, he is on time to church every week (Filipino standard time is worse than Deon Standard Time.) and he even brings his friend Darryl (who also has a baptismal date) and they are seriously golden. Melchor's wife even said at the baptismal service that she wants to be baptized, but she can never come to church because their baby has been so sick. But I am confidant that family is Temple bound. Slowly, but surely. So during Melchor's testimony, a cat got into the chapel (oh the Philippines) and was meowing and trying to jump out of closed windows and being all kinds of distracting, but you could tell that Melchor just could not even hear it, he was so intent on sharing his beliefs. It was amazing.

Last, I cleaned the dirtiest apt on Saturday. It is the one the new sisters will be moving into, and it is a nice apt, but the woman who lived there just does not know how to clean like a real person. I cleaned the bathroom and I was trying so hard not to gag/die while doing so. I think I killed 50 spiders and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, and the floor still looked like it had dirt on it. But it smelled clean and looked a bettilyon times better than when I started. So that is a plus. I did feel super accomplished after I was done, and was dripping sweat. I didn't know I could sweat that much. It was really impressive.

Well, sure love yall!

Sis Bet

Guess Who Has Two Thumbs And Is Training An Americana?

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

Ope, not this sister. That is for sure. But really, it was a big possibility that I could have been training at the end of six weeks instead of the usual twelve weeks. It happened to my trainer and Sis Keith's trainer and, as you know Sis Sese is Filipino, but Sis Kenfield is totally as American as they get, and she really does not speak Tagalog very well at all. So when our phone started ringing on Thursday morning, my entire body started to shake and I couldn't feel my arms anymore. But good news is that we are all staying for one more transfer dito sa Vigan and are getting two more sisters! So exciting because we seriously have too much to handle with the four of us right now. Our area is so big, and there is just not enough time to visit all the people who need us. Buuuuut, President told Sis Keith and I that we will for sure be training next transfer. So hopefully I will be fluent by then...so yeah! Maybe Vigan will become a Stake soon after all. It would be so cool for the members to finally have a patriarch. My blessing has brought me so much insight for my life, it just breaks my heart knowing these people don't even have the opportunity to receive one.

Also, don't worry. We survived the Super Typhoon. Yes. That is what they called it. A Super Typhoon. We stayed inside all day, which was disappointing, especially since we had planned thirteen lessons that morning to potentially teach that day. But the wind was so bad and the rain. Oh my goodness. THE RAIN. It was like Niagara Falls outside our door. I really cant even describe how hard it was raining. I am pretty sure if I stepped out in it, the force of it would have knocked me over. But we were safe and dry inside, even when the wind blew open our door and scared the living day lights out of us all. The power also went out for a while, but we just sat, ate cereal, sang hymns in Tagalog, read old issues of the Ensign, did laundry and watched the storm.

We also had Zone Conference this week, so we got to go up to Laoag and I got to see some of my lovely batch mates. Everyone is doing well, Elder Payne had a guy get stabbed outside his apartment his first day. So that is a thing. Apparently he is in a really dangerous area and they sent him there because he looks all big and tough, but the joke is on them, he is the biggest teddy-bear you have ever met. But so far, nothing scary has happened to them directly, just...around them...needless to say, I pray for him and his companion nightly. Also, apparently Elder Moyle's area is haunted. That is a legit thing here, like, evil spirits and stuff. So I pray for him too. It makes me happy to be in Vigan, or "the paradise of the Laoag Mission" I'm going to enjoy every moment.

We also have another baptism for this coming week! His name is Melchor Santiago, and he is so golden. He was the first person I invited to be baptized, and preparing him has been such a delight. He really understands the message and just wants to follow Christ and share his message with everyone. We have been teaching him and his friend Daryl at the same time, and Daryl is also pretty golden. He has come to church twice in a row now, and my heart just bursts with joy every time I see the two of them. We committed Daryl to live the Word of Wisdom a week ago, and he is a big coffee drinker, but he accepted our invitation, and has been trying so hard to quit. I think it is so amazing when people are so willing to do hard things and follow the commandments because they feel the truth of our message.

Other heart warming moment! John relieved the priesthood last Sunday and has passed the sacrament two weeks in a row. Oh! That young man! I see a future missionary. I just hope and pray that the ward will nourish him and Jaydel so they can grow to be strong priesthood holders. Something that this area desperately needs.

Mahal Ko Kayo!

Sis Bet