Dear Family
This week has been pretty awesome, had some cool experiences and some good...and kind of bad news. I shall start with the investigators and less actives that we have been focusing on this week.
The first one is the Balagbagans. They are doing great! I couldn't be happier with them. They are a great miracle that I have had the oppertunity to be apart of. They have been taught by over 10 missionaries and they are finally doing the things needed to gain eternal life they are truly a miracle. So on to the news Tatay Balagbagan has been good in the drinking department since Feb 3 and said that he is never gonna drink again. He passed his baptisamal interview and is going to get baptized on March 10! I've told all the missionaries that are still in the field that worked with him back in the day..and they're blown away that he is getting baptized! They all said that they didn't ever think that he was going to get baptized. It goes to show you that the Lord does open a way for His children to return back to Him! President told us that we need to try to get members to do the baptizing. And when he told us that I was like, "Yeah thats a good idea," now that Balagbagan is getting baptized I am a little jealous that I don't have the opportunity to baptize him. But thats okay...the bishop is gonna baptize him...there can't really be anyone better in the ward then the bishop to baptize him...deep down in my heart, I wouldn't mind if bishop didn't show up so I could baptize him, cause Tatay said that if bishop couldn't make it he wanted me to. So...I wouldn't mind for bishop to not show up..but in the end it'd be the best for tay to be baptized by a member of Baluarte!
We have really been focusing on the inactives this week. We contacted 8 of the 15..we didn't get to teach all of them but we got some good face time and started a good relation with them. Most of them aren't off the path by far, something small is holding them back. We have been taught to re-teach the doctrine because there is probably a piece of doctrine missing from their testimonies. And true doctrine understood changes behavior. We are also counceled to get them reading the Book of Mormon again. Alot of the people we visit say that they read the Bible everyday, thats great, but we want them to read the Book of Mormon, cause that is the keystone of our Religion, no other religion has anything like it and if they read it they will strengthen their testimonies and hopefully regain that desire to come back to Church....whats sad is that out of the 15 names probably 10 of them are rm's! I told Philip, that after his mission if I find out he went inactive I will come back to the Philippines and beat him up till he comes back to Church.
We gave Sarah a date this week for March 31, I don't think that is gonna work out she isn't coming to Church..and I really don't see much desire there.
Vincent, he is donig great, he understands the doctrine very well, comes to Church, talks more then we do during the lesson which is great, he is a great kid, we just need to clear up a few minor problems like him living with his girlfriend and his smoking problem. haha that should be fun.
So something weird happened this week, kind of eery...so Nanay Melgapo this old Nanay that is just pathetic she cant walk cant really talk and is just kinda miserable, but her faith is amazing, she loves and knows the Gospel is true. Everytime we go there she loves it..she lives with her kid kinda, her kid has a small hut/house and nanay lives on the outside of it on a bed, they did put a cover over for her and so she is kinda protected from the weather... anyways we were gonna visit her on thursday we walked by and saw her asleep, I know she was asleep cause her chest was going up and down. So were are like oh well we will just comeback a different day, didn't want to wake her up. This was 3 in the afternoon, we continue on to our other appontiments. Later that day we have dinner at Bishops and he tells us that Nanay died. I was shocked cause I saw her that very day and she was alive! He said that her daughter tried to wake her up around 4ish but she didn't wake up, she died in her sleep! So basically I saw Nanay an hour before she died. My comp says that we should have tried to wake her up when we were their cause she was still alive. I personally am glad we didn't she is in a 100x's better place, she is probably actually happy right now! I am happy for her. I know that might sound weird, but she truly is in a better place!
So on to other news, we heard from the 2nd counceler in the in area presidency in Cauayan on saturday. He came to the mission home and gave us some training. He talked about how our investigators need to receive revalation and how they need to read the bom and how they need to be retaught the doctrine and then he answered any questions we had, it was great! He was super powerful, his wife was even better, talked about loving our compainons and fellow missionaries. Elder and Sister Nelson were great! Sorry I cant give you more details I am running out of time.
So for pday we went up to some falls in Maddela the lowest area in the mission, I am in Baluarte and that is about 1 hour by van to Maddela. Man the van ride on the way there and back is horrible...the fit 19 people into one regular sized van! I counted...it was 19. You come very close to those next to you. Anyways we had a great time, I was the only American in the group, it was great haha. Filipinos are great they are always happy and fun...I couldn't understand everything they were saying but...it was still fun, the water falls were beutifu;...well I am running out of time and got to go.
Love you
Elder James
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