Finally in the Philippines 2-14-12

Hello from the Philippines!!!!!

How is everyone doing?  I'm doing so well!  Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers!  They have been felt so much and been a great strength for me.  So I have to hurry because we are asked not to be very long on the computers and me and my comp are striving for exact 100% obedience!  That's the only way that we know we will be blessed.  So real quick the flight to Cebu was great. Quick and I was done.  It took me almost 45 minutes to get through customs though and then another twenty minutes for my bags to finally get here!  Plus the plane was way late getting there so I was about 2 hours getting out to the curb.  I found the guys who picked me up. It was one of the senior office elders and my trainer. They took my bags and said how worried they were that I was lost or that something had happened.  Well we got into the car and started off to the mission home.  Then and there I got my first look at the INSANE traffic of the Philippines!!!! There are no lines, there are no speed limits, there are no rules!!! You just drive!  You can drive on either side, you can drive on the side walks, you can go 200 if you wanted to.  People just honk when they are coming up or when there is a chance that they could hit you and expect you to move!  Ha my eyes must have been like softballs because they were laughing at me and asked what I thought.  I said I didn't know yet but to ask me in a few days. haha  So we pulled into the mission home which is on the temple grounds I may add! and holy cow is the temple amazing!  It is so beautiful and I can not wait until next month when we get to go!  So I met the mission presidents wife and got the health run down from her.  She told me about the health stuff and about the whole lock your heart elder!  She gave me the run down about how crazy the girls here can be about a white guy. She also reminded me that ladies don't try to hide their bodies at all, that they will feed their babies right in front of you and will be showering outside and to just lock on the eyes and don't make a big deal about it.  Then the mission pres. came out and gave me a big hug! We took a picture together and I hope that got to you.  I don't even know if they were going to send it.  But I was super tired at that point and so I probably look dead!  Well my comp was starving and so the office senior went with his wife out to get McDonalds for us all. It's actually pretty good here.  The mission president took me and my comp in and interviewed us and told us what he expects of us.  I have been assigned to the Bogo area on Cebu island. The most northern mission in the field.  It is so bukid! (jungle and mountains)  I love it!!!!!  There hasn't been a day that it hasn't just absolutely poured yet!  So after we left the mission home we went and stayed in the house that the elders stay at while they are there.  That next morning we woke up at 5 and started the 5 hour bus ride up the mountain to our area. haha yes that does mean I only got 4 and a half hours of sleep.  We got to the area, I put our stuff down and I got the lay out of the house.  We are actually staying in the nicest house in the field so its really pretty nice (for the philippines hahaha)  Then we went out to work.

  We had to go to a few meetings because Elder Garver is the 2nd councilor in the branch.  Ha that day I got called to be the executive secretary.  haha if you cant tell by now yes our branch is super small. This Sunday we had a whole 15 people there.  Activity is terrible here and that is actually our main focus- reactivation.  We kinda tract as we go but don't focus on it.  So as I talked to the zl's that day I was filled in on the nick name of our area! haha There are 4 different types of areas here elder they said.  Cel. Areas.  Ter. areas.  Tel. ares.  And outer darkness areas.  They laughed and said well elder what type of area can you guess your area is?  I already knew, Outer darkness.  They said that this was the hardest area for a few reasons- (one) for the member activity (and) for the fact that we dont have many priesthood leaders to work with.  The other main reason is that our area is the muddiest area in the field! haha There is mud everywhere!!!!!  And when it rains the dirt paths are just muddy rivers.  We wear our pants for three or four days just because they are always going to be muddy.  I have mud on my pants up to my shins! haha Its great. Its just so much fun to just shake it off and say ok lets get to work.  Funny story really quick.  So you know how leather stretches when it gets wet and how my shoes are already a little to big for me? So ya when I walk in the mud I have to really work to keep my shoes on my feet.  Well last night we were running through the jungle trying to get out of the rain storm and I stepped and about twenty feet later looked down and realized I didn't have my right shoe on!!! hahahahahahahaha So we had a great laugh and went back and tried to find my shoe which is crazy hard because it is pitch dark out there. There is no such thing as a street light.  So we finally found it about 6 inches down in the mud.  I just looked at Elder Garver and laughed.  I stuck my muddy foot down in the shoe and we started running again.  We made it to the main road and just kept running.  We ran about a mile and a half back to our house and took a picture for you guys!  It does not even come close to show what we went through that night! hahaha.  

Well on the good side here Elder Garver told me that he is so blessed to have me because he has not had very good comps. here in his 6 months in the field.  Two of his three have been sent home and just really didn't want to work and didn't bring the spirit.  Since we entered the area two days ago to really start working we have seen so many blessings come from our obedience and spirit that we carry.  We have found 8 new investigators, got 2 baptismal commitments and have 16 commitments of less active members to come to church!!!!!! The Lord has really blessed us for our hard work! Tonight we have plans to invite a family of 5 to be baptized, so please pray for us and wish us luck!  Joy2x and her mom are the 2 with baptism dates.  ( joy2x is just the way that philippinoes write names like joy joy)  Her and her mom have come to church 2 times in a row and here they have to come 4 out of 5 before they can get baptized so we are really praying for them and trying to keep challenging them to keep their faith.  The mom has a smoking problem, but since our last lesson with her she has thrown away her cigs and has been clean and plans to be for the rest of her life.  I hope you guys can feel the spirit of Christ as you read these things!  The Lord is real and his spirit is real and really does work with those that are worthy and willing to work to use it!  Elder Garver said he has seen more success in the past three days that I have been working here then he has the three months he has been in the area. Now I have not done a thing!  All we have done is invite the spirit to enter into the homes and teach the families for us!  Now my favorite person here in the field so far is a man named Randy Sanches!  He is an RM who has fallen away and is living with his girlfriend and has four super cute kids!  The only reason that they are not married is because his wife has been married before and it is against the law for them to get divorced.  Elder Garver has been working with him to put in papers challenging the marriage to see if it was binding or if there is a way to get it taken back.  Finally yesterday morning he submitted the request and we will be looking for the notice of what we have to do next here in the first of March.  So I ask you guys to please pray for him and his family.  Last night We taught one amazing lesson to him and his wife. They speak English a little so as I was bearing my testimony at the end for some reason I was told to speak English. As I started speaking, the spirit started putting all these words in my head to share.  I shared Rev. 3:21-22 with them and started bearing testimony about how I know that it is hard to repent and that it's not easy to stay on the path. That I struggled before my mission too but that I could testify that the feeling of forgiveness is something that I would never give up for anything.  Then the spirit told me to say something that I really didn't want to say...  I kinda shrunk back in fear but I was given the strength to say it.  I said Randy, I don't know why I am supposed to say this but I have to tell you that by the power of Jesus Christ I promise you that if you continue to be such a great example and you continue to come to church, pray, and read your scriptures I can promise you that here and in the future you are going to be married to your wife and you're going to become an eternal family through the blessings of the temple!  He started crying really hard and I looked him in the eye and said, but Randy, don't you quit!!!!! Don't you stop working hard to become who you are supposed to be.  He looked me in the eyes and said ok elder I won't!  I won't quit!  I closed in the name of Jesus Christ and we had a closing prayer.  He asked me to say it and I blessed his family and his home with the spirit.  As I said that, I literally felt the spirit that was in me leave my body and enter that house!  After as we were walking home I told Elder Garver that I could barely stand I was so weak.  The spirit had givin me so much strength and then left very very quickly into that house that it drained my body!  I told him that I wouldn't have it any other way. He gave me a hug and told me that he was so thankful for my spirit and power.  We stopped right there in the middle of the jungle and rain and started praying together thanking Heavenly Father for giving us the power to be able to say those things.  Guys the power of God is real!!! I promise I have felt it this week and know that I will feel it for a long time coming for the space of my mission!  Me and Elder Garver have set very high goals and want to push the other missionaries to work hard too.  We have the best zone ever!!! They are all so spiritual and they help me so much!  Now all I have to do is be able to speak the language!!! hahah I love you guys. The church is true and the power of the spirit is real!  If you will but live worthy of its companionship you will be blessed and have an amazing life!  Thanks for all you have done for me! I love you!

Love always
Elder Shelley

pictures: 1. What he looked like after the rain storm.

              2. Bogo, Philippines