Everything here has started turning around. Members are starting to come back to church and we have a few solid investigators. Julias sister was supposed to be baptized last Saturday but she is not married to her husband legally so we have to work on that. We should have a baptism this next week or two. We found an amazing family a few weeks ago and should see them in the water too in a month or two. Five people in the family!!! We are so excited.
We don't watch conference till this Saturday because it has to be translated into Cebuano first. I am so excited for it though!!
Ok- so a little more about the Philippines. On p-days me and Elder Garver honestly just like to sleep. We almost kill ourselves every day at work and running around that when P-days come around we just sleep or throw the foot ball around for a bit. Lots of times we will go to their "Pool halls" (outside and all the kids come and try to steal our Pesos hahahahahaha) or we will go look around the shops and sometimes will eat some dirty food or all that fun stuff. Hahaha oh by the way, yea so balute.... Not too bad- but not my favorite. It gets better each time I eat it so I have a feeling I'm going to love it though after a few more times. You just have to get past the beak and the feathers! Haha my last one was an 18 day old one so the baby duck even had an eye and some pretty big bones! Delicious no?
You guys absolutely blow me away! Thank you so much for all the emails and for the prayers. I feel them every single day and I am so grateful for them! I couldn't do this without you! My feet are getting stronger every single day and that is a blessing! Who would have ever thought that the 8 year old kid with Planterphasia would be able to walk and hike the Philippines for hours and hours every day without a pair of orthotics on. That's God right there!!!! I can promise you that if you truly put your mind to it and if you can truly trust God and put your faith in him there is no such thing as impossible.
We had a story told the other day by an Elder that is in a really Devilish area that the black magic is so bad out there and satan has such a hold on those people that through his faith and the Power of God he was able to cast out a Devil that was taking the life of a 12 year old boy. It is sad to say but that stuff is still going on today. Satan is real and we need to always be ready and worthy to use our priesthood so if the Lord calls us we are ready. This next Thursday,Friday, and Saturday starts Holy Week here and it is not usually a fun experience for the Elders. People here feel like it is their job to pay for the sins that they have committed and so it is nothing to be seen on the side of the road being whipped by somebody so that they go through a little of what Christ did... It is also very big especially here in our area that there are some people who go to the extreme of even paying someone to Crucify them and they hang on a cross for hours for their sins... Mom and Dad you both remember the days of my nightmares about this stuff so please pray for me that first I won't have to see anything like this and if I do that I will be able to walk past and not be affected by it too much... More details about Holy Week will come in the next email. Should be interesting.
Well everyone, I hope that you all know how much I love you and how much you all mean to me. I do truly believe that God lives and that through his example we are cleansed from our sins when we live our lives in harmony with his plan. Please always keep being examples and please help others to come unto Christ! I am doing fine here. Yes, I had a hard week, but I am doing well! The Lord does truly love and take care of his missionaries! When things go bad or you get news of something that is hard to swallow, I have literally felt the arms of the Lord wrapped around my body! The Lord loves us all and wants the best for us! Stay true to yourselves and to who you are! I love you all so much and look forward to hearing from you next week! Keep praying and living right!
Love Elder Shelley
ps. hahaha just got back from the barber shop with a number 2 and a half buzzed head! Sick of the heat and humidity of the Philippines so it all came off!!!That's right I feel like I am 7 years old again and mom is telling Sister Houston how to cut my hair! hahhaha love it
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