The Philippines Rock!

This week was full of new experiences, foods, 

 places, 

culture, 

 and a lot more. It was all so great!

It started out a little discouraging because I was having trouble with the language, understanding the people around me, and what was going on in general. But as the week went on, it got better and better. I can now semi-understand the people around me and I am getting to know our investigators and a lot of the ward members a lot better.

So last Monday, we had our first P-day in the Philippines. It was really nice! Fortunately, we have a washer, so I just had to rinse and dry my clothes... which still took forever! Besides that, we had a pretty normal day. Proselyting, sharing the gospel and loving the people. 

Tuesday was amazing! Sister Villa and I made a goal in the morning to get 20 OYMs (testifying contacts "open your mouth") and we achieved it! Throughout the day, a drunk guy asked me to marry him, I got followed around by 20+ kids in a little town all yelling "What's your name?" and "American! American!" SO CUTE, and I really focused on enjoying and loving every moment of the day.

It made it so much better! The best part of the day though was meeting Emanuel and his brother Israel. We bought some treats from their food stand and they started asking us questions about our faith. Before we knew it, we had talked for an hour, given out a book of Mormon and had a return appointment. I think this and reaching our OYM goal really taught me that as we work our hardest with a smile on our face, we really can find little successes throughout the day.

On Wednesday, we had an awesome lesson with a born again Christian named Dave that really made me realize how fortunate I was growing up. During the lesson. I asked him what he liked to do. He said computer games. After, we talked for a few minutes about what kinds of games he likes (mostly in English) and he said he really loves Zelda but could never afford the game or console. He said he always wished he could get it so he and his brother could play together. Listening really made me realize how much I have. The people here really do live with a lot less than I had expected but they are all so humble and kind. It makes me feel so fortunate to have as much as I do.

Thursday was truly a historical day for me. I got to accomplish one of the goals I have had for the past year and a half: try Balut. I had the egg in my hand and thought, "this is a mistake!"  But, I ate it anyways and it was actually not bad at all! Granted, it was only 12 days (I think) so the chick was tiny! But I definitely think that Balut is better than hard boiled eggs.

Friday was awesome! We got to go have a lesson with Emanuel who is a born again Christian which went really well. Sister Villa and I started sharing the plan of salvation, but he wasn't really getting into it. Let me tell you a little about born again Christians: they go to church a ton and read the Bible all the time. So any time you say anything they ask "Where does it say that in the Bible?" So half-way through the lesson, we switched to talking about the Book of Mormon, read the intro and committed him to try reading a chapter on his own. It was amazing! I had trouble understanding, but I could really feel the spirit. Emanuel is amazing and I am so happy we got to meet him. He truly is an inspiring person. I can't wait to have another lesson this week!

We also had a dinner appointment this week.  We ate Filippino mac and cheese, fried chicken, rice, bread, pasta and sticky rice. The Elders said sticky rice was really good so they gave me a giant piece. It's not. I took one bite and the member asked "do you like it?" With a forced smile, I said "Mmmmhmmm" and had to choke the rest of it down. Apparently, they eat it a lot here so I am going to need to learn to like it. Ha ha!

Guess what? Saturday I got to have my first Baptism! It was for a girl named Elgen who is so amazing. She is super sweet and has such a strong testimony of the gospel. It really is inspiring. I love her so much and have loved getting to know her better and better this past week.

So yesterday I had a breakthrough. We were in a lesson after church with 5 members who had tagged along us, and the investigators. It was my turn to talk. Up until this point, nobody understands me when I try to speak Tagalog. But as soon as I started talking, words started coming to my head and it just felt easier than normal. It was amazing! By the end, I had taught for a couple minutes straight with almost no English and I mostly understood everything the investigator was saying. It was amazing! I felt so happy. After that, I didn't have any trouble talking Tagalog for the rest of the night.

I have been feeling really discouraged with the language so I think that was exactly the energy/confidence boost I needed. I know I will keep struggling and will have to continue to work hard to learn but if I keep it up, then I know I will get there eventually.

ONLY IN THE PHILIPPINES

On a final note, a really big spider moved into our bathroom yesterday. I was sitting in there when I decided it would be fun to see what happened if I put the big spider in the less big spiders nest (since there are a ton of house spiders in the bathroom). The problem was, the big spider is too fast so every time I almost got it on a stick, it would run straight towards me. Finally I decided it would be better to pick up the less big spider. Unfortunately, when I put the less big spider next to the big one, the big spider ate it in a matter of seconds. It was at that moment that I realized I had just helped a big mean spider to survive. I felt so ashamed and bad for the less big spider!

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT

Yesterday I was really thinking about what made the difference with Tagalog. Why did it come so much easier than normal? As I was thinking about it, I realized that it really comes down to love. As we work on loving each other, coming unto Christ, and serving one another then we can have the gift of compassion. So many times this week I would be sitting in a lesson or walking down the street with the biggest smile on my face because I couldn't contain the love I felt for all the amazing people around me. I know that each one of us is a child of God and that God has a perfect plan for everyone that is better than anything we could possibly imagine. As Christ says in 3 Nephi 9:13-14, 21 we simply need to come unto Christ and let him heal us. He is the light of the world and through him we can receive all blessings.

I don't speak Tagalog. But I know that with the Saviors help and by focusing more on learning the language of the spirit, all other blessings will follow in the Lord's time. If it ever feels like he is not there, or like he is not answering your prayers then just keep going. I promise he is. And if we can be faithful through trials, I know that we can always look back and see that the blessings we patiently waited for are 100 times better than the ones we were expecting to receive.

I can't wait for another amazing week!

-Sister Matheny