I have a new favorite scripture....

It is Jacob 3:1-2

(I think... if it is about the law of chastity... it's not the right one)   

Some more evidence that I am turning into a Filipino...

I have a funny shoe tan line

My clothes are too big

My toes look like I have spent too much time in the bath

Sister Paddock handing me a just a fork to eat one day and I didn't know what to do...
I literally sat there for like two minutes wondering how I was going to eat my food.

I put 'po' after everything I say, even in English 

It's great!

She loves the Phillipeans... Wait, I thought she was in Asia?

So... I went out to lunch with Mom and Jen today and found out that apparently Danielle didn't want anyone outside of family seeing unedited emails. Oops. So I apologize Miss Danielle, 15 months before you read through these, for previously posting uncorrected emails. We'll blame it on the foreign keyboard, the P-day rush to get everything done, funny Tagalog words mixing in with your English. But there is one that I will not correct from this email because I think it is cute... Danielle wants every one to know that she absolutely loves the Phillipeans. Sounds similar to a book in the New Testament... not a country in Asia. But we get the gist :) And for the record, I think your creative English is charming. :)

So this week I have become officially initiated into a real Filipino missionary. In ever sense of the word. Tuesday... oh, Tuesday, let's just say now know what it means to be a foreign missionary. We didn't go very far that day, let's just say. But before you start freaking out mother, I am fine now (and I was fine then). It happens to everyone. I actually lasted pretty long in the not getting sick area and it was only one day long, so I'm pretty blessed. And the whole district now knows, and every time they see us or text us they ask how I am doing. So embarrassing that every 19 to 21 male in the area knows about my bowl movements. But I did get a few candy bars out of it. :)

Second initiation. I ate fish. And not normal American fish. This fish still had eyes and scales. Yum! It actually was really good, I just couldn't think about it too hard. I also ate a giant shrimp... with my hands. And shrimp paste, which is really salty and nasty. But I still gagged down enough so the person feeding us didn't know that I thought it was gross. Good missionary. 

Third Initiation. Got attacked by an animal. Not literally, but I was afraid for my ankles. And no it wasn't even a dog. It was a stupid goose. 

Forth initiation. I got rained on and it was beautiful. 

Fifth, watched the sunset on the beach (and almost lost my shoe) 

Sixth and most important... drum roll please! I'm not the newbie anymore in the three complexes! Which is kinda sad and exciting at the same time. It is sad because the Forinash's got transferred. It kinda came as a shock to them. There was a new couple coming in to take an assignment that just opened up in another area, but when President Stucki meet them, he felt like they should come here and the Forinashes should be moved to the other assignment. So we spent all Thursday helping them clean and pack... and giving moral support to Sister Forinash, who was really struggling with it. It was just two bad news thing right in a row because right before they got the call she was looking up online what was wrong with LeRoy. LeRoy is 'our' dog. He actually belongs to the people next store but they never took care of him and the Forinash's  feed him and we all play with him. so he kinda moved over. The elder's tried to give him a bath once... that was funny. Not of Leroy or the Elders but Sister Stonick and I enjoyed it. Anyway, he was acting funny, so sister Forinash looked up his symptoms and he had doggy pneumonia and was probably going to die and then they got the call they were being transferred. It was a rough day. But LeRoy is all better (and is not going to die, unless someone tries to give him a bath, but I think that person might be in more danger then LeRoy) and the Forinash's love their new assignment. The new couple living in their apartment are the Paddock's and boy o' boy do they have stories... they are really nice and will do a good job. 

We found a short cut this week to one of our areas... through the beach... bummers.... :) 

There is a store called Rachmelies (Rach-smellies!)  here, You can imagine why it made me giggle 

We had a really good FHE with the Fornash's and the Elders on Tuesday night with a less active family. We couldn't figure out why  tatay didn't want to come to church (his kids do), so we thought maybe it was because he felt guilty for something he had done. So we gave the lesson on repentance. It was perfect! Tatay asked a lot of good questions that you could tell he had been thinking a lot about. I love the Spirit! Then we played this really goofy game, that was so much fun and really broke the ice and let him and the rest of his family see we are normal (hahaha kinda) people. We were all laughing so hard! 

So we dropped by Tatay Godofredo on Wednesday, and he wasn't there so we just left a Word of Wisdom pamphlet and a note saying we would come by the next day. When we came back, he had underlined it and was asking how he could follow it, like what was the application. He smokes 12 Sticks (that's what they call them here) a day. We talked to him about it and he was so willing to quit, he just didn't know how. So we told him to write down his plan on the back of the pamphlet and follow it. When we came back the next day he had a detailed plan of how many he was going to smoke a day until he quit and what he was going to do every time he felt like smoking. But he hadn't followed his plan. Before you get too sad.... he did better then his plan! He went from 12 to 3 to 1 by today he should be done and can get baptized on his scheduled day! Yippee! He is so amazing!

We haven't taught a ton of lessons this week (between me feeling less than perfect and helping the Forinash's) but the ones that we have be having have all been amazing. We had one part member family and we asked the dad (who isn't a member) to pray at the end of the lesson, but he was really shy and didn't want to. But we waited and talked him through it until he tried. He started to cry half way through, and at the end said he felt like it went right to his heart. We also had this person come up to us, ranomely  yesterday and ask what religion we were. Oh, let us tell you! We basically taught him the whole first lesson right there and set up a return appointment. We also have this Lola who the night after we gave her the Book of Mormon, she couldn't sleep, so she reached for her Book of Mormon and felt immediate peace. The next day she started to read it. So cool!

I love being a missionary! I love all of you! I love the Phillipeans (and I'm never leaving!)! I love hearing all about you and home! 

Loves all around, 

Sister Lyons

Mission: Very Possible

Danielle's not on a mission... she's on a 16-month vacation... Here is her most recent email- completely uncensored and unedited :)

Winter is here too! That just means it is only kinda hot and not rainy. I yet to see rain or a monkey... oh, well I still have 16 odd months to see both of those things. :)

Sorry that this email is a day late, but all of the email was out in the whole city so we got permission to email today. Yippee! So no worries mom, i am just fine. 

I got your letters through dearelder. They get to the mission pretty fast but I only got them on friday, and that was lucky, because the zone leaders have to bring them to me. LUcky for me, the zone leaders live two doors down, but it really depends on just when they go to the mission home. So how ever you want to send letters in such. It will be pretty much hit and miss. 

So this week has be super exciting and jammed packed... with unexpected things. 

Like riding on a boat

Sleeping part of the night in the elders apartment 

riding on the back of a semi-truck

Going to the SM

Now that I have completely freaked you out (mom), let me explain. :)

Boat- We are one of the few companionships in the whole world that can ride a boat. We has a river in the middle of our area and to go around it takes 60 pesos and 45minutes. To go through it it 2 pesos and 5 minutes. President Stucki says it's ok. It was so fun! It was one of those legit fillipeno boats, with the float-y things on the side and a bamboo bottom that you can see through. It was the best. 

Sleep- We are not disobedient, I swear! And we are not getting sent home. The back story. We forgot our keys to our apartment... no problem, the Fornashes and the Elders both have copies. Problem, Fornashes are in Manila until midnight. No problem, the Elders. Problem, they are leaving for manila at 7. Solution, leave our apartment open. Problem, the key they have doesn't work. Solution, Elder's try to break into our apartment. Problem, they are elders and have no gangsta skills. Solution, they leave their apartment open. And we sleep on their couches until 12. So really not as scandalous as it sounds, but it is a good way to start a story ;) 

Riding on the back of a a semi-truck (more like a semi-semi). We were at a FHE and all of the church members were all kinda going home in the same direction, so instead of all getting trics and paying billions of pesos (which is only about 5 dollars... jokelang) on of the members went and got his flat bed semi-truck and drove us all home. It was the life! Cool breeze, intense stars (because there are no lights), and really funny Filipeano members. I think I should have been born here. Anyways, don't worry mother, Sister Fornash already flipped out for you. :) 

Going to the SM.... (just a really big Super Market... walmart of steroids) kinda with permission. We had permission like 2 weeks ago... and we only though it would take an hour, but the Fornash's cannot shop fast and it took ALL day. Whoops! Oh, well.... kinds :) But it was a fun adventure. 

All right, all right, just so you know that I really am a missionary, I will tell you some mission things. 

Like we had a baptism this week. His name was Dandan and he is nine years old. His mom is a recently returned to activity member and his dad is not a member. I love this family so much. They had the cutes 4 boys in the world. Jude, who is twelve, who will be getting the Aaronic priesthood here in a few weeks, dandan, who just got baptized, JonJon who is turning 8 really soon (and who has not front teeth:) ) and Louis! Oh, my gosh! He is 4 and is the cutes smartest thing ever! He is kinda like a Filipino Hyrum. Nanay Jema is an amazing person and is becoming super strong. Tatay Eprin has started listing in on the last couple lessons of Dandan. So we have started just teaching him now. He is receptive and is a really good man. He just works on Sunday's, which of course is a problem. 

Next, Tatay Godofredo. Sister Stonick and her last companion found him while they were jogging on the beach on day. He is a fishermen and lives on the beach. A lesson on the beach... AMAZING! Anyway this guy is seriously going to be stake president some day. He has so many questions, but they are because he really wants to understand. He knows so much about the gospel already, it's crazy! We call him Tatay Pero, because we teach him a principle and he says, "pero..." and then asks a really good question. But I swear he says pero almost every other sentence. It is so funny!

Our main focus it to establish the church here. That means we focus on strengthening the members, teaching part member families, and getting less active families to the temple. We do have some investigators, but that is not what we are actively search for. 

A lot of sisters joined the church alone and then stopped going to church. Now it is their husband that a really interested in the church, but their wives are not. It is an interesting switch. The youth here are amazing. I really believe that they will be the ones that get their parents to the temple. Whenever we teach a lesson it is the 9 to 20 children that are the most intent and do the readings and come to church. It's fun to watches their faces. You can totally tell they are understanding (not when I talk, but that will come) and are feeling the spirit working on them. The sealing powers of the temple are going to go both ways here in the Philippians

It's funny everywhere we go we hear people talking about us as we walk down the street. Its the Mormons or sisters. Sometimes they call us elders, that ones pretty funny! Oh, and they call us Joe! Hey, Joe, you want a ride? They call all Americans Joe because of the war. All the little kids ask us our names and where we are going. (all the young single men ask us that too, but for some reason it is not as cute coming from them) 

There have diffidently been some ups and downs, but I'm working through all of them, so life is really good! Sister Stonick is pushing me hard and I'm pushing myself even harder. But I'm still slow. :) But I keep having to remind myself I have only been here for two weeks. Ahhhhh! I been here for two weeks! And I feel more and more like a Filipeano every day! I now can eat ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING with a spoon and fork, a meal is not a meal with out rice, I keep my toothbrush in the fridge to keep off the cockroaches, and I don't think I will ever go back to american ice cream (it is literally 10 times better here).   

Mahal Kita! 

Sister Lyons (or as some of the little kids call me sister tiger or sister rarrrrr!)