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!)
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