A slight chance of rain...

Hello Family and Friends,

I didn't think the Philippines could get any greener, but you would be amazed what a little (hahaha) bit of rain each day can do for the greenery. And we are not even in the rainy rainy season. Now that I have done my weekly weather report.... 

So the exciting news for this week (there is actually a lot of exciting news) is the we had Elder Russel M. Nelson come and speak to our mission. He came to rededicate the MTC here, and do a bunch of firesides. I got to shake his hand! Cool huh!?! Do you remember that talk that he gave where he showed the pictures of his daughter, granddaughter and great granddaughter? And those intense blue eyes they all had? Well, they inherited it from him. He has the most intense, piercing blue eyes ever! It was a cool experience. Instead of giving us a talk, he had missionaries come up and practice teaching him, from the very beginning. And he gave us tips and ideas of how to do things better. Can you imagine teaching an apostle about the first vision? I wasn't brave enough to volunteer. But it was still good, and of course he had really awesome ideas and insights. 

Because we have so many Less Active families in our area, Sister Afu and I decided to block out a whole afternoon for finding less active families. Now you have to understand in the Philippines they don't have addresses. And only once in a while does a street have a name. So you just have to ask... everyone. So we did. Puwede po ba magtanong? I am getting really good at that phrase. We were having no success. We were finding the houses but there were either no people or they were not, how should i put it, interested. Finally we decided to move on to the next closest area. The first family we ask about. Boom home. Boom interested. Boom there were offended along time ago, but know the church is true and want us to come back. Yeah! They are a great family and with a lot of love and work will come back. We set up a return appointment, at which they fed us (here that means you are family). We moved on to the next family on the list Manalo. Turns out every one in that Baringay has that last name, and i mean everyone. We had the WHOLE Baringay trying to help us find this person. It was like a circus. We had about 40 people trying to help us at once. People would just find the closest Manalo they could find and pull them over to us. Once they realized they were not the right Manalo, they would go find another Manalo, and this process just kept going and going. We were all laughing so hard. But there was one lady, that had the most beautiful smile, and I was like, "I want to talk to her." when she came up to us, and said that she used to be a member. She was not the one we were looking for but she said we could come back (she of course had married a Manalo... so that will be fun trying to find her again). It was just a cool experience. And someone said I sounded like a Filipino, which of course made my day. But then I realized he asked me one question and I answered it. Boo, oh, well. 

Tatay Godofredo, is so excited to get the Priesthood. And he payed his tithing yesterday. He didn't think anyone was watching, but it was so cute to see him struggle to fill out the form. And he was basically glowing, when he handed it to the Branch President. And his tie was tied wrong. But one of the members helped him, it was just so fun. 

Irene Tutol has returned! She was the one that didn't go to church, so her mom would go. She is active now, and is even one of our fellowshippers for the new family we found last week. She sat by her in Relief Society and everything. I basically did a happy dance! 

RJ has been working with the Elders twice a week now. He loves it! The Elders say he is one of the best people they have worked with. He shares scriptures to answer the peoples questions and introduces and explains the scriptures like a missionary. The Elders said at one point they didn't know what to say to this one investigator, and RJ just jumped in with a scripture that shot the mans argument right our the window. He is going to be baptized next week, and it will be so exciting. 

It's festival again, which means fireworks and radio trucks all night long. And parades. 

It is such a good feeling when the members say that they want this to be my only area on my mission. Aww, they love me. I really do have a Filipino family here. But don't worry, I still love you all, and I might come home some time...

Loves, 

Sister Lyons

PS So mom, I live next to these really funny, crazy Elders, and one of them is obsessed with pink ties. He only has pink ties. And he is sure that you will send him one if I only ask. He thinks that you love him or something. Anyway, I had to included this, because he did something for me, and in return I promised to ask you. There, I asked. Random, I know, but you have to remember who my neighbors are. :)

Pregnant squid is edible???

Did I tell you I've eaten a pregnant squid? Eggs and all? Oh, and it's ink? And that all the fish and crabs still have eyes? And I eat sardines whole? And I didn't though up? Didn't even gag!  Also, I am a lot tanner, skinnier and blonder then I use to be. I put on my jeans for service and was worried they were not going to stay up. Elder Stirland offered me some rope. Elders... always so helpful. 

This week we had a new investigator. She just lives down the street from us. She always smiles and waves at us like she knows us, but we are always running late to an appointment whenever we walk that way, so we have never been able to stop to talk to her. We have even written her in our planners twice. So finally this week we were determined to visit her. The moment she could tell we were coming to talk to her, she was like come in come in! And feed us. She said that every time we would walk by she would wish we would come and visit her. She was almost giddy that we came. We had only been there for 5 minutes and I already felt like we had been visiting her for a long time. We automatically loved each other. We shared about the Book of Mormon, and the next time we came she had started reading from the beginning and talked about how good it felt when she read it. We had planned to teach her Lesson 1 through prophets, but we started talking about the Holy Ghost. When we explained that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost were three different people, it was like a light bulb turned on. She said that she had been wondering her whole life how they could be 1 person. She said that it never made sense to her before, but now it was clear and made perfect sense. It was just cool. She has two cute little kids, who already love us as well. We gave them a copy of the picture story book of the Book of Mormon and they were already looking at it before we left. 

We had national day of service on Saturday. That was fun to go and do something different. We planted trees in this national forest place and then 'raked' leaves. I put that in quotes because the gardening tools here are not the same as at home. We dug holes with bamboo and racked with sticks tied together in a bundle. It was awesome, and super pretty. 

We have two baptisms this Saturday. Tatay Godofredo and Lecel are going to be baptized. They are both so ready and so excited! As am I!

Loves you all so so so so so so so so so very much! 

Sister Lyons

I am Filipino...

Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder why I have blue eyes, when I'm a Filipino. Humm?

I went to the temple on Wednesday. We were going to wake up at 3:15 to get ready to go, so we could leave at 4, get their by 5:45 and be in the 6 session. I say we were going, because that was the plan. But we woke up at 4:05 to the cell phone. Aw shoot it's 4! It was the Elders calling to see if we had already left, because the night before Sister Stonick threatened them that if they were late, we were going to leave them. No, we are still here. They were more compassionate then we would have been and waited for us, but we were out by 4:17... not to shabby if I do say so myself. I only forgot to brush my teeth, but I did put on deodorant. Because sister Stonick and I were on this adrenaline rush, we sang hymns the whole way to the bus stop while the elders looked like they were a tad dazed, and too tired to even notice were they were going. Funny boys. (They look like that even when they wake up at 6:30) But the temple is beautiful! It was cool because all the flowers inside are native and the men get to wear native Filipino celebration dress. I love the temple so much! We get to go again this week (not for a session) for temple tour. That is were we take investigators, RC, or LA and teach them about the temple. I think it will be a really great experience. 

We got a new elder next door. Elder Lindford got transferred and has already sent us a hello through Elder Stirland that he misses us. Awww! But the new Elder is great. He is Filipino but we have all decided that he is actually from Samoa and there was a huge storm that blew him all the way to the Philippines and his parents found him in a banana tree and they just forgot to tell him he was adopted. The Filipinos don't even think he looks Filipino, and they claim anyone with dark hair and eyes. 

We've had two awesome FHE's this week with the elders. Which always includes yummy food. I think FHE's might be one of my favorite things to do. It is so fun to share with the members and the Elders always have the craziest games. We also have a new investigator with a baptismal date. He is 13 and his whole family are members except his oldest sister. They were both away at school when the family joined. At their one year mark they were deciding whither or not to got to the temple or wait for their other 2 children. The decided that they needed the influence of the temple right away, so they went right away, having faith that the other 2 children would join them. He is super cute and was so excited to see us at church. It's like he got two new older sisters. 

One of my favorite people is Irene Tutol. She has gone through the temple but has become inactive because her mom won't go to church if she does. It is kinda a stranded relationship. She want to go to church so bad but she also wants her mom to go to church. The first time we went to visit her she looked so exhausted. Physically, mentally, and spiritually. After we started reading from the Book of Mormon, it was like this burden had been lifted off of her. When we went to go visit her this week she thank us for coming right at that moment, because she didn't know how she was going to get everything done and she just didn't know what to do, but she said that she felt so good as we were sharing and after we left.        

Yesterday in RS there was a little girl that had just had enough of sitting still (and I was feeling her pain) so I handed her our family picture I carry and a picture of the manila temple and she stared at them, just stared and smiled at them for a good 30 minutes. She thought they were the most beautiful things she had ever seen. I was afraid I wasn't going to get them back. It was so cute. And her mother was sure grateful. 

Tatay Godofredo's wife was at one of our lessons with him... kinda. She always disappears right away but this time she stayed to talk to us, but then left when we started the lesson. But then she sat under the window were she though we couldn't see her and then continued to edge closer to us until she was in the doorway through out the whole lesson. We were pretty excited, as was Tatay. 

Love you all so so very much! I wish you could just all be here for everything! It is all amazing! 

Love, 

Sister Lyons

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!)       

Looking for the perfect get-away? How about a cock farm on the beach...

Sister Lyons has arrived safely in Manila! She is having quite the adventures already, as you shall see in excerpts below from her very first foreign-sent email. Enjoy!

THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS BEGIN… EVEN BEFORE SHE LEAVES AMERICA

So after I talked to you on the phone at the airport, the Elders and I went to check in. It was only the three of us, because we got separated from the rest of our group. (which was no big deal.) But anyway, Elder Pappas and I were talking a lot (cause Elder Carr is always off in his own lala land...so cute) but anyway we were waiting in line and taking when elder Carr's turn came to go check in. So Elder Pappas and I were just waiting (don't worry elder carr was still in sight and sound) when another line comes open, so Elder Pappas goes to take it and I wait for my turn (it is not busy at all) When all of the sudden elder Pappas is like, "Sister Lyons, come here." So I go over thinking he has a problem and he want his older sister to fix it, but when I get there he is beet red and supper flustered (this kid never gets flustered...ever!) I'm thinking what is going on? I ask him what he needs and he is like, "I don't know, they just told me to get you." He is stuttering and can’t even look me in the eye. They lady helping him comes back and asks for my passport. I hand it to her, and she started talking to us, and I realize that she thinks we are together. Not like missionary together but together together. So I don't know if she told Elder Pappas to get his wife or his girlfriend, but it was classic! She was talking to him like he was the head of our household. She handed both of our tickets and passports to him and told him not to worry we were sitting next to each other. I probably should have corrected her, but I was dying of laughter (on the inside) and Elder Pappas was too shocked to say anything! I have never seen him want to be with his companion soooo much! It was the best moment of my life!

THE MISUNDERSTANDINGS… Continued…

I don't understand hardly anything anyone says to me, but I'm pretty sure that's normal. But it makes my head spin. I totally conked out during RS yesterday. Great way to build trust with the sisters! But oh well! Good thing they are super nice. 

THE WORK

I work in a branch probably about the size of 3 of our stakes. It is huge but it is split between us and the elders. Oh, my companions name is Sister Stonick (stone+ick) she is really good, but I have a lot to learn and she is not afraid to tell me. :) It will be good! :)

Our investigators are great. I wish I could tell you more about them, but I don't remember their names. We actually have a lot of men interested, but their wives are not. That's a switch from the usual. They are really good and nice and do not laugh at me when I bear my testimony of pray (because that is all I can do... and even then it is hit and miss). 

THE SCENERY

I am in Naic, which is right next to the beach. Yep that means I get to walk ON THE BEACH almost every day. Naic is rural. So while it is not in the city, it is never quite. I have taught in places that are cardboard boxes nailed to some ply wood to cement houses, and everything else in between. My perception of poor and rich has changed significantly over that last couple of days. Cement with windows means they have money. Kinda makes you grateful. I am spoiled because the Fornash's have a dryer and a washing machine, so I don't have to wash clothes by hand yet, and my shower is a normal one (kinda... we'll call it normal.)

THE PEOPLE

So I live in a triplex thingy. Right next to us is the Fornash's, a senior couple. They are kinda like our parents... make sure we are eating enough, going to bed on time. Stuff like that. The 3rd apartment is where the elders live. They are funny, like most elders are.

The people are amazing. I am kinda a freak show because I am white and tall. They all want my white skin. There are places here and creams to make your skin whiter. Strange how we all want what we can't have. We'll be teaching a lesson and I'll look out the window and 5 kids are just staring at us. One time I was walking and I felt something on my arm. I looked down and a little girl was playing with my skin. When I smiled at her, she ran away. The adults don't stare, because they are too polite, but they try to do it without being as obvious as the kids. Filipino babies are the cutest. They are so chubby and CUTE! I'm in love if you can't tell.

THE WILDLIFE

We live right next to a fighting cock farm, and we know it every morning about 3. We also have these house lizards, which are so cool, that chirp at each other all night long. It is beautiful here! I got chewed alive a couple of night ago and a member told me it was because the mosquitoes could see me because I was so white. Ants are super common here. I no longer am afraid of germs or bugs or anything like that. Coming back I think will be a bigger shock than getting here.  

THE TRANSPORTATION

So to get around we walk, take a bus (they don't have jeepnys here, but the buses are just as decked out) and our favorite… the tric. Which is just a motorcycle attached to a seat on two wheels. You will have to see if you can find some pictures. I have seen whole families fit in these things. But only one fat American. Oh, yeah, everyone calls me fat here, but it is not an insult, it's actually desirable. Oh, why wasn't I born Filipino? Hehehe!

 I love it here so much!