Crazy in Cavite: Email #8:Xhyrus was baptized!!!

Xhyrus baptism
May 3, 2014

Magaling Ka sa Tagalog!!! Talaga!!!

Xhyrus was baptized!!! His dad was able to baptize him. It was so cool!!! He was really happy and so was Jenny. It was great. I was so happy. Greatest feeling ever! I can’t wait for Russel to get baptized. Their younger brother Web Web came to the baptism and church the next day (which was a big deal because he has refused to meet with us.) I am so excited. Hopefully we can start teaching him!!

So I will be calling next Sunday about the same time as I am writing this. We will probably come about 10 so 7-8ish your time. I am so excited too!!! And ahhhhh MY KITTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and thanks for the pictures!!! I am so proud of Chad!!! I haven’t gotten anything from you yet but tomorrow we have a zone meeting and that is when I would get stuff. So we will see.

So this week was really really weird. Monday after we had p-day we had FHE with Jamie (which by the way is pronounced HI-ME) and his family. It was so frustrating. The sisters were late. Brother Wilmar who planned it was late. They prepared food that sat there for a while because everyone was late. Brother Wilmar wasn’t prepared and had to take time after he got there to prepare. It was annoying and we had little time because since everyone was late curfew was coming up. Brother Jamie left half way through because his diabetes was hurting him so bad he had to leave. He was in so much pain! It was terrible to see! And on Thursday we found out that he went to the hospital. He comes home today so we will see how he is doing this week.

Tuesday it rained!!! And Wednesday!!!! I like it because it cools down a lot when it rains! We went and visited May. The one whose husband died. There is something holding her back and we don’t know what it is. I want so badly to help her but I just cant. We have tried everything. On Sunday we even went and picked her up for church like we said and we got there and she said she wasn’t going. We were so sad. I do not know how to reach her...

Another family is the Mariano family. It is the nanay (mom) and 4 children. The husband doesn’t want to listen. We have been teaching them from the first day we got there. They have been learning for a while but hasn’t been super receptive but hasn’t turned it down either. So we visited them Tuesday and Saturday and invited them to church AGAIN. But this time SHE CAME!!!! It was great but she had to leave part way through 2^nd hour because of her litttle baby. But she came!! So excited. And then we visited her after church too. It was great!! So excited when they walked in!!!

Cristelda. Idk if I have told you abut her (maybe called her Christy) but she is a friend of Sister Jenny and she is great. She wants to learn everything about the church and Tuesday during our lesson I taught her about the Book of Mormon. Her son came in and was listening but he didn’t want to join in. So we asked her if she comes to know it is true will she get baptized. We gave her a date and then asked if she had any questions. He perked up and asked, “If I am going to be baptized - shouldn’t i know everything.” I was like WHAT?!?!?!??!? You are listening!!!! And so Sister Jenny and Sister Sevia talked to him about the Book of Mormon and another question and I talked to Sister Cristelda about America. Haha she had questions. But it was great because her son really does want to learn. Then when we went and taught Xhyrus and Russel, he joined us! And again he had questions and he was writing down questions he had for us. It is wonderful to see!!! I think there is a lot there!!!

Thursday Thursday Thursday..... So our waterbill is due the last day of the month and last month the other sister went to go pay it on the 1st and they were denied. They were told that they have to go to Las Pinas to pay it because it is late. So we thought they would do that. Haha Nope. They didn’t. So the same thing happened this month. The bills are the responsibility of the sister who has been there the longest, which is neither me or Sister Sevia. So when we found this out we took matters into our own hands. We paid the electricity -- which was on time but the water is now 2 days late and hasn’t been paid for 2 months. We got a notice that it was going to be shut off. So we text President Tye and told him. He gave us permission to go and pay it. We had no idea where it was so we went to Bacoor where you have to go to get anywhere. We asked around. Someone said to take a certain jeepney. So we went and the jeepney driver had no clue so he ended up taking us past Las Pinas. We were super close to Manilla. The airplanes were about 1 minute from landing -- Almost touching the buildings. It was crazy! And we asked and no one knew how to get there. So then someone helped us but then we had to wait for a jeepney and there were NONE coming. It started raining. Pretty sure we were either on the outskirts or out of our mission. So we get on that and then that one doesn’t know either. So then someone gets on and tells us it is in this mall. So we go in and it isn’t there. Noone knows where we’re supposed to be. By this time it is already 5 and they close at 5. We have no idea how to get home. No idea where we were. So we go to the jeepneys and we see a bunch of elders and were like --dang it!!! But they were really nice and helped us get home because they were going to the mission office. From there we could get home. But it took the whole day! 0 lessons because when we got home we had FHE. It was definitely an adventure. It was fun though!

So this weekend was fiesta. It celebrates Christ. On Friday morning (we didn’t get to see) people were dancing in all the streets and there were lots of fireworks. Friday there were parades of bands and again lots of fireworks. It was crazy!! Lots of HUGE cross displays everywhere and virgin Mary. It was definitely different. SO it was hard to teach because everyone was at the fiesta. But we managed with a few lessons. It was crazy for sure. We started our fast on Saturday at noon. I have decided that fasting is the sign for everyone to give you food. We went to an investigator who owns a restaurant and he gave us soda and food while we watched the parade so we didn’t eat it or drink it. We just left it and then asked to have plastic (they put everything in plastic so you take it with you). So we did and then a member tried giving us food and was mad when we told her we started our fast already. So we took it in plastic too. Then we went to the 7/11 where all the poor kids beg for money. We gave them all our food. They were happy! Haha.

So I can tell my language is getting better. I have been able to understand a little bit more this week and I have been able to say a lot from the beginning. Just understanding it is tough. But I can see it improving -- finally!! I know I am hard on myself...

Until Skype next week :)

Sister Mayberry

"Alam ko po na totoo ang aklat ni mormon. Isinalin ni Joesph smith ang aklat ni mormon sa pamamagitan na kapangyarihan ng dyios. Tumawag ang dyios ni Joseph smith sa propeta. Alam ko po na kung magbasa ng aklat ni mormon at magdasal na nakakatanggap ng paghahayag para sa sarilli mo. Ito ay totoo. Alam ko po na ng buo puso."

"I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Joseph Smith translated it through the power of god. God called Joseph smith to be a prophet. I know that if you read the Book of Mormon and pray, you will be able to receive revelation for yourself. It is true. I know that with my whole heart."