Crazy in Cavite: Email #5: So this week was a lot of OYM (open your mouth)

Cactus in the Philippines -- what????

Momma!!!! How are you? So this week has been up and down again. I feel as if it will be like that all my mission. So Monday I took your advice and I cleaned. The other sisters were gone and SIster Sevia was asleep. So I was tired of the mess and cleaned. I cleaned the bathroom and mopped the kitchen. Sister Sevia woke up while I was sweeping and decided to help me. Then last night I asked the sisters if we could clean today like we are suppose to and they said yes. So this morning we all cleaned!!! And it is clean!!!!!! It was great haha. Hopefully it will stay clean.

On Monday we received a challenge from President Tye: For each companionship to get 14 new investigators this week. A NI is someone who had a lesson with a commitment and accepted a return date. Our mission’s goal is to get 14 per companionship a week. And we average like 3.5 so it is not very good. So the zone that wins gets to go to the mission home for dinner. Our zone wanted to win!!!! So this week was a lot of OYM (open your mouth). And Sister Sevia and I got 14!!!!! (I’ll tell you about some as my email goes on.)

So Tuesday was zone meeting. It was fun. We practiced OYM. It’s hard because I didn't understand what they were saying because I don’t understand Tagalog yet. But it was Taglish so it was okay. haha. I left feeling so discouraged though. Sister Sevia was chosen to go up in front of everyone and practice an OYM. She started and wanted me to go next but I had no clue what to say. I just blanked out. It wasn't embarrassing or anything. The girl before me did the same thing and it wasn't bad either. But after -- everyone was talking to ALL the foreigners because there are alot of us that are pretty new. But Elder Ritter (who is in my batch) came up to me and said, “Sister Mayberry you just have to try.” It made me a little discouraged. With investigators it is easy to try. With members and missionaries it is hard. I don’t know why. So I’m like, “I do try and with Sister Sevia I do try.” I know that I need to try more. I do. I’ll admit that but it is hard!!! So after the meeting I was just irritated, and it was one of those days where all the comments from strangers bug me. But we had a lesson with an investigator named Sister Francisco. She is so nice. She has been taught for a long time. Her husband, who was a less active, passed away a few years ago. And I for some reason just kept talking in the lesson. She had questions about the Book Of Mormon. I said what I could in Tagalog and spoke some English. But I tried. THE SPIRIT WAS SO STRONG!!!! I could definitely feel a difference when I try hard. Then we went to Brother Jamie and the same thing happened. It was great!!! I still didn't understand what they were saying though. That is hard!!!

And so we got home and SIster Au'aue said that she bought us balut!! I was freaking out!!!!! Sister Sevia had a hard time eating it but she did. So then it was my turn. They blind folded me. It was so gross!! I looked at it before and I definitely shouldn't have. So I took a bit and I was chewing and trying to swallow it when Sister Sevia shoves more of it in my mouth. I was done. You know how am. If I do it—I can eat it. Someone forces me -- I cant;. So I spit it up and didn’t end up eating it. I told Sister Au'aue that I will eat it before she gets

transferred next week. So I was close, but no I didn’t eat it yet. Everything here is weird haha. I don’t know what I eat --I just eat it. I bet whatever meat I eat is weird. But we HARDLY ever get fed so that’s hard.

Wednesday was follow-up training. (There should be pictures up on the blog soon). It was fun to see everyone. And I got to hear that no one understands anything yet!!! Minus Elder Ritter. But his companion speaks very little English so he is forced to understand. It made me feel better about where I am. It was good. And we got to eat cake which was so good!!!!!! After, we went to long beach. That was great!!! We got 8 NEW INVESTIGATORS that night!!!!! Some referrals and some OYM. It was crazy!!! Definitely an answer to prayer. One is named Christian. His mom is a member and she actually was endowed 2 weeks

ago. I am so shocked he listened. She has been telling us for a month how she wants him to be taught. He has been pretty receptive and I think it will be great! And another (they are family somehow) is Jasper. He told us from the start he wants to just know the truth. And

he’s willing to listen. He was really receptive. I am so excited to start teaching him. But that is hard because their cousin, who is always in the lessons, makes me feel like crap about my Tagalog. Everytime I say something, she will laugh or something. It just makes me

discouraged so it is hard to give lessons there for me. But I have to get over it I know.

So Thursday was great!!!! We did a zone service project in Cavite city. It was so funny! We were waiting for our leaders at the Jollibee (like McDonalds) and this lady comes up and says hi. We say hi and talk for a bit. She asked me about America and then Sister Sevia said we are missionaries... and she was like, “No you’re not coming to my house.” It was so funny!!!!! Everyone knows who we are here! We picked up trash off of a beach. I’m pretty sure the whole beach was just trash. We would pick some up and more would be there. It was like a foot deep. We worked for like 3 hours and didn’t even make a dent. But it was fun

and all the little kids helped us out and it was great!!!!

Saturday -- Conference was great. Did Chad’s mission Prez speak on Saturday? I have no clue who he was haha. It was so nice because our Stake Center has air con!!!!! SO nice!!!! And our investigator Jamie (the diabetic) came!!! Only one session because he was getting sick but he did come!!!! So after, we had planned to go to a NI house (who we haven’t had a lesson with yet so she isn’t one yet) and have a lesson but she wasn’t home. Her neighborhood is by Sister Francisco. So we went and saw her. We were going to anyway but just super short. It was definitely inspired to have the other lesson cancel. We got done with the lesson and she said, "Is it okay with you if I am not wiling to be baptized? " My heart like dropped!!!! We talked to her about why and all this stuff and then I was like, “Sister -- We are not forcing anything on you. But we want to help you. We don’t just get baptized to get baptized but to be able to return to Heavenly Father. And I know that

through baptism you can live with your husband forever.” She was silent. She started to cry a little bit and it was still silent. So I asked her sister, “What are you thinking?” And she said, “okaylang” (the answer to everything here). So then it was silent again for a long time. And then Sister Sevia started to say something and she we talked and cried and talked. She said how she misses her husband so much and stuff. We were able to testify of the truthfulness of the plan of salvation and how she can be with him forever. The spirit was so

strong. I think it was a break though lesson. And I’m so excited to see her again. It was such a good experience.

Yesterday was great too for conference. It was SO SO SO funny!!! A Filipino asked me if I get freckles in the sun. I said, “Ya - my face kinda turns into one big freckle.” He said that because after the service project my face had so many and it still does. And then some asked me if they go away and I said they fade. And then he said, “Hahahahah! You’re a true American -- you have freckles.” Haha it was great!!!

Well guess what? One day, IDK which, we went to Jenny and Marlon (the recent converts) who by the way their sons are getting baptized soon!!! He has another son. They’re visiting him. He is 10 and he’s autistic and the cutest thing ever. We gave him a book of Mormon because he loves to read it so when he is at his mom’s he has one. And he wants to be baptized. He is so cute I love him!!!!

There was a fire last night super close to our house. Not sure if it was planned or not because it was a grass fire. But it was so big and we left our house and there was smoke everywhere!!! We were like -- we can walk fast and brave the smoke. But we made it about four steps into the smoke and walked back to where there was no smoke because it was bad. So we tried getting a trike to drive us but no luck. So we grabbed shirts and covered our faces so we could walk through the smoke. It was so bad!! We waited a little bit until we decided it was okay to leave and go to our appointment.

Well ya -- I love you all so much!!!!!!! I love getting emails every week!!!! Oh and by the way I have been getting impressions to talk to you about grandpa’s temple work. You guys should do it. I think it is time. Talk to dad about it.

MAHAL KO KAYO!!!!

Sister Mayberry