Week 20: PASKO AND PIGSA

Hey everyone!!! I can't believe that christmas is nEXT WEEK!!!! Christmas in ilonggo is "pasko" fyi. This week was pretty good though so I'll get right to it!!

So "pigsa" means.... boil. Yep, I have a boil. AGAIN. It's cool though because now I know exactly what to do for it to get better so hopefully it'll heal a lot faster than the first one. We haven't has to miss any proselyting time though which is good, as long as the pain stays down we're good to go for teaching. 

So I think I talked about this investigator we've been teaching before in previous emails, we call him mushroom boy. Well, he's finally been baptized! He was so excited and he's become so bakod (strong) in the church. He was a referral from a member, Jeffery, and had a lot of support there, so much so though he really wants to serve a mission as soon as he's done with school. Just such a great day for him, it'll be exciting to see how much more he grows in the coming months! Let me just testify real quick of the power of members/fellowshippers. Every member a missionary for real guys! 

Other than that, things are about same as usual, good as usual. I'm so excited for christmas and all the food that members will give us HAHA. But seriously, Christmas is great and everyone should remember the real importance of Christmas; families and Christ's love. Love you all and have a great Christmas!!!!

Sister Pope

1) Joshua and Jeffery, these two boys are crazy but awesome

2) Joshua!!! I pulled out my camera and this was the first pose he made haha

3) This was from splits last week, me and Sister Schneider!! 

Week 19: KUTO!!!

Hello everyone!!! Another great week here in the Philippines, lots of awesome people we met and it's SO HOT like for real we smell terrible when we get home haha. But anyways I'll get right to it:

So "kuto" means lice in ilonggo. Yeah I have lice!! Really it was only a matter of time, like every single child here has lice for real, especially John D., one of our investigators. Sister Ducado though loving takes the lice out of my hair for me and we bought some lice shampoo so it'll clear up in no time!

We went on splits and exchanges this week which was super fun. First were the splits on Tuesday and I was with Sister Schneider!! I'm actually in her first area so we were able to go and visit the people she taught while she was here and it was just a fun day. Then we had exchanges on Thursday and I was with Sister Moy, the cutest sister here for real. She's from England and has an awesome british/ilonggo accent. She goes home next transfer though which is craaaazy. Time is flying people!!!!

I'm not going to say nothing else much happened this week because a lot happened but just little things that make the mission great. I'm seriously so grateful for all the people I've met/meet every day and feel blessed every day to go out and tell people how awesome and great their lives can be. I love the Philippines and I'm excited for another week!!

Maayong pasko, palangga ko kamo tanan :)

Sister Pope

I tried uploading pictures but the computers in this computer shack are SO sketchy and my camera might get a virus so stay tuned for next week haha

Week 18: BOILZ

Kamusta kamo sa inyo tanan!!! This week had it's up and downs, I'll just get right to it :))

So the downs for this week is I got a BOIL on my leg. If you don't know what a boil is, don't google it because they're hecka nasty for real. It was super duper painful and I had no clue where it came from but we had to stay at home for tHREE and a half days for it to get better. For any of you that have been sick on the mission field, you'll understand the torture of being trapped in your apartment as you try to get better. You just stare at the clock at every hour, imagining where you would be, who you would be teaching, all the people you need to teach but you're SICK at HOME. It's the worst!! Glad to say that I've fully recovered from it all, I just sound like a chain smoker now from the sore throat haha. 

So I'm done with my training already which is crazy. Transfers were today but I get to stay in Bacolod 2nd for Christmas!!!! Best present ever for real. I'm just going to cry for days when I leave this area. I love everyone too much!!

Not much else to write about since I was dead this week but we're back at it and excited for the work!! Really loving Bacolod and super excited for this month :) Filipinos are crazy about Christmas and I am too. If you guys want to get to know who the Savior was, what He did, and what He does for us now, just go check out mormon.org !! Lots of good stuff on there. Being on the mission I've seen the hand of the Lord in so many things and I know that He lives and loves us. He sacrificed all so that we can return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father. I feel both of their love for me and feel so blessed to live the life I have. He lives!

Sister Pope

1) You guys might be sick of seeing another picture of the basketball boys but here they are again!!! They're really just super amazing and they always bring their friends to our lessons so we usually have someone new to teach. From left to right, MikeMike, Marvin, Marlon, Aldrich, Ricky, Joseph 1, Argie, Joseph 2 and Carl. 

2) Me sitting on a jeepney!! This is what they look like on the inside. I look kind of dead in this picture, it was the first appointment we went to after being in the house for so long haha. Glad to be out in the real world!!

3) Sister Lee is in my district and they live on the other side of our house so we see her a lot. She KILLS me she's so funny haha. This is us on a tricycle going home after playing soccer at the church so that's why we look like we haven't showered in awhile haha, we haven't. There's a seat attachment on the side that can fit four people but since there were six of us Sister Lee and I sat on the back of the motorcycle. He was going sooooooo fast haha. Don't worry mom it's totally safe

4) Us on thanksgiving a couple weeks ago, eating chicken instead of turkey. Still good!!

Week 17: PALUGPUT SA IMO DUH

Kamusta kamo everyone!!! Another good week diri sa Bacolod! I'll get right to it:

We went out to eat SO much this week since we had two district meetings and it was Thanksgiving so we just ate like animals. But I'm still losing the good ole poundage so don't worry mom!!! But I had chicken for Thanksgiving, I'll include a picture.

Our investigators are doing well! Mushroom boy Joshua has been doing his commitments and is SO devoted to change, he's so so excited for his baptism on the 17th and we are too :) Seriously it's the best teaching him because he just loves what we're teaching and gives such powerful prayers. Straight up homie siya. 

Basketball boys are doing well, except Joseph and his friends didn't go to church. Nice one Joseph. So we're having to readjust a few things for him but we're hoping that he'll be able to come next Sunday :) Marlon and Ricky came to church early this Sunday and BOTH of them were wearing POLOS and TIES!!!!! We about fell over dead. For real they would sometimes wear tank tops to church but what taught them sabbath day observance and they accepted SO well. I have a bakod gid picture sa ila to show sa inyo!! 

Anyways that's about it for the week, we continue on through the rain and hot and humid weather. Honestly the weather here doesn't bother me because I don't notice it but sometimes we'll be out proselyting and I feel fine but then I feel my back and my shirt is straight up soaked in sweat. Wooo pilipinas yaaa!!!! So on that TMI note I hope you all have a blessed week and welcome in December :)) Someone eat snow for me!!

Sister Pope

Lots of pictures this week get ready:

1) Happy Thanksgiving hahahaha still weird on the mission don't worry you all

2) PIZZAAAA it really was that big

3) Dinner at Marlon's house! This is what a lot of poor people eat here; fried fish, salted egg, tomato, and rice with soy sauce. It's actually really good and even more delicious with cool people. And Marlon is SO cool. He only makes about $20 a week but he always tells us how blessed his life is. He really is amazing!

4) The basketball boys at church! Ricky, Marlon, MikeMike, Cherist and Carl. They all wore the best they have :) 

5) Puto kids! They're always making puto and we help them when we can :) cooking in the pan is combo which is ~the~ tastiest thing, like funnel cake but with bananas on the inside YUM

6) John Dennis, one of our craziest investigators. He loves our lessons though and is so good about coming to church, he'll walk about fifteen minutes to church with his older brother. They're so awesome :)

Week 16: GUSTO KO MAGITOM

Kamusta kamo tanan!!! Nami gid ang semana namon, excited gid sa hambalan sa inyo :)) 

So this week was amazingggg!! Our recent converts and investigators are just doing so well and we had a really powerful lesson with our investigator Joseph. We taught the basketball boys about temples and Joseph was our focus (17 years old) and we taught about baptisms for the dead and then he turned to his older brother Ricky and said "puede kita magdalan ang ngalan ni papa didto?" which means "could we bring dad's name there?" and we told him of course and he just smiled so big. I tried so hard not to cry it was such a sweet moment. Agh so many blessings from the temples guys we need one here in Bacolod.

Funny thing about my companionship, Sister Ducado doesn't like the sun because she doesn't want to get dark or "itom" but I do so she'll always use my umbrella and I'll just walk in the sunlight, she thinks I'm so buang (crazy) haha. 

So just a spiritual thing to share from this week that I learned from the lesson we had about temples in Mosiah 16:8, "But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ." I know Joseph and Ricky will see their dad again and I just think of how happy they both were when we taught temples. I know that family's can be together forever and I'm so blessed to be here in the Philippines. Bacolod is really amazing :) 

Thank you all for your love and support, it means the world.

Sister Pope

1) FHE at the Lapore's with one of our investigators, Joshua! (blue shirt) We call him mushroom boy because he wants us to teach him every other day and is soooooo excited to be baptized. He's the best

2) It was Marvin's birthday on Tuesday so we brought him a cake to surprise him. The store didn't have any birthday candles so we bought 18 real candles and just stick them in the cake haha we thought it was going to light on fire. But then he was soooo surprised he started doing a shy kind of cry where you cry but you pretend like you're not crying cause all of your dude friends are there singing you happy birthday. Haha it was really sweet and was super grateful, he said it was his first birthday cake. 

Week 15: MISSION TOUR

Hey everybody!!! Merry Christmas! Haha, Christmas is in full swing here. Anyways, I'll get right to it because I have noooooo time this week :))

So Ricky is back home after being on vacation FOREVER, he's one of the basketball boys and recent converts, and is working with us again. Yay! People are amazing, especially him. We're really excited for his brother to be baptized next month. 

Mission tour was this week and ammaaaaaaazing!!! We had stake conference first with Elder Quentin L. Cook which was such a treat and then our mission tour had Bishop Wadell and Elder Robins speak. General authorities are just so amazing and we're so blessed to have their direction and guidance here on the mission, they said so many great things I needed to hear. To sum it up into one sentence: hold on to your families, they are SO important. 

Just a quick description of my area, it's mostly city but has a part with a lot of sugar cane fields. I actually really like being in the city because it's so much easier to teach lessons, I haven't scheduled a single appointment on my mission because people are always home and you'll just go up and be like "hey! can we teach you?" and they're like "yeah I'm not doing anything" haha, it's so great. I've really come to love this area and I'm so excited to see how it will progress while I'm here.

Anyways that's all for this week, things are going well and I'm loving the mission. I feel the language coming so much easier and loving the people has been a lot easier too. Until next week!! 

Sister Pope

1) Campo! (sugar cane) I'll try and remember to take pictures of city next week, it's just soooooo crazy in the city we never have time to just stop and stand

2) Basketball boys, Ricky is back!! Marlon, Carl, Joseph and Ricky. Joseph is Ricky's younger brother and is sooo excited to be baptized but is also a teenage boy so we're working on him keeping his commitments

3) We all DIED when we see this picture after I took it haha, that is Joseph's true laugh while Carl is tickling him. I love these boys!!!

4) Carl and Aldrich, they really like this picture I took of them

Week 14: SEE? WHAT PUNTED CAN DO?

November already whaaaatt??? Ano nahitabo??? Diin ang tion makadto??? Crazy. This week was pretty good, all good smiley things even though we got punted a LOT. I'll get to it though:

The companionship is going really well! Don't get me wrong I was hecka nervous to be companions with someone who speaks only a little bit of English but she is so so cute and sweet and I'm really blessed. Whenever something bad happens she'll say "see? what _____ can do??" So the most common thing was "punted" this week. Yey. Also I'm teaching her basic English which includes but isn't limited to the word "ghetto" and "thirsty" and "crusty". only the essentials guys.

Best thing this week is that ALDRICH IS BAPTIZED!!! Seriously it was so amazing. Back in September I have a picture with him and the other basketball boys and that picture was actually the first night I had met him and he was SO mean to me. He wouldn't pray, didn't want to look at us, and when extended baptism to him he just death-stared at me and said no. Little by little though he started listening to our lessons and at the end of one lesson he told us he wanted to change. And he's changed so so much. He stopped drinking, smoking, and stopped wearing his earrings because he wanted to change and I'm just so proud of him. He's amazing! Also speaking of amazing, I've been trying to get one of our investigators to stop wearing his earrings FOREVER but he just would not take them out. We taught about the Atonement one day though and after the lesson he gAVE ME his EARRINGS!! I was so surprised and he looked at me dead in the eye and said he would never wear them again. The Atonement changes lives people. 

Not much else happened but things are doing well as usual. I love my area and the awesome people, even though they drive me crazy sometimes :) So blessed this week and I'm excited for next week!! We have Stake Conference and Elder Quentin L. Cook is coming!! Yay. 

Well have a good week everyone and talk to you next week!!!

Sister Pope

1) Sister Ducado and I by the rice fields

2) Aldrich's baptism! Seriously such an awesome experience, and our recent convert Ricky was able to baptize him. So awesome! Also fun optical illusion, you might think I'm pregnant in this picture but my shirt is so messed up. Everyone there though thought the picture was so fun and they kept calling me "busong" which is pregnant in ilonggo!! I swear I've lost weight here haha. Anyways we love Aldrich and he's great

3) Our investigator's earrings!!! Still can't believe he gave them to me