Note: Typical of this stage of a missionary's service there is no group email or pictures this week. Here are some of the things Ammon shared in emails to Mom and Dad. Ammon doesn't ask us to post these comments, but I'm hoping he'll be OK that I do.
We always joke cause there seems to be 2 days each week where everything we plan just goes smooth and the people we are teaching are all progressing and then the other days we just have to endure and keep finding new people! We did find 12 new people to teach this week though and that consists of 2 families! So we are excited about them! But of course, we stay level headed and just keep working cause anything can really happen :)
We didn't have any people we are teaching at church this week though. Which I don't think has happened in this area since like my first 2 weeks. So that was a bummer. The one couple we are helping to get married, well sister Geraldine Randomly got a call from a place she used to work for in Manila and that same day they packed and left to Manila to work. We didn't know until a day later. They don't know when she will be coming back. That was a tough one to swallow. So I guess its not quite their time yet. One of the other investigators didn't come cause there was a Manny Paqiauo fight. And a third investigator is having a hard time with letting go of her Catholic traditions. So yeah lots of trials. I report each week to President Zapanta and when I opened my email I saw this from President that he sent to me, it helped me to lift my spirits some.
"Dear Elder Gibbons,
I do appreciate all of your efforts and hard work in helping more people to be converted. Always seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost so that you will be guided to those people who needs your help. Just be patient with all of the challenges that you are encountering, everything will fall into their proper places as long as we do the will of our Father in Heaven.
Love,
President Zapanta"
Our house is done!!! Woot woot. And they hooked a hose up to the church so we just go turn the water on at the church and then fill up our water containers and take showers then turn it off again! It's awesome! The house is amazing! But I totally forgot to take pictures cause we left pretty quickly this morning. Sorry :( I am not good at taking pictures at all.
I am learning to be grateful for so many things.. Especially electricity... In the last 3 weeks we have slept without electricity probably 5 or 6 times... BUT because of the new house that really isn't a big problem. Sweaty and lots of mosquitoes when there isn't any power. I don't want to tell you, but I had like 30 mosquito bites on one leg after one of the nights. They are have gone away now! Haha. (Dengue fever is spread through mosquito bites and can make a missionary very ill so I'm sure he didn't want us to be concerned.)
Transfers are on August 5th I think... yeah. But that's when Elder Naguiat goes home so that means I will be getting another companion. There are 15 new missionaries coming in this next transfer and they are all foreigners.... so I don't know what that means for me, but we will see! It's definitely different to have 2 straight companions that are going home. Having missionary companions going home doesn't distract me. I know it is their time to go home not mine. But it does remind me how really my mission is going by so fast and April is right around the corner. But I don't look at it in a trunky way but in a good way!
Hopefully Ammon won't mind that I share this...
In fact after our interviews with President, Sister Zapanta sat Elder Naguiat and I down and told Elder Naguiat that his countenance has changed and that she was happy for him. He said, "thanks to Elder Gibbons", and Sister Zapanta looked at me and said "well sounds like you are the right guy for the job." So I know there are reasons why I have had back to back going home missionaries for companions. In fact it says in my Patriarchal blessing why. So that was a really cool experience!
Anyway, I am happy! It's been raining a ton, but it only rains when we are leaving the house to work. Then when at the house its sunny and hot... I really am not kidding. Like you would think that someone has a remote controlling the weather to curse us hahah... Ahh missionary work right?