Hey Family, and everyone else!
I don’t know what to say about this last week, I don’t know where it went! I remember emailing and now we are here again, I shall try to figure out where it all went. Tuesday was a normal Tuesday. Went to Distrisct meeting in Victorias, It takes forever to get there now, half the road between Cadiz and Manapla has been torn up, so it really slows the Ceres down. Then we headed out to the branch area when we got back to Cadiz in the afternoon. There we found little success. We were able to meet with Nitnit, she is the babysitter of the grandson of one of our mission moms here. She is pogressing really well and has a baptisimal date for May 22.
Wednesday we met with the Romero family again. They are all doing well. Kristine is still strong after her first month as a member, and tatay (dad) is doing well preparing for his baptism. We had to move it to May 22 because he is still working on dropping coffee, though he is doing really good. The rest of the week didn’t go so well. Thursday was alright, but that’s it. Not much happened on Friday. We had a CSP in Silay, down near Bacolod. So it took a while to get there and we had to get up early to make it in time, but we were on time! For the CSP we cleaned an ancestral house. Just like dusting and stuff, wiping it all down. Afterwards we got a tour, not all that fun. It was a very Americanized house and family, so it was like touring a home back home, like “This is the Place.”
One success we have had this week was that a former investigator that moved out into the mountain four days before his baptism is back and remembers nearly everything. He continued reading while he was in the mountain. Missionaries aren’t allowed to go out to the mountain… We are nearly done reviewing and then he just has to come to church and he can be baptized.
Saturday we were able to meet with Joel. We havent seen him since last transfer. When we saw him last he had had such an awesome change and knew exactly what he needs and wants to do. It was just so cool. He is a very simple guy and he just has this great simple desire. Unfortunatley, he started talking to his mother about that. Even though he is 27 he lives at home, it’s tradition, and it’s one of those “under my roof, my rules,” and his mom is a “born Catholic, die Catholic.” So she said that he can’t go to church or continue with us, which is why we weren’t able to meet with him. It really is terrible to lose him like this. He did say that he is still reading when he’s at the house we teach at, away from mom. We told him it’s good that he is respecting his mom, and that he should continue to read and pray that his mom will have a change of heart. I have faith that he will be able to continue some day, he’ll do just fine.
Saturday was a fun day. In the morning we went to the Branch President’s house. He lives pretty out there, not too far, but not all that close. He lives next to and works at this place called Balay Alibangbang. “Butterfly House.” So he took us on a little tour. They have a swimming pool! It looked so tempting, it was hard. They also have birds and this big koi fish pond with a big waterfall, and of course, a butterfly dome. It was fun to see all the stuff and just spend some time with the Branch President. It has a picnic area too with these cool cabanas. We also walked down the highway a bit farther to find a partmember family’s house. They had been traveling to the church to meet with us, but we decided it would be better to just go out to them. It really isnt that far away and it was just nice. With a bit of work we found their small house and shared with them. His name is Joseph, he’ll be ready for baptism in no time. His family is way active and he already knows everything because he’s been going to primary for most of his life already, they just forgot to get him baptized…
Sunday was Stake Conference here in Cadiz Stake. It was incredibly interesting. Some of the talks were good, I just have to remember that it’s for the stake and not myself. They are on a different level that what home is like. The Stake President’s remarks at the end were really good though. He talked about being full-tithe payers and proper preparation for temple recommends. “Bishops, prepare your members, I’m tired of saying ‘No, of course you can’t go to the temple.’” That is basically what he said, in a mix of Ilonggo and English.
Today was alright. Rode an air-con Ceres down to Bacolod, mostly just to pick up a package for Elder LeChem, and to enjoy the glory of Chow King and their Halo-Halo. Then got some groceries and caught another air-con back to Cadiz. That was really good, because it started raining on the way back, and if we had been on a normal one-stop they would have closed all the windows and door and it would have become a moving sauna, more than the entire country already is. That is torture, had to sit though it once already. But no, we had the comfort of air-con. And now we are here emailing!
Well, that’s my week, full of excitement and adventure, always. Oh, so about being punted, when we are punted we go to our back-up plan, when that fails we try for less-actives in the area, and when that fails we either run to one of our three mission moms, get a snack, or stare at the expanse of the ocean while sitting on the beach. But we only do those as last resorts, we try all sorts of other things first.
Oh, so we go to our mission moms because they love us and lift up our spirits. They are always fun to be around too, all three of them are really good cooks too. In fact, Elder LeChem’s birthday is this Saturday and we are celebrating at one of their houses, we are paying for it, she said she’d cook it all. It’s gonna be really fun.
Jurrasic Park experience: We were walking down the road and it was a light rain. To our right is a half cement half barbed wire wall, and on the other side there was a goat tied up and making goat noises. So I turned to Elder LeCheminant and told him that if a T-Rex came and ate the goat that we “must go faster.” It was awesome! We both laughed.
Well, I still like hearing about what you all do back home without me, it may seem boring but I like to here it. Well, until next week!
Elder Phelps
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
The Work is Going Well Here
Dad, that certainly is a lot of scouting for one week. I miss scouting a ton. Scouting fundraisers, don’t really miss those much. Aerating was fun and all… but yeah…
It must be pretty strange at the third Sunday with so many of us missing. But I guess that’s just how it goes when we are all growing up. As for calling on Mother's Day, I don’t know quite when it will actually be. But we can Skype and use webcams! It’s cheaper that way and it’s webcam!
Yes, that is Kristine’s baptism, with me, Elder Claven, and Brother Romero.
The large group picture is at a Zone CSP (Community Service Project). We have time on Friday mornings for CSP and sometimes we’ll find a big one and get the district or even the whole zone to come. Those are always fun. We went and planed mangroves. They are these trees that have really good roots and protect the shore from erosion from waves. That was fun.
The small old lady is a member, Sister Begonia (sp). She was staying with her daughter here, but they are transferring to Mindanao (southern island) and she is returning to her home up north. She’s awesome so we wanted a picture with her before she left.
To answer your question, there are three couple missionaries in the mission, but none near us. One on Panay, one in San Carlos, and a PEF couple in Bacolod.
Finally getting to be good weather there? That’s good. It’s actually been raining quite a bit here. The rain season is coming up pretty soon too. We always have trouble explaining to people here that back home our houses have heaters; they don’t exist here for obvious reasons.
The work is going well here in Cadiz. Still getting punted a bit, but that’s just part of the work. We try hard to go to less-active members when we are punted, but there are sooo many and we don’t know where many of them are. But we are fixing that by asking active members and we have a membership directory now. There are close to 1,500 members between the ward and the branch here, but only 200 come to church! The investigators that we do get to meet with are doing really well though. Like I said last week, Brother Romero has a baptismal date and he’s doing well. Kristine as a new member is doing great too. She came with us to a teaching where one of the daughters is the same age and helped us teach the word of wisdom. She’s also excited to start personal progress.
Oh man, I just have to say how awesome Elder LeCheminant is. We have awesome conversations about things from home. Like Lagoon and other things. It’s all been really good.
Well that’s all for this week.
Elder Phelps
It must be pretty strange at the third Sunday with so many of us missing. But I guess that’s just how it goes when we are all growing up. As for calling on Mother's Day, I don’t know quite when it will actually be. But we can Skype and use webcams! It’s cheaper that way and it’s webcam!
Yes, that is Kristine’s baptism, with me, Elder Claven, and Brother Romero.
Finally getting to be good weather there? That’s good. It’s actually been raining quite a bit here. The rain season is coming up pretty soon too. We always have trouble explaining to people here that back home our houses have heaters; they don’t exist here for obvious reasons.
The work is going well here in Cadiz. Still getting punted a bit, but that’s just part of the work. We try hard to go to less-active members when we are punted, but there are sooo many and we don’t know where many of them are. But we are fixing that by asking active members and we have a membership directory now. There are close to 1,500 members between the ward and the branch here, but only 200 come to church! The investigators that we do get to meet with are doing really well though. Like I said last week, Brother Romero has a baptismal date and he’s doing well. Kristine as a new member is doing great too. She came with us to a teaching where one of the daughters is the same age and helped us teach the word of wisdom. She’s also excited to start personal progress.
Oh man, I just have to say how awesome Elder LeCheminant is. We have awesome conversations about things from home. Like Lagoon and other things. It’s all been really good.
Well that’s all for this week.
Elder Phelps
Monday, April 12, 2010
Conference was great!!
Okay, things here in Cadiz are going well, for the most part. We’ve been punted a lot lately, and we’ve had investigators ask for a break or they tell us that they are transferring (moving). We had one leave for Cebu for the next month for work and two others are moving to Manila. At least the ones leaving for Manila are going for good reasons; jobs! The ones we are able to meet with are all doing so well though.
Yes, I am getting better at the language; Elder LeCheminant says that I’m actually pretty good. I’m able to do so much more. Talking to Elder LeCheminant is much easier than talking to Elder Claven, because he’s from Utah. He also worked at Seven Peaks Water Park the last four years before his mission. So, yeah. We get along really well. He has so many fun stories. Some before the mission, some during. For those that know Jeremy Park, he reminds me a lot of him.
Food. Yes we eat rice pretty much every day, and if we don’t eat rice it just feels strange. We actually didn’t have any yesterday, noodles instead. Yes I still love rice. Favorite restaurant here is Mang Inasal. They have unlimited rice, and you get to eat with your HANDS!! It’s way fun and natural now. Many times at members houses you’ll eat with your hands too. Sometimes the food is really hot and it burns your fingertips! Fruits and veggies are pretty easy to get. They don’t have lettuce here, but plenty of cabbage. They also have yellow watermelon, and the normal red too, they taste the same. Mangos are like candy. The mangos here come from Guimaras, the island between Negroes and Panay. They are sooo sweet, and cheep for now. Mango season ends soon though…
Haven’t tried too many new foods yet. Had some really good adobo at a birthday party/ FHE, there was home-made cake too! So good! Elder LeCheminant knows how to cook a lot of pinoy (filippino) dishes, so I’m getting more. He made Chicken Curry the other day. Filipino curry is different than others, it’s sweeter than others. They don’t like bitter or terribly spicy in general, but of course some individuals do.
Conference. Conference was great!! All the talks were so awesome! And as a guilty pleasure we got to sit in air con at the church for most of Saturday and Sunday! Awesome! I’m just blown away by it all. One strange thing is that the people will sing along with the choir… don’t really like it, but it was alright. We even had four investigators come to the Sunday sessions!
Last night we went to the Romero family, and Tatay (dad) Romero has set a baptismal date for May 1!, a national holiday here, and Elder LeCheminant’s birthday. He was feeling unsure and that he wasn’t ready, but we shared Mosiah 18: 8-10 with him (baptismal covenant) and he decided that he could do it! I know he knows it’s true, I’m so happy for him. He’s such a simple guy, but he’s awesome. I’m sure Kristine is happy too.
I was actually reflecting on VITA the other day. Mostly just remembering how glad I was for it to end! But it was a good experience and I learned a lot from it.
Stake Conference is coming up here on April 25. That’ll be fun. The stake includes four “cities.” Cadiz, Manapla, Fabrica, and Victorias. We have it easy because the Stake Center is here in Cadiz!
May 3 is going to be an awesome P-day btw. It’s the P-day after Elder LeCheminant’s b-day and its Sister Tobias’ b-day, so we are gonna do lunch! Should be fun.
Well, I think that covers my week and your questions. Nothing else really stood out, at least not to me. My whole day would stand out to you, but I’m just use to it now. It’s just how it is. Oh, I did actually remember my cord for my camera so I can do pictures. So you can FINALLY have some. Hopefully they make it to you! I’ll pick some good ones. I’ll make a CD and send it home when I have more pictures too so you can have them all.
--Elder Phelps
PS.
You can stop with the dearelders. They take forever to get here, and they are just annoying. Sorry. Though do keep sending Stuart’s and Emily’s stuff.
Package. Good things to include in a package are contact solution and deodorant. Those two are both expensive here. 300-ish pesos! Sure that’s like six bucks, but compared to everything else we have to buy its mahal guid! (expensive!) Like, it makes up half my total grocery price when I buy them.
Yes, Josh did email me. Due to rules I have to snail mail my reply. But I’m way excited for him.
Yes, I am getting better at the language; Elder LeCheminant says that I’m actually pretty good. I’m able to do so much more. Talking to Elder LeCheminant is much easier than talking to Elder Claven, because he’s from Utah. He also worked at Seven Peaks Water Park the last four years before his mission. So, yeah. We get along really well. He has so many fun stories. Some before the mission, some during. For those that know Jeremy Park, he reminds me a lot of him.
Food. Yes we eat rice pretty much every day, and if we don’t eat rice it just feels strange. We actually didn’t have any yesterday, noodles instead. Yes I still love rice. Favorite restaurant here is Mang Inasal. They have unlimited rice, and you get to eat with your HANDS!! It’s way fun and natural now. Many times at members houses you’ll eat with your hands too. Sometimes the food is really hot and it burns your fingertips! Fruits and veggies are pretty easy to get. They don’t have lettuce here, but plenty of cabbage. They also have yellow watermelon, and the normal red too, they taste the same. Mangos are like candy. The mangos here come from Guimaras, the island between Negroes and Panay. They are sooo sweet, and cheep for now. Mango season ends soon though…
Haven’t tried too many new foods yet. Had some really good adobo at a birthday party/ FHE, there was home-made cake too! So good! Elder LeCheminant knows how to cook a lot of pinoy (filippino) dishes, so I’m getting more. He made Chicken Curry the other day. Filipino curry is different than others, it’s sweeter than others. They don’t like bitter or terribly spicy in general, but of course some individuals do.
Conference. Conference was great!! All the talks were so awesome! And as a guilty pleasure we got to sit in air con at the church for most of Saturday and Sunday! Awesome! I’m just blown away by it all. One strange thing is that the people will sing along with the choir… don’t really like it, but it was alright. We even had four investigators come to the Sunday sessions!
Last night we went to the Romero family, and Tatay (dad) Romero has set a baptismal date for May 1!, a national holiday here, and Elder LeCheminant’s birthday. He was feeling unsure and that he wasn’t ready, but we shared Mosiah 18: 8-10 with him (baptismal covenant) and he decided that he could do it! I know he knows it’s true, I’m so happy for him. He’s such a simple guy, but he’s awesome. I’m sure Kristine is happy too.
I was actually reflecting on VITA the other day. Mostly just remembering how glad I was for it to end! But it was a good experience and I learned a lot from it.
Stake Conference is coming up here on April 25. That’ll be fun. The stake includes four “cities.” Cadiz, Manapla, Fabrica, and Victorias. We have it easy because the Stake Center is here in Cadiz!
May 3 is going to be an awesome P-day btw. It’s the P-day after Elder LeCheminant’s b-day and its Sister Tobias’ b-day, so we are gonna do lunch! Should be fun.
Well, I think that covers my week and your questions. Nothing else really stood out, at least not to me. My whole day would stand out to you, but I’m just use to it now. It’s just how it is. Oh, I did actually remember my cord for my camera so I can do pictures. So you can FINALLY have some. Hopefully they make it to you! I’ll pick some good ones. I’ll make a CD and send it home when I have more pictures too so you can have them all.
--Elder Phelps
PS.
You can stop with the dearelders. They take forever to get here, and they are just annoying. Sorry. Though do keep sending Stuart’s and Emily’s stuff.
Package. Good things to include in a package are contact solution and deodorant. Those two are both expensive here. 300-ish pesos! Sure that’s like six bucks, but compared to everything else we have to buy its mahal guid! (expensive!) Like, it makes up half my total grocery price when I buy them.
Yes, Josh did email me. Due to rules I have to snail mail my reply. But I’m way excited for him.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Still in Cadiz!
Hello to all!
First off, conference here is a rebroadcast to the stake center a week after the actual thing, so it's still this next Saturday and Sunday for us here in the Philippines. I'm way excited for it. We are lucky too, the simbahan (church) in Cadiz is the stake center for Cadiz, Victorias and Fabrica. We don't need to catch a bus to see conference!
I could talk a lot about how Easter goes here, but there's not enough time. Simply put, all the other churches go crazy. It starts on Thursday and goes to Sunday (called Holy Week). Some people dress up and there are some that carry around crosses for a day. There are some extremists that actually crucify themselves, didn't see that last one, thank goodness. Most people have the days off for the celebration, so many members will go on vacation since they don't participate in Holy Week. Then Sunday is a normal fast and testimony meeting.
Okay, so as I have already suggested, I am still in Cadiz! I love it there. My new companion is Elder Lecheminant. He's from Orem. He's awesome, just really cool. Fun to talk to, good at the language and teaching. He spent the last 11 months over on Panay, now he's back on Negros. Oh, so update on the mission split, this is how they are gonna decide, whichever island you are on when the split happens, you stay there, that's your mission. I want to experience Panay, but I want to stay in the Bacolod Mission.
So our week was alright. We were punted a lot this week. The fact that it was Holy Week had a lot to do with that. We also lost an investigator. He's moving to Manilla because he's getting a job, which is a good thing. I hope he tries to find the missionaries there. Things are going well and we should have a lot of lessons this week.
First off, conference here is a rebroadcast to the stake center a week after the actual thing, so it's still this next Saturday and Sunday for us here in the Philippines. I'm way excited for it. We are lucky too, the simbahan (church) in Cadiz is the stake center for Cadiz, Victorias and Fabrica. We don't need to catch a bus to see conference!
I could talk a lot about how Easter goes here, but there's not enough time. Simply put, all the other churches go crazy. It starts on Thursday and goes to Sunday (called Holy Week). Some people dress up and there are some that carry around crosses for a day. There are some extremists that actually crucify themselves, didn't see that last one, thank goodness. Most people have the days off for the celebration, so many members will go on vacation since they don't participate in Holy Week. Then Sunday is a normal fast and testimony meeting.
Okay, so as I have already suggested, I am still in Cadiz! I love it there. My new companion is Elder Lecheminant. He's from Orem. He's awesome, just really cool. Fun to talk to, good at the language and teaching. He spent the last 11 months over on Panay, now he's back on Negros. Oh, so update on the mission split, this is how they are gonna decide, whichever island you are on when the split happens, you stay there, that's your mission. I want to experience Panay, but I want to stay in the Bacolod Mission.
So our week was alright. We were punted a lot this week. The fact that it was Holy Week had a lot to do with that. We also lost an investigator. He's moving to Manilla because he's getting a job, which is a good thing. I hope he tries to find the missionaries there. Things are going well and we should have a lot of lessons this week.
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