Another week has gone bye

Maayo-ago pamilya!

 Last Monday was a turning point for me! Like I said last week, my companion and I were kinda all business until Monday. We finally got adjusted and used to each other and we have hit it off since then! It's not just business, but we've gotten to know each other personally and I know that our success in the field starts with the unity in the home and with the companionship.  I did my laundry for the first time on Monday, too. I got up at 5 and I worked on it until 7..so time consuming and my hands were extremely sore. I wondered if my clothes were even getting clean, but you learn to not care here. haha That night, we had ward FHE..it was so much fun and I can finally say I tasted some WEIRD food..I had shrimp eggs (I choked it down, but it was DISGUSTING!), the dried fish I always gagged over every time we went for Filipino food (it was actually not the bad), an ostrich egg, and other funky things!!

Tuesday was District Meeting where we gave stats, asked for suggestions, learned about the Book of Mormon and practiced..(speaking of district meeting, I have to present a 3-5 min presentation in Illongo tomorrow! I guess that's one way to learn the language! haha) We learned that with 1+1 always equals two. Thus paralleled, reading the Book of Mormon and pray always equals true conversion! If an investigator isn't progressing, we can find the problem and troubleshoot from there! We have had Michael who is 12 yrs old move his baptism date up because he is progressing so much! Yet, there are investigators here who are having a hard time keeping the commitments..actually, a lot are. It's frustrating because we know how the gospel will help them, so we've been working on how to better help them and find their root problem because we can't keep building on an unsturdy foundation. It'll fall.

Wed-Today most of our appointments fell through.  Most weren't home or some claimed to be "busy".  That was the first time that I felt discouraged. Yet, we have to remember to keep having faith and being persistent and the Lord will make way for them to be prepared.  My lessons are coming more and more with the Illongo as I use the words I know all the time and keep adding to them.  If I don't know Illongo, I resort to Tagalog before I speak English. Although most people speak English to me still when I"m trying to learn Illongo..those tempters haha.  We also went over to a lady in our ward who makes porcelain figurines and I bought a spider man for one of the boys..They are dirt cheap. What are some characters (Two more ideas) so I can get them one. She hand paints them and I got my name, mission, and years on them.  That night my companion (ps she cooks for me because I don't know what or how to cook their food)  but it was a tomato and duck egg topping...I gagged. Its going to take a while to get used to this food. haha. 

Thursday-We had better success! I love personal study!! I feel my faith and love for my Savior grow each day.  I am starting the book of Mormon and am already 1/3 done! I love it. We taught quite a few new people  today and we have a 17 yr old girl Kriscella who comes with us  and helps..she wants to serve a mission! On the streets I always get called gwapa and there are people who try and speak illongo to me and I don't' understand so they ask in English "well do you know gwapa??!" haha I feel conceited saying yes, but I do. haha I also have gotten eaten alive by mosquito's that have turned purple and blistering..I have an appt with the doc tomorrow because I think I'm reacting to them.  All the kids also surround me.  I finally got a picture! I also got a pic with goats! There are goats around everywhere! We still have baptisms set for the next 5 weeks and one this weekend of Jay-ann who is 12, also! But, funny thing for the day, my comp is Filipino and she struggles with English and she always calls girls "him" and it throws me off all the time! It's so funny! 

Fri-Today I felt the gift of tongues! It was awesome. I was inspired to challenge the ward with reading 3rd Nephi Ch. 11-26. We are struggling with the members and we need their help the most. So we want them to center their study on those ch's this month so that we can get excited about this gospel and be more willing to get out there and do missionary work! I need ideas if anyone has anything! I set goals for myself this week and have met most of them! We also have been focusing on teaching keeping the sabbath day holy to our investigators because they are always working on Sundays and can't come to church! We hope that teaching them that, they will get more motivated and realize and rearrange their priorities! 

Sat- I swear I am going to come home hunchback! I am so tall everywhere I go.  Today I got in a tricycle and had to hang my head out the window because I didn't fit. Then, a bug flicked and went in my eye and it hurt for forever! But, it gives good stories to tell! haha. We have continued working with those investigators getting them ready for their interviews for baptism! There is a boy that was just baptized that reminds me of Matthew. He is so funny! I also, finally saw a Downs girl here..I loved her and it made me miss Tyler and his hugs, kisses, and excitement! PS.I still haven't bitten my nails. I finally kicked the habit. They have no polish on them and I finally don't have a desire to bite them! There also was a lady we visited Sis. Impan. She is older with no money who has a desire to go to church, but we are going to talk to bishop to see what we can do. She made my day with her smile and laugh and she told us that she was glad that the missionaries came to visit her because the others were always so serious and looked terrified, but us, we were always smiling and laughing..of course! We love the mission! So, I have gotten that I look  1/2 Filipino and American and today I got I looked 1/2 Indian and American...what?!!!! hahahaahahhaha Also, I went and visited a less active. I introduced my self "Ako po si Sis Arnold" and she laughed and said "oh, Arnold Schwartzanegro"hahahaha I DIED! It made me think of Matthew and white chicks! She meant Schwarzenegger, oh made my week!

Sun-We had our first testimony meeting! I am grateful for the atonement in my life. Today was the day that I finally realized that we were teaching by the spirit! You always wonder and Elder Bednar says "Don't worry about it", but I can testify that we were led. All our plans ended up going other than planned, but it was what they needed! Then, in my personal study, I was directed and guided! It was incredible and I received revelation for one of our investigators who was baptized but doesn't believe in a living prophet. Don't ask me how, but we're working on her and I think I know how :)

I am grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary at this time. I always strive to be the missionary that moms think their kids are! The Lord has blessed the work in the Philippines for us and we are doing all we can to work on it! I love being a missionary and know this church is true! I miss and love you all. I pray for you daily!

I love you all!!

Sister Arnold

Well, I made it!

Welcome to the Bacolod after 18 hours of traveling, no sleep, missionary work on every flight, gave out 1 B of M, 2 mormon.org cards with 2 referrals.  Our plane rides were chaotic, Manila robbed us $ wise-we had to pay $100 each for baggage w/ no time to fight it or we would've missed our flight:  We got to Bacolod, were greeted by humidity, bathrooms w/ no TP (Good thing I had kleenex in my backpack..I was not about to start off my trip with having to wipe with my hands..not yet at least HA!),  our Mission Pres. and wife, and the 2 AP's.  We headed for the hotel where we stayed for the next 2 nights because the Mission Home was under renovation.  We had interviews that night and met some of the office staff.  We were embarrassingly tired and were falling asleep while waiting for our turn! Jet lag I tell ya! We went back and the next morning went down for breakfast and was greeted w/ rice, meatballs, fish, chicken, omlettes, fruit, and bread..where's the bagels, cereal, and pancakes?? Not in the PI! ha But, I have learned to love the rice real quick! We had orientation that day, met the rest of the Filipino missionaries that were new as well.  We had dinner with the President and others and it turned into a cultural event..they all wanted to hear from the foreigners so us Americans sang "Home on the range" (Sis kings choice, not mine ha), the Canadians sang their national song, and the filipinos got up and sang as sisters in zion/armies of helamen...huh?! that's not cultural! That's american too! haha. Friday came and we knew we were getting our trainers.  The night before I had a feeling that I was going to be sent to the Central zone which is dead center in the city...guess where I got assigned? Central zone, Bacolod 6th ward! Who told me no sisters got sent to the city?? haha Definitely wrong.  This mission is not allowed to tract, but we focus all our time on reactivation.  I was immediately humbled and grateful for what I had.  These people all have houses made out of wood, boxes, sticks, no air, no floors but dirt, trees as chairs and blankets separating "rooms".  I was taken back at how they had hardly anything but were extremely happy! You never truly understand until you see it first hand.  And this is my home for the next 12 weeks at least and I LOVE it! Day two in the field we had a baptism of the Tan family, a husband and wife.  As we walked to the church it poured on us and I didn't have my umbrella, hence why I look the way I do in thepicture.  They are the nicest family and will be great! I've already gotten close to them and seeing all that they gave up to become a member is incredible, but the Lord will bless them! Right now we have 7 families/people who have baptism dates set for the next 5 weeks.  We teach at least 30+ lessons a week and stay busy.  My trainer is good.  She's extremely diligent, obedient, dedicated and helps me be the missionary I need to be.  But, unfortunately, she keeps it all business, so we don't really know much about eachother personally..oh well! The language is tough as I've been trying to learn it.  Everything I learned in Tagalog is basically useless and I'm starting from square one.  But, I continue trying.  Our ward is in English and most people talk to me in English too, which doesn't help haha.  Whoever said this is the hardest thing I'd ever do is right, but I can already see blessings from it.  In all our lessons, never fails, we ask them who they want to say the prayer..guess who they choose?? THE AMERICAN! haha geez! That's one way to learn the language and they chuckle as they pick me too. Haha I love it! everyone comments on the following everytime I talk to someone, it's one of these: how tall I am (even president said it), or they call me gwapa which means beautiful, or they say that I look like a beauty pageant queen and should try out for Miss America! hahhaha Oh they're funny! The people are so sweet and welcoming and my love for them increases each day. On sunday,  I was called on to share my testimony..I started in english with words I didn't know, but as I started to give my testimony in Illongo, everyone was smiling and laughing as I tried my hardest! hhahaha They all laugh because I say the common words in Illongo because I"m learning doctrine words etc so I'm limited and my trainer translates most of the time as I'm learning! hahahah
But here are some random things:
-We only have running water in the apt from 5 to 8am
-We take bucket showers (that wasn't a joke)
-We eat rice for practically every meal.
-I haven't eaten anything crazy because the members/others don't feed us..we fend for ourselves.
-We've had 2 brown outs which are power outages
-I have 10 mosquito bites that turned purple..ouch!
-They have American music blaring in the streets..it's funny to see how far behind the times they are.
-We ride in those tricycles a lot because our house isn't in the area and our area is huge. I barely fit in them, the roof is on my head literally, and when we hit bumps they all laugh because I hit my head really hard.
-I have to bend down to get in through any doors in houses, etc. You'd think I'm 6'2 over here..I'm only 5'9!
-I got pecked and bit by a duck. haha
-I have embarrassing moments where filipinos don't understand me and their culture they just stare at you and drop their jaw if they don't understand. ha
-The families all want me to help them with their English and they in return help me with my illongo.
-Mothers Day we can skype!
-My singing is awful here because they aren't the best singers and soIi sometimes follow them out of habit..cover your ears! haha
-There's only 25 sisters in the mission.
-When I say I'm from Vegas, they ask if I've gambled before haha.
-We don't schedule appts here, we just drop by and tech because they're always home.
-I have a fan next to me ALWAYS!!
-Moms breast feed in the open everywhere and even during lessons..no cover up, etc.
-Lizards visit the apt.

Well, I am out of time, but I'll write home answering your emails...know I love you all and love the PI!!!

Love you!
Sister Arnold

My address is Brgy 22 Bacolod City
6100 Negros Occidental
Philippines