Subject: In
the Field - Week 4?
Hello family!
We had an awesome week!
Not sure where to start... On Wednesday we had exchanges so I got
to lead the area with my District leader, that was pretty fun. It's so
nice finally getting the area down. My sense of direction was off for the
longest time after getting off the plane. Hah it's still hard to find new
places that we don't already know because in the Philippines.... There are no
addresses! For all the information of our investigators and others we
have to draw maps so the next missionaries will be able to find them. Unfortunately
my sketching skills aren't quite adequate so my companion takes care of it.
Once we finally find the people we are looking for though, it's great.
Except for we had some very interesting experiences this week:
1. We found a lady
to teach who lives right next to a meat market. We were having a great
lesson with her then about halfway through, a pig just started squealing
extremely loud in the meat market for like a minute straight. And
then.... silence... I'll admit to have been pretty distracted by that.
But certainly not as distracted as what happened to us the next day.
That brings us to interesting experience number two.
2. We were
teaching a member in a poorer part of the poor neighborhood that we
were in. We had to use a candle-lit lantern as a light for our lesson.
After the opening prayer Elder Fronk asked if this brother had a Book of
Mormon. He pointed to a shelf so elder Fronk reached his hand in there to
grab the book of mormon. You might be able to tell where this is going...
He pulls it out and there was a MASSIVE spider crawling on it! At
least the size of my fist! I was so scared. Fronk yelped and
dropped the Book on the ground and the spider started crawling super fast
towards my feet. At this point, I just about lost it. Everyone in
the whole room was yelling clambering up unto their stools. The gigantic
spider then crawled up onto the leg of a stool and just sat there the rest of
the lesson. After that, my mind was no longer focused on what we were
teaching - at all. All I could do was keep glancing at the big fella
hoping it wouldn't move towards me... The room being lit by a small
candle only amplified my terror....
So yep, I pretty much
live in fear nowadays, BUT, general conference was amazing! As you know,
we have to watch it a week late because of our time zone, so here a just a few
of my thoughts:
President Uchtdorf's
talk from Saturday morning - It's great that we're going to be happy for all
eternity after this life, but we need to stop and smell the roses as well.
Life is not a race, it's a journey - allow ourselves to be happy now as
well! Elder Holland's talk from Sunday morning session was amazing. All
about Christ. What I got out of it was basically if we love Christ more
than any of the worldly temptations around us, let show Him that!
Elder Bednar's message about conversion was great. One of my
favorites though was Sister Anne Dibb (Young Women's Presidency...yata...).
She talked about seeing an I'm a Mormon statement on a girl's shirt, and
though to herself, if this little girl can be bold, so can I. She went on
to present this as an idea to post on a shirt, "I'm a Mormon. I know
it, I live it, I love it." That is so awesome.
Her exuberance really made me want to have the vibrant conviction when
I bear testimony to the world every day just by how I live my life.
Well the Philippines is
(are?) great! I can't get over the beauty here. Every night there is a
huge circle of light around the moon, and as we walk home, I see fire flies in
the fields and up above - even as I ponder the blessings of eternal life, with
my loving, eternal family... What more do I need to describe beauty?
Thanks for everything!
Love, Elder Shane
Scully Brown
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