Family!
So much to tell you this week! (I’m trying to think
of some not-so cliché ways to start off
these emails. I feel like I wasn't too successful with that
one). President was gone the entire week for Mission Presidents’ Seminar
in Manila, so SUPPOSED to be, this was our week to conquer the world (teach a
lot) since we would have nothing to do in the office but that didn't exactly
happen. Apparently, when President is out of town, that’s when Satan
likes to strike. SOOOOOOOO much happened. Every day was a new
adventure… Every day.
Still, I have some good stories for you! A little
more than a month ago, we were closing up at the office on a pouring rain
night. All of a sudden, this lady shows up, knocking at the door.
This was slightly creepy since it was 9pm and the city dies here around 8pm,
not to mention the down pour. To slash the long story – she was crippled
(from birth I think, hand a deformed right arm) and got kicked out of her
Aunt’s house in the northern part of the Philippines. She planned on
going to stay with her kid (long story) in the southern islands but had no
money and thought that even though she had been inactive for years, she would
try and come ask for help since she saw the church after the truck she was
hitching a ride on dropped her off near it. We called the bishop and he
came over and verified her story, making sure she wasn’t scamming us and took
her to a hostel (cheap place to stay for a night) and gave her money to get to
where she was going. And after that, we never heard anything about
it… Bishop updated us on the situation last week and said that the lady
contacted him from her kid’s place saying how grateful she was and that she’s
now active in the church down there. She is so grateful that we were
instruments in the Lord’s hands to help her. So what started as a
some-what weird experience for us, turned out to be another spiritual witness
that God really does love all his children.
Yet again, Vern came to church! Woohoo! And it
was even better than last week! He walks in and says that while he was
reading the Book of Mormon that morning, he has this distinct thought come to
him that he needs to make sure this is the true church, and that when he
decides to join, he has to join with all his heart and not go back. He
always says it’s “going to be difficult to change religions”. Also, he
always shares things about the Catholic beliefs with us to compare and so we
can answer his questions. At church, he said that he doesn’t share those
things to convert us, but to show us how hard it’s going to be for him to leave
these things. …is it not so obvious that he will one day be
baptized?! It’s such a miracle. And not only his progression in the
church, but we are not at all surprised that his temporal situation is
improving as well! Tomorrow he starts teaching English, he’ll be making
100 pesos a day ($2.50, can you believe, that’s a lot for him!). I love
Vern so much. I feel so blessed to be here at this time. I feel so
incompetent and undeserving, nonetheless, I’m so, so happy to be able to
participate at a time like this (:
By the way, it's hot again. It feels like I sleep in
a kiln every night. An electric fan only goes so far.
Love you!
Elder Shane Brown
Pictures -
1. Had a new elder come in this week (transfers are
still next week pa)
2. Went on exchanges with this elder this week.
Great guy.
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