Week 55: Fishbowl Fun with Fellowshippers in Malayo

Hello to all of you from across the globe. This is the Elder Menzie, back with another ~quality~ update on the life of being a crazy person teaching Jesus for 2 years in the Philippines. It was a pretty good week.

This week we worked with members a lot, which was pretty surprising, because we haven't really had a lot of that in this area. it was great though. They're all really cool, and are getting ready for their own missions.

That's right, the fisheye is back.

I didn't write about this when it happened, but a few weeks ago, their mom got up and bore her testimony in sacrament meeting. She was talking about how she had always wanted her sons to serve missions, but they didn't seem all that interested, and she didn't want to force them. Then, after a youth activity about missionary work or something, one of her sons just came up to her and said he wants to serve a mission. The joy I saw in the eyes of this mother as she was trying to express the joy she felt of having a missionary son in the future just hit me hard. I'm so glad I've got the opportunity to help them prepare in some small way for full time missionary service.

With one of these good bois, I went to a far part of my area, called Malayo, and if you speak Tagalog, that's pretty funny.

Malayo's pretty.

This week we also had Zone Conference with President and Sister Craig, which was great. I conducted the meeting, and I think that that's probably gonna be the last time I'm given responsibility for a while. I'm just kidding it was fine. We had a testimony meeting at the end, and it was one of those "And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do." (1Nephi 4:7) moments and testified of the Eternal Love that Christ has for us, and the hope that gives me for blessings in this life and the life to come. I feel like hope is something like a feeling that we get because of the faith we have. For me it's closely related to the comfort the Holy Spirit brings, and is probably the most basic evidence of the substance of our faith.

My hope in Christ's love and the blessings from it has grown astronomically in my year, which I am so grateful for.

Love,
Elder Menzie

Tagalog in-line:
Malayo -- Far

Picture:
Us and Sister Divina Viernes (she's a cool person we're teaching)

Week 54: Staccato, or the Blind Leading the Blind

Hello folks! How're y'all doing? That's great! I'm doing pretty good. Still doing the missionary thang. Y'know.

This Sunday, we had choir practice, because we've got a district conference coming up, and they wanted to have a youth choir, but the youth didn't have enough gusto in their souls, so they roped some missionaries into helping out, and like I said before, I am one of those, so I'm in the choir.

In said choir, we're singing Battle Hymn of the Republic and I Know That My Redeemer Lives, so I was pretty optimistic, because those are great songs! And then, the choir director started to *direct* us. For the Battle Hymn of the Republic, the young men/Elders sing the first verse in STACCATO. That's Italian for "as you're singing, you divide each syllable with a 'HUH' " that's not actually what staccato means, but that's how we sang the first verse, and also how we sang the first half of the 4th verse of I Know That My Redeemer Lives. It's great. I'll take a video when we finally perform it, so get excited for that.

Aside from choir antics, this week we were able to teach the Valdez Family. They're super cool. They live back a little ways off the road, so we have to take a cool footpath to get to them:

Don't worry, it's marginally easier to see the path in person.

The Valdez family is really cool though. they were super welcoming to us and seem to be pretty accepting of the gospel. Their family is really big, but most of the older kids have moved out, but Sister Valdez doesn't really seem to mind that much. she's got her hands full with the kiddos she's still got at home.

Hope your week is just as staccato as mine was!

Love,

Elder Menzie

Tagalog for my Mom:

Pagibig sa tahanan -- Love at Home

Pictures for Everyone Else:

Picture 1: I found out my camera has a fisheye function

Picture 2: After choir practice

Week 53: Treason Day with the Canadians

This week was a pretty weird one for my ~feelings~. For those of you with negative patriotism, this last Thursday was the 4th of July, otherwise known as the anniversary of the coolest act of treason ever. And every year, we watch the hotdog eating competition, and go to Boston to go watch a bunch of explosions over a river. It's awesome, but this year, I did not do that. On the 4th, I got up at 4 AM, and took a Bus to Cauayan because we had --meetings--

So I spent the 4th of July in a meeting with my brand-spankin' new mission president and some other missionaries. Did I mention that the new mission president is Canadian? Because he is. We don't hold it against him though, because he had us sing America the Beautiful as the opening hymn. And I respect that. He's also really funny and taught us about receiving revelation, and what it actually means to "study it out in your mind" (D&C 9:8) He talked about some of his past experience as a stake president and how helpful it is to write out our thoughts before asking the Lord about them.

After the meeting, we stayed in Cauayan and worked in some other Elders' area and stayed there for the night, and had a mini Treason Day celebration:

It was just about the most American I've felt in a year. The next morning, we left and took a bus back to Bambang, and we were informed that because it was the 4th, we could call home, so I got thought the process to load my phone with international calling, and talked to my parents for a little bit, which was great. Then, just because I was feeling a little homesick, when the bus stopped in front of Dunkin' Donuts, I made a purchase:

Nothing makes this east coast boy feel more at home than a Boston Cream doughnut from Dunks and an "Orange Icy Cooler," which is not a menu option back east, but if you're wondering, it's just Orange Tang with ice in it.

I'd say that it was a pretty good 4th of July, all things considered, but I am pretty glad I'll be back in Boston for the next one.

Love,

Elder Menzie

Tagalog Twisters:

tayo tayo -- we stand

pictures from the aforementioned meeting:

Week 52: Baptisms and an Extremely Small Pineapple

This was a week that kinda stressed me out, but it's all good because there were blessings and stuff.

This week Elder Salas had his departure activity, because he's leaving soon. Everyone who is leaving with him went with the Banaue rice terraces, which appear in Avengers: Infinity War, but there's at least one person reading this who hasn't seen that movie yet, so I'm not gonna spoil it. Elder Salas said it was really nice there, but the hike was pretty hard.

While Elder Salas was there, I stayed in Bambang and worked with Elder Marchant on Wednesday and then Elder Blackwell on Thursday. They're both really cool, hardworking missionaries, and Elder Marchant is also from the east coast. He's from Pennsylvania, but I don't hold it against him.

On Saturday one of the people we've been teaching since I got here got baptized! Sister May is awesome. She's married to a member of the Church, and he used to have a problem with Alcohol, but he says that now he just reads the book of Revelation. He's awesome. They're expecting a lil baby, which I hope I'm around to see. The time leading up to the baptism was extremely stressful though. We got there in the morning to clean up:

After that, we went out to work for a little bit, and then, we went to May's house to pick her up for the baptism. She wasn't there. This is where it gets stressful. Her mother in law tells us that May's gone to her grandparents house to try and get them to come to the baptism, which is great, except for the fact that the baptism was supposed to start in a half hour, and they were far away, and hadn't even started to get ready. Also Rhendon (her husband) was nervous about baptizing her, and they were trying to get me to do it. I don't have a problem with baptizing people, but I really wanted him to baptize his wife.

So after that we went home, and I got my baptizing clothes just in case, and we headed to the church, and got there right when the baptism was supposed to start. We waited 20 minutes for the branch president, and ten more minutes for May and Rhendon. 

It was actually super nice when everyone got there, and I didn't have to use my baptismal clothes, which was nice.

also I held a very small pineapple later that day:

Love,

Elder Menzie

Usually Tagalog, but this time English:

Genuflection -- to bend the right knee in respect