Hey folks, it's starting to feel normal out here, if you can believe it. That's not to say it hasn't been absolutely bonkers, but I think it's kind of like white noise at this point.
This Thursday, the last of the elders who were evacuated to our apartment went home to their area. Before they left though, on Wednesday, They had to go to a health clinic here in Aurora to get looked at, because one of them got bit by a dog on the thumb, and one of them thought he had a fractured back. They walk out of the clinic pretty soon after they went in, because this clinic didn't have the right equipment for them, and they had to take the hour Jeepney ride to Roxas (pronounced Rohas) to get to a clinic that could help them.
Elder Leausa and I stayed in Aurora and went to work we saw a really weird Parade with a float with a statue of Mary leading the way. There were groups of about 50 Filipino children, all dressed up in costumes. One of these groups was dressed in all black. with black and yellow wings on their back, and all of their skin that was showing was painted black. We saw them, and a Filipino turned to me and asked me if that was racist, and I affirmed that a parade with a bunch of kids in blackface would probably be considered problematic in America.
You probably guessed from the subject line, but this week some investigators got baptized! Three members of the Bruno family got baptized on Saturday by Brother Bruno, who just recently got the Priesthood. It was such a blessing to see these people get baptized by their father, and in the case of sister Raquel by her husband. I'm so excited for next week, when the last member of the Bruno family, Rick, is going to be baptized. They're such a solid family.
The baptism was also great because one of our investigators, John Christian, was able to attend with his 4 year-old daughter. He's had a rough past, but he's been super receptive to our message, and on the way home, we asked him how he felt, and he said that he really wanted to get baptized now, so people can know his story, and know why he converted to this Gospel. It's a crazy story, and I'll be sure to tell it one of these days, but it's probably too long for this email. John Christian is the man, and I'm so happy that I've had this opportunity to introduce the Gospel of Jesus Christ into his life.
This week, while we were on splits with fellowshipers, Elder Leausa visited an investigator of ours who had been not super receptive. They went and asked her if she wanted to keep being taught, and tried to fix her concerns. Turns out, she wasn't receptive because she couldn't understand what I was saying. That put me into a funk for a while, but I know that I'm not going to get any better at this language if I don't mess up a lot. I'm better than I was last week, and I'm going to be better next week than I am today. I'm on the Lord's side, and He's not going to leave me.
Love,
Elder Menzie
Tagalog. : Gaano para sa akin? - How much for me? (payment)
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| Bruno Family baptism |
