We had such a fantastic week. We have several new investigators, and I
am really excited about the potential here in GuaGua. I keep thinking
to myself that my mission feels like a very long dream. Time is so so
indescribable on the mission. Days feel like hours and weeks feel like
days. I am having an interesting time trying to process how little
time I have left. I almost can't believe it.
Our investigator, Alberto has just the most interesting stories. He's
the one I mentioned last week about Heavenly Father's spirit entering
his stomach. This week, he told that while he was drinking (alcohol,
actually. it's a bizarre coincidence that it was actually alcohol
while this happened.....) that Mary (Jesus' mother) went into his
stomach. He also mentioned that while he was playing basketball one
day, he became Michael Jordon. ? While he was resting on top of a
basketball afterwards, God's spirit then entered into his body. I
honestly believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone. I
hope that he will be able to grasp some of the things we'll be
teaching him. During church yesterday, he leaned over and told me
that I looked like Mama Mary. I told him that she's more beautiful
than I am. haha. :)
Last Monday, the members here in GuaGua were so sweet and gave us some
cooked 'tatad.' I casually mentioned that I'm on the lookout for
strange/bizarre foods, and they gloriously provided some fried wood
termites for us. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for their kindness
on our behalf. Sister Ticzon may or may have not screamed. She never
ate them, but I did. It tasted like fried tilapia. Other people
described the taste as being similar to pork rinds, or even the inside
as milk-y tasting. To me, it mostly just tasted like fried tilapia.
The internet shop we're currently at, is not liking my camera right
now, so I am unable to show photos of this. Maybe next week. :)
We taught a new investigator yesterday named Eric. Eric arrived at the
church around 1 pm, thinking that he was going to attend the church
services. We were so surprised to see him at the church, and even
though he missed church, we taught him in one of the classrooms. I
don't know how to describe the vibe that I got from him and I don't
like to just assign abstract feelings to someone, but I felt like he
was incredible weighed down with many things from his past. I saw
'guilt' in his face and in his words. It was an experience to see the
effect of certain things that he had done in his life. Through his
actions, he effected not only himself, but his family as well. He
looked visibly burdened down. We explained that the process of
becoming free from certain things that he's done, is not an
instantaneous process, but that there is a very real hope-a hope that
is literally 'freeing.' This hope can lead us to become free us from
bondage, from sin, from guilt, from our own weaknesses. We talked very
simply about the atonement of Jesus Christ as well as who 'God' is. He
told us that he wants to know who God really is. I love that the
nature of God is the first principle of the first lesson that we teach
to investigators as missionaries. Without understanding the nature of
God, I think most ideas or principles in the gospel would not follow,
or would not be clear.
I want to briefly mention Brother Garcia, who is a long time member in
GuaGua. He has been less active for the past few years. He's gone
through some incredibly painful experiences in his life. He used to
work in Benghazi, Libya. He mentioned that the government is
incredibly strict on foreigners when they enter the country.
Christianity is basically outlawed and bibles are confiscated if
people ever try to bring them inside the country. Brother Garcia
explained that in an effort to be able to read the scriptures (more
specifically, the Book of Mormon) without getting caught, that he cut
out 1 page of the English Book of Mormon, folded it 8 times and hid it
inside his wallet. He was never caught for that.
We asked him which exact page it was that he brought with him, and he
said that he forgot what page number it was. But he quoted a part of
one verse that was on that page. From there, Sister Ticzon and I
searched our Books of Mormon, asking him, "Is this it? Is that one
it?" until we finally found the verse in Ether 12:4, which is found on
page 509 of the English Book of Mormon. Page 509-510 was the page that
he had read during his time in Libya, and I don't think I'll ever
forget that. Those passages in the book of Ether became especially
meaningful to me, as these were the verses he read over and over and
over again when he witnessed hell-ish happenings during his time
there.
Brother Garcia was also in Libya when some sort of attack broke out in
the country a few years ago. Many filipino workers were unable to
leave the country at that time due to complications with their
passports. He briefly described some of the things that he saw. Tears
came to my eyes as he described the inhumanity that he saw at that
time. He saw limbs and heads being severed and people killed in front
of him. He said that he witnessed the day that "God is not here.''
There was a specific time in which he realized that he would be
killed. Him and several other Filipinos were captured and he had
basically accepted that fact that his life would be shortly ending. He
told God that he's accepted the fact that he will die, but that if
there was something left for him to do in this life, to provide a way
or an escape for him. Shortly after, some sort of miracle happened in
which they found their passports and found some way to escape. (I
thought that it was interesting that in those moments of despair or of
desperation it's natural for us to call on our Creator, to call on
God. Why is it that in difficult times we become acquainted with him,
more than in times of peace or during prayer of a casual sort? )
We quietly listened to him and my mind was racing trying to process
the things that he was describing. I'm not sure why exactly I included
this specific experience in my weekly email to you all, but I felt
like I needed to include it and so I did. I believe in God and know
that God lives. We worship a living God- a loving God.
8, (forever yours)
Sister DV