Happy Birthday Sarah!

Dear Family,
Ano ba? Linoloco n'yo ako in a serious way. I was SO fooled by those pictures of Sarah and the car! (No! Sarah did not get a car for her birthday -- but she wished she did!)
Chris, way to go! You're AWESOME. Lovin' your emails.
Dad, thanks for the peanut butter / jelly recipe. Hahaha. I'll have you know that peanuts and peanut butter are infinitely better here, but it's all about the bananas. Write that one down. peanut butter and banana. This week I cooked sinigang. Wow, sarap.
Wow, if Chris can survive that last part of your email, he's doing great! (Chris, I know you're doing great).
This week Elder Edwards from the Area Presidency came to our Stake Conference. The full-time Elders prepared a musical number, I was the pianist. It was a slightly arranged "Come all ye sons of God". As the priesthood meeting was about to start, we realized that the part of the chapel we were in was absolutely piano-less. Frantically, we looked over the church for a keyboard. We found, and pulled out of the cobwebs, a short keyboard that must have been used by those chanting monks during spanish rule 200 years ago. We plugged 'er in just as the congregation was about to sing the opening hymn, and with another missionary acting as a music stand for me, we suffered through the ancient, MIDI piano sound. During our musical number, it was hard to overlook the fact that the piano setting sounded more like a water-logged banjo. The spirit must have made up for it, because the next day at the meeting, I got to shake Elder Edwards hand and he thanked me for playing the piano in the priesthood session. Yes! Check off one more lifetime goal. I also got to play one hymn and the postlude/prelude in the main session.
We picked up one investigator at her home -- Sister Hernandez. She walked in with us, and after 4 hours, walked out arm in arm with a relief society sister, like they were long-lost friends. Fellowshipping is such an amazing thing!
Elder Edwards spoke about how after the Savior appeared in America, the news was spread abroad so many gathered on the morrow. He then mentioned, while we grimaced, that the attendance at the stake conference that day was 10%. He pointed out that if we were 100%, the chapel, and the institute building, and the church grounds, and the neighboring building wouldn't be enough to hold all of us. He compared us to the Nephites, he said: "Don't we have the same message? We heard the Lord's servants. We missed you. The spirit of the Lord was there. We want you back. Come with us." It was so powerful coming from a general authority, a servant of the Lord.
He had two stories about a stake conference in Herare, Africa 4 years ago. They were inspiring, I'll send them next week for Grandma and Grandpa Swan. Send them my love, and also to Grandma Peck, and Great-Grandma Peck. I hope they are all doing well, and I look forward to Great-Grandma's upcoming birthday.

The spider pictures are pretty cool, huh? His web was green and thick. Spider-fighting is way cool to see, kids carry around their spiders in match-boxes. May gugumba ka ba? Magpa-away na sa kanila!
I'm still waiting for news from Capas. If everything went well, the Zamora family should have been baptized on the 12th of September. News moves so slow during the last part of the transfer. The last family on the camera card.. . Maybe. . . Elder Razo and I are sitting on the floor, and there's one young sister, and a couple -- that's the Zamora family.
I love you! I'm learning a lot here, and looking forward to another great one. I really can't believe that two years are just about up for Chris! That really throws me. I love you all! Have a great, great week.
Elder Loren Peck