Blessings Are Coming Down, like the rain, from Heaven

Hey Family!
I just got back from Tarlac, it's another busy day. Earlier they gave me a huge shot, right in the sitter. Woohoo! It was my 3rd visit (for rabies shots --see last post). So far I've been given 4 shots in my left arm, 3 in my right, but I really didn't see the big one coming. The lady told me to hold some shot medicine to warm it up while they shot me in the arms. I thought the fluid I was holding was for someone else. I laughed when I saw one of the nurses with the huge, huge needle and asked who the poor person was. She just looked at me funny and then told me to turn around and undo my belt. That's not funny --
I've got one more shot in July, then I'm done. I already told mom that despite everything I'm doing to prevent more boils, I'm just getting over a really bad one. Interviews with President Puzey are tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to that. They went to Lupao a few days ago and delivered a keyboard to Darius (my piano student). I hope to hear how the delivery went tomorrow.
The work in the area is doing great. There's been a lot of progress and I'm loving this branch and these great investigators. We were surprised again with the numbers yesterday, 11 investigators at church, 19 lessons with member, 5 others, 10 to new members/less actives. At church there were actually around 16 non-members, but some of them we haven't got around to teaching yet. Wild, huh? What happened: on saturday we happened upon a group of young men with member friends, ages 15-23, and we taught them a lesson. To our surprise, 7 of them came to church yesterday, all piled on one trike. They stayed the 3 hours and were treated well by the members. out of 11, they were the 5 counted. Besides them, the 6 that came are really progressing towards baptism. The Patricio Family: Philip, Lorma, and Jezebel, came to church for their second time yesterday, and had a great time. They have a lot of fellowshippers and are feeling like a part of the ward already. They read every assignment and study hard for our visits, both mom and dad. This week these things stood out for me. We challenged them to pray as a couple about what we were teaching, and they agreed. On our next visit, we found that they'd done it, and they laughed because they said it was awkward the first couple of times and that they were shy of each other. Yesterday they said they've been keeping it up and teaching Jezebel to pray, and Jezebel (3) imitates what they say. We taught the Word of Wisdom about 1 1/2 weeks ago because Brother Philip wanted to know about it. We were afraid he might not be interested in keeping the Word of Wisdom, or might struggle with it because he drank alcohol and coffee. Because we hadn't planned to share that right away, we haven't been following up on it, but last night we found out that Brother has entirely abstained from both coffee and alcohol for some time now. He said it was hard at first, but not impossible. He's switched to what they call kapeng bigas (rice coffee) every morning and noon. "Rice coffee" is a misleading name, because it's not coffee at all, it's burned rice in hot water with sugar. I'd never tasted it, and when they found out they gave us some last night. Tastes like burned rice in hot water! It's basically what poor people drink when they've got no money for coffee. Last night we taught about baptism and confirmation and gave a really overdue baptismal date. They said "yes" before I finished extending the commitment, and we all laughed for relief. I really feel like their baptism will take place as now scheduled, on July 24. They are absolutely golden. The great thing is that their extended family is also getting interested. This wednesday when we taught, their cousin, Sister Remedios Patricio, and her daughter joined us and listened to the lesson. Afterward they invited us over to their own home, where we taught them as a complete family. Now, Philip's mother is also interested in listening. Later tonight, we've planned to have a family home evening at the Patricio's, and we hope to meet much more of their extended family. It's a great situation, and here in the area right now we're struggling to get everywhere to visit all the investigators just 3 times a week. The Lord is really blessing the entire branch and area. I'm learning a lot about teaching from my companion and the time is flying! I'm not really looking forward to the end of the transfer, I wish we had more time, but that's life.
Brother Ayeras is now a Priest and the Liahona Representative in the Branch. Doing great. We have a two pat member youth, ages 13-14 that will probably be baptized on July 17.
It's raining almost every day now, and from what we hear, this area is affected badly by floods in the wet season. This week I've already had to wade about a hundred meters through shin deep water, but things may get much much worse. But weather can't stop the work!
Love you all --
Elder Loren Peck

"Everybody's Got A Water Buffalo!"

Dear Family,
Best things first:
On Saturday, June 19th, Brother Rueben Meliton Ayeras was baptized. For a week now he's been telling us that nothing is going to get in the way of his baptism or becoming faithful to the church. His testimony was short and sure, he said that he knew the church was true, that he'd be faithful all his life, and that he'd do everything in his power to influence his family to become active in the church. His wife is a long time member and is overjoyed at the conversion of her husband. It really is a moving conversion, Sister Ayeras' prayers for her husband have finally been answered. The branch council is very aware of Brother Ayeras and so many are willing to visit and fellowship. I'm really impressed with this branch, both the effeciency of the meetings and how things get carried out. Before the baptism, we were getting all the last-minute things ready, and printing programs when Sister Ayeras exclaimed: "Elders! The couple missionaries are here!" At the same time I heard President Puzey's voice in the lobby. Boy were we surprised! President and Sister Puzey joined in our picture taking with the ward members and then President Puzey presided at the baptism and gave some remarks. The branch members were very, very excited that the Puzeys were there. The Puzeys came back from Cebu this week where they spent time with President Monson, Eyering, Bishop Burton, and the new Cebu CIty Philippines Temple president. He gave a powerful witness that we have a living prophet, and on Sunday the branch president said that in President Puzey he'd seen a true love for the members of the church. Very uplifting experience.
A family we are teaching, the Patricio family, came to two hours of church yesterday, to everyone's excitement. They also have many willing to fellowship them. I'm surprised because this family is so eager to listen and to read and learn about the church. They have a lot of questions but that's a good thing and the lessons have been very spiritual. Hopefully they'll be baptized this July. They have one daughter that is 3 years old.
We taught 28 lessons all together this week, 20 with member, 1 other lesson, and 7 to less actives/new members. We felt good about it considering we had zone conference and a baptism. My companion is really good at talking to people -- trike drivers, shop owners, anybody and it seems like we always have people to teach. Our area is very large and we do a lot of walking, but it's just fields as far as the eye can see. Mangoes and rice, corn and sugar cane. And in this kind of farming community. . .
Everyone has a Water Buffalo! This one is our landlords, and it's also our lawn mower! No joke. That's in front of our house, and there are two white, Filipino cows working on the grass as well from time to time. Why waste the grass by mowing it (chopping it down with a machete)? That's good Calabaw feed.

Okay, on to the other things that happened this week:
Everyone and their dog has a dog here in the Philippines. There are so many! The best thing about dogs is that if they are healthy, when they get fat you can eat em' as well. They serve two purposes. I've learned that most of the time, these dog's bark is worse than their bite -- even the most vicious looking ones dissapear when you stoop to pick up a rock. I've been scared a few times when barking dog's will bump their noses against our legs as we walk past. Last night we taught the Patricio family. Their house is way out in the fields, where there are clusters of houses every so often as you cross fields and through orchards. Last night when we finished it was 8 o'clock, and very dark. We decided that for our last appointment, we'd take a different route in order to swing by a members house, a young man that lives near the Patricios and helped us teach the lesson. There were 5 of us, and I was the last one. I had my umbrella in hand because it had rained earlier. Only Elder Paler had a flash-light, and he was up at the front. There were a lot of dogs as we entered the group of houses around this particular member's home. I'm used to them raising a racket and running up around us, teeth bared, as we walk by, so I just kept walking. Of course the thought that this time you might get bit is always at the back of your mind, there's nothing to do but pray . . . I guess this time one of the "angels round about" let down his gaurd and a dog got through and got a good chomp on my left calf. ARAY! (in other words, ouch). You can tell uncle Bryan that my shout of ARAY was a model of manliness in pitch and intensity.
When we got to the member's home, we discovered that I had 3 neat teeth puncture marks in my leg, bleeding. The best part of the story is the reactions of my companions. Suddenly everyone was a doctor with medical remedies for me. "Don't wash it! Hang on, who's going to suck the blood out of it? Have we got any garlic to put on that?" I wasn't about to let anybody try and suck rabies viruses out of my leg, so I told them to hang on a sec while I texted Sister Puzey. Sister Puzey called right away and the first thing she said was not to let anybody suck me and not to put garlic on it. I guess she's heard a lot of the "witch doctor" tricks as well. We made arrangements to find a clinic offering shots tomorrow, because there were about 5 dogs in a group still barking at us, all with different owners and in the darkness I had no way of knowing which one was to blame. Hopefully we'd observe the scoundrel for 10 days to see if he went crazy or what, but that seemed to be out of the question. So, the safe route is 5 rabies shots. As I hung up the phone they asked me what I was going to do. I told them I was going to go home, wash the wound good with soap, and get shots tomorrow. To my surprise, they all, my companion included, gave me a really hard time. According to superstition, if it gets wet it will hurry the "poison" to my brain, and they said that the shots were good but I HAD to have it sucked first. They said they knew are really good sucker, he had high tech tools, in fact, he used a goat horn to suck the blood out. Yeah. . . thanks for the help. . .
In the end we caught a ride home where I cleaned it (Yes, I got it wet) and earlier today we traveled to Tarlac to get the first in a four shot series. It took almost the whole day becuase we were led to the wrong hospital and just had a hard time getting to the right place and right people, for the right price. Hospitals are really different here, especially public ones, but that's another story. On the 24th I'll get another shot, and on the 28th and July 21st.
So it's been a full week! But it sounds like your week was full as well.
Good news! I heard this week from the Elders in Capas, Tarlac that Noel Bosotros is about to leave on his mission, and that the Zamora family is still active and preparing to go to the temple. The Elders there are relatively new to the area, so it was good to see their faces light up when I asked about the Zamora family and say: "Yeah, they're a great family!" They really are, but the best news is this: Sister Zamora is expecting! Their 7 year old son passed away, leaving them with one child, but now they are very excited to be blessed with another. I am happy for them, and look forward to writing them a letter next week. I think their conversion will impact their children and many others. The mission is great!
Hope you enjoy the pictures -- yes, I've got the new Liahonas and I don't think I need very much in the way of packages yet. My shoes are showing a little wear and tear. Oh, if you look in the water-buffalo picture, that's one of the 5 shirts I had made here. Those five shirts cost me less than 15 dollars all together. I hope I answered all the questions, I feel like I forgot something. Thanks for all the love, Dad! Happy Father's Day! I'll write a letter, hope you have a great week.
Love ya'll lots!
Love, Elder Loren Peck

News from Bat City!

Dear Family,
Sarah, thanks so much for your prayer for our investigators! Hopefully the blessing will come this coming Sunday, because yesterday was the Dedication of the Cebu City Philippines Temple, and there were no Sacrament Services. The missionaries were all given a recommend and a white handkerchief with a Cebu Temple embroidered on it. It was a very spiritual experience, and the best part was all the cool things President Monson said about it. On Saturday we brought investigators to a "cultural night" show from Cebu where islanders performed native dances and had a big celebration. President Monson has such a great sense of humor that came out during the corner stone ceremony. He reminded me of dad on one of his days when mom says --"he's really asking for it, isn't he?" President Monson said that they might as well do the best they could with the mortar, but not be too stressed because later a professional would come and take it out and do it properly. He just kept saying funny things that most of the natives around me didn't get but I was rolling in the aisle. As they were about to go back inside, he passed the piano and said, "hang on a sec', I'll play us a number. I don't usually perform, but. . ." then he sat down and started playing some rag-time music. He's good! After a minute he slipped up a little and taking his hands off the piano, said: "I quit. We'll get on to the finale." Then he put a tail and a finishing chord on it and everybody laughed. He really is an entertainer. He then stood up and said (and this is for Rachel): "My brother always told me to keep with the piano. He was a piano teacher. But I felt that I had other things to do. Now I wish I had stayed with the piano." (I didn't make any of that up, that's what he said word for word!) Both outside and inside he took a few minutes to thank the Filipinos, saying that in his reading he was something of a historian, and one of his favorite things to read about was World War 2. He thanked the Filipinos for all they did for the Americans and the important part they played in the war, saying: "When courage was called for, you had it. When bravery was needed, it was there. Thank you." He was very sincere and it was a special dedication.
Wait, that was salsa? Yikes. It really is a miracle that the camera card wasn't in there. Another funny thing about the contents of the package -- A day or two ago I reached my had in to get some chip crumbs and along with it I pulled out a lizard by his tail! I'm not sure how he got in, but I ruined his day. Or, he ruined mine because I had to throw away the remaining crumbs, what a waste.
Other things: Paniqui is the name of this city, and Paniqui, or Paniki, means "Bat" in english. Wow, I'm in bat city, pretty cool. Batman symbols are very popular here.
I don't think I wrote this last week, but my companion is on the last leg of his mission -- he'll be headed home on July 13. As far as I can tell, he's not trunky at all. We're doing great work right now, I'm surprised at how energetic he is about the work, I feel he's going to keep going strong right up to the end. Earlier he had his check-up at a hospital in Tarlac, we just arrived back here in Paniqui. Cool food today -- stepping off the bus there were rows and rows of people selling sticky rice cakes wrapped in banana leaves that they cooked on hot rocks. Chewy and very hot! Rice for dinner, rice for dessert.

Brother Ayeras passed his interview and will join the rest of his family as a member of the church this Saturday at 3 PM. Some of his family has been questioning his move to a different religion. Last night we talked with him and his wife and he said that he won't let anything get in the way of him being baptized. His wife told how Brother Ayeras hadn't wanted to be baptized years ago when he met the missionaries, but this time she saw how he picked up the Book of Mormon and had slowly gained a testimony. They are such a great family, and they'll be so much stronger with the father in the church. Later this evening we'll teach them how to hold a family home evening and we'll commit them as well to invite their family and friends to attend the baptism. Hopefully the ones that are opposed to his baptism will come and feel the spirit.
There is a new returned missionary in the ward, coming from the Manilla mission. His name is Brother Ramos and it was good to hear how Zak was doing! It sounds like he was assigned on Palawan (lucky dog) and that he's doing great. Say hi to the Dymock clan for me. And the Camiris (sp?) as well. I wanted to write and say how much I missed their home made salsa!!! But on second thought, you'd better not send any . . . at least not in a glass bottle.
Besides Brother Ayeras, we have two couples that are 20-30 years old that I'm really excited about: The Bala and Patricio families. They are reading and asking great questions -- they are "investigating", which is a cool thing. I love the branch and the people and the area and learning a lot from my companion, who is a naturally funny guy and uses it in all the right ways. He really connects with people, and I'll see what things I can learn and apply. It's been a great week, I can't write everything, but this is the short update! I love ya'll lots, and I'll write again next week if you will!
Salamat, minamahal na pamilya! I'll send some pictures next week!
Love,
Elder Loren Peck

#470 Cabayaoasan, Paniqui, Tarlac, Philippines

Dear Family,
Like the title says, I've now been assigned in a city called Paniqui, or rather, a ways from the city, because I feel like smack-dab in the middle of a 17th century farming colony. Imagine the Joseph Smith movie clips, where they're clearing trees for farmland, using horses and living in log cabins. Now think about it Filipino style -- clearing jungle to make watery rice fields and mango plantations, using water buffaloes and living in bamboo cubos. That's where I am and I feel a long ways from civilization. I'll say this: I have never seen a more beautiful place than this in my entire life and I could not have imagined anything this beautiful. The society here is rustic. We struggle to find transportation, and on the road we pass water buffalo drawn carts and dodge buffalo pies on the roads. The family cows are staked outside the homes which are generally far apart. As far as the eyes can see it's corn fields, rice, and mango groves. Much farther than the eye can see! We walk very long distances every day to small communities that seem cut off from the outside world -- it's an incredible place to live. It's been raining a little almost every day, and the clouds most of the time are huge and billowy. The sun sets are unbelievable, and at night there are no city lights to get in the way of the stars. Our small home is surrounded by mango trees (mangoes are out of season now) and other fruit trees. It's a lovely place, I wish you could see it.
I've been assigned to the Paniqui 3rd branch. Our attendance hovers around 110 and we're close to becoming a ward. The branch is very organized and happy -- it just feels like heaven around here! We have a baptism coming up on June 19, a part member family. The father will be baptized, he is so converted and ready for baptism. His name is Brother Ayeras and I'm very excited for his baptism. My first full day of work, Friday, we contacted two potential investigators that turned out to be full families and they listened and everything went great. Yesterday was the second visit and they are ready to keep investigating. I feel great about the investigators and the area, but I'm still very new here.
My companion is upbeat and talkative and is a funny guy. He really draws people to him and he's got the hearts of our investigators and members. I think I've got a lot to learn from him, because I'd really like to become a more upbeat, outgoing, and rapport-building kind of person. I think this is a great opportunity to learn to build strong and lasting relationships with others, and I want to make the most of it.
Great times! My first morning in the new apartment, I woke at about 5 to go to the bathroom. Walking groggily to the restroom, I whacked my head good on the cement door frame -- and remembered that the doors in this house are only built 6'1"-6'2" tall. At least it wasn't a branch of bamboo, right? Hey! Your package arrived and I loved it. But I have to say -- something smells rotten in the state of the Philippines, or at least in their postal service. The package was delivered to me in a large plastic bag, The box itself had been both partly submerged in water and smashed. Incredibly, the bottle of nacho cheese made it through but I'll have to ask ya'll what was in the other bottle. It got shattered and it was all over, it's was black right? What was it? The bag of chips was starting to mold on the outside, but the chips were safe, if you can still call them "chips". The refried bean cans were a little crushed and dented, but all is well. I've been loving the nacho-cheese and refried beans on toast until I can make some more fry bread. The candy was a hit this morning with the zone. I hope and pray that the camera card was not somewhere in the box. Tell me it wasn't inside, because I didn't find it! Although the letters got a little wet and moldy, I could read them and I'm so grateful for the handwritten notes.
Looks like the Memorial day breakfast was a success, look at everybody eating all that American food! Looks delicious. Thank you so much, family -- my head is swimming with everything new that is happening, but change is part of life. I hope summer treats you right, and I love you all so much. Love,
Elder Loren Peck