Dear Family,
Thanks for all the pictures! What a busy week! Hope everybody found a lot of rocks (and not just leave-it-rite) in Montana. Band camp sounds like fun -- that's always a funny time, everybody luggin' around their instrument, looking for a corner to get some practice in. "Hey! Can I borrow your closet for like. . . an hour or two? I mean, if there isn't already somebody using it." Things like that only happen at band camp. Is it time already for try-outs? Mom -- it's the green bean season here as well, but it's called sitaw, and it's loooong. Sometimes 1.5 feet or more, one bean. We've been eating a lot, because 25 cents worth is good for 3 of our meals. This week I learned how to cook it with a tasty squash called kalabasa, dried fish, and okra in coconut milk. Fresh na fresh, tasty na tasty. About the pictures, I realized this morning that I hadn't taken a picture in more than 2 weeks, so I hurried and posed out behind our house, where our water pump is. That's a member that helped us cook this morning -- barbecue and chop-suey for the whole zone. (Oh, my camera battery is dead--next week).
In answer to mom's question, the rabies shots are over, as of July 21st. Now I tell the dogs to back off -- I'm rabies immune for 3 years. I'm putting on weight again, and that's been enjoyable. The area is just so good, and when the members say eat . . . eh, kain na! I bought irrigation boots from a member and sported them yesterday -- it rained or drizzled for almost 24 hours straight.
Thanks so much for your prayers, I do feel your love and support. The Bala family came as a family again yesterday, that's their second consecutive time, and they are absolutely planning for baptism on the 28th of August. A youth from a part member family, MaryLyn Salvador, will be baptized along with them, she's 13 and the last to be baptized in her family. Our other progressing investigator, Mel Manalo, will hopefully get their marriage papers this week, and they asked us if he could be baptized on the same day as their marriage. It's getting close now, but there's still no positive date. October is the harvest in the rice fields, but it looks as if this July and August is a great harvest of souls here in Cabayaoasan, Paniqui. Our attendance hit 125 yesterday and next week is branch conference. It's impossible to be sure, but it looks as if, before the end of the year, Paniqui branch 3 will become a ward. In fact, 5 of the 8 branches in the district look as if they'll qualify, so hopefully by 2012 we'll be Paniqui Stake. It's great to see so much progress. Sad thing is, our Branch President will be leaving very soon with his family to look for work abroad. He has family and has found a place to live in Carson City, California. As soon as his papers come back, he'll be gone. We've had a lot of success finding new investigators and greatly blessed. We hope to keep a good pool of progressing investigators -- it's been dwindling a little with all the baptisms, but that's what's really important. People are so nice in this area! They let us in so fast. And it seems easy to get a fellowshipper -- everybody knows their neighbors and there are so few people, it seems like everybody in our whole are knows or is somehow related to everybody else. It's a very good environment, and there aren't really a lot of other churches or really prominent religions in the area. Lot's of people are interested in the church (the Mormon church, that is).
Family! Last night in Nightly Planning, I realized that today, the 9th of August, marks 18 months in my mission. As of today I have only 6 months to thrust in the sickle as a set apart, full time missionary. Sometimes, when we're headed home at night it scares me to death to think that time will eventually run out. it seems like just now I can go with the language, and only recently it seems I've learned how to connect with people and know how to help them progress. I'm only beginning to understand how the conversion process goes and what my part is in it. In short, I'm ready to start my two years now! Can we arrange that? President Puzey says that just as soon as we we become really effective missionaries, it seems like time is up and it's time to move on. Hey Daniel (ask Dan the Man) is that how it feels? Or what? Well, di bale, there's 6, awesome months left to really work, and I'm excited about that.
Thanks for everything, family, especially the love! You're the greatest! Love ya'll lots,
Love, Elder Loren Peck
No comments:
Post a Comment