We were supposed to be at the beach today, playing frisbee, but it's raining. In our District meetings this morning we sang "You can make the pathway bright", "today while the sun shines", and "There is Sunshine in my soul today". But it appears we lack faith -- the weather didn't change a bit. So I think we'll just head to the palengke instead and pick up some pineapples for a quarter apeice, a fifty cent water-melon, star apples, mangoes, and whatever other tropical fruit they've got. I can get along here on a budget of $20 a week. Enough vegetables for a week only costs us a dollar-fifty each.
The baptism was great! It's a good thing everybody showed up a half-hour late, because our Branch Mission Leader had forgotten to fill the font. We told the speaker to take a long time while the font was filling, but even after the stalling, it took three times to get Kim Delacruz completely under the water, which was between his knee and his hip. He had to kneel down first, then lay back in the end to get completely submerged. But it happened! Yesterday he was confirmed a member, and he's a very welcome addition. Yesterday when the sacrament meeting started there were only 6 priesthood, and we were all in front, either behind the stand or at the sacrament table. The other 20 people were women. But more priesthood came, late. Our attendance rose to 32. The first speaker didn't end up coming to church, so I was called on to be a speaker -- on the spot!
Our work was great again this week, we were blessed again! And we're seeing more and more member support and referrals. We're teaching several part member families and 2 less actives came to church yesterday, along with 2 non-members. Sister Digno got sick, but she's still as interested as ever. We had an amazing visit with Antonio this past week. I wrote a little about it in my report, I'll copy and paste it here.
"In my last letter I mentioned Brother Antonio, a new investigator. After the first two lessons he wrote us a page: 10 questions expressing his doubt about Joseph Smith and being baptized. I spent study time and lunch time studying his questions and writing my testimony and scripture references from both the Book of Mormon and Bible for each one. While he was at work, we gave it to him to study. After a few days, we met with him again, and Elder Casilac and I were amazed at the change in Brother Antonio. He said he had more questions. But they were different this time. He asked: "If I happened to get an answer, what would you expect me to do? And as a member, what would be expected of me? How does one go about joining the church?" Elder Casilac and I looked at each other in surprise and didn't know what to say! We ended up having a really good heart-to-heart discussion about conversion and baptism, and left more reading assignments. I've been thinking: what changed Brother Antonio? We were only there for 30 minutes. As I've studied about the Book of Mormon this week, I'm convinced that it's the only thing that can really work a mighty change in a person. All our talents and charm can't take them where they need to go spiritually to be converted. They need a spiritual experience in the Book of Mormon, one like Antonio had. I'm studying Antonio's latest question right now: "Why was the Book of Mormon hidden instead of being spread like the Bible? Wouldn't that have helped so the church wouldn't disappear?" I've learned a lot from Mormon's words and prophecies in Mormon 5-8. The Lord works in a mysterious way and on His own time table. I'm more determined than ever to help people have a spiritual experience in the Book of Mormon."
We found a lot of new investigators, and we're in the tough stage right now of helping them take the first steps in order to progress.
Hey family, if you want to try a new extreme sport, I think we should try coconut harvesting! One morning this week as Elder Casilac and I were walking through the coconut forests, we saw 3 men climbing the towering trees with ropes and cutting down dead leaves, tying coconuts and lowering them down. In the smaller trees, people have cut little ledges in the bark, but these huge trees had none. It looked like they had some kind of special sharp things on their boots, but Mulan style, they shimmied right up with a rope around the trunk, so fast. They are efficient. I watched with my mouth open, thinking about what might happen if a poor person happened to fall from a height like that. They take the coconuts to Pampanga, and Bulacan, where they can sell them for a profit, because here, they can't sell them for more than 20 or 30 cents. Nobody will buy them! Dad's question: Here in Baler there isn't a wet/dry season, but in the rest of the mission in March they'll just be coming out of the dry season. As far as I know in the rest of the region it hasn't rained for months, things must be pretty brown. Hopefully by march it will have rained a few times to green things up, but the rainy season won't start until May-ish. but it's hard to say!
I love you all so much! Can't wait to hear from you next week!
Love,
Elder Peck
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