December 22, 2013

So while I'm waiting for skype to load I'll just email you now! So nothing too new this week. I finally recognize everything and know where everyone lives. Last night I ate fish at a member's house and it was so good! It the kind where they cook the whole fish and you have to get the meat out. Let's be real, that's how they cook everything: whole shrimp, whole fish, whole chicken, etc. And most of the homes don't have a stove so they all cook over the fire. It's so cool. It's like the pioneers. 

So yesterday we had a hilarious lesson. The day after I arrived here, so like three weeks ago, this guy stopped us and said, "I'm catholic, and you are mormons, so what do you believe that is different than what I believe?" So we set up an appointment to come back and teach him. It took a couple weeks for him to finally let us back into his house, but yesterday he finally did. And he is hilarious. He loves loves loves to talk. And it's all in English so I understand it all. He thinks that we're discussing and arguing about religion. So pretty much we started the Restoration and through his many many questions, gave an overview of EVERYTHING we teach. So finally he's like, "Sisters, there's a lot to discuss, I think you should continue to come back and teach me. And I want one of those Book of Mormons so I can read it to be better prepared for these lessons. It's not fair that you're teaching me what I haven't read." So funny, we don't have to do anything. Then the best part. We were telling him our purpose, "faith, repentance, baptism" He stopped us at baptism and said that that's something he wouldn't like to talk about because he's already baptized and will never ever be baptized into our church. He doesn't believe in the need to be baptized more than once so he doesn't ever want to talk about it, because we would just argue. I prayed in my head "please help him to soften and open his mind and heart to this." Then he said, "actually sisters, this voice just told me that I need to open and soften my mind and heart to this and not just close it off and maybe i should get baptized. So if I do get baptized into your church, what would happen to my life?" I about cried right then and there. Of course he kept talking and didn't even let us answer the question. haha so pretty much our plan is to give him a Book of Mormon and let him teach himself. It was the best lesson ever. We didn't do a thing!

Sister Nielson and I are continuously becoming better teachers. We keep trying to progress every day. She said that none of her other companions tried to do that. But that's pretty much my motto here. Be better than the day before. 

We are meeting a lot of people now that are just ready to receive the gospel and it's just so exciting. The hardest part though is getting them to go to church. They just don't understand the importance of going to church. They all say they have work, which they do, but they can change it because it's like home/family-runned. So hard. So sister Nielson and I are trying to find a better way to teach and promise the blessings of church attendance. 

So remember in my setting apart blessing that I would learn things about the doctrine and the scriptures that I've never seen before? It's so true. I'm re-reading the book of Mormon and it takes me 15 minutes to finish just one page. There is so much in there, it's amazing! Who knew there was so much in the Book of Mormon. I can liken every verse to my life and the lives of the investigators. It's just so exciting. Sister Nielson and I also have a lot of fun during companion study just talking about the doctrines and things that we've never learned before. She says she loves listening to me because I say things we've both never thought of before. I like receive revelation as I talk. This is the coolest calling the the whole world. I've never learned more about the gospel. 

And speaking of talking and revelation, I gave a talk in church yesterday. Bishop texted us saturday night and said I was a speaker for tomorrow speaking on tithing. I'm like, great, that gives me time to prepare. So I wrote down a couple notes and spoke for the full 15 minutes. Totally had so much help from the Holy Ghost. I spoke Ilonggish. (Ilonggo/English) And I had stuff to say. It was so cool. I did everything I could to prepare in the time I had, but the Holy Ghost helped me so much. Even Elder Van (one of the Elders in our ward) said he took down some notes and wants to use them in his lessons. And then the person after me was President Deyro. He's the president of the Seminary here. Their family has us over for dinner a lot and one of the times I told him I was in the Bible Videos. So he told the whole ward that I was an actress and famous. The Bishop thought he was just making stuff up so when I told him I really was in it he felt pretty embarrassed. 

Anyway, that's all for today. I can tell you some more fun stuff on Christmas/Chrismas Eve! I love you all!!

-Sister Watkins