5-24-11

Hello Familt and Friends,
Ok so where to start with this week? from the beginning I guess..

So this week has been a pretty long one. a whole bunch going on, tons of funny and ironic things happening too
For the most part, work has been hard. it's really hard to plan for people that don't really plan their own lives, if that makes sense? Like everything is so chill here that they just kind of live day to day and its hard to set up appointments or anything. So most days we spend just walking from house to house, no one being home or busy and then walking to the next place and so on. It makes for an interesting and long day. We were able to get a few new investigators so that's good. This one family, the Bacuel family is interesting. The mom is an extremely slow learner and always calls Joseph Smith Jesus Smith and the husband hates us and the daughter is 16 and really cool, Really smart and has a testimony but her dad wont let her go to church. Well one of the sons wife is interested so we've started to teach her but like everybody, it's hard to find a good time for her.

We were able to see Sister Lilagan. She's awesome and the relief society came over and visited her last sunday, and cried with her and invited her to come to at least sacrament meeting to take the sacrament. That made me feel so proud cuz thats exactly the relief society's purpose, it was cool to hear that. She's doing better but pretty weak. She's been drinking this guyabano tea that is supposed to help, hopefully it does cuz she refuses to do chemo says her body is too weak.  But they didn't end up coming to church this sunday which is to bad. She's just really weak, doesn't do much but make her tea and read her scriptures which is way good. She shared alma 32:33 with us, it was cool her testimony is very strong. Just keep her in your prayers.

On Saturday we started out English class/piano class. Apparantly past elders have done it and the youth asked us to do it so of course we were down for it. There was a brown out so we couldn't do the piano part (keyboard kasi siya) but the English class was good. We had about 5 youth and then Sister Raguin, presidents wife there. Her son Bernard is pretty good at English and just asked what a bunch of deep English words mean, like from the scriptures. We tried to just stick with the basics for Sister. It was good. Just so you all know English is the dumbest language on earth. I don't know who invented it but they're dumb. Maybe it's what we all did to it cuz none of it makes sense. Like "how are you doing?". doing means to do right? not in that question it means "how are you" a lot different from "what are you doing" but still the same word. Tagalog is much simpler believe me haha. Gonna be refining my English skills tha'ts for sure cuz we plan on doing it every Saturday. Hopefully get the word out a little more and we''ll have some good attendence in the future.

Oh and today we found out that Elder Hand is getting transferred, going back to civilization. He's excited and was all packed yesterday. So 5 companions in 5 transfers, gotta love it. haha I hope he's cool, whoever he is. we're gonna work hard next transfer. A lot of work to be done out here and we're gonna do all we can. Just gonna keep focusing on the branch, helping them get stronger, bring back less actives and visit some new ones I haven't seen yet. I'm confident good things will come from that whether its baptisms or not. It takes a different kind of missionary to be here, especially in Mindoro, too many lessons to learn and I'm gonna miss the really good lessons me and Elder Hand have had.

Anyways love you all, thanks for all the love and support and everything. I'm ready to start my best transfer so far.
Keep choosing the right and serving in any way you can. The Lords work needs any help you can give. Oh and don't forget to count your blessings. We all got it pretty good, don't ever forget that. We have the gospel in our lives, most of us have been lucky enough to be raised in God's church. We've been priviledged to have so many examples to look too. Take some time to thank Heavenly Father just for those blessings alone and serve your neighbor just a little bit to show that gratitude.

I'm just greatful for the testimony I have in this gospel and church and the things it's let me do. I'm grateful for the person it lets me become and am continually becoming. It is the power to cast out evil (Revelations 12:11). It's the one thing no one can take away or add too except for yourself.
I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I hope I can just be half of the missionary He needs. 
Listen to the Holy Ghost, it is the greatest miracle we can have (3 Nephi 19:35, whole chapter)

love
Elder Stover