hey everybody
This week has been a challenging one here in Rizal, Mindoro, Philippines. Oh man this area is so much different from the rest of our mission, my old areas. Those other ones are just so much easier, not easier just maybe lighter is a way to put it. Here you are responsible for your investigators (the few that they are), every less active and every member. Sometimes I just think about what would happen to these branches, this district if there were no missionaries. This is a good place for missionaries if you want to feel needed. Lately the feeling of being unwanted sounds like a great one haha, a heck of a lot less to stress about.
The week didn't start out bad or hard. On Tuesday we went out to see a less active family on the other side of the river. There's a bamboo bridge to cross but when it rains a lot it floods. That picture I sent with my shoes and socks off? ya that's the place, but twice as deep. There were these two kids that were waiting for their mom to come and get them to take them across and home. We offered to have them jump on our backs. One of them wanted to and got on Vargas's back, the other didn't want to. Scared of big white guy with blonde hair and blue eyes. It's a good thing though, cuz I slipped at one point and fell in! haha not totally but I pretty much sat down. My bag got all soaked and my scriptures. They're all usable just a little jacked up. It's all good could have been worse, good for a good laugh, especially for these little girls behind me lol
Oh ya. On Sunday our electricity died, bad connection close to the meter and it kinda sparked. We reported it to the office here last Monday but nobody came so that on Wednesday night we got picked up by the Zone Leaders, spent the night with them and then in the morning got it worked out so that on Thursday afternoon we got it fixed finally. Good thing its the rainy season cuz if it was the hot season I would have died without a fan for 4 days. iIt's been an interesting couple of days, not the best but we survived. Lots of people don't have electricity around here so I grew my empathy a little bit I guess.
Our other investigators, the Mattheo kids are doing great. We had our scripture Fair for the youth in San Jose and they went and started taking seminary too (its every Saturday morning here). The only problem is their parents wont let them be baptized, they say they've already been baptized (as babies). It's all good with them for them to be taught and to go to church but not be baptized. Ok, so about the scripture fair, it was fun. We had some games and they divided into groups. My expectations were a bit high but it was still pretty good. I know they had fun and learned something.
Then yesterday, ya we tried to make a branch mission plan. We didn't finish but we had some decent ideas we'll build off in the coming Sundays. Hopefully people will start to stay positive. I feel like I'm in this big bubble of negativity, a whole bunch of problem finders when what the Lord needs are answer finders. I think that's what it is. Everyone here just talks about how hard their life is, the members talk about how hard it is to share the gospel, the leaders talk about how hard it is to organize stuff, its just this constant negativity and its driving me crazy. It entered my head at least like 20 times this weekend, "i want out". This place is wearing on me, not cuz we have few investigators, few lessons, low numbers,it's just this constant weight of negativity on our two shoulders constantly. I'm just grateful for Elder Vargas. We don't agree on everything, sometimes he's a big negative (but then again so am I) but he has good decisiveness that helps me out.
I just have to work my hardest, put my all into it and know the reward for that effort will come, maybe not now, maybe not in this life. I just have to do all I can and help others to put in their all too. Agency man, it's a tough principle to truly understand. It's hard to feel successful sometimes though.
But I love what Elder Arthur shared in our district meeting this morning, the biggest mistake people make in this life: failing to recognize the spirit. Everything, every sin, mistake and downfall all have that as it's root. If we will learn to always recognize the Spirit we will always be successful. Why? Because we will always do the will of the Lord. He will never allow us to fail if we will only listen and accept His guidance. Amazing how that works isnt it?
I'm just gonna try harder to do the will of the Lord, to do my purpose here and know that that is enough for that is all that is expected of me.
Love you all! Thanks for everything. Choose the right, amazing how much easier life is when we make right decisions. Don't fail to look for the "easiness of the way", trials are gonna come no matter what, but if we choose the right, follow the will of the Lord, we will always succeed in the end. "The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever". He Knows the Way, because He is the Way.
Love,
Elder Stover
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