The Heat Continues

WEEK 45
Pamilya at mga Kaibigan,

     My companion and I just finished another week of hard work here in the heat of the Philippines.  Everyone is saying that the rainy season should be starting soon, but I haven't seen any evidence of it.  The temperature in Tanauan has been around 42 degrees Celsius or about 107 degrees Fahrenheit the whole week and then you can throw the humidity on top of that, it gets pretty taxing to walk around all day.  I feel pretty bad for my new companion.  He went from a Utah spring to a Philippines hot season.  It's a pretty drastic change and he has definitely been feeling it.  He's been running a pretty high fever that comes and goes without warning, so the mission nurse has been advising us to stay in the apartment when his temperature is high just so it doesn't turn into something more serious.  

     But even with the current circumstances, we have still been able to get some really good work done.  There are two families that we have been really focusing on these past couple of weeks.  I've come to find that sometimes it's better to just be a friend rather than a lecturer in the mission.  I remember when I was new and we would have a conversation with whoever we were teaching before and after we shared our message.  Sometimes I would get impatient thinking that we needed to do everything as fast as possible.  I just wanted to get in, teach, and then get out.  I've come to learn in the mission that people are much more likely to feel the spirit of our message if they know that we actually care about what's going on in their lives.  Even as we talk to people on the street and in front of their homes.  I was always rushed to get to the invitation at the end of the conversation.  Now, I just love learning about people's lives here in the Philippines and an invitation to hear about the Restoration of the Gospel is just a huge bonus.  

     We got to see the results of our work this Sunday as the two inactive families that we had been focusing on attended church.  Both attended church as well as all of our investigators with baptismal goal dates.  Sunday was definitely full of lots of smiles.  Things are going great here in the Philippines!  We're just waiting for the rain to start.  Thank you again for all of your support!

- Elder English

Looks like Bradyn is making some new friends.