Bombs of Enthusiasm

Running through the bomb!

Kamusta my dearest friends and family? Hope your week was super duper!! Mine was super busy. We had double exchanges this week, Improv Zone Training Meeting, a baptism, and we got bombed! I know you can't beat that. 

So first things first, the bomb. We went to visit one of our investigators who lives literally in the bukid. Meaning the middle of the jungle. But right as we were about to go in, all of these people started running out yelling, "May bomba! May bomba!" I was pretty sure we were in for the most exciting day of our missions! But before you get too worried mom, it was a smoke and Baygon bomb. To kill all the mosquitoes. And because we really love our investigators and we were already late, we pulled out our handkerchief (we only had one for the 2 of us) and we ran all ninja style through the smoke and made it to our investigator just in time! 

There were tons of other bombs this week too. Not literal bombs. I went on exchanges with Sister Cortes on Tuesday and let me just say she is so magaling! I loved being her companion for the day. The exchange was great but the best part was when we went and taught Brother Pamilacan. And he told us he read his 2 chapter assignment in the Book of Mormon! And then he pulled out a 2-page summary of what he read. We had decided to be super enthusiastic about whatever he'd read, even if it was just a little bit so I was super happy. We didn't have time to read the summary though so I asked if I could have it. Later that night I sat down to read it. And about half way through I realized that it was the wrong story. So I grabbed my Book of Mormon and started flipping through the pages... Not only did he read the 2 chapters, he read 11 more! When I asked him about it in the next visit he just smiled real big and said, "Surprise!" Haha he's the best :) Only 2 more weeks til September 26th!

Then I went on exchanges with Sister Woodruff on Friday. She just got transferred to her 2nd area. Her first area was also none other than The 'Bang! So we had a good time talking about all the great people there. She reminds me very much of myself at that point of my mission. She needed a little more happiness in her work. So I did my best to drop bombs of enthusiasm all the day long and ya know, at the end of the day she told me she felt like she'd finally found the joy that she'd lost :) Cause ya know, everything is just better with enthusiasm.

Finally, Edlyn got baptized! The night before her baptism we went and had a little testimony meeting with her and she admitted how much her mind had changed about the church and expressed such a strong desire for her baby to grow up in the church and eventually serve a mission. (By the way, she likes Shane Clark and none of you gave me any other ideas so this baby's future is in your hands) The service was very simple. Her husband, who is a returning less-active member, was able to baptize her. 3 times. Third times the charm, right? She then got up and bore a 20 minute testimony without taking a breath. It was both powerful and impressive. That family is going to be a great strength to the church and their family is going to be so much stronger because of the gospel. 

We had no outline this month for zone training meeting so as STL's and ZL's we got to choose what to talk about. So one of the things Sister Burt and I talked about was enthusiasm. I'm not lying to you. If you are excited about something, chances are everyone else is gonna get excited too. So be excited about what you do this week. Drop some bombs of Enthusiasm.

Love ya! 

XOXO, Sister Brown

(She didn't have a caption for this but can I just say YUCKY...I don't know how she handles this!)

Kyle...or Kalel, I can't tell them apart

Irish Jupiter, all 113 cm of her

Labuin

Exchanges with Sis. Woodruff

Edlyn and Ronald

Avia

A Baby Named Joe Burt‏

Pamilacan family

And then it was Monday again... This was a pretty crazy week. We had mission tour on Wednesday, which is where one of the members of the area presidency (basically a missionary movie star) comes and speaks to your soul. Elder Shane Bowen came and told us who we were. I thought I already knew who I was. I was wrong. Do you know who you are? Do you know why it's important that you understand who you are? Because when you understand who you are, you act differently. There are certain things that you can never do, things that you can never say, and places that you can never go because of who you are. You are a child of a very loving and all-knowing God. You have the potential to become like Him. You have divine potential. And you can do anything because of it. Even be a clown magician.

Speaking of clown magicians, we taught the clown magician's wife. Unfortunately, the clown magician was off clowning so he couldn't join us but his wife's name is Dhory and she is just full of potential! We felt like we were lead to a lot of new investigators this week with a lot of potential and we are super excited to work with them. As for the investigators we already had, Vergie and Gilbert got baptized! And guess what, every single thing on the program went exactly as planned, every single speaker showed up prepared, and most of them were even in their Sunday best. Vergie and Gilbert bore amazing testimonies and they were just glowing with happiness. It was the first perfect baptism of my mission, and maybe in the entire Philippines. 

Next week, Sister Edlyn Yuson will be getting baptized. She just got married in July and her husband is a returning less-active member. They are just the cutest things ever and I am so excited for them! We have been teaching Edlyn for a long time and she wasn't really progressing. But then we elevated the goal. Because baptism really isn't the goal. The temple is. And since then, she's been totally on board :) She is super pregnant and she just found out that it's a boy! And get this, she wants Sister Burt and I to suggest a name. In the Philippines, everyone combines the mom and dad's names to get some crazy baby name. So naturally, Sister Burt and I have hopelessly been trying to combine our names so that they won't forget us. So far we've got Shane Clark, Joe Burt, Burbro, and all kinds of other awful names. So if you've got suggestions, send them my way. This child's future depends on it. 

Update on Brother Makulit. We didn't get to teach them ALL week since they were gone and then we were gone and then they were gone again. Brother didn't even come to church because his friend got married. But we got to teach him last night after the wedding and the fact that we went to a wedding with all of his friends and didn't drink is a BIG deal. He's going on week 4 :) The reason they were gone this week was because they had doctor's appointments for their bunso (youngest) in Manila. Her name is Avea and we're pretty sure she is a mature spirit stuck in a baby's body. I love her. She has a whole in her heart and if it doesn't heal on it's own, she has to get surgery. She's been on a list for a long, long time and they are expecting a call in about 3 weeks. Guess what else is in 3 weeks. That's right. September 26th, Brother Pamilacan's long awaited baptism. Avea comes before all else, of course. So prayers for this sweet family would be greatly appreciated. 

I hope you all have a great week! Make someone smile :)

XOXO, Sister Brown

Pamilacan Pancit

Selfie photo shoot 

Ella and Aiva

Jhed

Christmas, Clown Magicians, and Living the Dream

Hot chocolate in the Pines

Last August I never thought that there would be a day where I would come home, curl up in a blanket, and drink hot chocolate. But it happened. And I guess it's fitting. Because guess what! IT'S CHRISTMAS!!! Today officially marks the start of Christmas season in the Philippines, so of course, we sang Christmas songs all morning! This week was super awesome! The highlight was probably the moment where I was OYMing a tricycle driver and he says, "I drive during the week, but on weekends I'm actually a clown magician." Who would've thought your tricycle driver could also double as a clown magician!?! Maybe you can hire him for Boston's birthday. Happy birthday little brother! 

Another highlight would definitely have to be the fact that I am still in Sta. Cruz! I cannot tell you how much I love this place and these people and my companion. I am so, so, so, so, so grateful I get to stay :) Why do I love it so much? Let me tell you about the real highlight of this week. Sunday. Sta. Cruz 4th Ward has had 20 baptisms in the last 6 months. 4 of them were this last Wednesday. It was the other sisters' investigators but I love them like they were mine. Brother Ramos has end-stage kidney failure. Most days he doesn't get out of bed. But he really wanted to be baptized. So even though he had a seizure the morning of his baptism, he insisted that he could and would be baptized. And he was, along with his 3 oldest children. I think that qualifies as a miracle.

Because there are so many recent converts, it's been kind of hard to keep them all strong and supported. So that's been the focus of Sister Burt and I the last couple of weeks. One of our recent convert families, the Jupiters, haven't been to church for over a month. Not that they don't want to, they just can't. They don't have any money. We taught them about budgeting to try and help them out and it turns out they live on about $35 a week for their family of 5. The 48 pesos they needed to come to church was a big sacrifice. But they started saving. And on Sunday, they walked into sacrament with the biggest smiles on their faces :) Charice also came. She's 16 and she's the only member in her family. Her house was completely destroyed in the typhoon and she hasn't come to church since May because she had a mandatory class on Sundays. But she decided she needed the blessings she was missing out on, so she talked to her teachers and got out of the class. And then she brought her dad to church with her.

In fact, every single one of our recent converts came to church on Sunday! And so did every one of our baptismal goal dates. Including Brother Pamilacan. In the Philippines, investigators must come to church for 4 consecutive Sundays before they can be baptized. In the year that Bro. Pamilacan has been taught, that has NEVER happened. Also, his oldest son, EJ, who just got baptized in July, spoke in sacrament! And he did so great! The smiles on his parents' faces were priceless :) Sunday also brought baptismal interviews for Gilbert and Vergie. They passed! And then we taught Brother Pamilacan. He told us that he went to a funeral (which is like a big party in the Pines) and as soon as they got out the alak he told them he had to get going. He really is a changed man and I really love them so much. 

This is getting way too long, but just deal with it. I'm living the dream here. You need to know all about it. Thank you for all of your prayers and support, they are felt and appreciated. Have a great week! 

XOXO, Sister Brown

Lizard stow-away