August 5, 2018 Old Sagay

Hello everybody!!!!

wow what a week!! it feels like forever ago that i wrote last. 

im doing well over here!! things have gotten so much easier and i definitely feel a lot more adjusted to the culture which is a blessing!!

highlights of this week-

-on tuesday we RODE A BOAT to district meeting!!! so once a week we meet with other missionaries and talk about our week and make goals on how we can improve as missionaries and such, but the elders in our district live in Himuga-an, which you have to take a boat to get to!! IT WAS SO FUN!!! i had a realization that i was on a boat in the middle of the phlippines islands in the ocean and decided i like the mission life

-me and sister melgaso are practically cupid over here, cause THREE of our investigators are getting married. so as missionaries, we help them with all the paperwork and the church helps financially for marriages here! so we have been so busy getting all the paperwork finished. but im so excited cause they want me to do their makeup and hair for them and paint their nails and im SO PUMPED ahh its gonna be so exciting.

-I GOT MCDONALDS ON FRIDAY!!! so for the marriage papers, we came to Bacolod City on friday to meet with some people to help us with it. and in Bacolod, they have mcdonalds. before the mission, i honestly was not a huge fan of mcdonalds hamburgers, but dang. honestly might have cried a little bit. it was so good. and we ate it on the bus back to old sagay, where they played Star Wars. i was thriving

-so in our church, every first sunday of the month is what we call fast sunday!! And we all fast and pray all day. and lemme tell ya. fasting on the mission is a whole new ball game. i just about died i think. so that was fun.

So thats been fun. life is good over here. Im in Bacolod again today so we're going to go to Mcdonalds again and maybe Dunkin Donuts which they have too!! ah its gonna be a good day. 

This week I realized how much I just love these cute filipino people. They are just so so so sweet. One night this week, we were at the De Oro's house. Mark Joben is their youngest son and he was baptized the first week that i was here! we have been teachign his family since his baptism. And they are just the sweetest people. Sister Melgaso told them that all americans love coke, and so now every single time we go over they have a big glass of coke waiting for me. And when we were there the other night, they brought out a huge tray of bananas (Which are different here but super good) and they wouldnt let us leave till we ate all of them. even though they seriously dont have any money and probably didnt have any food for themselves. and when sis melgaso told them that i love eating bananas with peanut butter (which apparently is not a thing here becasue everybody who hears that is very perplexed), they went and got a bag of bananas for me to bring home to eat with my peanut butter. seriously so sweet. and then they said "when you leave, just dont forget the De Oro family!!" i just love them. and they help me with illongo so thats nice too. ah they're the best.

then Mary Anne and her granddaughter, Jessa Mae were baptized on saturday!! We were at their house on Friday, and we asked Mary Anne to say the opening prayer for us before we started teaching, and in her prayer she asked to somehow be able to eat 3 meals a day. After I heard that, my way of thinking has completely changed. I have never had to worry about whether or not id get 3 meals a day once in my whole life, and yet this is these people's concern every single day!! when i heard that though, i immediately thought of a scripture from the Book of Mormon in 3rd Nephi 13:31-33 which says:

"Therefore, take no thought, saying what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or wherewith shall we be clothed?

For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you"

And i totally believe that!! Because they're putting God first in their lives i know that they will recieve blessings. and im praying for all these people that they'll have 3 meals a day and clothes to wear and water to drink. God can work miracles over here in the phlippines :) 

and in a lot of ways i think, America could learn some things from these people. Even with nothing, Ive never met happier, grateful, humble people. they're doing something right over here:)

But things are going well over here and i am happy!! the language is coming slowly but surely hahah. 

and my sister gets home from her mission on tuesday!!! wednesday my time. so think of me over here wishing i could be there!!! and i put everyone who reads this in charge of not letting her get married until i get home :) 

love you all!!!! have a good week!!

Sister Johnson