Week 16 - 5/20/2013

So this is going to be really short cause I sent all those pictures which basically described my whole week in a nutshell! And I get to talk to you on Wednesday! Woot, woot! The work is going really well, I'm doing great. I'm trying the learn some tagalog right now because SO MANY people here talk just tagalog. Especially in lessons since we read in Tagalog, so they answer the questions based on the scriptures... kinda crazy. And everyone assumes that I know tagalog because if a foreigner came here, why would they bother learning waray-waray first when everyone in the whole Philippines speaks tagalog and only a small amount speak waray-waray S? That is a great question people haha So language number 3 has begun but it will be much slower because I need to master waray-waray still. And much more difficult because it is COMPLETELY different from Cebuano and waray. It's kinda crazy how many different languages are spoken but most people don't even notice because they just know them all so it makes no difference. But I know that I have the gift of tongues and interpretation of tongues so I can do it! The other day I realized I spoke waray-waray all the time, even in the apartment. haha I didn't even notice! It's awesome but I still have a lot of little random words to learn the problem is figuring out which words are important but I don't know. But I've been reading the Waray-waray book of Mormon even though we don't use it teaching and it's been pretty great. My goal is to read the Book of Mormon in 4 different languages (Waray, Tagalog, Cebuano and English, of course!) in my life. At the rate I'm going, it will probably take about a million years, but it really is such an amazing book. How many other books are like it? Zero. Some people might say the bible, but can you read and pray about the Bible and know the true church of God, that we have a living prophet today, revelation is continued in our day and Jesus is the Savior of the world? Didn't think so. It's awesome. I love you all!

Love, Sister Pike

Me with Elder Baker (ZL), Keate (DL), and Banawan at lunch at a member's house

Tanan (all) the missionaries at lunch

One of our investigator's Nanay died so we stopped by to comfort him. We visited with his family and helped them make flowers for her funeral

His Tatay with the coffin, and the flowers. They leave it out and people stop by for like a week. During this time, the family is not allowed to wash their clothes - fun Filipino culture fact.  I love his tay, he doesn't say much but he is so nice and hospitable. 

The kids of our investigators, Abby and Joy. Unfortunately, because they are really small and so many, it makes it hard for them to go to church, mahal (expensive) and noisy, but we're working on it! Abby has been taught for a really long time and has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon but she isn't married yet, and we just met Joy (her sister in law) through her and we've been teaching her. We committed her to baptism too and she has a desire, but she isn't married yet either. So it will be awhile, but they're so maupay! (great)

Sister Somera with the kids.

Baptism of Nanay Natalia for the Elders! I love going to baptisms, they're so great. Especially because you get to see how happy they are and hear their testimonies.. Love it.

Later that night we had a dinner with the Ordonez's kay (because) it was Tay's and Darling's birthday! They are so awesome.
 Today for our activity we just went to this garden place and walked around and we played soccer and volleyball for a bit. It was great. They had an ostrich. And looking through these I realize even more how green it really is here!

Our District Activity today! I love our district (plus the UEP sisters) My eyes started watering like crazy so it looks like I was crying... kinda ridiculous. 

Sister Somera! They had statues of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with random mushrooms.. haha random. 

Sister Nelson on the side of a pedicab. Me and Sister Somera both sit in one but only because she's so tiny, so for Sister Robinson and Sister Nelson, both Americans, they have to squeeze pretty tight. But Sister Nelson loves to ride on the side when she can and all the Filipinos love it. I did it the other day and it's pretty great! and everyone smiles when they see you, I felt like I was in a parade or something!

Waray-waray (Libro ni Mormon) Book of Mormon, I don't know if you can see but it skips from Alma 12 to 32. Many are missing but I love reading from it even though it's a different dialect.

These are what we give to recent converts!

At Zone conference in Calbayog, we had a mini MTC reunion! It was great to see these awesome sisters!

Sister Bingham, one of my MTC companions! She is so great.

Some of my fans haha They are so cute.

With some kids we were talking to - As soon as we pulled out the  camera they all jumped in!

The kids with Sister Somera, There were originally 3 in this picture, but they all jumped in like a second before and she was getting trampled haha 

The cutest little puppy at one of the less-active houses we visit. So cute! There are so many tiny kittens and puppies, it's adorable. And all the older dogs look like they are about to die.. pretty big difference.