Kaaaaamusta Kamo?!?
So this week we had another baptism! This adorable 9 year old girl; her family was less-active for 3 years after moving to Lacion, but they started coming back to church in October after a visit from Sister Yap and Sister Lolesi. Her family is amazing.
Anyways, the baptism was supposed to start at 11:00 a.m. so we got there at 10:30 with her family... and we had no key to get into the church. Finally one of the landscaping crew let us in the gate and the member with the key showed up at about 10:45. - We still had to fill the font! So we went up to the second floor and started to fill the font and... blech! The water was pouring out bright red like blood (probably from the pipes...) so we turned it off and spent about 30 minutes cleaning out the baptismal font. In the meantime, all the other missionaries in my district showed up with investigators to observe the baptism!
So here we are trying to clean out the font and we're all so late getting started... crazy! And there's like a lot of people! So we get the font cleaned out and start to refill it and the water is now coming out a nice yellow/green... which was better than bright red. So it filled up with about a foot and a half of nice yellow/green water and then... poof. Wala'y hagas. (We don't know what this phrase means, sorry!)
So then all the missionaries and the Bishopric members were going over options: Try to transport everyone to the dagat (ocean) and baptize there, but the closest ocean is Lilo-an or Baha-Baha....s o there went that idea... or try to transport everyone to the house of a member with a pool - we were joking about President Tanner's house... but really only half joking... so there went that idea cuz, again, transportation. So then we were thinking about the river out back with has about 3 feet of black and probably toxic water... yuck!
In the end, at about 12:30, she was baptized by Brother J. (he's heading to a mission in Brisbon, Australia at the end of this month) in a foot and a half of yellow/green water. He had to redo it once because her leg didn't go all the way under. The second time, he had to stand on her feet and carefully dunk her all the way to the tile floor of the font.
It was crazy to say the least. But it was amazing. A baptism is a baptism, no matter where you do it or what the water looks like - as long as it's performed by someone with the proper authority.
That was definitely the highlight of my week. It reminds me of the line from that song called: "What Heaven Sees in You," and the line is: "Dressed in white once more, making promises to follow in God's way. So much lies in store for the little girl who enters at the gate.. and the Father looks down and the angels surround that place." This little girl, just like a few others I have gotten to know, wants to be a missionary! SO much lies in store for her. She's amazing!
Speaking of missionaries... at our District Meeting on Monday, Elder Ewell taught an amazing lesson on foreordination. He shared two stories that I had never heard before, but that were super inspiring. Look them up if you have a chance. The first was the story of a missionary named Bill Carpenter and a convert of his - Louetta Frye. The second was the story of a Japanese missionary who got called to a Spanish Speaking mission in South America... Colombia, maybe? And he was like upset his whole mission, but the Lord had miracles waiting for him in his last transfer...B oth were so inspiring. Find them and read them if you have a chance. They're amazing.
Monday was Sister Yap's birthday and we have a part member family - the dad has been less-active since he joined the church in 2007 and the kids are not members, but they're very progressing. Actually, they're our only progressing investigators right now, but they're very progressing. And I seriously love that family. In terms of foreordination, this family is some of the proof that this is where I'm supposed to be. We literally just clicked on day one. And one of the sisters is marrying an American and moving to California next month! So I'll definitely see her after my mission. Anyways, Monday was also the father's birthday! So they invited us over for a double birthday celebration. We had a lot of traditional food - lots of sea food -including fresh crab! That was my first time eating fresh crab and let me tell you, it's amazing. And I learned how to eat them like a pinoy!
Oh speaking of foods... weird food of the week! So last night Sister Yap and I went to eat at Mang Inasal because Sister Yap was stressed about being panted a ton and she wanted to eat halo-halo. (we aren't sure what this phrase means - sorry!) So we ended up just deciding to stay for dinner. We both ordered this stuff called Dinuguan because options were limited... and... I didn't know what it was but it tasted like black beans with chicken in it... Anyways I got about 3/4 of the way through it when Sister Yap said: "Yeah we can eat this." I was like... "eaaaah?" She went on to say that because we are allowed to eat the blood jello, we're allowed to eat that stuff. Then she told me what it is... cooked chicken blood! Luckily she told me that after I had eaten it. So the last quarter of it was a little harder to stomach than the first part... but it didn't taste bad. I just didn't think about it. It was...interesting. I still have yet to try the blood jello and the chicken feet. Eventually. Sister Yap wants me to be like a native. She's great.
Anyways....gotta go do some other stuff now! But I love you all and miss you all!
- Sister Warner -
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