Kumusta po kayo?!!! Ang aking pamilya at mga kaibigan!!
Wow, where did this week go?! So so fast! It's crazy how fast the time is going...especially when you open your inbox and the trunky letter is staring at you!! AHH!!! December 30th, I'll be leaving this beautiful paradise...it makes me sad...but just so everyone knows, Christmas doesn't start till then...fyi. Haha Just kidding, I'm just lucky to celebrate Christmas here, Christmas in the Philippines is the BEST!!
We had a really busy week, so busy that we're just running all the time and I might or might not have tripped and scraped my knees really bad...haha that or I fought with a bear...that's what I told my zone leaders, they totally believed me. Haha But it's all good, just kinda gross...got knee goobers. Haha But I made it through the week and me and Sister Lacanienta are changing the world here in Lipa, even if it's one lesson at a time :) She's a great partner in crime. We work hard but we have fun :)
So the story of the week...so I've told you about Jonathon before. He's the best...I don't know what it is but with him and Ricky...I really felt like I came to the mission for them...these men who are my dad's age but how I know that I was sent to them. Anyway, we went to Gregorio's one night to teach Jonathon, he was his happy normal self but he kinda made some random excuse to leave and we ended up teaching the kids. Bummer...but as we were leaving, Jonathon was just sitting downstairs watching the TV. We said our goodbyes and that we would see him tomorrow at church and he was just really silent and not his usually happy self. I asked what the matter was....he was just silent, almost close to tears. It was silent for a time then we opened up how we were here for him and his family. He then gradually opened up how he just felt so down...how there was no hope for him, that he had already failed as a father and that he didn't know if he could carry on. He knew that though when he read the Book of Mormon, when he prayed that he felt a taste of relief but soon thoughts of darkness entered his mind. We just listened, and encouraged him to not give up and explained that those feelings, those bad thoughts were not from a loving Heavenly Father but from a completely different source. He started to tear up as we spoke for 40 minutes, standing outside his humble home and having a heart to heart with a father who just wanted to be the best for his family, everything for his family. After our discussion, he thanked us for being here and we told him that we came for him. I couldn't help the tears that came to my eyes as the spirit confirmed to me that was true. That the Lord had suffered for me to come to this place, to this wonderful family to become an eternal family. Jonathon didn't come to church but I know that it will just take time and love and patience to fight these battles. And I know that it will take more from me and Sister Lacanienta to help him fight those battles. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
I know that both sides are there. The bad and the good. I've seen it so much more in this man that I've come to love so much...I think that's why I loved Ricky so much. Because he was able to fight those battles and still is today. He's doing better now according to the zone leaders over there. I'm going to go visit him before I come home. I know that the battles are real and it's our job, our calling to help those fight those battles, we are soldiers in a sense.
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