Ayos! So I'm just going to send my usual novel this week because I dont trust internet cafe computers with my camera... Elder Hopkins said that once his camera got a virus from an internet cafe computer so yeah!
Whats up everyone! Its been a while it feels like! So hmm yeah what to say... I wish I could just bring my journal here so I could just pretty much copy that down but I dont wanna carry that around, lazy me.
Tagalog is coming frustratingly well. When I speak its generally fairly mistake free but theres still sooooooooooooooo much I don't know and I want to say ughhhhh. So yeah, Elder Hopkins left on Sunday to go back to Manila so Sunday, Mopnday and Tuesday and today (Wednesday) I'm kinda companionless. During the day I work with Elder Osumo and Elder Robbins and then I night I go out just with Brother Arnold, the Group Leader here in Coron. So he wants me to lead cuz its my area and my investigators. Which is so intimidating cuz I can't talk!! So when I'm out with the other two elders the same applies when its my area or my investigator. Which is hard but definitely a good learning experience, but I did I say that that's hard? Its like Caleb with his superb Spanish skills being expected to walk into the home of a Spanish speaking family and being expected to hold a 20-30 minute discussion. Last night brother Arnold and I visited the Maanyo's and it actually went really well I was pumped! And then it poured on us on the way home...haha Dad asked if I had to learn the lessons and then pass it off with a DL or ZL. And the answer is nope. I just have to teach and hope it goes well haha We practice teaching a lot with our companions and stuff in companionship study and what not.
So last Saturday we had the first baptisms in the history of Coron! Pretty legit huh? The candidates were Sara (15), Daryl (13), and Maribeth (11) Maanyo. They're the kids of Marilyn who is an endowed member but they haven't had the opportunity to be baptized yet. So we still taught them all like we would anyone else, and they were prepared and ready to be baptized last Saturday! We took a boat out to CYC Beach and baptized in the Sea! Prettyyyyy amazing! I had the opportunity to baptize Daryl so that was way cool. I have some awesome pictures that hopefully I can send soon. We have like 12 investigators with a baptismal date here in the next couple months, how crazy is that?? I'm going to get to do most all of those its awesome! I'm so blessed/lucky!
The growth here is crazy!! So two Sundays ago we had 75 people attend sacrament meeting! That's pretty much the same amount of people that go to church in Effingham! Then this past Sunday we dropped down to a mere 68...haha We've gone from 5 members and the missionaries to about 70ish people at sacrament meeting every Sunday! This past Sunday was Fast and Testimony meeting. And it was one of the best sacrament meetings I've ever been to. The Spirit was so strong! There were a bunch of people with tears in their eyes, it was really powerful. I love these people, I can't imagine ever transferring out of here! Oh and by the way, the week that we had 75 people at sacrament meeting, Elder Hopkins and I had to do zero finding/tracting that week because we worked through the members. We asked for and received and bunch of referrals from our members and families we're teaching and taught them as well as kept up with our progressing investigators. So Effingham Branch! Work with the missionaries. Cuz Coron is catching up to you. =) You'll be blessed haha
So p-day is today, which is Wednesday because its transfer time. And the people haven't really told us anything about whats going down with my new companion. Finally this morning we got a call saying that he'd be here tomorrow so yeah. That's pretty much all I know. I've heard like 3 names of who it could be. I guess it was probably going to be Elder Vince Labinpuno. Which would have been crazy/awesome! Cuz Elder Labinpuno was in my ward at BYU first semester and he's an awesome guy. Plus he's in my batch so we went into the MTC the same day and will leave the same day. But he was only in the MTC for 3 weeks cuz he already knows Tagalog. But this morning they said that that changed and its not going to be him but this other Filipino but I forgot his name. I still hold out hope that they're messing with me because we've heard a ton of different stuff about whats going to happen here.
Hmm I don't know what else to say...so yeah..sorry! Miss you all but it rocks here!
Love
Elder Michael Gadberry
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