Howdy everyone!
This emails coming out from the incredibly rainy Ternate, Cavite! Its raining right now! And it rained yesterday! And the day before! and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that and the day before that! Okay to be honest I'm not really sure where that puts me in the week but I'm fairly certain its an accurate statement. Whenever its rainy and like stormy (stormy here is different than other places. Here its just like wind and rain and not too much thunder and lightning) but when we have a "bagyo" the kids don't have school sometimes. And this whole week there was no school. You know whats weird? The kids here are sad when they don't have school! #CultureDifferences haha And like the kids we weren't able to do a whole lot of work... Just kidding! We rocked it this week and got soaked doing it! We had a better week this week than last week it was awesome!
Nothing much new to report from this week other than soccer conditioning started. Do you miss that???
Oh yeah! Sobra! I still remember the terrible Michael Gadberry that would get to 6am soccer practice at 5:30 with no problems but at the same time you couldn't pay him to get to seminary on time. . . and that didn't even start till 6:30.. =D How'd that work?? #QuestionsThatTranscendMortality haha Just yesterday I was walking home with soaked shoes and socks and it was kinda annoying but I was like I don't know why I'm complaining cuz with early morning soccer practices my socks were always soaked and it wasn't that bad.. haha Believe it or not my 6'7" companion was a basketball player in high school, so we talk high school sports and what not every once and a while...good times! haha
Remember Casey (second cousin) that we went skiing with? He is working for Goldman Sachs in Chicago now. He said to tell you Hi.
Yup! Sure do! Thats pretty legit! I say kumusta ka na?? Paki-sabi sa mga bosses mo na dapat nila akong upahan pagtapos ko ng college.
Did you know that Grandma Gadberry is turning 70 this year?
70?? Way... I thought she was like 45, tops. haha That's exciting! She should serve a mission cuz the Paddocks are 72! haha =)
So looking at a map, it looks like you are right at the mouth of Manila Bay. It looks like you are about an hour away from Manila depending on traffic. Is that right?
Sounds right to me! Well. . . I think its usually like 2 hrs from Manila on good days even. I think Elder Stirland (finished off his mission in Naic) said sometimes it takes even longer than that if its like ma-traffic, like especially in the afternoons/after work. But yeah I think we're real close to the ocean or the bay cuz there's this bridge we walk over everyday thats this really big river that I think empties into the ocean or whatever and its got smallish island in the middle called Balot Island. I've got pictures of the river that I've probably sent already and I've got some more in this one too.
Sister Dietrich posted a couple of pictures of you and your new comp and new area. Looks nice! Hows the apartment?
Yeah, the Dietrich's came and hooked us up! It was awesome! I heart them. The apartments great! I think I sent some pics of it but I'm not too sure. But its a pretty new apartment and its a good size and still in good shape so thats good. It doesn't have hot water though...haha so that's taken a little big of time to get used to again.. haha
So this week has been awesome! Our work this week lessons wise was about the same but the other stuff went up so it was really cool! We had a ton more people at church this week! I asked one of the members what our attendance was and he said it was 96. So get pumped! Talk about a jump! Part of the reason was cuz it wasn't raining from 8-9:30 so it gave people a chance to get to church...haha But I also give credit to the members! We had a lot more people that we're actually teaching/reactivating come to church. And like last week we worked all week and never really got any members to work with us or help us and then Sunday came and no one came to church! But this week we had a couple days where we had members to help us. One of the evenings, the Relief Society President and one of her kids worked with us and that was after she had just finished doing some visiting teaching, so that was awesome! Especially cuz here (meaning the Philippines as a whole; but overall the church as a whole here is starting to pick it up =) ) NO ONE does home teaching or visiting teaching. #BigProblem Almost everyone that we visited with members, made it to church this week! So yeah. . .members are important! That means you guys in the Effingham Branch! Let's become a ward! =D I read this talk a while back by Elder Perry and I think I probably mentioned it then but it was one of the best talks I've read on my mission and its called Bring Souls Unto Me. Read it! President Monson is quoted in it saying, "There is no substitute for a member-oriented proselyting program. Tracting will not substitute for it. Golden questions will not substitute for it. A member-oriented program is the key to success, and it works wherever we try it. Hear that?? Everywhere! Its goin work here in Ternate! And it can work in Effingham! =D
It was also really cool this week to see the Lord leading us to people that needed to be found! He did it in so many ways it was cool! First, on the last Preparation day we rode a tricycle and found out that the driver was a in-active member! And he served a mission! And was sealed to his wife in the temple! Now thats someone you NEED in a small branch like this. And we were able to agree to meet with him this past week and it went well! Then another time we went out to visit a family that we teach regularly. Well they ended up not being there but because their next door neighbors (mother, and brothers and sisers of the father that we visit) saw us and called us over we found out that that whole family were members and not just the ones we usually visit! They were just shy and weren't too keen on coming back to church but then I guess they had been talking about how they missed the church and then we showed up and didn't have anywhere to go! And because we were able to meet them and share with them the family that we were regularly visiting and much of the ones we just met were all able to go back to church for the fist time this past Sunday! And then the other came in the form of a referral! We had a branch activity Friday night at which I was asked to give a short spiritual thought. So I of course did. And as soon as I went back to my seat, one of the ladies in our branch came over and told me about this less-active family that she wanted us to visit because none of their kids are baptized yet! So we were able to talk to them this week too! And that was an awesome lesson! So yeah. . . the Lord works in so many different ways! It was an awesome week!
In other news, the Ternate elders found out that when you combine awesome with awesome with some more awesome you get the TerNasty! And its even awesomer yet! We decided we deserved to party upon the arrival of our blender. So we bought some ice cream, cookies and fudgee bars and blended it all together with ice and it was like the greatest thing ever.. haha
In other news thats more related to missionary work, the real transfer day is coming up this Wednesday and I'm pretty sure Elder Handy and I are staying! haha Go figure. . we've been together for two weeks.. haha But President called me last night and said he's, actually he said the Lord is issuing me the assignment to be a district leader this next transfer. Ugh..ish haha Now I'm goin have to teach district meeting and I still hateee teaching/talking in front of groups of people. haha Good luck to me! haha
Well thats about it for the week! Hope you all had a great one as well! I doubt it was as good as mine though... haha =D Keep being awesome!
Love you all!
Elder Michael Gadberry
Pictures!
0374-381 -- our Zone Activity on Monday. We had a Zone FHE it was great! The ones with Elder Handy and Elder McGowen and Elder Griffen are pictures of the greatest debate that ever took place..haha We were all crying cuz we were laughing so hard. The final point was: Elder Handy - "So what you're saying is which ever one of us can make the better Chewbacca sound is the winner?" Elder McGowen - "That's exactly what I'm saying." And then my incredibly talented companion trounced him for the win! haha
0384-0391 -- Pictures around Ternate
0392/0393 -- This is Totoy Dingco! We're teaching him and reactivating his family. He's legit! Always reading his Book of Mormon and is just like legit, period. And that is his bike that is way too small for Elder Handy
402 -- I lost a game that we were playing with a family and I had to sing a favorite hymn while acting like a gorilla... uh yeah..
404/405 -- Our meetinghouse!
406-410 -- One of our service projects is making a garden for the little guy in the red. Good stuff!
411-413 -- The TerNasty!
415-469 -- Pictures around Ternate
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