Monday, July 25, 2011

Week 45 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELDER LOWRY!

Hello Family from your new 20 YEAR OLD MISSIONARY!

Well it has already just been a big party here. You all can party as much as you want over there... these Filipinos have already shown you up. My primary yesterday surprised me so much. My two baptisms from my last area have both written me already for a Happy Birthday... it was just awesome. None of my primary forgot my birthday. This last week they would always remind me f how close my birthday was, then finally on Sunday they ALL had my presents ready to go. They were all just little drawings of cakes and presents... but it sure was awesome to get all of the presents from them They LOVED singing Happy Birthday to me and we had a little mini party in Primary yesterday. They are just some of the most loving little kids ever. They all asked if I missed my family and stuff like that. So that helped alot yesterday. Everyone always wishes me Happy Birthday and the kids always have a ew drawing to give to me. Then they are so ashamed after that... I tell them that it is awesome and thank you so much and stuff like that. They always think it is no good or they wish they could actually buy something for me. I love them too much

The work is going along so well right now. Like I really would die if I got transferred right now. I find out tomorrow. We have some exciting investigators who are really progressing and I really want to stick around for their baptism. The people here are so receptive to the gospel. I love being able to help them. I love inviting them to do good. I love it even more when they do it. We have our ward conference this next week and so I am really hoping to get a good crowd out for the conference. People here get really REALLY excited for those kind of things. So we have alot of work to do this next week. We also shouldn't really have any travel to keep us away from our area like the past weeks have been.

Well the little girl who asked me to baptized is progressing so well. She is mainly the reason why I would hate to leave. I want to baptize her way bad. She is one of the most adorable girls in my primary and she LOVES to listen about the gospel. I hope her Mom and Dad will open up too over the next couple of weeks. They are definitely coming to her baptism they said. It will be a special one... so I am excited for them to witness it.

I am loving it here and at the same time miss home. It is a weird thing to try to describe. But I miss and pray for you all often. Keep us in your prayers and be comforted that I am doing well here. I am having a great birthday and the only think I could ask for is for my family to be here and enjoy it with me too.

This week I am also going to a members house for my birthday party. They have a kid with a birthday on Wednesday. So I owe them a birthday cake and will join with the dinner. I am way excited.

Well I love you all and miss you all so much. I pray for you all often. Keep us in your prayers and don't worry one little bit about my birthday. It has been awesome. The only thing I could ask for is that my family were here too. I love you!

Elder Lowry

p.s- I was way proud of Dad for making this reference... but yes... I am noww officially a TWENTYSOMETHING! Look it up... listen to it... love it... repeat

Monday, July 18, 2011

Week 44

Wow...

This was a fantastic week. I really love this area. We had a really busy week and the work is really going at a swift pace. Elder and I are in for a trip this next month just to keep up with everything. we have eight people with a baptismal date and so it will be a busy couple weeks to try to help them follow through with those dates. We had 5 people at church this last week so it is going well for right now. The attendance for church is also steadily climbing right now. When I got here it was avg just below 100 in attendance. Now we are getting close to 150. We also have ward conference in two weeks. My goal is 200 in attendance. It is more than possible.

My cute primary story for this week was when one of the cute little girls came up to me and asked if I could baptize her. She is a niece of our bishop, but her parents aren't members. I promised we would talk to her parents and talk to them if they would allow her. She has been going to church for longer then I have been here. Her parents are very friendly to the church and said it would be fine if she became a member. So on August 13 Eriel Bool will get baptized. She is such a cute little girl. I will try to send a picture to you all. We are also trying to be able to teach her parents with her. They are way nice, but they know that they will have to make alot of changes in their life to get baptized and they just don't want to.

As for the Malunes family (Julie and Manuel aka bossy lady) they are doing really well. They need to get married before they can get baptized. They oth want to join the church. They just need to go to church more. Their kids love the missionaries. We always ask the older one if he will sell his little brother to us. He always tries to get us to just buy his dad... sometimes it is a good deal too. This week we are going to focus on getting them to church again (brother has never actually been). But they love to listen and they say they believe in the message.

I also got way brown this week. The sun has been intense. Im glad this isn't my last area or I would come home with a way intense missionary tan. I show my tan line at my wrist watch and people laugh way hard. Like I am as tan as I've ever been... on my arms and face only. Im such a missionarY!

I really love this place out here in the middle of the mountains on Panay Island. The people love just to be alive and it is such a blessing to just have the opportunity to talk about life and God with them. It is honestly such a learning experience everyday. I just want you all to know how much I love you all and miss you all. And I am jealous of all of your success and adventures you are making at home. I am especially jealous of all the partying that was done at MY house without me. haha. I definitely felt a bit trunky reading about all the fun you all had. It will be such a treat to come back and see how much we have all grown.

Love you all!

Elder Lowry

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Week 43

Hello Family!

So this week was ALOT of fun! I really am enjoying my time here now. Like I really love the Manoling Area... and if I can speak for them they love me too. My primary is the PLACE to be on Sundays. I had like 5 nonmember kids in my class last week because their neighbor friends all invited them. This last Sunday we were in Roxas for our stake conference. So we all piled in the back of a dump truck (100+ of us) and stood there for two hours until we got to the Roxas Stake Center. Good Times! The people here in Manoling ward LOVE to go on road trips... probably cause they never really get to leave their secluded little place so they love to travel with all their friends to see their other friends they have seen for six months.

The only horrible thing that happened this week was too Analyn... her Dad chaned his mind and said she couldn't get baptized. So it definitely won't be this weekend... We are still working so maybe it can happen next month. Sayung! We aren't giving up easily though. She says she really wants to get baptized and that she knows what we have taught is true. So we will be making frequent trips to talk to her Dad and try to help him to realize how the church can really help his daughter.

I GOT MY BIRTHDAY PACKAGES YESTERDAY! President Pagaduan came to our conference and had two awesome packages for me! Dad, I got the card if something needs to happen for me to activate it just tell me. And Krista packed the most things into one large flat rate box I think is possible. So I just want you all to know that I was a VERY excited missionary yesterday! It was better that Christmas. I shared a bunch of candy with my family here (i live in their house i mean) and made some potatoes. They were more excited than I was. I have gotten WAY close to this family.... they helped me through alot. Like way close and it will be so hard to leave them... that and my primary. So Krista THANK YOU in advance (and on behalf of those kids) for the presents... Primary is leveling up now.

I also have the best freaking news! I get to go to BANGA for a night! Our zone conference is combined with Kalibo (Elder Teh our Area President is touring the mission). But I get to sleep over in BANGA!!!!!!!!!! Like I cannot even express what I feel right now. I am getting ANgelyn to come by where we will eat that nght and hopefully I can stop by Sheila Mae's house and say hi on the way home that night too. I just can't even tell you all how much I love and miss the Aklan and more especially the Banga area. Like i completely left part of my heart there (if i can try to express my feelings with corny poetry... bare... or bear with me.... this parenthesis got too complicated) Just know that this week is going to be awesome. My bata in the mission (trainee) is also still there. Elder Quinantoto. I miss that kid more than anyone that lives in the Philippines. So we leave here on Thursday and stay the night over there... then we come home right after the conference on Friday. Another week where we have lots of travel. Traveling is a hassle here. A way big one too. But I am more excited for the chance to go back. Like probably too excited. I will probably lose some sleep this week over it. haha

The Philippines is a wonderful country everyone... wonderful. You really have to adjust and learn to love it. But it is really wonderful once you do.

I love you all so much and miss you all!

Devyn- I'll try to get a letter off this next week for ya. I'll try to not leave it in my apartment like I always seem to do.

Shelby- Got your letter. It is really tough t send letters here. So I am trying to find the best way.

Til next week!

Elder Lowry

Week 42

Well Hello Everyone!

This one is coming to you all from Iloilo City! I had to come here to do some paperwork for my visas and so I get to spend the day in the city. It really is like a whole nother world over here in the big city. I do have to say it is MUCH more like America. Now I am in a big mall using a pretty nice computer station and it just makes emailing so easy... maybe TOO easy. I also just spent a lot of money on a stuffed crust pizza at Pizza Hut with some delicious Mozzarella sticks.... life is so good right now.

Anyways. This week has been alot of fun for Elder Balmeo and I. We really enjoy the work and we are way excited for how our investigators are progressing. We are really excited for our two baptisms that will happen this month. Both of them have started the paperwork. We have everything lined up for them now. We also are meeting some really REALLY nice people. We were able to give one lady (Sister Ivy De la Cruz) a copy of the Book of Mormon with a really good commitment to ask God about it. So we will follow up with her this week with her prayers and reading. We also met a great nice family (Bacli family) who had just moved from Manila. They welcomed us right in and listened to our message and said they were really interested to learn more. So we are very hopeful that they will progress as well. We are really trying hard to find those people who can be prepared for baptism in August. We have a solid two for July and we are focusing alot of time with them. We are also trying to help the inactive members return (which we are having really good success with). So any minute of spare time is spent trying to find those few that can be ready to be baptized in July. It is quite the work load if you ask me. But, such is the life of a missionary. I will sleep when I get home.

Riding on the buses from town to town makes me pretty trunky sometimes. It makes me think of what it would be like to go home. That feeling of going home must be one of the weirdest things ever. It will be so different to leave this whole different world to go back to America. People in America will only speak English and basta... it will be so weird. But then I can't imagine how awesome it will be to see everyone and everything again. To watch football with my Dad and my Brothers. To go back to school. To experience America again. But to leave this crazy place with all the beautiful scenery. To never wake up again in the middle of nowhere Philippines. Where we hang our cellphone from the window and pray that there will be signal. To help these people and to just talk to them everyday.

Ang opurtunidad ko subong nga maranasan ko ang kabuhi sang mga Philipino diri sa Manoling area'y importante sakon. Daw.... indi ko mapaliwanag sa inyo ang pagpalangga sang mga tawo diri. mamiss ko gid sila kag ila mga ejemplo sakon. oo... kabalo ko nga indi nyo maintidihan and mensaje nga ini perro gusto ko lang magpamatuod sa inyo nga palangga ko gid and Filipinas. tani makabisita man kamo diri kag ma experience ang culture di. Gusto ko man magpamatuod parte sa sini nga work sang mga missionary. Kabalo gid ko nga ari ako bilang isa ka missionary para matapos ang calling ko sa simbahan. walang katuland ang sini nga work. sa bilog nga kalibutan. Waay gid! mga ginapalangga kong kauturan namimiss ko kamo kag kapag natapos ko na ang work ko diri magpuli gid ako. Medio dugay pa... Te! Love you!

So I hoped you liked that Ilonggo message. Good luck on figuring out what it means.

Love you all so much and know that I miss you all. It is also weird that I am turning 20. It makes me think that I have to grow up sometime and do grown up things. I'd rather be nursery leader so no one thinks I'm weird when I do nursery things!

Elder Lowry