Week 63

Hello Family! 

Another great week here in Miag-ao.  This last week was Elder Gowey’s last week on the mission.  In act, this morning I took him to the city and on Wednesday he will be back in Arizona.  Crazy, eh?  It was fun talking to him and seeing how he was feeling about going back after being gone for so long.  I am interested to see who my next companion will be.  I will know who he is on Friday at the transfer meeting.  So this week I will be with the Tiolas Elders (Elder Eror and Elder Waggoner) and we will officially become the coolest companionship to ever exist in missionary work.  Get ready.

Lots of people have asked about Thanksgiving in the Philippines.  Well, it doesn’t exist.  However, we had four American Elders within fifteen minutes of each other so we did the best we could to have our own little Thanksgiving… Then things snowballed a bit.  We ended up buying a live turkey that was about 6 kilos.  We kept it for about 3 days and then I brought it to a guy we know who makes “Litson Pabo” (a turkey that has been skewered with bamboo and slow cooked over charcoal… like a luau).  Then we cooked potatoes and gravy, had watermelon, caned peaches, rice, rolls, juice, and root beer.  Pictures, again, are on Elder Waggoner’s flickr.  It was a night of fine dining if I do say so myself. 

The work was pretty slow this week, but Sunday was a very pleasant one.  We had our Stake President visit along with the branch president and put them to work with interviews.  From what I could tell the plans to become a branch are moving along just great.  We had all of our priesthood holders/ potentials attend.  Our future group leader and branch president was interviewed and has set some goals to get married in the temple on May next year.  I am really excited or them.  He seems to be doing really really well.  We are still focusing on a couple families to really get them consistent in their church attendance and helping them live the commandments.  The big struggle is to get them to make real commitments.  They will always just say they will do things and never get around to it.  So, my focus lately has been how to get real commitments… the ones where they promise God and themselves to do something… not just a promise to Elder Lowry.  That is always a tough one to get.

I am really excited this week to get my new companion.  He is definitely in for a tough area that really needs someone that is dedicated to help and serve.  This is definitely a very unique area with really different problems.  It was a tough one for me to adjust to so I plan to help the next comp to adjust quickly so we can get our hands dirty here in Miag-ao.  And he had also be ready to have some fun… because when you work hard you have to play hard.   

The internet connection is way weak today so I will have to attach a picture next week.  But this morning at the office I got to take some pictures with my trainer and my trainee (they are both office elders right now).  It was so good to see them.  I love both of those guys.

Anyways… I sure missed you all this last week for Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving 2012 will sure be a blast!  I am doing really well here though and am having a blast.  I am ready for a new week of good hard work and I will fill you all in next week on my new companion.  Thanks or all the letters and the emails and support.  I love to read about what is going on with everyone and how well you all are doing. 

Halong,

Elder Lowry

Week 61

Hello Family!

This was a way sweet week for me!  I am mostly excited because I just got done with a sweet hike that Elder Gowey and I and the Tiolas Elders (ELder Waggoner and Elder Eror).  We went to the very furthest barangay in my area called Ungyod and went to a place called Tinagong Dagat (hidden sea).  It was a gnarly climb up to the place with no switchbacks or anything.  It was a trail that as way small and just went straight up the mountains.  We trucked up the whole 2 hours with only like 2 breaks.  My legs felt numb afterwards.  It was well worth the effort though.  It is this little lake just hidden away in the back of this mountain.  Then you climb this mountain right beside it and you can see all around for miles.  I have a way cool video of it... but I can't send video a) it would take a year and a half b) I don't think the email would be able to hold the file.  We took some way cool pictures and had a good morning of hiking.  

This week was pretty slow.  We are struggling getting new investigators and to get our older investigators to go to church.  This last Sunday was low in attendance as Pacquiao had his third fight against Marcquez that morning.  (He won by the way)  This upcoming week should be alot of fun.  We are working way hard to get these two investigators married ad I think this week will be the week we really work to get to the Municipality and get the license processing.  But they also didn't go to church so it will be like Christmas eve that they can get baptized.  Their names are Noynoy and Nene.  Keep them in your prayers that they will work for their marriage and go to church.  Thanks!  

This is Elder Gowey's last two weeks in the mission.  Like in 14 days from now he will be in Iloilo for his departing interview and in 16 days from now he will be in Arizona.  Isn't that nuts!  I also hit a big milestone this week of being on this island for one full year.  That also mans I only have ten more months on my mission.  When you all call next month I will have just less than nine months to go.  Talk about time flying, eh?   This will also be the last Christmas I miss.  I will be ready to party hard core next year.

Well I love you alland miss you all so much.   I am so proud of my family.  My Dad is fifty and is officially well over the hill.  My older brother has gotten a sweet job.  Man... Lowrys are just cool.  I am excited to write to you all next week.  I also forgot one more thing that is cool.  GEORGIA BULLDAWGS! Oh my... I can't even contain myself with how well they are doing.  National Champs next year!

Love You All.

Elder Lowry  

Week 60

Well...  This week was definitely a busy and a full one.  We are still working way hard core with the less active members on getting serious about this becoming a branch idea.  We seem to have some real support coming from them as well.  This last weekend we had 4 couples (not including our Group Leader who doesn't live in our area) that we all members and married that attended!  We also had 5 Melchizedek Priesthood aged men there with three of them already having the said Priesthood.  The other two are, in fact, the two we are focusing on to be given the Priesthood in January.  Needless to say, I am way happy with the way things are going.  We didn't have some key families that had some solid commitments to go to church, but we still turned out 33 people in attendance.  We are feeling really good that we can keep up those numbers to the end of the year and report two months of 30+ attendance!  

Elder and I are really excited as well because we got our snake skin belts from that huge snake we found last week.  The guy who made the belts was way cool and made them for relatively cheap.  We also had some extra skin and got some wallets made as well.  We are excited to wear them back to visit the family that we got the snake from and show them off.  I have some pictures but, again, the computer isn't liking the idea of uploading anything.  I really do try for pictures but sometimes the computers here are emphatically opposed.  

Well this P-day I am going to the city again to go get some stuff from the big mall over there.  There isn't much for stores here (there are stores but they all sell crappy stuff from Taiwan or something).  We are also gonna get some pizza while we are at it as well.  then tonight will be a laundry party for Elder Lowry.  As much as I despise hand washing my clothes it really is a nice chance to relax and just think about the last week for a bit.  I enjoy that aspect of it.  Then  try to stand up straight after three hours of being bent over a washing board and I remember really fast how much I don't like laundry.  It is a bittersweet relationship.

Well... I am definitely reenergized and refreshed after reading all of your letters! Krista really sent me some fun blogs and news!  Sure sounds like those boys are just getting so big! Thanks so much to everyone for all the letters and support!  I love you all and am excited to report back next week.  Same time same place!

Elder Lowry