Hello Family!
Another great week here in Miag-ao. Elder Workman and I are pretty used to each other now and getting into a good work routine. We are also figuring out how to teach lessons together. It feels so good to be past those couple weeks/days where you aren't quite used to each other and it is just an adjustment from your last companion. Now I feel like we are doing really well as a companionship and this should be a way sweet week of work for the two of us. Yes, We are still working our butts off in the heat while you are all in Hilton Head being lazy. It's ok though... I don't hold grudges for too long. Just until I get my packages I guess. haha. Plus... I don't need Hilton Head. I LIVE ON THE BEACH. I'm done.
ELder Workman and I are working hard to find some more investigators to teach. The ones we found this last week are actually doing remarkably well. We have had two of them really pray and say they believe that the message is true. Now just time for the toughest part.... getting them to church. People want to believe the message and never really act on it. They really like to listen... let's just leave it at that. Going to church, for me, is a big deal for these people and it shows how willing they really are to be baptized. So I think we will have some good attendances over the next couple weeks.
There is also a family that we are working hard with right now. They have been coming to church off and on for some time now. The Leongson Family is a really cool family that I have been visiting since I've gotten home. They all want to become members but the parents aren't married due to some complications with paperwork. But all the kids are eligible for baptism and they seem like they all want to e baptized. Just getting them to church 4 weeks in a row is a bit of a trick. SO we should get 4- 5 baptisms from that family if we can get everything worked out in the next couple weeks.
The main focus of the church in the Philippines has shifted a bit lately. Right now the church is trying to focus on retention and reactivation. The church has about 20% attendance for the whole Philippines. It is about the same for Panay as well. Now missionaries have a lot more responsibility in helping members come back to church. We have about 4 new forms we have to always be filling out and alot more of our finding time has been redirected to reactivation and finding members that have been lost through the cracks. One big problem here is that people will just up and leave. They will move across the country and their records never get moved and they are either shy to go to church or the church isn't in that part of the country yet... whatever happens though they usually go inactive and no one will ever know that they were ever members of the church. We have about 20 members like that here in Miag-ao. It is really tough to get them to come back to church. Pres Pagaduan really wants us to work more with them and "complete" their families. So we are going to our less actives to reactivate them and to try to find more baptisms as well. Seems like a good plan to me... it is just hard to execute it.
This morning was alot of fun. We had a missionary night last night in a place called La Paz. So our whole zone had to sleep in the city (iloilo city). This morning everyone played basketball. We had half court tournaments of 4 on 4. Even President Pagaduan joined in and schooled our zone leader. He was surprisingly really good at basketball and knew how to work the base line. My team actually did really well. It was a really fun morning of basketball with all my mission buddies. I think all my companions that haven't gone home yet are in my zone right now. It is awesome to be able to see them on a regular basis.
This upcoming week seems pretty normal. I kinda don't believe it will actually be Christmas on Sunday. It really has snuck up on me this year. Pres and Sis Pagaduan are both coming to Miag-ao this Sunday for church. I am psyched to let all of our members and investigators to have a chance to meet and talk to him. I also love Sister Pagaduan a whole lot. She is such a nice woman... like completely my mission mom. She said she is bringing me food as well... my mouth is watering already.
Well I love you all and I can't wait to talk to you all next week. It will be the highlight of the past couple months. It is hard to believe that I haven't talked to any of you for like 7 months now. After this one I talk to you all on Mother's Day and then I just come home in Sept... CRAZY!
I love you and miss you all so much.
Halong,
Elder Lowry
No comments:
Post a Comment