Week 80

Hello Family!

Things are doing really REALLY well here in Hamtic.  This week was another one where I got to stay in my area all week and didn't have to go to the city at all.  It is so much easier to get goals when you have weeks like this.  Elder Arrieta and I did really well as well getting the goals we set for ourselves this last week.  In fact, as a zone we saw a big boost towards our zone goals.  The missionaries here are really responding to the Lord's hastening of the work.  I think we really have some prime Elders and Sisters here in Antique and I am so happy to be able to work with them.  The other Hamtic area had a baptism this last weekend.  SO we have had baptism every week here for the last three weeks.  We have been so busy and so blessed.  The service was awesome and the family was so happy to have another member be baptized and join them in the church.  

Like I said, Elder Arrieta and I really had an awesome week of goal oriented work.  It really helps you balance your work when you have achievable goals that you set and follow up on everyday.  We had some more problems with Elder Arrieta's asthma again... rainy season is here... but we didn't let it affect us too much.  We found ways for him to rest and I was still able to go out and see our investigators.  I am so grateful for how much the Lord helps us here in Hamtic.  I had a couple cool experiences with street contacts this last few weeks.  We set a goal here that we would talk to more people on the street instead of just going to our appointments silently.  So The other week I actually got approached by this kid in the plaza while I was on splits and he said we could come over.  I for some reason thought his house was WAY further away than where it actually is.  SO it took me until Thursday this last week to find him again.  His name is Vance and it actually pretty interested.  Interested enough actually that he came to church this last week and attended the classes as well.  He even brought his neighbor friend who is a part member  (his mother is an inactive member here).  I was so impressed and then ELder Naylor (the ELder I was on splits with the night I met Vance)  said, "Man, I could've never guessed that the kid we met in the plaza that night would be at church the new week and be early!" I was way happy and he said that he had a lot of fun.  Let's pray that he will continue.  ...and he isn't a kid, i guess, he is about to turn 19.  I also went on splits in a neighboring area with one of the district leaders here in ANtique.  While I was there I started talking to a guy on the tricycle while we were riding and ended up giving him a pamphlet and a Book of Mormon.  He said he was even from Hamtic and that he would be going home to Hamtic this last Sunday.  So while I worked Sunday we went on a search for him.  We went to the place he said he lived... no one knew him.  I was so let down!  This guy was so nice and seemed like he really wanted to listen.  We had to give up after an hour of walking around trying to find him.  Then this morning I went jogging with ELder Sellers like we always do and we went down kinda close to where he said he lived and on our way home I saw him.  I didn't even really believe it was him so I ran past.  But then I just had to turn around and ask... so I did and he showed me where his house was and I set up an appointment for tomorrow to go and visit him.  So I was way impressed that it worked out that I got to see him walking home this morning and now I will get to teach him tomorrow!

So life is good here in the Philippines and I am enjoying my time here.  The people here have a special air about them.  They are so easy to approach and talk to.  It makes missionary work so nice when you don't feel scared to approach people and ask them questions and invite them to listen and learn more.  I have noticed so many little miracles here in Hamtic and it has really come down to whether or not I rely on the Lord and expect the miracles to happen. That is like my little mantra now "Expect the miracle"  I have been so grateful too every time I need a little miracle and then the Lord makes known his hand and it always seems to work out.  

I love you all in Georgia and wherever you may be.  I think and pray for you all often and I am working hard so that I can party hard when I come home.  Thank you ALL for the awesome letters/emails  you write.  I really get a boost every time I come to read everyone's experiences over the past week.  I love reading them and I hope I can help you all a bit with my letters.  I love you all so much and miss you all as well!

Halong, 

Elder Lowry

Week 79

Training day!

Zone Leader Council - this is the mission home!

That's the mission Pres and his wife next to the guy in the red tie. Pres and Sis Pagaduan!

Hello Everyone!

Things here inHamtic are great and I thoroughly enjoyed being here all week and getting to work in my area all week.  The work really is progressing here in Hamtic Antique.  The big news was that we had a baptism this weekend!  Little Irvin Calderon got baptized on Saturday and Confirmed on Sunday.  He is a little part member kid meaning that his parents are both members but he wasn't baptized when he was eight.  His Mom and Dad used to be inactive but now they are active and the family seems to be doing well.  The poor kid got chicken pox the week of his baptism and refused to take any pictures the day he was baptized.  We were even wondering if he was foing to be able to be baptized but he got better by Thursday but Saturday he still had the sores all over his face.  He was having a rough day and just broke down and cried while his Mom was trying to get him to take some pictures... poor guy.  We didn't try to force him to pose for pictures... sorry.  But the service was great and we had lots of support for him.  I was way happy for their little family and hope they will continue in the church and receive even greater blessings. 

This week has been a full week of work and trying to find more people who will listen to our message.  We have found a couple new families and we are excited to see if they will continue in the gospel.  People here in Hamtic are super nice and love to talk to anyone.  I've never had so many people approach me and ask who I am and ask what I am doing.  It makes it really easy to invite people to listen to the message we share.  We have a super cool investigator right now named Chrispina Abella.  She is a referral from one of the members here and she has been to church three times now.  She attended the baptism and went to a stake relief society activity and loved all of it.  She is praying about the Book of Mormon and I hope she gets an answer soon.  She says she has been to a billion different churches and has ended up having problems with all of them.  I know she is sincere and will receive the answer from God that the message is true.  We also have another investigator who has been taught for forever (like since July last year) and she said she wanted to be baptized and so that will happen the 2nd Saturday of April.  SHe is also really consistent attending sacrament meeting and will make a great addition to the church here in Hamtic.  Right now Elder Arrieta and I are looking for whole families that we can teach.  We have a couple, but we want to focus more on families since a whole family unit is usually stronger in the church than an individual.  

I am way happy with life right now and I love being a missionary.  I hit 18 months this last week... I didn't even realize it though until I had layed down for bed.  I was like "DANG!  I've been away from my family and friends for a really long time now."  Then I fell asleep.  Good story, no? Well I am excited for these next 6 1/2 months that I have to soak up the missionary life and then I will be home and partying it up!  Get Excited everyone... or actually postpone that excitement for 6 months and then go crazy.  I am healthy and happy and excited for what will happen over these next 6 months and all that I will learn.  I think the Philippines is the best and the people people are even better.  I love the language (which is getting alot easier... easier than I remember it being in Miag-ao.)  So basically I think these next 6 months will just sail by.  I will be home before I know it.  

I love you all and pray for you all often!  DOn't forget me!

Elder Lowry

Week 78

Hello Family!

This week has been another crazy busy week for Elder Lowry... but it is over and I am pleased with what we were able to accomplish in our area despite being gone for the majority of it. The Lord has really helped us alot here that investigators and our less active members we are working with will still progress even though we aren't able to visit them as much.  I was really pleased again this weekend as I was able to sit down at church and see our investigators walk in and to have great experiences at the church.  It makes you really rely on Him more when you have weeks like this last week.  I think that might be one of the things I have learned here.  TO just to the very best I can and then the Lord will take care of the rest for me.  This last week was FULL of training and meetings.  By the fourth day of meetings and just sitting there listening I thought for sure I was going to go crazy... but I left Iloilo feeling a lot better about carrying out my responsibilities  as a Zone Leader.  In fact tomorrow I will teach my very first zone meeting.  It should just be like the weekly district meetings I taught in Molo but it will just have a bigger audience.  SO I am really excited to be able to pass the training that I was able to receive this past week on to the zone here in Antique.  

I was confused by Dad's question last week.  He asked abut the workings of a District and I misunderstood it to mean a district of missionaries... but he meant a District as in a group of church units that aren't a stake yet.  Stupid me... So as a zone leader in a District it actually isn't too different than a stake.  We just have President Pagaduan involved more with our correlations and stuff like that.  But I don't actually have to carry any church leadership responsibilities due to the fact that we are only a district.  The units here in Antique district are actually pretty stroing right now and I think they will be ready to become a stake within 5 years.  They just need to get more of their priesthood active in order to fill up more of their callings and they will be good to go.  The biggest difference is that we have no wards here... they are all branches and that does make a difference.  The missionaries still are depended on alot and it is kinda tough for us to help these people become more self reliant so that they don't have to have the Elders do everything for them.  So as the Zone Leaders we just correlate closely with the District President and our Mission President to help the whole province progress.

As for this last week of work, I was really surprised that we achieved almost all of our goals.  We still got quite a few lessons even though we only got to work three days (we went on splits). We still had four investigators come to church and had a couple less active families come to church as well.  The Elders that are here in Hamtic with us also had a baptism this last weekend.  It was a young couple (both got baptized) that have the CUTEST little 7 month old little girl.  Like this is honestly the cutest little baby I've ever seen in my life.  I don't have any pictures but I will get one this week and you all will agree with me... she is adorable.  I just can't even help but to play with little kids whenever I see them here.  They aren't shy at all usually and love Americans.  It was a wonderful baptism service and these two were so ready to be baptized.  I actually got to interview them... that was my first baptismal interview I ever conducted.  I thought it was awesome to just be able to sit down with them and discuss the covenant of baptism and what they have done to prepare themselves for it.  I was very honored to talk to them and feel of their spirit and how excited they both were to become members of the church.  

We should actually have a baptism of our own this weekend for a little part member kid whose name is Irvin.  His family is returning to activity as well  and seem to be doing well.  We have lots to review this week for his baptism, but seeing that we have no meetings or anything big on the schedule for this week it is definitely possible.  This week we will also be focused on getting some more families in our teaching pool.  I really wanna find a cool family to bring to the church.  We just have lots of individuals in our teaching pool right now.  So that will be a tough one to find but, again, I think we have lots of time this week and it is possible.  

I got Mom's package this last week while I was in the city and have already given away/ eaten all the candy and toys.  I am loving the Book of Mormon she sent and of course the jump rope has gotten used once or twice.  I've gotta start working out and running now... I've only got 7 months til I am home.  Shoot that is sneaking up.  I only have four transfers after this one.   Then it is PARTY TIME.

I also got some more pants made... it was sorely needed.  I had some Holy pants these past few months.  I think the fabric I got was way gwapo and when I picked them up today they fit perfectly.  I will get some pictures in them this week and send them next week.  I was way bad about taking pictures this past week and feel bad that I don't have anything to sent home.  I will repent and get some next week.  Promise.  I also had a jersey made for me while I was still in the city and finally got to get it this last week while I was there.  It was a fake Miami Heat jersey with my name on it.  I was way impressed with how good it turned out for being so cheap.  I am about to go play some basketball right now so I will get a picture in it... you all are gonna get to see some nasty tan lines with those pictures.  I love missionary tans... so attractive.  

Well that is all I have to report I think.  This week was another good week and I am a happy missionary.  This transfer sure is flying by and time doesn't seem like it is gonna slow down anytime soon.  I am blown away by how fast 18 moths has gone by.  Can you believe I've been gone for that long already?  Another 7 months and I will see you all again.  I love you all and pray for you all often.  I love reading your letters and emails... keep sending 'em!  I also got Shelby's letter this week!  Thanks!

Love,

Elder Lowry

Week 77

Hello Family!

 

This week has been quite the roller coaster ride for this missionary.  I was for sure tested this week on how prepared I was to take on new responsbilities.  Last week right before we left to go to the computer shop to email my companion Elder Arrieta was saying that he was stuffed up and had a bit of a head ache.  By the time we had finished all our errands for the day he was exhausted and said he needed to sleep off his sickness and we would just get to work on Tuesday.  Well the condition only got worse everyday ntil on Friday we went to the doctors in Iloilo City and found out he was suffering from a severe asthma attak and acute sinositus (sp?).  So now he is on a milloin medicines and it looks like he won't be able to work until this weekend.  That left me to lead the area after only two days of work.  I had only ever been to any one investigator or member's house once so far and had only met about half of the investigators in my area.  What didn't help as well was the fact that the other senior companion in the apartment had a training all week in Iloilo so I was left with his trainee and my sick companion all week and trying to get work done in both areas.  I was about to fold! It took alot of prayer and scripture study to get my attitude in the right place to trust the Lord that I could still come out on top.  I feel like I did a really good job though and I actually had good success the past few days.  Despite all the things that happened we still were able to manage to get 5 investigators to attend church and still have a good investigator base.  I felt like this week was going to be a HUGE failure as last week no one came to church and I didn't know the area at all... but the Lord really blessed me and the area and I was so happy on Sunday morning when our investigators and lots of our returning less active families were there. 

 

I am going to need another experience like that this next week because I won't even be in my area for the majority of the week.  Tomorrow I am leaving to go to Iloilo again and won't be back until Saturday evening because of my Zone Leader Council.  Then after that I have a leadership training for two days and I go on splits with the AP's another day.  So I am kinda worried what will happen this next week with no one to visit our members and investigators over the next 6 days.  I am confident though that the Lord will provide again and I will be happy again next Sunday. Dad wanted me to report a bit on my responsibilities as a Zone Leader.  I am basically the middle man betwen the District Leader and the AP's.  The District Leaders are the ones that teach and interview the missionaries in their District Meeting every Tuesday.  They are also the ones to collect numbers for the missionaries in their districts as well.  As a zone Leader I just take that info and pass it on up the chain.  We also teach a zone meeting every month to set goals as a zone and to conduct interviews with everyone in my zone.  So there are two districts in my zone and 18 missionaries (including Elder Arrieta and I).  We are also required to go to Zone Leader Councils in order to report the progress of our zone to the Mission President.  So that is what I will be doing this week when I go to Iloilo.  Basically I am still just a normal missionary but I have to do lots more reporting.  Like every Sunday night we get called by the AP that is assigned over our zone and I have to report on how the zone is doing and he gives me announcements I need to distribute to the zone. 

 

This week has been a fun week of really relyng on the members for help.  The members were really responsive to the fact that I needed people to work with me and wach over Elder in order for the work to progress.  I got really close to alot of the members that way and I was able to form some good friendships here so that I don't always complain about leaving my old friends behind.  There is this one family that I am already really tight with. The Second Counselor in the branch presidency helped us out alot and he has the cutest three little girls.  They love to run up and give me a big ol hug when they see me.  They are also geniuses! They showed me one of their little puzzles they like to play with and let me try.  I sat there for like 30 minutes trying it and then finally the little 5 year old felt bad for me and solved it in about a minute.  I was put to shame!  I will have to get some pictures to show you all next week.  With all the craziness of this last week I forgot to take any pictures.  Sorry. 

 

I am way excited for this next week and all the challenges that come up.  I feel confident that the Lord will help me again and that the work will progress no matter what.  I am doing great here and I am way excited to be in Molo again this next week even if it is for just a few days.  That place is the promised land for me... just so special.  I felt like I left my family behind again when I transferred from Molo.  So I am excited!  Love you all!

 

Elder Lowry