Hello Family!
Things here in Hamtic are great! This week has been a tough one for me but I am still doing great and I love my mission. I just seem to be in one of those stuck parts of life where I think I am doing everything I can and nothing seems to be going "my way." Which I guess I shouldn't complain too much about since this isn't really "my" mission or "my" time. I have felt kinda down the past few days as I have been really giving it my all here in hamtic and things just didn't turn out for Domincel and I. It is really frustrating when you know you are working hard and the results you are hoping/ working for don't show up on your timetable. So I have had to really swallow a big ol pride pill and learn to just rely on the Lord even more. it just is never that easy to accept that things shouldn't go how I think they should go. Well the baptism didn't go through this weekend as Marjorie is so shy and says that she is not ready yet. It is tough to accept just because I know that she understands what we have taught her and she has a desire to be baptized but just refuses to go through with it because other people say that they won't support her in her decision. We will continue to work with her and work harder to help her prepare herself for the next big step for her. We are also seeming to run into walls non-stop in our search for a family that we can help come into the church. We are still working closely with one family but it is turning out to be really tough to ever get opportunities to teach them as a family. It has just seemed like all the plans we have made this last week and work we have accomplished just hasn't moved forward at all. Like we are just at a stand still with the work right now. I am confident that the Lord will show forth His mighty hand in our work when He feels it appropriate and I just have the responsibility or duty to just move forward and not ask any questions. I think that is just something that I am meant to learn right now... How to wait upon the Lord. I remember that talk from conference that year where the said that people often pray for patience but want it right then. I guess the same thing could apply to me right now. I just wanted to share how I was feeling.
This next week promises to be challenging as well as Elder Domincel and I will not be in our area from Tuesday afternoon to Friday afternoon. Then it is festival here in Hamtic Friday. We are going to have to work in some far away that day as everyone near town will not be proned to want to listen to us then. I am ready though for this challenge and I feel like if I continue to just do as much as I possibly can everything will work out. I have been focusing on just not getting stressed about things I can't control. That will be a big life lesson that I can learn here on my mission. Why stress out about things I just simply have not control over. I am trying to just focus on what I need to do and let other things work themselves out.
Let's see... what else can I report to you all. Ah ya.. I got a cool bible the other day. I never thought that they had any written things in Karay-a (the local dialect here). Well I bought a bible that is all in Kinaray-a so now I have proof that this language is real and I'm not just making all this up over here about weird dialects in every new area. It has also proved to be a great study tool and I have learned a ton of Karay-a words that I didn't know before. It is god because it really uses conversational Karay-a and I can understand it really well. I probably understand it better than I understand the Ilonggo Book of Mormon... The church when it makes books in the native languages here they use really weird words that no one uses anymore in just conversation. But this bible is really nice and uses common Karay-a words I have really enjoyed reading it and trying to pick up more words and grammer. I can't wait to get home and attempt to explain these languages to you all. It really is interesting stuff and it is weird when you know six different words that mean dog. I feel like I am cramming my mind to the brim with new words and trying not to get them mixed up. Like if you say, "agi lang kami" with the accent on the a in agi it means you are just passing by... but if you put the accent on the i in agi it means that you are gay. So you gotta be careful with not mixing up these new words you are learning. haha
I hope everyone is doing well over there. It sure sounds like Thatcher and Levi are turning into the Dynamic Duo over there. They have gotten so big since I have been gone. It is hard for me to believe when I see pictures that Krista sends to me. I am excited that in just a mere matter of months I will get to see everyone again and have good talks with them and see what all has changed while I've been gone. For now just know that I miss you all and I am continuing to work hard and strive to become even better of a person than I was yesterday. I think I have grown alot while I've been gone and I can't wait for you all to see me again and get to know me again. I miss you!
Halong,
Elder Lowry
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