Ahhhh... Hello Everyone!
This has been an interesting week. I've experienced many new challenges, but I'm still very grateful to the Lord for all of them.
My Zone Leader duties aren't too bad, but they do take up a lot of my time. Sundays are completely shot, since I have meetings starting at 7:00am going all the way to 10:00pm. I'm in charge of organizing sacrament and priesthood meetings, and making sure everything goes to plan. I'm also in charge of overseeing my zone, which is comprised of 4 Districts. I am responsible for overseeing any problems that arise in the zone that the District Leaders present to me, and I am also in charge of teaching and orienting new missionaries who enter the MTC into my zone. So my Wednesday and Thursday evenings are now set apart for this orientation, and my entire Sundays are taken up with meetings. I do appreciate the assignment though, and am trying to fulfil my duties the best I can.
Mom, you asked me what kind of Book of Mormons I'll be handing out since the language is unwritten. The church has invented an ingenious solution to this problem. Essentially, they made up a system of writing for the Filipinos. Many Filipinos speak English, and the educated can read it. The Church has made the Book of Mormon into the Basahon ni Mormon, which contains the Bisiyan words spelled out in English letters. This way, the Filipinos only need to know how to sound out the letter sounds and they'll know what it means because everything sounds exactly how it reads.
I've been sending letters to you, my family, like crazy this week. You should be getting another letter with some writting on the back, very soon. When you get this wait for the second letter that I sent today until you respond. I want to be on the same page still, and since there is so much lag in the snail mail, I don't want it to get confusing. I do still love getting all your dear elders, it really does make my day.
The older Cebuano district left for the Philippines yesterday. They are still in the air now. I am so so so jealous of their 36 hour flight plan. Seriously. I want to get out in the field so bad. My teachers tell us that things have really changed since they were in the MTC. Appearantly we know just as much Cebuano now, after 4 weeks, that they did when they went out to the field. That means that I could survive going early, with the same knowledge they had. The MTC is an amazing accomplishment of the church, and it's a great learning place, but I'm ready to go now. This Saturday is our halfway point. ugh. I guess the more practice I get, the better though. With the older district leaving, our numbers have also dropped by 6. Now only 8/2500 speak Cebuano in the MTC. Our lunch table is so lonely. We get 22 new missionaries in 2 weeks though! I'm very excited.
Misyonaryo ko sa simbahan ni Jesukristo sa mga Santos sa Ulahing mga Adlaw. Nasayud ko nga tinuod sa simbahan ug pinaagi ni joseph smith, nagpahiuli ang Dios sa ebangelyo. Nagpasalamat ko sa Dios para iyang gugma ug pagia niya. Excitedkaayo ko para sa opportunidad sa magalagad sa mga tawo sa Philippines. Nahigugma ko akong manluluwas ni Jesukristo ug Nagpasalamat ko para kaniya.
I'm a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know that the Church is true and that through Joseph Smith, God restored the gospel. I am thankful to God for His love and His guidance. I'm excited, too, for the opportunity to serve the people of the Philippines. I love Jesus and am grateful for Him.
Naa ko'y sa pinakamaayong pamilya sa kalibutan!
I have the best family in the world!
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