Loving All Things Filipino: All Souls Day!

Hello all!

It's a wonderful Philippino day here in Central Luzon (the big top island) and quite as well it is all souls day! This week has been a rocking one with elder Labataio. Tthis week we've really focused on less active and inactive members in Portal and less so but still so in Rizal.

Something I have seen is how the majority of people we go to are tatays, (daddy's) and the nanays (mother's) are set on going to the temple and want those blessings but have a ball and chain. So we're doing what we can to bring them about.

One such meeting-- there we were in Portal at the Feria household, nanay Feria is a good strong member and has a twitchy left eye and loves to talk. She's great, but we were there to talk to tatay. Before in an email, I talked about the rain while teaching lessons. That happened and it was such an intense moment for me! Because not only was it raining hard on their tin roof, but next door drunk tatays were karaoke-ing for all they could muster! (and people crank those karaoke machines!) And yet, we conversed with tatay and nanay Feria! Almost yelling. There I sat in utter amazement of the situation. Such insane things happen on missions, I love it!

One other such laughable kwento (story), it was the end of a day, and we had just got back to the apartment and sat down to plan, and it smelled bad in our room (things die in there) {that was a joke} But! Elder Labataio called out to Elder Pang who was outside and presumably the cause, "der Pang! amoy ng patay!" or, "smell of death", and I just lost it and laughed quite a bit that night.

I think you are all wondering how I celebrated Halloween here! It was fun, I wore my darkest grey pants and an orange tie! At church I said "happy halloween" to people. It was interesting because I got one reaction - people would laugh.. or! break into Dora Halloween tunes, the one that goes "Halloween! Halloween! trick or treat!" One kuya (brother) even did the dance for me. Kuya Mariel Reyes, there's a picture of him and me eating rice cakey things. But yeah! It was a happy Halloween, definitely and it's been a quick year from the last Halloween, holy schnikees. From all the pictures it looks like your Halloweens were a good old time, spent with the fam!

I have felt a lot more focused in on my purpose this week and been praying and studying for answers to questions about my purpose. Something I have found here on my mission is how valuable personal revelation is, and how ready God is to give it to us when in faith, we ask. Those moments when things just make sense are so wonderful and they mean so much more if we really ponder and work with the Master Teacher the Holy Spirit to find answers.

This all came about one night when we were at the zone leaders house and an Elder and I were talking about personal study. I had read a verse about Christ coming to dwell in a tabernacle of clay and I thought and thought and pondered and searched the scriptures and found helpful references and recieved revelation on other things but hadn't quite found out what that meant. I asked him, and instead of describing what it meant to me he showed me scriptures to read and topics to study to find my answer. I hope that makes sense it was kinda jumbled in my brain mismo but! Revelation, it's there.

This week at Portal branch's Sunday school, branch president Sarilmento taught a lesson about families and showed this great old church movie about how to build a strong family and I was strangely in-tranced! (or whatever that word is.. like a snake charmer charms a snake. This movie..well it didn't charm me, but you know what I mean!) I learned a lot about families but the thing I thought a lot about was how different the houses in the movie were than the ones I teach in! There was a part with a teenagers room with clothes everywhere. I thought about how many clothes that teenager has! and yeah, I think you also know where I'm going. I am just grateful for this experience to serve here with these people. It makes me think of my first interview with President Puzey when he described me question-ly, saying "Elder Hill, you come from a family with parents who love you, you were raised in the gospel, you have a house and a car and an education", to all which I said yes. From that I've learned a lot, and look back to that a lot.

dalawang bata (two children) Reyes

Tatlong bata Reyes (the one in the middle- her name is Cat Cat)

Me and Mariel eating tasty rice coconut jelly things in banana leafs

This is a favorite sign of mine in the outskirts of Portal- Mataming Salamat Po! (or many thanks!) As well as the Sealthy cemetary in the background, and the festivities of All Souls day!